Elliot Vale doesn't fall in love. He manages perception. As the public face of Northwell, he understands one thing better than anyone: appearances are everything. Stability matters. Control matters. Feelings complicate things. So when a fake engagement becomes the cleanest solution to a public problem, Elliot drafts the rules like he always does. Thirty days. Public appearances. No emotional liability. Harper Lane knows exactly what she's agreeing to. She builds brands for a living. She understands strategy. She believes she can enjoy something temporary without expecting forever. It's controlled. It's professional. It's not supposed to feel real. Until it does. Until the lines blur. Until pretending feels indistinguishable from truth. Until Harper starts wanting something that was never part of the agreement. And when Elliot, desperate to prove he's still in control, reminds her exactly what their arrangement was... he does it in a way Harper can't forgive. She doesn't fight. She doesn't beg. She chooses herself. And Elliot is left to face the one thing he never planned for: Feelings don't follow contracts.

He's lived a double life for years. A husband to one...a lover to another. Everything was carefully measured. The one knew him in ways no one else did, the other knew his darker desires and that made him addicted to her in ways he'll never admit. He's married. She's known Elaina from diapers. And yet, for years, she's been his secret. His desire, his vice. She's the woman that has been marked as the homewrecker in their town. But what they don't realize is she's always loved him But every choice has its price. When secrets unravel what will the town really say about Liam & Bethany?

I had the perfect husband. Ten years of marriage. A beautiful three year old daughter. A life other women whispered about with envy. Until I found the second wedding certificate. My husband was married again. To my mother. And she is carrying his child. While they planned a celebration of love, I planned something else. Revenge. In a room filled with family, friends, and flashing cameras, I will stand in white and expose the truth they buried. Some betrayals deserve tears. This one deserves war.

(BOOK 1 Of the QUEENS OF CHAOS SERIES) Isa Valen doesn't believe in restraint. Two weeks ago, she did champagne, a sinfully accented stranger, and a night so consuming she ran before sunrise. She doesn't remember his face. She doesn't remember his name. But her body remembers the way he made it burn. When her sister runs to New York, Isa follows without hesitation. New city. New job. New distractions. Then she meets her boss. Erik Orlov. Billionaire. Bratva Don. A devastatingly gorgeous tattooed man built from control and violence wrapped in tailored suits. The first time he looks at her, something tightens in her chest. The first time he steps close, her pulse betrays her. She doesn't recognize him. He recognizes the curve of her mouth. The sound she made when he touched her. The way she ran. The night she can't remember is the one he hasn't stopped replaying. Now she works beneath him - in his office, in his space, in his world. Every glance lasts too long. Every accidental touch feels deliberate. Every breath between them feels charged. And Erik Orlov does not chase. He claims. Enemies circle his empire. Loyalty fractures. Power shifts. But none of it unsettles him like the woman sitting across his desk, pretending she doesn't feel it too. Until two pink lines appear. Because the only thing more dangerous than their chemistry... Is the secret growing between them. And this time, he won't let her run.

The moment a woman realises the life she once desired was never meant for her - and the future she feared is exactly where she becomes herself. **He broke the vows. She broke the pattern** Broken, betrayed and determined to start over, she fled to her New York penthouse, seeking freedom, anonymity and a chance to rediscover herself without her hometown whispering about her, pointing fingers and the worst looking at her with pity. Sold her family business shares she and the twins made the move. Kismet has a way of catching up, a new storm rolled into town, not one that destroys, but one that cleanses. In the glittering world of Manhattan's elite, she meets Nikos Kallistratos - Greek billionaire whose presence commands attentions, whose power is intoxicating, and whose charm is impossible. And did I mention he's also her new neighbour? He is dark. Dominant. Dangerous. And somehow, he sees her in a way no one ever has. Paths collide, desire ignites, secrets unravel and the past refuses to stay buried

She loved him loudly. He loved her quietly-only when it was convenient. Leah believed two years of love meant security, a future, a place she could finally call hers. Yet, every time it mattered, he chose someone else. A best friend. A familiar comfort. A silence that hurts more than betrayal. This is a story about emotional neglect, unspoken loyalties, and the slow realization that love without priority is a form of loss. It asks a difficult question: How long can you stay where you are never fully chosen?

Rory Hayes was born a gang princess - raised to be protected, promised to a future that was never really hers. After her best friend's death, danger begins circling closer, and the last thing she wants is protection. Especially not from Alexander Cross, the man who appears out of nowhere with a dangerous smile and an interest in her she can't quite resist. He makes her feel safe. Seen. Wanted. Until she discovers everything between them was built on a lie. Now someone is hunting her, the truth about the past refuses to stay buried, and the only man she can't trust might be the only one who can keep her alive. But in a world built on loyalty and blood, betrayal always comes at a price. And this time, it might cost her everything. __________________________ My submission for ONC 2026 using the Prompt #78 - You begin to realise everything is not what it seems. This will be uploaded irregularly but as its a submission for ONC it will be completed by the end of April for judging.

I thought there was no deep connection like an emotional connection. And I thought that marrying my first and Only boyfriend was the start of a forever. But he took our sacred bond for granted, and destroyed it in such a brutal way I could feel it on my bones. It spread through my body and soul like a disease. And I discovered, how Cheating, in any form or coated by any excusing justifications is still as destructing. Sometimes, to the point it becomes Cureless.

Iris Parker stepped into marriage with Brandon Wordsworth, knowing his world was full of shadows, a family who despises her, an ex-wife who refuses to let go, and children being pulled under their influence To them, she's nothing but a gold digger. An intruder. A mistake. But Iris is not what they believe. Like the flower she was named for, she carries her beauty with strength, her grace with defiance, and her silence with secrets of her own. When loyalty falters and the past tightens its grip, Iris must decide: will she keep fighting for a place in a family that never wanted her and her children, or walk away and remind them all she never needed them to begin with?

Daffodil was born into chaos - the unwanted daughter of a reckless biker and a bitter club girl. Cast aside, betrayed, and forced to survive a brutal childhood, Daffodil spent her early years fighting battles no child should face. Betrayed by the father she worshipped, humiliated by the boy she once loved, she learned early that love was a lie. When her only source of light, her baby brother Nate, comes into her life, Daffodil becomes both sister and protector. But one act of violence tears them apart from the only world they've known. Twelve years later, Daffodil has risen from the ashes. No longer the broken, lonely girl of the past, she has become a powerful, untouchable force - the head of a fashion empire, admired, feared, and envied. With Nate thriving under her fierce protection, Daffodil has built a life so dazzling that even her old enemies can only watch from afar. But when Blaze - the father who betrayed her - learns the devastating truth he was too blind to see, he comes searching for the children he abandoned. Torn between rage and the little brother who dreams of knowing his real father, Daffodil is forced back into the world that once destroyed her. A story of survival, vengeance, and healing, and most importantly about a woman who refused to stay broken - a woman who made the world bow to her strength, and who will never again let anyone decide her worth.