Sophie believed love was simple, predictable, and safe - until Lucas, her fiancé - the man she had trusted with her heart, started drifting away. Between glittering galas, family pressures, and the return of an old flame, Sophie found herself sidelined from her own life - and even her own wedding. Lucas thought love could survive on desire and loyalty alone. But when Sophie disappears, leaving behind a silence that shatters his world, he realizes the truth: love must be earned every day, with honesty and presence. In the months that follow, both are tested, changed, and haunted by what they lost - until a single, impossible moment offers a chance at redemption. Can love survive the fractures of betrayal and reclaim the hearts it almost lost?

At 40 and with three kids, the last thing I needed was my husband suddenly working every day with a gorgeous, talented, much younger French prima ballerina. But life didn't care. Late nights. Missed dinners. A shift in his voice when he said her name. And just like that, the marriage I thought was unshakable began to crack. Now I'm forced to face the truth: Every pas de deux has a breaking point. And ours... might be reaching its final step. ‧₊˚♪𝄞₊˚⊹ ‧₊˚♪𝄞₊˚⊹ ‧₊˚♪𝄞₊˚⊹ ‧₊˚♪𝄞₊˚⊹ 🩰 A marriage cracking after 16 years 🩰 Emotional cheating 🩰 Mild OW drama 🩰 Holiday angst 🩰 Mischief, fluff & cute moments 🩰 Maybe not enough grovel... and small doses of pettiness 🎄 Yes, there's an HEA. It is Christmas, after all... ✨

Grovel Guys Book #3 What could be the worse way to fuck up your marriage? Keeping the divorce papers hidden and ready, just in case things didn't work out. And what could be worse than that? Your wife finds out, signs it and disappears just because of your one crack in commitment.

Copyright © 2025 by Bookish Dae After single mom Sophia overhears the love of her life, Grey, call their life "exhausting," her world shatters. She walks away, forcing the tattooed, man who adored her and her son to embark on a relentless journey fighting for a second chance to become the husband and father they deserve.

He didn't cheat. Not in the way most people expect. But he left her alone in all the ways that matter. And when someone else needed him, he went. Now she's left with silence, questions, and the kind of heartbreak that doesn't come with closure. This is the story of everything he missed.

Once, she was his whole world - the one he promised to cherish forever. But when trust wavered and faith shattered, he turned his back on her, leaving her heart in ruins. What followed was unbearable - heartbreak, humiliation for sins she never committed, abandonment by her parents, and the cruel whispers of friends and neighbors. Unable to endure the torment or the betrayal of the man she loved most, she left everything behind - her home, her city, her country - determined to rebuild herself. Eight years later, she returns not as the fragile girl she once was, but as a strong, confident doctor - cold, composed, and unbreakable. Fate intervenes when she is forced to save the very man she once fled from - the man who had destroyed her, now lying on the brink of death. He had spent those eight years in regret, searching endlessly for the love he lost - only to find her when he least expected it. Now, given a second chance, he is determined not to lose her again. As he struggles to win back her heart, she battles with the scars of her past. Can he truly earn her forgiveness after such betrayal? Will she ever trust him again - or will the walls she built around her heart keep him out forever? Come, witness their journey - of pain, redemption, and love reborn against all odds.

One lesson I learned very early in life was to be cheerful, to be agreeable, to do as I was told and ask for nothing, and to never ever complain. Smile Maddie. Be happy Maddie. Don't make trouble and maybe they'll love you. I grew into an adult who took care of others and never expected that those I loved would take care of me in return. I gave and never asked, never expected, never demanded. Smile Maddie. Be happy Maddie. Don't make trouble and you'll find someone that will love you. And then one day, a Dragon walked into my workplace and turned my world upside down with a single wink. Having grown up watching his father treat his men like they were disposable, just meat bags to be fed into the grinder, Dragon was determined to be different when he became president of the Dragon's Inferno MC. He cares about his people. He takes care of them. He was upfront with me, taking care of his MC and those he considered to be his would always be his priority. And I agreed to that, I joined him in that mission, throwing myself into becoming the perfect old lady of the prez. Smile Maddie. Act happy Maddie. Take care of them and maybe they'll love you. Smile Maddie. Be happy Maddie. Don't complain and maybe he'll love you. I told myself I was independent. I was strong. And I didn't need my Dragon to take care of me. And I almost believed it. Almost. But now I'm watching him with her. I'm watching him comfort her. I'm watching him listen to her, support her, reassure her. I'm watching him take time from his day to check in with her. I'm watching him worry about her. I'm watching them become closer right in front of my eyes. I'm seeing every thoughtful gesture he does for her. And me? I'm not happy. I'm not smiling. I'm done being agreeable. Fuck not causing trouble. I'm about to set my Dragon's world on fire. And then I'm walking away. She can have him. For the first time in my life, I'm choosing myself.

They promised it was just fun. No strings. No feelings. So why does it feel like everything? At twenty-two, Sloane doesn't have room in her life for heartbreak. Between nursing school, long CNA shifts, and raising her daughter, she barely has time to breathe-let alone fall for someone. So when Braden, a friends boyfriends cocky, charming best friend, makes it clear he's only in it for fun, Sloane agrees. It's safe. Easy. Exactly what she needs. Until it isn't. Because somewhere between the stolen looks, mind-blowing sex and late-night banter, Sloane starts to want more. And without realizing it, so does Braden. But Braden has ghosts that won't stay buried. And when the girl he once claimed to love whispers a lie that cuts too deep, he doesn't just believe it-he uses it to break Sloane in the cruelest way. By the time the truth comes out, Sloane's heart is in ruins, and Braden's the one left bleeding. He never meant to fall for her. He never meant to lose her, either. Now he's ready to fight for the only woman he's ever really loved. But some promises can't be undone. And Sloane might be the one thing Braden can't win back.

James & Sophie *DUAL POV* For years, I kept my feelings locked away. He unlocked them with one kiss. He said he wanted me. He said it was only us. He also said we had to keep it a secret. I thought love was worth the silence, until I overheard him talking about how he really felt about me. Now I have a choice: stay shattered, or rebuild myself without him. And this time, I won't break. TW: Mental Health, Bullying

cor·ner·stone /ˈkôrnərˌstōn/ noun an important quality or feature on which a particular thing depends or is based. Wendy has loved her husband Atlas since she was twelve years old.. He was her first kiss, her first love, her forever. Together, they built a perfect life - married after high school, raised two beautiful boys together, and were still blissfully in love. Until Atlas pulled away. Wendy did everything she could to keep their marriage from unraveling-juggling the house, the kids, and all the invisible labor no one thanks her for. But when Atlas fails to show up to their final resort therapy session, Wendy makes a different choice - she stops waiting for him. Determined to take her life back, Wendy gets a job, rediscovering her independence and finding unexpected freedom in a world where she no longer carries the weight for both of them. While she flourishes, Atlas unravels. He watches everything that matters slip through his fingers-his wife, his sons, the family he thought he was protecting by keeping his fear to himself. But to heal their fractured marriage, Atlas will have to face the real reason he pulled away... And what does it have to do with his brother's late wife, Carrie? A marriage-in-trouble second chance romance. No cheating, HEA always.