

Nineteen-year-old college freshman Carl West was entrusted by his mother, who was away on a business trip, to the care of their neighbor Joanna Luca. Joanna, thirty-eight, had a husband who was rarely home and ran a women’s clothing store by herself. She took excellent care of herself, had a full figure, and was easygoing and generous, never shy about walking around in revealing clothes in front of Carl. Carl was deeply drawn to her mature feminine charm, while Joanna also treated him with the closeness of one of her own kids—pulling him into workouts, making videos, and their daily contact steadily intensified the ambiguous tension between them. One night, after helping Joanna carry her handbag back to her door, Carl heard her husband’s furious shouting from inside. Joanna’s husband, Michael Luca, demanded to know whether she was having an affair, punched and kicked Carl, and publicly humiliated Joanna. Carl was completely defenseless. In the course of seeking revenge, Carl was repeatedly beaten and humiliated by Michael and his men. While enduring the humiliation, he secretly investigated and learned that Michael had gotten ahead by sleeping with his boss Lucas’s wife, Sarah. So Carl teamed up with Dick, a former subordinate whom Michael had cuckolded, and set a trap to let Michael’s boss Lucas catch him in the act himself. After Michael was ruined and reduced to a street beggar, Joanna successfully divorced him, and in the end she and Carl started a new life together.

Natalie had it all—engaged to football star Karl and carrying his child—until tragedy struck. Her brother caused Karl's sister's death, and Karl's injuries ended his career. Yet, she vanished for seven years. Now, Karl sees her with a "husband" and "daughter," seemingly happy. But he won't let her go.

Skyla Garrett, a girl with dreams of becoming a designer, and a wealthy heir, Zion Murray, fall quietly in love as teenagers, until a devastating fire changes everything. He rushes into the flames to save her and is left disfigured, forced to seek treatment abroad.When he finally returns, he finds her on the verge of engagement, not to him, but to his twin brother, whom she mistakenly believes rescued her that night. Unable to let go, and discovering his brother's hidden motives are far from pure, Zion weaves a careful plan to draw Skyla's heart back where it belongs. Their reconciled love not only heals them both but unravels years of silent tension between the brothers. Real love, it turns out, always finds its way home.

The guy I secretly love and his father both get hit with poison. Without hesitation, I start undressing and choose to save his father. In my last life, I was forced to become my crush's antidote. I ended up bearing his child. But he never came home. He stayed faithful to his precious first love while leaving me in the dark. He always believed I was manipulative. He believed I had drugged him on purpose just to sleep with him. He felt that I ruined his chance to be with the one he truly loved, leaving him with no choice but to watch her leave the country and later take her own life. In the fifth year of our marriage, he got drunk and crashed his car, killing me and our two kids. When I wake up again, I find myself back to the day he and his father were both drugged. This time, I choose to become his stepmother.

My father and brother had preferred my sister over me since we were kids. In fact, they hated me. When I was bullied at a party, it was a mafia boss, Edwin Carlson, who stepped in. He saved me and announced right there in front of everyone that I was the woman he loved. He warned that anyone who dared mess with me again would have to deal with him. Edwin bought a castle deep in the forest just for me. He filled the garden with my favorite tulips and held a grand wedding there that made headlines across the country. For a while, I became the woman everyone envied. Seven months pregnant, I attended my father's birthday party. But that night, a sudden fire broke out. My biased father and brother only cared about saving my sister, Kelsey Grant. They rushed her out while I was left behind to die in the flames. In the end, it was Edwin who carried me out. But when I woke up in the hospital, I saw something that shattered my heart. "What the hell were you thinking, starting that fire?" Edwin's face was dark with rage. "Stephanie's only seven months pregnant! Are you trying to force her into early labor? Were you trying to kill her and the baby?" My father and brother spoke in hushed voices, trying to explain. "Kelsey has leukemia. The doctors said we can't wait anymore—she needs surgery soon. And she needs the baby's bone marrow..." "I care about Kelsey's life more than you do. Why else would I have married Stephanie? But you can't hurt her. I have my own plan!" Edwin warned coldly. "Saving Kelsey is the goal, yes—but if you try to save her at the cost of Stephanie's life, I won't allow it!" After hearing that, I fled the hospital room in a panic. So that was why he married me. Not because he loved me, but to save Kelsey. Everything he did for me—his kindness, his care—was all for her. Just like my father and brother, he loved Kelsey. Not me. If no one loved me, then I figured I might as well just disappear.

My father and brother had preferred my sister over me since we were kids. In fact, they hated me. When I was bullied at a party, it was a mafia boss, Edwin Carlson, who stepped in. He saved me and announced right there in front of everyone that I was the woman he loved. He warned that anyone who dared mess with me again would have to deal with him. Edwin bought a castle deep in the forest just for me. He filled the garden with my favorite tulips and held a grand wedding there that made headlines across the country. For a while, I became the woman everyone envied. Seven months pregnant, I attended my father's birthday party. But that night, a sudden fire broke out. My biased father and brother only cared about saving my sister, Kelsey Grant. They rushed her out while I was left behind to die in the flames. In the end, it was Edwin who carried me out. But when I woke up in the hospital, I saw something that shattered my heart. "What the hell were you thinking, starting that fire?" Edwin's face was dark with rage. "Stephanie's only seven months pregnant! Are you trying to force her into early labor? Were you trying to kill her and the baby?" My father and brother spoke in hushed voices, trying to explain. "Kelsey has leukemia. The doctors said we can't wait anymore—she needs surgery soon. And she needs the baby's bone marrow..." "I care about Kelsey's life more than you do. Why else would I have married Stephanie? But you can't hurt her. I have my own plan!" Edwin warned coldly. "Saving Kelsey is the goal, yes—but if you try to save her at the cost of Stephanie's life, I won't allow it!" After hearing that, I fled the hospital room in a panic. So that was why he married me. Not because he loved me, but to save Kelsey. Everything he did for me—his kindness, his care—was all for her. Just like my father and brother, he loved Kelsey. Not me. If no one loved me, then I figured I might as well just disappear.

Someone @'d me on Nextdoor. "Hey, penthouse girl. You're single. What do you need a whole rooftop garden for? My husband's throwing a party. We'll be needing it starting tomorrow." "Don't worry, we'll give you two hundred bucks a month for upkeep. You'll make a couple hundred for doing jack shit. You should be thrilled." I stared at the screen. It was a joke. I was Don Ricci's heir, groomed to run the South Side. But I traded that life for a paintbrush. This apartment was my sanctuary, my quiet place. That rooftop garden wasn't some building perk. It was mine. I'd paid half a million cash for the deed when I bought the place. I turned it into my sunroom studio. And now someone thinks they can have it for two hundred bucks a month? I replied with two words: "Dream on." I didn't expect the building manager and two security guards at my door the next day. Someone had filed a complaint about me "misusing community resources." And now, for the sake of "neighborly harmony," they were demanding my keys. Fine. They wanted to throw civility out the window? They were about to learn what real power felt like.