Too Soon

She never chose him. Her family chose for her. An arranged marriage. A life she never wanted. But she tried… she truly tried. She loved. She hoped. She forgave far too much. Until the day she discovered two betrayals at once her husband’s… and her best friend’s. That was the day her heart shattered completely. But something else was born inside her, too. She will learn to rise. To become a woman who says no. A woman who stands on her own. A woman who never looks back. And when another man enters her life simple, gentle, patient. she discovers that real love exists. The kind of love that doesn’t hurt. Her husband will understand… too late. Because she won’t return. This time, it’s over. This time, it’s too late to love her.

She loved him first He broke her first Lia Hallman's first mistake was thinking she and Kingston High's golden boy, Elian Dunst could have a future together. But after a one night stand turns sour, everything changes for her. She loses her parents, her home and her life turns upside down. Unable to depend even on the young boy that was once her sworn protector, she leaves. Elian comes for her, but she's already gone. Months later, with a pregnancy and a difficult life, a near accident puts Lia in the way of devilishly handsome billionaire, Judas-Caine Brex. A man with a broken soul and a dangerously haunted past. He needs a fake girlfriend She needs a financier. The rules are set for them - no feelings, no sex, no romance. The job was simple, nag me, prove that love doesn't exist - she agreed. However, neither of them expected to break the rules built to protect each other's belief. But life has more tricks in hand - when her first love reappears, seeking a second chance, and bringing with him debris from her past. "I take the blame it was all my fault. Let's make it right for us and our son." Lia's walls crumble. Between two men, two destinies and one devastating truth about the tragedy that changed her life...Lia must choose. Her once naive protector, or the man who would burn the whole world to save her. Is it too late to rebuild her dreams with the man she once loved with her entirety? Or start a new life with a man she can't tell loves her with his entirety? A little too late, or is it?

By the tenth engagement party, Samantha Moore stood me up again. I called her to ask what happened. What I didn't realize was that my phone was still connected to the banquet hall speakers. A second later, the entire room went dead silent. Soft, breathless moans spilled through the sound system. Then Samantha's voice came on, shaky and uneven. "Caleb... my department planned a team hike today. We're almost at the top. About the engagement party... let's just do it another time. I have to go." She hung up. For a moment, nobody moved. Then the room erupted into chaos. Gasps, whispers, and a few harsh laughs filled the banquet hall. Some people did not even bother hiding their amusement. Even the servers were glancing at me as if I were nothing more than a pathetic joke. I had proposed to Samantha ninety-nine times before she finally said yes, and yet she had never once shown up to our engagement party—not once. I stood there quietly, took the engagement ring from my pocket, and dropped it into the fish tank beside the stage. After seven years of waiting, forgiving, and making excuses for her, I finally understood the truth. I had mistaken my patience for love, and she had mistaken my love for permission to hurt me. I used to believe that if I loved her enough, she would eventually choose me. Instead, every time I lowered myself for her, she only pushed the line further. This was the tenth time she had humiliated me in front of everyone, and it would be the last. From that day on, she was no longer part of my future.

I was just picking up my spoon when he told me our marriage registration would be delayed again. "Let's do it next time," Ethan said as he put down his cutlery. His tone was as casual as if he were commenting on the pleasant weather. I took a sip of my food, chewed slowly, and swallowed. "Okay." He glanced at me, picked up his fork, and then looked at me again. "You're not angry?" I continued eating, my voice entirely flat. "No, I'm not." Our wedding ceremony had been held six months ago, but this was the seventeenth time he had postponed getting our marriage certificate. He was used to doing this. And I was used to accepting it. I finished my meal bite by bite. He didn't touch his food again. When I stood up to clear the table, he caught my wrist. "Summer, next Monday. I'll definitely be free next week," Ethan promised. "We already had our wedding anyway, a few days won't make a difference. Don't worry, I won't break my promise this time." I looked down at his hand, then looked up at him with a faint smile. "Okay." Over the past six months, he had said "next week" nine times, "definitely" thirteen times, and "don't worry" sixteen times. Yet, we still hadn't registered our marriage. And next week, it wouldn't happen either. Because this time, I would be the one breaking the promise.

My mom is critically ill. Before she passes away, she wants to see me married. It takes 27 days of pleading before my boyfriend, Kyle Grayson, says yes. I wait at the city hall until the doors close, but he never shows up. That same day, his childhood sweetheart, Ruby Callahan, posts their marriage certificate online. "Time flies. Three days more and we'll be a month in." Only then does it hit me. The very first day I begged, Kyle was already Ruby's husband. Right then, a text from Kyle lights up my phone. "Holly, Ruby's family was pushing her into marriage. I couldn't stand by and watch her marry just anyone and ruin her life. We'll be divorced in three days. I'll marry you then." Three days later, he shows up at the city hall in a suit. But all he gets is a text from me. "Goodbye for good, Kyle."

Some people are lucky enough to find their soulmate once. Diane was unlucky enough to find hers twice. Years after walking away from a relationship that left her questioning her worth, Diane has finally rebuilt the life she always dreamed of. She has a successful career, loyal friends, and a man who loves her with a patience she never thought she deserved. For the first time in a long time, her future feels certain. Until the past walks back into her office. Abe her college sweetheart isn't the same man who shattered her heart years ago. Time has changed him, regret has humbled him, and the one thing he can't seem to let go of is the woman he never truly stopped loving. What begins as awkward encounters soon becomes a battle between old memories and new promises, forcing Diane to confront emotions she believed had long been buried. But love isn't always enough to heal old wounds. As hearts are tested, trust is broken, and impossible choices reshape every life they touch, Diane must discover whether people can truly change... or whether some mistakes leave scars too deep to overcome. Sometimes the hardest person to forgive isn't the one who hurt you. It's yourself.