This Is A Work Of Fiction Disclaimer

I loved Stella for five years, and we were even engaged. However, she never helped when my grandfather was dying, all because the adopted son of my family suggested that she should use the opportunity to put me through adversity—so that I would toughen up. After my grandfather died helplessly, I toughened up just as she hoped for, no longer relying on her for everything. Naturally, I no longer loved her anymore either.

On the day of our ninth wedding anniversary, I sat in the empty living room and summoned the system I had not contacted in ages. "System, help me submit an application. I've decided to leave this world." The cold, mechanical voice came through, and somehow it sounded comforting. "Understood, Harry. Your departure application has been received. The space-time corridor is being constructed. I will come to retrieve you in one week." I hummed quietly and stared at my phone screen. A family photo of three stared back. In the photo, I stood in the center holding an adorable little girl. A beautiful woman stood beside me, kissing my cheek.

Connor’s life came crashing down eight years ago and he vowed to never return home, but that all changed when his mother died and he had to return home to settle everything. He hadn’t planned on running into the first person he ever loved and the first one that ever broke his heart. He didn’t plan on getting a stalker that made his life miserable and would not let him find peace.

On New Year's Eve, I waited at home with a box of sparklers, hoping Jake Thompson would come. Instead, an earthquake struck. Trapped under fallen debris, I prayed for his safety. Little did I know, Jake was putting on a grand fireworks display across the city for his high school sweetheart who had just returned from abroad. The whole town buzzed with excitement, wishing them a lifetime of happiness together. Meanwhile, I had lost my hearing in the disaster, with no hope of recovery. When I tried to break off our engagement and leave town, Jake stood before me, his eyes red-rimmed and pleading. I couldn't understand a word he said. I simply wished him, “May you always have a day like today, year after year.”

I know I shouldn’t want him. Or them. There’s my best friend’s father, whose low, velvety voice makes my pulse stutter whenever he speaks. My stepbrother, whose accidental touches make my skin burn with unspoken tension. And my sister’s mate, whose cold, lingering gaze betrays a hunger I shouldn’t see. Every glance, every brush of skin, drags me deeper into temptation. Every heartbeat reminds me that wanting them is dangerous, forbidden… and maybe reckless. I’m caught between loyalty, morality, and desire, and every moment I give in only makes the fire stronger. Some lines aren’t meant to be crossed. Some fires are impossible to resist. And I’m learning the hard way… forbidden has never felt this good.

24-year-old, Zackary “Zack” Hernandez has aquaphobia, or a person who has a fear of water. Determined to cure his phobia and to reunite with his childhood friends, he decided to go back to the lake house where he was born and to also figure out the truth behind his nightmares that seemed to happen in the lake house. Before going there, here are the only things they expected to happen: have a blissful reunion, have extraordinary birthday celebrations, a relaxing vacation, to meet his grandparents and sister again, and of course to go back home safe and sound. But what they did not know was they only got themselves on the serial killer's hands and now it's impossible to go back. The shocking, gripping, and wicked THRILLER story of family, betrayals, and heinous crimes. That will surely make you think of how much knowledge do you know about the history of your family.

“Who am I supposed to be this time… the boy they love, or the man they lost?” Eli, a 25-year-old orphan, finally lands his dream job, only to lose his life in a sudden accident. He wakes up in the body of a 19-year-old heir who shares his name, a powerful family, and a life that is far from perfect. Soon, memories begin to surface. Not only his own, but those of a young CEO who was betrayed and murdered by the people closest to him. Caught between lives that do not fully belong to him, Eli must navigate a world of wealth, secrets, and revenge while facing people who love him for different reasons. As the truth unfolds, he is forced to question who he really is and whether this second life is a chance to start again or a trap he may never escape.

My roommate was a classic bimbo. When I went to arrange a jogging meetup, she mistyped it as a hookup and sent it straight into the group chat, then burst into tears and claimed she didn't know how to retract the message. When I went to meet my jogging buddy, she told everyone that she ran into my "hookup buddy." At the end, she even covered her mouth and giggled sweetly, saying, "I always mix words up." After a few stunts like that, my reputation was utterly ruined, and the entire class shut me out. Later, she used her "clumsiness" as an excuse to spike my milk with sleeping pills, causing me to miss a major exam. She even dropped toxic bacteria into my water cup and killed me outright. And all of it was over something that stupid: the guy she had a crush on had casually helped me carry my luggage on the first day of school. When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the very first day of freshman orientation. This time, I am going to let her experience what it felt like to be ruined—and killed—by a so-called idiot.

Over the weekend, I went with my best friend to one of the premium auto shops owned by my company to get her car serviced. Just as we were about to leave, someone stopped me and ordered me to wipe down her car. I explained that I didn't work there, but she got angry anyway. She flipped a 10-cent coin at my face. "Consider it an honor that I'm letting you wash my car. A broke girl like you has probably never even seen a luxury car in her life! I'm trying to broaden your horizons, and you're not even grateful?" I shot back, "You're right. I've never met a car owner who can only spare 10 cents. Consider my horizons broadened." She exploded on the spot. "Do you even know who I am? The chairman of the Penzo Group is my mother-in-law! Scared now?" I paused for a beat, then calmly called Leo Penzo. "I hear your mother went behind my back and found you a new wife?"

After five years of playing the perfect Mrs. Prescott, Lucille Sandwell finally woke up on the day of her daughter's one-month milestone. Her husband, Gideon Prescott, reserved all his tenderness and devotion for the woman he truly cared about, yet expected Lucille to remain mature, self-reliant, and endlessly understanding. In front of everyone, she flipped the table and said, "I want a divorce. I've had enough of this marriage." He responded with a cold laugh. "How did you become this vulgar? You throw around the word divorce at the slightest thing." Only after she disappeared did he realize that his world had begun to fall apart. Without her, everything went wrong. Three years later, they met again at an international summit. She returned as a celebrated master architect and stunned the entire room. Under the blaze of camera flashes, he dropped to his knees and begged her to come back. She only smiled and walked past him, another man at her side. Later, he received a gilded wedding invitation. The bride, dressed in white, leaned into the arms of his best friend. With red-rimmed eyes, he crashed the wedding. All he heard was her quiet voice. "Gideon, being the understanding one is exhausting. From now on, I only want to live for myself."