Amid hidden pain and unexpected challenges, two hearts cling to love, navigating a fate they never chose. Essence Series: First Installment. start: 07/21/2025 finish: 02/07/2026

[The Wattys 2025 Shortlist] ********** She spent twenty-four years preserving herself for one man-only for him to choose her best friend instead. Tomorrow, they would vow eternity to each other, while she remained nothing but a spectator to a love she had longed for. Desperate, she devised a plan, one final chance to make him hers. A single drop of aphrodisiac, a carefully orchestrated encounter-she would take what was meant to be hers. But fate had other plans. In the darkness of her deceit, she fell into the arms of the wrong man. A ruthless, merciless, and identical in every way except for the shadows that clung to him like a second skin. Her trickery had backfired, and now, she was at the mercy of a man whose hunger knew no bounds. He devoured her, claimed her, and became intoxicated by her taste, scent, and the desperate, helpless moans she never intended for him. She had set a trap, but it was she who had been ensnared. In her desperation, she had tasted her own poison. And he had found a new obsession. *********************************** Started: March 22, 2025 Ended: April 21, 2025 Revised: August 2, 2025

Despite of being a single father, Drake couldn't deny that women still flock on his feet. He could easily find a mother for Blake if he really wants to. But like him, his son is yearning to only one, and that is Alexza-a woman who ran away from him. WARNING: Mature Content | R-18 | SPG | REMINDER: Be aware of the grammatical error and poor delivery of sentences, dialogues, and so on that you will encounter while reading. The author is always trying her best to improve until she gets better. I did not proofread this story. This is raw and has a lot of flaws. If you can't afford reading a story that is not perfectly written, this is not for you. Thank you for dropping by. I appreciate your time.

[UNDER REVISION] Leone Salvador and Aiah Sevilleja, childhood friends torn apart by tragedy, reunite through an arranged marriage masked as a business alliance. But past wounds resurface, turning their union into a battleground of bitterness. As they unravel each other's complexities, forgiveness blooms, paving the way for a love beyond friendship. Yet behind the vows lie veiled vendettas. A legacy soaked in secrets and blood that has shaped Leone into something untamed and lethal, drags Aiah into a war she never saw coming. As old wounds bleed and long buried truths stir, their reunion breathes life into a war that time tried to forget. In a world of power, betrayal, and survival, he fears no bullets, but her heart scares him. 04.24.25 12.22.25