Pretending Synonyms

Ericka Matthews has been in love with her roommate for two years. The problem? Dominic Anderson made her sign a contract when she moved in: no romance allowed, or she's out. She's respected that boundary, hidden her feelings, and watched him from across the breakfast table every morning without letting on. Then Dominic kisses her. And immediately tells her not to kiss him back. Heartbroken and humiliated, Ericka decides to disappear. She has a backup plan, savings, and an apartment lined up. She'll be gone before he even notices. But when she collapses on campus and ends up in the hospital, Dominic is forced to confront what losing her actually means. The contract gets torn up. Confessions are made. And it turns out their mothers have been running a secret spy network dedicated to getting them together for three years. Now they just have to survive Sunday dinner with both families and Aunt Linda's unopened Christmas presents. A contemporary romance about two idiots who wasted three years pretending to be "just roommates," the meddling families who saw right through them, and the kiss that finally broke all the rules.

When I'm scouring for food in the dumpster, I get recognized and taken home by the richest man in the city, Maverick Clark. As soon as I get home, Camila Clark, the fake heiress who has taken my spot for many years, asks our parents with an aggrieved look, "Mom, Dad, now that the actual heiress is home, does that mean I have to leave now?" Upon noticing the frowns on my parents' faces, I quickly sink down on my knees and begin pleading to them pitifully. "Mom, Dad, if you don't like me, I'll just go back to the alley you found me at." Camila Clark, you stole my identity and the affection meant for me by pretending to be frail and weak in the previous life. That was how I ended up dying on the streets from starvation. This time, not only will I kick you out of the Clark family, but I'll also take back the assets and identity you've swindled from my parents by playing the pity card! Aren't you the most skilled in acting pitiful? Let's see who's better at tricking the Clarks into voluntarily giving away their assets and social standing on a silver platter!

My husband, Kenneth Welch, handed me divorce papers as a cruel gift for our 5th anniversary. He didn't need me anymore. For him, I had become quiet and submissive, but that wasn't enough. Lilly Sanders had no money, no name, and no power, so he threw me away like a toy he no longer wanted. He crushed my heart, but he also gave me something important—a new beginning. Once my heart was no longer his, it opened up for someone who offered me kindness—a mysterious billionaire named Darren. But how could I stay by his side when, after so many years of pretending, I no longer knew who I was? Summoning my courage, I opened up the letters my ex-husband had hidden from me, and I faced my true identity… Now Lilly Sanders no longer exists; Lillian Hayes has taken her place. I've returned to New York as the heiress of Hayes Global Group. I am powerful enough to squash those who harmed me, but I didn't come back only for revenge. I came back for love…

"‘Say it,’ Therion growled against Ashriel’s throat, pinning him down with a strength that stole his breath. ‘Say you’re mine—even if you’re still pretending to be something you’re not.’" In a kingdom poisoned from within, power is everything and trust is a luxury no one can afford. Ashriel, a ruthless alpha whose rule is forged in blood and control, craves revenge from one man above all—Therion, the Alpha who's brother murdered his.. But Therion is no helpless captive. He is a spy, sent to dismantle Ashriel’s empire from the inside, slowly unraveling the kingdom with a sickness no one can trace. Every touch, every stolen glance is a lie. Yet every lie pulls him deeper into the very arms he swore to betray. As desire ignites into obsession, Ashriel finds himself entangled not only with the alpha before him, but also with a faceless stranger in the shadows—an anonymous lover whose hands feel achingly familiar. What Ashriel doesn’t know is that the two are one and the same. A web of deception, passion, and ruin tightens around them both. When the truth comes to light, will love be enough to survive betrayal… or will it destroy them along with the kingdom?

The butler's son took my secondary credit card and burned through my money so he could play the part of a trust-fund prince everyone envied. He made me, his employer's real daughter, bring him lunch every day and run errands for him. In front of his classmates, he smeared me as his family's servant and a desperate girl chasing after him. He even stole my family's heirloom jewelry to impress the campus belle. I finally hit my limit. I decided to give him a lump sum and cut ties completely, treating it as payment for the life-saving favor he once gave me. But after I brought it up, he and his father poisoned my family's food and seized every bit of our property for themselves. When I opened my eyes again, I was back in my college classroom. Facing the butler's son, who was still flashing the wealth he stole from me, I took his card and cut it in half. "If you keep pretending like this, your butler dad's salary won't cover the act."

For three years, Tamsin Ward believed her marriage was unbreakable. That illusion shatters the moment her husband’s best friend, Isla Parker, returns and quietly begins inserting herself into everything Tamsin once thought was hers. By the time Tamsin realizes what’s happening, her marriage already feels impossible to stay in. When Tamsin asks for a divorce, her husband, James Whitmore is blindsided. He refuses, insisting that he cannot live without her. Desperate and cornered, Tamsin seeks out the most powerful divorce attorney in the country. What she doesn’t expect is to come face-to-face with Leo Price, the first man she ever loved, and the one who vanished from her life without explanation. Tamsin wants nothing to do with Leo. But James and his powerful family leave her no choice. Leo agrees to take her case under one condition: she must date him for three months. No secrets. No distance. No pretending the past never happened. As James tightens his grip and old feelings resurface, Tamsin finds herself trapped between the man who refuses to let her go and the man who once walked away.

Adonis smirked, loosening his tie as he stepped closer. “Stop pretending, Zoe. Or should I say… Mrs. Walter?” His voice was low, teasing. “You’re drooling over me, admit it. I know exactly how happy you are to be married to Adonis Walter.” Zoe folded her arms, rolling her eyes. “Over my dead body.” “Oh, come on,” he said, shrugging off his tuxedo and letting it drop carelessly to the floor. “You get to have all this.” He unbuttoned his shirt and tossed it aside, leaving his toned chest on full display. Defined abs, sharp collarbones, muscles that flexed with every slight movement—he looked like he walked straight out of a magazine. Zoe’s eyes betrayed her for a split second before she quickly looked away. Damn it. Even if she disliked him, she couldn’t deny the truth. This man was hot. Zoe Powers agrees to an 18-month contract marriage with Adonis Walter to save her father’s company. What starts as a deal soon turns into something real. But with Adonis’ bitter ex-girlfriend and jealous brother scheming against them, will their love survive the storm?

He's the cold-hearted billionaire I despise, my brother's best friend, and completely off-limits. But when he needs a fake girlfriend, he makes me an offer I can’t resist... For ten years, Michael Bonell was my secret obsession. The charming troublemaker who was my total opposite. Until one dreadful night made me vow to never speak to him again. When his fiancée hires me to photograph their wedding, it feels like a cruel twist of fate. But the wedding is canceled at the last minute. And instead of the refund I can't afford to give, Michael demands something else. A date. To his ex-fiancée’s wedding. Pretending to love the man I loathe is easier than I expected. Michael kisses me like he means it and protects me like I've always been his. Until I start to question if he's ever hated me at all. But one thing hasn’t changed — we can never be together, or I risk losing everything that matters. One week with the man I can't forget. One bed. One rule — don’t fall in love. But what if I already have?

Four babies. A billion lies. One mess. Ares Langford is reckless, spoiled, and dangerously close to losing his billionaire inheritance. One more mistake and his father swears to cut him off for good. So when a cop pulls him over for speeding, Ares panics and lies. His girlfriend is giving birth, he claims. The officer insists on escorting him to the hospital. Desperate, Ares bribes a random nurse and finds a stranger who just gave birth to quadruplets. Tessa Monroe is exhausted, broke, and alone with four newborns she never planned to raise by herself. When a cocky rich guy begs her to play pretend for a million dollars, she agrees. But one lie spirals into a full blown scandal when Ares’ mother storms into the hospital, declares Tessa family, and whisks them all into the billionaire’s world. Now Ares is stuck playing baby daddy to four kids who aren’t his, pretending to love a woman he barely knows, and fending off his father’s wrath all while the world watches. What starts as a lie turns into the biggest twist of their lives. Will love bloom in the chaos or will the truth destroy everything?

Sky Foster has survived plenty of things: family drama, high heels on marble floors, and growing up in a Mafia dynasty. But nothing could prepare her for someone babysitting her. Or rather, that's what it feels like when her family assigns her a bodyguard. Charlie Vale is tall, infuriatingly calm, and works for her family with the kind of deadly efficiency that makes people squirm. Especially her. He's there every day at school, in the hallways, outside her classroom, always watching, always quiet, always ruining her chances at even pretending to be a normal teenager. Charlie doesn't believe in distractions, and Sky just wants to have fun. Guarding the boss's niece should be simple: keep her safe, keep his distance, and keep his job. But Sky has a bad habit of finding trouble, and Charlie has a worse habit of following her straight into it. When a threat from the Foster family's past resurfaces, Sky becomes the target. Forced into close quarters, sparks fly and rules break as Sky begins to see the man behind the stoic guard. And Charlie? He discovers that babysitting the Mafia princess might just be the most dangerous job of his life.