Ruskin Bond

Amanda knew her husband’s affections were never hers, especially when she had gotten married in the place of her sister, Selene. But even still she hoped Ryan would come to love her, so she endured the endless abuse from his mother, and the pressure to beat an heir for the esteemed Steward family. Amanda had sacrificed everything to be the perfect wife, from her job as a doctor to her freedom, wanting nothing more than to be acknowledged by the man she loved. But her hopes come crashing down when Selene returns pregnant with Ryan’s child. Amanda was abandoned without a thought, even when she revealed she was also pregnant, it meant nothing to Ryan Steward. Just like that Amanda was left to fend for herself, as even her parents turned a blind eye to it all. But she was determined to rise again, and she chose to pursue her dreams to give her child a secure future. Seven years later, Amanda had grown to become the most sought-after doctor in the country, and she had a brilliant son to support her. But what happens when fate brings her to meet Ryan once again, but this time as a doctor and client? What happens when he begs for her forgiveness for the past? Will Amanda forget the pain she endured and accept him? Or will their reunion set the path for a more thrilling train of events?

“I never should’ve let him have you! You belong to me!” I fell in love with my husband’s twin brother in high school. Even though I've been married for five years now, I can’t stop thinking about the Twin that got away. The actual love of my life. But when he unexpectedly returns from Europe after five years, our chemistry is stronger than ever. I can’t resist him. Axel, the bad boy. A single touch from him sets my skin on fire. “Tell me you’ve never thought of me all these years. Never even imagined for one second about me.” I know I married the wrong twin. But worse than that? I can’t stop fucking my husband’s twin brother under his roof.

A car accident leaves me unconscious for a full three years. When I wake up, my family bursts into tears of joy. They care for me with the utmost attention. But from their behavior, I sense something is wrong. There are women's clothes in the house that don't fit me. My mother's shopping cart is filled with mysterious baby items. My father's friends send congratulatory messages about a new child, and my husband is always working overtime. When my husband once again leaves me alone under the pretext that there is something urgent at the company, I secretly follow him. Inside a warmly decorated house, my parents and husband sit around a table. A woman who looks almost exactly like me is holding a baby just a few months old, gently coaxing the child to call my husband "Daddy".

Emilia Clark, a young woman struggling with mounting family debts, responds to a mysterious job posting that arrived unexpectedly in her email. When she arrives at the upscale office for what she assumes is a standard interview, she discovers she's the sole candidate for an unusual position that wasn't clearly described in the original correspondence. The role, as revealed by the formidable Mrs. Grey—matriarch of a wealthy and traditional family—is that of a surrogate mother. The Greys are offering an extraordinarily large sum of money for Emilia to carry a child for their family, with the biological father being Mrs. Grey's son. The older woman presents this as a business transaction, delivered with cold efficiency and an underlying air of entitlement that comes with generations of wealth and influence. Mrs. Grey makes it clear that this is a one-time offer with no room for negotiation or delay—Emilia must accept immediately or leave and never return. There will be no second chances, no time to consider, and no opportunity to ask questions or seek advice. Caught completely off guard, Emilia finds herself in an impossible position. The money would solve her family's financial crisis and lift a burden that has been consuming her life. Yet the weight of the decision—to carry a child for strangers under such pressured circumstances—leaves her reeling. As Mrs. Grey waits for an answer, Emilia must quickly weigh her desperate need for financial security against her autonomy, dignity, and the ethical implications of entering into such an arrangement under duress.

Christmas takes a wild turn when Alyssa Rodriguez finds herself in a marriage with Multi-billionaire Harrison Alexander the Fifth. At first it's silly, because she has to make him fall in love in thirty days. But after the massive betrayal of her fiancé and her step-sister, Alyssa would do anything to fill the hole in her heart. Then it becomes a wild game of romance, tension, mini golf, even beachy escapades, babies, and the ultimate clash of clans. Experts say you can't form a long lasting relationship in just one month. However, Alyssa sets out to defy the impossible. And Billionaire CEO Harrison ? He hates Christmas but it looks like this particular Christmas Holiday would turn out to be quite memorable.

In my parents' hearts, there was always a "perfect son" who died too soon. I was just his flawed substitute, while my younger brother was their new hope. They pretended to be poor for 20 years, secretly funneling all their resources to him. While I was in the final stages of stomach cancer, writhing in pain, they were spending millions of dollars to build him a state-of-the-art study room. When the doctor told me to notify my family about hospital bills, I felt helpless, thinking they were just ordinary, broke workers. When my mom finally showed up at the hospital, she grabbed my hand, not out of concern. "Neville is under so much stress with his college entrance exams. Can you not die right now? He can't take it." My dad stood by, wearing a stern expression. "David was way more sensible than you."

Four years after marrying Wesley Coleman, Emma Payne is expecting a baby. She shows up at the hospital with her forms to get registered, but when the nurse runs her info, she tells her that the marriage certificate isn't valid. Emma simply can't believe it. "No way. That can't be right." The nurse taps on the stamp. "Look at that. The seal is all crooked, and the code doesn't check out." Emma isn't convinced yet. She rushes to the courthouse, but they tell her the same thing. "Mr. Coleman is married, and his spouse's name is Sandra Payne." The news hits her like a ton of bricks. Her mind just goes blank. Sandra Payne is Emma's half-sister. Worst of all, she is also Wesley's first love. Years ago, she went abroad to chase her dreams. She never showed up to her own wedding and left Wesley heartbroken. And now, she is actually his legal wife.

Ambelyn did something terrible six years ago. She willingly gave her virginity to the college bully who had been tormenting her because she was forced in an arranged marriage by her family to marry the son of their biggest investor. Now stuck in a loveless marriage, where she watches her husband parade his first love and their second child hurting her and her miracle baby. Her husband hated her after divorcing she wasn't a virgin, which was the main requirement for their marriage and decided to show her how worthless she was. She swallows the insult for the sake of their child, but when her husband refuses to sign the papers for their son to get surgery or loses his life, and their second child bullying her and his elder brother and wishing for a new mummy, she decides to do what she never thought and divorce her husband, granting him slow custody of the second child, while she takes sole custody of the first child. The only issue was, she started working for the Heartless Cruel CEO who returned back home after six years abroad and it was the same man who pinned her against a library shelf and deflowered her. Would Ambelyn be able to survive working under the bully who once made her life a living hell, or would she be able to find her happily ever after in the hands of someone unexpected.

“Camille, I’ll love you forever!” Jameson let out a low, agonized growl. Just as he was about to climax, his phone suddenly began to buzz. He ignored it, of course. Now was hardly the time. However, his phone lit up again. The moment he saw the text on the screen, his body froze. Camille heard him answer the call. “Hello?” In the deep silence of the night, the voice on the phone cut through the stillness, clear and unmistakable. “Jameson, did you know that Sylvia—” Jameson switched languages and cut in with a sharp command, “Keep it down. It's not a good time.” The other person switched languages too, though he was still loud. “The hospital results came in. Sylvia is in the final stages of cancer. She only has a month left! Her last wish is to become your wife. Can you grant her that before she passes?” Jameson’s expression changed immediately. “What?! Wait for me!” He ended the call and turned to Camille. “Camille, something urgent came up. I need to step out for a bit. Be good and stay home. I’ll be back after you’ve had some sleep.” Before she could respond, he rose to wash up, changed his clothes, and left without looking back. Moments later, her phone buzzed. Sylvia: [Camille, you lost. I told you—Jameson has always been mine.] Right above it was a message from three days ago: [If I tell him I have cancer, do you think Jameson will leave you and come to me? I bet he will.] Camille’s gaze slowly shifted from her phone screen to the open bedroom door. What Jameson did not know was that she had already picked up a new language. She understood every word of that call. After a long moment, a faint, bitter smile appeared on her face. “Yeah, I lost...”

My daughter was born with silver poisoning in her blood—passed down from me—which made it hard for her to sense her wolf, and even harder for her to shift. I worked tirelessly, taking on every job I could, to earn enough money to find a cure for her. One night during a late shift, I saw her. My daughter, dressed like a princess in an elegant, Silverlight-woven gown, sat at a table in a high-end restaurant. With her was my mate—supposedly bedridden and paralyzed—wearing a tailored haute couture suit. Across the table sat the famous she-wolf of our pack, the daughter of a respected elder. They had ordered a lavish dinner, the bill totaling over $500,000. After the meal, I overheard my mate ask our daughter, “You remember how to tell the story, right?” She nodded and replied, “Yes. I’ll tell Mom we were working as werewolf junk collectors all night, collecting waste paper crates, and in the end, we only earned enough to buy half a loaf of bread.” My mate smiled, pleased with the answer. The she-wolf then gifted my daughter an entire collection of newly released moonstone jewelry. Before they left, my mate tipped each waitress $5,000. I stood frozen, tears falling as the truth shattered my heart: my mate—and even my beloved daughter—had been lying to me. Even in dormancy, my wolf mourned. A colleague saw me crying and asked what was wrong. I forced a smile and said, “I’m just happy. I got $5,000 tonight. It would’ve been even better… if it hadn’t come from my mate, the one who’s supposed to be paralyzed and lying in bed.” No one knew what I had sacrificed to be his mate. I waited for an apology. But it never came. So I made my decision. I called my father—the one who had been waiting all these years for me to return as his heir. When I disappeared from their lives, just as they had always secretly wished... That’s when they finally began searching for me across the world.