Smoke Cat

By our sixth year of marriage, Derrick hadn't touched me in three months. Said he was swamped at work. Always tired. After everything, I still believed him. Then on my birthday, I caught his friend talking in Garmenian—a language Derrick didn't think I understood. "You cut off the side piece yet? You were with her nonstop. Surprised you didn't drop dead. Your wife cool with that?" Derrick let out a smoke ring. "Haven't touched Audrey in months. Sabrina's insane in bed—I'm not over her yet. Sucks she got pregnant. Audrey doesn't want kids, so I gave Sabrina some cash. She'll have the baby overseas." My hands curled into fists. Silent tears streamed down my face. He glanced over, nervous. "What's wrong?" I smiled. "The cake you made is amazing. I'm really touched." It was sweet—but when you understand Garmenian, all you taste is betrayal.

I've been married to Derek Gunther for many years. Every anniversary, he tells me the airline scheduled him for a flight, then sends an expensive pair of earrings to smooth things over. But on our ninth anniversary, I accidentally overhear him joking with his friends. "Derek, you spend every anniversary with Ivy—and Sienna still hasn't caught on?" "No wonder she can't get pregnant. After all, you give all to Ivy." Derek exhales a stream of smoke and says, "Ivy gave up everything to be with me. I owe her a real home. As for Sienna, I stopped loving her after she miscarried. When the time's right, I'll file for divorce. It's unfair, sure—but I'll make it up to her with money." What Derek doesn't know is that he won't get that chance. It's on our anniversary that I'm diagnosed with late-stage ovarian cancer. Since he stopped loving me long ago, I'm ready to walk away on my own terms. Derek, from now on, we're done.

A heartless Alpha King, Valle, is bound by a centuries-old curse that fuels his ruthless ambition. Unbeknownst to him, his destined mate, Alexa, holds the key to breaking the curse. Sold into marriage by her greedy father, Alexa finds herself entangled in a web of power struggles, ancient prophecies, and forbidden love. As Valle's cruelty intensifies, Alexa flees to the human world, where she finds solace in a new life and an unlikely ally, Leonard. But when Valle discovers her whereabouts, a dangerous game of cat and mouse ensues. As the stakes rise, Alexa must confront the darkness of her past and the secrets that surround her. With the help of unexpected allies, she must choose between reclaiming her rightful place in the wolfdom and forging a new future with the man she loves. Will Valle overcome his cursed fate and claim his true mate, or will the forces of power and deception tear them apart forever?

"You are more than enough for me, Mia Cara. I wish you would know how much." She was running from one devil but fell straight into the arms of another. Miabella Dennison thought marrying Matteo Valdrighi was her way out. He was rich, charming, and just enough to piss off her toxic family. But then his older brother walked in, Rafael Valdrighi, and became the only man who ever looked at her like she was more than just a doll to be moved around. Rafael wasn’t supposed to care, but she also wasn’t supposed to fall. Now, she’s trapped between two brothers, one who owns her life, and the other who’s starting to own her heart. And when the cat is let out the bag, Miabella will have to decide: Is love worth breaking every rule for?

           Méah, teenage a girl who lived a rough life in fear and seclusion, was blamed and being hunted down for all the bad luck that happened to their village. While fleeing from the angry fellow villlagers who want her dead, she just found herself far away from home. Unfortunately, things in the outside world was worse than she expected. Only then she found out that she was being controlled by Purple Smoke, a powerful, cunning demon of an unknown origin behind the murders that she committed, all for the sake to achieve immortality. Despite knowing that she is the heir of destruction, this didn't stop her from believing that there was still 'good' in her. And so she decided switch to the good side and follow a righteous path. She indeed became one but it came with a price not only to bet her own life on the line but also go against the person that she holds dearly in her heart, who also had an identity of his own and a duty to fulfill–to protect the world from her. However, a shocking truth was suddenly revealed and her fate was much more twisted than she had known it, unveiling more hidden mysteries about her existence...

My boyfriend, Zayne Jefferson, is particularly gifted in certain ways. Every time we're intimate, he insists on trying something new. More than once, he gently coaxes me, saying, "Once you graduate, we'll get married." And I believe him. I throw myself into my studies, pushing hard to finish my credits early. At the same time, I secretly watch all kinds of videos at night and read up on techniques. I want to keep his body satisfied. One night, I stay up too late studying and miss curfew. I run to the bar to find him, where I overhear him chatting with his friends. "Zayne, is your girlfriend really that wild in bed?" one guy asks. "Of course. He trained her himself!" another guy says. "What about Yasmin?" Zayne exhales a stream of smoke, his eyes soft. "She's different. She's pure." In that moment, I begin to hate him. Back on campus, I make a call to my professor. "That secret program you mentioned… I want in." From this day on, my life belongs only to my career.

Alice Smith longed to turn the tortuous days of loving Camila into a happy ending but you know how the universe isn't always on your side, a fiasco named Jake appeared.  He came like a domestic cat and settled in as a wild tiger, a predator domineering over the masses, his soft side captured camila´s heart that she forgot family and her one and only best friend Alice. Camila didn't realize she had entered the territory of the wild tiger until she looked around her and realized everyone had either died or left her . A love so beautiful it cannot be defined by mere mortals' views on affection, a love that isn't stained by societal norms and rules. No matter how broken, Alice could not give up on her love. Brandishing her swords against all odds she went up against the wild tiger with the power of love.

After four years of marriage, James Lawson, who had never posted anything on social media, unexpectedly updated his status: "What an adorable little foodie!" The attached photo showed a young woman wearing pink cat ears, eating at a Korean BBQ restaurant. Her cheeks were flushed red from the spicy food as she stuck out her tongue. It was Sophie Jones, a new content creator at his company. Within a minute, our mutual friend commented: "Dude, you forgot to switch accounts!" Just like that, James's new post disappeared as quickly as it had appeared, only to show up moments later on Sophie's feed. Then James's name lit up my phone screen. In the past, I would have already taken screenshots and called him first to confront him. It would have inevitably ended in a heated argument. But this time, I calmly watched his call go to voicemail without answering.

She thought she met the angel of her dreams, but is he too good to be true? Angelo Tsarkopolis is the sexy hotshot and gorgeous CEO of his family's fortune. A chance encounter with Laura Parker is the catalyst to a flirtatious cat and mouse game between them. On the surface, he is her dream man and more. However, shady rumors surround his business, women throw themselves at him, and she fears he isn’t telling her everything. Angelo appears to only have eyes for Laura, but she can’t believe a young, wealthy, incredibly handsome and successful businessman like him could hold more than a passing interest in her, an average girl. She tries not to be another notch on his bedpost, but that’s getting harder with each passing day. Laura tries to temper the flames of passion, but they only grow hotter. Is she in over her head and will he break her heart for good?

My boyfriend is a forensic doctor. I've been abducted and tied to a bomb—there's only ten minutes to detonation. The abductors force me to call my boyfriend, but all I get is a scolding. "What the hell do you want, Michelle? What are you playing at, using your life as an excuse just because you're jealous? "Vi's cat has already been stuck in a tree for three days. She loves it like it's her life! If you delay me from saving it, you'll be a murderer!" I hear a coquettish voice ring out on the other end of the line. "Thank you for this, Kev. You're amazing!" I recognize that voice—it belongs to my boyfriend's childhood friend. I text my boyfriend when the bomb is about to explode. "Farewell forever. I pray we won't meet each other again in another life."