Only Once
- Reads 3,791
- Votes 119
- Parts 41
Ongoing7h 2m
Last published about 24 hours ago
He doesn't believe in love. She refuses to give up on it.
What happens when two broken hearts collide?
Alex Rayden is a billionaire known for his icy stare, ruthless decisions, and impenetrable walls. Haunted by a past that taught him love is a weakness, he's built an empire where control is survival and emotions are liabilities. To the world, he's untouchable. To himself, he's unworthy.
Valerie Dawson is everything he is not. Compassionate, resilient, and endlessly kind, she spends her days healing others while hiding her own wounds. After surviving an abusive relationship, Valerie still dares to dream of a love that's safe, deep, and real.
When fate throws Alex and Valerie into each other's lives, sparks fly and so do the demons they have both tried to bury. But love isn't a fairytale when your scars run deep and trust feels impossible.
They had forever in their hands. But sometimes forever happens only once.
All Rights Reserved
#874
secondchance
Join the largest storytelling communityGet personalized story recommendations, save your favourites to your library, and comment and vote to grow your community.
You may also like
Unravel
Two hearts. One unfinished story. A second chance that could heal-or shatter-everything. Ella Rose, a fierce and fearless lawyer, has built walls around her heart ever since the day Alexander Wilson vanished without a word. Once her everything, now just a ghost of the past, Alex returns-richer, bolder, and still devastatingly charming. When fate throws them back into each other's lives, old sparks ignite, but so do buried scars. Can love survive secrets, pride, and the pain of what was left unsaid? Or is heartbreak their final verdict? Dive into a tale of passion, betrayal, and the question we all fear: What if the one who broke your heart... is still the one you can't stop loving?Complete
The Tinsel Trap
Noelle Reyes is out of time. Her family's beloved Christmas shop, The Tinsel & Holly is drowning in debt. The foreclosure notice is set for Christmas Eve, and the only man who can save it is the one person she never wanted to see again. Nikolas von Hess. The "Ice King" of her high school. The ruthless, cold-eyed billionaire who looked right through her. But Noelle doesn't know the truth. Nikolas hasn't just stumbled upon her debt. He's been obsessed with her for ten years. And he's finally ready to collect. He offers her a deal: twelve days at his remote, snowy estate. Twelve days of obeying his every rule. In return, he'll wipe the slate clean. Noelle thinks she's just an employee in a contract. He knows she's a possession in a cage. She's the only warmth he's ever craved, and he's the Scrooge who isn't just stealing Christmas he's kidnapping its queen. This holiday, the Tinsel Trap is set. And it's for life.Complete
I Too Had An Unrequited Love Story
She's running from her past. He never believed in fate. But when life collides, love might be the most dangerous game of all. Veronica Ray, the youngest and most mischievous Ray, is known for her charm and carefree spirit. But beneath the smile lies a life she's desperate to keep hidden-a past filled with secrets and regrets. Trust, for her, is a luxury she only extends to family. Arek Alden is New York's coldest business tycoon. Ruthless, calculated, and emotionally detached, he sees the world through a lens of logic and control. But when Veronica crashes into his perfectly ordered life, chaos follows. What starts as a fake marriage spirals into a passionate game neither of them saw coming. She's everything he shouldn't want. He's everything she vowed to avoid. But the more they try to keep it business, the more the lines blur between hate and something dangerously close to love. Their worlds unravel, and with it, their carefully guarded hearts. - "Tell me, Veronica, are you really happy now?" Arek's voice was low, but the bitterness was unmistakable. Veronica's throat tightened. "Arek, please listen to me. I'm so sorry," she whispered. "Sorry?" Arek let out a dark, humorless chuckle. "What the hell am I supposed to do with your fucking 'sorry'?" His grip on her arm tightened. "Tell me," he roared. Veronica couldn't look at him. Her tears fell silently. "Stop crying, Veronica," he snapped. "This innocent act-just stop. It won't work this time. Do you think you can ruin everything and then walk away because you're crying?" She remained silent. "You always ruin everything for me. Every. Single. Time," he whispered coldly. "It's either business or my life. You fucked with both, apparently." - A slow-burn romance tangled in secrets, tension, and undeniable chemistry. Perfect for readers who crave passion with a punch of mystery. Disclaimer- This book is filled with mature language, a series of curses, and some mature scenes.Complete
Forced To The Altar ✔
~ Complete ~ She was never meant to marry him. But now, she's bound to him by duty-and he'll never let her forget it. When Valerie steps in for her runaway sister on what was supposed to be the perfect wedding day, she's thrown into a world of wealth, power, and cold-hearted indifference. Her new husband, Noah Sinclair, is a billionaire who wanted her sister-not her. But to save her family from financial ruin, Valerie had no choice but to say "I do." Noah is furious. Valerie isn't the woman he planned to marry, and he's determined to make her pay for it. But as the days pass, sparks fly between them, and the line between hate and desire begins to blur. Trapped in a loveless marriage with a man who can't stand the sight of her, Valerie has to navigate Noah's possessive nature, his hidden past, and the growing tension between them. Will their hatred for each other burn them both to the ground or could it ignite a passion neither of them saw coming? When life gives you lemons, but lemonade isn't your thing, what do you do? You make your own rules even if that means walking down the aisle in your sister's place.Complete
Chasing Celeste
Celeste Sinclair loved Adrian for years, but he never saw her-not the way she wanted him to. Their marriage was nothing more than a contract to him, a convenience. Tired of being ignored, Celeste finally makes the hardest decision of her life: she wants out. But just when she's ready to walk away, Adrian decides he's not letting her go. Forced to work under him as his secretary, she's thrown into a battle of emotions-his sudden attention, his possessive stares, and the undeniable tension between them. Now that she's slipping through his fingers, Adrian is determined to win her back. But Celeste isn't the same woman who once waited for him to love her. Is he too late? Or will she let him chase her... just so she can break his heart the way he broke hers? ******* Rankings : #1 Heartbreaks (4/8/2025) #1 OfficeRomance (4/8/2025) #1 ForcedProximity (4/8/2025) #1 Second Chances (4/22/2025) #1 Billionaire (5/17/2025) #1 LoveandHate (5/17/2025) #2 Divorce (4/8/2025) #2 Angst (4/22/2025)Complete
The Unseen Bride
"Don't contact me if you're dying." When Keith Ingram utters those cruel words to his new wife, he doesn't know how much he'll come to regret them. For years, Ella Bryce has loved Keith from afar. When a contract marriage gives her one chance at happiness, she vows to make him see her-even though the scars of her past make her efforts fraught with pain. But just as her devotion begins breaking through his guarded heart, devastating lies shatter their fragile bond. Broken and discarded, Ella rebuilds her life from the ashes, determined to live on her own terms. She is no longer the unseen girl he left behind. Years later, Keith storms back into her life-colder, harder, and more ruthless than ever. He thinks he knows the truth about their past. He is wrong. Now, Keith must face the reality of what he destroyed. Fate has given him a second chance to see the woman he was blind to, but the road to redemption is paved with secrets. Will he make the same mistake twice... or can he win back the wife he so carelessly threw away? ----------------------------------------- THE MENDED HEARTS SERIES Book 1: The Unseen Bride (Keith & Ella) ← You are here Book 2: The Debts We Don't See (Marcus & Celeste) Each book is a complete standalone with guaranteed HEA. Read in any order, but connect for the full family saga. Trigger warning: This story contains emotional abuse, gaslighting, and family abuse.Complete
His Empire, Her Rules
I spilled champagne on a king. That's what Alexander Vance is - not just a billionaire, not just the ruthless man behind half the city's power plays, but the kind of man who walks into a room and makes everyone else orbit him. And I crashed straight into his gravity. Most women beg for his attention. I gave him attitude. Now, instead of forgetting me, he's pulled me into his empire... and made it clear I'm not leaving. The higher I climb in his glass-and-steel world, the more I see the shadows beneath it - whispers of deals made in blood, secrets worth killing for. And Alexander? He's dangerous enough to make me want him anyway. They say every empire has rules. His first one is simple: Don't betray him. And the second? If you do... run. [18+ Mature themes and explicit content. Reader discretion advised]
Love We Never Said
They were never meant to fall in love. Ava White and Kevin Ashton were born into two empires at war-rivals in business, heirs to legacies built on competition and silence. In college, they were just Kevin and Ava-two hearts laughing in shared secrets, two souls who fit too easily. But timing was cruel. And love doesn't always arrive when you're free to choose it. Kevin fell for Stella Ross-sunshine, gentle love, soft promises. And Ava hid her feelings behind smiles, jokes, pink dresses, and the name she whispered for him only in her diary: Teddy. One drunken night after graduation changed everything. One wedding shattered what was left. And one accident destroyed the world they thought was safe. Now grief ties them closer than love ever did. Ava is the only one who can pull Kevin out of the darkness. Kevin is the only one who sees the pain Ava tries to bury. They heal each other slowly-quiet mornings, shared breaths, wounds stitched with laughter and tears. But the world still sees them as enemies. And the media is already asking questions. How long can two broken hearts hide the one thing they never stopped feeling? This is not a love story that begins with falling. It begins with waiting, breaking, returning- and finally, choosing. Content/Trigger Warning: This story contains scenes of violence, and mentions death and suicide attempt
Two hearts. One unfinished story. A second chance that could heal-or shatter-everything. Ella Rose, a fierce and fearless lawyer, has built walls around her heart ever since the day Alexander Wilson vanished without a word. Once her everything, now just a ghost of the past, Alex returns-richer, bolder, and still devastatingly charming. When fate throws them back into each other's lives, old sparks ignite, but so do buried scars. Can love survive secrets, pride, and the pain of what was left unsaid? Or is heartbreak their final verdict? Dive into a tale of passion, betrayal, and the question we all fear: What if the one who broke your heart... is still the one you can't stop loving?
More detailsContent Guidelines