Quentin Lenig Picture

On the night of my fifth wedding anniversary with Sebastian Gray, he lit up the entire city with fireworks for me. All our friends kept saying what a wonderful man he was—so loving, so romantic. The kind of husband every woman dreams of. At the grand finale, the fireworks burst into words that lit up the night sky: Happy Birthday, Jen. Jennifer Kingsley was Sebastian's first love, his ideal woman, the one who had always lingered in his heart. Sebastian looked at me, his expression almost sheepish. "Ah, it's Jen's birthday too. They must have mixed up the fireworks." That night, Jennifer posted on her social media: "Men are boys till the day they die, always fumbling their way through romance." She added a picture of the fireworks, along with a photo of her and Sebastian standing close under the dazzling display. I liked her post and left a comment: "From school to altar—what a touching love story. When's the wedding?"

Vanessa's knowledge of him was limited to his identity as an archenemy and a bitter rival who suddenly launched an attack on her pack. However, this same man happens to be her fated mate, and Vanessa was faced with two options from him: Either she mate with him, or watch him destroy her family and demolish her pack. His name… Lynx Vance. ********************** She doesn't know who he was, she doesn't know where he come from, but she felt an instant connection to him. His commanding presence, his tender touch and his charming looks made her wonder if he is a being or a god. That was the first time she saw him. The second time she saw him, she was left in shock and bewilderment. His name… Alexander Kroos ********************* Who will Vanessa choose between the two Alphas? If she chooses one, will the other accept to be mateless? What happens when two Alphas face off? What happens when a sudden pregnancy comes into the picture?

Kesialan beruntun membawa Raya, sang selebgram cantik menepi ke sebuah desa. Hingga sebuah peristiwa mempertemukannya dengan seorang Raihan, ustadz kampung yang menyambung hidup sebagai seorang petani. Niat baik Raihan untuk menolong malah menimbulkan fitnah yang memaksanya untuk menikahi gadis asing yang belum dia kenal itu. Pernikahan pun terjadi walau tanpa cinta. Takdir seakan menggariskan mereka bersama, meski harus melewati penyesuaian yang sering juga memancing ketegangan juga tawa. Dapatkah mereka bisa saling beradaptasi dengan latar belakang yang jauh berbeda, Raya yang serba modern bersanding dengan Raihan yang kelewat sederhana? Mampukah mereka melewati badai kala masa lalu masing-masing mulai datang mengusik? Akankah mereka akan tetap mempertahankan pernikahan yang awalnya pura-pura itu? Intip keseruan cerita Raya dan Raihan sampai akhir. Desain picture by Bing Ai Edit cover by CANVA

Jenny posted a picture of me and her brother, who had an intellectual disability. The caption? "Finally, a happy ending!" The comments were all the same: "Is this your sister-in-law? She’s gorgeous!" I simply replied with a question mark, but Jenny ignored me and responded to someone else instead. "She's kinda my sister-in-law, yes!" It didn't take long for Steven to call me, his tone full of anger. "It was just a little edit, do you really have to blow things out of proportion?" Half an hour later, Jenny posted another photo of her sitting in Steven's luxury car, and even tagged me in it. "We may not be related by blood, but this big brother of mine has always been my rock!" Steven commented. "I'll always be here." I knew he was trying to get a rise on me on purpose to appease Jenny, but I didn't grace them with a reply this time. All I did was like the post and file for divorce.

Calla’s life has always been a struggle. Rejected by her family members, she’s been treated as an outsider in her own family. Desperate for escape, she’s married off to the cold and distant billionaire, Damian Blackwood, in a union she believes will give her the freedom and respect she’s always craved. But her hopes are shattered when Damian, indifferent and emotionally unavailable, makes it clear their marriage means nothing to him. Soon, another woman enters the picture, further shattering Calla’s fragile sense of belonging. As tensions rise, Calla finds herself falsely accused of a crime she didn’t commit and thrown into jail. Alone and desperate, she’s on the verge of losing everything—until Ethan Hayes, a stranger with his own troubled past, offers her a lifeline. With a promise to help her uncover the truth and rebuild her life, Ethan becomes her unexpected savior. But can Calla trust him, or is he another person who will let her down?

When Dylan Sullivan took a new type of hallucinogen, I was forced to give myself to him to curb the effects. Innately fertile, I got pregnant, giving birth to fraternal twins—a boy and a girl—after marrying him. However, Dylan refused to let them call him daddy, drinking away the nights while staring at the picture of his one true love. Then, on our tenth anniversary, he locked us up in the basement and burnt us to death. As it turns out, he remained hung up on that moment when I saved him all this time, stubbornly convinced I intervened when he was vulnerable to satisfy my ambitions. That in turn drove a rift between himself and his one true love, whose heartbreak led to psychosis and the accident that killed her. But I somehow opened my eyes to find myself alive, returning to the day Dylan took the hallucinogen by mistake. This time, I let his one true love have him, while I headed towards the study…

Grace Turner was the picture of suburban perfection—devoted wife, PTA president, and quiet survivor of a loveless marriage. But when her husband’s financial collapse drags her family into ruin, she teams up with her two closest friends for one desperate, reckless act: robbing a neighborhood grocery store. What they didn’t know? The store is a front for a brutal crime syndicate. Now, with the gang’s blood money in their hands, the women are given two choices—work off the debt, or disappear. For Grace, survival means submission to their mysterious leader, Cain Russo—a man as dangerous as he is magnetic. Cold-blooded and commanding, Cain makes it clear: she belongs to him until the debt is paid. But lines blur when power games turn into obsession, and desire burns hotter than fear. As Grace is pulled deeper into Cain’s violent world—and his bed—she’ll have to decide what’s more dangerous: the gang that owns her… or the man who’s claimed her.

On my fifth birthday with Zachary Murdock, I sit once again in front of a full table of cold food, just like every year before. Zachary had promised, as always, to spend the day with me. And, as always, he breaks that promise. This year, it's because his childhood sweetheart wanted to shoot a set of "artistic photos". She invited him and a few of his close buddies to be part of it. Without hesitation, he ditches me again and runs straight into her arms. At 11:00 pm, his childhood sweetheart posts a photo to her social media and sets it so that only I can see it. In the picture, four men are in nothing but black briefs and Windsor-knotted ties. They kneel around her while she is draped in sheer fabric like a goddess. The caption reads, "Some people beg for crumbs, but I own the entire bakery." I take a screenshot. Then, I send it to the girlfriends of all three of Zachary’s best buddies. If they all look down on me this much, let's hope they don't end up on their knees begging me someday.

In my tenth year of marriage, my old childhood friend, Joshua Sears, posts a photo on social media. Both Joshua and my wife, Sabrina Lawson, are hugging his son, Andy Sears, and my daughter, Tiana Jenkins, in it. The four of them look very close to each other. The caption accompanying the post says, "Blessed to have the perfect son and daughter." I leave a comment below the post, saying, "Looking good together." A few seconds later, the post is deleted. The next morning, Sabrina rushes home and yells at me. "Ashton Jenkins! Joshua was finally feeling better for once. Why did you have to trigger him again?" Tiana shoves me hard and snaps in an accusatory tone, "It's all your fault that Andy's crying now!" I take out a copy of the divorce agreement and slam it down before them. "Yes, it's all my fault. That's why I'm stepping out of the picture now. Then, the four of you can form the wholesome family you've always wanted."

Community Service. Two words I should be thankful for, but I’m not. I resent the hours it’s away from building my business. When they push the little girl into the room, her crazy curls barely held back by the barrette in her hair, and studious glasses on her face, I can tell she’s scared. Something inside of me breaks, and I want this girl to feel wanted again. What I’m unprepared for is meeting her mom. The second our hands touch, there are fireworks, bright lights, and a picture of the future I could one day have. The future I’ve never allowed myself to wish for. Community service becomes more than a chore. In the months that follow, I realize they’re just like me: they’ve been abandoned, left behind by the world, forgotten by those who should love them. Thanks to the one last hope in both our lives - we found the light in the darkness we’d been searching for.Trick is created by Laramie Briscoe, an eGlobal Creative Publishing author.