The Heiress Who Died Twice

My life was perfectly on track. A full scholarship to Yale, loving parents, and the SATs were just another stepping stone. I had my best friend Brittany and boyfriend Kyle by my side, seemingly there to support me through it all. Then, I died. And snapped awake, gasping. The horrifying memories of my past flooded back: a SAT cheating scandal that ruined my family and led to their deaths, and my own demise. I was back, exactly one day before the SATs, staring at the faces of those who would betray me. I desperately tried to change my fate, fleeing the hotel and establishing an alibi. Yet, the nightmare unfolded again. I was arrested, framed with planted evidence-a fake earpiece, forged transactions, a look-alike at the test center. My ironclad alibi vanished when the cafe's security cameras mysteriously 'fried.' My parents were shamed, my father physically attacked. How could this be happening? Every attempt to escape only tightened the net. My supposed best friend, my boyfriend-they were the architects of my ruin. The proof was overwhelming, irrefutable, yet entirely false. Was I truly powerless against this meticulously crafted conspiracy? But amidst the despair, a single, overlooked detail on the 'evidence' hoodie sparked a desperate hope: the absence of a tiny, silver thread I' d sewn into my unique raven patch. This time, I wouldn't be a victim. Feigning illness to buy critical time, I would unravel their monstrous lie and reclaim my future.

My tech company was at its peak – celebrated, successful. For twenty years, I believed my marriage to Bella was just the same: perfect. We had two sons, Mark and Alex, my pride and joy, the heirs to everything I had built. Then, at fifty, Bella lay dying in a sterile hospital bed. Her rasping voice delivered the blow that pulverized my world: "Ethan," she whispered, "the boys… they' re not yours. They' re Ryan' s." My heart squeezed, then shattered. My own sons, whom I loved more than life, turned on me instantly, their eyes cold and calculating. They saw Ryan, their biological father, not as a long-lost parent, but as a direct route to my wealth, reducing me to nothing but a disposable obstacle. In the brutal inheritance struggle that followed, the very boys I' d raised beat me to death. I gasped for air, my heart giving out under the crushing weight of their betrayal, my world built on a twenty-year lie crumbling to dust. How could I have been so utterly blind? My final thought was of profound regret, a desperate, yearning wish for another chance to live life differently, to choose another path. Then, darkness. But instead of an afterlife, I jolted awake, alive, younger, surrounded by the pulsing chaos of an SXSW party. Standing before me, vibrant and deceptively innocent, was Bella, dropping to one knee, a champagne flute raised, asking me to marry her. This was my impossible second chance. And this time, with the bitter truth of twenty years flooding my mind, I knew exactly what to say.

I spent hours sourcing ingredients, meticulously preparing a farm-to-table lunch for my wife, Olivia. It was meant to show my unwavering support for her booming career, a perfect culinary testament to my love. But Olivia barely glanced at the beautifully set table. One quick peck on the cheek, a mumbled excuse about a "team BBQ," and she was gone. Moments later, I saw it: her Instagram, smugly captioning a brisket sandwich, while her assistant Mark' s LinkedIn showcased my elaborate meal, beautifully plated at his office desk, praising Olivia as the "Best Boss." My scallops. My panna cotta. All discarded and used as a prop for her assistant. When I confronted her, she fiercely defended Mark, even accusing me of being "childish." Later, in a fit of rage, she shattered our anniversary sculpture and even a Sterling family heirloom, injuring me in the process, while implying my actions destroyed our relationship. It wasn't just about lunch. It was a relentless invalidation, a blatant disrespect for our vows, for my very identity. My devotion wasn't just unappreciated; it was actively repurposed for another man' s gain, treated as worthless by the woman I cherished most. How could she prioritize his superficial flattery over everything we built? That was the breaking point. I left, but not in defeat. My "departure" was merely phase one. When I unexpectedly returned, catching her laughing intimately with Mark and her own mother dismissing my pain, I knew. The shattered wedding photo I left behind wasn't just physical debris; it was a promise. A promise of a meticulous, devastating reckoning.

I' ve always known what animals were thinking. It' s a secret I keep, even from my boyfriend. So when my best friend, Chloe, invited me to her cutting-edge Primate Cognition Center, I agreed, expecting just another odd day of animal thoughts. Then I met Brutus. A massive gorilla housed behind thick glass, his thoughts weren't mere animalistic grunts. They were clear, chilling: "Her skin. So smooth. I want it. Tonight. I' ll take it tonight." Hours later, Brutus escaped, his tracker leading straight to my apartment building. Mark was working late, and I was alone. Chloe' s police deputy brother, David, rushed to help. I heard his muffled struggle outside my door, followed by Brutus' s casual thought: "He was strong. Good fight." Then, Brutus used David' s dead body to knock on my door, a gruesome puppet. When Mark called, saying he was coming home, I warned him, but he disconnected. His last terrified thoughts flooded my mind as Brutus ambushed him in the garage. Mark was gone. Brutus was gone. But then "Mark" called me. His voice was off. His behavior was wrong, serving me food I' m deadly allergic to. A horrific truth clicked: Brutus wore Mark' s skin as a grotesque disguise – a calculated revenge against my mother, who had experimented on him. My presence was now the target of his cruel, human-like rage. Chloe arrived at our apartment, yet "Mark" lied about her being late. My gut screamed. I found Chloe on the balcony, bound and gagged. Her terrified plea, once free: "It' s not Mark! It' s Brutus! He' s wearing his skin!" Everything clicked. With a kitchen knife glimmering in "Mark's" hand, it was time to fight for my life.

I' m Sarah Jenkins, an independent graphic designer who only longed for a child, not a husband. Five years ago, after a traumatic past, I built a quiet, safe life in Northern California with my son, Leo. I was finally marrying Mark, a kind, stable man, promising us the uncomplicated future we deserved. But peace was fleeting. A week before my wedding, Jax, security chief for Alexander Sterling-the powerful man I' d fled-appeared. He knew. They found me. Then, Alexander himself stepped from a black SUV, confirming my greatest fear: my meticulously faked death and new identity were exposed. The once-amnesiac man, now a formidable Senator, was intent on reclaiming what he believed was his. He publicly crashed my wedding, declaring Leo his son and me his wife. He tore apart the quiet world I' d painstakingly built, leaving me utterly exposed before our stunned community. My heart pounded with terror. Six years hiding, fearing discovery, only to be dragged back into his dangerous orbit? The abandonment, the cold payoff, years of fear-all surged back. What did Senator Sterling, a man of immense influence, truly want from the woman he' d discarded and the child he' d presumed dead? Then he knelt, not accusingly, but with a profound plea. He presented a stunning prenuptial agreement securing my independence and Leo' s future. He hadn' t come to control, but to confess, commit, and offer a path I never dreamed possible. Was this a genuine chance, or a trap disguised as freedom?

My argument with Jake still echoed, his excuses about Emily ringing in my ears. I drove to our old, tiny apartment, a monument to a past that now felt like a cruel joke. My comfortable suburban life, built on what I realized was a lie, mocked me. My Jake, the boy I married, was gone, replaced by a stranger. That stranger was having an affair with Emily, a young woman we' d once helped, and then the ultimate betrayal: Emily appeared on my doorstep, tearful and pregnant with Jake' s child. The irony was a bitter pill. While I reeled, my own body betrayed me. A miscarriage. Our baby, gone before I even knew it was there, while his mistress carried his. His true callousness emerged later. He confessed his twisted logic: years ago, after an illness, I' d been told conceiving might be difficult. Desperate for a child, he' d arranged for Emily to carry his baby. The monstrous deception: she' d disappear, and we' d raise the child as our own. He thought I' d be happy for this sick manipulation of my deepest desires. Disgust curled in my gut. My entire life with him was a brutal, calculated farce. Just as the last shred of my world crumbled, a thud from the bedroom jolted me. There he stood. Not the man who' d shattered my life, but a ghost of love lost. Eighteen-year-old Jake, confused, innocent, staring directly at me. The boy who was once my lifeline, now a stark, impossible reminder of everything I' d lost, and everything I still had to fight for.

Maia grew up a pampered heiress-until the real daughter returned and framed her, sending Maia to prison with help from her fiancé and family. Four years later, free and married to Chris, a notorious outcast, everyone assumed Maia was finished. They soon discovered she was secretly a famed jeweler, elite hacker, celebrity chef, and top game designer. As her former family begged for help, Chris smiled calmly. "Honey, let's go home." Only then did Maia realize her "useless" husband was a legendary tycoon who'd adored her from the start.

After a one-night stand with a stranger, Roselyn woke up to find only a bank card without a PIN number. Still in a daze, she was detained on charges of theft. Just as the handcuffs were about to close, the mysterious man reappeared, holding her pregnancy report. "You're pregnant with my child," he said coldly. Shocked, Roselyn was whisked away in a helicopter to the presidential palace, where she learned the truth: the man from that night was none other than the country's most powerful and influential leader!

COALESCENCE OF THE FIVE SERIES BOOK ONE: THE 5-TIME REJECTED GAMMA & THE LYCAN KING BOOK TWO: THE ROGUES WHO WENT ROGUE BOOK THREE: THE INDOMITABLE HUNTRESS & THE HARDENED DUKE *** BOOK ONE: 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. But when not-so-subtle crushes, jealous suitors, self-entitled Queen-wannabes, an old flame, a silent protector and a past wedding engagement threaten to jeopardize their relationship, will Lucianne and Xandar still choose to be together? Is their love strong enough to overcome everything and everyone? Or will Lucianne resort to enduring a sixth rejection from the one person she thought she could entrust her heart with?

After being kicked out of her home, Harlee learned she wasn't the biological daughter of her family. Rumors had it that her impoverished biological family favored sons and planned to profit from her return. Unexpectedly, her real father was a zillionaire, catapulting her into immense wealth and making her the most cherished member of the family. While they anticipated her disgrace, Harlee secretly held design patents worth billions. Celebrated for her brilliance, she was invited to mentor in a national astronomy group, drew interest from wealthy suitors, and caught the eye of a mysterious figure, ascending to legendary status.

Brenna lived with her adoptive parents for twenty years, enduring their exploitation. When their real daughter appeared, they sent Brenna back to her true parents, thinking they were broke. In reality, her birth parents belonged to a top circle that her adoptive family could never reach. Hoping Brenna would fail, they gasped at her status: a global finance expert, a gifted engineer, the fastest racer... Was there any end to the identities she kept hidden? After her fiancé ended their engagement, Brenna met his twin brother. Unexpectedly, her ex-fiancé showed up, confessing his love...

Rumors said that Lucas married an unattractive woman with no background. In the three years they were together, he remained cold and distant to Belinda, who endured in silence. Her love for him forced her to sacrifice her self-worth and her dreams. When Lucas' true love reappeared, Belinda realized that their marriage was a sham from the start, a ploy to save another woman's life. She signed the divorce papers and left. Three years later, Belinda returned as a surgical prodigy and a maestro of the piano. Lost in regret, Lucas chased her in the rain and held her tightly. "You are mine, Belinda."