Love Actually Cheating

After being betrayed by the woman he loved, Michael was granted a second chance to rewrite his past mistakes. In a world governed by an AI virtual reality game, every individual is assigned a random number of lifetimes displayed on their wrist, a counter that dictates their existence on planet Earth. When the timer reaches zero, life ends. With no means of replenishing lifetimes outside the game, more than half of humanity immersed themselves in the AI Virtual Reality game. This game is unlike any ordinary game played on phones, PCs, or tablets. It plunges players into a perilous virtual world where they must battle monsters or other players in brutal, life-or-death matches. Death within the game results in actual death—no respawns, no second chances. Only by surviving and being the last one standing can players win additional lifetimes and valuable rewards. Success hinges on a combination of luck and skill. Then, without warning, the gods revealed themselves. Unfortunately, not all of them were benevolent towards humanity. Will Michael join forces with his friends and family to confront the gods and protect humanity? Or will he walk a solitary path, demonstrating to the divine beings precisely why he was called Supreme? Let's find out. ________ Ok let me stop there, this is my third book, if you want, you can give it a try. I will release two to five chapters a day depending on my health. Thanks for checking out my book. Please leave a comment and review after you read past the tenth chapter. Thanks again. No excessive explanation or complex grammars, just as simple as the title. Note: I'll try to focus on characters and world building, to make it more understandable. Please leave a comment and review. Those of you who are wondering if it's related to "Solo Leveling" "Shadow Monarchs" or "Shadows" it's not. The MC Leveled up while playing Solo, but after a while he stopped because... Oh! The MC might be a bit of a fool and crazy in the beginning, but gets smarter and cooler ahead. ________________ Check my other Book. A 30yrs old Man who have lived four life times got reborn as a child, and became the strongest child in the whole three Continents. "Reborn With The All Seeing Eyes." _________ My New book. "Return Of The Supreme Beast Tamer."

[WSA Newbie 2025 Entry] Join the tale of Seth Bane, an irregular on an unconventional journey to become the strongest. But unlike your typical protagonist, Seth's path is far from ordinary—in truth, he is actually a cameraman. Yeah, and an absurdly overpowered one at that. Swordsmen? Necromancers? Archers? All these pale in comparison to his unique occupation: the cameraman! Dive into a world where champions battle against otherworldly foes, and Seth Bane's unexpected power as a cameraman becomes humanity's hidden ace. With the fate of the world hanging in the balance, discover how Seth's unassuming role conceals his extraordinary strength. (The world setting isn't Earth)

Daniel was a Game Designer who live an ordinary life. He was killed on a day when it should be the happiest day of his life as he was so close to publishing his card game. Lured to his death by his girlfriend. He become a sacrifice of some kind of ritual and died. He then got resurrected for an unknown reason along with getting the power to actualize all of the cards in his card game to the real world. Whether it was the spell, Artifact, or even a powerful creature! All can be actualized! Are you a mage and a genius Artificer? I have a Forbidden Tome of Artificing of the lost civilization. Are you interested? If so, become my pupil then! Are you a Vampire lord and the head of the most powerful vampire clan in the modern world? Now, where I kept that Legendary Vlad Dracula-The First Ancestor of The Vampire card? The holy warrior from the Vatican knocking on my door? How about meeting my bodyguard? Michaela-Defender of The Faith. (Female version of Michael) Did someone just summon an all-powerful Demon and sent it to kill me? They even sacrifice thousands of mage souls and many priceless treasures to do that. Let's test my common spell card. The almighty [Unsummon] spell! Good luck in summoning that thing again! With this power, Daniel will take his revenge on whoever did this to him and create his own empire. His magic civilization!

They shattered his life. Now, he’ll break the world. Ethan had it all, until his best friend and the woman he loved betrayed him, leaving him crippled and forgotten. Three years of suffering later, he clawed his way to one final, desperate act… and the universe answered. A hidden quest. A second chance. A return to the moment everything began. Now, Ethan is back, on the eve of Ethereal’s launch, the world’s first fully immersive VR game and the battlefield where legends are forged. Last time, he played fair. This time? He’s armed with years of knowledge: every exploit, every secret quest, every broken mechanic that will let him climb straight to the top. But when he logs in, something is off. The system forces him into an unwanted class—Druid, the game’s biggest joke. The kind of class people pick as a dare and regret immediately. Yet as Ethan digs deeper, the truth shakes him. [Congratulations! You have unlocked the Divine Bloodline: King of Elves!] Ethan stared at the screen, unblinking. “…The hell?” The Druid class was a jack-of-all-trades, master of none—a scattered mess of abilities that mimicked other classes but never truly excelled. Their bear form lacked the raw defense of a proper tank. Their panther form was weaker than a rogue. Their healing fell short of a priest, and their magic couldn’t compare to a mage’s devastating spells. Most players abandoned the class early, realizing they could never compete at the highest level. And yet, Ethan’s stats are off the charts. His talents are absurd. His potential is beyond anything he’s ever seen. The system has given him something no other Druid ever had—a divine bloodline, legendary abilities, and a growth rate that defies logic. If Druids were meant to be weak, then Ethan was the exception that would rewrite history. He’s not just here to reclaim his throne. He’s here to take everything. Factions will rise. Empires will fall. The strongest will thrive, and the weak will perish. And the ones who betrayed him? They won’t live to do it again.

Lin Fu's biggest regret was being born into a military police family, yet due to physical limitations, she could only sing and dance in the cultural troupe, serving as a qualified vase. Accidentally traversing to the interstellar era three thousand years later, she was thrilled to discover she possessed a rare S-level psychic power, inherently cut out to be a fleet commander. She would attend the military academy, join the Marine College, command a cosmic fleet, and become a gallant female general. ** However, her new identity was just the daughter of a remote star system's farm owner. To achieve her dream, she aimed to marry into the family of the empire's youngest space fleet commander. Commander His Excellency was cold and abstinent, with an imposing presence, yet devastatingly handsome enough to break hearts. Lin Fu fell for him at first sight. She wanted to have him, and even more, she wanted to stash him away secretly. ** Later on, the whole interstellar space finally learned that the always ridiculed incompetent bumpkin was actually the commander of the Empire's Third Fleet. She was also the former most noble and adorable Princess Freya of the royal family, as well as the fearsome star thief that made people tremble. The entire interstellar was boiling with excitement. The handsome and noble commander His Excellency was not happy: What happened to the promise of stashing me away privately?

The overbearing top-notch beauty CEO wife turned out to be the terrifying and formidable War King!! A voice rose in Wu Jie's mind. Ding! [Host becomes familiar with the system rules, sparking the first task: Earn a hundred thousand energy points within a week] [Task Reward: One hundred thousand bonus points, unlocking the shop, one lottery draw] [Failure Punishment: Clear all the host's bank savings] ... "Damn it, I'm going all in!" "If I win, I'll get the beauties; if I lose, I'll work my hands to the bone! What's there to be afraid of with such a small task? I'll take it!!"

"Sect Leader, your disciple has once again become the champion of this year's Regional Sect Competition!" Chu Yuan: "Kick! Kick him out of the sect!" "Sect Leader, we can't kick anyone out of the sect anymore! Those that were kicked out in the past have all established their own Holy Lands! If we continue kicking people out of our sect, all the Holy Lands in the region will be ours..." Chu Yuan: "???" I just want to groom a useless disciple! Why are all of you doing this to me!? ... This book is also titled "I Have Cultivated From A Nascent Soul To Become A Mortal", "My Disciples Are All Useless", "A Different Path Of Cultivation", "I Am Really Not A Big Boss", "I Only Groom Useless Disciples".

Content Synopsis: 　　A man who was expelled from his division for innocent reasons ...... 　　A man struggling to survive alone in a foreign land ...... 　　An agonising quest for the ultimate in power ...... 　　A man who was born not identifying with ethics ...... 　　Someone who is not a good person ...... 　　A story about such a person ......

The story revolves around Yugan Park, an ordinary high school student who discovers his extraordinary abilities with a mysterious level. While everyone around him believes this level is weak and insignificant, the truth is that its power is so immense that it defies understanding: "The ultimate cheat code."

"Either you love me or you hate me. It doesn't matter because you will end up with me. You would always end up with me, Maximus D'Arco." She plastered a wicked smile as she responded his cold, hard stare that she knew he was trying not to strangle her. He wouldn't because he was such a gentleman not to hurt her physically. But emotionally? Well...that was a whole other matter. ------------- Aurora Fontalva, an arrogant heiress of the Stellare Creations. She had everything in life, except the heart of a certain man. She only wants Max. He's her childhood crush and turned first love when they grew up. But how can she make him love her if he has someone else already? A girlfriend he loves. But that doesn’t matter, for she’s willing to do everything to have him. Maximus D’Arco. One of the EcoSource princes. He’s almost the perfect son and has a princely personality. Except that he had a secret girlfriend hidden from everyone. When Aurora found out, everything turned upside down. The woman even blackmailed him to marry her or his girlfriend would suffer. She wanted him to love her. Why would he fall for someone who doesn’t even care what he wants, let alone about his feelings? Only his girlfriend does. Is there really a thin line between love and hate? What if the thread breaks? --------------- AN: This novel isn't your typical romance. It tackles twisted love and lust. There could be sensitive cases. You've been warned. And lastly, sexy scenes.

Alexander Blackwood had it all—wealth, power, and influence—but the one thing he couldn’t seem to have was a child. For two years, he believed the medical reports that blamed him for the struggle. Meanwhile, his wife, Diana, harboured a devastating secret—she was infertile. And the reports? Falsified, thanks to Dr Joshua, her secret lover. Then came Rose, Diana’s younger sister—beautiful, confident, and utterly irresistible. What started as fleeting temptation spiralled into something forbidden, and soon, Rose was carrying Alex’s child. But Alex wasn’t supposed to be able to conceive… was he? A second opinion shattered the deception—he wasn’t the problem. Digging deeper, he uncovered the real reports. Diana had lied. And now, she was desperate. When bribing Joshua to terminate the pregnancy failed, she turned to something darker—abduction. She had Rose taken, determined to erase the evidence of her betrayal. But Diana underestimated Alex. With the help of Captain Patrick, the search for Rose intensified. Meanwhile, the kidnappers, plagued with guilt, set Rose free. Once safe, Rose exposed everything. The authorities closed in, and Diana was finally caught. But she refused to fall alone. In a desperate move, she exposed Joshua’s crimes, dragging him down with her. Justice was swift. Diana and Joshua faced the consequences of their deception. And as for Alex and Rose? They were free to embrace their future, their love, and the child that was never meant to be.

Home is where the heart is - iyon ang malalaman ni Louie literally nang maging kapitbahay niya ang kanyang ex na si Dan. Time has passed, life's better and they're both dapper - may dahilan pa ba para di ituloy ang naudlot na pag-ibig? Join them in their journey in rediscovering their past, dealing with the present and realizing why love is a decision we make constantly, anuman ang mangyari.

Akira Hitoshi, a tired salaryman, meets an untimely death when a truck hits him on his walk home. But instead of dying, he wakes up in a new world, finding himself in the body of an eleven-year-old boy named Phyro Nishiki. In the kingdom of Argenia, magic is a normal part of life, and Akira soon discovers that his new world holds secrets and possibilities he never imagined. As he adjusts to his new life, he must navigate the complexities of his new family, the challenges of growing up again, and the mysterious forces that may be drawn to his incredible potential.

Ava Clarke thought she had it all: a successful career, a loving husband, and the life she always dreamed of. But when she discovers that her husband, Lucas, has been unfaithful with his assistant, Eleanor, and is plotting behind her back to take control of the company, everything she knew is shattered. Determined to reclaim her life and power, Ava steps into the corporate world as the new CEO, only to find herself caught between love, betrayal, and a rival CEO, Maxwell Hart, who may have his own hidden agenda. As dark family secrets unravel and alliances shift, Ava must decide who to trust, who to love, and how far she’s willing to go to achieve her revenge and secure her legacy.

"So, basically, I'm a Necromancer from my game, in this world… and I'm useless?....Yeah, right." --- Apocalypse? No, that wasn’t the right word to use. A game-like world where every race coexisted despite their differences—not to mention the complicated food chain that governed it. Alexander never expected his boring yet peaceful life to change because of a single message. What seemed like another ARG, a joke, or probably a meaningless distraction turned out to be the start of his new life. Alexander transmigrates into the body of a nineteen-year-old, Asher Morgan, with familiar memories and a lonely past. He plans to live life as he once did—a gamer and a slacker. But fate slaps him in the face. During Asher’s Inauguration Ceremony, he awakens a seemingly weak class—Necromancer. A class that puts him below every single being, even elementals. His supposed friends abandon and mock him. "Outcast. Worthless." That becomes his new identity—until he awakens. Fate, however, has different plans when he triggers another system—an Error—with a unique ability attached. --- [ERROR… ERROR… Recalculating Awakening Process…] [Hidden Ability Detected—Reawakening Process Initiated] [Congratulations! You have awakened the SSS-Ranked Ability: Sovereign of the Dead] [Secret Evolution Triggered—Job Upgraded: Lord of Draconic Souls] --- At first, Asher was frustrated by the burdens placed on him. But remembering the former owner's struggles, he decides to accept this new life. As long as he got to rub his 'Worthlessness' in their faces.

Lane Allen, an A-rank Guide, got injured on an emergency mission suppressing a dungeon break, and perished in his almost-lover’s arms. As the remaining members of his team continued to fight for their lives, in a fancy apartment in a distant part of the city, a young man opened his eyes. “Phew… That hurt like hell…” “It’s a bit of a shame to switch so soon… But I guess it is what it is.” “Anyway, who should I become next?” Actually, Lane Allen was not a Guide, but rather an Esper with a mysterious Plunder ability! It allowed him to possess other people’s bodies, and steal their awakened abilities. Keeping his real body safe, Lane could enjoy life to the fullest, constantly swapping identities, and doing whatever he wanted without ever worrying about the consequences! How great was that? Except… Damien Lennox grabbed Lane’s arm, and pressed him against the wall, his clear green eyes staring down at Lane intently, as if he could see right through him. “There’s no one else whose guidance feels so harsh and chaotic, yet pleasing at the same time.” It seems that Damien was somehow able to recognize Lane even after switching identities, and is unwilling to let him go? . . . Villainous protagonist who couldn’t care less (at least for now~) x Righteous love interest possessive of MC! Top x top :> #Guideverse #guide #esper

Synopsis SYNOPSIS: The Villainess Reborn with a 999x Cheat System! Betrayed. Poisoned. Tossed away like trash. Gu Qingyan, the most beautiful and talented noblewoman in the empire, was framed for treason and executed in a cold prison cell. Labeled a villainess, she died with nothing but hatred in her heart. But when she opened her eyes again… she was back in the past! This time, she won’t play their game—she will destroy it. [Ding! You have activated the 999x Cheat System!] Skill acquired: Absolute Memory! (Never forget anything, even past lives!) Skill acquired: Peerless Beauty! (Your beauty stuns the world!) Skill acquired: Supreme Alchemy! (Turn trash into treasures!) Armed with limitless skills and knowledge of every betrayal, Gu Qingyan becomes unstoppable. But just as she begins her revenge… a mysterious man appears, smirking as he traps her against the wall. “You think you’re the only one who reincarnated?” Now, the game has changed.

A world where people awakened abilities called Skills to those who come of age. The protagonist, Awakened with three godly cheat skills, does he uses them and rise to an existence called a hero or becomes a person who only cares about his own life. [ A/N: This story contains sex material.] [ A/N: I am not a native speaker of English, you might find some grammar mistakes in chapters, so please bear With me.] [ A/N: cover image doesn't belong to me If the creator wants to remove it, just message me.] https://www.patreon.com/CopyMonarch

The MC was 25 years old man who is a type of otaku who can consume everything from military to magic occult. One day he got to an accident that cost him his life. It turns out, a god from other world are the perpetrator. The god told the MC that he want MC to help his world from an impending dissaster few years ahead.

Have you ever read a novel with such a terrible ending that you wished you could change the story and give the characters you loved the happy ending they deserved? ~~~ I was just another failure of an author, writing stories nobody read, and that never sold. Seeking to improve my writing, I read the most popular novel at that time, Solo Player, to learn what made it so popular. However, as I read this story, I couldn’t help but feel frustrated about the story’s development, which had a terrible ending. Eventually, and quite bitterly, once I ended reading the book, I found myself transmigrated into the very world of this novel. Did I become the Protagonist? A Villain? Or perhaps even an Extra? No, it was much worse than I imagined. Because I ended up becoming the most worthless character that nobody ever cared about in the novel. A character that is often considered the motivation for the protagonist to grow stronger, but also his greatest burden. Someone every reader hated! “I’m the protagonist’s sister…” However, with my knowledge of this novel's events, my worthlessness was about to change. I’ve decided to not only become the strongest but also change the story’s terrible ending! “I won’t let you go inside a Dungeon, it’s too dangerous.” ...As long as I can get this incredibly corny and overprotective brother out of my way! And for some reason, the Constellations won’t stop bothering me. Ding! [The Cosmic Throne {Butterfly That Flies Across The Universe} seems interested in your tenacity!] [She has sponsored 1000000 Plot Points and the [Demon of Calamity Transformation Technique (SS)] Skill!] [The Cosmic Throne {Monkey that Dances in Chaos} finds your chaotic nature amusing!] [He has thrown the [Umbral Chaos Stone Necklace (S Rank)] at you!] [Not enough? He launched the [Immortal Heaven Peach (SSS Rank)] right on your face!] There was something really wrong with the Constellations this time around. Ding! [The Cosmic Throne {Jester Filled With Lies} is happy that you’re bringing despair to your victims!] [He has gifted you the [Jester’s Last Laugh (S Rank Privilege)] and the [Master of Manipulation (SS)] Skill!] [The Cosmic Throne {Maiden that Watches Over Nature} seems happy you’re growing stronger.] [She has gracefully sponsored you with 2000000 Plot Points and Fully Heals All Your Wounds!] [She has also begun to wonder if you could plant some trees for her, gifting you the [Divine World Tree Seedling (SSS Rank)]!] [The Cosmic Throne {Warrior That Seeks Calamity} is satisfied with your battle performance but asks for more battle!] [He has sponsored you with 500000 Plot Points and [Beheading Sword of Destruction (SSS Rank)]!] They simply couldn’t stop gifting me things as if I were some sort of famous streamer for them. “I am grateful, but please just leave me alone already…” Chapters are long, 1500 ~ 2000+ words. During its serialization, this novel will be available for free forever, no premium. However, you can read advanced chapters here: https://www.patreon.com/pancakeswitch Copyright 2023 PancakesWitch. All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or used in any manner without the prior written permission of the copyright owner, except for the use of brief quotations in a review. This novel is also being posted on Scribblehub and Royal Road. If you see it anywhere else, please let me know. Thank you.

Have you ever wished to live your life in a different world? To forget everything in your life and escape into your own Fantasy Story? To not just have an Avatar that just appears and does things, but to act as an actual person within this world, with their own family, friends, background, and jobs? Fantasy Story Online, the latest VRMMORPG experience, promised an incredibly immersive virtual reality experience, giving any player the ability to create an entire background for their character. A new family, a new home, a new life, and a new story. With its unique approach to virtual reality, making it seem as if your character itself was truly reincarnated inside a fantasy world, the entire industry of videogames was sent into a storm. Enter Paul, a young man in his nineteens, just entering the second year of college and getting ready to dive into this fantastical game, eager to have a better year at college after working out and gaining some more self-confidence. The thing is, he has social anxiety, and he’s having a really hard time socializing. Until he met Chris, perhaps his first friend in college, a slightly bratty tomgirl that only wants to poke fun at his social awkwardness, but that is his only hope to learn how to socialize. And perhaps to learn what love is. When these two souls find themselves inside the Realm of Eternal Night, Obscuritas, as both a Crippled Vampire Prince and a Half-Incubus, they will have to work together to navigate their new second lives in this virtual fantasy world full of Evil Gods, Demons, and the invasions of Eldritch monstrosities every Saturday night. Yet Fantasy Story Online is a fair game, where it gives a Flaw, it also offers a Trait, and after learning that their characters have become the reincarnations of the Heavenly Demon and the Heavenly Emperor, who once battled inside the ancient Realm of Murim, things are bound to become crazy and break every conception of what this game even was about to the other Players. How will Paul deal with the harsh, ruthless politics of the Imperial Vampire Family? And how will Chris survive this harsh world as a being who must drain the life force of others to sustain himself? And will Paul ever survive Chris' shenanigans? Who knows? Maybe even the most unlikely pair will end up becoming the only hope for this war-thorn Realm!   Dive deep into this mix of Virtual Reality, Action, LitRPG x Cultivation Progression, Comedy, and Romance, which I’m sure will be fun as long as you read with an open mind. It has all the things you love about LitRPG, Virtual Reality, and also Romance and Comedy sprinkled into it to make it an absolutely unique experience, especially in the nowadays saturated LitRPG genre.urated LitRPG genre.

system, beast taming, over power, op mc.

After taking his own life before death came looking for him, a young man encounters death in a female form and is cured to eternal reincarnation, till Lilith who is death in this context is satisfied. Join him as he goes from life to life living different adventures from fantasy to adventure to realistic each life contains a different adventure and slight change in genre.

When a high-powered divorce attorney, Moira Astor marries her childhood savior, a handsome tech billionaire, the world expects her to live a modern fairytale, believing Moira would wake up everyday surrounded with flowers and kisses and care. But in reality, she is an unwanted wife whose bed remained untouched since their wedding night. Her husband—once her closest confidant—has become a stranger who treats her like an unwanted trophy. Desperate to salvage her marriage, Moira exhausts herself trying to win her husband's affection, only to receive an outrageous proposition from him: "You are free to cheat on me, dear wife." Moira is thrown into confusion and disbelief. While still trying to find means to win his heart, she discovers a bestselling web novel, "Tale of an Unwanted Wife," that mirrors her life with uncanny precision—including secrets she has never shared. When the novel predicts a client's tragic death, Moira is convinced that it is about her life and tracks down its mysterious author, Xavier Grey, a troubled writer whose words literally shape reality during blackout episodes he can't control. What starts as a confrontation with Xavier becomes a race of fate as Moira discovers that the writer has written a death scene for her in his unpublished chapters. As they work together to prevent that, Moira finds herself getting undeniably attracted to the mysterious writer. Meanwhile, what she doesn't know is that Xavier isn't the person he seems to be. He is more than a writer-- he is an unawakened vampire whose future is chaotic and Moira is entangled in it. When she finally finds out, what will Moira choose? Is she going to remain in her safe, gilded cage or risk everything to fight for a love that is likely to ruin everything she has built and even end her life?

The world is made of Wisdom, and Wisdom is all that human need for development, but what happen when Wisdom is dead and lost forever? Li An was an orphan, but an earth shaking earthquake occur, and he was teleported to another world, a Medieval world where Cultivation rule and the world rulers were Immortals know as God's, but when he tested he had no power, nor bloodline, nor anything to survive in this world. But what happened when he is the Wisdom that every Human and Demon seek for?

Adam, a 45-year-old workaholic salesman, never took a vacation in his life, pouring everything into his career. After a profitable stint during the pandemic, he finally plans a break, only to meet an untimely end in a car accident. However, instead of succumbing to death, Adam finds himself in a mysterious, void-like space where his consciousness is trapped. A voice introduces herself as Airmed, a patron goddess who grants him the Legendary Herbalist class as a gift, offering him a second chance in a new world. He learns that he has been chosen for this journey to heal and help others with the ancient art of herbalism. As Adam begins to understand his new abilities and the rules of this world, he embarks on a quest to master the art of healing, starting with his first batch of herbs. He begins to feel the weight of his new purpose, and the journey ahead is full of possibilities.

A story about a man that died with a lot of regrets. Follow him as gets a chance to rewrite his story and do right by those whom he fails in the past. Follow his journey as he embarks on the road to becoming The Greatest Of All Time, The Goat, The singularity. Of the beautiful game of cricket

Reincarnated into a Cultivation world with a system, Alex decides to just fuck around and have fun, that is, until the 'find out' part of fuck around and find out happens, with looming threats and unseen hands, will he survive? The answer is yes. he has a system, what did you think this was? Now he just gets to fuck around in an open-world map. And of course, cultivate so he can kick ass as every up-and-coming protagonist must.

"You're cheating?!" I thundered, my voice shaking the walls. Jonathan scrambled off the bed, panic splitting his face. But Tara? She didn’t even flinch, she was calm—like I hadn’t just caught her with my boyfriend. I wanted to believe my eyes were deceiving me, but the truth was clear. Jonathan, the man I loved, was cheating on me with my best friend! The gift bag in my hand felt heavier now, a cruel reminder of why I had come. We were supposed to celebrate our one-year anniversary. Instead, I discovered not just his betrayal—but his true intentions. To him, I was never more than a means to an end; a way to give him a child. Desperate for money to save my father’s life, I signed a contract marriage with a stranger. But I never expected that stranger to be Jonathan’s uncle.