we are not ourselves

***EXCERPT*** "I could burn the world to ashes, and you would still be the only thing worth destroying," he whispered, his lips just close enough to feel my desperate, trembling breath, tears leaking down my eyes. "Your pain is beautiful, Tera," he whispered with a chilling smile. "It shows you're still trying to fight what you know you've already lost." *** Dr. Tera Williams thought her life couldn't sink any lower after signing the divorce papers her husband's mistress threw in her face. But when a twist of fate puts her in a prison cell, stripping her of her career and reputation, she realizes she hasn't even begun to fall. After spending three years in prison, she struggles to get her life back on track again by starting from her lowest. Despite all the hurdles she had to endure from her current boss, she finds love again with Ryan, a single father, who is madly in love with her. But just as she's about to marry him, her worst nightmare resurfaces: She finds out that she is still legally married to her obsessive ex-husband, Logan, who has been doing everything possible to win her back. How does she navigate her life when she is now trapped between two possessive men who are not willing to give her up for the other? Trigger Warning: This is a dark, intense romance with a few scenes of psychological manipulation, violence, and non-con. Recommended for mature readers.

"I’m a good girl—until I got drunk in Vegas and married a panties-flaming-hot Irishman. Oops. I’ve always lived my life by the rules. Unlike my two sisters, I’m the good one. The responsible one. Going outside my comfort zone is when I wear red lipstick before five PM. That comfort zone of mine? It’s smashed to smithereens on a wild night in Las Vegas when I met—and married—Liam Gallagher. After one shot of tequila, then two, then too many to count, a good girl’s rules tend to disappear. And so do her panties, and her bra, and various other articles of clothing when she’s with an Irishman who knows his way around a woman’s body. Now my husband wants us to stay married. For six months. He says it’ll be worth my while. Considering our chemistry underneath the sheets, I can’t say that he’s wrong. Liam isn’t safe, though. Liam definitely isn’t comfortable. He’s like the male equivalent of wearing red lipstick in the daytime all wrapped up in an irresistible, dangerous package. Yet this stubborn Irishman isn’t about to let me go, drunken Princess Bride-themed Vegas wedding or no. Now I have to decide if I’m brave enough to break the rules for love."

Polly is an Aspin who got separated from his mother and brothers when he was very young. He struggled to keep himself alive. He wanted to belong but what he got was rejection after rejection, heartache after heartache - yet he marched on with his leg that could not be bent. This is a story of survival - a story of hope - that even with his leg that could not be bent, love is possible.

I did three things when I had made a decision to leave Alpha James. The first thing I did was throw all the precious gifts he had given to me. The second thing I did was secretly donate the wooden house he had built for our future and tear up the ceremonial dress that was custom-made for me on our marking day. The third thing I did was go to the Northern Territory to guard our pack, so I cast all ties with the entire pack and disappeared into the tribe. What he didn’t know was that I had quietly planned my departure while he was out hunting and spending countless nights at the Moon River with Doris, his childhood sweetheart. I became the ideal Luna he was hoping for, considerate and tolerant. Later, he lost control and asked me: “Why aren’t you angry? Don’t you love me anymore?” I lowered my head in silence and announced my decision to leave after seeing the ambiguous messages Doris, James's sweetheart, had sent to me.

Logan king has a huge penis and it hinders his relationships, so he’s always bouncing around dating unable to settle down. Then he meets Tanner who is a new submissive and deaf, so Logan has to sign for him at the club on his orientation. Tanner falls for Logan first, but Logan is oblivious and keeps dating others. Then they eventually get together. Tanner gets surgery to get implants so he can hear for the first time ever. One of Logan’s ex’s says she’s pregnant and they get excited for the baby. But she’s born premature and Logan spends months at the hospital with her. It ends with Tanner and Logan living happily together as a family

“You Killed my father and brought down his empire, cheated on me with my best friend and humiliated me, now watch as I do the same to you!” The infamous Mafia Mistress. After a long time of trying to discover the identity of the mafia mistress everyone in Palermo had gossiped about, Giovanni Moretti, the mafia Don was shocked to find his ex wife standing before him. And she was spilling threats! Now Giovanni needed not only to reclaim the new version of Maya he had found but also the hidden heir he discovered he had. His return is fueled by a single desire: to reclaim Maya and his son, Dante, as his own. Maya had found solace in the hands of Carlo, a rival Mafia boss who vowed to give her the revenge she so badly wanted. And soon it's not just about revenge but about a struggle to love and to be loved. Caught between her duty to Carlo and the ghost of her past, Maya must now confront a love triangle that could either solidify her power or tear her world apart. As spies infiltrate, and enemies close in, Maya must decide whether to seek revenge or redemption. Will her burning desire to destroy Giovanni cost her everything she’s fought for, or will it be the key to finally setting herself free?

Everyone knew that Aria Jackson had loved Larry Spencer for years. The usually obedient Aria got tattoos for him, broke rules for him, and even moved to a foreign city for him. But when she fell into the lake and he rescued her rival instead, leaving her soaking and miserable, her heart finally shattered completely. The man who came after Larry held her protectively in his arms and suggested with a gentle laugh, "Miss Jackson, have you considered teaching your ex-husband a lesson?" She promptly filed for divorce and married Archer Duncan, the heir to the Duncan empire and the powerful CEO of Duncan Industries. That evening, their marriage certificate was posted on social media. The typically aloof Larry finally showed his desperation, begging her not to marry Archer and then turning to threaten him, "You think she loves you? She's just using the Duncan family's wealth and connections!" Archer simply tightened his arm around her waist and replied calmly, "So what? Fortunately, I have both in abundance." What no one knew was that Aria had been Archer's carefully laid plan all along. He had deeply loved this rose from the beginning—he admired her ambition and was eager to support her boldness and independence.

She ran from one monster, only to fall into the hands of another. Maria Santina knows better than to get involved with men like Luca De Rossi, a dangerous, possessive, and completely ruthless man. She learned her lesson the hard way with her ex, Liam, a man who left her when she needed him most. So when Luca, a rumored Mafia boss, sets his sights on her, Maria tries to resist. But Luca doesn’t take no for an answer. Drawn into his dark world, Maria surrenders to the man who both scares and excites her. Yet, just when she starts to believe she’s safe in his arms, Liam reappears—not as an ex, but as a federal agent hunting Luca. And he wants Maria back. One mistake. One night. One secret that could destroy everything. Now Maria is pregnant—but the baby isn’t Luca’s. Luca doesn’t share. And he doesn’t forgive betrayal. When the truth comes out, Maria will have to make an impossible choice: run from the devil she loves… or stay and face the monster she fears. Which is which?

Hiraya is an intelligent and independent girl who is considerate of others, but she has an inferiority complex. She does not accept her appearance, she feels like it is disconnected from her body. Hiraya works in a company owned by Tanashiri's dad, and Tanashiri is a rude and arrogant guy with an obsessive-compulsive disorder. Contrary to popular belief, he just hides behind that mask-there is more to it than people see on the surface. He also does not feel connected to his existence. Little did they know that the past explains why they behave that way.

When betrayal hits home, Brenda's world crumbles. Chased out by those she trusted, she's left with nothing but shattered dreams and a heart full of tears. But fate has a surprise in store for her. A long-lost father, presumed dead, reveals a shocking truth - she's the sole heir to his vast fortune, making her the richest heiress in the country. With her newfound power, Brenda returns home, ready to reclaim her rightful place. As she walks into the board meeting, all eyes lock onto her, mesmerized by her poise and beauty. But one gaze pierces through the crowd - her ex-husband's. Their past was complicated, and his presence stirred up a mix of emotions she thought she'd long buried. Later, he approached her with a proposition that made her heart skip a beat: "Brenda, Let's do this again." But this time, it wasn't just about rekindling only their romance - it was about power, control, and unfinished business when they learned the bitter truth about their separation which was caused by none other than the people they trusted the most. Brenda was torn but and still hasn’t yet healed from everything that happened in the past but would she fall back into the same patterns with her ex-husband, or would she rise above the heartache and forge a new path? One thing was certain - she wouldn't be held back by her past.