After turning twenty-one, Maya sets out to find the birth mother who might explain everything. A violent encounter with a mysterious man plunges her into a darker world. He is as haunted as she is-fierce, damaged, terrifyingly tender. Their chemistry is immediate and volatile: refuge that threatens control. As Maya digs into the past, buried secrets fracture her identity and force impossible choices. Trauma refuses neat endings. Love becomes both lifeline and liability-can redemption survive, or will the darkness destroy them both? What will Maya uncover about herself and his past as she tumbles down this dark path? Is he her safe place to land? Chapter 23 Peek: "Maybe start with no more lying to her?" Miles butted in, his glare sharp enough to cut, the frustration rolling off him in waves. "Easier said than done, and you know that, Miles." I took another long drag off the cigarette, the smoke burning down my throat but doing nothing to loosen the knot in my chest. "Yeah, doesn't mean I don't believe you both should've been more honest," Miles shot back, shrugging like he was trying to play it casual, but his jaw was tight, and his eyes stayed locked on me, daring me to argue. "Trey just loves getting in the way and dividing people," I growled, the words coming out rough. "He singles out the weak and isolates them until he can strike. I'm not saying Maya is weak, because she's fucking not, but this motherfucker has done nothing but manipulate her." "I don't disagree with you, but this is on you, too, Gray." Miles' voice dropped, cold and direct, the frustration finally cracking through. "You fucked up - don't just blame it on the narcissistic psychopath. So does that mean if she asks us to stop keeping watch, are you going to give in?" "Well, I wouldn't really have much of a fucking choice, now would I?" I sighed, rolling my eyes as I finished the beer, the empty bottle suddenly feeling too light in my hand.

Avery's senior year is turned upside down when a kiss with her older brothers' best friend ignites a forbidden relationship tangled in danger, heartbreak, and family secrets that could destroy everything. *** "Aiden..." I shake my head, eyes fixed anywhere but the gorgeous man next to me. His hand grips my chin tightly, just enough to make me avert my eyes to his. "You know you want this as much as I fucking do. I want you to be mine. I want to be the one to hold you and kiss you the one you go to whenever you're happy or fucking sad. But let it be me, let me fucking show you that it should be me." He glares, jaw tensing. ...... ©hessaherophinelove

Feared in boardrooms and hated in silence, 26-year-old CEO Evelyn Vireaux built an empire with an iron will and a cruel tongue. But no amount of power or wealth could stop the truth-she was dying. Terminal illness claimed her body, but not her soul. When Evelyn opens her eyes again, it's not in a hospital bed-but in a different world, inside the body of Selene Astera, the frail and neglected daughter of Duke Astera. Mocked by servants, scorned by her siblings, and invisible to society, Selene was as powerless as Evelyn had once been ruthless. Now reborn in a world of nobility and magic, the soul of a cold-blooded CEO simmers beneath Selene's soft smile. They wanted a weak girl to ignore. They'll get a villainess they'll never forget.