343 Book(s) Related to 5 little pigs agatha christie

（There is a lot of sexual and stimulating content, minors are not allowed to read!!!）
James, the financial empire king who swore never to marry, was forcibly given a delicate little wife, and his life changed dramatically from then on.
"President, Madam beat up the principal."
James: Are Madam's hands hurt?
"President, Madam made your father so angry he was hospitalized!"
James: Find the best doctor for the old man.
Until one day, when Emily jumped up to start a fight, James grabbed her and held her back.
Emily whimpered: "James, don't you love me anymore?"
James looked helpless: "Be good, wait until you deliver what's in your belly before fighting..."

“You're not doing this on my birthday, are you?” I asked Ethan, my eyes covered in tears as I watched him glare at me with disdain. “You aren't leaving me dejected after sacrificing three whole years of my life with you!”

“And I'm giving you a life to be free, isn't that way better?” he asked in return, stretching the dreadful file towards me. “Consider this a birthday gift and leave. I'm going to specifically make sure you get all the benefits associated with the divorce.”

“You’re...”

“Leave Marinette,” he interrupted mildly. “Leave now and say nothing else. You can have the Ferrari or any of the estates in Paris as part of the compensation. Just go.”


**

Marinette Monroe thought she had found her happily ever after when she married the successful and charismatic Ethan. But five years later, her dream life is unravelling. Her husband’s attention is elsewhere, and his heart seems lost to a ghost from the past—his first love, Veronica Rodriguez.

On what should have been a day of celebration, Marinette’s birthday becomes a nightmare as Ethan comes home late, drunk, and distant. When he hands her divorce papers, her world shatters. Left with no choice but to pick up the pieces, Marinette discovers a strength she never knew she had. As she rebuilds her life and carves out her own success, she becomes someone that even Ethan can't ignore.

But just as Marinette rises to prominence, Ethan realises too late what he has lost. Now, he is desperate to win back the woman he once took for granted. But can he rekindle a flame that he extinguished, or is he too late to mend the heart he broke?

On Amelia's eighteenth birthday, her life goes downhill.

First, her mother summons her to a wedding she never told her about.

Then Amelia arrives and discovers the groom is her mate.

Mateo Vane is everything an eighteen-year-old girl should stay away from.

Cold. Powerful. Dangerous.

And much older than her.

But Mateo has no interest in Amelia.

He calls her little girl and makes it clear that whatever the mate bond wants, he doesn't.

There is only one problem.

Mateo hasn't been able to tolerate skin-to-skin contact for ten years.

Except with Amelia.

Her touch is the only thing that doesn't make him sick. The only exception to a condition that has controlled his life for a decade.

And Mateo intends to use her to find a cure.

That's all.

Nothing more. Nothing less.

Because his marriage to Amelia's mother is nothing but a contract between two powerful Alphas, and Amelia was never supposed to be part of it.

He even tells her she's not his type.

But when Amelia starts falling for the cold, aloof man who keeps saving her from her mother's control, things begin to change.

What starts as an attempt to learn how to tolerate touch slowly becomes something neither of them expected.

Something dangerous, something neither of them should want.

And when the line between treatment and temptation starts to disappear, just how many boundaries will they be willing to break?

“LOVE LIKE THIS creates a world of emotions and turmoil, describing superbly the mind of a young lady (Keira) and her struggles to balance her social life and her career. Sophie Love is a natural storyteller. LOVE LIKE THIS is very well written and edited, and I highly recommend it to the permanent library of all readers that appreciate a romance that can be savored during a weekend.”--Books and Movie Reviews (Roberto Mattos) LOVE LIKE YOURS (The Romance Chronicles—Book #5) is book #5 in a new, sweet romance series by #1 bestselling author Sophie Love. The series begins with LOVE LIKE THIS (Book #1), a free download!Keira Swanson, 28, finds herself spending a magical Christmas with new her new boyfriend and his family in Sweden. How will their relationship end?Keira returns to New York to discover, to her shock, that she has started a new trend in dating that is sweeping across the country—“Scandinavian romance”—and to find herself becoming a celebrity. Even more confusing, her sister gets engaged, and gives Keira constant advice. Overwhelmed, Keira takes solace when Christiano calls, and surprises herself when she agrees to take a week off and meet him on neutral ground: in Greece.Her magazine is thrilled, and they want this to be her new assignment: can love work the second time around, in a different time and place, if you give it one more chance?Greece is spectacular, filled with sun, ocean, ruins and romance. It is one of the most beautiful places she has ever been. But nothing can prepare Keira for her encounter with Cristiano—and the surprise that follows on its heels.A wholesome romantic comedy that is as profound as it is funny, LOVE LIKE YOURS is book #5 in a dazzling new romance series that will make you laugh, cry, and will keep you turning pages late into the night—and will make you fall in love with romance all over again.Book #6 will be published soon!“Sophie Love's ability to impart magic to her readers is exquisitely wrought in powerfully evocative phrases and descriptions….[This is] the perfect romance or beach read, with a difference: its enthusiasm and beautiful descriptions offer an unexpected attention to the complexity of not just evolving love, but evolving psyches. It's a delightful recommendation for romance readers looking for a touch more complexity from their romance reads.”--Midwest Book Review (Diane Donovan re: For Now and Forever)

"STRIP".. ,, HADES said in his bold , authoritative and demanding tone.His eyes held anger and temper which send fears to her. Every Fibres of her body was shaking under his powerful and dominance gaze. She stood at her Place and didn't know how to react on his words.

"I said Strip My wife".. ,, This time his voice made her trembled and with Shaking hands she started to open her wedding dress.

She removed her veil and looked at him. He was staring back at her with his intense pitch black orbs.

"Remove Your Ornaments Too"..,, He spoke when she stopped removing her Wedding dress. She removed her jewellery but left Golden Nuptials Chain Which he tied around her neck. Her glossy eyes were locked with his blazing eyes

"I don't have the whole Night" ... ,, Hades voice echoed in the room. Her breathing was low and sweats started to appear on her body.

She opened the strings of her wedding skirt and in a flow it fall down on the floor. With trembling hands she again pulled the strings of her blouse and opened the hooks. Now she was in her red lacy lingerie. However ,Not even for a second His eyes moved down and wandered at her curvy body.

His eyes were fixed on her eyes and she was gazing back at his beautiful deep black eyes. He stood up from the bed and came near her. She took a few steps back but the wall stopped and supported her body to stand properly. He bent and tilted his head and whispered in her ear. His husky deep voice and hot breath released thousands of butterflies in her stomach.

"You're not up to my standard".. ,, He said and left her in the room all alone on their wedding night. His words pierced her heart and a hurtful Chuckled came out of her mouth.

Tears were flowing through her eyes but she smiled sadly and said, "My name is DURGASHAKTI, husband and I'm not weak like you thought of me"

Story Of HADES and His PERSEPHONE

“A masterpiece of thriller and mystery! The author did a magnificent job developing characters with a psychological side that is so well described that we feel inside their minds, follow their fears and cheer for their success. The plot is very intelligent and will keep you entertained throughout the book. Full of twists, this book will keep you awake until the turn of the last page.” --Books and Movie Reviews, Roberto Mattos (re Once Gone) ONCE HUNTED is book #5 in the bestselling Riley Paige mystery series, which begins with the #1 bestseller ONCE GONE (Book #1)—a free download with over 600 five star reviews! A prison break from a maximum security prison. Frantic calls from the FBI. Special Agent Riley Paige’s worst nightmare has come true: a serial killer she put away years ago is loose. And his main target is her.Riley is used to being the one hunting, but for the first time, she finds herself—and her family—to be the ones being hunted. As the killer stalks her, he also begins a new rampage of kills, and Riley must stop him before it is too late—for the other victims, and for herself.But this is no ordinary killer. He is too smart, and their game of cat-and-mouse too twisted, and he somehow manages to elude her and always stay one step ahead. Desperate to stop him, Riley realizes there is only one way: she must delve back into the past, into this killer’s twisted mind, his old cases, and re-learn what drives him. The only way to stop him, she realizes, is to face the darkness she thought she had left behind.A dark psychological thriller with heart-pounding suspense, ONCE HUNTED is book #5 in a riveting new series—with a beloved new character—that will leave you turning pages late into the night. Book #6 in the Riley Paige series will be available soon.

BOOK1: The 5-Time Rejected Gamma And The Lycan King

After being rejected by 5 mates, Gamma Lucianne pleaded with the Moon Goddess to spare her from any further mate bonds.
To her dismay, she is being bonded for the sixth time. What's worse is that her sixth-chance mate is the most powerful creature ruling over all werewolves and Lycans - the Lycan King himself.

She is certain, dead certain, that a rejection would come sooner or later, though she hopes for it to be sooner.
King Alexandar was ecstatic to meet his bonded mate, and couldn't thank their Goddess enough for gifting him someone so perfect. However, he soon realizes that this gift is reluctant to accept him, and more than willing to sever their bond. He tries to connect with her but she seems so far away. He is desperate to get intimate with her but she seems reluctant to open up to him.

He tries to tell her that he is willing to commit to her for the rest of his life but she doesn't seem to believe him. He is pleading for a chance: a chance to get to know her; a chance to show her that he's different; and a chance to love her.


BOOK2: The Rogues Who Went Rogue

One of King Alexandar and Queen Lucianne’s most trusted allies, Alpha Tate of the White Blood Pack, has been bonded to a red wolf named Margaret.
The problem? Margaret is a rogue. And she isn’t some small fry, but the leader of a rogue pack that survived rogue-eradicating expeditions. Despite her notoriety, Tate still wishes to give their bond a chance. But Margaret had suffered severe disappointment and betrayal in the mate-bond department once before.

Now, she refuses to give into her wolf’s naïve, primal instincts like she did in the past. It will only break her heart and ruin her life.
Even if Margaret does give in, can Tate really trust her? At the end of the day, she’s a rogue, and rogues pose a risk to the safety of the Kingdom and to his own pack.

As if Tate being bonded to a suspicious mate isn’t enough to deal with, Xandar and Lucianne are faced with new threats stemming from a species that lycans and werewolves had not heard from since the declaration of truce almost 204 years ago - vampires, whose villages are invaded by intruders that left lycan and werewolf scents. The dire situation makes them both conclude that they have to turn to someone for help, someone they locked up not long ago, and this someone kept secrets of his own.

On the day of her grand engagement, she was betrayed by her fiancé and stepsister and died in a cruel setup. But fate gave her a second chance.

Reborn as a sharp, fearless woman, the once naïve heiress is back for revenge. Those who hurt her will pay—one by one.

Armed with financial brilliance and a ruthless heart, she rises to the top of the business world. But she catches the attention of a powerful CEO who is even more dangerous—cold, calculating, and determined to make her his wife.

Two masterminds collide in a fiery romance filled with schemes, passion, and payback. In this game of love and power, only they are worthy opponents—and perfect partners.

"You want Daddy to ruin that tight little p***y, don’t you, babygirl?"

"Mmm… yes, Daddy… please… I need it harder…"

"Get on your knees and beg like the filthy slut you are. Tell Daddy exactly how you want to be used."

"Oh f**k… Daddy, fill me up… I’m your dirty little secret…"

Prepare to surrender completely in a world where limits don’t exist and taboo is the only rule. A raw, unfiltered space where forbidden cravings, dark desires, and sinful Daddy dominance take center stage.

Step inside 30 Steamy Daddy Tales — an explosive collection of thirty scorching hot stories packed with intense, no-holds-barred encounters. From possessive Daddies claiming their brats, to wicked stepdaddies, ruthless older men, and every filthy fantasy in between.

This stories delivers it all: rough domination, breeding, age-gap tension, spanking, bondage, public risk, breeding kink, DDLG, and plenty of creamy, screaming climaxes. Whether it’s one-on-one, sharing with friends, or full-on group debauchery — these pages are dripping with pure, unapologetic lust.

r**w… if you’re brave enough to call Daddy “Sir.”

Kai Hunter is H University’s biggest player and heartbreaker. Known for his good looks and for being one of the brightest students on campus, he is one of the most eligible bachelors that everyone wants to ‘tame’. However, everything changes when freshman Night Winters becomes his new dorm mate.
Kai is instantly attracted to the hot, young freshman who he had caught having a one-night stand at a bar and hasn’t been able to get out of his mind ever since. Night is openly gay, but Kai has been into girls his whole life…or so he thought. Can he let go of his pride and accept Night for who he is? Or will Night forever be forced to be just his dirty little secret, under the sheets, inside the closed doors to their dorm?
However, Night is hiding secrets that can break the fragile foundation of their relationship at any time, and if Kai waits any longer…he just might end up losing the only person precious to him.

Six years ago, Rachel Neal was drugged and betrayed by her wicked stepmother and envious half-sister, leaving her pregnant and cast out in disgrace. Now, she has returned to Phoeiro City as a brilliant doctor and a fiercely independent single mother to six extraordinary prodigies—five genius boys and one adorable, mischievous girl. Her only goals are to protect her children, provide for her family, and reclaim the life and stolen work her toxic family took from her.

But fate has a different plan. When Rachel accidentally saves the life of Troy Langley—the most powerful, ruthless, and untouchable billionaire in the city—she unknowingly reunites with the mysterious man from that fateful night six years ago. Captivated by her fierce spirit and beauty, Troy is determined to make Rachel his, unaware that she is the mother of his six hidden heirs.

As the domineering CEO relentlessly pursues the elusive doctor, her six little matchmakers begin plotting in the shadows to secure a powerful protector for their mommy. Will Troy discover the truth about his genius sextuplets? And can Rachel finally serve justice to her enemies while opening her guarded heart to a love she never expected?

A long river split the city of Hillwood into two, separating the Palace and royal blood from the ordinary and the Vampires from the Humans. The consecutive agreement made by the Vampire kings was what Black Vale Dynasty has gone by; They were the ones for any decision to be taken. Respected, obeyed, and feared, all three of them were the most powerful predators on the planet but there was a thing to mention--They were great rulers too.

Jasmine Doloris, residing on the side of the city of Hillwood between human civilization didn't know anything about her identity and the deep secrets of her past that she was restrained away from, raised by a kind woman who under the pressure of a promise lied to her that Jasmine was found by her years ago on the Riverside, Her life that was mostly surrounded by lies and delusions she was unaware of, didn't have anything more than simplicity. But everything started taking a drastic turn when she took the job in the Kings' palace as their maid and their attention fell on her. Soon, The most unimaginable happens--On the night of the full moon, she turned out to be their Mate and this put everything into a mess of questions.

Sinfully attractive, irresistible and dangerous in nature, unbeatable in battles--The Vampire Kings had it all a woman could desire and Jasmine was the complete opposite of what the kings were.

Join Jasmine's story to find out how she deals with the storms, a roller coaster of emotions, and finally, her destiny whilst her life unfolds as well as the reality of her identity. After all, Jasmine might not be a human at all and her past might not be what she had assumed .....

Why do we cling to what harms us?
Helena is desperate, she needs money to pay off her mounting debts as she has been orphaned and must take care of her younger brother who frequently falls ill.
A position as a presidential secretary at INDUSTRIAS ALLER S.A. could change her life, but Helena never thought that an essential requirement would be having to endure the daily presence of the company's CEO, Sebastián Aller, eldest son and heir to almost all the wealth, as well as being an arrogant and narcissistic ogre.
Helena's desire for a better life will intersect with Sebastián's desires, who rejoices in the fact that his wealth will increase by entering into an arranged marriage with his new European wife, until a new clause in the contract that his lawyer forgot about appears as a stumbling block. Sebastián fears not being able to fulfill this new requirement, risking losing everything and leaving his envious and resentful younger brother Alan as the new CEO, who will stop at nothing to destroy his life.
Will Helena be the one to help Sebastián fulfill this clause?
Helena does not know how far she will go to ensure her brother has a better life.

“A masterpiece of thriller and mystery. Blake Pierce did a magnificent job developing characters with a psychological side so well described that we feel inside their minds, follow their fears and cheer for their success. Full of twists, this book will keep you awake until the turn of the last page.” --Books and Movie Reviews, Roberto Mattos (re Once Gone) HOMECOMING (A Chloe Fine Mystery) is book #5 in a new psychological suspense series by bestselling author Blake Pierce, whose #1 bestseller Once Gone (Book #1) (a free download) has over 1,000 five-star reviews. When two husbands, best friends, turn up dead in a wealthy suburban town, FBI VICAP Special Agent Chloe Fine, 27, is called in to unmask the lies in this small town and to find the killer. Chloe will have to penetrate this town’s perfect façade, to get past its public appearances to understand the truth of who these men were, and who may have wanted them dead. And in a town that thrives on its exclusivity, that won’t be easy to do.What secrets were these husbands hiding?An emotionally wrought psychological suspense with layered characters, small-town ambiance and heart-pounding suspense, HOMECOMING is book #5 in a riveting new series that will leave you turning pages late into the night. Book #6 in the Chloe Fine series will also be available soon.

“A dynamic story line that grips from the first chapter and doesn't let go.” --Midwest Book Review, Diane Donovan (regarding Once Gone) From #1 bestselling author Blake Pierce comes a new masterpiece of psychological suspense: CAUSE TO SAVE (An Avery Black Mystery—Book 5)—the final installment in the Avery Black series.In the epic finale of the Avery Black series, serial killer Howard Randall has escaped, and the entire city of Boston is on edge. Women are turning up gruesomely murdered, and everyone suspects Howard is at it again. When Boston’s most brilliant and controversial homicide detective—Avery Black—is herself stalked—and when people close to her are brutally killed, one by one—it seems the city’s worst fears are confirmed.But Avery is not so sure. The murders remind her of something she once saw in her past. They remind her of something too close to her heart—something that had to do with a secret she thought she had buried long ago….The most riveting and shocking book of the series, a psychological thriller with heart-pounding suspense, CAUSE TO SAVE is the finale that will leave you turning pages late into the night. “A masterpiece of thriller and mystery. Pierce did a magnificent job developing characters with a psychological side, so well described that we feel inside their minds, follow their fears and cheer for their success. The plot is very intelligent and will keep you entertained throughout the book. Full of twists, this book will keep you awake until the turn of the last page.” --Books and Movie Reviews, Roberto Mattos (re Once Gone)

One mistake centuries ago left Lemuel cursed by the Goddess Merlos and forced to wander the earth granting the wishes of those who touch him. Lemuel was looking at an eternity of loneliness until his unexpected soulmate plucked him right out of the sea.

Shocked to find he's been bound in more ways than one to Sebastian, the future King to the Kingdom of Atlesper, Lemuel resists Sebastian's advances at every turn, believing this may be one pairing Goddess Zarseti got wrong.

Lemuel will have to face his past in hopes of starting a new future, but an overly flirtatious King is the least of his worries when he learns Sebastian's parents are convinced that a conniving usurper disguised as a curvy blonde, is the future king's true soulmate.

A Queen Among Tides is the 5th 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 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 Gen Coming Soon)

My body pressed against Raymond's, my kisses stretching from his lips to his chin and throat.

He suddenly rolled over and pinned me underneath him, gripping my chin tightly. "You asked for it!" He growled, grabbing my lips and kissing me furiously.

I let out a playful whistle and trailed my fingers down his chest before deftly undoing his belt.

Raymond's breath was coming in quicker and quicker, his eyes locked on mine. "Damn it, Amelia, I'm going to fuck you"

But I wasn't there to fuck, I was there to torture him. As he lunged at me, I quickly flipped him over and handcuffed him to the table. "Sorry, tonight is my time, not yours."
After that night of madness, I fled in a panic. Five years later, I returned with our child

After Raymond found out about my transgressions, I was convinced I wouldn't live to see the next dawn.

I distanced myself from him, feared him, even considered hurting him.

To my surprise, the aloof heir to the Adams family clasped my hand and pleaded, "Honey, when are you gonna fuck me again?"

“Spread those legs wider…Fina. I need to see every fucking inch of you.”
His voice was calm. Cold. Commanding.
And just like I always did, my body obeyed before my mind could.
Dario Severo was my father’s best friend.
Then he became his enemy.
Now he’s my husband.
Feared across the underworld and twice my age, Dario married me as the price of peace between cartels. I was supposed to be a contract. A body bound by a ring. Nothing more.
But behind closed doors, his control is intimate, deliberate, and addictive. He touches me like he’s waited years to claim what was always forbidden—and I hate how much I want it.
I was offered to him to end a war.
Instead, I became his obsession.


This book is pure age-gap erotica! Dive into your best erotic experience as Don Rio wrecks every inch of his wife; Ikkohafina, in the most dirtiest, most electrifying way!

In an era when omegas are scorned and cast aside to society’s fringes—barred from work and education—Seecha Runcharoen, a struggling omega, fights to survive, even resorting to forging documents just to secure a job.
But fate takes a twist when he inadvertently becomes entangled with a mysterious alpha.
Tithnuea, a fiercely independent young alpha who treasures his solitude, is overcome by the intoxicating lure of sweet pheromones, surrendering his raw instincts and losing his purity to the vulnerable omega.
Terrified, Seecha retreats into hiding for years, while Tithnuea, driven by an obsessive desire, embarks on a relentless search for him.
Neither of them knew the other’s story—until everything changed with the birth of Little Shark!

Content Warning: Smut, Smut and Smut.

“Whose cock made you cry the loudest tonight?” Lucien’s voice was a low snarl as he gripped my jaw, forcing my mouth open.

“Yours,” I gasped, my voice wrecked from screaming. “Alpha, please—”

Silas’s fingers dug into my hips as he slammed back inside me, rough and unrelenting. “Liar,” he growled against my spine. “She sobbed on mine.”

“Should we make her prove it?” Claude said, his fangs grazing my throat. “Tie her up again. Let her beg with that pretty mouth until we decide she’s earned our knots.”

I was trembling, dripping, used—and all I could do was moan, “Yes, please. Use me again.”

And they did. Like they always do. Like they can’t help it. Like I belong to all three of them.


Lilith used to believe in loyalty. In love. In her pack.

But everything was torn away.

Her father—the late Beta of Fangspire died. Her mother, heartbroken, drank wolfsbane and never woke up.

And her boyfriend? He found his mate and left Lilith behind without a second glance.

Wolfless and alone, with hospital debt piling high, Lilith enters the Rite—a ritual where women offer their bodies to the cursed Alphas in exchange for gold.

Lucien. Silas. Claude.

Three ruthless Alphas, cursed by the Moon Goddess. If they don’t mark their mate before twenty-six, their wolves will destroy them.

Lilith was supposed to be a means to an end.

But something changed the moment they touched her.

Now they want her—marked, ruined, worshipped.
And the more they take, the more they crave.

Three Alphas.

One wolfless girl.

No fate. Just obsession.

And the more they taste her,

The harder she is to let go.

⚠️ WARNING: This story contains explicit sexual content. If you are under 18 or uncomfortable with steamy, erotic, forbidden, or taboo themes, kindly exit now.

"I'm sorry, but I now have a girlfriend", Eric said.

" Just fuck me tonight Eric, please ", " Just tonight ". I cried.

Lola, a college professor, just got dumped by her no-strings-attached sex buddy, Eric. She's pissed, frustrated, and painfully horny.

Back in her office, she flips lazily through student assignments, the task was simple: Write a short romance story of your choice.

But one freshman, Noah, took it way too far. Instead of a harmless love story, he wrote out his filthy, unfiltered fantasy. About her. His professor.

Dive into Noah’s bold approach, Professor Lola’s burning curiosity, and a collection of sizzling short erotica that push every boundary.


This book contains a collection of different short erotic stories.

【Warning: Do not open this novel lightly, or you'll find yourself hopelessly addicted, unable to put it down for three days and nights...】

Three years of loveless marriage turned her from an angel into a black widow.

That night, she roughly bound his wrists with his tie and straddled his waist. As she leaned forward, her scarlet silk nightgown slipped off one shoulder, revealing a tantalizing curve of flesh beneath.

"Enjoying this, Alexander?" she chuckled softly, her fingertips trailing slow and deliberate over his chest, teasing the tense ridges of his abs. "Hard but can't move—feeling frustrated?"

His eyes darkened, the desire within nearly exploding. He resisted, fought back, but completely crumbled at her touch.

"Sienna," his voice menacing, "you asked for this!"

A sharp snap—the tie broke. He lunged like a beast, slamming her beneath him, his scorching hardness pressing between her thighs, claiming her with no escape.

By daybreak, she left behind divorce papers, a hundred-dollar bill, and a taunt—"This is all you're good for."

Five years later, she returned as a rising star in the medical field, accompanied by a pair of twins who bore a striking resemblance to him. He pinned her against the wall, showing her a thick medical file: "Chronic poisoning."

Her pupils constricted. As a top doctor, she instantly understood what this meant.

"I never touched you because I didn't want you to mourn a dying man," his voice was hoarse. "I made you hate me so you wouldn't have to cry for me."

His eyes darkened, the suppressed anger threatening to consume her: "So, these twins... are they mine, or someone else's?"

“A dynamic story line that grips from the first chapter and doesn't let go.”--Midwest Book Review, Diane Donovan (regarding Once Gone)From #1 bestselling mystery author Blake Pierce comes a new masterpiece of psychological suspense. A TRACE OF HOPE is the final book in the Keri Locke series, bringing the series to a dramatic conclusion.In A TRACE OF HOPE (Book #5 in the Keri Locke mystery series), Keri Locke, Missing Persons Detective in the Homicide division of the LAPD, is closer than she’s ever been to finding her daughter. Finally, she gets a fresh lead—and this time, she will do whatever it takes to bring her home alive.At the same time, a new, urgent case is assigned to Keri: an 18 year old girl has gone missing after being hazed by her sorority. As the race is on to find her, Keri plunges deep into the world of pristine college campuses, and comes to realize that all is not what it seems.A dark psychological thriller with heart-pounding suspense, A TRACE OF HOPE is book #5 in a riveting new series—and a beloved new character—that will leave you turning pages late into the night.“A masterpiece of thriller and mystery! The author did a magnificent job developing characters with a psychological side that is so well described that we feel inside their minds, follow their fears and cheer for their success. The plot is very intelligent and will keep you entertained throughout the book. Full of twists, this book will keep you awake until the turn of the last page.”--Books and Movie Reviews, Roberto Mattos (re Once Gone)

Cindy and Mattheus, finally together, prepare to take time off and live together—when a stunning upset in their relationship tears them apart. Cindy flies home to New York, resigned to never work as a detective—and never see Mattheus—again.And then a shocking phone call comes out of the blue: it is Mattheus. A new body has turned up. Cindy at first refuses—until he tells her who it is: his wife. They finally found her, on the shores of Key West. Brutally murdered, they suspect, by an abusive boyfriend.Mattheus’ world is upside down, and Cindy has no choice but to fly back down to the islands and help him uncover what really happened. Why did she turn up now, after so many years? How did she turn up in Key West, so far from where he’d last seen her? Why had she never contacted him? Who was she dating? And have the police caught the right man?Their investigation takes them deep into the underworld of Key West, a gorgeous, idyllic place where the locals gather to watch the sunset every night with an evening drink. It is an enchanting place—but as Cindy learns, it is also a place with a dark underbelly. Cindy prods deeper into the murder and her investigation takes her into the world of an abused woman’s shelter. Soon, she is convinced the police have the wrong man. She and Mattheus, thrown together again, reconsider their feelings for one another. But there may not be time: Cindy finds out too much and comes in danger herself. As the murder hits too close to home, it may be too late for them both.DEATH BY DECEIT is both a stand-alone novel, and is also Book #5 in the Caribbean Murder series, following DEATH BY HONEYMOON (Book #1), DEATH BY DIVORCE (Book #2) and DEATH BY MARRIAGE (Book #3) and DEATH BY DESIRE (Book #4).

To save enough for a summer trip with my boyfriend, Tripp, and his friends, I worked late every night after school as a food runner at the upscale French restaurant in town.

Tripp told me his family didn't have much money. He wore old thrift-store T-shirts and always ordered the cheapest lunch in the cafeteria.

I felt bad for him. During the year we were together, I quietly paid for most of our dates.

Until one night, when I carried a bottle of wine to a private dining room and heard voices coming from inside.

"Tripp, how long are you going to keep pretending you're broke?" It was Chase, Tripp's best friend.

Then I heard Bitsy's sugary-sweet voice. She and Tripp had grown up together. "Thanks for the limited-edition bag, Tripp. Eighty grand, and it's absolutely gorgeous. I love it!"

I froze. An eighty-thousand-dollar bag? He wouldn't even spend twelve dollars on a burger.

Then Tripp spoke in a lazy drawl. "Girls like Nora are low-maintenance. She's easy to fool. Buy her an iced latte, and she'll act like it means the world to her. She barely costs me anything."

He had never really cared about me.

“Sophie Love's ability to impart magic to her readers is exquisitely wrought in powerfully evocative phrases and descriptions….This is the perfect romance or beach read, with a difference: its enthusiasm and beautiful descriptions offer an unexpected attention to the complexity of not just evolving love, but evolving psyches. It's a delightful recommendation for romance readers looking for a touch more complexity from their romance reads.”--Midwest Book Review (Diane Donovan re For Now and Forever) FOREVER AND A DAY is book #5 in the bestselling romance series The Inn at Sunset Harbor, which begins with book #1, For Now and Forever—a free download!35 year old Emily Mitchell has fled her job, apartment and ex-boyfriend in New York City for her father's historic, abandoned home on the coast of Maine, needing a change in her life and determined to make it work as a B&B. She had never expected, though, that her relationship with its caretaker, Daniel, would turn her life on its head.In FOREVER AND A DAY, Emily is stunned to finally, after 20 years, meet her missing father—just a week before her wedding. Their reunion changes both of their lives, and unlocks the key to the house’s many secrets, and to Emily’s missing memories.Spring has finally arrived at Sunset Harbor, and with just a week to go until the big wedding date, the wedding preparations are busier than ever, including Daniel’s surprise talk of a honeymoon. Will Emily and Daniel have their dream wedding? Or will someone appear to tear it apart?Meanwhile, Chantelle’s custody battle comes to a pitch, and as Memorial Day looms, they must figure out what to do with Trevor’s house. Yet amidst all of this, another issue weighs most heavily on Emily’s mind: will she herself ever be pregnant?FOREVER AND A DAY is book #5 in a dazzling new romance series that will make you laugh, cry, keep you turning pages late into the night—and make you fall in love with romance all over again.Book #6 will be available soon.“A very well written novel, describing the struggle of a woman (Emily) to find her true identity. The author did an amazing job with the creation of the characters and her description of the environment. The romance is there, but not overdosed. Kudos to the author for this amazing start of a series that promises to be very entertaining.”--Books and Movies Reviews, Roberto Mattos (re For Now and Forever)

My name is Riley Harper, a girl everyone at school bullies at school because I'm chubby and too quiet. They laugh and call me names in the halls, post mean snaps about me like it's nothing.

And my worst enemy? Easton Caldwell the star quarterback of our school who walks around like a bad boy but has a heart of ice. He used to bully me... until his little sister needed a babysitter, and guess who got the job? Me. Now I live in his fancy house, eat at his table, and see the real him every single day.

He hates me. Or at least, that's what he says. Because he's still in love with his ex-cheerleader girlfriend Cass and wants her to take him back, he helps her spread lies about me and makes my life a living hell.

But living under the same roof changes everything. Late nights encounter when his little sister falls asleep between us. Accidental touches in the kitchen. The more time we spend together, the more his cold stares turn warm... protective and something dangerous.

I started standing up for myself both at school and home. I stop hiding in hoodies. I shine in ways no one expected. And just when Easton finally admits he can't stop thinking about me, someone else from his world steps in—someone who used to bully me too, but now looks at me differently. Like he wants me.
But the biggest secret? The boy who once made my life miserable is now so in love with me that he might break his own heart to protect mine.

TRIGGER WARNING!!!
This story contains themes of obsession, possessiveness, stalking, emotional manipulation, and psychological control. It is unapologetically intense and unsettling in all the right (and wrong) ways.
Be guided.


Eight years ago, Shannon watched her stepbrother get handcuffed and taken to jail for a crime she committed.

He took the fall for it without hesitation. Not because he was noble. God, no. But because obsession looks a lot like love when you're seventeen and scared.

After that night, she never went to visit him in prison, nor did she reply to any of his letters.

She buried him with the past and went on to live a peaceful life without him.

But the past never forgets.

Eight years later, when she was living a simple, peaceful life, had a decent job and a husband who loved her deeply, Shannon's past came knocking at her door.

Strange things start happening... Doors left open. Favorite things mysteriously replaced. Eyes she can't see but feels always watching her.

Everyone says she's paranoid. Everyone says He is still in jail.

No one believes her when she says she had a STALKER.

Her judgment is already upon her because, now, HE is out of prison. And the first place he goes is her doorstep, because he says she owes him her life. And he's come to collect what's his.

How far can Shannon run from a man who never stopped loving her in the most terrifying way?

A man who'd kill anyone, even her husband, just to make her his?

HIS NAME IS KENAI... The Stalker You Never Want To Have.


If you enjoy slow-burn stalker dynamics and morally gray characters, this one's for you.

The wicked mother and the homewrecker caused an accident that killed the girl's father. Because of this accident, the poor girl lost her virginity and even became homeless. A rich and noble young lady suddenly turned into a waitress working in a British restaurant. Thanks to her father's will, she still inherited 30% of the company's shares and always had a mysterious bodyguard to protect her. However, When she got everything ready and planned to go home again, her mother turned out to be giving the company to that homewrecker and letting the girl's sister inherit all the property.

“The perfect romance or beach read, with a difference: its enthusiasm and beautiful descriptions offer an unexpected attention to the complexity of not just evolving love, but evolving psyches. It's a delightful recommendation for romance readers looking for a touch more complexity from their romance reads.”--Midwest Book Review (For Now and Forever)THE GHOSTLY GROUNDS: SCANDAL AND SUPPER is Book #5 in a charming new cozy mystery series by bestselling author Sophie Love, author of The Inn at Sunset Harbor series, a #1 Bestseller with over 200 five-star reviews!Marie Fortune, 39, a successful dog groomer in Boston, leaves the stressful life behind and heads to a small town in coastal Maine to create a new life. She remains intent on renovating the old, historic house her great-aunt left her and giving it a new life as a B&B. Yet there was one thing she couldn’t plan for: the house is haunted. Two things, actually: her great-aunt also left her a dog—and he is far from a typical dog.When Marie is hired to cleanse a unique and massive hotel in a nearby town, the scope of it is beyond anything she has encountered before. Just as she wonders if she has finally met her match, she learns that her local Mayor is trying to re-zone the downtown—and to shut down her B&B while he’s at it. Having a murder in the mix—for which she is pinned—hardly helps matters, either. In a multi-front war for her survival, can Marie manage to purge the ghosts, stay out of jail, and keep her livelihood?A page-turning cozy, packed with mystery, love, hauntings, travel, pets and food—anchored around a small town and a B&B in need of renovation that will capture your heart—THE GHOSTLY GROUNDS is an un-putdownable cozy series that will keep you turning pages (and laughing out loud) late into the night.“The romance is there, but not overdosed. Kudos to the author for this amazing start of a series that promises to be very entertaining.”--Books and Movies Reviews (For Now and Forever)

A Latte for Two isn’t just a romance it’s a journey into the magic of small moments that change everything. When Clara walks into a cozy little café in Maplewood, she doesn’t expect a spilled latte to lead her to Ethan, the man who will challenge her heart in ways she never imagined.
What begins with shy smiles and clumsy apologies slowly turns into something deeper late-night conversations, promises whispered over coffee, and the kind of love that makes ordinary mornings unforgettable. But with every tender moment comes a question: can the simple comforts of lattes and laughter withstand the uncertainties of real life?
Sweet, emotional, and utterly captivating,
A Latte for Two is a slow-burn romance that proves the greatest love stories aren’t built on grand gestures, but on the quiet, everyday moments that stay with us forever.
Fall in love with Clara and Ethan’s story and discover why sometimes, the smallest beginnings lead to the biggest happily-ever-afters.

I fell in love with my stepbrother.

He chose someone else.

So I did what any smart wolf would do—I disappeared into the most brutal academy in the North, where weakness means death and emotions are a luxury I couldn't afford.

Four years later, he's on his knees outside my door, begging me to come back.

"Sia, please. I made a mistake. I need you—"

But before I can answer, a hand fists in my hair from behind. The new Alpha pins me against the wall, his cock already hard against my ass.

"You're not going anywhere," Kaelan growls, his fingers sliding between my thighs. "This pussy belongs to me now."

Cain's still begging outside.

And I'm coming apart under Kaelan's hands, realizing too late—

I never escaped anything. I just traded one obsession for another.

After rebirth, I switched wedding engagements with my sister Maya.

In my past life, she was forced to marry the West's most ruthless Alpha—Zane Blackwood. Three years. He never touched her. His "sister" Sienna stole the Luna's position, power, dignity. Maya became a joke. No mark, no status. She froze to death on a snowy night, not even left with a complete body.

And me? Married to someone I didn't love, drifting through life in a daze. When I woke up, Maya was dead.

Then I died trying to avenge her.

After rebirth, I kicked down the door and snatched the engagement: "This time, I'm going."

Rode my bike sixteen hours straight. Got ambushed on the road—cracked skulls with a wrench. Covered in engine oil and blood, I crashed into the Black Moon engagement party.

Sienna screamed: "Psycho!"

Damn right.

I grabbed that stone-faced Alpha, ignoring his death glare, and bit into his neck in front of everyone.

"Listen up," I licked the blood from my lips, "I'm your Luna now. And if that bitch messes with me—"

I leaned close to his ear:

"You're dead first."

"Listen here, woman. Give me an heir, and I'll give you more gold than you can spend in ten lifetimes. Fail me, and I'll snap your neck myself."

The Lycan King had me pinned against the wall, blood-red eyes dead serious. I was trying very hard not to notice that his chest was about to burst through his shirt.

Here's the thing: I'm not supposed to be here. My half-blind, gambling-addicted father checked "Fertile" instead of "Fortunate" on the royal conscription form. An honest mistake — if you ignore the part where it shipped his virgin daughter straight to the most dangerous man on the continent.

I tried to explain. He didn't listen. He made me drink something black and foul called a "fertility elixir."

But what nobody in this godforsaken palace knows is that while I can't breed, I am stupidly, ridiculously, almost cosmically lucky.

Assassin slipped poison into my soup? The venom snake fell into the boiling pot first. They tried to burn me at the stake? Lightning struck the High Priest into a charcoal briquette before anyone could light a match.

And when I accidentally kicked a loose coin in the courtyard and uncovered the largest magic crystal vein in the empire — well.

Let's just say the king who once threatened to kill me is now on his knees, clutching my skirt like his life depends on it.

"Forget the heir, Elara. I just want you."

Funny how that works.

Three years ago, I married Rex Cavano—New York's most dangerous mafia don—for this face. Not for love. Because I looked like his stepsister Isabella, the woman his family tore from him and sent to Rome.

I thought time would make him forget her. Until three months ago, when she came home a widow, and I finally understood: a substitute is always just a substitute. When the original returns, the fake gets thrown away.

So I made a decision.

I tricked him into signing divorce papers and accepted a job in a war zone in Colombia.

I'm leaving. Taking our child with me—a secret he'll never know—disappearing from his world forever.

My husband Eric couldn't speak after a car accident three years ago. Three years of silence. Not one word.

To pay for his rehab, I worked four jobs at once—worked until I was coughing up blood, until I collapsed. Winter nights, Leo and I huddled under one threadbare blanket. When my son spiked a fever and I had no money for medicine, I stayed up all night pressing wet rags to his burning forehead.

Eric? His only communication was cold texts, ordering me around. When Leo reached for a hug, he'd push him away like our son didn't exist.

I endured it all. Because deep down, I believed the accident was my fault.

Until that night.

I was hauling equipment at Selena's concert—Selena, the pop star everyone knew—when a mystery guest in a mask stepped on stage. They sang together, voices blending like they'd done this a thousand times.

That voice. That lightning-shaped scar on his elbow.

My "mute" husband of three years.

I followed him backstage. Through the door, I heard Selena's laugh: "Congrats, Eric. Your mute act is almost over—you won the bet."

Three years of sacrifice.

All of it just a game. A bet with his first love.

Chloe Ashford destroyed me once.

She pretended to be my best friend, eagerly setting me up with her stepbrother Vincent—when really, I was just a cover for their twisted relationship.

She fattened me up, used me, and when she got bored, tossed me aside. A broken nose during gym class, nearly drowning by the pool, framed and cyberbullied until the whole internet turned against me. I dropped out. Had a complete mental breakdown. And then I jumped.

But when I opened my eyes again, that line was playing on repeat—"Let me introduce you to my stepbrother."

Somehow, I was back. That same party night.

I'm Riley. Orphan. Motorcycle mechanic. And the biggest fool in Texas.

For ten years, I thought oil tycoon Colt loved me. His adopted daughter by day, his woman by night. I actually believed his whispered promises in the dark.

Then I watched him announce his engagement to someone else.

"Your father saved my life. You're my responsibility," he said when I confronted him. Like I was some charity case. Like everything between us meant nothing.

I was never his girlfriend. I was his guilt.

But here's the thing—I never asked to be anyone's debt.

So I'm packing my tools, starting my bike, and getting the hell out of here.

I gave my Alpha fiancé to my stepsister.

My mother's face lit up. "You're giving Damon to Maya? Don't come crying later, Kira. That man is the most powerful Alpha alive."

I won't. Never again.

Last life, I married him. Suffocated for three years.

He wanted a perfect Luna. I showed up to the full moon gala in a mini skirt. The elite ladies circled in—*"Shameless. Like a bitch in heat."* Damon walked over, draped his jacket over my shoulders.

I thought he was protecting me.

"Must you embarrass me like this?" His voice cut like ice. "Every damn time."

That's when I knew: he loved the perfect Luna. Not me.

Then came the conservative gowns, endless etiquette training, and every time I fought back—*"Pack law, Kira. Obey."*

Until the flames took me, I swore: If I ever got another chance, I would never marry that man.

I woke the night before our engagement and pushed the contract away. "Let Maya be his perfect Luna. I just want my freedom."

But I didn't expect—

When Damon discovered the switch, the cold Alpha completely lost it.

I used to think I was the luckiest woman in the world.

Married to my first love, Matteo Rossi—mafia boss—with an adorable son.

Until that afternoon. Luca was running a fever, whining for cake from that shop across town—a four-hour round trip.

I hesitated.

Matteo immediately chimed in: "Go ahead, babe. Don't worry, I got him."

I grabbed the car keys and turned. Before leaving, I glanced back—he was kneeling beside Luca's bed, his large hand gently stroking our son's burning forehead.

What a perfect fucking picture.

Until I heard that GODDAMN surveillance recording.

"Honey, please open the door! Please!"

Kate Sterling pounded desperately on the basement door, with only 15 minutes left before the interview that could change her life. Yet here she was, locked inside by the very man she loved most.

It all started with a single prophecy from their new neighbor, Anna Cross: "If Kate goes to that interview, your marriage is over."

Anna's predictions had never been wrong. Last month, she predicted old Johnson would have a heart attack. Three days later, an ambulance pulled into his driveway. She predicted Mrs. Miller would discover her husband's affair. Now the Millers were filing for divorce.

Every prediction came true like clockwork nightmares.

Now Anna had set her sights on them.

When the truth finally surfaces, will it be escape... or death?

I always thought Arthur's surgical hands were a gift from God.

When my sister Emily was crushed in a car crash, he spent ten grueling hours in the OR. He emerged exhausted, eyes red, and pulled me tight. "I'm sorry, Anna. I tried everything," he whispered. "But her heart... it can still save someone else."

I believed him. God help me, I even thanked him.

A year later, I cracked his locked safe and found a black flash drive.

The security footage showed my husband hovering over Emily's ICU bed. He didn't call for help. He didn't try to save her. He just watched her oxygen drop, then calmly reached out and yanked her breathing tube.

One room over, his first love was waiting for a heart transplant.

Just like that, my world vanished. My husband wasn't a savior in a white coat. He was an executioner.

"Unless you bring 100 gold coins and the Alpha's blood, the half-breed dies in the cellar."

Those words broke what little was left of my soul. Three years ago, I was the proud Luna of the Blackwood Pack—until my fated mate, Alpha Valen, branded me a traitor, burned our sacred mark from my neck, and locked me in the Ice Crypt.

Now, I am nothing but a despised outcast. But I don't care about my pride anymore. My four-year-old daughter, Nyra, is freezing to death in a damp cage, succumbing to a fatal disease. To save her, I need the ultimate cure: Valen's Alpha blood.

The tragic irony? He refuses to claim her. Tricked by the woman who framed me, Valen believes my tiny, innocent pup is the filthy product of betrayal. He would rather watch me crawl on my hands and knees over corrosive silver powder than offer a single drop of his blood.

With my daughter's breaths fading, the woman who framed me offers a dark, irreversible trade.

I will pay the price. I will give away the last piece of myself to save my pup.

But when Valen finally discovers whose bloodline he left to die... it will be entirely too late.

I was married to Daniel for eight years. I thought we were happy.

Then I found a receipt in his car — a private OB-GYN clinic, Upper East Side. The name on it was Lydia's. My best friend's.

I drove straight to my brother Joel's apartment. Joel, the boy I raised. The only family I had left. I needed someone to tell me I was wrong.

I heard them laughing before I knocked.

I looked through the gap in the door and saw all three of them — Daniel, Lydia, and Joel — standing in the living room with champagne glasses, toasting the baby that wasn't mine.

My husband. My best friend. My little brother.

Every person I had ever trusted. All in the same room. All in on the same secret.

And not one of them had thought to tell me.

Three years ago, the night before my wedding, I was kidnapped and nearly killed.

When I woke up, Julian was crying over me. "The kidnappers hurt you so badly, Elsie. The doctors—they had to remove your uterus to save you. I'm so sorry. I'm so, so sorry."

My world shattered.

I cried for a week straight. Cried until I had no voice left, until my eyes couldn't open from the swelling. I'd lost everything—my chance at motherhood, my chance at being whole.

But Julian squeezed my hand. "I love you, Elsie. You're all I need."

He married me anyway. Against his family's wishes, he married this broken woman.

For three years, he was perfect. Gentle. Loving. I thought I was the luckiest woman alive.

Until today.

Today, I learned the truth—

There was no kidnapping. No random attack.

It was all planned. Orchestrated by Julian himself.

For one reason only—to give my uterus to Chloe, my sister who was born unable to have children.

"We can only take one more person! Any heavier and we ALL go down!"

In the middle of a raging forest fire, my fiancé Carter Hayes was piloting a fuel-leaking helicopter, forced to choose between me and my cousin Lily Sterling.

He chose me.

Lily was left behind in the inferno. She burned.

I thought surviving made me lucky — until my parents slapped me across the face at my wedding. "Why wasn't it YOU who died?"

Turns out, I was never the one they wanted to save.

Carter married me, then spent five years making me wish I'd died in that fire instead. He and my parents worked together, systematically stripping away my dignity, my career, and every reason I had to keep living.

Three years into my depression, I jumped from the top floor of the Hayes estate.

When I opened my eyes, I found myself back before the fire — before the helicopter took off, before Carter made his choice.

This time, I spoke first. "Take Lily."

If they all wanted me dead, then I'd give them exactly what they wanted.

The night I almost drank myself to death at a client dinner, my husband Alexander bought his first love a luxury yacht.

Maya posted it on Instagram that same night: "Best birthday gift EVER! You know who you are 💕🛥️~"

In the photo, she was in a bikini, champagne in hand, glowing with joy.

Then came the credit card alert—our joint account had been maxed out.

Before I could even confront him, Alexander called.

"Are you serious right now? Why'd you lock the card? Maya's been struggling with her depression—she needs to go sailing to clear her head! Why can't you show some compassion?"

I wanted to tell him that last night, I'd nearly killed myself closing a deal for his company.

But he'd already hung up.

Later that evening, Maya posted again—an extravagant jewelry set. The caption: "When someone truly GETS you 💎✨"

In the photo, she wore a diamond ring I never got, not even on my wedding day.

But by then, I was done caring.

Because I'd made my decision—to disappear completely.

Twenty-one times.

I've signed the mate bond with Kael Nightshade, Lord of the Black Panther Clan, twenty-one times.

And dissolved it twenty-one times.

Not because we didn't love each other.

But because every few months, she comes back.

Seraphine. His first love. The angel who shattered her wings saving him, leaving her mind fractured and fragile.

"Seeing the mate mark sends her into psychotic breaks," he'd say, burning the bond from my skin. "I owe her my life."

So I'd erase the mark. Burn the contract. Pretend we were never bound.

The first time, I cried and begged. He backhanded me: "Cut the bullshit. We'll rebond once she's back in the sanatorium."

The thirteenth time, I followed them to a tavern and watched him tenderly kiss the scarred stumps where her wings used to be. When I confronted them, he knocked me down and locked me in enchanted restraints for seven days straight.

Sign. Burn. Erase. An endless cycle I couldn't escape.

Until the twenty-first time.

Fire engulfed the manor. Seraphine and I were trapped in different wings. Kael could only save one of us.

"Kael!" I collapsed at the window, smoke choking my lungs. "I'm pregnant—please—"

He shifted into his panther form and bolted toward her room.

The guards dragged me out thirty minutes later. Third-degree burns across my back, lungs filled with ash, blood pooling beneath me.

No heartbeat.

Kael stood in the safe zone, holding an unscathed Seraphine in his arms. From the moment the flames erupted until they pulled me from the rubble, he never looked back.

Not once.

The twenty-first dissolution was my choice.

There won't be a twenty-second.

A year ago, Sophia was recalled from overseas medical school. Her father announced she must marry Ethan Sullivan, head of the Sullivan crime family, to save their bankruptcy.

Ethan Sullivan—uncrowned king of New York's underworld, cold-blooded killer. Complete opposite of her life-saving profession.

She fought desperately—humiliated him at their engagement, sabotaged business meetings, even escaped at midnight. Ethan never got angry, just quietly cleaned up, growing more gentle and devoted.

Until rival families shot at them. He shielded her with his body, blood soaking his white shirt, still comforting her: "It's okay. I'm here."

Sophia fell completely.

"I'll marry you," she told him in his hospital bed, "but tell me—do you really love me?"

Ethan nodded without hesitation: "I love you. You're the first and only one."

After marriage, Sophia enjoyed sweet life as a mafia wife. Until she learned Ethan's "sister" Isabella had leukemia. When her bone marrow matched, she donated without hesitation, thinking this proved their love.

Until tonight's party. A drunk lieutenant asked: "Boss, what's your biggest regret in life?"

Ethan was silent for a long moment: "Giving up the woman I loved."

"Margaret has face blindness—she won't even recognize the groom. Tomorrow's ceremony? Just stick any random guy up there with her. Isabelle, I'll marry YOU in the rose garden. Our real wedding."

I stood outside my bedroom door the night before my wedding, listening to my fiancé Theodore plot with my adopted sister, my own parents nodding along.

They thought I was broken. A defective bride too blind to know she was being played.

They wanted a stand-in groom? Fine. I'd give them one.

So I gave them their fake wedding. With one little change.

The "random stand-in" they're expecting? He's Theodore's worst enemy. He's Sebastian Kingsley.

Oh, and according to the marriage certificate we signed three hours ago—he's also my husband.