CAME INTO MY LIFE LIKE A WRECKING BALL

Modern

I stood at my mother's open grave in the freezing rain, my heels sinking into the mud. The space beside me was empty. My husband, Hilliard Holloway, had promised to cherish me in bad times, but apparently, burying my mother didn't fit into his busy schedule. While the priest's voice droned on, a news alert lit up my phone. It was a livestream of the Metropolitan Charity Gala. There was Hilliard, looking impeccable in a custom tuxedo, with his ex-girlfriend Charla English draped over his arm. The headline read: "Holloway & English: A Power Couple Reunited?" When he finally returned to our penthouse at 2 AM, he didn't come alone-he brought Charla with him. He claimed she'd had a "medical emergency" at the gala and couldn't be left alone. I found a Tiffany diamond necklace on our coffee table meant for her birthday, and a smudge of her signature red lipstick on his collar. When I confronted him, he simply told me to stop being "hysterical" and "acting like a child." He had no idea I was seven months pregnant with his child. He thought so little of my grief that he didn't even bother to craft a convincing lie, laughing with his mistress in our home while I sat in the dark with a shattered heart and a secret life growing inside me. "He doesn't deserve us," I whispered to the darkness. I didn't scream or beg. I simply left a folder on his desk containing signed divorce papers and a forged medical report for a terminated pregnancy. I disappeared into the night, letting him believe he had successfully killed his own legacy through his neglect. Five years later, Hilliard walked into "The Vault," the city's most exclusive underground auction, looking for a broker to manage his estate. He didn't recognize me behind my Venetian mask, but he couldn't ignore the neon pink graffiti on his armored Maybach that read "DEADBEAT." He had no clue that the three brilliant triplets currently hacking his security system were the very children he thought had been erased years ago. This time, I wasn't just a wife in the way; I was the one holding all the cards.

Romance

"I don't want to marry him!" I shouted. She slapped me across the face, sharply and mercilessly. "I didn't raise you to be ungrateful. Do I need to remind you why this is necessary?" ___ His father destroyed her family, leaving her homeless and hollow. Consumed by vengeance, she vowed to make hi

Modern

Christina had always believed in taking retribution for the wrongs done to her. To that end, she personally crippled the person who had hurt someone important to her. She was imprisoned for three years, and by the time she was released, her reputation was in tatters. The public despised her for her

Romance

A minor mistake brought her disastrous trouble. She went to the wrong floor and provoked the devil. The night on her wedding day, Bella was grasped by a man in darkness. She thought he was her contractual husband, but when she woke up the next morning, she saw the man lying next to her was her brot

Romance

After being abandoned on her wedding day, Delia felt like her entire world had ended and she could never pick up her remaining pieces. Her life changed when she got the job of her dream. **** Katl Delia had everything she wanted; a good-paying job, a flashy life, a happy family, and a best frien

Modern

The coppery taste of blood filled my mouth, each breath a searing pain. Ryan Todd' s rage-contorted face was inches from mine, his spittle hitting my cheek as he screamed, "This is for Ashley! You owe us!" His fist connected with my ribs again, and a sickening crack echoed through the co-working

Romance

How hard could it be? That was the question swirling through Rain Dzer's mind the moment billionaire football star Damon Savage asked her to be his fake girlfriend, for just one night. Simple. Harmless. Temporary. At least, that's what Rain thought before she heard his deep, intoxicating laugh. Bef

Romance

It's kind of hard to live a pretty fulfilling life without your parents. A very hard life that begins for me. After my parents' funeral, I had to leave the family home with my grandmother Amandine and my little brother Idriss to manage. I met Stéphane, a neighborhood neighbor who helped me a lot. A

Romance

My life as a rising star in software development was predictable, good. Then the Affinity Gauge appeared, numbers hovering above everyone's heads, revealing their true feelings for me. My college sweetheart, Chloe, charming and affectionate, always told me how much she leaned on me, especially aft

Short stories

(A Sequel To The Secret Babies) Just when Lawrence Earl Williams decided to settle down with whom he presumed to be the love of his life, a drunken mistake was revealed and everything came crashing down.

Romance

second I expected her to be complaining or even rambling angrily at me, but she doesn't. And this is just a sample of the many times she just keeps her head down and continues her work, while I can't control my animal side around her. "Shit!" I snort to myself and close my door. I go to my chair and

Literature

The Hunt Ball Mystery by Sir William Magnay

Fantasy

With the Kingdom Heir coming-of-age celebration fast approaching, the search for a match begins. It is decreed a dance will be held; an anonymous masked ball. *** An anonymous masked ball. Nothing but the unique color of your clothing for identification. Thirty ladies roam the ballroom and twent

Literature

My Life by Josiah Flynt

Literature

This is a pre-1923 historical reproduction that was curated for quality. Quality assurance was conducted on each of these books in an attempt to remove books with imperfections introduced by the digitization process. Though we have made best efforts - the books may have occasional errors that do not

Romance

"Voices." That’s how I found Ethan a year ago, online, his deep, calm tones a warm blanket over my introverted self. Today, after months of online chats, my boyfriend was finally coming to meet me in person. My stomach churned with a nervous, hopeful excitement. But then, as if a glitch in my reali

Romance

Ten years ago A&E doctor Kylie hayes turned her back on love, after the heartbreak of losing her baby, But when she meets the handsome Ken Edwards, resisting his blistering touch isn't easy and after a one night stand she returns from Madrid pregnant! As the promise of their miracle baby begins to h

Literature

William Morris (1834-1896) was a British artist and writer. Morris wrote poetry, fiction and translated Icelandic. Morris was part of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, and was one of the founders of the British Arts and Crafts Movement. Morris believed that art should be hand made and affordable. He a

Fantasy

A Dream of John Ball (1888) is a novel by English author William Morris about the English peasants' revolt of 1381 and the rebel John Ball. Like the novels close contemporary - A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court (1889) by Mark Twain - it describes a dream and time travel encounter between t

Romance

Their story began with a little dangerous game. The rules were simple. If she won, he would do one thing for her; if he did, then she would have to stay with him forever no matter what happens. All she wanted on was to win and then take the life of the man who had betrayed her. Read on to see if