Love... Sometimes... it pulls you down to the abyss. ----------------------- The sound of running water lingers in the air. Issabelle hugged the comforter around her naked body. A sour feeling arose from her heart. In a few seconds, the perfect man opened the door of the bathroom. His upper body looking firm and strong. His lower body covered with a huge white towel. He continuously rubbed a smaller towel on his hair. He approached the bed. Put on a fresh set of socks. "I need to go. Don't wait for me." At 11pm, he's going out...? But he's perfect. Yes. The perfect man. For her. He's not perfect, of course. In fact, he's a jerk. And he jerks her around. ------- Super short and simple story, just need to get the plot off my chest. No, she didn't end up with the jerk. Started: April 30, 2025

Prologue - When Hearts Break Betrayal doesn't scream. It whispers. It seeps in like poison, invisible at first, until one day you wake up and realize you've been dying quietly inside. That was me. A wife. A mother. A woman discarded for someone else's smile on a glowing screen. He was supposed to be my forever. Instead, he became my wound. Eight months later, I'm still learning how to breathe without bleeding. Two children look at me with eyes too wise for their years. Han, seventeen, carrying silence like armor. Bella, six, asking me why Ami cries at night when the world is asleep. I tell her it's just allergies. She doesn't believe me. Some nights, I wonder if I still exist beyond the roles I'm forced to carry-mother, provider, survivor. Is there still a woman left inside me? Or did she die the night she saw the truth blinking on his phone? And then, in the middle of that loneliness, I met him. Not in the real world, but behind a username. Mr× A stranger with shadows darker than mine. A man broken by betrayal, scarred by addiction, living with an illness that became his shame. We should have never crossed paths. But broken souls recognize each other. And sometimes, even in the darkest places, love finds a way to whisper back. This isn't a fairy tale. This is a story of two wounded hearts, meeting in the rain of their ruins, daring to dream of sunlight again.

𝙒𝙚 𝙬𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙚𝙖𝙘𝙝 𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧'𝙨 𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙨𝙩 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙤𝙣𝙡𝙮. He was the boy who would sneak through my windows late at night to hold me in my sleep. We made plans for forever. Dreamed of the life we would build full of adventures and unending happiness. 𝙒𝙚 𝙬𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙢𝙖𝙙𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙚𝙖𝙘𝙝 𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧, it's what they always say. Until we weren't... 𝙉𝙤𝙬 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚'𝙨 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙚𝙡𝙨𝙚. 𝙃𝙞𝙨 𝙗𝙚𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙮𝙖𝙡 𝙥𝙪𝙩 𝙖 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙞𝙣 𝙤𝙣 𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙮. 𝘼𝙣𝙙 𝙖𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙚𝙣𝙙 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙙𝙖𝙮, 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚𝙨 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙞𝙨𝙣'𝙩 𝙚𝙣𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝.

They said love would be enough. They never warned her about what comes after. When loyalty fades and promises break, Arabel must navigate a world where the people closest to her are the ones who hurt her most. A world where trust is a weapon. And some dreams are never meant to survive. In the end, every choice has a cost. Some leave bruises. Some leave scars. And some... leave nothing at all. Of Kisses, Betrayals, and Broken Vows is a haunting story of love, loss, and the thin line between forever-and goodbye.

It took the Beasts mere weeks to overthrow the human government and eliminate most of the population. Those who survived were put into slavery, forced to spend their lives serving the royal families and wealthier Beasts. Adeline has been a servant for the royals for as long as she can remember. It's hard work, but she feels lucky to be born and raised in King Richard's kingdom. He's a kind ruler, and his humans are often treated well. King Heloix, on the other hand, is known for his ruthlessness. He has little tolerance for his fellow Beasts, and even less for humans. Rumors are that his servants are often killed as punishment for even the smallest mishaps, and to survive even a year while working for him is an accomplishment. When Adeline is transferred to King Heloix's castle, it takes him only seconds to recognize who she is to him. Will he accept her as his mate or reject her existence? ⚠️THIS BOOK CONTAINS MATURE AND TRIGGERING THEMES⚠️

Melody and Micah Whitley have built a life together in the small town of Valley Falls. They fell in love in college, where Micah was a star baseball pitcher-until a shoulder injury ended his dreams of the major leagues. Melody is used to standing beside the people she loves, adjusting when plans change. She and her sister grew up in foster care, and when Dana passed away, Melody stepped into motherhood when they adopted her niece, Daisy. When Micah agrees to help his childhood friend's sister, Audra, and her young son, Ben, he sees it as an opportunity to pay back an old debt. Micah invests deeply in Ben's life, but as his attention shifts, Melody and Daisy are pushed aside, and the marriage begins to strain under the weight of unspoken grief, unmet needs, and blurred boundaries. Note: There are mentions of infertility, adoption, foster care, grief, addiction/self-harm and death of a non-main character. There is no physical cheating, but there is some OW drama and emotional betrayal/infidelity. Christian and faith themes woven throughout.

"I love you," she uttered in what seemed to be an unaudible whisper. "But I'm no competition to her." Her heart breaks even more knowing what they had would end the moment he wakes up. She continued to caress his face with her ever so delicate fingers. "Stay." Her heart raced more than it already is hearing one word out of his sleep. He looked so torn. She was debating to herself if she'd take heed to his unconscious plea when the most painful thing came next. "Veronica...I..." "Sshh," she hushed him not wanting to hear the words she longed him to say to her. "Sleep." Her voice crack as tears flow from the realization hitting her. She looked up to the portrait of the perfect couple just above his bed. They looked so happy, so carefree, so perfect with his arms around her, his chin resting on her left shoulder. Just that and it shattered her already broken heart. How she wished it was her. Unfortunately, her name is not Veronica, she couldn't be her and never will be. She was a very beautiful woman contrasting to her being an ordinary girl. She watched his torned face calmed, his tensed body limped, his labored breath evens, making sure he deeply succumbs to unconsciousness before stealing a peck on his dry lips. She let her lips linger a little longer before pulling herself up. "Goodbye, Xand," she whispered into the air before turning her heels out with an intention of not coming back into his life.

Three weeks before her wedding, she discovers her fiancé is already married. Not to a stranger-but to the woman he never truly let go of. He thinks she's powerless. Replaceable. A convenient secret. What he doesn't know? She built everything he owns. And she's not the orphan he thinks she is. Now, she's done playing the supportive fiancée. She's coming for his company. His reputation. His legacy. And this time... she's not hiding her name.

Jane thought walking away from Max was the only way to save herself. She signed the papers, left behind the home she once built with him, and vanished into a new city - determined never to look back. But life has a way of circling back. When Jane's twin niece and nephew run away just to see her, she's pulled back into the family she once loved. What she doesn't know is that Max has been quietly watching over her from a distance, protecting her even when she thought he didn't care. As Jane builds a new life - a flower shop, a quiet routine, moments of laughter with the kids - Max begins to step into her world again. He's different now: softer, more patient, quietly devoted. But the past still hurts. And when a sudden accident leaves Jane with no memory of the pain that once drove her away, Max sees a second chance - not just to win her back, but to build the life they never got to finish. This is a story of heartbreak, healing, and finding your way home - a slow-burn second-chance romance where love grows again, stronger than before. "Sometimes, leaving is the only way home."

They promised it was just fun. No strings. No feelings. So why does it feel like everything? At twenty-two, Sloane doesn't have room in her life for heartbreak. Between nursing school, long CNA shifts, and raising her daughter, she barely has time to breathe-let alone fall for someone. So when Braden, a friends boyfriends cocky, charming best friend, makes it clear he's only in it for fun, Sloane agrees. It's safe. Easy. Exactly what she needs. Until it isn't. Because somewhere between the stolen looks, mind-blowing sex and late-night banter, Sloane starts to want more. And without realizing it, so does Braden. But Braden has ghosts that won't stay buried. And when the girl he once claimed to love whispers a lie that cuts too deep, he doesn't just believe it-he uses it to break Sloane in the cruelest way. By the time the truth comes out, Sloane's heart is in ruins, and Braden's the one left bleeding. He never meant to fall for her. He never meant to lose her, either. Now he's ready to fight for the only woman he's ever really loved. But some promises can't be undone. And Sloane might be the one thing Braden can't win back.