Next To Never

Skye Parker thought leaving Leo Westcott behind in college would spare her heart, but life has a cruel sense of timing. She’s just been fired from her struggling startup—only to realize the man who broke her is now the one controlling her career. Worse, he lives next door. Every hallway encounter, every shared glance, every accidental touch ignites the past she tried to forget. Can she trust him when betrayal seems to lurk in every corner, from former friends to rival companies—and even Leo himself? She’s forced to confront not just her feelings, but her self-worth, her career, and her ability to choose herself over the man who still has her heart. Leo, the polished billionaire with secrets of his own, must learn that power can’t replace vulnerability, and that protecting someone sometimes means letting them go. Secrets, seduction, and sabotage threaten to destroy them both—but will love survive the mess they’ve made of each other’s lives? Get ready for a story of passion, ambition, and heartbreak that won’t let go until the very last page.

Antonia Finn doesn't wish for much, just for one thing, her Husband's love. Yet it seems that love will never be hers no matter how much she tries. Humiliated and betrayed by the man she has loved for three years; Antonia makes a decision. She's going to divorce him and go start her life elsewhere. But too many things are left in the shadows unsolved, and Antonia is right in the middle of all of it. What really is her true identity? Is she just destined to be the divorced wife of a billionaire or is she more than that? How will the world react when she becomes the woman she's always dreamt she'd be? And Malachi, who won't let her go yet wants her back for all the wrong reasons, will he ever change and become a man she can love, or will she have to take the very enticing option that's presented itself to her?

After five long years of dating, Winona Shaw finally said yes. I was elated, like a scavenger who'd struck gold. I put everything I had into the engagement party, but out of the blue, Winona embraced Claude Landton instead. She even tried to frame me and boot me to jail. I canceled the party and called the cops instead. That made Winona mad, and Claude started panicking. Icily, I said, "Now, calm down. We have a lot of trials to go through. See you in court."

In a world where the gods of legend have become actual fact, a few misnomers from another planet seek to simply live their lives in peace. If you could choose one word from the dictionary, one that simply defines you to the core of your soul, what would you say your definition is?

My boyfriend was crippled when he saved me, while his adoptive sister suffered from heart failure after protecting us from misfortune. She had to depend on the expensive imported medicines to sustain life. To pay for their treatment, I sold myself as a lifecasting model on the black market. Not only were my hands and feet coated in the heated silicon, but I also needed to endure strangers touching me without flinching. I needed to pay if the replica was damaged. I begged through my tears, only to receive a few slaps to my face in return. They scolded, "You signed up for this. Don't act innocent now." Humiliated, exhausted, and aching, I still took the money straight to the hospital to buy medicine for his sister. When I passed by the VIP lounge, I heard a familiar laughter. "Chris, this is the 998th test, isn't it? Are you really marrying her once she passes the 999th test?" With a slight frown, Christopher answered, "Yeah. Although testing her is a family tradition, and they're having you to supervise, don't overdo it. I won't have another bride." I froze. Every sacrifice. Every humiliation. Every bit of pain I had endured—it had all been a test. A game to see whether I was worthy of marrying him. Staring at my bruised reflection in the fire-resistant glass, I let out a sudden chuckle. Then, with trembling hands, I turned on the old phone I hadn't touched in two years. I felt tears roll down my cheeks when I told the other person on the line, "Declan, take me home. I regret everything."

When my cousin died, my aunt forced me to marry her husband in order to take care of the child she left behind. She said that it was a way to pay her back for raising me after the death of my mom. For eight years of being in the marriage, I was bullied by my cousin's son, accusing me killing his mom in order to take over her home. And my husband? He never defended me. To them, I was nothing more than a mere house help. And the day I had looked forward finally came, when I could walk away from the marriage. But fate had other plans—I died in pain that very day. Now, with a second chance at life, I made one thing clear: I was done with that miserable family, for good.

On the day my body gets blasted into pieces, Amanda Stone, my wife and a police captain, is busy riding the merry-go-round with her childhood sweetheart, Mark Horton, and his son, Keith Horton. Three days later, she finally remembers our son, Evan Johnson, and me. "It's been three days! Is he still mad that I used him and Evan to exchange for Mark and Keith? He's even trying to get the entire police squad to play along with this fake disappearing act of his, huh?" "Captain Stone, Caleb has died in the line of duty. Evan was also injur—" "That's impossible! What I did was only a temporary measure. I set up three layers of defense. There was no way anything would've happened to Evan or him!" Lara Chase, Amanda's colleague, turns away. She can no longer bear to look at Amanda. "Mark did it. He lied about the situation and used your authorization to move everyone away. We've already identified the kidnappers. They're the remnants of MW Syndicate. This was all part of their attempt to get revenge against you. "We also found out that, when you were trapped at the border three years ago, it was Caleb who led the rescue attempt and risked his life to bring you to safety, not Mark's deceased wife…"

At gatherings in our circle, people always bring up a joke. "The Snow family's worthless son-in-law cannot have children, so he keeps sending other men to Grace Snow's bed. How I wish my man had that kind of awareness." What they do not know is that all of those men are arranged by my father-in-law in my name. Grace throws the first one out and has a huge argument with me. Then, she buys me a luxury watch worth over a hundred million dollars to cheer me up. The second time a man is sent to her, she immediately feels sick after only touching his hand. We argue again. This time, she buys me a manor, saying that I'm the only one she wants by her side. But when it comes to the tenth one… She closes the door and does not come out all night. We stop arguing, and we stop speaking to each other. Everyone thinks I will do anything to secure my place in the Snow family and will cling to them for the rest of my life. But when I take out the divorce agreement, no one believes it—including Grace herself.

On the suit jacket her husband had just taken off, Hannah noticed a lipstick stain,one that definitely wasn’t hers. Yet at that very moment, her husband was clasping around her neck a one-of-a-kind gemstone necklace in celebration of their 7th wedding anniversary. Later, when she found a single strand of golden hair that didn't belong to her too, a seed of doubt quietly took root in her heart. Still, her husband's tenderness, his unwavering attention and love, made her question her own suspicions. Could she really be imagining things? Until she saw the photo on the phone— Her husband, in bed with another woman. He really had betrayed her! And that woman… was the friend she had trusted most.

I’d just bonded with my mate, Alpha Damien, when he brought home an orphan to repay a “life debt.” From that day on, I came second to the girl, Lila. Always. Lila framed me, claiming I forced her to lose control of her wolf. For that, Damien locked me in the silver cells for three days and three nights. "The silver will teach you how to be a tolerant Luna!" Silver poisoning is torture. My wolf withered. I begged for mercy, drowning in agony. Lila just snuggled up to him, her voice dripping with fake concern. "Serena is your mate, after all. When she's in pain, you're in pain. It hurts me to see you suffer." Later, to make Lila happy, Damien publicly gave my seat on the Pack Council to her—a girl who knew nothing. This time, I said nothing. I just severed our mate bond. Days later, while he was writhing in the agony of our broken bond, he finally heard the news. I had joined the royal’s elite unit, The Talons. And I was never coming back. He shattered.