The Good Life

I tried to die a hundred times to make him notice me. For two years, I was Shawn Scott’s wife in name only—an unwanted bride bound by a scandal, left to live in the shadow of another woman. My parents only saw my faults. My husband only saw my mistakes. As for me? I saw no way out. Every time I tried to end it, I’d wake up again, bruised and humiliated. I was greeted not with concern, but accusations such as "Why are you so selfish, Zoe Jennings?" or "Why can’t you be more like your sister Yvonne?" It wasn’t until my hundredth suicide attempt that I finally understood: I was the only one fighting for a love that never existed. So, I stopped. I walked away. I disappeared. I gave them what they wanted—my absence. However, when I left, the man who never looked at me twice started chasing the ghost of the woman he thought he knew. By the time he realized what he truly lost, I was already learning how to live again.

Maynard Hansen planned a luxury birthday cruise for Darlene Thompson, but the cruise ship capsized when a violent storm swept in without warning. Without hesitation, Maynard gave the last seat on the lifeboat to Darlene. As I struggled in the water, my son, Waldo Hansen—whom I carried for nine months and gave birth to—cried out, "Don't let Mom up! She'll push Ms. Thompson off." Clutching nothing but a broken plank, I somehow made it to shore. By the time I collapsed on the sand, I was frozen, exhausted, and done. I had never felt so alone. Shortly after, I found myself clutching a diagnosis of severe depression in my hand. I was ready to bring this wretched life to a quiet end. But when my husband and son realized I truly didn't want to live anymore, they collapsed into tears. They wrapped their arms around me as they sobbed, "Please don't leave us. We really can't live without you."

The Mer people are supposed to stay far away from humans. But Angel Tritone—technically a mermaid princess—is obsessed with them. A scientist and sociologist in her own world, she’s determined to convince humans to stop polluting her ocean home. But when a shark attack forces her to escape to a boat, she discovers just how enchanting humans can be. Especially one particularly sexy specimen and his delightful six-year-old son. After growing up in a family of carnies and cons, all Logan Harding wants is a normal life. Ordinary. Boring even. But the naked woman he finds sleeping on his boat is anything but ordinary. The executive of a Florida sea park already has his hands full learning to be a father to the son he never knew he had. The last thing he needs in his life is a deliciously tempting but obviously crazy woman, especially one claiming to have amnesia.With her tail dried into perfect, oh-so-shapely human-looking legs, and the relationship heating up, Logan has no idea of Angel’s true identity. Her presence eases his relationship with his newfound son, but the secret Angel’s keeping could endanger them all. When he discovers the truth, will Logan throw her back in the sea or realize he may have made the catch of a lifetime?

I find cigarette ashes on the passenger seat of my wife's car. She brushes me off, saying, "My new assistant left it there. He's not the most sensible." When I ask for a divorce, she stares at me in disbelief. "Just because of that?" "Yeah. Just because of that!"

Alyanna Samantha Anderson, as one of Anderson's princesses, used to get what she wanted. She thought her life was close to perfection since she could get everything she wanted. She never had a boyfriend, and that's why when she met someone who really intrigued her interest, she ignored all the red flags and still fell for him. Enrico Lorenzo De Guzman, Enzo, to his close friends, was never the type of a person that you will see socializing outside their circle. He's fine being alone, actually. He can last a day without talking to anyone... but not with her. He kept his feelings longer than he could remember because he knew he's not her type. But can they really ignore the feelings they're both keeping? Can they let this once in a lifetime chance slip because they think they should not be together?

"I, Grace Hawthorne reject Logan Harper,” I announced with steel in my voice. The hall fell into deep silence, I could hear the sound of sweat dripping from Logan’s forehead or my father’s increasing heartbeat. Logan's face contorted with a mixture of anger and disbelief. "Grace, what are you doing? This is our wedding!" “Not anymore. I reject you.” I announced once again. My father, Daniel, standing nearby, was seething with rage. He stepped forward, his face contorted with fury. In a fit of madness, he raised a hand as if to strike me, but before he could make contact, a commanding voice rang out, stopping him in his tracks. "How dare you lay a hand on my Mate?" Xander had appeared in a flash of power, his presence filling the room. His eyes bore into Daniel’s with an intensity that sent a chill down everyone's spine. Everyone’s face paled seeing the Alpha of the Silver Moon Pack, anger rushed through Daniel’s features and he roared. "Not your mate, she is my daughter." Xander cut him off with a wave of his hand. "You dare to touch what’s mine and I will show you what a real Alpha can do for his mate." Xander’s growl had an intensity that shook even The wolf council. His deep blue eyes bored into mine and a slow smile grazed his features, he gestured to me to come toward him and I did. “Miss me Darling.” he purred, and a chill ran down my spine.

Sienna Colton, the naive and innocent youngest daughter of the Colton family, makes the gravest mistake of her life when she falls in love with her sister's rival, Adrian Humphrey. To please him, she gives herself to him in every place imaginable. During a camping trip, after another reckless night together, Sienna is shocked to discover that her sister, Winona Colton, is Adrian's first and unrequited love. Adrian had only approached Sienna, showered her with affection, and taken her to bed as part of his revenge against Winona. Heartbroken, Sienna vanishes, leaving Adrian with nothing but her abortion papers. When they meet again, Sienna is no longer the docile, obedient young woman Adrian once knew. She is also the mother of fraternal twins, a boy and a girl. Adrian, who has long missed her, is no longer the prideful, arrogant man he once was. Trembling, he clutches the hem of her dress and pleads, "Anna, please come back. I'll treat your children as if they were my own." But Sienna flings his hand away and brushes off the spot he touched. A mocking smile curves on her red lips as she replies coldly, "They already have a father. There's no need for you to pretend."

When I received the news that my fiancé, Ellison Perez, had postponed our wedding for the 18th time, I happened to be walking out of the hospital, clutching my medical report. Once again, he had delayed our wedding for an entire month, all because of my adopted foster sister, Becky. I thought about what the doctor had told me. After hesitating for a long time, I finally dialed Ellison's number. "I can't wait until next month. If we can't get married tomorrow, there won't be another chance." However, Ellison only took my words as another fit of childish willfulness. "Don't be unreasonable, Lily. Have you forgotten how Becky took your place as the hostage? She was tortured for a whole month before being rescued." "It's because of you that she developed severe trauma. Now you can't even wait one more month for her to recover?" I could hear my parents' voices chiming in over the line. "Becky still suffers from extreme fear of men. Ellison is the only one who can calm her down. Isn't it your fault she ended up like this?" "You're being selfish, Lily. A wedding can wait, but Becky's condition can't!" I had known for a long time that ever since that incident, my entire family had chosen Becky's side. Even so, tears streamed down my face. "Fine," I said softly. "Postpone it." I clenched the medical report tightly in my hand. They did not know that just moments ago, the doctor had told me the truth— I was in the final stage of liver cancer. I only had one month to live.

I've loved Jonathan Pickle for half my life. I used my family's resources to help him attain success. However, in the third year of our marriage, he brought his mistress home to stomp all over my pride. That wasn't the worst of it—he even destroyed my family. … I open my eyes to see Jonathan in his university days. Unexpectedly, I'm not the only person who's been given a second chance at life.

For three years, we held a wedding in name only—my husband, Kit Rutgers, a pilot, canceled our marriage registration eighteen times. The first time, his female trainee, Katy Ferguson, had a test flight. I waited outside the county clerk’s office the whole day. The second time, he got a call from her mid-drive, made a sharp U-turn, and left me standing on the side of the road. After that, every time we planned to make it official, some crisis with Katy mysteriously arose. Eventually, I chose to walk away. But the moment I boarded a plane to Solara, he lost his mind—and chased me there.