Blurb Born the second twin, Fae was always the shadow-the quiet teacher, the caretaker,,the one who stayed in the shadows and let her siblings shine . When her sister became Luna to a powerful Alpha, she recognised his widowed brother, Blaidd as her own. But he was a man still bound to the memory of his dead mate. For eight long years, she raised his children, kept his home, and did her best to make him see her. But when she discovers the rune carved into his flesh-a witch's mark ensuring she could never bear his child-the truth shatters the last illusion of love. In a public hearing before her Alpha, she asks for what no mated wolf ever has: the right to live her own life. Her courage ripples through the pack, exposing the cracks in every tradition meant to keep her bound. And as she steps beyond her mate's shadow toward a distant land and a craft that calls to her soul, she begins to awaken to the woman she was always meant to be - one carved not from obedience, but from fire, freedom, and forgotten dreams.

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.

At 40 and with three kids, the last thing I needed was my husband suddenly working every day with a gorgeous, talented, much younger French prima ballerina. But life didn't care. Late nights. Missed dinners. A shift in his voice when he said her name. And just like that, the marriage I thought was unshakable began to crack. Now I'm forced to face the truth: Every pas de deux has a breaking point. And ours... might be reaching its final step. ‧₊˚♪𝄞₊˚⊹ ‧₊˚♪𝄞₊˚⊹ ‧₊˚♪𝄞₊˚⊹ ‧₊˚♪𝄞₊˚⊹ 🩰 A marriage cracking after 16 years 🩰 Emotional cheating 🩰 Mild OW drama 🩰 Holiday angst 🩰 Mischief, fluff & cute moments 🩰 Maybe not enough grovel... and small doses of pettiness 🎄 Yes, there's an HEA. It is Christmas, after all... ✨

Prologue She was unconscious for four days. No one from her family came to see her. Her heart broke. She was in the hospital, yet no one cared enough to visit. Even after everything that had happened to her, she remained alone. As she walked slowly through the hospital corridor, her legs weak and her body aching, she saw them-her family. They stood there, talking in hushed voices. Relief and pain twisted inside her as she limped toward them. Then, without warning, a sharp slap struck her cheek. She stood frozen, numb not from the impact but from the words that followed. "Are you at peace finally? She has been raped because of you. Look at her condition, she is dying." A broken smile formed on her lips. Anyone could see her own ruined state-anyone but them. Once again, they had played their game. Once again, she was the one proven guilty. She wanted to scream, to tell them the truth. "It wasn't her who was raped. It was ME." But no words came out. Only silence.

Elio Moretti's world was bleak. Grey. Dark. When Alina died in his arms, she took all the light with her. He drifted through the years like a ghost, tethered to duty, a life waiting for the end to claim him, but no matter how recklessly he walked the edge --- it never did. Then came Hanna Park. Sharp. Clever. Enigmatic. Disarming without trying. What began as a no-strings-attached arrangement, a fleeting connection, began to fracture, reshape, and bleed into something deeper. Grief, however, does not loosen its roots so easily. And Hanna, she had never meant to fall for a man whose heart still beat in the rhythm of someone gone. Yet the closer she got, the less she could resist. When loss hollows you to the bone, can anything grow in the emptiness? And when love promises to burn you alive, do you flee --- or let it quietly consume you? ------------------------ *Afterlight is a standalone set after The Lies We Rehearsed; reading TLWR first is recommended.*

She wasn't unwanted. She was simply forgotten. Married into a life that never made space for her, Aira Khan spent years loving a man who only saw her as a responsibility-not a partner. While his heart clung to memories of another woman, Aira learned how painful silence can be inside a marriage. But forgotten wives don't stay broken forever. When love turns cold and respect dies quietly, Aira chooses herself-and that choice changes everything. A story of quiet suffering, delayed realization, and a woman who rises when the world thinks she has already lost.

For four years, she lived as a forgotten wife in her own marriage. She had entered it young and patient, believing understanding could fill the spaces where love was missing. She waited. She adjusted. She faded. Days passed without words, nights without warmth, and slowly she realized she was no longer living-only enduring. The day her patience broke was quiet. No arguments, no tears-just clarity. Staying meant losing herself completely. So she chose freedom. Leaving gave her a second chance at life, at happiness, at becoming whole again. But the past does not release its hold so easily. Memories linger, scars ache, and broken love has a way of following you. She was ready to live again. But would her past let her?

He didn't break her all at once. He taught her how to shatter herself. To everyone watching, she has the life girls dream of : money, beauty, a powerful husband, and a marriage wrapped in perfection. But behind their locked doors, perfection is the punishment she can never escape. He tells her who to be. He tells her how to walk, how to breathe, how to think. Every mistake is a lesson. Every bruise is a reminder. Every betrayal is somehow her fault. And she believes him. Because after years of being molded, corrected, and rewritten, she no longer remembers who she was before he decided to "fix" her. She only knows the rules he carved into her bones. Don't speak too loudly. Don't ask questions. Don't look at him when he's angry. Don't look away when he wants your attention. And above all Don't ever forget that love is earned, not given. Her sister whispers that she's losing herself. Her friends say they're worried. Her subconscious screams that something is wrong. But she silences all of them. Because she is so close so close to becoming the perfect wife, he swears she could be if she tries a little harder. And if she can be perfect... Maybe he'll finally love her. Or maybe perfection is the very thing that will destroy her. *This story depicts domestic and emotional abuse. These scenes are fictional and not meant to glorify or romanticize abuse. If you are in a harmful or unsafe situation, please reach out for help: 1-800-799-7233 (SAFE) thehotline.org You deserve safety.

Alessia had rules. She didn't do drama, didn't take nonsense from any man. Until him. For Cassian, she broke every one. A cliché, impossible mother in law? She handled it. Missed dinners because of work? She served herself double and waited anyway. Too tired to spend time together? She embraced the quiet hours alone. She forgot her limits, abandoned her rules. All for him. Until her. The one rule she couldn't break, the limit she couldn't cross. She saw him with her. Broken, she left and whispered a wish she never thought would come true: that she had never met him. The wish was granted. Alessia woke up and didn't remember him. But now Cassian is the one waiting. Running against time to be near her. Chasing every moment, following every rule, just so she might remember him again. And if she can't... Can he remember it all for both of them? © IcecreamSundae5. All rights reserved.

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.