Her Escape, His Obsession

My eyes opened in a Beacon Hill mansion, a rich prison of silk and scorn. They called me "Hope," but I was Gabrielle Johns, a witch hanged in Salem, reborn into this timid girl's body. Their daughter, Molly, staged a dramatic fall down the stairs, shrieked "She pushed me!" and directed her theatrical terror right at me. Immediately, Molly's parents and fiancé rushed to her side, their faces masks of disgust, calling me a "trailer park animal" and a "disgrace." They slapped me, starved me, and locked me inside the dark mansion, expecting me to break, groveling for their forgiveness. But their cruelty didn't just fuel my ancient rage; it ignited the deep, quiet misery of Hope, a girl bullied and dismissed her whole life. How could they be so brazenly wicked, believing they had untouchable power over me? They thought locking me away was their control, but they just handed me the key to my vengeance.

It was our third anniversary, and I was shivering on the balcony, barefoot in a thin silk robe. My husband Ethan, who believed I caused his true love Gabrielle to vanish, shoved me out there, making me pay for my supposed sins. Then, a phone call. Gabrielle was back. Suddenly, I went from a neglected wife to the household's lowliest servant, abused by Ethan, Gabrielle, and every staff member. They said I betrayed her, that I was a vile, jealous creature. My health deteriorated, coughing blood, fading into a shadow. They drugged me, paraded me before a hateful crowd, publicly shaming me as the "disgraced sister" while Gabrielle, the "victim," stood radiant. My own father watched, approving. How could my life twist into such a nightmare? How could everyone believe such monstrous lies about me, turning me into a monster in their eyes? I was already dying, isolated and shattered, when Gabrielle and a bribed maid claimed I' d leaked scandalous stories. Something inside me snapped. I grabbed the nearest thing-a heavy letter opener-and plunged it into Gabrielle. I expected more pain, more condemnation, maybe even death. But what came next would unravel everything, exposing the shocking truth from beyond my grave.

For five blissful years, I poured my heart and soul into saving Ethan Lester, the tragic hero from a TV show, now the man I loved. Our wedding was just seven days away, my mission 99% complete, a lifetime of happiness within reach. Then, his voice, thick with emotion, echoed from the guesthouse. "Annie, I never stopped loving you." He declared I was just "static," background noise to his enduring love for Annabel, his wealthy ex-fiancée. The woman whose family destroyed him. The woman for whom he promised to still take a bullet. That promise felt like a bullet through my own heart, erasing my entire existence, my sacrifice of literally taking a bullet for him. How could he betray me so completely, after all we had built, after the life I gave him back? I yanked out my phone, contact the program, my voice steady despite the tremor in my hands: "I want to pull the plug. I' m going home."

The crystal chandeliers of the Houston Museum of Fine Arts glittered, reflecting what should have been the most perfect night of my life. My fiancée, Gabby Chadwick, stood on that gala stage, not hand-in-hand with me, but clasped firmly with Tony Johns, the very quarterback my family had plucked from obscurity. "My heart belongs to Tony," her amplified voice echoed, shattering the stunned silence and every last piece of my dignity. "Ryan and I are over." In that flash of a camera, I, Ryan Fowler, son of an oil tycoon, became a public spectacle, the jilted fiancé, left standing alone in a sea of whispers and pity. My parents, pillars of Houston society, saw not a heartbroken son, but a "publicly castrated" embarrassment, a "laughingstock." "That boy is dead," my mother declared, her eyes hard as diamonds, as my father exiled me to the brutal oil rigs, demanding I learn to build my own power. They thought they had broken me. But as I tasted the ash of their disappointment, a different kind of fire ignited within me. I swore then and there, the words a silent vow: I will come back, and I will dismantle everything the Chadwicks have ever built. I will make her regret the day she ever knew my name.

Five years ago, I threw the man I loved into a freezing river, a desperate act to save him from a corporate poison. I watched him float away, believing I was saving his life, not realizing I was shattering his heart. Then, he came back. Ethan, now a ruthless logging magnate, stormed into my forest home, transforming my world into a hell of pure, calculated revenge. He saw only my "betrayal," not the sacrifice. He systematically destroyed me. He flayed my iridescent skin for his lover's grotesque art piece, forced a miscarriage that stole our child and my physical connection to life, then left me to die, broken and bleeding on a cold floor. My family, my people, all suffered because of his blind hatred. How could the man I loved become such a monster? How could he believe the lies when I gave up everything for him? My last breath was a whispered curse, a burning hate for a man who had ripped away my love, my future, and my very essence. But death was not my end. My soul, a tormented echo, remained tethered to him, trapped, watching his own descent into madness and destructive vengeance. Now, his final, fiery act has unleashed a silent, deadly plague upon the ancient forest, the Heartwood, threatening to erase my people from existence. And I, a ghost with the cure, must find a way to save them.

A phone call from my oldest friend, Wendy, ripped through the quiet of my garage. Her panicked voice claimed ruthless bikers had taken her, demanding I fix their custom bikes for her freedom. Without a second thought, I sped into the Mojave desert to rescue her. But when I arrived, Wendy betrayed me, knocking me out and delivering me to a biker gang. I came to, discovering the bikes-thirteen identical, menacing machines-were ones I had custom-built years ago for their enigmatic leader, Deacon. Imprisoned in a foul container, I risked everything, engraving my unique mechanic's mark on a spark plug for Mama Fuller to relay to Deacon, hoping he'd remember me. Yet, Wendy, my supposed sister, shrieked out my secret to Ryan, the gang' s sadistic interim leader. He retaliated by shooting Mama Fuller and throwing a gun on the floor, demanding Wendy and I fight to the death. As I lunged for the weapon, bracing for the worst, I couldn't comprehend how my life had plunged into such a brutal nightmare. Now, trapped in a world of violence and betrayal, I must confront the past I thought I'd buried and fight for a future I never imagined.

The whispers said that out of bitter jealousy, Hadley shoved Eric's beloved down the stairs, robbing the unborn child of life. To avenge, Eric forced Hadley abroad and completely cut her off. Years later, she reemerged, and they felt like strangers. When they met again, she was the nightclub's star, with men ready to pay fortunes just to glimpse her elusive performance. Unable to contain himself, Eric blocked her path, asking, "Is this truly how you earn a living now? Why not come back to me?" Hadley's lips curved faintly. "If you’re eager to see me, you’d better join the queue, darling."

Linsey was stood up by her groom to run off with another woman. Furious, she grabbed a random stranger and declared, "Let's get married!" She had acted on impulse, realizing too late that her new husband was the notorious rascal, Collin. The public laughed at her, and even her runaway ex offered to reconcile. But Linsey scoffed at him. "My husband and I are very much in love!" Everyone thought she was delusional. Then Collin was revealed to be the richest man in the world. In front of everyone, he got down on one knee and held up a stunning diamond ring. "I look forward to our forever, honey."

"I knew he was trouble the moment I walked into our shared house. The way his hands gripped my waist when no one was looking, the way his voice dipped when he said my name, it wasn't just wrong, it was dangerous. He wasn't just my stepbrother, he was my undoing." **** All Evie Hayes wanted was to finish her college degree in peace, far from the chaos of her past. But when she moves into her stepfather's house near Ravencrest University, she finds herself stuck with Ryder Kingsley, her stepbrother and the school's golden boy. Ryder is everything she's sworn to avoid, arrogant, infuriatingly handsome, and completely off-limits. When late-night arguments turn into stolen touches, their forbidden connection becomes impossible to ignore. But in a world where secrets don't stay hidden, someone's bound to uncover the truth. And when they do, Ryder and Evie will have to decide if the risk is worth the ruin.

"Mr. Evans, please maintain some dignity. Don't forget I'm your brother's wife!" Having caught her husband and best friend together in the bed, Elena wanted nothing more than to exact revenge on the people she once called family. She refused to be a pitiful divorcee and vowed to make everyone who had once looked down on her beg for forgiveness. And to start with her newfound freedom, Elena indulges in a one-night stand with a stranger. However, what was meant to be a fleeting escape turns into a nightmare when she learns that the stranger is none other than her husband's older brother! Would Elena be free from the shackles of her marriage? Or would the mysterious stranger make her life a living hell since he seemed to have a personal vendetta against his family? [The story is 18+ and involves mature content.]

Sera Vale was sold like a slave. Dragged from her home in chains. Stripped of everything and handed to the most feared Alpha who is also a Mafia, as payment for a debt she didn't owe. Lucien Virelli doesn't believe in mercy. He rules with bullets. Breathes violence. Fucks like a beast. And when Sera is thrown at his feet, he doesn't see a girl. He sees prey. A mystery. Something that should not exist. She was told her entire life she was nothing. No wolf. No power. No purpose. Just a broken girl with a cursed bloodline and a dead mother who took the truth to the grave. But Lucien sees it. Smells it. Wants it. He doesn't want to protect her. He wants to tame her. Mark her. Breed her. Make her scream until her wolf rips out of her body and begs him to take it. What he wants from her isn't gentle. It isn't safe. And it sure as hell isn't human. He touches her like he owns her. Looks at her like he's already inside her. And when she finally begs. He makes her earn it. Now she's trapped in a world she doesn't understand. Craving a monster she should fear and drowning in a heat she swore she'd never feel. This isn't just a love story. It's a dark craving that takes over your body and doesn't let go.

Three years of marriage couldn't melt Theo's frozen heart. When an art gallery collapsed on Lena, he was off romancing another woman-lavishing her with a private jet. Three steel pins held Lena's shoulder together, but her heart remained broken. She filed for divorce and told everyone that he was impotent. Rising from the rubble, Lena blazed onto the design world's A‑list. She expected him to sail off with his true love-until Theo reappeared at her runway, pressing her against the wall. "Impotent, huh? Care to give it a try?"