Window Ledge

"They're coming, Benedicta. Grab all your stuff right now!" One second, I snapped my head around at the panicked Paul who clutched a towel around his waist. But when I looked back, the creature was gone. Shocked by the sudden disappearance, my eyes darted around in search of nothing. "Did you hear what I fucking said? Gather your stuff and let's go!" "Did you-did you see that?" I pointed at the empty window oozing in chilling air. As the breeze got stronger, so did my confusion. "Wake the hell up, Beni," Paul yelled, startling me off my trance. "What is wrong with you?" Without saying a word to Paul, I followed him like a doll as he led me out of the room through a secret passage. "Find them. They haven't gone far." That deep scratchy voice penetrated the walls. "Search the bushes. As ordered, bring her alive." —-------------- —-------------- Benedicta, a young girl sets out to retrieving a glowing stone buried in the depths of the earth, located near Beast Land, a terrifying place inhabited by massive werewolves known as the Lycans. Despite the danger, Benedicta is determined to find the stone, which is said to possess great power. Meanwhile, the Alpha of the lycan pack is cursed, and has been unable to produce an heir for thousands of years. Each time he chooses a pair of lycans to mate and produce offspring with, the pups turn into stone as soon as they are born. His Lunas (female werewolves) also die soon after the curse takes effect. When Benedicta crosses paths with the enraged Alpha, she inadvertently restores his youthful appearance, with just a STEP, triggering a rage that threatens to destroy them both. Hot tension rains down on them as the changes begin.

Ella Murray is a lawyer who was married for three years, until she discovered a betrayal by her husband. Ella lives in an apartment, where she always saw her neighbor's window as very hot and sexy. She always saw the partying life he led, an endless in and out of women, and thought what it must be like to live this way, since she had always been a one-man woman and had never considered casual sex. However, after her divorce, Ella became afraid of getting involved with certain men who wanted nothing more than a night of pleasure. What Ella didn't expect was that after seeing her neighbor through the window of her apartment, sometimes even appearing naked, she would begin to desire him. Her body lit up every time she saw him, and just seeing him made her need for long cold baths. Until a simple bump into him at the entrance of the building where Ella lives, the two finally get to know each other and maybe something beyond a friendship could arise.

His Betrayal All Alpha Tyler had promised Elysia went out of the window the moment his pregnant mistress interrupts their wedding. Alpha Tyler didn’t let her go nevertheless, his promises and actions were polar opposites, that was until she died! Her Saviour Lycan king Lucian had seen it all, the two figures standing at the cliff that had pushed her off and wasted no time in saving her and brought her back to his pack, shocking everyone. Her first request when she woke up was that he let her die because she had nothing else to leave for but he wasn’t about to let go of his fated mate… Her Revenge After being nursed to health by Lycan King Lucian, all she wanted to take her revenge on Tyler, she wanted his death alongside his mistresses, giving Alpha Lucian room to propose an offer. She becomes his Luna and he helps her, when it’s all done, he lets her go. Hungry with hatred, she accepts unbeknownst to her, He had no intention of letting her go… not after searching for her for years. What happens when Elysia’s revenge is soiled by Tyler’s regret, would she go back to the man she had once loved or fall in love with the man that had gone against everything he had enforced for her.

A gray sky, full of clouds warning of an approaching storm. This is how Allie's world is perfectly described. A girl whose vision of life is pessimistic and full of darkness, where not even the slightest ray of light enters through her window thanks to her illness. But there is Rie, the boy who, despite the circumstances, remains optimistic and radiant, who will be the ray of light that Allie needs so much in her life. However, Rie hides his true origins from her, he comes from a rich family, but he does it out of fear that Allie will see him differently, so he pretends to be a middle class person, and tries to keep his secret hidden for a long time. But as they say, the truth... sooner or later it will come out. Will Allie be brave enough to dare to see beyond her gray world? Will Rie tell Allie the truth or will she hide it forever? Will Allie be able to forgive Rie?

The only audible sounds for the next few minutes were the platters of rain against the window and our heavy breathing. I saw him walk his naked ass to the bedside drawer, returning with a document in his hands. "What's this?", I questioned as I reluctantly took it from him. "A contract you need to sign to live." I grew silent as I read through the document. "If you sign that, you're going to be mine and mine alone. I'm going to have you whenever I want, and do with you whatever I please. In return, your father gets to live." *** Sofia's miserable life even darker when she is forced to be the payment for her father's debt to the most ruthless Mafia Lord in the city. Enzo had just one taste of her from a one night stand, and now he can't get her off his head. To keep her close he makes her sign a contract - BE MY SEX DOLL, AND IN RETURN, YOUR FATHER GETS TO LIVE. How long will the lustful contract hold? How will Sofia survive when she's suddenly exposed to the dark rollercoaster of Enzo's underworld? Will she keep being his private prostitute, or will there ever be an unlikely spark of love and desire?

On the last day of the deadline for the loan repayment, I went to Liam Sommer's stepsister, Christine Sommer, to ask for the 300,000 dollars I had lent her. The next day, Liam threw a ledger I had never seen before in front of me. Liam said, "On your birthday last year, I transferred 8,100 dollars to you. On our tenth anniversary, I transferred 108,000 dollars to you. Also, at the beginning of every month, I transfer 20,000 dollars to you for your living expenses. You must pay me back by the end of today." I froze, but Liam smiled without a hint of warmth. "What’s wrong? You can't afford to repay me? Evelyn Lancaster, you shouldn't have given Christy trouble. This is my lesson to you. If you don't pay me back today, let's not meet for the next three years, and don't come looking for me." Over the next three years, I never saw Liam again, nor did I go looking for him. While he and Christine traveled around the world and wore couple rings, I married my childhood friend in front of our family and friends. While he and Christine walked along the beach and kissed, I moved into a new house with my husband, our cat, and our dog. Everything was moving along smoothly, but why was Liam standing under the window of my house in the middle of the night, crying and saying that he was unhappy?

It is against the bro code to nurture feelings about one's friend's sister, but in the case of Josh, was that really it? For years, Lina has nurtured feelings for her brother's best friend, ones that she knew she had to keep at bay, but with them being in senior high, and with her feelings raging out, she found herself doing everything possible to get his attention, but would she be able to, when she suddenly found herself with a love interest? Josh had his well tucked in, tried so hard not to break bro code but all of his rationality seemed to have flown out the window when he found a pest lurking around Lina, and wanting to claim her as his. He had done everything to keep the pests away, but it seemed he hadn't done enough. With his obsession, and crave for her skyrocketing over the top, he finds not just his friendship with her brother threatened but his pack as well. What had held him back was a thin line threatening to snap at any time, but would he let it? What decision would he take? When odds are against him?

My back hits the cold glass of the penthouse window, the city glittering a thousand feet below us. Sebastian’s hand is at my throat—not tight enough to hurt, but enough to remind me who I belong to. “You were talking to him,” he says, voice low, dangerous. His other hand is braced beside my head, caging me in. “You smiled.” “It was just—” “Don’t lie to me, Ocean.” His thumb brushes the hollow of my throat, and my pulse jumps so hard he feels it. “You’re mine. Every glance. Every breath. Every inch of you.” I should be furious. I should tell him I’m not his property. But then his mouth is on mine—rough, consuming, tasting like the whiskey he hasn’t let go of since the gala. I moan before I can stop myself. That’s all the permission he needs. His hand slides to my waist, fingers digging in as if he’s afraid I’ll vanish. The heat between us ignites like dry kindling. It’s dangerous. It’s too much. It’s everything. When he finally pulls back, his eyes are dark enough to drown in. “One year,” he murmurs. “That was the deal. But you… you’re making me want forever.” And in that moment, I know the worst truth of all— If Sebastian Velez decides to keep me, I won’t even try to run.

Kyla is arranged to be married to Vixen, a powerful mafia boss with an unbroken reputation. To the outside world, he's cold, hard, ruthless, and merciless. She's kind, tender-hearted, beautiful, and caring. Given Vixen's reputation, Kyla doesn't want to fall in love, but soon, she learns that even the coldest hearts have a soft spot, and Vixen's just might be her. And although she doesn't like to admit it, hers might be him. Will they ever find love, or will this be a loveless marriage after all? ------- He raises his fist and I could swear I made a whimpering sound. I turn away and I look at the window as Vixen gets quiet. "Kyla." he says, his cold, hard mask still intact. I look at him, not saying anything, and he shifts in his seat, well aware of why I reacted that way. "Who did it?" he asks. I look down at my hands and I don't reply. "Was it those assholes at the university?" he asks, genuinely concerned. "Kyla?" he says, his fingers brushing against my arm. I jump at his contact and suddenly a tear falls from my eyes. "God." he says as I begin to cry. I can tell he's not used to emotion.... "How was your first day sweetheart?" she asks sincerely. "A couple of frats tried getting in her panties in broad daylight and everyone around was gonna let it happen. How's that sound?" Vixen says, obviously still pissed.

In the coastal quiet of Baler, a studio is born—not of architecture, but of intention.* Founded by Yam, a poet whose words cradle pain gently, and Franc, an artist who paints tenderness into walls, the studio becomes a refuge for those learning to stay—with grief, love, longing, and themselves. As visitors arrive, they leave behind more than footprints: a sigh recorded in bamboo, a poem tucked into the “Found Letters” shelf, a mural painted in crooked lines. Through zines, tea, silence, and sketchbooks, the studio teaches softness as revolution. Ren creates the *Window of Soft Returns*, an installation of anonymous voice recordings—each whisper forming a community of echoes. Drew builds the *Staircase With No Wrong Turns*, inviting people to walk through emotions without shame. Franc offers brushstrokes as brave work, and Yam curates writing circles that map healing in half sentences. Together, they host festivals that feel like hugs, and they begin traveling their archive, letting softness cross oceans. Even those who once left—like Miguel—return, discovering that some doors never truly close. Others, like Tala, capture the studio’s sound and turn it into a podcast of breath and becoming. Over seventy chapters, the studio transforms into something larger than itself: a mural of memory, a sanctuary for second chances, a place where return is sacred and voice is proof of survival. In the final bloom, the studio stands not as a monument—but as a reminder: > *“Staying isn’t easy. > But chosen together, > it becomes home.”*