This story was originally drafted under a pen name while I explored a new romance series. I've decided to publish it under my real name, Natasha Derouchie (natderouchie), where it belongs alongside my other work. The teaser and future updates will now live on my Natasha profile. Thank you for reading and supporting this journey. He needed a wife. She needed security. Julian North doesn't do love, he does contracts. When pressure from his powerful family forces his hand, he offers Lucy Bennett a solution that makes perfect sense to him: a marriage built on rules, not feelings. No promises. No expectations. No heartbreak. Lucy knows exactly what she's agreeing to. An arrangement with a man who gives her everything-except the one thing she wants most. His heart. As lines blur and pretending starts to feel real, Julian reminds her that this was never meant to be more than a deal. Lucy doesn't argue. She doesn't beg. She walks away. And Julian is forced to face the one risk he never planned for-losing the woman who changed everything. The Contract Wife is a standalone billionaire romance featuring a marriage of convenience, a guarded hero, a heroine who knows her worth, and a guaranteed happily-ever-after.

Blaze Davis is the girl in the shadows. The one no one notices but if given a chance, could light up your world with a personality as unique as the scars adorning her body like damaged armour. She has secrets no one knows and hidden beneath that mask is a broken soul. She's seen pain in it's ugliest form. From losing her best friend to being a victim of constant abuse by her boyfriend, Blaze's life is no short of being called a wreck. She knows hurt like the back of her hand. For her, life resembles a tragic poem she can recite from the depths of her heart, knowing she'll always be stuck in the same verse and destined to a doomed path. Building up walls and trying to cement the cracks became more of a task rather than a coping mechanism, giving rise to a closed-off and withdrawn shell. Enter Rafael Hernandez. The Loner Bad Boy. A person with no shortage of wounds himself. He has demons of his own, fighting to take over. Plagued by the regrets and shadows of his past, he manages to hide behind a tough exterior of arrogance and hostility. Resorting to the darkness dwelling in the shadows of his mind, he's on the road to a catastrophic spiral that could leave him lifeless and desolate. What happens when he takes a sudden interest in her? Could this boy be enough to break down her walls? Or will he deepen her scars until she bleeds out from the pain? A storm of emotions like pain, love, agony, hurt, trust are unleashed when two lost souls intertwine in a hope to be found again. TRIGGER WARNING: This book contains themes of self harm, depression, abuse etc. If you are influenced by such topics, refrain from reading. It will get really deep so if you are triggered, I would advise you to not read the book highest rankings: #1 in badboy #1 in abused #1 in teenromance #1 in selfharmawareness #1 in sadness #3 in sad #3 in sexual assault

childhood best friends. one argument. two kids. one left by another and they didn't talk again for 7 years. what happens when years later they meet again in their home town in the grand city of New York? was it fate or bad luck?

{𝘉𝘖𝘖𝘒 𝘛𝘏𝘙𝘌𝘌 𝘖𝘍 𝘛𝘏𝘌 𝘓𝘖𝘝𝘌𝘓𝘌𝘚𝘚 𝘛𝘙𝘐𝘓𝘖𝘎𝘠 } Hudson Tempest's an enigma nobody's capable of solving. Darkness has been moulded into his skin, running through him as easily as his blood. More than he's ever allowed anyone to see. Swept up into a world of sin and deviance, Hudson Tempest was broken as a boy and shattered several times over the course of his life. Made to be cruel and forced into a pool of self-destruction, a life that will only ruin him if it continues. Death has been the only thing in sight to him, for a long time. But how hard it is to save someone, who wants to let themselves drown. Val Emerson's the embodiment of light. A heart that outpours warmth like she was made to love, from the very moment she was born. The sunny side up sort of girl with an affinity for the sea, and smiles. When the cruelest of them all and the happiest of them all collide. When her hatred turns into a desperate desire to save the most broken of them all, far past salvation. When his hatred morphs into something he promised not to feel. Opposites. Dark, to light. Whole, and broken. Rivals, in all they do. Until somewhere along the way, they find themselves falling into each other's arms. Somehow, into each other's clashing hearts. <3

The girl trapped in the torture of her mind and the boy burdened with the guilt of living. ~~ "I'm surprised you even remember that day, Howard." "I remember most things when it comes to you, Preston." I give him a steely look, our noses almost grazing, "Would you ever stop with these lines?" "Will you ever fall for these lines?" ~~ Edith Preston: the head girl and first ranked student in Thorn Academy. Everyone in school knows her as the cold, unbothered girl, a school director's daughter. She doesn't try to change their image of her, but she can't stop it from hurting either, and with everything going on at home, Edith may turn to ways that aren't healthy. Grayson Howard: the head boy and the academic rival of Edith Preston, the girl he is head over heels for. Everyone in school knows him as the handsome, smiling boy, an orphan who only has eyes for one girl. He jokes and plays around, but when night comes, he can't escape the guilt and fear he's hiding deep inside. Everyone can see that the two of them were meant to be, but will they be able to overcome their issues to try and be with each other? Or will life interfere causing them to be apart even when they want to be together?

When Alexis agrees to help the school's player, she must guard the secret that could unravel everything - even as unexpected feelings complicate the game. *** What happens when Alexis Dawson, the 'resident loser' of Redwood High, agrees to help the school's notorious player, Aaron Walker? How can she stop herself from falling for him? It isn't all love and romance - Alexis has a secret of her own. Join them on a journey of jealousy, betrayal, trust, friendship, and love. A little favour just got a whole lot more complicated. *** He was so close, his breath hit my lips. His eyes darted from my eyes to my lips. I stared intently, awaiting his next move. His lips fell near my ear. "Shut up and kiss me" He whispered roughly. A chill shot up my spine. I pulled back, staring at his eyes and leaned in...

Amulya Anand, a 23 year old working as a personal assistant in a MNC company , having seen success at an early age made her strong and independent, but is a very kind and loving person. Akhil Vardhan, a 34 year old CEO , who worked hard to achieve what he is today, lost his parents at a very young age of 5 , down to earth and humble person. When Sparks fly between the boss and assistant, what happens when they realise what they are to each other? Will they withstand themselves or lose themselves? Will Amulya deal with her boss who is stubborn to show his feelings? To know more dive into the story!

-CURRENTLY UNDER EDITING- "Don't make me sad, don't make me cry Sometimes love is not enough And the road gets tough, I don't know why" - 'Born To Die' by Lana Del Rey xxx In Shelley, nothing stays buried. Not secrets. Not betrayals. And definitely not the kind of love that ruins you. Aurora Rossi has spent years building walls strong enough to survive anything. Theo Williams is the one person who knows exactly how to tear them down. But when loyalty turns dangerous, friendships fracture, and the past comes back burning, they're forced to face a truth no one wants to admit: Some flames keep you warm. Others consume everything. And once you start to burn... there's no going back. xxx "I think you're going to have to ask me again," I murmured, tilting my chin up. "But like, really nicely this time." Theo blinked. "You're serious?" "Deadly." A second passed. Then another. I watched the way his tongue ran along the inside of his cheek, watched his hand flex like he was trying not to grab me too fast, too rough. And then, softer now-different-he said, "Rory." Just my name, but it held more weight than anything else. "Please, baby. Let me kiss you."

Book 1 of "𝐈𝐒𝐇𝐐 𝐀𝐔𝐑 𝐑𝐀𝐀𝐇" series INAYA'S POV Before me, he sits. After 7 long years-7 years of absence, he shows up. Yet, when I study his eyes, I find nothing but unfamiliarity. His once warm, brown orbs are now veiled with darkness, devoid of any emotions, with a coldness that chills the air. His rosy pink pigmented lips, which once used to mold in a tender curve in my presence, now refuse to smile. Am I looking at the same person? How can his face be so familiar, yet his essence a mystery? Is he the same person-the Ishaan I once loved? The love that remained unspoken seven years ago, the love that refuses to fade? Is he truly the Ishaan Shekhawat that resides in my memories, or a specter of the past, wearing a guise of indifference over the soul I once knew? Started on: 21 December 2023 Ended on: 21 December 2024 #2 in the top 10 India on 9/10/24 # 2 in the top 10 India on 10/10/24 #1 in the top 10 India on 11/10/24 #4 in desi love story on 4/11/24 #5 in friendship on 10/12/24 #2 in friendship on 14/12/24 #1 in angstwithhappyending on 23/1/25 #1 in amnesia on 5/2/25 #1 in office on 25/4/25 #2 in office on 12/5/25 #1 in grumpy on 12/6/25 #4 in friendstolovers 1/10/25