I always thought we were destined to be together. A decade together and what seemed like the perfect love story. Until one day, it slowly started to unravel at the seams. I realized our "perfect" love story only looked so perfect because I was being complacent. Once I started to speak up for myself, the facade crumbled and it all came crashing down. This is my story.

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.

Prologue: The Cracks Beneath the Surface The neighborhood was picture-perfect. Manicured lawns, white picket fences, and the hum of laughter drifting through open windows. But behind every closed door, secrets simmered. And in the heart of it all stood Paul, the rugby star with a smile that could light up a room and a wedding ring that gleamed under the sun. His wife, Sarah, was the epitome of grace-a woman who had stood by him through every tackle, every victory, and every defeat. Their love story was the stuff of legends, or so everyone believed. Next door lived Lisa, Sarah's best friend since childhood. Lisa, with her sharp wit and even sharper instincts, had always been the confidant Sarah turned to in times of need. But Lisa harbored a secret of her own-one that would shatter the fragile veneer of perfection. It started with a glance. A lingering touch. A moment when Paul's eyes met Lisa's across the backyard fence, and the air crackled with unspoken desire. What began as innocent flirtation spiraled into something darker, something forbidden. Late-night texts. Stolen kisses. Lies woven into the fabric of their lives. Sarah, oblivious to the betrayal, continued to trust the two people closest to her. But as the cracks in their charade began to widen, the question loomed: How long could Paul and Lisa keep their affair hidden? And when the truth finally came to light, would it destroy everything-or set them free? This is a story of passion, deception, and the consequences of crossing lines that were never meant to be crossed. Welcome to a world where love and lust collide, and no one is who they seem.

Blurb Born the second twin, Fae was always the shadow-the quiet teacher, the caretaker,,the one who stayed in the shadows and let her siblings shine . When her sister became Luna to a powerful Alpha, she recognised his widowed brother, Blaidd as her own. But he was a man still bound to the memory of his dead mate. For eight long years, she raised his children, kept his home, and did her best to make him see her. But when she discovers the rune carved into his flesh-a witch's mark ensuring she could never bear his child-the truth shatters the last illusion of love. In a public hearing before her Alpha, she asks for what no mated wolf ever has: the right to live her own life. Her courage ripples through the pack, exposing the cracks in every tradition meant to keep her bound. And as she steps beyond her mate's shadow toward a distant land and a craft that calls to her soul, she begins to awaken to the woman she was always meant to be - one carved not from obedience, but from fire, freedom, and forgotten dreams.

Everyone thinks she has it all-a loving husband, a stable home, a peaceful life. That's what she also thought about her marriage. But after learning the truth about his husband's affair with her sister, she learns something new about herself. The world still believes she's the perfect wife, but she's no longer the woman he once knew. Because when love dies, something else takes its place...and it's far more dangerous.

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.

Diego Camacho wears his heart where everyone can see it-loud, messy, and unashamed. Raised in a family that loves with open arms and open mouths, he's never been the type to hide how he feels. But when a chance encounter sparks a no-strings affair with Dr. Valeria Ross, the rules of love change. Val is everything Diego isn't-clinical, reserved, a woman who locks her heart away behind logic and control. Their chemistry is explosive, but so are their differences. What begins as a stolen night stretches into months of secret texts, late-night calls, and an intimacy Diego refuses to believe is casual. Until Val overhears how Diego truly sees her and walks away without looking back, leaving him gutted by her own short-sightedness. He realizes that to win her back, he'll have to show her that love comes in many forms, and that sometimes, the quiet, "cold" kind of love is the one strong enough to melt steel.

I used to think we were the definition of couple goals. You know-the annoying kind that finish each other's sentences, post mushy anniversary captions, and make single people gag. Yeah, that was us. My husband, the love of my life. My partner. My soulmate. My... lying, cheating bastard. I walked in one night, still humming the song he sent me that morning, and found him busy. And by busy, I mean balls-deep in someone who clearly didn't know her right foundation shade. I broke. Cried till I couldn't breathe. Because that was my man, my home, my whole damn world falling apart on our Egyptian cotton sheets. But then I wiped my tears, looked at him-pathetic, naked, stammering-and realized something beautiful: heartbreak makes you dangerous. He begged. Oh, he sobbed. Promised me the world, said it meant nothing, said I was everything. So I smiled and said, prove it. And he did. Bought me cars, jewelry, houses-signed every last property in my name. My name, not ours. I let him grovel, let him believe forgiveness was for sale, and every time he kissed my feet, I made him dig his grave a little deeper. Love made me soft. Betrayal made me rich. And when I finally walked out, I didn't even slam the door. I just left him there-kneeling in the ruins of everything he thought he owned.

He left me. I gave birth to his triplets after our one passionate night together. I couldn't get in touch with him, and it wasn't until more than four years later that I saw him again. And then he was with the evil twin sister I never knew I had.

Jenna Valentino thought she had found her forever after. Life was good. A husband she loved, a daughter she adored, a dream job and a beautiful home. But nothing could prepare her for the bittersweet taste of betrayal, shattering the illusion. Devastated. She wants more to do with love, but then love presents itself when you least expect or want it and in this case it arrived in the form of her husbands brother, the black sheep of the Valentino family. Can she move past the betrayal and bitterness to take a bite from the forbidden fruit and love again? ❤️ Note: This will be my first attempt at sweet romance, and I'm not sure if it will head into the realms of 'mature' definitely... a little steamy, but more on the sweeter side! I have my other book 'Perfectly Normal' to feed my filthy side 😘 Enjoy Start November 2020 - Completed July 21 Cover by the amazing and talented Lael @candlesandwhips ❤️