Pretending Synonyms

Layla is standing too close to him. She knows it the moment she stops moving, when the space between them shifts from accidental to deliberate. Luca doesn’t step back. He never does. He only looks down at her, dark eyes steady and unreadable, as if he’s been waiting to see whether she’d do exactly this. “You’re doing it again,” he says quietly. “Doing what?” Her voice gives her away—soft, breathless. “Standing where you shouldn’t.” His gaze drops briefly to her mouth. “And pretending you don’t know.” Heat coils low in her stomach. “Maybe I don’t care.” That gets his attention. Something sharp flickers across his expression—control tightening. He reaches out slowly, giving her time to pull away. She doesn’t. His fingers hook lightly under her chin, tilting her face up. The touch is barely there, but it steals her breath all the same. “Careful,” he murmurs. “That’s not something you say to men like me.” “Why?” she whispers. “Because you might misunderstand?” His thumb traces her jaw, deliberate. “No,” he says. “Because I won’t.” His hand stays there, steady, grounding. She feels the restraint in him now—the effort it takes not to close the distance completely. “There are lines I don’t cross lightly,” Luca says. “And once I do, Layla, I don’t step back.” She swallows. “Then why are you still here?” He leans in just enough that his breath ghosts her skin. “Because you haven’t asked me to.”

After Penelope Hart, a rich socialite, loses her memories, she starts pursuing me relentlessly. Having played the role of her boyfriend for the next three years, I realize that I've developed actual feelings for her. When Penelope gets pregnant, I plan on proposing to her. That's when I hear Jonathan Parker, the high school senior who used to bully me, tell her, "Penelope, thank you for pretending to be amnesiac and pull a prank on Edward for 99 times just to get revenge for me. "Once you've pulled the 100th prank on him, I'll date you." Only then do I find out that Jonathan is the man Penelope has been yearning for but can't date the whole time. As for me, I'm just the clown whom she uses just to please Jonathan. Later on, I die in a plane crash. After searching for my remains like a lunatic in the wreckage, Penelope finally locates a ring. A message is carved on the band. "For the 100th prank, I bet you love me." Rumors have it that Penelope has cried her heart out while on her knees to the point that her body goes into shock, resulting in her getting sent to the hospital. When she wakes up, she decides to get revenge on everyone who's involved in the pranks that were used on me. I, on the other hand, burn my medical records with a smile on my face on a winter night in Ferentia. Since Penelope decides to toy with my feelings with her fake amnesia, I decide to fake my death so that I can teach her a proper lesson in life.

She thought he was a stranger for the night, until he called her “stepmother.” ******************** Scarlett became a collateral wife to one of the most ruthless billionaires in the country after her father sold her to him cheaply because he was drowning in debts. She became a trophy wife, whom he had no regard for. He cheated on her over and over again, and whenever Scarlett complained about it, he told her she could do the same. An open marriage offer was thrown at her without a care, fed up and wanting to rebel, Scarlett embraced the idea too. She strutted into a host bar with just one thought in mind: to get ruined for the night, and asked for the hottest male host to get her laid. She spent a passionate night with a call boy, whose name she didn’t even bother to ask, and ran off the next day, burying her little secret in that hotel room. But the secret came biting back at her when she realized, at the family dinner the next day, that the call boy from the other night was her husband’s eldest son. She thought she could bury the memories of the night by pretending she had forgotten, but she was far gone, because that one night of temptation had sprouted into a forbidden desire she couldn’t control. She shouldn't have let him touched her that night, now she was ruined, and wouldn't mind crossing the line to have him touched her like that again, but underneath the burning temptation was also a conspiracy that Scarlett would have to uncover… *****Warning***** This books contains a lot of steamy scenes, and explicit contents which is strictly not for people under 18.

"Don't you know how to fake a smile anymore? Those irritating little smiles of yours that screamed nothing but desperation? We're making an appearance in front of several high calibre people for goodness sake. You must carry this facade on without any slip, Rosalie.” He said.  My chest pinched, and I looked away, pretending to adjust my bracelet to hide the pain. “I know."  ~                                    ~ “Rosaline...” Ezra murmured. “Why help me to ruin a man you once loved?”   "Why?" I repeated. "Because they took everything from me—the one thing I loved more than life itself. They destroyed my life, my reputation, my happiness, all to serve their own selfish agendas. Him and his mistress. I've been maltreated and betrayed severally, countlessly! But no more. It's my turn to take what I deserve: their pain, their humiliation, their downfall." I paused, my face hardening into an expression of pure, vengeful rage. "And I will make them suffer for it.” *                  *.             * Rosalie’s journey had been a tumultuous one– betrayal and pain. The transactional marriage that she had entered into, hoping one day it would turn around to be a marriage for love, had instead left her heartbroken and betrayed. Her ex- husband’s infidelity, coupled with an unimaginable cruelty that he had subjected her to, had shattered her beyond repair.  Now, fueled by a desire for vengeance, Rosalie had returned to seek revenge on those who had wronged her. Joining forces with her ex-husband's rival, a ruthless business tycoon who harbored his own grudges against her ex-husband, she plotted a scheme that would bring them both justice...and ruin.

She was betrayed by her husband and her best-friend. Then her 7-year-old son was diagnosed with blood cancer. The only way to save him? Have another baby with the man who broke her. Tell me… Which child is she allowed to lose? If you are a woman, a wife, or a single mother, a woman who has ever had to be strong when she felt like breaking and you come across this video please stop scrolling for a moment. This is for you, i see you.I see the nights you stayed awake worrying about school fees, hospital bills, rent, food while pretending during the day that everything was fine. I see the silent tears you wiped before your children walked into the room.The way you swallowed your pain so they wouldn’t taste it.,I see how tired you are and how sometimes you sit in the bathroom just to breathe. How sometimes you question yourself and wonder if you are doing enough. I want you to know that you are more than enough because I I was raised by a mother who carried storms inside her and still made our home feel safe. She struggled, sacrificed and endured things I didn’t even understand until I grew older. And today, I am grateful for her strength because she taught me something powerful because mother’s love is not ordinary. It is fierce,  stubborn, sacrificial, unstoppable. And that is what my book, Married to My Best Friend’s Husband, represents. Yes, it talks about betrayal and heartbreak, but at its core, the struggle of motherhood. Married to My Best Friend’s Husband – A story that will break you and rebuild you.

“You have no idea what you’ve done to me. I’ve been replaying every sound you made, every way you came apart for me.” His grip tightened. “I’m not letting that go. I’m not letting you go. Fuck the friendship. I want you.” I let out a little gasp. His thumb rubbed across my lower lip. “I don’t just want to fuck you—I want to keep you. You’re my favorite sin, and I’ll commit it again and again until you understand you’re mine.” His lips twitched a little. “You’ve always been mine, Savannah.” ——- Her sister is marrying her ex. So she brings her best friend as her fake fiancé. What could possibly go wrong? Savannah Hart thought she was over Dean Archer—until her sister, Chloe announces she's marrying him. The same man Savannah never stopped loving. The man who left her heartbroken… and now belongs to her sister. A weeklong wedding in New Hope. One mansion full of guests. And a very bitter maid of honor. To survive it, Savannah brings a date—her charming, clean-cut best friend, Roman Blackwood. The one man who’s always had her back. He owes her a favor, and pretending to be her fiancé? Easy. Until fake kisses start to feel real. Now Savannah’s torn between keeping up the act… or risking everything for the one man she was never supposed to fall for.

R-18.Mature Content. They think she’s reckless.They think she’s toxic.They think she’s just another spoiled rich girl who loves chaos. But they’re wrong. Si Maxine Blaire Kensington ay hindi basta “bad girl.” She is the storm pretending to be a breeze. Beautiful. Untouchable. Calculated. Sa prestigious university na pinaghaharian ng mga elite families, she plays the role perfectly—the flirt, the troublemaker, the girl who ruins reputations for fun. Lahat akala nila impulsive siya. Emotional. Irrational. Pero ang totoo? Every smile is planned.Every tear is rehearsed.Every scandal is engineered. And her next target? Kael Alessio Montenegro—the campus king. Cold. Brilliant. Dangerous in his own way. An heir to a powerful business empire… and the son of the man who destroyed her family. This isn’t attraction.This is strategy. She doesn’t want his heart. She wants his downfall. Slowly, she infiltrates his world. She earns his trust. She becomes his weakness. Pinaglalaruan niya ang emosyon nito na parang chess pieces—and she’s always three steps ahead. Until something unexpected happens. Kael Alessio starts fighting back. Because unlike the others, he senses there’s something off about her. And instead of running, he studies her. Matches her moves. Challenges her control. Now the game is no longer one-sided. What happens when two masterminds fall in love—but neither of them can afford to lose? In a world built on power, revenge, and manipulation…Who will win? The king?Or The Bad Girl who planned everything from the very beginning?

When Mia was seven years old, her world was torn apart. After her parents’ bitter divorce, she was forced to live with her father, while her identical twin sister, Nyla, stayed with their mother. From that moment on, Mia became the forgotten child—abandoned by her mother and sister who were supposed to love her too. Eighteen years later, when Mia is struggling through college while caring for her critically ill father, the mother and sister who ignored her existence suddenly return. But their return is far from heartfelt. Desperate to secure an alliance with the powerful Bowen family, Mia’s mother has promised Nyla’s hand in marriage to the enigmatic and cold young master, Adam Bowen. The problem? Nyla doesn’t want to settle down yet. So Mia is given an impossible choice. Her mother secretly hides her sick father and blackmails Mia into taking Nyla’s place at the altar. If Mia agrees to marry Adam Bowen while pretending to be her twin sister, she will be told where her father is being kept. With no way to refuse, Mia steps into a life that was never meant to be hers, playing a dangerous game. Now trapped in a marriage built on lies, Mia must play the role of Nyla flawlessly. One mistake could expose her deception—and Adam Bowen is not a man easily fooled. Cold, powerful, and dangerously perceptive, he begins to suspect that the woman he married is not who she claims to be. As Mia desperately searches for her missing father, the fragile web of lies around her begins to unravel. What will happen when Adam discovers that his bride is nothing more than a substitute? Will he destroy her for the betrayal… or will the truth reveal a bond neither of them expected?

Rune Leeder has been demoted to a servant since her father was declared a traitor. Her family was taken away from her, and she has to suffer constant bullying from other pack members. She’s sure she’ll live her life like that until she takes her last breath, but the Moon Goddess has something in store for her. Alpha Kane is the most feared Alpha in all the packs; he’s strict, ruthless, and far from happy that his mate is a servant who was demoted for her family’s involvement in treason. He swears she won’t be the Luna of the pack as it poses a threat should her father come out of hiding and decide to destroy the pack his ancestors arrived to build, but he can’t get her out of his mind, neither can he keep his hands to himself when she’s close. **** “Do you really not know, or are you pretending not to know?” Huskiness lingered in his tone. Zarah growled, and I picked up a faint musky scent, earthy and masculine, that became stronger with each passing second. Alpha Kane smirked. Zarah growled again, this time louder. I sniffed and unconsciously pulled Alpha Kane closer to me. The scent rolled off him effortlessly. I shut my eyes and buried my nose in the crook of his neck, sniffing uncontrollably as though my body had a mind of its own. It did. “MATE,” Zarah growled, and my eyes flew open. “Alright, that’s enough,” Alpha Kane peeled my hands off him, an amused smile on his lips.

My family is the oldest healing bloodline in the Frostmoon Pack, and I am the most promising talent to become the pack's Chief Healer. My destined mate, who promised to mark me on my 20th birthday, instead chose my stepsister Eliza on the very day that was meant to be mine. Then Alaric Blackwood, the legendarily powerful and cold Alpha of the Blackwood pack, openly pursued me after I was abandoned. For five years after becoming his mate, he treated me with tender care and bone-deep devotion. He told me not to work so hard as a healer and to focus on being his Luna. Until I accidentally overheard a conversation between him and his loyal Beta. "Alpha, Eliza has already become Chief Healer. How long will you continue pretending to love Amara?" "It doesn't matter since I can't be Eliza's mate anyway. Besides, as long as I'm with Amara, she won't interfere with Eliza's happiness." Every night, he prayed to the Moon Goddess, and every word was filled with longing and love for Eliza. "May the Moon Goddess bless Eliza. May she find peace in body and spirit." "May the Moon Goddess grant Eliza all she desires, and protect all that she loves." ... "Eliza, we're not destined for each other in this life. I only pray we become fated mates in the next." Only then did I realize that my mate—his body belonged to me, but his heart belonged deeply to my stepsister. I've prepared a fake identity and planned a staged death at the hands of rogue wolves. From now on, we will never meet again, in this life or any other.