Virtual Reality

The evening wind and tranquility wiped away all the chaos that had been filling my mind for the preceding few days. It felt as though I had been granted a second opportunity at life, akin to that of a newborn kid. I'd always wanted to feel that way for so long, and that night was a very captivating time for me to begin with. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, feeling the breeze brush against my skin as I relived all the horrific events that had occurred. All the turmoil that seemed to escape reappeared in an instant. Tears rush down my cheeks as I feel my body shudder as a dreadful understanding dawns on me. It feels as if every second of my existence has been squandered, and as if the sense of despair and worry has taken over the little strand of sanity that exists for me as it pours through my veins and fills my spirit to the core. "You've got this. All you have to do is think that you can," I said to myself persuasively. "You can't, you just can't. You'll never be able to do it, and you'll have to live with the repercussions for the rest of your life," a familiar voice said. My senses begin to be overpowered by numbness. And with that, I realized I could not go away. The reality that this is my fate hits me like a ton of bricks. As I stretched out to wipe away all my tears, I felt thick moisture on my fingers and was terrified to find blood instead of tears. I felt as if my world was spinning before I could even scream. Then, all of a sudden, darkness crept inside me. And eventually sends me to oblivion.

Talia grew up without trusting anyone but herself to live. With no father figure to look up to and a clinically depressed mother who keeps on betraying her, Talia crawls her way to the top of the social chain to survive. But upon one drunken night, she meets her terrible end. Just like that, Talia loses all she worked hard for, or so she thought. When she wakes up, she becomes a duke’s eldest daughter in a medieval era where alliances and conspiracies dictate a noble’s future and where love is a luxury that will lead anyone to ruin. No matter how twisted the world she is pushed into, Talia is determined to live long. She realizes that she is given a second chance to live – or not. Reality slaps her hard when she learns that she is now inside the body of a sixteen-year-old villain character of the Netflix series that she binge-watched, “Thorny Crown”! Talia, who is now the infamous Lady Victoria, entered a popular yet twisted Netflix series two years before the plot started. And in that plot, the character of Lady Victoria is meant to die like cannon fodder for the female lead! Talia refuses to die again. And this time, she is going to extend her helping hand to another side character, the second prince of the story, Prince Cory. She decides to be the queen and defy the plot called destiny with the king of her choosing. In an era of deceit and conspiracies, will she be able to keep her head as she walks the thorny path of a villain? With her head on the line, will she be able to control her blooming feelings for the pawn that she has chosen?

His best friend...His muse...His fantasy...Billionaire photographer Noah Caldwell has spent ten years biding his time for the chance to tell his best friend Raven Crowne the truth. He wants her. With the threat that brought him to her in the first place finally behind him, they begin a hot affair he's only dreamed about. And reality is far better than fantasy. Yet beautiful Raven has her own dark history, one he's trying desperately to release from her. But as their passion deepens and turns into more, his past rises up from the shadows to claim one last victim…and Noah could lose the only person he can't live without.Kelly Moran is a bestselling author of enchanting ever-afters. She gets her ideas from everyone and everything around her and there's always a book playing out in her head. No one who knows her bats an eyelash when she talks to herself.Kelly's interests include: sappy movies, MLB, NFL, driving others insane, and sleeping when she can. She is a closet coffee junkie and chocoholic, but don't tell anyone. She's originally from Wisconsin, but she resides in South Carolina with her three sons, her two dogs, and a cat. She loves hearing from her readers. www.AuthorKellyMoran.comA "Must Read" on USA Today's Lifestyle blog!Exposure is created by Kelly Moran, an EGlobal Creative Publishing signed author.

From the time she was a little girl, Lunus Reens knew what she wanted - to hunt werewolves. But when her first night as a Hunter brings her face to face with a wounded Alpha, she begins to see the human side of these murderous beasts. Confronted with the reality of a werewolf's humanity, Lunus is forced to make a choice. Will she continue in her quest to rid the world of these shape shifting menaces, or will she join Evan Marshal in his quest to find a cure and break the ancient curse which binds The Wolves of Banglador? *Mild language, Adult themes*

He gently laid her on the bed, taking in the sight of her beauty. The glow on her face, the innocence of her eyes, and the scent of her perfume made him feel like the luckiest man in the world. He leaned down and kissed her lips softly, before deepening the kiss and letting his hands roam her body. "Tell me what you are planning to steal next; from now on, I will buy them in large quantities." He whispered seductively into her ears. ********* Despite his immense wealth and successes, Gerald is discontent with his life until he meets Hazel. Drawn to her intriguing and impulsive nature, Gerald findshimself falling head over heels for the enigmatic Kleptomaniac. However, their starkly different worlds are bound to collide as Gerald grapples with the reality of Hazel's tendency to steal and the consequences that come with it. As theirhimself falling for her, even though she has a secret - she's a kleptomaniac. As they navigate the challenges of their unconventional relationship, Gerald must come to terms with how his love for Hazel clashes with his structured, ordered lifestyle. Meanwhile, Hazel grapples with her own guilt and the fear of losing the man she's come to love so deeply. Can their love survive their differences, or will Hazel's compulsions tear them apart? In this captivating novel, MR. BILLIONAIRE'S OBSESSION, explores the complexities of love, wealth, and identity in a gripping story that will leave you breathless until the very end.

a heavy burden that I carried for nine long years. It was hard to admit to myself that Carlos Sky never really loved me, despite all the efforts I made to win him over. I even tried to use the divorce and the company he owned, Sky Corporation, as a way to bargain for him to give me attention and love. But he remained indifferent, insensitive to my feelings and my desperate attempts to win him over. It was a moment of great sadness and disappointment when I realized that he never cared about me in the same way that I cared about him. After the divorce, I had time to reflect on what happened and finally realized that the so-called "love" I felt for Carlos Sky was one-sided. I had deluded myself for years, believing that he loved me, when in reality he never showed this feeling for me. The hardest thing was to admit to myself that I loved someone who never loved me back. It was painful to face the reality that all the time, effort, and energy I put into this relationship was for nothing. Learning to let go of this unrequited love and move on with my life was a difficult journey, but necessary for my own emotional health and well-being. Today, I look back with a mixture of sadness and relief. It was a difficult experience, but I also learned a lot about myself and the true meaning of love. I learned that true love is mutual, it involves reciprocity and respect. It is not something that can be forced or won through negotiations.

For seven years, I love Cody Rummish, clinging to his promise—once his sister-in-law, Luna Briche, conceives, our ordeal ends, and we finally begin our married life. But reality betrays me. Just months after moving into his home, Cody slips into Luna's bedroom 88 times—starting with once a month, now nearly one or two visits daily. Every night, I sit in the downstairs living room, counting the minutes, clutching a flicker of unrealistic hope. As the sole heir after his twin brother's fatal plane crash, Cody inherits not just power and wealth but also, seamlessly, his brother's widow, Luna. After the 88th visit, Luna announces her pregnancy. But instead of Cody honoring his promise, a public declaration shatters me—he will formally marry Luna. I unravel, demanding answers. Silent, Cody locks me in the bedroom's walk-in closet. "Luna was trapped in an elevator for 30 minutes! She nearly died because of you! Stay here for five days. Feel her fear!" Only on the sixth morning does Cody casually open the door with a chuckle. "Alright, lesson learned. Time to apologize, right?" He finds only the stench of blood and my cold, lifeless body. He's killed the fiancée who's loved him for seven years.

In the fifth year of my marriage to Kevin Gray, he, a sailor, is reported dead during a mission at sea. When his twin brother brings home his ashes, I break down and sob until I can barely breathe. Nothing can stand in the way of our love—not even death... or so I think. Grief consumes me. I cannot accept the reality of losing him. I try to end my life five times. Every time, Kevin's mother or his brother saves me. They plead with me to let go, to live on. After all, Kevin's last wish was for me to find happiness in every day of the life I had left. But in the third month of mourning, I discover the truth—he never died. He lied to me. He took his twin brother's identity and spent his days by Evelyn Stewart's side. He told me he still loved me, that he couldn't live without me, and that everything he was doing had a reason. He said he'd explain everything after Evelyn gave birth. To protect Evelyn and her unborn child, he asked me to move out for a while—just temporarily, until the baby was born. Then, he promised to bring me home again. Kevin, don't bother coming to get me. I'm not coming back.

“If I say that I am not okay. Would you help me?” Ivan's peering gaze bored deep into Skylar's eyes, as his strong arms suddenly grabbed her tiny waist and pulled her close, causing her heart to skip and her eyes to widen in alarm. His deep mellifluous voice resonated in her ears, echoed in her mind, and sent tremor signals down her legs. Maybe it was the shots of champagne she had taken, or the secret desire for him that had never fed too much in her mind that took over at that moment, Skylar had no idea. However, staring at his gorgeous face which was extremely close to hers, gleaming and staring at her with intense hunger, she knew she was fucked. ‘This man was a walking temptation!’ ************ Just with one night of passion and pleasure with her boss, Skylar found herself torn between her professionalism and the dire need to act cool and pretend like nothing happened, all while being the best employee, to her cold, arrogant boss, Ivan Hamilton. She knew it was just any ordinary night, so obsessing over details could complicate things. However, things started to entangle more than she bargained for, when Ivan kept giving her reasons to confuse and question his actions. Just how would she keep the feelings she was beginning to harbor to herself, when the relationship between them had never exceeded the employer-employee contract? How would she deal with the truth that she was no longer immune to his endless charms which got her the job in the first place. And suddenly, Skylar was dropped from her pedestal of assumptions and fantasies, when reality dawned on her. Ivan Hamilton could never be the one for her. He was way out of her league. It was time to leave now.

My son, Tim, was kidnapped by a group of rogues. My husband, Alpha Kieran, spared no effort, using every resource at his disposal to find him. Finally, he tracked him down to an pub training center nearby. But when Tim regained consciousness, he discovered that he was disabled. As the only son of Kieran, destined to inherit his father’s title, he couldn’t bear the reality of his condition. Despair consumed him, and in his grief, he attempted to take his own life by drowning himself in the lake within our territory. I arrived too late. By the time I pulled him from the water, my strength was nearly gone. Kieran rushed me to the pack hospital, holding me close as he whispered into my ear, "Please, Selene, stay with me. I cannot lose you too." But after my surgery, as I lay in bed, I overheard Kieran speaking to his Beta, Damon, in the hallway. "Alpha, sacrificing the rescue mission that could have saved Tim seemed… excessive. Finding another heart donor wouldn’t have been impossible. Using Tim’s—he was your only son with Luna Selene." "I allowed him to be born because I knew he could save my daughter. I’ve already raised him long enough. It’s only right that he gives me what I need now." "And the doctor said siblings have a better chance of surviving heart transplants. Ana is my most precious child—I won’t risk her suffering another heart attack." Kieran’s words shattered me. He was my fated mate, the love of my life. Yet he had sacrificed our son—our son—to save the bastard child he had with his mistress. The marriage I once cherished, the fated mate I once believed in, had now become my own personal hell.