Teddy From Among The Sleep

We all have an inspiration to live. We all have that one person who keeps us from fighting and moving. That someone who keeps our heart beating. That someone who keeps on giving us a blissful morning. But what if one morning while laying in the dark, the person you loved the most is the person you can't remember anymore? Fall Navarez never thought that this day would come. Never did he think of losing the memories of that someone in his head. Later did he realize, he came up with a question: "Who's Grace?" There's a lot of variations in their testimonies. Some have scarlet threads attached. Some had loose strings which means a dead end. Fall Navarez didn't know what story he had to believe. He wanted to believe them all, but every person he asked, died the day after. "Grace is your girlfriend, Fall." "Hell no! Grace is your wife." "That would be gross, but I only know was that Grace is your sister." "Oh my God, you really don't know, do you? Grace is your f*ckin' psychologist!" Why would Fall had a psychologist, assuming that Grace is indeed one? "You're hell-bent, Fall! You're crazy!" "Who's Grace?! Answer now or I'll f*cking kill you!" He smirked. "As you did to your mother?" he held his tongue and spit saliva at Fall. "Hell yeah! YOU KILLED YOUR F*CKING MOTHER!" Maybe there's someone who's deceiving. Maybe someone had asked them to deceive Fall! But wait, where was the lie? To the you-killed-Grace part or the Grace-is-your-mother part? Hmm, did Grace really fall from grace? "Put the gun in your mouth. . . pull the trigger." FALL FROM GRACE by ANONYGLITCH

On the third day of attempting to conquer Blake Stone's heart, he confesses his feelings to me. But the thing is, the affection meter displayed above his head shows the number "0". After we start dating, Blake pampers me to no end. He even proposes to me in a grand fashion on our sixth year anniversary. With tears in my eyes, I'm about to nod when I see a range of comments floating across my vision. [Blake must be exhausted from all the acting, huh? He has to reel in his disgust and keep up the act with Joanna for six years in order to protect Keira from her.] [That idiotic replacement actually got so immersed in this act! I'm laughing my ass off right now!] It's as though my blood had transformed into ice. No wonder the number never changed throughout the years. At the same time, the system's icy voice rings out in my mind. "The final phase is now activated. The countdown to the time left to conquer your target's heart has started. You have ten days left. If you fail, you'll be wiped out from this world." I just smile as I draw back my hand that was about to wear his ring. Then, I wipe my tears away. "I'm sorry, but I'm sick and tired of this stupid strategy game."

When her mother remarries, Elena is ready to embrace a new chapter of life—until she meets her new stepbrother, Elliot. The shock is immediate and painful: Elliot is no stranger. He’s the boy who tormented her relentlessly in high school, the source of her most haunting memories. Just as Elena steels herself for more heartache, she discovers an even bigger twist of fate—she’s been assigned as his secretary in her new job. Bracing for the worst, Elena is stunned by the man she now faces. Gone is the cruel bully who once made her life a nightmare. In his place is someone kind, protective, and determined to make amends. But forgiveness doesn’t come easily. Memories of the past clash with the undeniable chemistry sparking between them, and Elena struggles to reconcile her lingering pain with the man who now treats her like a treasure. Can people truly change? Or is Elliot simply playing another game?

Betrayed by the people she trusted most, Ava Lin’s perfect life shatters overnight. From losing her mother under mysterious circumstances to being tormented by her stepmother and stepsister, Ava learns early that love in her world comes at a price. But nothing prepares her for the ultimate betrayal,catching her fiancé in bed with her own sister just weeks before their wedding. Humiliated and heartbroken, Ava makes a reckless decision that changes everything: a contract marriage to a stranger. What she doesn’t know is that her new husband is Elias Ward,a powerful, cold-hearted billionaire with secrets of his own. Thrown into a world of wealth, power, and hidden enemies, Ava finds herself entangled in a dangerous game of revenge, lies, and unexpected passion. As she rises from the ashes of betrayal, those who once destroyed her will stop at nothing to bring her down even if it means exposing deadly secrets buried in her past. But when love begins to bloom in the most unexpected place, Ava must decide,will she continue fighting for revenge, or risk everything for a second chance at love? In a story filled with scandal, heartbreak, and justice, one woman’s pain becomes her greatest strength… and her ultimate weapon.

Luna Elena Frost was never chosen, only assigned. Bound to Alpha Alaric Ashbourne through a cold contractual marriage, she endures three years as a Luna in name only. He never comes home, never defends her, and never looks at her, while his heart belongs to another woman. At his grandmother’s funeral, Alaric publicly dissolves their marriage, humiliating Elena before the entire pack. In that moment, she finally understands the truth. She was never wanted. But the Moon has not abandoned her. A forgotten night resurfaces. Her long-silent wolf begins to awaken. And secrets buried within her bloodline start to surface, drawing danger from every direction. Cast out by the pack that once used her, Elena must flee, survive, and uncover her true power. Only then does the Alpha realize his mistake. By the time he turns back in regret, the Luna he rejected may already be gone forever.

Aria Lin was once the perfect socialite... Obedient, elegant and married to the city's most powerful CEO. But on the night of their 5th year anniversary, he made her signed over her company to him and then killed her. But fate? It gave her a second chance at life and she had decided to make him pay for every single betrayal. Right at the moment of his grand proposal, Aria did the unthinkable. She walked right up to her brooding assistant and kissed him right on the lips. Cameras flashed and the crowd gasps, but Aria? Didn't mind them at all. This right here? Was her statement. And her quest for freedom and revenge has begun with an impromptu kiss and a contract. Or has it? When her supposedly brooding assistant turned husband ended up being more possessive than her ex?.

My boyfriend, Karl Boone, was one of the adopted sons my father took in. Before he left, he vowed solemnly, "If I lose this battle, I'm not worthy of marrying you. And if I win, I'll rent out Disneyland and throw a grand wedding for you." I tore up all the marriage contracts from the local noble heirs and waited for him for two full years. But when he returned, he knelt before my father, with a pregnant woman hiding behind him. "I'll sacrifice everything I gained overseas to marry Karen," he said, shielding the woman. "She's innocent and fragile, having suffered through hardships in the slums. She's not like Tabitha, who has had everything from birth." My father's gaze swept over me, and the entire room fell silent. Everyone knew that when I lost my temper, I could tear down the house and make them pay dearly. But instead, I greeted the woman with a sweet smile. "Hi there." That night, I closed my eyes and picked one of the blind boxes containing names of potential suitors. As luck would have it, I picked Karl's arch-enemy. On our wedding day, Karl barged in wearing a bomb strapped to his body. "Tabitha, if you dare marry him, we'll die together!"

Three years later—they came back. Alpha Marcus knelt before me, his voice trembling. “Come home with us… please?” Liam knelt through the night. “Nina, I regret it. Forgive your brother…” Cole came straight from the battle field, soaked in blood, his eyes red and wet. “Look at me. Just pity me one more time, will you?” I said nothing. Because my heart had already died during those three years. Later, another Alpha stood at my side. I was the only one in his eyes. I smiled. Those people I used to know only dared to watch from afar. They didn’t even dare to come close.

My daughter, Jillian Hamilton, viewed me as a love rival since she was a kid. Every time my husband, Kelvin Hamilton, and I attempted to engage in bedroom activities, she'd rush into our room to split us up. "You slut of a mom! Stop seducing my dad!" When Kelvin placed some food on my plate, Jillian wept loudly while climbing up the rooftop. "I'll jump off the building right now unless you stay away from Mom, Dad!" Even when I was putting on makeup, Jillian would mock me incessantly. "No matter how much you doll yourself up, an old hag like you can never compete against me." Later on, Kelvin got caught cheating on me with another woman. I was worried that Jillian might get bullied by her new stepmother, Maisie Ferrera, so I did everything I could to fight for her custody. But Jillian splashed me with sulphuric acid hysterically. "You can forget about separating me and Dad! Dad can only be mine!" Noting how pitiful I was, the omnipotent being decided to give me a chance to get reborn. This time, I give up on Jillian's custody without hesitation. "From now on, I just want to stay as far as I can from Jillian!"

Jack Saunders wanted one last hurrah before taking the mantle of DS Oil & Gas, the billion-dollar company that his father founded. His friend, Owen, let him borrow his mansion on a tropical island so that he could throw a final party before “marrying” the business that would dominate the rest of his life. He brought his secretary, Brandy, hoping that he could kindle a relationship that would last through the long days and nights of running a company. However, while the party was great, the gold digging woman he brought was not, and Jack resigned himself to a lifetime of loneliness. That was until he took a walk down the beach and met her. A woman who didn’t recognize him from the tabloids and only saw him, the man behind the money. Of all the women Jack had ever met, there was nobody like Emma LaRue. With one pretend marriage ceremony, she would change his life forever, and become the only one he ever wanted to give his saltwater kisses to. This novella is the first half of Saltwater Kisses written from Jack’s point-of-view, with a few bonus scenes thrown in as well.