ZOSIA I fell in love with Konstantin Krasnov. On the night I thought he was going to propose, I found another woman in his bed. I ran. I rebuilt. Life went on. Until one day, I'm attacked, and my savior is none other than the man who shattered me. Now there's a target on my back, and the man who cheated on me is the only one who can keep me alive. And I find out I never knew that man at all. Because Konstantin Krasnov is a monster, a butcher, a killer. KONSTANTIN Zosia Russell is the love of my life. My soul. My everything. But I made a choice, a mistake, that I'll regret for the rest of my life. Now she's in danger because of me, and I'll burn this entire world to ash before I let anyone harm her. She hates me, but I'll spend every day for the rest of my life earning back her love and trust. I'll wait forever for my Zosia.

When Emi's husband forgets his phone one morning, it only takes a few messages for everything to fall apart. She returns the phone in the middle of a board meeting and walks away from the life that she thought was happy and secure. But after the fallout comes reality. The money isn't there. The stability wasn't real. And starting over with two kids in her mother's one-bedroom apartment is a lot harder than leaving was. As Emi rebuilds from nothing, turning a quiet passion for ikebana into something more, she begins to understand that just like the flowers, she needs space, support, and patience to come into her own. Her husband thinks she'll come back because there's no way she can do it all alone. But, he's wrong, about more than one thing.

For years, Kat felt like she didn't belong. Not in the trailer with her alcoholic father, not in school where kids had the luxury of being kids...and not living as an outsider on the Satan's Fallen MC compound. There was a time when Max was the only person who made her feel like she had a rightful place, but that was a long time ago-back when she thought they were a team. Now, they're adults and their responsibilities are no longer linked to each other, but just as Kat is on the verge of freedom...one single night-one mistake-stands to jeopardize everything she's worked for. Tied to responsibility too young, Max is obsessed with righting the wrongs of the past, working tirelessly to free his father from incarceration for a crime he never committed. Conflicted over his feelings for Kat, Max buries them down, knowing he's already asked too much of her-more than she should ever have had to give. But then his freedom is jeopardized by another woman-and he risks losing Kat altogether.

Is it better to live in a beautiful lie or the ugly truth? I'm not so sure anymore. Not now after finding myself on the other side of beautiful lies. There was a time I thought I was the one - HIS one. Turns out, I'm only second . . . . . . to her. For readers: *I will update as I please. Don't be rude about it. Thank you. *I do my best to proofread before publishing, but some typos and errors will slip through. Feel free to point them out! *Comments, active engagement, and helpful critiques are welcomed. *Mean, unnecessary comments that attack me, personally, or other commenters will be ignored and deleted. *I'm not a spicey writer. I rather use my word count for plot, character development, and GROVEL!!! *Most importantly, I hope you enjoy the little world I'm creating.

I was thirteen the first time someone told me I talked like I was broken. Not stupid. Not mute. Just... broken. Like my mouth was a machine with missing parts and no one had the patience to wait while I found them. Every syllable was a landmine. My tongue seized, breath caught, throat locked like it was trying to save me from humiliation-only making it worse. When I did speak? People squirmed. Looked away. Finished my sentences like they were doing me a favor. Teachers got frustrated. My father spoke for me at interviews. My mother apologized for me at dinners. So I learned to stay quiet. Silence was safer. Cleaner. By eighteen, I had mastered it. Lived inside it. Until her. She found me in the library, fumbling over the word borrow. I couldn't say it. She could've looked away. Instead, she smiled. "Take your time," she said, like it was the easiest thing in the world. Iris. Paint-stained fingers. Worn-out shoes. Two jobs. Still made time to sit with me, showing me how to breathe through the stutter-not over it. Not around it. Through it. She treated me like I wasn't fragile. Like I was whole. And slowly-I changed. I began speaking in full sentences. Started holding eye contact. I could introduce myself at business events without trembling. And finally "fit" to inherit my father's name. I became the heir my parent always wanted. And when it came time to choose a wife-an arranged match-I said yes. Not because I loved her. Because she was easy. Perfect in public. Iris didn't fit that world. And I didn't realize I'd cut out the best part of myself until she was gone. She just left. Quietly. Like she'd expected it. Now, I hear her absence louder than I ever heard her voice. But I'll find her. And I'll say what I should've said from the start. Even if it takes a thousand broken words- I'll make her hear me. Cover photo courtesy of Vecteezy.com

They said peace came with a price. For her, it came wrapped in a contract-escorted to a stranger's doorstep with nothing but her father's word and her country's wounds stitched into the hem of her wedding veil. She was not given, not chosen-surrendered. To him. Dimitri Moretti. The underboss. The ghost-eyed shadow who stood beside the Don, with blood on his hands and no love in his eyes. He didn't look at her like a bride. He looked at her like duty. Still, she tried. With trembling hands, she served his coffee. With hopeful eyes, she waited at the door. She stitched pieces of herself into his world-quiet, careful, never asking for more than he gave. And when he came home bloodied and bruised, she was there. Not because he wanted her- but because she chose to stay. And somewhere between his silence and her surrender, she fell in love with the man who never said it back. Then came the storm. The night the sky split open with lightning and truth. She found him- rain soaking through his clothes, lips tangled with her-the Don's sister. Desperation between their bodies like the thunder overhead. And when their eyes met across the downpour- There was nothing. No regret. No apology. Only his voice, cold and sharp through the storm. "I will always love her. But I can't give you a divorce." Her world didn't crack. It shattered. But she couldn't ask for freedom. Not then. Not when her marriage was a ceasefire between empires. Until fate offered her a loophole. A shootout. A rescue. And the Don, grateful and indebted, offered her his word-anything she wanted. She asked for freedom. Now? Now he won't let her go. Not because of duty. Not because of honor. Because of love. And if it comes to it- he won't hesitate to retaliate against the very man he swore to serve.

Havenwood #2 What should your fiance do when you called him because you crashed his favourite car? Ask how are you, if you're hurt, if you called 911 and more concerned filled words. What did he say though? He exploded, frustratedly, without asking me if I was severely hurt. I wasn't then, but I got hurt by the man my car bumped with, who beat me up thoroughly bad, I fainted right after. I always knew he loved his cars more than anything, but his words wounded me more than the man who attacked me. And with one horrifying incident I could see things clearly now. Maybe I had mistaken value all along, thinking I mattered more than his cars.

He left me on a hike in Alaska, three days before a snowstorm. He thought I'd die. I didn't. I thought I knew him. I didn't. I didn't know him at all.

Joey lost his childhood sweetheart when she walked away, even after he moved across the country to be with her. Raina lost her first love when he walked away, leaving behind her and their baby daughter. Two hearts broken. Trying to repair his heart, Joey decided never to take life too seriously again because if he didn't feel anything too deeply he'd never be hurt. Leading to one bet. Trying to repair her heart, Raina swore never to be vulnerable again because if she stayed strong she'd never be let down. Except for one chance. And in the fall out of those choices, one's desperate to win her over and the other never wants to see him again.

Worlds collide when a dragon shifter, Kitty, finds his greatest treasure, Cat (and her little kitten). When an old friend wants Kitty for herself, she may ensure this collision involves a fatality.