The Bob Monster Painting

Modern

I went to the City Clerk's office for a routine copy of my marriage license to finalize a trust fund audit. I expected a simple piece of paper, but the clerk's pitying look told me my entire life was a lie. "The license was never finalized, Ms. Oliver. In the eyes of the state, you are single." The three-hundred-guest wedding at the Plaza and the Vogue features meant nothing. My husband, Gray Cooley, had intentionally filed the documents with a "procedural defect" so he could discard me without a legal divorce. Moments later, an iCloud invite titled "Our Little Secret" popped up on my screen. It was a photo of my best friend, Brylee, holding a positive pregnancy test at our Hamptons estate. Gray's text to her was the final blow: "Happy anniversary, babe. This baby is the best gift. Once the trust unlocks today, we're done with the charade." I soon discovered they were even stealing my career, reassigning my architectural masterpiece to Brylee while preparing my eviction notice. Gray's mother called me a "barren mule" in a leaked recording, mocking the infertility I suffered after saving Gray's life in a construction accident. I wasn't a wife; I was a three-year placeholder used to secure his inheritance. How could the man I bled for treat me like a disposable prop? How could my best friend carry his child while pretending to comfort me through my darkest moments? The betrayal burned until it turned into a cold, hard stone of fury. I didn't cry. Instead, I walked into the penthouse of the Barretts, the Cooleys' most powerful rivals. I signed a marriage contract with Kane Barrett, the man the tabloids called the "Beast of Wall Street." "I want a wedding," I told his father, my voice steady and lethal. "Bigger than the one I had with Gray." If they wanted me gone, they would have to watch me become the woman who owns their world.

Short stories

When simple, demure Blanche Rousseau suddenly finds herself responsible for her late father`s estate and crushing debt, she has nowhere to turn. Her elusive and fastidious neighbor, Adam takes pity on her and agrees to hire her as his live-in housekeeper. Blanche must live under Adam`s domineering c

Literature

Trajectory presents classics of world literature with 21st century features! Our original-text editions include the following visual enhancements to foster a deeper understanding of the work: Word Clouds at the start of each chapter highlight important words. Word, sentence, paragraph counts, and re

Literature

Bob Hampton of Placer by Randall Parrish

Young Adult

I gasped awake, my throat burning. Downstairs, Mom shrieked at Dad about 'Emily' again, their usual symphony of bitterness. I was used to it, used to being Mom' s property, something she controlled, ever since she trapped Dad with a fake pregnancy years ago. She never forgave him Emily, and she

Modern

When the manuscript revealing his adventures among the pre-historic ruins of the Nan–Matal in the Carolines (The Moon Pool) had been given me by the International Association of Science for editing and revision to meet the requirements of a popular presentation, Dr. Goodwin had left America. H

Romance

My seven-year-old daughter, Lily, just died from leukemia. Grief consumed me, but my wife, Vicky, told me it was the will of fate-the experimental Swiss treatment simply failed. We buried our sweet girl. But then, hours later, I overheard Vicky' s voice, surprisingly light, from her study. She w

Billionaires

In "When the Monster Loves", Carlos and Bianca are two hearts wounded by a painful past. Carlos, a cold and powerful tycoon, bears the scars of a history of abuse and an aversion to female touch, leading him into BDSM-based relationships. Bianca, on the other hand, has faced the terrible experience

Horror

I woke up cold, Thanksgiving Eve all over again, the phantom pressure of water in my lungs, a chilling memory of how my wife Ashley had ended my last life. Ashley was already humming, getting ready to leave-not for her aging parents, but for Brandon, her toxic lover, sealing her family' s fate with

Fantasy

The pills sealed my fate, but death wasn't freedom. My spirit lingered, unseen, tethered to a world where my husband, Ethan, flaunted Jessie – the woman who'd driven me to my grave. Three years of silent purgatory passed. Then, Jessie's ambition required my 'skills,' subtly manipulating Ethan to

Literature

This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the original. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preservin

Literature

The Metal Monster by Abraham Merritt

Literature

From the book:As he dropped the last grisly fragment of the dismembered and mutilated body into the small vat of nitric acid that was to devour every trace of the horrid evidence which might easily send him to the gallows, the man sank weakly into a chair and throwing his body forward upon his great

Sci-fi

The world shattered in a flash of white-hot light, and the screaming began. My husband, John, once the living proof of my life' s work, a hero reborn, transformed into a monster right before my eyes. He wasn't just violent; he was unrecognizably enraged, tearing at reinforced barriers with superhum

Werewolf

HOW MUCH CAN YOU PAY FOR A SINGLE NIGHT... The only offense Emily Lee seemed to have committed was being a human among werewolves. Emily was born to a human mother, Benita, and a werewolf father, Oscar Lee. And the fact that just like her mother, Emily has no wolf did not sit well with her werewolf

Horror

Our wedding invitations were chosen, promising a beautiful future with Mike, my college sweetheart of eight years. Then, Mike arrived, face ashen, eyes haunted. He thrust an envelope at me: "I can't do this, Sarah." Pure terror consumed his face as he fled. That was just the first loop. Friends whis

Modern

My mother was dying, and the transplant was her only hope, but it was "very expensive." I swore I'd find the money, somehow. But then, my fiancé broke off our engagement, choosing Sophia Bellweather instead. Desperate, I accepted my childhood friend Ethan Miller's shocking proposal: he'd cover all

Literature

The Forest Monster of Oz by Chris Dulabone

Modern

My daughter Chloe was the bright star of my life. I' d traded Silicon Valley for stay-at-home dad life, and her seventh birthday at "Galaxy Adventure" was everything. But the park was closed for a private event, and I watched my wife, Molly, embrace her high school sweetheart, a man who' d nearly

Romance

My life was a picture of perfection: happily married, a successful graphic designer, and four months pregnant, envisioning a bright future in my chic Chicago apartment. Then, the nightmare began, shattering everything. Masked men burst into my home, assaulting me, and the last thing I remembered b

Horror

My life was perfect. I was Sarah, a loving mom, taking my sweet six-year-old Lily to Kids' Kraft Korner, all smiles and glitter castles. In an instant, my world shattered. A bloodcurdling scream. I raced back inside to find Lily' s lifeless body, her head gone, crafting shears beside her. My heart