In a distant Xhosa village where tradition and ancestral whispers shape daily life, Indiphile, a quiet and introspective girl, struggles to find her place. Her fierce best friend Thandi is her voice and protector, shielding her from the taunts of school bully Nodumo. Beneath the surface of this dusty rural life, however, lies a secret that will change Indiphile's destiny forever.
When a strange encounter with her reflection reveals the existence of a long-lost twin brother, Nkosi, Indiphile is thrust into a mystical journey filled with ancestral curses, spectral beings, and the echoes of family betrayal. Indiphile learns of a curse that condemns twins in their bloodline to destruction.
As Indiphile and Nkosi navigate the perilous underworld and confront vengeful spirits, they must reconcile the burdens of their heritage. Together, they seek to heal the fractured lineage-and break the chains of a centuries-old curse.
With themes of identity, redemption, and the transformative power of love and sacrifice, is a tale of courage in the face of ancient shadows. Indiphile's journey from silence to self-assurance and from isolation to communal healing showcases the strength found in facing one's deepest fears and embracing one's destiny.
Will Indiphile's ultimate sacrifice mend the rift in her family and cleanse the river, or will the weight of generations past consume them both?
Henley agrees to pretend to date millionaire Bennett Calloway for a fee, falling in love as she wonders - how is he involved in her brother's false conviction?
******
Henley Linden's brother is in jail for a crime he didn't commit, and she'll take any job to raise the money needed to free him. Soon, she's agreed to pretend to date millionaire Bennett Calloway for ten thousand dollars, so his mother will ease up the pressure on him to find a wife. But once Henley is enmeshed in Bennett's world, he falls for her, and she starts to have feelings for him as well. Despite her romance with Bennett, as she grows closer to the Calloways, Henley realizes they are somehow involved in her brother's conviction. Journeying deeper into a world of wealth and conspiracies, Henley is forced to rely on Bennett, though doing so could cost her everything.
[[word count: 200,000-250,000 words]]