Optimism Antonyms

She survived a marriage that could have broken her. She certainly never expected to fall in love with the man who helped her rebuild it. After leaving a cheating husband, Layla Morgan is determined to reclaim her life. But healing is a slow process made of small victories and quiet realisations. Enter Rider Steele. He is patient, gentle, and endlessly loyal. He never pushes nor demands; he simply stands with her. And somewhere between shared meals, harbour walks, and whispered confessions, Layla learns what trust feels like again. A deeply emotional, slow-burn romance about betrayal, healing, homecoming, and the bravery it takes to believe you deserve happiness.

Trigger Warning: This story explores difficult themes including emotional and physical abuse, coercion, non-consensual drugging, obsession, and trauma. Reader discretion is advised. Love. Lust. Obsession. Three very different men, but they all have one thing in common... Me. I was just a waitress. A woman with burned bridges and a dream of starting over. I thought I was finally free. A clean slate. I was so close... so close to gaining the independence I fought so hard for, until darkness came again, only this time… tenfold. One’s lust wants to own me. Another’s obsession seeks to break me. The third... I’m drawn to. He treated me like no one else did. I thought I could trust him. Then something shifted. Something terrifying. Hope fades when your body is not yours, your voice is silenced, and freedom is denied. --- As my fingertips brushed the smooth metal surface of the handle, claw-like fingers sank into my fleshy hips. I cried out in pure terror, the wind knocked out of me as my back slammed against his chest. “You’re really not leaving without saying goodbye to me, are you, sweetheart?” he growled. His eyes glowed an eerie garnet. “Remember, you belong to me now, Laura. If you ever dare run, I’ll lock you away where no one will find you,” he snarled, his coarse face scraping against mine. --- I’ve survived everything up to this point... Now, I’m not sure I can. They say I belong to them... Yet what if I was never meant to belong to anyone?

Onika gets her heart broken by the playboy Billionaire Nathan McAlison. But when Nathan shows up seven years after, Onika decides to make sure her revenge is a dish best served cold. Or Maybe not. When she begins to fall in love with him, Onika must decide what is more important to her: Forgiveness or Malice.

 Ivy Sinclair was born to be forgotten.  Ivy, a wolfless runt of the Bloodfang Pack, had little choice but to disappear into the shadows after being turned away by Alpha Killian Wolfe. However, a long inactive power awakens within her when Killian's brutal rejection leaves her broken and alone. She lives as something darker, strong, created by sadness and wrath, rather than the weak girl she was before. Centuries old, a prophecy was said out loud: "Born of light, born of shadow, a queen without a crown, a wolf without a pack... The forsaken will cry out, and the broken will rise. With the rogue king, Ronan Devereaux, by her side, Ivy sets out to tear down the empire Killian built. But the path to vengeance is not without its cost, and Ivy soon discovers that the darkness within her runs deeper than she ever imagined. Her soul is bound to something ancient, and when Killian returns, desperate to reclaim her, Ivy must face a choice that will shatter everything she’s fought for. The storm is rising, and Ivy is no longer the one who will be broken. She is the one who will break everything.

Life is never black and white. One minute you’re a struggling graphic designer in LA that's finally coming to terms with being single forever, and the next you're flying to New York in a private jet to get engaged to your ex-boyfriend’s older brother. At least...that’s what everyone thinks. Forced to clean up his playboy image in order to protect his company, Beckham Sinclair, the city’s most eligible billionaire bachelor, wants me to be his fake fiancée and personal assistant. Now I'm spending every spare second with a man I thought I’d never see again. My freshly mended heart has barely recovered from the first time a Sinclair broke it. But with each passing day, Beck’s dirty mouth and lingering stares make me question his motives—and mine. As the line blurs between real and pretend, only one thing is certain: there are secrets hiding in this city full of black ties and white lies.

Oluchi never thought love would find her this late. She has spent her life following rules, hiding pieces of herself, and convincing the world she was fine. Then comes Amina the soft-spoken lesson teacher with a fire in her eyes, the one who makes Oluchi’s world feel both terrifying and alive. What begins as stolen glances soon becomes a dangerous longing. Desire. Fear. Hope. Everything Oluchi was told to bury begins to rise. But in a world that punishes women for wanting more, for loving differently… Can Oluchi risk it all for love? Or will survival demand her silence once again? The Love That Changed Everything is a tender, messy, and unforgettable story about late-found love, queer longing, and the price of choosing yourself.

" A CROWN FOR HER FREEDOM" Anna lived in a world that praised her for perfection, yet behind closed doors, she was nothing but a tool to her ruthless father and a target for her stepmother’s cruelty. When betrayal ends her life, Anna wakes up in another life, inside the body of Tara, a forgotten princess in an ancient kingdom, hated for the magical blood she inherited from her murdered mother. Forced into a political marriage with a vampire prince Xavier, Tara had given up on life—until Anna’s soul takes over, determined to escape this cursed fate. Her plan is simple: help her new husband rise to power using her modern knowledge, secure her freedom, and disappear to a quiet life in the countryside. But love and destiny have other plans. As Anna navigates palace intrigues, dangerous magic, and growing feelings for the prince, she must choose: will she chase the freedom she always longed for, or claim the crown fate placed in her hands?

My life was about to be complicated. Meeting a stupidly hot guy after a missed flight, and a kiss that left me dizzy. We agreed: no names, no numbers. Just a hot make out session and goodbye. But when I start my dream job the next week, guess who’s sitting behind the Managers desk? Yep. The airport stranger. Now he’s Mr. Thatcher… aka my boss. Worse? He’s older and engaged. I know I’m not supposed to be thinking about that kiss especially when I’m supposed to be working, but my brain still hasn’t gotten the memo. Office meetings just got a lot more complicated…..

"Are you not kidding?" Travis asked, his deep voice laced with disbelief. "You want to get married... today?" Alice's eyes sparkled with mischief as she nodded enthusiastically. But little did Travis know, Alice's intentions were far from innocent. She had been reborn, given a second chance at life after a brutal murder at the hands of her stepsister, Octavia, and her former lover, Grant. With her memories intact, Alice was determined to exact revenge on those who had wronged her. And Travis, the brooding and handsome millionaire, was just the pawn she needed in her game of revenge. As Alice and Travis navigate their whirlwind engagement, secrets and lies begin to unravel. Octavia and Grant are still lurking in the shadows, waiting for their next victim. But Alice is no longer the naive and timid girl she once was. She's been reborn, and she's ready to take back control. Will Alice's thirst for revenge consume her, or will she find love and redemption in the arms of Travis? Dive into this twisted tale of love, lies, and revenge to find out.

Life is not exactly easy for Yuki Roman. With his ailing grandfather to look after, a pile of bills to pay, and rejection after rejection in the job market, desperation gets the better of him and drives him to try an unorthodox approach—dressing up as a woman to get a job at CreedX Technologies. Enter Creed Malcolm, the ruthless, acid-tongued billionaire CEO who doesn't accept defeat. Unknown to him, his newest "employee" is different from the rest. Yuki's razor-sharp intellect, limitless optimism, and unbreakable spirit begin to dismantle the walls Creed has taken a lifetime to construct. But when secrets are exposed and loyalties are tried, their lives are turned upside down. As Creed battles his own identity and feelings, Yuki has to decide if love is worth surrendering everything—even his carefully constructed lies. Will deception ruin their chance at happiness, or will love be the greatest truth? A steamy, heartwarming romance where opposites attract, secrets clash, and love changes everything.