We Loved Like Fire, And Burned To Ash

"Dad, there are a few things that a teenage girl is supposed to hide from her parents. It's a rule. Read the rule book." I told him seriously. "Okay... So, does this friend of yours have a name?" He asked. "Daddy!" I exclaimed. "A father is supposed to know the name and addresses of all the boys his daughter ever thinks about. It's a rule. Read the rule book, missy!" He shot back. "But you're not supposed to know about the older, bad boys your daughter thinks about." I smirked at him, crossing my arms. I mean, he is older than me... Well played, Liv! "It's Hunter Kingston, isn't it?" Dad asked with a deadpan look. My smirk dropped much like my hands that dropped down like noodles by my side. "Yes." I answered sheepishly. "He's the only older, bad boy you can talk to." Dad chuckled. ❣💕❣💕❣💕❣ Do you remember who your childhood friends were? Probably. Probably not. Well, Olivia does. They were a close-knit group of four. Then they were a group of three. Then two. And finally, the group no longer existed... Olivia, Ryan, Kaylee and Hunter were the closest of friends till the end of middle school. But like always, high school changed everything. But what happens when Olivia decides to act upon her crush on her ex-best friend, Ryan? Will it reveal the secrets of the past or will it just lead to more trouble and distance between these four? Read on to find out...

Amelia just got divorce from her husband. Going on a vacation to England was all she hoped for as the court has given her one of Jacob's properties in England, The Denham Manor, but who knew that travelling there would set off a chain of extraordinary events in her life? Being taken back in time and in the body of Duchess Katherine, the wife of Duke Dane, who had committed suicide by drowning herself because her love was never returned– or so everyone thought. While living in the body of Duchess Katherine more secrets from the past begin to unfold and so as her life becomes a romance. Who would have thought that while unveiling the cause of Duchess Katherine's death that three men would fall in love with her?

When a dating scandal comes to haunt Gold, a famous artist all over the world, memories from seven years ago flood his mind--making him realize that perhaps, he had never liked women at all.

I loved eating cakes. My dad would bring me one every day after work, and my mom bought a full set of oven and baking tools, patiently learning how to bake them for me. I once thought I was the happiest little princess in the world until the day my parents divorced. The person who came to pick up my dad turned out to be the bakery owner. My mom turned to me, growling, "This is all your fault! If you hadn't asked for cakes every day, your dad never would've cheated!" She stretched out her hands, covered in burn scars, and screamed hysterically, "I slaved away making cakes for you, and these hands have never healed since. What did you do? You both think the stuff from outside is so much better!" She grabbed a baking sheet and smacked me hard with it. I bit my lip, not daring to make a sound. That night, she brought home a little girl. Ignoring the pain all over my body, I begged for her forgiveness. "Mom, I'm sorry. Please don't throw me away. I swear I'll never eat another cake!" She slapped me across the face, but that wasn't enough to quench her anger. She tossed me into the big oven. "I'm not your mom! You love cakes so much? Stay in there and reflect on what you've done! You and your worthless dad both deserve to die!" After she slammed the door and stormed out, the little girl skipped over to the oven, grinning smugly as she hit the switch. "From now on, your mom is gonna be mine!" The oven kicked on, and the temperature began to rise. I smiled bitterly. At least this way, my mom could finally be happy.

D-do you think I-I am that kind of women? Do y-you think that I w-would let you take my v-virginity when I h-have a? She said in a painful tone. But he was staring at her with his emotionless eyes. " Okay. I want a paternity test." B-but I don't have m-money for a paternity test. " She mumbled, He laughs sarcastically. He knew it! He then looks at her with his fierce and sarcastic eyes. " You don't have money? I knew why you're here. Cheap women like you use this trick to blackmail famous businessman. "She looked at him in disbelief. " D-do you think Do think I'm you gold-digger? She mumbled with her teary eyes as she looks at him; he stare at her with a cool look. Did she come all the way here to hear his judgement, insulting words? Her tears fall, and she quickly wipes it. She looked at him with anger and pain in her eyes.

What's that saying about never looking a gift horse in the mouth? Well, I did. I looked it straight in the eyes, after I called it a moron, drooled a little, remembered I hate the oposite sex and then I ran. The life I have had changed the moment my mother passed. The life I struggled to adapt to after college tore me apart emotionally. I thought he was my saviour. He helped me grieve. He was there when I didn't want him to be, when I didn't know I needed him to be. He was everywhere and nowhere all at the same time. He fought my demons with me and for me, he watched me and over me. He creeped me out, but made me feel safe in many ways, so tell me why this specific gift came with only one stipulation. Who hurt me? The gift horse would be Lorenzo Russo. Empire builder and underground Mafia man. He's a smart man with good charms and psychopathic tendencies who ensures he gets what he wants, so he doesn't take kindly to being told no. By me.

Hadlee Quinn Gamboa, a woman who’s living her life the way she wants to, but what if shits invade her not-so-perfect life? She happened to meet Axel Mavis Montel in the most unique and impossible way that you’ll ever think of. All of it seemed so perfect, an adventurous woman and a man with the same taste as hers, a perfect couple indeed. But one thing that Hadlee needs to know is to never trust your kidnapper. But what if she just don't trust him? What if its already more than that? Will she stop it and avoid anything to happen or let everything flow and listen to what her heart is saying? It's for you to find out what their whole journey will be, but one thing is for sure, being captured by him changed Hadlee in a better but at the same time weirder way. "Kidnapping is a crime but if it's you it will never be one" - Axel Mavis Montel

"Captain! There's a couple burned and fused together!" I sprinted inside. There was Axel Cheatum, my husband, clinging to some woman. Their bodies had fused from the heat. Axel was sobbing, begging, "Save my wife first, please!" His wedding ring flashed on his finger. "It's my fault," he cried. "We drank too much... didn't even notice the fire." "It's not your fault, honey," the woman whispered. "We hadn't seen each other in so long... we couldn't help it." Axel clawed at his scorched skin, trying to free her. That's when I saw her swollen belly. And Axel, throwing everything away for her. In the end, I lost my baby.

My body wasn't obeying me. The beep sharpened, I cringed but could not block them. I felt a soft hand on my forehead. I batted my eyes, tears felt trailing down. The ad face of my mother emerged. I forced a smile. I love her, she's a good mother. She takes care of us, though she couldn't take care of herself. Now I believe it could be that woman behind my mother's condition, the one who cursed me.

During my wedding, which is livestreamed all over the world, my fiancé, Marvin Keller, calls me a shameless woman who's gotten pregnant out of wedlock. Then, he calls off our engagement and marries my father's illegitimate daughter, Delilah Lambert. My mother is so incensed by this that she gets a stroke and ends up bedridden. Amid my despair, my childhood friend, Tristan Wright, proposes. He tells me he's had a crush on me for many years and is willing to treat my child with Marvin as his own. I'm moved by Tristan's promise and accept his proposal. Three years after we get married, I give birth to a stillborn. My mother is still in a coma and doesn't seem like she'll ever wake up. I'm hospitalized after getting into an accident for the eighth time. That's when I overhear Tristan's conversation with a private doctor. Finally, I discover the truth—he's never loved me. "You orchestrated eight accidents just to make sure Delilah would inherit her family's fortune? Are you out of your mind?" "I've done Lethia wrong with this, but I'll use the rest of my life to atone for my sins. She should be satisfied with that."