Second Choice: Embracing Life As It Is

The day we submitted our college applications, the school beauty, Hayley Law, suggested we all go rafting to unwind. Every single person in class raised their hand in agreement. In my previous life, as the class monitor, I did everything I could to stop them. Wild rafting was far too dangerous. Without any safety measures in place, accidents could easily happen. In the end, everyone made it back safely and got into the colleges they wanted. But before the semester even started, news came that Hayley had gone rafting alone, slipped into the water, and drowned. When Terry Vargas, my boyfriend and the most popular guy in school, heard what happened, he took the lead in organizing a memorial at sea. Then, when the waves were at their worst, he shoved me into the ocean. Later, when the police questioned them, they all told the same story as if they had planned it. "Katrina insisted on a sea burial for Hayley. During the storm, she got swept away by the waves and disappeared." They even produced fake evidence to clear Terry's name. My parents were shattered. They went to Terry again and again, desperate for the truth, but he had them set up and locked away in a mental institution, where they were tormented to death. When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the day Hayley first suggested the rafting trip. I stood there quietly, watching my classmates pile into the bus she had rented, heading off to that same reckless trip. This time, I would just look out for myself.

“You loved me at my worst so you deserve me at my best.” Unrequited love hurts but what hurts even more is when the person you love with all your being is in love with your best friend. And what hurts even worse is when your Best friend slaps the truth right in your face that your man has been in love with her all along and you are nothing but just a second choice. As important as a rock on the street. No one should ever go through this. But Serena wasn't that lucky. To get revenge on Shanice Cooper- the queen bee of High Central- Asher Carter begins dating Serena Adams- Shanice's best friend. Serena, who is deeply in love with Asher, fails to notice his ulterior motive and keeps falling for him even more. It takes her 7 long years to know she was just a pawn in his game. But 7 years is long enough to change the game. It was all supposed to be just a game, but Asher couldn’t help himself falling for this innocent girl. He didn't realise when she became the center of his world. When did she become so important? So much that he bent the sky and moved the world only to see her smile. He became the richest man on earth only so that his woman lived like a Queen. He thought he was in love, but what he felt for Serena Adams was far more intense than he had felt for anyone ever. It was straight madness. But what happens when his first choice returns? The question is would Asher go back to her or would he, this time, protect his marriage? And what will happen when Serena finds out the truth- will she stay or leave him?

“Love is for the soul and sex is for the body. Both cry out for satisfaction.” "This isn't what I wanted, I don't want this !!! I want something more with you Howard, when would you ever give me the attention I need, when would you ever give me the respect I need? I love you, Howard!!! "Selena hollered at him, with tears rolling down her cheeks and her face as red as cherry. After five years of separation from her relationship, a twenty-two-year-old Italian Selena Greco runs into her ex-boyfriend Howard Turner after leaving home to get a better life, and just like five years ago, all the feelings came back. She wasn't aware he was the owner of the company she had applied for a job as his secretary, and things got steamy between the two. She finds it difficult to leave this mess that she had gotten herself into again, she wanted a solid relationship while Howard wanted otherwise. What happens when she finally decides to leave him for real this time? Would he take a step forward and give her the commitment she yearns for this time?

Elara was never meant to be more than a mistake. After a one-night encounter with Adrian, a powerful man desperate to secure his inheritance, she finds herself pregnant—and trapped in a contract marriage built on cold terms and zero love. He promised her protection. He promised her stability. But he never promised her his heart. Because it already belonged to someone else. And when the woman he truly loves walks back into his life, Elara’s fragile world begins to crumble. Now, carrying his child and wearing his ring, she must decide- Is it worth staying in a marriage where she will always come second?

Jolene was never supposed to stay. An omega with a shadowed past, she’s been hiding in the ruthless Dark Slayer Pack, keeping her scent cloaked and her secrets even closer. She’s counting down the days until she can disappear — quietly, without leaving a trace. There’s just one problem. Alpha Jayden. Her fated mate. He doesn’t know. He can’t know. Jo has spent years pretending the bond doesn’t exist, burying the pull in silence. But when a she-wolf named Lucy — an outcast on trial for murder — accidentally wears Jo’s unscent-masked clothing, everything crumbles. Jayden catches Lucy’s scent… and believes she’s the one. Now Jolene is forced to watch her mate fall for someone else. As strange deaths ripple through the werewolf world and the Royal Generals arrive to investigate, the lies Jo built her world on begin to crack. Why is she hiding her bond? What truth is she protecting? And what will happen when her scent is no longer hidden? In a world ruled by destiny, love, and betrayal — Jolene may be the only one who can stop what’s coming… But only if she dares to be found.

On my 50th wedding anniversary, I took my worn, crumbling marriage certificate to City Hall to renew it. The clerk glanced at it—and froze. “This certificate is fake. Our records show you’ve never been married.” I stared. “Impossible. I’ve been married to Damien Slater for fifty years.” The clerk pulled up his file. “Well…Yes, Mr. Slater is married—but his wife’s name is Vanessa Grant.” Vanessa. His widowed sister-in-law. A military doctor who’d spent decades living among the troops. My hands shook as I returned home and confronted Damien. He didn’t even try to deny it. “I’ve treated you well all these years. Isn’t that enough? Vanessa is my true love. I only ever wanted her—our children, our life.” My son counseled me and said, “To spare your feelings, my parents kept it a secret their whole lives. You’re getting old now. What more do you want?” Only then did I learn the truth. The child I had raised with my own hands was never mine by blood. Decades ago, Vanessa and I gave birth on the same day. To ensure her child would grow up with intellect, privilege, and a future that I could provide, Damien switched our children. My own son? Damien drowned him in the pond the moment he drew breath. And I—fool that I was—raised Vanessa’s boy as my own. I even got him all the way to Claremont University. The truth broke me, and I collapsed. When I opened my eyes again—I was back. Back to the day I went into labor.