Open Water

It's my seventh year of secretly dating Liam Ferguson, my brother's friend. We're about to have our marking ceremony soon. I happily prepare for it, wanting to surprise him. However, during a gathering with friends, I accidentally overhear something. "If you ask me, there's no denying Alpha Liam's good looks and charm. To think he managed to make the Silver Snow pack's Alpha's sister his stand-in lover and bed partner!" "What are you going to do with Maya now that Nina's back, Liam? Andrew won't let you off the hook if he finds out you've been fooling around with his sister…" The following day, Liam takes me to Nina White's welcome-back party. He's gentle, considerate, and affectionate with me. His love for me seems so deep that I wonder whether I'm imagining things. Then, Nina "accidentally" spills scalding soup on my arm and runs out in tears. I'm the injured one, but she feels wronged. However, Liam shoves me aside and runs after her in a panic. I return home with a burned arm and open the door to the basement—Liam has never allowed me in there. I see Nina's photos plastered on the walls. There are even photos of them doing the deed in various positions. He looks so wild. I call Andrew with a heart full of despair. "I've made up my mind about the marriage with the Alpha heir of the Storm Tribe. I'll do it!"

Before our marking ceremony, my fiancé, Adrian Conner, insists on bringing his childhood sweetheart along on our trip—all because Flora Wooledge says she also wants to see the northern lights. He switches my first-class ticket to Flora's name. He says, "I'll fly first class with Flora. You can take connecting flights by land. The doctor said it's not good for a pregnant woman to stay at high altitude for too long." I don't cry or argue. Instead, I calmly push him toward Flora. He snorts. "You've finally learned to behave. You're not as clingy and troublesome as before." After he leaves, I quietly sign the abortion consent form at the hospital. Then, I book a ticket to the southern hemisphere. In my past life, I begged and clung to him, hoping to keep him with our pup. But on that trip, Flora was attacked by rogue wolves and torn apart in the snow. Adrian kept a calm facade. Yet on the night I was about to give birth, he dragged me back home and cut open my belly with his own hands. He stood there and listened as our pup's cries slowly faded away. He poured all his hatred onto me. He believed I caused Flora's death and that I ruined his chance to become the Conner family's heir. To him, I was nothing more than a sacrificial pawn. In this new life, when I step off the private jet, I see Adrian standing there with his eyes bloodshot. He stares at my belly and asks, "Where's the pup?" Before I can answer, his half-brother wraps an arm around my waist. "Adrian, show some respect to your sister-in-law."

Xander King A perfectionist , a complete workaholic. He had his entire life set , become the Ceo of King industries before 24 and get married to his childhood sweetheart,Ella Rhodes .But an unknown woman was thrown into this perfect plan of his by his own mother , how will he accept this unknown woman or will he divorce her? And what happens if he somehow feels about her more than he should? Lana Stewart Given a second chance at life.She woke up on her wedding bed with her suppose to be husband , Xander King . But this man never loved her in her previous life .Her plan was simple ; make lot of money,open a company by herself and divorce this husband of her's . But what happens when her old feelings hinders her development, making it impossible for Lana to divorce Xander , will she keep track of her emotions or will she succumb to her husband's charm once again? After all when love comes knocking emotions tumble Cover art is not mine: comment or email at somilsingh8400@gmail.com to take it to down

I had taken leave from the sealed research institute where I'd been confined for six years, just so I could attend my daughter's kindergarten graduation. The moment I stepped through the gates, I froze. A woman holding a little boy by the hand was shoving my daughter, Amy, straight into the gutter. She slapped Amy across the face, then sneered for everyone to hear, spitting venom as she called my little girl a filthy wretch. Drenched in filthy water, Amy dropped to her knees before the woman, trembling in humiliation. Rage burned through me. I stormed forward and slapped the woman across the face. But instead of shame, she jabbed a finger at my nose and shouted, "Do you even know who I am? To offend me is to offend the entire Grant family!" Tears welled in Amy's eyes as she tugged at my sleeve, pleading in a choked voice, "Please leave… she's my dad's nanny. My dad will punish you if you hurt her." The woman planted herself in front of me, her arrogance towering. "The Grant family rules this city. You think you can run from us?" For a brief moment, I stood stunned, then calmly pulled out my phone and dialed my husband. "Your nanny says you run Bexley City. Well, I think that's about to change."

Being the only daughter of the Calhoun family, a mafia family in Merovia, I am doted on like a princess. This changes when I turn 18, when Mom dies. On the way back from a family meeting, the car blows up, and Mom shields me beneath her. Even as she lies in a pool of blood, her gaze is tender as she says to me, "Don't blame yourself, sweetheart. I love you." Still, after Mom's death, everyone in the family starts blaming me for what happened, including Dad and my older brother, William Calhoun. I go from being the princess of the family to the jinx that everyone hates. Soon after that, Dad brings home a new adopted daughter, Juliet Calhoun. William favors her and detests me. Even my childhood sweetheart, Shawn Kramer, takes a liking to her and ignores me. Dad says his new adopted daughter is way better than his biological one. They all agree to attend my college graduation ceremony. But on the day, they end up taking Juliet onto our family's yacht and holding a cocktail party out on the water to celebrate the official addition of a new family heir. This is the 100th time they ditch me for her. Unable to stop myself from an emotional breakdown, I cry out, "I'm the one who's related to you by blood!" Dad shields Juliet, who backs away from me out of fear. Then, he slaps me on the face. "I wish I'd never had you." "Who wants to have a younger sister like you? I wish you'd died with Mom!" William roars in contempt. This time, I've decided to let it all go. I call Aunt Marissa, Mom's sister. She's the founder and a therapist at MindCare Treatment Center. "Come here. This is your home now." I know that Mom's death was a conspiracy. This isn't just me leaving, but withdrawing myself from the family entirely. I hope that the next time I meet the Calhouns, there won't be tears on my end. Instead, judgment will befall them.

Lorraine Davis, a talented yet struggling painter has her world shattered when she catches her fiance cheating the night before her wedding. Consumed by grief, she struggles to move on until her best friend Maia jostles her to a local art event where she meets Clay Winston, a young Billionaire CEO of a prestigious fashion brand, who is also running from the nightmares of his past and trying to avoid an arranged marriage. He proposes a deal to Lorraine and offers her five hundred thousand dollars on the condition that she becomes his wife. Driven by her shattered beliefs in love and the urgent need to save her brother's life who needs chemotherapy, she accepts his proposal. But as she adjusts to her new world, she begins to question her husband’s identity, as secrets unravel; why Clay married her and his true motives, especially after learning that he was betrothed to someone else. Tragically, Lorraine’s brother doesn’t survive the chemotherapy. She struggles with grief, but through her husband's help, can she unlock her creativity and find true love in him? "Dared to love" is a thrilling and captivating Billionaire Romance that will keep readers on the edge of their seats As Lorraine navigates through her struggles, she must confront her past traumas and learn to open her heart to the possibility of love once again. Can she overcome her struggles and find true happiness with Clay in the strangest situations? Will she win or lose the daring game proposed by her husband? Or will her past trauma haunt her and destroy everything she's worked for and built? Follow Lorraine on her journey of loss, love, healing and self-discovery in this compelling novel.

"Look, I understand you're married," he replied in the same low, calm baritone while we danced. "But burying your head in the sand does not change the facts. These things are out of our hands, you and I. We can't help what we feel, Keira. We should talk about it and try to resolve it." Resolve? Now he was being blatantly sex.ually suggestive? I was going to respond, but my mouth hung open as a gentle thumb brushed the flesh above my waist. That part of the dress had a small opening... **** On her thirteenth birthday, Kiera suffers an attack that leaves a lasting injury on her wolf and weakens her senses. When her father dies, as the only child, she succeeds him, becoming Luna of the Spring Moon pack despite her secret deformity. But her position and the secret of her wounded wolf are at stake if she remains unmarried. To earn the support of pack elders, her uncle arranges marriage with the most suitable candidate and her teenage crush, Liam Rudd. Despite the imperfections in her marriage, Keira is content with her life. Until their first wedding anniversary. Her husband begins to reveal his true colors while pack elders insist she remains in an unhappy marriage. To worsen the crisis, Alpha Nox, a notorious ruthless lycan, comes into the picture. He claims he's her fated mate, though her injured wolf is not able to confirm this. One kiss, a simple mistake, leads to Keira's undoing. The lycan learns her secret and becomes determined to claim what is rightfully his, no matter the cost. Will Keira be able to protect her pack from ruin and keep her title? What extent is Alpha Nox willing to go to get what he wants?

It's my and my boyfriend's anniversary. I open the glovebox to hide a gift inside as a surprise, but a piece of familiar-looking lingerie falls out. It's torn in a spot; it looks like it went through a rough battle. Before I can process the situation, I crash into a car that suddenly switches lanes in front of me. Right before I black out, I remember where I saw the lingerie. It was a gift from me to my best friend.

When I was six, I spilled hot water, slipped, and burned my face. My face was ruined. My parents learned their lesson and never let my younger sister do housework. To everyone they met, they praised her beauty, her charm. They turned to me with nothing but disdain. When I was ten, I had a high fever. They didn't think much of it and let it drag on until my brain was damaged, leaving me slow and dull. They learned their lesson again. From then on, if my sister so much as coughed, they would rush her to the hospital in the dead of night, showering her with care. I was like a failed experiment. Every mistake they made with me, they corrected for her. I was ugly, silent, dim-witted, unwanted. She was beautiful, sweet-talking, clever, adored by all. When I was diagnosed with depression, I gathered what little courage I had and told them. Mom lashed out, called me sick in the head, and accused me of being petty. If I was so capable, she said, I might as well die. It wasn't until my sister pushed me off a high-rise that they found out, by sheer accident, that she wasn't their child at all. I was their one and only biological child.

On my birthday, I personally prepare 16 dishes. After setting up the candlelight, I open a bottle of red wine. I take a photo and send it to my husband, Eric Sinclair. "I'm working late tonight. Don't wait for me," he replies. I choose to believe him. But after midnight, I notice an Instagram story posted by Shirley Huxley, his secretary. Eric was there with her, dressed in the trench coat I once gave him. They sat side by side in the VIP seat of football stadium where my favorite Super Bowl take place. Entwined in a passionate embrace, they kissed beneath a sea of shimmering lights and the roar of thousands of fans. That game is the one I have always longed to experience with him. I look down at the cold food on the table. Eric's words keep ringing in my head. "I hate kissing." "Marriage is a partnership, not about love and kisses." Though we've been married for ten years, we've never shared a single kiss. Meanwhile, he's out there, kissing Shirley openly and passionately. Despite it all, not a single tear falls from my eyes. The next day, Eric settles into his chair, completely unfazed. "Return the gallery to Shelly," he commands. I nod quietly, saying nothing. Suddenly, Layla Sinclair, my daughter, comes running down the stairs and throws herself into Shirley's arms. "Aunt Shirley, you're my favorite. I don't like Mom!" In that instant, it hits me—the home I devoted my heart and soul to means nothing anymore. It doesn't matter that I've been married to Eric for a decade. Now, all I want is to find myself again. I decide to accept an invitation from the Parisoir School of Fashion Design. From this moment on, I won't wait for them to come home, and I won't look back.