Prologue: The Cracks Beneath the Surface The neighborhood was picture-perfect. Manicured lawns, white picket fences, and the hum of laughter drifting through open windows. But behind every closed door, secrets simmered. And in the heart of it all stood Paul, the rugby star with a smile that could light up a room and a wedding ring that gleamed under the sun. His wife, Sarah, was the epitome of grace-a woman who had stood by him through every tackle, every victory, and every defeat. Their love story was the stuff of legends, or so everyone believed. Next door lived Lisa, Sarah's best friend since childhood. Lisa, with her sharp wit and even sharper instincts, had always been the confidant Sarah turned to in times of need. But Lisa harbored a secret of her own-one that would shatter the fragile veneer of perfection. It started with a glance. A lingering touch. A moment when Paul's eyes met Lisa's across the backyard fence, and the air crackled with unspoken desire. What began as innocent flirtation spiraled into something darker, something forbidden. Late-night texts. Stolen kisses. Lies woven into the fabric of their lives. Sarah, oblivious to the betrayal, continued to trust the two people closest to her. But as the cracks in their charade began to widen, the question loomed: How long could Paul and Lisa keep their affair hidden? And when the truth finally came to light, would it destroy everything-or set them free? This is a story of passion, deception, and the consequences of crossing lines that were never meant to be crossed. Welcome to a world where love and lust collide, and no one is who they seem.

"𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝒍𝒊𝒆𝒅. 𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝒈𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒑𝒊𝒆𝒄𝒆𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒇 𝒕𝒐 𝒂𝒏𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒘𝒐𝒎𝒂𝒏. 𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝒔𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒎𝒆𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒆 𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒆 - 𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒆 𝒖𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒍 𝒅𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒉 𝒅𝒐 𝒖𝒔 𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒕 - 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒘𝒉𝒊𝒍𝒆 𝒘𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑰 𝒑𝒖𝒕 𝒐𝒏 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒓." What would you do if you found out your husband of eighteen years was having an affair? No, please. Don't answer now. 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬. Eighteen years, not eighteen days. We have a history. A family. There's a long road between suspicion, footprints left in the sand, and the absolutely devastating truth that life as you know it has ended. I saw it all coming. Felt it in my bones. Late nights at work. Sleeping at the office. I felt the distance - how his eyes couldn't hold my stare anymore. Secretive texts late at night. Lipstick stains where they didn't belong. Unfamiliar scents on a man who should always smell like him and me. 𝘏𝘪𝘮 & 𝘮𝘦. But when a third person enters your marriage... There's nothing left anymore. My name is Cecily, and this is the story of how my life was 𝘧𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘥 - and how I survived 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘦.

Nora never wanted much. Just a steady home. Simple days. A life that held its shape. She didn't crave excitement or change. She only needed predictability. Her routines, her quiet, her small world. It was enough. She believed that if she kept everything perfectly still, the life she had built would hold. And for a long time, it did. But when the ground finally shifted under her feet, Nora didn't move with it. She froze in place, the way people do when they have no other direction to turn. Because where does a person go when they have nowhere to go? Warning: This story uses mature language and scenes. © IcecreamSundae5. All rights reserved.

Willa is a fighter and a writer and has always thrived despite the restrictions of her life-threatening allergies. Suddenly suffering an almost fatal reaction the day her service dog has a scheduled procedure seems like a terrible coincidence until she looks more closely at what is going on inside, and outside, the home she shares with her devoted husband. Are her suspicions founded in reality or fear? Does her husband, a doctor at the hospital where she is treated, know more than he lets on? Or is he actually part of the problem? Maybe, it's all in her head like he says.

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.

Todega: Population 386 Josie Winters has it all-a life she loves, a father who adores her. Her best friend came back to town after three years, and a perfect boyfriend who she is certain is about to ask her a very important question. Until the night it shatters. The town she calls home is taken, her life thrown into chaos, and everything she thought she knew... is a lie.

Erin thought she had the perfect husband until he returns from a bachelor party with a secret. When everything is revealed and Kyle's betrayal is exposed, will Erin be able to forgive? What started as a harmless night out, quickly turns into the worst night of Kyles life. He loves his wife, she's his best friend and dream woman all rolled into one. When he lets himself be influenced by his college friends and ends up where no married man should ever be, he risks losing it all.

Aurora Hale knows how to make anything bloom. Roses. Nightshade. Even love. In the sun-washed city of Elysian Coast, she runs Thorn & Bloom-a café-floral atelier that deals in beauty with a bite. Her husband, Jeremiah, is chasing the kind of perfection that photographs well: seaside dinners, charity galas, and promises whispered through polished smiles. But the petals have started to fall. What once felt like devotion now feels like decay, soft, slow, and deliberate. Thier relationship is withering under the weight of its own rot. And in Elysian Coast, everything that grows beautiful must feed on something dying.

COMPLETED Fiona I live a simple life. It's boring but it's mine. I'm content with my job and the story the numbers tell me. Numbers don't lie, they don't promise things they can't follow through on. They are true and steady and I was good with that. Or at least I thought I was. Then I had to go and help one drunk girl and next thing you know I'm immersed in a Sons of Anarchy episode. Nothing makes sense in this world. He says I can count on him, but I can't seem to calculate if it's worth the risk. Bash I ride, I fight and I fuck. When I'm not doing that, I'm hanging out with my club brothers, running the garage I own and keeping an eye on my annoying little sister. When she gets herself in a jam, I'm taken aback by the owl eyed girl who swooped in to rescue her. As much as I tried, I couldn't shake her from my mind. As much as I wanted her to ask me for something, she didn't need anyone's help. What do I do when the first woman to actually hold my interest hasn't looked at me twice? I need her, how do I convince her she needs me too?

They say, Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. But what about letting him fool her for three years straight? What kind of fool does that make her? When Sage discovers that her husband has not only betrayed her, but has been playing her a fool for years, she doesn't yell, she doesn't scream, she doesn't demand a divorce, no, Sage wants revenge, and what better way than to beat him at his own game.