
Introduction
Every habit, talent and allergy of four-year-old Mia matches Ethan, the brilliant pharmaceutical genius who was once her lover. But a forged paternity test has convinced him the child is not his flesh-and-blood.
Deceived by his fiancée's lies, Ethan turns a deaf ear to all Chloe's desperate pleas. No one believes she is dying. No one believes the truth about the little girl.
Against ticking time and overwhelming injustice, Chloe fights desperately for her daughter's future. Will the buried secret surface before everything is lost?
Chapter 1
Chloe's POV
The diagnosis came out.
The doctor set the imaging report on the desk and said the words in the careful, practiced tone of a man who had delivered this kind of news many times before.
"Stage IV. Non-small cell. Liver, stomach. You won't make it to Christmas, Ms. Winston."
I sat in the plastic chair across from him and listened, and the fluorescent light above us hummed on exactly as it had before he spoke, as if nothing had changed at all.
Only I knew how hard I was working to hold myself together.
I drove home and made Mia her oatmeal.
After she fell asleep, I sat on the edge of her bed and watched her face in the dark, thinking of everything and nothing all at once.
Three months. If the doctor was right and that was truly all I had left, then there was only one thing I could not let go of — Mia. What would happen to her when I was gone, and who in this world could I trust to give her to?
Ethan. His name surfaced before I'd finished the thought.
Ethan Hartman — Mia's father, even if he didn't yet know she existed. No one in the world had a stronger claim to her than he did.
I had to go back to Cedar Haven. Back to the place where I had once been happy, and where I had been buried alive.
The day we landed at Cedar Haven Regional, Mia was beside herself with excitement, the way small children are when the world still feels like something worth running toward.
Mia ran ahead so fast that I couldn't keep up, and I watched from a few steps behind as she lost her footing — my chest seizing before I could close the distance.
Then a tall figure swept in and caught her before she hit the ground, and I exhaled.
I started forward to say thank you, and then I saw his face, and I stopped.
Ethan Hartman.
He set her gently back on her feet, smoothing her coat with the same careful hands, and said something low and even — something about slowing down, about how the floor was wet, the kind of quiet, unhurried words you'd use with a child you didn't want to frighten.
That gentleness used to belong to me.
Before the case. Before everything broke apart five years ago and became something I no longer recognized.
I hadn't finished the thought when a familiar voice rang out across the terminal, calling his name.
I looked up. Serena — my sister in name only, the woman living in my house, wearing my life — crossed toward him with her hand already reaching for his arm, and together they turned and walked away without looking back.
I must have gone somewhere far away inside my own head, because I didn't come back until I felt Mia's arms clamp around my legs, her face pressed hard into my coat.
"Mommy, I won't run anymore, I promise, please don't be mad," she was saying, her voice climbing toward panic, and I blinked and looked down at her and came back to myself.
I crouched down and pulled her in.
"Mama's not angry, baby," I said against her hair. "I was just thinking about something."
She went still in my arms, the panic draining out of her small body, and I held her a beat longer than I needed to. Over her shoulder, the departures corridor was empty.
Ethan and Serena were gone. It was not hard to tell that they were a couple now. Would he even want Mia? Would there be any room for her in that life?
The thought sat in my chest like something swallowed wrong.
But he was still the only person I could think of when I tried to imagine leaving her with someone. Her father.
And whatever else he had become, whatever had passed between us — I had just watched him crouch on a wet airport floor for a child he didn't know, patient and unhurried, like it was the most natural thing in the world.
That had to count for something.
The apartment I rent was on Birchwood Lane, half a level below the street, the kind of place where the windows showed you nothing but passing ankles and tire slush.
It was small, and it was cold, and the baseboards clicked all night like something trapped inside the walls, but it would keep the wind out, and for now, that was enough.
I got Mia settled first.
She was half-asleep by the time I carried her through the door, her head heavy against my shoulder, her small fingers still loosely curled around the strap of her backpack.
I laid her down on the mattress I'd had delivered the week before, pulled the secondhand quilt up to her chin. I stood there in the dark for a moment, just listening to her breathe, before I quietly pulled the door shut and went back to the main room.
Then I picked up my phone and called Carter Hartman.
He was Ethan's old friend, the only person left in that circle who would still take my call. And he was the only one who had never fully believed I was a traitor, the only one who still thought — or wanted to think — that I had nothing to do with what happened to Hartman five years ago.
He was also the only way I had left to reach Ethan.
The line connected after two rings, and the voice that came through was familiar and carefully courteous, the kind of tone you use with numbers you don't recognize.
"Carter Hartman speaking. Who's calling?"
"It's Chloe," I said. "Chloe Winston."
The courtesy dropped out of his voice all at once.
"Chloe." A pause, brief and weighted. "When did you get back?"
"Today," I said. "Just got in. We're settled now."
"We?" Carter asked, puzzled.
"My daughter," I said.
There was a sound on the other end that might have been him inhaling wrong. "Your — Chloe, you got married?"
"No," I said. "She's Ethan's."
The silence that followed was long enough that I pulled the phone from my ear to check the call was still connected. I couldn't blame him for it. When I'd left Cedar Haven five years ago, I hadn't told a single person I was pregnant.
"Carter," I said, before the silence could settle into something harder to move. "I need you to help me get Ethan to meet with me. Just a conversation. Can you do that?"
Last Chapters
#30 Chapter 30: The Bitter Truth
Last Updated: 9/14/2026#29 Chapter 29: What the Blood Knows
Last Updated: 9/14/2026#28 Chapter 28: A Coincidence, Nothing More
Last Updated: 9/14/2026#27 Chapter 27: The Interrogation Room
Last Updated: 9/14/2026#26 Chapter 26: What Remains
Last Updated: 9/14/2026#25 Chapter 25: The Engagement
Last Updated: 9/14/2026#24 Chapter 24: The Terms of Survival
Last Updated: 9/14/2026#23 Chapter 23: I Want the Money Back
Last Updated: 9/14/2026#22 Chapter 22: What Mia Knows
Last Updated: 9/14/2026#21 Chapter 21: The Weight of Denial
Last Updated: 9/14/2026
You Might Like 😍
The Billionaire's Mask (A Dark Steamy Romance)
Dan Belinni: Pregnant by the Lethal Mafioso
Dan Belinni was raised inside violence, trained in the blood-soaked discipline of the Outfit until he became its sharpest weapon. At nineteen, he is already known for illegal fights, brutal enforcement, and a temperament that turns any challenge into punishment. He doesn’t believe in mercy. He doesn’t believe in love. He believes in control.
Milena Lima has spent her life surviving, not living. An undocumented immigrant in Chicago, she works herself to exhaustion just to stay afloat and protect the only stability she has left—her friend María. But when she loses her job and her visa expires, Milena becomes invisible to the law and vulnerable in ways she never imagined.
Desperate, she steps into a Belinni-owned nightclub, hoping to earn enough to survive another week. One stage. One performance. One decision.
That is all it takes for her to cross paths with Dan Belinni.
He is not a man who lets go.
And she is not a woman who submits.
But beneath survival and violence lies a truth neither of them is ready for—Milena is tied to a mafia legacy she never chose, one that makes her both a target and a claim in a world where women are never just women.
When their worlds collide, obsession replaces restraint, and a single night changes everything.
Because in Dan’s world, love is not given.
It is taken.
Oops. My Boss Was Seventeen
The Execution: Perfect. I brought him coffee, cheered at his games, and basically operated as his unpaid teenage executive assistant. He’s totally buying it.
The Problem: I was trying to network my way into the C-suite. I think I just networked my way into his bed.
Offside Temptation
Ethan Ryder was a disaster waiting to happen. Hot-headed, reckless, and constantly one bad decision away from ruining his career. I was supposed to hate him. Instead, I memorized him. I learned exactly how to push his buttons on the ice just to see the fire in his eyes.
When he grabbed my jersey in that locker room and kissed me in front of twenty cameras, it wasn't a mistake. It was the moment the line between hatred and obsession finally snapped. The media called it a scandal. They called us a divorced couple. But they didn't see the way Ethan trembled when I cornered him in the hallway afterward.
"You're staring again," he whispered, his back hitting the wall.
"You're still here," I replied calmly, stepping close enough to feel his erratic pulse.
He thought I was cold. He thought I was controlled. He didn't realize that every time he looked at me, I was fighting the urge to completely destroy the distance between us.
Now, the league is forcing us to live together, train together, and smile for the cameras to fix our public image. But the more time we spend alone in my apartment, the harder it is to pretend I just want to play hockey...
Bella and Her Beast
.
Locked in her frozen tower, Bella dreamed of warmth, of touch, of freedom and of love. Cursed with the power of ice and snow, she’s spent her life alone. A secret they tried to protect the world from. Her only escape comes in the form of the books she reads. Stories of heat, desire, and the kind of love that could melt even her frostbitten heart.
Damien is the Beast. A dragon King with a temper forged in flame and a soul hollowed by duty. The world fears him. The people call him a monster. But beneath the scales and the rage lies a man who has never been touched by love.
When frost meets fire, the world shatters. She was never meant to leave her tower. He was never meant to find her. But destiny doesn’t bow to kings or care for cages and now the question burns through them both: Can Bella have her Beast? Or will the girl of snow melt in the heat of his desire?
.
"I’m keeping her."
"What?"
Before I can react, he scoops her up. Her small body fits easily in the cradle of his talons. For a split second, she looks startled, but not afraid. Her hand rests against one scaled finger, and she stares up at him with that same curious wonder, as though she’s already forgotten she was ever meant to fear me.
"Put her down," I try to command, panic threading through my thoughts. "You’ll hurt her."
"She’s ours," the beast insists, possessive and fierce. "Our snowflake."
Tempted By The Enemy
She escapes to Preston Island to attend the wedding without informing him only to collide with Lucas’s hot, fiery and arrogant brother, the twenty-three-year-old, Nicholas Donnelly. Sparks immediately fly between them but Alyssa refuses to acknowledge them fearing her brother's wrath.
The wedding is over and Alyssa tries hard to forget the mysterious Nicholas Donnelly but can he forget her? Can he ignore the attraction he feels for her, feelings that have resurfaced after ten years?
What will Allyssa do when she is stalked by the man who has been invading her dreams since the day she met him? What will she do when she is whisked away to a deserted island by the unpredictable Nicholas Donnelly? Can she tame her heart or surrender to sinful temptations? Read to find out!
Part of the Temptation Series. Can be read as a standalone.
Iron And Glamour Just Don't Mix
Well… Sometimes you just might turn out to be right.
It turns out, the fae stole my little brother. In his place? A pixie with boundary issues and a talent for home repairs.
I’ve spent my life taking care of everyone else. So when my baby brother is taken, I don’t hesitate. I walk straight into a faerie mansion and make a bargain with its infuriatingly charming master.
Kie is everything you’d expect from a dangerous fae, beautiful, political, and entirely too amused by me. Power wrapped in a smirk. Sensual, mischievous, and far too aware of the effect he has on people. He agrees to help me find my brother.
For a price.
Now I’m bound by a faerie bargain and navigating a world of glamour, manipulation, and ancient rules I definitely should have learned sooner, enchanted forests, political games, magical contracts, and a fae lord who treats seduction like a perfectly reasonable negotiation tactic.
Iron is how I keep people out.
Glamour is how he draws them in.
And apparently, they just don’t mix.
Let Them Kneel
Cast out by her pack. Forgotten by the Lycans.
She lived among humans—quiet, invisible, tucked away in a town no one looked at twice.
But when her first heat comes without warning, everything changes.
Her body ignites. Her instincts scream. And something primal stirs beneath her skin—
summoning a big, bad Alpha who knows exactly how to quench her fire.
When he claims her, it’s ecstasy and ruin.
For the first time, she believes she’s been accepted.
Seen.
Chosen.
Until he leaves her the next morning—
like a secret never to be spoken.
But Kaelani is not what they thought.
Not wolfless. Not weak.
There is something ancient inside her. Something powerful. And it’s waking.
And when it does—
they’ll all remember the girl they tried to erase.
Especially him.
She’ll be the dream he keeps chasing… the one thing that ever made him feel alive.
Because secrets never stay buried.
And neither do dreams.
Falling for my boyfriend's Navy brother
"What is wrong with me?
Why does being near him make my skin feel too tight, like I’m wearing a sweater two sizes too small?
It’s just newness, I tell myself firmly.
He’s my boyfirend’s brother.
This is Tyler’s family.
I’m not going to let one cold stare undo that.
**
As a ballet dancer, My life looks perfect—scholarship, starring role, sweet boyfriend Tyler. Until Tyler shows his true colors and his older brother, Asher, comes home.
Asher is a Navy veteran with battle scars and zero patience. He calls me "princess" like it's an insult. I can't stand him.
When My ankle injury forces her to recover at the family lake house, I‘m stuck with both brothers. What starts as mutual hatred slowly turns into something forbidden.
I'm falling for my boyfriend's brother.
**
I hate girls like her.
Entitled.
Delicate.
And still—
Still.
The image of her standing in the doorway, clutching her cardigan tighter around her narrow shoulders, trying to smile through the awkwardness, won’t leave me.
Neither does the memory of Tyler. Leaving her here without a second thought.
I shouldn’t care.
I don’t care.
It’s not my problem if Tyler’s an idiot.
It’s not my business if some spoiled little princess has to walk home in the dark.
I’m not here to rescue anyone.
Especially not her.
Especially not someone like her.
She’s not my problem.
And I’ll make damn sure she never becomes one.
But when my eyes fell on her lips, I wanted her to be mine.
Tango with the Alpha's Heart
“He met her at the Alpha training camp,” he said. “She is a perfect suitor for him. It snowed last night, indicating that his wolf is happy with his choice.”
My heart sank, and tears made their way down my cheeks.
Alexander took my innocence last night, and now he is taking that thing in his office as his Luna.
Emily became the laughingstock of the pack on her 18th birthday and never expected the Alpha's son to be her mate.
After a night of passionate love, Emily finds out that her mate has taken a chosen mate. Heartbroken and humiliated, she disappears from the pack.
Now, five years later, Emily is a respected high-ranking warrior in King Alpha’s army.
When her best friend invites her to a night of music and laughter, she never expects to run into her mate.
Will her mate figure out it is her?
Will he chase after her, and most of all, will Emily be able to keep her secrets safe?
The Family Books 1-3 (A Mafia romance)
The saint to my sinner. with her innocent eyes and devilish curves.
A Madonna that was meant to be admired but never touched.
Until someone took that innocence from her.
She left.
The darkness in my heart was finally complete.
I avenged her, I killed for her, but she never came back.
Until I saw her again. An angel dancing around a pole for money.
She didn’t know I owned that club. She didn’t know I was watching.
This time I won’t let her escape.
I will make her back into the girl I knew.
Whether she likes it or not.
2/ Judge and Jury- I can’t stop watching her.
I’m not even sure I want to.
Taylor Lawson, blonde, beautiful, and totally oblivious to how much dangers she’s in.
She’s also the one juror in my upcoming murder trial that hasn’t been bought.
The one who can put me behind bars for a very long time.
I know I should execute her.
After all that’s what I do.
I am the Judge.
I eliminate threats to The Family.
And Taylor is a threat.
But I don’t want to kill her.
Possessing her, making her love me seems like a much better plan for this particular Juror.
3/ Rags and Ritches-
A Queen Among Darkness (Book 4 in the Gods' Saga)
For centuries, she has been on the run, helping the supernatural community under the cloak of anonymity while she works to clear her name and save the very people after her from destruction.
Enemies are closing in, but an unexpected complication befalls her when she realises she’s been fated to someone who wants her species exterminated. After all, an evil chance seldom comes alone.
A Queen Among Darkness is the 4th book in the Queen Among Series/The Gods' Saga. This is an interconnected series. To see how it ends, I recommend reading the full series.
Books in the series in order:
A Queen Among Alphas - Book 1
Bite-Size Luna - A Queen Among Alphas Prequel (available under book 1)
A Queen Among Snakes - Book 2
A Queen Among Blood - Book 3
A Queen Among Darkness - Book 4
Whole Again - A Queen Among Alpha's spin-off (available under book 1)
A Queen Among Tides - Book 5
Valor, Virtue, and Verve - Tides Prequel Spin-off (will be available under book 5)
A Queen Among Gods - Book 6
Runaway Empress - A Queen Among Snakes Prequel (will be available under book 2)
A Queen Among Tempests - Book 7
Dark Vocation - Darkness spin-off (will be available under book 4)
A Court of Arcane Souls Anthology (side character short stories exclusive to Ream)
Royal Shadow Series (Next Generation Coming Soon)












