Would've Could've Should've

My name is Cedric Bainbridge. For six years, I've been hiding the fact that I'm married to Beatrice Thorne, the CEO. Despite everything, she won't allow our son to call her "Mom". Once again, his birthday slips her mind. Her thoughts are entirely consumed by her male secretary. I've had enough. I sign the divorce papers and walk away with our child for good. For the first time, Beatrice, who is always so calm, completely loses control. She storms into my office, demanding to know where I've gone. But this time, neither my son nor I will ever look back.

Vance My heart races as I think about the mess I've gotten myself into. I did something unforgivable, something that could ruin my friendship and my reputation. But I couldn't resist the temptation when my best friend's daughter came to me with a proposal that would change everything. She wanted me to take her virginity, and I almost said no. Almost being the key word. Her innocence and desire were too much for me to resist. And then, she came to me again, needing comfort in her time of need. I held her close, feeling the sexual tension between us grow with each passing moment. And now, I'm in deep trouble. Her father will be devastated when he finds out that his little girl is no longer pure and even worse when he discovers that it was his best friend who deflowered her. But I can't let her go now. I've claimed her as mine, and I'll do whatever it takes to keep her by my side. Because when I took her virginity, I made a vow. She's mine forever.

[ ғʀɪᴇɴᴅs ᴛᴏ ʟᴏᴠᴇʀs - ᴄᴏᴍᴘʟᴇᴛᴇᴅ ] Emily Willows longs for passion, but only with the man of her dreams: the brilliant, warm and dashing Edward Jones. If only her oblivious, dreaming neighbour can stop with all his gentlemanly-ness and just pin her into the nearest solid obstacle available. And then, perhaps encircle her whimpering body into the solid rippling confines of his warmth- But no, he would not. He could not. As they’ve been best friends for, well, ever. And that's why it becomes extremely challenging for her when he asks her the biggest favour he could ever ask. The one favour she was sure no friend would ever ask their own. The one she was sure to lose herself to. The one she knew she shouldn’t say yes to. But it would indeed be the one to make her crazy all the same. Oh, dammit, all to hell. ~ritikablush.Copyright StarryRitika 2020

For as many years as I've been married, I've lived as a widow in all but name. Desperate for a child, my husband even pushed me into his brother's bed. It was only when I lay in his brother's bed that I truly understood what it means to experience the passionate ecstasy between a man and a woman, a desire so intense it felt like life and death.

We're celebrating my son, Baby Selwyn, turning a month old. I'm walking past the pool with him in my arms when someone shoves me from behind. Colin Selwyn jumps into the pool like a madman. He saves us and immediately rushes us to the hospital. Baby Selwyn makes it out alive because of the timely rescue. When I open my eyes again, Baby Selwyn and Colin aren't by my side. I sit up while coughing and remove the needle inserted into my hand. I leave the hospital room and head for the pediatric department, wanting to see Baby Selwyn. However, as I walk past the emergency room, I hear Colin talking to a doctor. "We managed to save the child from drowning, Mr. Selwyn. Why has he now died of asphyxiation?" "I smothered him. Per the plan, he was never supposed to make it out alive!" "But why? He's your son!" "I promised Sandy that I would make our child the Selwyn family's sole heir. Lucille should never have given birth to Baby Selwyn." Colin's tone is gentle and calm, yet his words are cold and cruel. I've always thought I had a loving marriage, but it's just a joke! I've already lost my beloved son, and my heartless husband is the one behind his death. I don't want him anymore!

After I'm abducted, I call my mother, a policewoman, for help. However, she hangs up on me and stays by my adoptive sister's side. "Go to hell if you're so keen on it!" she snaps. I calmly watch as the abductors pluck my nails and torment me until none of my skin is left unharmed. In my past life, my mother actually came to my rescue. She left my adoptive sister by the roadside, and the latter ended up being violated and murdered. From then on, I became a criminal in my mother's eyes. She received an anonymous text on my adoptive sister's death anniversary. "I bet a good girl like you wouldn't want your mother to know you hired us to abduct you, right?" She thought I orchestrated the abduction because I wanted to vie for her attention. She thought that was the cause of my adoptive sister's death. "I've saved people all my life. I never would've expected my flesh and blood to be such a shameless monster! You should go to hell as atonement for killing Charlene!" She sewed my mouth shut, shattered every bone in my body, and threw my ashes into a junkyard. When I open my eyes again, I find myself back to the day my mother makes her choice.

Willa has been running for as long as she could remember along side her twin brother, West and her mother. Their Mother has always told them that a someone is after them. Life was difficult since their mother trained them to be ready for anything, even her death. Two years after their mom died, the twins luck has finally run out and they are captured but they are shocked to discover that it's their own father and brothers they've been running from. Now reunited, will the twins finally find happiness and family or will they end up being destroyed by their family's dark secret? With everyone hiding secrets, what is the truth? What is safe? The twins have only ever believed in their motto, Chaos not cash, maim not murder and each other. Can they trust anyone else and more importantly, should they?

I took my last breath when his hatred for had reached it's peak. I chose to take my own life, when I could no longer bear the wait of his hatred When my ashes was handed to Leo, my mate, he smiled and patted it. He was pleased I had finally died. “Filthy thing. She should’ve died a death more painful than this,” he said as he tipped the urn sending it crashing to the ground. He believed I had killed his first love. Despite all our years together, he was waiting for this moment to get his revenge. The air carried my ashes as he stepped over them and walked away. But not long after he returned in regret begging to have me returned to him.

Nova and Valen barely escaped Isroth with their lives and now they’ve crash-landed on an empty planet—no people, no tools to fix their ship. Nova has spent her life building and creating mechanics, but this is the most advanced vessel in the galaxy, and she can’t figure out what’s wrong with it. But maybe the crash was a blessing in disguise. They’ve seen their entire lives together, but this is the first real time they’ve ever had with one another. This is their chance to see if their future is worth fighting for, and if there is anything between them besides attraction and fate. On this empty planet, there is no fighting, no war, no conflict. Their days and nights are filled with uncertain glances, soft touches, and life-altering vows. What was once never a question is now a serious consideration: do they even want to fix the ship, or is this the beginning of a brand new, perfect life?

Ve·tur /vetr/ /vɛːtʏr/ /veːtʊr/ Faroese, Icelandic, Old Norse noun meaning winter Groomed to be pure perfection in the eyes of a never-satisfied mother, Cyan struggled to find her place within her clan. She knew her responsibility to them, but she had yet to deliver. They accepted her, failure and all, they still loved her. But love and acceptance are futile in the eyes of time. And time is something she can’t take for granted because soon, it will run out. Refusing to tempt fate, and for their own selfish gain, those closest to Cyan betrayed her in the worst way possible. Secrets. Lies. Absolute deception. She didn’t break though. She snapped. And when she snapped, time no longer mattered because she would end them all.