Penguin Highway

It was never the intention of Raphaela "Ella" Morales to die clumsily by crossing the highway to her favorite coffee shop and inadvertently crashing into a fast-approaching truck as a result. She was never suicidal and she loved living on Earth with her loved ones. But then the accident happened and all of her aspirations and goals in life were crushed in an instant. The handsome, dark, and hooded grim reaper named Eric was waiting for her after she died. Ella decided to take her chance and tried to convince him to let her live for the second time, and she succeeded. In return, she needed to give herself to him forever, even after death.

During the New Year’s, on the highway back home to our hometown, my younger brother pestered us to stop for a bathroom break. My mother nudged both my older sister and me. “The next rest stop is quite far from here. You should head to the washroom; otherwise, you’ll regret it later. “Be quick; don’t dilly-dally!” Just as I jumped out, my family’s car pulled away and started driving away. The temperature was close to the freezing point, but my parents left me behind at an unmanned rest stop. I could only rush over and yell after them, “Dad! Mom!”

Ashley thought she could outrun her past—but a broken-down car on a deserted highway throws her into a brutal biker ambush. Her world collides with the Steel Vipers MC, a brotherhood bound by steel, loyalty, and danger. Rescued by four men—Nolan, the commanding President; Jax, the scarred Enforcer; Ace, the silver-tongued VP; and Cole, the reckless Prospect—Ashley is pulled into their world... and into their hearts. With rival gangs, a ruthless cartel, an obsessed ex, and a relentless detective closing in, trust turns to temptation, desire, and a forbidden bond with all four men. On the open road, survival isn't guaranteed... but wild, dangerous love just might be. The last chapters deliver explosive heat—intimate and deeply earned—as Ashley and the vipers stop running from what they want and claim each other completely.

I'm the second child of the family. Because of that, I'm also the one everyone neglects by nature. The birthdays of my older brother, Joe Thompson, and my younger sister, Lyra Thompson, are jotted down on the calendar by my parents. But they always fail to remember my own birthday. Joe and Lyra often have new clothes to wear, whereas my parents keep forgetting to buy new clothes for me. Heck, Joe and Lyra often receive holiday gifts! Meanwhile, my parents never bother giving me anything during the holidays. In fact, when we're traveling back to our hometown, my parents end up ditching me at a deserted highway rest stop when the temperature is extremely low…

At ten years old, I watched my mom jump to her death in a rainstorm. That same night, my dad brought home a glamorous woman and her nine-year-old daughter. I had feared and hated rainy days since then. My husband once helped me face that childhood trauma, staying by my side through every storm and promising, "Don't worry, Lena, you'll never face your fears alone." But when I refused to pick up his new assistant, he abandoned me on a highway in pouring rain, saying, "Marie is your sister, and you left her out there? Walk home!" That night, the rain never stopped, and I walked thirteen hours along a dark, endless road. That was when I decided I was done with him.

Due to one phone call, Carl Lorde left me behind in a deserted area on the highway, even though I had been pregnant for four months. I walked to a rest area to ask for help, but in the end, I was unable to keep the baby. I broke down and called Carl, but he kept rejecting my calls. The next day, his childhood friend posted an intimate photo of them lying side by side in bed, with a caption. [With just one call, you’d come over to my side no matter what.] Everyone was waiting for me, Carl’s girlfriend, to make a joke of myself. However, I just wiped away my tears, liked the post, and commented, [Congratulations, you two are a match made in the trash dump. I hope you rot in hell together.]

On the highway, when the vehicles of drivers on the same stretch of road went out of control and rushed towards us, Wynn Lloyd protected me by holding me close beneath him. As a result, he ended up in the emergency room, battered.In the hospital ward, a friend praised, "Your husband is really good to you. When the car came crashing, he protected you with his life, not caring about his own."I remained silent.Indeed, he was good, but it didn't stop him from liking someone else.Wynn and I had known each other since childhood, for over a decade, and everyone said he loved me to death.But who would have thought that such a person had a mistress on the side?He pampered her in every possible way, indulging her to the extreme.

It was the holiday season and I was on my way home when the traffic on the highway came to a standstill. Suddenly, a Maybach came speeding down the emergency lane and slammed right into my car. The driver jumped out and started yelling, jabbing his finger in my face. “Are you blind?! Don’t you know cars turning should yield to those going straight?” I frowned. “My car broke down and this is where I’m supposed to be. You’re the one who broke the traffic laws, yet you’re blaming me for this?” “Traffic laws?” he scoffed, full of arrogance. “I’m the law in Jacksboro City. That Volkswagen piece of junk you’re driving is not even worth one of my Maybach’s tires!” Then he pulled out a baseball bat and smashed it down on my car. He even threatened to break my legs and demanded compensation. I sneered. “Sure, this may be a Volkswagen… but why don’t you take a closer look at the special clearance permit on the windshield?”

“You’re not his wife. You’re a ghost in a borrowed face.” Lena Moore thought she had outrun the darkness. Engaged to billionaire Aaron King and carrying a child she’s not sure belongs to him or the stalker, Kian, Lena’s past comes crashing through the doors—dressed in white. Jennifer, Aaron’s long-dead wife, is alive. Or so it seems. One betrayal spirals into another. On the run from heartbreak and chasing what’s left of her sanity, Lena goes into labor on a stormy highway—only for her ex-lover, Kian, to take their newborn and vanish. When Jennifer is found murdered and Lena is arrested, the world turns its back on her. But behind bars, the truth unravels. Jennifer was a puppet. Alara—Lena’s estranged mother—has been the mastermind all along, manipulating lives, identities, and deaths from the shadows. Lena is done running. With her child missing, a legacy built on lies, and the world doubting her every breath, she’s ready to burn the past down—face by face.

My name was Natalia Granger. My husband, Andrew Lane, was a CEO, but he didn't love me or our son, Carl Lane. In order to spend time with his first love, Jennifer Zink, and her child, Jordan, Andrew would give one piece of candy to Carl before leaving. He promised he would return once Carl collected 100 candy wrappers. … Yet, when Carl finally gathered 100 candy wrappers, Andrew dumped him by the side of a highway instead. It was all because of another child's birthday party. Panicking, I searched everywhere for Carl. By the time I found him, he had become mute due to the trauma. However, Andrew only commented flippantly, "Jenny and Jordan didn't mean it. Can't you two be more magnanimous?" Eventually, Carl no longer became sad when Andrew left, nor did he hold out hope for Andrew's return. Instead, he simply wanted to return the candy wrappers to Andrew while also leaving a note that read, "Daddy, I don't want you to come back anymore, but could you return my voice to me?"