This mystery leans into slow-burn tension, layering clues (the watch's duality, Eleanor's locket) and moral complexity. The open ending invites readers to question whether freedom is won-or merely deferred.
Elias Vayne awoke, as he had for 137 days, to the toll of the same iron bell. Its metallic clang reverberated through the damp walls of his rented room at the Blackthorn Inn. Rain tapped incessantly against the window, the scent of wet cobblestones mingling with the musty odour of aged wood. He dressed mechanically, his fingers brushing the grooves of the silver pocket watch. Its engravings have worn smooth from constant handling. It was the only remnant of his life before the loop, a relic that refused to rust or fade.
The innkeeper, Mrs Byrne, hummed the same off-key tune downstairs as she slid a loaf of sourdough onto the windowsill. Elias paused at the door, watching Old Thomas berate his mule in the mist-shrouded street. The butcher's boy whistled as he delivered a package, the melody gratingly familiar. Every detail and every breath was a stitch in the tapestry of repetition.
Elias clenched the watch. Today, he'd deviate. He strode past the butcher's boy, deliberately knocking into a stack of crates. The boy yelped as apples tumbled into the gutter- minor chaos, yet the world froze. The mule brayed louder. Mrs Byrne's hum sharpened. The fog thickened, swallowing the street until Elias stood alone, the watch's ticking deafening.
No changes. No escape.
He retreated to his room, the watch burning in his palm. That night, he scribbled notes- times, patterns, anomalies- until dawn tinged the sky grey. Sleep never came.
In a world where love collides with deception, *Heart's Labyrinth* follows Kanye, a passionate admirer of Bella, a dedicated lecturer. Torn between his feelings and societal expectations, Kanye finds himself entangled in a web of misunderstandings. Bella, engaged to Kennedy-a man she's never met-grapples with her own emotional turmoil. As jealousy and societal judgment threaten their bond, Kanye and Bella must navigate a labyrinth of emotions, ultimately confronting their deepest desires and fears. Will their connection withstand the trials of love and deceit?
"There will be no falling in love, we will only act as a loving couple when we are in public, we will share a room to make it believable, but no intimacy, touching is off-limits. We'll only have sex once a month, and that's solely to produce an heir. You won't interfere in my business, and I won't interfere in yours. You will be my wife in every sense and you will not be involved with any other man," he said, arrogance seeping from every word. I watch his mouth move, I'm not ready to fall in love with any man, especially not one as arrogant and egoistic as him. I can handle acting as a loving couple, and as for intimacy once a month. I can agree to that just to satisfy my sexual cravings with no strings attached. "Where can I sign?" I asked since I had nothing to lose. *** Nadine's wedding dreams turned to nightmares when she caught her sister and fiancé cheating! With a secret recording, she's ready for revenge. But then mysterious billionaire Logan West offers a deal: A Contract Marriage to take down her ex's empire. But what Nadine doesn't know is her life is getting complicated as she takes her chance to get revenge or risks everything for a chance at love?"
“You need a bride, I need a groom. Why don’t we get married?” Both abandoned at the altar, Elyse decided to tie the knot with the disabled stranger from the venue next door. Pitying his state, she vowed to spoil him once they were married. Little did she know that he was actually a powerful tycoon. Jayden thought Elyse only married him for his money, and planned to divorce her when she was no longer of use to him. But after becoming her husband, he was faced with a new dilemma. “She keeps asking for a divorce, but I don’t want that! What should I do?”
Natalie used to think she could melt Connor’s icy heart, but she was sorely mistaken. When at last she decided to leave, she discovered that she was pregnant. Even so, she chose to quietly leave his world, prompting Connor to mobilize all of his resources and expand his business to a global scale—all in a bid to find her. But there was no trace of Natalie. Connor slowly spiraled into madness, turning the city upside down and leaving chaos in his wake. Natalie finally surfaced years later, with wealth and power of her own, only to find herself entangled with Connor once again.
After hiding her true identity throughout her three-year marriage to Colton, Allison had committed wholeheartedly, only to find herself neglected and pushed toward divorce. Disheartened, she set out to rediscover her true self-a talented perfumer, the mastermind of a famous intelligence agency, and the heir to a secret hacker network. Realizing his mistakes, Colton expressed his regret. "I know I messed up. Please, give me another chance." Yet, Kellan, a once-disabled tycoon, stood up from his wheelchair, took Allison's hand, and scoffed dismissively, "You think she'll take you back? Dream on."
In the previous life, Maggie Johnson was so cowardly, gullible and stupid that she was coaxed by her fiance and stepsister and then broke her legs and lost everything including her fortune, love and even life. However, she was so lucky that she was reborn in the year before everything happened. Since her life restarted, how could she repeat a previous tragedy? Therefore, in this life, she took the opportunity to improve herself and take revenge on the ones who had ever insulted her. Facing the people who had humiliated her previously, she became smart and experienced to break their frames and tricks that had caused her to hurt in the previous life. Finally, no one could stop her pace to amaze the world any more.
In her previous life, Kimberly endured the betrayal of her husband, the cruel machinations of an evil woman, and the endless tyranny of her in-laws. It culminated in the bankruptcy of her family, and ultimately, her death. After being reborn, she resolved to seek retribution against those who had wronged her, and ensure her family's prosperity. To her shock, the most unattainable man from her past suddenly set his sights on her. "You may have overlooked me before, but I shall capture your heart this time around."