Lingered Antonyms

On the night of my fifth wedding anniversary with Sebastian Gray, he lit up the entire city with fireworks for me. All our friends kept saying what a wonderful man he was—so loving, so romantic. The kind of husband every woman dreams of. At the grand finale, the fireworks burst into words that lit up the night sky: Happy Birthday, Jen. Jennifer Kingsley was Sebastian's first love, his ideal woman, the one who had always lingered in his heart. Sebastian looked at me, his expression almost sheepish. "Ah, it's Jen's birthday too. They must have mixed up the fireworks." That night, Jennifer posted on her social media: "Men are boys till the day they die, always fumbling their way through romance." She added a picture of the fireworks, along with a photo of her and Sebastian standing close under the dazzling display. I liked her post and left a comment: "From school to altar—what a touching love story. When's the wedding?"

I watched as a smug smirk formed on the corner of his lips, my heart breaking into a million pieces as my enemy triumphed over my pain. He then stride towards a cloth, using it to wipe his bloody palm, he didn't give me a reply; not yet. Finally, after what feels like an eternity of moments, he speaks up. “You would bear my heir” he replies as though it's the most casual thing to say. “And your opinion is irrelevant” ******* Iskander Damaris stood at the edge of a dark forest, his golden eyes burning with hunger. Calyx Vale's scent was etched in his mind, a fire in his blood. She was a rare-blooded she-wolf, the only kind who could bear an Alpha's heir - his heir. Her scent lingered, and a cruel smile spread across his lips. He'd spent years searching, destroying packs, and now he'd finally found her.

I was about to get married, but my boyfriend of nine years had no idea. Why? All because his recently divorced ex-girlfriend waltzed back into town, and he threw himself into her life without hesitation. The knight in shining armor was back, ready to save the day. The moment they saw each other, it was like a scene from a bad romance novel. Their gazes lingered, sparks flying, the kind that screamed, “Oh, we’re soulmates reunited.” To welcome her back, he had 9,999 Juliet roses flown in to decorate her room. Why? All because it was a promise he had made to her long ago. How sweet. Except for one small problem: I’m severely allergic to pollen. When I woke up in the hospital after an emergency rescue, I didn’t cry, yell, or demand answers. No, I pulled out my phone and texted my parents, "Please help me arrange a marriage. I’m done."

Ethan chuckled to himself and ran his fingers through my hair. Electricity ran up my spine as I tried not to react to how good it felt. “God, you’re cute.” He said. He leaned in and kissed me on the lips. I kissed him back, and we lingered in our embrace for a moment before pulling away. I could see something was shifting, was he holding me? What were these feelings brewing inside of me? I told myself not to take them too seriously. “You’re pretending.” I whispered to myself. “None of this is real.” - The offer was simple: one million dollars to pretend to be his girlfriend, then his fiance, in a space of six months. Everything she wanted was going to be at the tip of her fingers, including, maybe, making her best friend Jake a tiny bit jealous. What could go wrong? Everything, absolutely everything. And they both wanted it.

Uneece’s Ravene, also known as Jewel, was a girl who transmigrated to another world where mythical creatures exist. She was reborn as a human among the Lycans.She was young when she was abducted by a mad scientist and became his test subject for years. She became his greatest experimantal success. After putting an end to his life, two years later, she was captured once more and enslaved by the ruthless Lycan King, who gave her endless butterflies in her stomach and made her heart tremble regardless of how he had diabolically rejected her.After learning about the importance of soulmates, she asked herself, 'Did he feel the same for me?' This question lingered in her head for a while. Even after being treated harshly and drowned by jealousy, she kept her little hope up.But what happens when a human slave falls in love with her? Will she choose to stay as a slave forever or escape with the person who loves her?

"I wish I had jumped down a cliff." I uttered, tears rolling down my cheeks. He was indifferent, a chuckle emanating from his lips. "And what will be your gain?" His hand lingered on my neck, his dark eyes staring right at me "Why don't you become mine instead?" ...... One night. One contract. One chance at love. Sarah Williams had a nightstand with Vincenzo, a mafia boss on her boyfriend's birthday. Which ended up as a disaster the next day. However, to make things right and fix his reputation, he was left with no choice but to make Sarah his wife, so he propose a marriage contract to her. However, what happens when a one night stand turns into an entangled deal? Would she let love do its thing? Or would she allow herself remain helpless forever in the web of a contract marriage? What is it going to be?

During the pack's wilderness training, my adopted sister, Tessa, shoved me from a cliffside thick with wolfsbane. My Alpha, Fenrir, turned and left with Tessa feigning injury in his arms, leaving me for dead at the bottom of the ravine. I died instantly, but my soul lingered, watching everything with cold detachment. I watched as Tessa's tearful complaints swayed him into blaming me for my own disappearance. "Will Selene ever stop causing me trouble?" "She's weak and always looking for trouble. How could she possibly be fit to be our Luna?" He had no idea I was already dead at the bottom of that cliff choked with wolfsbane. Five whole days. The poison hit my bloodstream like liquid fire, racing through my veins with merciless speed. As my body decayed under the moonlight, my love for him faded with it. The title of Luna, the magnificent coronation I had dreamed of, everything I once cherished was now meaningless. The Selene who loved him was well and truly dead.

“I’m not afraid of you,” I whispered as he pressed himself against me, running a hand down the side of my face.“Are you sure, because your heart says otherwise.” A twinkling of amusement lingered in his eyes, and running his tongue across his fangs, he smiled. “You people see us as celebrities, dazzling creatures of the night. In reality, we are so much more.”~~~~~When Lorelei’s sister Lucy disappears, she ensures she is accepted into the lottery of paradise to spend a year with the most celebrated of vampires. Her only hope being that she can find the trail that would lead to her sister coming home—hopefully alive.Thrown into a world of pleasure, cults, and monsters. Lorelei must keep her wits about her while trying to uncover a secret that ends up being much darker than the pleasure she receives.Will she succumb to pleasure or end up missing like her sister?Curse of the Spotlight is created by Claire Wilkins, an eGlobal Creative Publishing signed author.

Just as Justin proposed to me, a phone call interrupted him. Standing close by, I clearly heard the voice on the other end of the line. “Justin, I’m hurt. My leg hurts so much!” Justin snapped the ring box shut and looked at me. “Alice is injured. I’ll have to do this another time.” With those words, he sprinted away, leaving everyone around us staring in astonishment. I had never met Alice, but her presence lingered in every corner of our lives.  At meals, Justin would mention her fondness for sweet desserts.  When I dressed, I came to know her love for soft lavender hues. I argued, I wept, I lashed out, but Justin always countered with the same line. “You’re so jealous. Everyone has their first love. She’s my past, but you’re my future.” So, I turned to a man who had once called me his first love—Quentin—and made a bold proposition. “Let’s get married.”

After her mother’s funeral, Katrina Bellini returns to a house that was never truly hers… and to a man she should never want. Gregory Romano is powerful, untouchable, and completely off-limits. But the more they try to keep their distance, the more the tension between them burns. One mistake is all it takes to cross a line that can never be undone… and in a world where secrets don’t stay buried, their forbidden desire could cost them everything. “I told you this can’t happen,” Gregory said, his voice low, controlled… but his hand still lingered at her waist. “Then why are you touching me like you don’t want me to leave?” Katrina whispered, her breath brushing against his lips. His jaw tightened. “You don’t understand what you’re asking for.” “Then make me understand,” she murmured, closing the distance just enough to make restraint feel impossible. For a moment, he didn’t move… and that hesitation said more than any confession ever could.