This story begins with Conrad in California, detached and disciplined, carrying the familiar weight of being the responsible one-the son who absorbed pressure, grief, and expectation until love felt indistinguishable from obligation. He is older now, sharper, angrier, and more self-aware, but still haunted by his past: his mother's death, his father's failures, and the wreckage left behind with Belly and Jeremiah. Everything fractures the night he meets Valeriya-brilliant, commanding, emotionally guarded, and immediately unreadable. Their connection is instant and volatile, built on challenge rather than comfort. Valeriya doesn't soften Conrad; she exposes him. She calls him out, refuses to be managed, and meets his intensity with her own. What starts as mutual fascination quickly spirals into something obsessive, physical, and deeply binding. Their relationship becomes the emotional center of the story: fierce loyalty, constant proximity, and an intimacy that is not gentle but deliberate. They move fast-not recklessly, but with certainty-building a shared life that feels private and impenetrable. Sex becomes routine, grounding, and expressive rather than impulsive; domesticity becomes just as charged as conflict. Conrad finds himself choosing her again and again-not out of duty, but desire. But as their bond deepens, the past fights back.

Conrad and Valeriya's first year of marriage.

Mel was just an ordinary girl-clumsy, chaotic, and a little too obsessed with anime. But her world turns upside down when a mysterious stranger and a glowing vortex pull her into a place she knows all too well... the world of One Piece. Now stranded in the East Blue, Mel has to navigate a reality where pirates are real, Devil Fruits exist, and danger lurks around every corner. She's unprepared, overwhelmed, and definitely not equipped for a life at sea-or so she thinks. But fate has a strange sense of humor... especially when a peculiar Devil Fruit lands in her hands and throws her into chaos all over again. Armed with unfinished powers, embarrassing timing, and a mind full of half-remembered plotlines, Mel sets out to survive-and maybe, just maybe-find her place among the Straw Hat crew. But when fiction turns into her reality, how much of the story can she still change?

To celebrate 100,000 reads, I wanted to do something special! This bonus book is a collection of sneak peek one-shots exploring how Mel and Drama would survive (or absolutely chaosify) different fandom worlds-from curses to titans, quirks to shadows. After the main book is complete, I'll dive into one of these worlds as a full spin-off story. Got a fandom you want to see? Drop it in the comments-your wish might become Mel's next disaster arc!

Mel was just an ordinary girl-clumsy, chaotic, and a little too obsessed with anime. Her world flipped upside down when a glowing vortex pulled her into the vast, unpredictable world of One Piece. Two years later, Mel isn't quite so ordinary anymore. She's trained, grown stronger, and learned to harness powers she barely understood before. But the sea is still as wild, the threats as fierce, and the stakes higher than ever. Now, returning from her time with the Red-Haired Pirates, Mel must navigate a world changed as much as she has. Reuniting with her friends-her family-she embarks on new adventures, uncovers deeper truths about herself, and faces consequences she never imagined. With Drama by her side-not just her baby companion anymore but a mighty dragon-and a spear forged with care, Mel is thrust once again into the tempest of destiny. Unfinished business, new mysteries, and the weight of a legacy press on her. Can she control the tide, or will it sweep her away? The adventure is far from over. Thrown into the tide, Mel's journey is only just beginning. Part 2 of Thrown Into the Blue

I had never needed anyone. I didn't know what it was like to need a person until I met him. I needed him. He looked at me as if there was something inside me worth looking at. I hated him for it. Why? Because I could see myself loving him. If only things had happened differently.

I had always thought rugby was all I was. That's what I believed defined my worth. Until I met her. From that moment, I found myself searching for her in every little thing I did. Any excuse would do just to be near her. She was in my head and I couldn't shake her-not that I wanted to. I loved her. I craved her. She had been a tough one to get. And even harder to keep.

They say the hardest battles are the ones fought for alone. That's a lie. The hardest battle is realizing you've gone from needing a hero to survive the day, to finally owning the quiet, terrifying strength it takes to build a future that is not just yours, but ours. We had our ambitions: his on the pitch, mine in the track. We had our timeline, drawn up neatly and logically, ready for the world of grown-ups. But the world laughs at timelines. It laughs when a simple twist of fate changes the whole equation. The craving had been intoxicating. The needing was a lifeline. But this? This was undeniably, completely, mine.

Lacey Love Keane is a hurricane in heels. At 17, she's got a reputation for being the girl who doesn't need anyone but everyone seems to need her. A fiery mix of wild confidence, untamed charm, and a heart that refuses to be caged, Lacey moves to Ballylaggin to live with her Aunt Orla. Far from her life in London, Lacey doesn't plan on sticking around long but a series of complicated relationships might just change that. When she reunites with Patrick Feely, the boy who used to be her summer sidekick, sparks fly. But it's Joey Lynch, the bad boy with a heart of stone, who's the real problem. They're two sides of the same coin: both emotionally unavailable, both fiercely independent. And neither one knows how to stay away from the other. Then there's Johnny Kavanagh, the one guy who makes her feel things she's spent years trying to avoid. He's everything Lacey doesn't want to want, and he knows exactly how to push her buttons. But what happens when the lines between hate, attraction, and something deeper start to blur? Ballylaggin won't be the same once Lacey Love Keane sets her sights on it. She's a storm waiting to happen and it's going to tear everything apart.

Lacey Love Keane has always known how to outrun the past. Lip gloss sharp, heels higher, and heart locked up tight. But in Ballylaggin, the secrets don't stay buried, and the people you love don't always stay yours. Lacey's learning what it means to stay. To build something real. To be seen-and loved-for who she is, not who she's been. But loving Johnny Kavanagh is anything but simple. Because he's choosing her in secret, while the rest of their world falls apart in broad daylight. But nothing stays hidden forever. When ghosts from Lacey's past arrive with teeth, the fragile world she's built starts to crack. As friendships splinter and loyalties blur, the truth threatens to blow everything apart - especially when Lacey is forced to choose between protecting herself, or finally letting someone else try. Meanwhile, Johnny's caught between the girl who's tearing his world open-and the life everyone else built for him. To love Lacey means standing still when he's meant to run, and fighting battles that aren't his - yet somehow feel like they always have been. In a town that loves to talk, a secret love can't last forever. She's chasing her youth. He's chasing her. And the truth? It's catching up with them both.