The Shadow Out Of Time

I was never supposed to want him. Alexander Thorne is my father’s best friend. A billionaire. Twenty-one years older than me. And completely off limits. But one stormy night at his lakeside mansion changes everything. What begins as one reckless mistake turns into weeks of stolen moments, secret touches, and a passion neither of us can control, until guilt wins and Alex walks away, leaving me to face the consequences alone. Then I discover I’m pregnant. Now the man who once swore to protect me has shattered my father’s trust… and might destroy the only family we both have left. When the truth finally comes out, everything explodes. Friendships, loyalty, and the empire Alex built. But some sins refuse to stay buried. And some loves are far too dangerous to deny.

Seren had always been told she was weak. An Omega, discarded and alone in a world that only saw her as a lesser wolf. After being betrayed by her pack and rejected by the one person she thought she could trust, she escaped into the wilderness, determined to survive on her own. But survival wasn’t enough. Now, with nothing but her wits and broken spirit, Seren has to rebuild her life from the ground up. For years, she’s lived as a lone wolf, trying to forget the scars of her past. But everything changes when she’s forced to confront the truth of her birthright—and the Alpha who’s never stopped searching for her. Kairos, a fierce and powerful leader with a dark past, is determined to claim what’s his. But Seren has a secret—one that could destroy them both if the truth ever comes to light. Kairos’s eyes burn with something more than desire when he sees her again, and though Seren’s heart fights against him, her body betrays her. He’s everything she swore she’d never need. Yet when the threat of war looms and the forces that destroyed her life are closing in, Seren must make a choice—remain alone and lose everything she’s ever fought for, or surrender to a bond that could either heal or destroy her. Her fate lies in the hands of the very man who betrayed her once, and now, he’s her only hope. But can she trust him again? One thing’s certain—Seren will never be the same.

On the night the family manor was set on fire, my husband Don Luciano Cacciola whisked Loretta Peri away. "Be a good girl and wait for me here, Tati. I'll send my men over to pick you up soon." As soon as he left, the explosions buried around the villa were set off instantly. That's when I sent Luciano one last text. "Luciano, we're even now." Rumors had it that Luciano had gone mad after that incident. As he gripped the burned ring, he purged the entire mafia family on his own. After that, he kneeled before my grave for three long days. When Luciano found out that there was a possibility of my surviving the explosion, he decided to give away half of his family fortune just so he could track me down. Three years later, Luciano stares at the woman, who's toying with a pistol, with red-rimmed eyes at the family's negotiation table. "Tati… Is that you?" I pull the trigger in response, causing a bullet to ricochet past Luciano's ear. "You got the wrong person, Mr. Cacciola. I'm here to take your life." As I watch Luciano kneel by my feet and press a kiss onto the tip of my high heel, I can't help but laugh. This time, it's my turn to choose.

When I was born, I was already a certified liar. That's a fact that everyone seems to agree with. The truth is, my mom, who's a scientist, has implanted advanced chips into me and my fraternal twin brother, Ryan Hartwell, when we were still babies. By right, as long as we lie or make mistakes, our mom will receive the devil signal from the chips. Then, she'll administer electrical shocks as a form of punishment. Ryan's chip often transmits the smiley signal. Even if he destroys our mom's research equipment and pins the blame on me, his chip still has the smiley branded on it. Meanwhile, when I reach home ten minutes later than usual because I had to help out a classmate, my chip transmits the scary devil signal. The next thing I know, I've already crippled to the floor from the intense pain caused by the electrical shock. At first, I'll still explain to Mom what happened. But she often exclaims, "Don't think you can pull off clever little tricks just like that gambling father of yours! The chip is ten thousands times smarter than you! The punishments will only be branded into your bones if the pain is searing enough! What I'm doing is saving your life!" After suffering from the pain countless times, I get brainwashed into thinking that I really am a liar and a troublemaker by nature. On the night of Christmas Eve, Mom comes to the attic to tell Ryan to join the family at the table for the Christmas dinner. That's when my asthma suddenly acts up, causing me to stumble and fall to the floor. "I… I can't breathe… Save me, Mom…" But Mom just coldly gazes at the devil signal that she has just received on her phone. Then, she dials the shock value to the maximum. "You don't have asthma at all! Ugh, you're kicking up another fuss just to attract attention! Seriously, you never change your ways!" After that, she takes Ryan's hand and leads him out of the attic. Soon, she slams the door heavily behind her. As I suffer from asphyxiation while on my deathbed, I can't help but think that Mom is right. After all, my chip has just transmitted the devil signal. Maybe the asthma attack really is just a figment of my imagination. I've always been a bad girl who loves lying to others, after all. When Mom finds out that this is the last time I've ever lied to her, she must be really happy, right?

THIS TIME SERIES: BOOK 2 Kianna, who found love after going back in the past is now living the best of her life. But how long can she hide avoiding things that keep on chasing her? The puzzle is yet to complete. Nightmares that hunt her every night make her wonder, did she really go back in the past? Or is that world where she died truly exist? So many questions and the time has come for them to be answered.

Alexander’s life was in darkness when his wife, Isabella Grey died five years ago in a tragic accident. To the world, he was a cold, powerful billionaire whose calm voice terrifies more than rage. But behind the empire and control lies a broken man still haunted by one impossible wish: to see his dead wife,  just one more time. But he never expected that wish to come true when he saw a stranger walk into his life with his wife's face.  The woman he saw as his wife was Aria Bennett, an architect from New York. And she doesn’t remember him or their love. She refuses to belong to him or be the wife he desperately wanted her to be. To Aria, Alexander is nothing but a dangerous, controlling stranger. Yet the closer she gets to him, the more her reality begins to fracture. Memories that aren’t hers invade her mind. A child calls her “mum” A life she never lived starts bleeding into her own. Desperate for answers, she uncovers a truth more terrifying than death. Now, a question was thrown to her: If your entire life was a lie… Who would you choose to become? Aria Bennett? Or Isabella Grey?

What did we do when we were stuck inside during COVID? Some learned new skills, like making sourdough bread or crafting. Some caught up on their Netflix watching, learning all about the Tiger King. And some learned way more about themselves than they would have if the world hadn’t stopped. Samantha and Ashton finally gave in to the love and passion that had been eating them up alive, but they never acted on because Ashton is Samantha’s brother’s best friend. Cole comes to terms with his sexuality with the help of his gay roommate, Kent. Alexis gets stuck overseas with her boss and learns exactly how domineering Jonathan Wilson can be. And couple Jaime and Jorge work to get their roommate Andie out of her shell.

She was about to share her wonderful news, but he beat her to it with a revelation of his own: “I think we should get a divorce.” In an instant, her entire world crumbled. “Fine. If that’s what you want, I’ll divorce you.” --- Because she had used her family’s influence to force Parawee into a marriage he never wanted, he had spent three years merely enduring her. But now, Nicha—the woman he had always loved with all his heart—was back. “Let’s get a divorce.” He finally made his move to end it, expecting a clean break and a fresh start. --- Kajarin had been in love with Wee for as long as she could remember. She had begged her family to do whatever it took to make him hers, even though she knew his heart was already occupied. “I have some good news for you.” She had been ready to tell him, but his sudden demand for a divorce changed everything. Now, she had no choice but to bury her secret as deep as it would go. “Let’s head to the district office. I’ll give you the divorce you’ve been waiting for.” She was done. Truly, utterly done with it all. --- While driving his favorite yellow ride, Thamnithi was suddenly flagged down by a woman in a cream mini-dress. She looked like she was running from something, and moved by a sense of kindness, he decided to pick her up. But that one good deed was about to become a moment he would never forget for the rest of his life. “Damn it, Tham! What have you gotten yourself into?!”

Estelle’s life was once a fairy tale, filled with love and promise. However, tragedy struck on the day of their wedding. Estelle’s father and Cristofer’s parents were involved in a car accident that took their lives instantly. The loss was devastating for Cristofer, causing him to sink into deep sorrow and anger towards Estelle. One tragedy comes after another, and she finds herself battling cancer, heartbreak, and deceit. In a world where all seems lost, Estelle must dig deep to find the strength to fight for what she loves most. **** Cristofer’s magnetic yet cold voice wrenched her mind back to reality, “Sign the divorce paper now!” Estelle laid down her legs, sat up, and asked, “Did you drink?” “It’s none of your business.” “Drinking is bad for your stomach.” “I need to drink so that I won’t feel disgusted when having sex with you.” “You couldn’t wait to divorce me?” Her voice sounded weak. She turned her back on him as the smoke nearly smothered her, and she started coughing again. “You know that, don’t you?” Cristofer deliberately breathed out a stream of smoke in her direction and felt inexplicably pleased to see her coughing and trembling.

After her first love died, Sophia Hayes hated me for ten years. I tried to win back her favor every day, but she only responded with cold sneers. "If you really want to make me happy, why don't you just die?" Her words were like daggers to my heart. It was a shock when she died in a pool of blood while trying to save me from an oncoming truck. With her final gaze fixed on me, she whispered, "If only I had never met you." Her mother was inconsolable with grief at the funeral. "I should have let Sophia be with Ethan Brooks. I never should have forced her to marry you!" Her father also looked at me with hatred in his eyes. "Sophia saved your life three times. She was such a wonderful person. Why couldn't it have been you who died instead?" Everyone regretted that Sophia had married me—myself included. I was driven away from the funeral, completely devastated. Three years later, I traveled back to the past after a time machine was invented. This time, I chose to sever all connections with Sophia, giving everyone the version of history they truly desired.