Love Is More Than A Word

In high school, Ivy Monroe was the quiet nerd no one noticed—except when they were laughing at her. And Liam Calloway? He led the laughter. Now Ivy’s all grown up—famous, flawless, and filthy rich. She’s the CEO of her own luxury fashion brand, and she’s never looked back... until her father drops a bomb, “You’re getting married. To him.” That’s right. Liam freaking Calloway. The arrogant golden boy who once humiliated her in front of the entire school is now the heir to a crumbling empire. And the only way to save both their families is to tie the knot. Ivy agrees, but with rules. No touching. No feelings. And definitely no falling in love. But Liam isn’t the same boy from high school. He’s hotter, cockier, and way too determined to make their fake marriage feel a little too real. Let the games begin. Because this time, she’s the one holding the power. And he has no idea what he’s up against.

On my wedding day, my best friend, Beatrice Hopper, buys a lottery ticket from a convenience store and gives it to me as a wedding gift. I initially believe that she's joking, but when I see the unmistakable disdain in her eyes, I know something is off. "They say it's the thought that counts. This gift is precisely how I show that I care. Besides, I'm pregnant and need money for everything right now. I don't want you to feel bad about taking my money," she says. Honestly, I'm disappointed. But since it's my wedding, I can only stand there and watch as my best friend drags her entire family to the reception for free food and drinks. As expected, the wedding ends on a sour note. The two of us part ways unhappily. What I don't see coming, though, is winning 50 million dollars in the lottery that night. Elated, I tell my husband the news, and we head to the lottery office first thing in the morning to claim the prize. The news quickly spreads among our friends and family. But by the afternoon, Beatrice pounds on my door, demanding I return the lottery ticket. "I should've been the winner!" she screamed. "I was the one who bought it, so why should you take away my prize?" I keep backing away from her, panic flooding my entire body, so much so that I don't even notice she's holding a knife. The last thing I expect is for her to swing it at me in the middle of our struggle. By the time I realize what's happening, the blade is already buried in my husband's chest. I try to call the police, but Beatrice yanks me back. We grapple, stumble, and crash through the floor-to-ceiling windows. Eventually, we fall to our deaths in the courtyard below. The universe must've had mercy on me because when I open my eyes again, I'm back at the moment she hands me that lottery ticket. Here comes my second chance.

On New Year's Eve, I waited at home with a box of sparklers, hoping Jake Thompson would come. Instead, an earthquake struck. Trapped under fallen debris, I prayed for his safety. Little did I know, Jake was putting on a grand fireworks display across the city for his high school sweetheart who had just returned from abroad. The whole town buzzed with excitement, wishing them a lifetime of happiness together. Meanwhile, I had lost my hearing in the disaster, with no hope of recovery. When I tried to break off our engagement and leave town, Jake stood before me, his eyes red-rimmed and pleading. I couldn't understand a word he said. I simply wished him, “May you always have a day like today, year after year.”

***Warning: Mature Audience Only*** No Safe Word is a sinful collection of short stories where control is the ultimate game, and surrender is inevitable. From ruthless CEOs to dangerous strangers and forbidden rivals, every short stories teases the edge of pleasure. Each story pulses with obsession, domination and a passion that burns through every rule… just when you think you’ve had enough, it pulls you deeper into a world where there is no safe word. Dare to play? There’s no turning back once you say yes.

My sister-in-law, Hannah Martinez, was eight months pregnant when someone shoved her to the ground. Due to the heavy bleeding, she was rushed to the hospital. I happened to drive past, but I rolled up my window and pretended I saw nothing, pressing down on the gas pedal. In my previous life, I had immediately taken Hannah to the hospital when I saw her pass out from the blood loss. However, the situation was critical. After the severe bleeding, she developed an amniotic fluid embolism. My wife, Lauren Martinez, was the best obstetrician in the city. I called her, begging her to hurry to the hospital. Yet, she thought I was throwing a tantrum out of jealousy because she was having dinner with her first love, Isaac Poole, and his family. She believed I was using Hannah's emergency to force her to come back. By the time her family finally arrived, Hannah had already died from the failed treatment of the amniotic fluid embolism. Her entire family blamed me for Hannah's death, convinced that I had deliberately caused Lauren to misunderstand and let Hannah die. My brother-in-law, Jacob Turner, who rushed back from out of town, believed their lies. In his overwhelming grief, he hacked me to death with a knife at Hannah's funeral. When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the day Hannah was pushed and started bleeding out.

Maddie is a very powerful witch and Raven is an equally strong magician and that is certainly not desirable in the eyes of a very arrogant opponent. All sorts of things are pulled out of the magic closet to ensure that their powers are undermined. Can Maddie handle all this magic that suddenly comes her way? Quite a lot is required of her. She sometimes wishes she didn't have those magical powers. Plus, Raven has some more magical secrets that he hasn't shared with her yet. Will there eventually be balance in the magic and in their lives? Or do they part ways there?

"Mama, is Uncle our Daddy?" Finn asked with a pout. Zora bent down so she was face to face with her son. She ran her fingers through his hair with a strained smile. "Then who is Papa? Which of them is our Daddy, Mama?" The little boy probed. "Uncle, Finn," Tears pooled in the woman's eyes. How was she to tell them? Just how was she to tell her kids who their Dad really was? "Papa is not Freya and your Daddy. Uncle is your Daddy," "But uncle made you cry, Mama. I don't want Uncle to be my new Papa," The boy replied and ran off. *** Four years later, Zora Walter was now a well known model with two kids and her boyfriend. She had to return to New York City because one of her children had cancer and she was referred to a hospital in NYC. What she didn't expect was to meet him, the father of her children again and what happens when the buried desires threaten to come alive again? Would Zora be able to handle being with Elliot especially now that she was in a serious relationship with Derek? How will Elliot react after realizing he has two beautiful kids? Would he leave his golden wife for his ex girlfriend and kids? Or would they decide to bury whatever they had and leave it that way?

My husband—the mafia boss—loses his first love to suicide. Celeste Reyes couldn't accept that he was marrying me. Since then, Darius Sterling mourns her publicly every day, and we become the kind of couple that despises each other more than anyone else. However, when the Moretti family of Eastbourne sends assassins after me, Darius takes the bullet meant for me. The bullet is poisoned. As he lies weakly in my arms, he whispers, "I saved your life. My debt to your mother is repaid. In our next life, let's not meet again. "I don't want to hate you anymore. I just hope you'll always be the girl next door. Now, it's time for me to be with Celeste." And just like that, he dies in my arms. I cry my heart out, but Darius never looks at me again. Only then do I realize how foolish and childish our hatred has been all these years. Later, after I eliminate the Morettis, I take my own life for him. Yet, when I open my eyes again, I'm back at 20—the year of our engagement. I reject my father's plan for an arranged marriage and choose to go to New Verden to manage the family business. This time, I'll stay far away from Darius and give him and Celeste my blessings.

First thing Leah Labelle did after Andrew Fillion's funeral? Ask her husband Ian for a divorce. Why? Because Ian's entire family thought the perfect way to honor his dead brother was to knock up the widow. Naturally. "My parents are threatening to hang themselves or starve, Leah. What was I supposed to do? It's just IVF with Cecilia—we're not even doing anything. Why are you making this a divorce thing?" Leah shut her eyes. Her chest cracked open, and the tears she'd been holding finally broke free. "Ian, we're MARRIED. You seriously don't think this is next-level insane?" Her husband was about to have a baby with someone else. But sure—she was the crazy one.

Mila is a fierce, resilient woman who doesn’t back down from challenges. She fell deeply in love with Alex, only to have her world shattered when he betrayed her with his mistress, Lily. Alex, obsessed with having a son, had divorced Mila after learning she supposedly couldn’t conceive. When Lily became pregnant, she secured her place by Alex’s side, leaving Mila devastated. Yet Mila, with her signature sass, decided to rebuild her life, throwing herself into her career with newfound strength. Just as Mila’s life starts to stabilize, she discovers something shocking: she’s one month pregnant. Reluctant to believe it, she re-tests, only to confirm the news. Soon, Mila learns the original claim of infertility was all part of Lily’s scheme to steal Alex and secure his wealth. Fueled by the betrayal, Mila sets out to reveal Lily’s deceit. But Lily is always one step ahead, twisting each of Mila’s moves to her advantage. Now, Mila faces her greatest challenge: outsmarting Lily and taking back control of her life, her dignity, and her future. Will Mila expose the truth before Lily’s schemes destroy everything?