That Summer A Novel

I had always shared a perfect relationship with my mother-in-law, Betsy Dutton. We were the model pair of a wealthy family. She and my father-in-law, Rourke Dutton had been childhood sweethearts, their bond seemingly unbreakable. But one day, she told me something that changed my entire perception of them.  She clutched my hand and tears were streaming down her face. “Naomi,” she sobbed, “your father-in-law… he’s been keeping a mistress. They even have a child together! “For over ten years, I’ve been in the dark, made into a laughingstock!” My throat tightened, and I couldn’t hold back my own confession.  “Mom, actually… Julius is no better. He bought a whole apartment building for his mistress!” We wept in each other’s arms, our heartbreak spilling out in waves.  After what felt like an eternity, she sniffled and straightened herself. “Men are utterly unreliable creatures!” “I’m done with that old man, Naomi!” I gripped her hand tightly. “Mom, wherever you go, I’ll follow. I’m done with Julius, too!”

"Why do you want to be my bride so badly?" he questioned, his mesmerizing eyes locked Crystal's. Crystal shook her head, reminding herself of her goal. "To marry someone like you, an angel from heaven. Marrying you would be, no doubt, a blessing." She stammered, looking away. He leaned closer to her; his breath grazed her skin. "An angel?" he chuckled deviously. "Are you sure, I'm an angel?" Crystal Fei was a fiery woman with a thirst for revenge. For ten years, she has been looking for the culprit who caused her brother's death at all costs. Finally, when she was on the brink of hopelessness, a man reached out, promising her revenge on that person. But what game did fate play on Crystal when she was tasked to steal his heart in an undercover mission to avenge her brother? Will it still be a game of pretense when she looked into his eyes. The eyes that was so sharp and mysterious, his eyes that pierced her heart.

My dad is a fan of tough love parenting. When I was a kid, there was a time when I obtained full marks on two subjects. But he told me, "Your grades don't mean anything in life. If you were a true man, you'd leap down five floors without batting an eyelash." Some time later, I was awarded for my act of bravery. But Dad scoffed in my face. "Not even a hair is harmed on your head. Why should you be awarded anyway?" I thought Dad wanted me to go through more training in life. On Christmas Eve, he ditched me on a snowy mountain under the guise of wanting me to go through more training. He didn't give me a tent or a lighter. Later on, Dad even brags about his parenting method to his relatives and friends. "A real man should survive and thrive in a desperate situation! I told Julian that he can forget about being my son if he can't even make his way back to the summit!" But the red dot on the GPS tracker installed in his phone hasn't moved for the past three hours. The truth is, I've already frozen to death in the mountains. Trapped in my fist is a scrap of paper detailing the SOS number that Dad had torn apart earlier. Meanwhile, my soul is currently floating above the dining table while watching Dad brag about his tough love parenting.

While accompanying my husband, Austin Lockhart, to his class reunion, we run into his true love, Leticia Gomez. After the gathering, Austin learns that Leticia's been having a tough time. He corners her against a wall and says, "How much do you still owe? Be with me, and I'll give you a hundred grand a month. Is that enough?" I stand quietly at the street corner, capturing their touching reunion on camera. Then, I send the photos to my lawyer. I also forward them to Austin with a simple message. "Since you two are so in love, why not go ahead and marry her?"

"Nathaniel." I blinked to hold back the tears that were welling up in my eyes. I won't cry in front of this man. "How can you look at me like that and talk to me like that?" "I'm not mistaken, am I?" "Nathaniel!" I cried, completely distraught. "We were together, for God's sake!" "We?" He chuckled, amused by my outburst. "You're crazy. There is no 'we.'" ~~~~ Home should never be a battlefield, but for Sarah Pierce and her daughter, it became exactly that the moment they walked through the door. Her father's hostility was to be expected; her ex-boyfriend Nathaniel Storm's engagement to her sister, however, was not. Sarah mustered up her courage and proposed to Nathaniel, who looked at her as if she were a stranger. But as they navigate this forced union, Sarah uncovers a web of family secrets and disturbing truths – truths that could destroy everything.

I thought I was finally living my dream—studying at the same school as my childhood boyfriend. But the moment I caught him secretly kissing the campus queen who had always bullied me, my world shattered. He didn’t defend me. He chose her. Heartbroken and humiliated, I walked away. Then at my lowest, when I was cornered and shoved to the ground again, my face smeared with dirt, I saw him—my mate. The queen bee’s perfect fiancé. The future Alpha of the strongest pack. Yet his eyes were cold as he told me, “Keep our mate bond a secret. I will never be with you.” I did what he said. But why did he keep stepping in to protect me? Why did he hold me like he would never let go?

Erwin Wilson wakes up to find himself in a novel. This book Erwin read a long time ago, did not expect that after so many years he would come to this place again and become a self-sacrificing character. Then Erwin met another self-sacrificing character. How unlucky enough to marry someone. Erwin thought this marriage would be a marriage in the name of no love. Unexpectedly, one evening, Frederick pulled him onto the bed and whispered confessions in his ear. “Erwin, you’re mine!”

The year Felix Gibson and I were most in love, we got married. After the wedding, I quit my job and devoted all my attention to him. But he thought I was too clingy and started seeing one woman after another on the side. I did not care because I knew they were just flings. That was, until he kept standing up for one of them repeatedly. When I confronted him, he casually said, "Lexie, she reminds me so much of how you used to be." I filed for divorce and moved abroad to focus on my career. Forget about being anyone’s second choice. I was determined to stand out on my own. Later, Felix came back, begging on his knees for me to take him back.

Jarrel Grayson is a successful beach resort owner and teen heartthrob single dad to his four-year-old son, Jarshel. He can give his son everything—money, comfort, and luxury. But with all that he can give, he knows something is missing. Jarshel requires a mother. Resolute to finish his son's life, Jarrel starts looking for the ideal woman to take on the role. Unbeknownst to him, however, Jarshel had already picked someone—his teacher, Kai Mendoza. A woman from Jarrel's past. A past he had believed he had long buried.

Charlie Wayne’s life is perfect. Or it was. As a VP who commands boardrooms and a playboy who elegantly ends every date at his door by 3 AM, Charlie’s world is built on control. But lately, his system has a glitch. A streak of bizarre, comically bad luck—flat tires at dawn, mysterious fire alarms, untimely food poisoning—keeps derailing his plans. His flawless exit strategy is in shambles. Carly Dorrington’s life is a lie. But a necessary one. After a blowout fight with her father over their family companies’ merger, Carly needs a place to stay. Where better than with her childhood best friend, Charlie? It’s just temporary. Just two best friends sharing a space. It has nothing to do with the two decades she’s spent loving him from the sidelines, or the quiet hope that maybe, just maybe, proximity will make the world’s most oblivious man finally see her. Now, under his roof, the "coincidences" multiply. Charlie’s chaotic love life grinds to a halt just as Carly’s presence becomes a permanent, comforting fixture. His sacred rules don’t seem to apply to her. His peaceful solitude feels warmer with her in it. As the lines of their friendship blur, Charlie is left to wonder: Is Carly the calm in the center of his storm… or is she the one who’s been stirring it up all along? Note: This is a slow-burn, dual-POV story about best friends, blurred lines, and the long game. If you find yourself wondering"where is this going?" in the early chapters... keep reading. Everything becomes clear in Chapter 4. The foundation is being laid for a reason. Thank you for trusting the process.