Where Rainbows Hide is about the survival, two women risk everything to follow their hearts. Nomvula, a quiet schoolteacher hiding her truth, meets Lerato, a fearless photographer unafraid to live hers. As their secret romance grows, so do the risks-from family rejection to public shame. Set in South Africa, Where Rainbows Hide is a story of forbidden love, quiet strength, and the courage to be seen.
The kettle whistled sharply, a scream in the stillness of Nomvula's small flat. She didn't move. She stared blankly at the rust-streaked sink, the chipped enamel reminding her that everything ages-love, people, and even the places meant to feel like home.
Rain tapped lightly on the zinc roof overhead, like careful footsteps of someone trying not to be noticed. It was a sound she had grown up with in KwaMashu, and one that now followed her into this modest space she rented on the outskirts of Pietermaritzburg. Somehow, it made her feel watched, like the rain saw through her. Like it knew.
She finally moved, more out of habit than purpose, pouring the hot water into her chipped mug. She stirred in the instant coffee, black and bitter-just how she drank it every morning, even though she didn't like it. It was one of those rituals that made her feel in control. She didn't have many.
The walls of the flat were a pale peach, faded like memories she didn't speak of. There were no photos hung up, no signs that someone lived here, really. Just a stack of papers from her grade 7 class, a dusty bookshelf filled with curriculum guides, and one old radio that only played isiZulu gospel stations because she was too afraid to retune it.
Nomvula sat on the edge of her couch, knees pressed together, fingers wrapped tightly around the mug. Her mother had called the night before, the same way she always did-asking if she was still going to church, if she'd met a nice man, if she was keeping herself pure. That word made Nomvula's skin itch.
"I am fine, Ma," she had said. "Still working, still teaching. Still me."
But what did that mean-still me? Did her mother know who she was anymore? Did she?
There were moments when Nomvula thought she could live with the silence inside her. That she could bury this part of herself, deep, like bones no one would ever find. But then... there were the other moments. Ones that slipped through cracks in her control, usually in dreams where fingers touched skin and eyes met in a way that said, I see you. All of you.
She hadn't let herself feel anything for anyone since varsity. And even then, it had been a whisper, a glance held too long, a hand brushing another during a study group. She remembered the shame, the panic. The prayer circles her church group held for her when she "confessed" to having "feelings that weren't from God."
She tried not to think about Thando. It was too long ago. Too complicated. And honestly, she wasn't sure she could survive that kind of unraveling again.
But lately, something had shifted. Maybe it was the loneliness, thickening like smoke. Maybe it was the dreams returning. Or maybe-just maybe-she was tired of pretending she was someone else.
There was a knock on the door. Sharp. Two beats. Then silence.
She frowned. No one ever visited without calling first. Not even her neighbor, Mrs. Sibanda, who usually announced herself loudly through the wall with her gospel records and gossip about who in the complex had a man sleeping over.
Nomvula stood, cautious, setting her mug on the table. She peeked through the curtain. A woman stood there, wearing a camera slung across her chest like a soldier's weapon, and a leather jacket too bold for this side of town. She looked out of place-like someone who didn't care to fit in. Her afro puffed proudly in the misty air. Their eyes met through the crack in the curtain. The woman smiled, crookedly.
Nomvula's breath caught, heart hiccuping in her chest.
She didn't know it yet, but this was the moment everything would change.
Once upon a time, there were two kingdoms once at peace. The kingdom of Salem and the kingdom of Mombana... Until the day, the king of Mombana passed away and a new monarch took over, Prince Cone. Prince Cone, has always been hungry for more power and more and more. After his coronation, he attacked Salem. The attack was so unexpected, Salem never prepared for it. They were caught off guard. The king and Queen was killed, the prince was taken into slavery. The people of Salem that survived the war was enslaved, their land taken from them. Their women were made sex slaves. They lost everything, including their land. Evil befall the land of Salem in form of Prince Cone, and the prince of Salem in his slavery was filled with so much rage. The prince of Salem, Prince Lucien swore revenge. 🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳 Ten years later, thirty-years old Lucien and his people raided a coup and escaped slavery. They went into hiding and recuperated. They trained day and night under the leadership of the fearless and cold Lucien who was driven with everything in him to get back their land, and take Mombana land too. It took them five years before they ambushed and attacked Mombana. They killed Prince Cone and reclaimed everything. As they screamed out their victory, Lucien's eyes found and pinned the proud princess of Mombana. Princess Danika. The daughter of Prince Cone. As Lucien stared at her with the coldest eyes anyone can ever possess, he felt victory for the first time. He walked to the princess with the slave collar he'd won for ten years rattling in his hand as he walked. He reached close to her and with a swift movement, he collared her neck. Then, he tilted her chin up, staring into the bluest eyes and the most beautiful face ever created, he gave her a cold smile. "You are my acquisition. My slave. My sex slave. My property. I will pay you in spades, everything you and your father ever did to me and my people." He stated curtly. Pure hatred, coldness and victory was the only emotion on his face. .
After two years of marriage, Sadie was finally pregnant. Filled with hope and joy, she was blindsided when Noah asked for a divorce. During a failed attempt on her life, Sadie found herself lying in a pool of blood, desperately calling Noah to ask him to save her and the baby. But her calls went unanswered. Shattered by his betrayal, she left the country. Time passed, and Sadie was about to be wed for a second time. Noah appeared in a frenzy and fell to his knees. "How dare you marry someone else after bearing my child?"
Life was a bed of roses for Debra, the daughter of Alpha. That was until she had a one-night stand with Caleb. She was sure he was her mate as determined by Moon Goddess. But this hateful man refused to accept her. Weeks passed before Debra discovered that she was pregnant. Her pregnancy brought shame to her and everyone she loved. Not only was she driven out, but her father was also hunted down by usurpers. Fortunately, she survived with the help of the mysterious Thorn Edge Pack. Five years passed and Debra didn't hear anything from Caleb. One day, their paths crossed again. They were both on the same mission—carrying out secret investigations in the dangerous Roz Town for the safety and posterity of their respective packs. Caleb was still cold toward her. But as time went on, he fell head over heels in love with her. He tried to make up for abandoning her, but Debra wasn't having any of it. She was hell-bent on hiding her daughter from him and also making a clean break. What did the future hold for the two as they journeyed in Roz Town? What kind of secrets would they find? Would Caleb win Debra's heart and get to know his lovely daughter? Find out!
Sawyer, the world's top arms dealer, stunned everyone by falling for Maren—the worthless girl no one respected. People scoffed. Why chase a useless pretty face? But when powerful elites began gathering around her, jaws dropped. "She's not even married to him yet—already cashing in on his power?" they assumed. Curious eyes dug into Maren's past... only to find she was a scientific genius, a world-renowned medical expert, and heiress to a mafia empire. Later, Sawyer posted online. "My wife treats me like the enemy. Any advice?"
Five years ago, Alessia La Rosa's life took a drastic turn when, suffering from memory loss, she wed to Dominic Carter under her grandfather's mysterious arrangement. But their marriage was a facade, bringing her only humiliation and heartache as Dominic showed no love, and she couldn't conceive. Upon discovering Dominic's infidelity, Alessia sought liberation through divorce. Yet, fate had more in store for her. Five years later, spurred by an anonymous email hinting at her lost child's whereabouts, she returns to the city with her twin babies in tow, determined to uncover the truth. As she navigates the tangled web of her past, a surprising twist awaits. Dominic, upon meeting her again, finds himself drawn to the woman she has become, unaware of her true identity as his former wife. Little does he know, the woman he's falling for is not only his ex-wife but also a powerful Doctor and Master Hacker.
There was only one man in Raegan's heart, and it was Mitchel. In the second year of her marriage to him, she got pregnant. Raegan's joy knew no bounds. But before she could break the news to her husband, he served her divorce papers because he wanted to marry his first love. After an accident, Raegan lay in the pool of her own blood and called out to Mitchel for help. Unfortunately, he left with his first love in his arms. Raegan escaped death by the whiskers. Afterward, she decided to get her life back on track. Her name was everywhere years later. Mitchel became very uncomfortable. For some reason, he began to miss her. His heart ached when he saw her all smiles with another man. He crashed her wedding and fell to his knees while she was at the altar. With bloodshot eyes, he queried, "I thought you said your love for me is unbreakable? How come you are getting married to someone else? Come back to me!"