aftertaste by yolanda olson

Modern

Today is October 14th, my birthday. I returned to New York after months away, dragging my suitcase through the biting wind, but the VIP pickup zone where my husband's Maybach usually idled was empty. When I finally let myself into our Upper East Side penthouse, I didn't find a cake or a "welcome home" banner. Instead, I found my husband, Caden, kneeling on the floor, helping our five-year-old daughter wrap a massive gift for my half-sister, Adalynn. Caden didn't even look up when I walked in; he was too busy laughing with the girl who had already stolen my father's legacy and was now moving in on my family. "Auntie Addie is a million times better than Mommy," my daughter Elara chirped, clutching a plush toy Caden had once forbidden me from buying for her. "Mommy is mean," she whispered loudly, while Caden just smirked, calling me a "drill sergeant" before whisking her off to Adalynn's party without a second glance. Later that night, I saw a video Adalynn posted online where my husband and child laughed while mocking my "sensitive" nature, treating me like an inconvenient ghost in my own home. I had spent five years researching nutrition for Elara's health and managing every detail of Caden's empire, only to be discarded the moment I wasn't in the room. How could the man who set his safe combination to my birthday completely forget I even existed? The realization didn't break me; it turned me into ice. I didn't scream or beg for an explanation. I simply walked into the study, pulled out the divorce papers I'd drafted months ago, and took a black marker to the terms. I crossed out the alimony, the mansion, and even the custody clause-if they wanted a life without me, I would give them exactly what they asked for. I left my four-carat diamond ring on the console table and walked out into the rain with nothing but a heavily encrypted hard drive. The submissive Mrs. Holloway was gone, and "Ghost," the most lethal architect in the tech world, was finally back online to take back everything they thought I'd forgotten.

Romance

To ensure her sister's happiness, Mia began investigating her future brother-in-law. After all, she couldn't just let her sister marry a total stranger- even if he were Ethan, one of the richest and most powerful men in the world. However, she got caught spying on him. Suddenly, Mia's world got tu

Modern

Everyone in town knew Amelia had chased Jaxton for years, even etching his initials on her skin. When malicious rumors swarmed, he merely straightened his cuff links and ordered her to kneel before the woman he truly loved. Seething with realization, she slammed her engagement ring down on his desk

History

What would you think of someone riding around the countryside snatching bride and bridegrooms? Is he insane, bisexual? Gay? What if he were only five ? Why then? Here we have the tale of Yun Canglan, who was born into an ancient past after perishing accidentally in the modern world. Her first thou

Romance

Her mother's scheme granted her a wild one night stand with a stranger. But as soon as the sun rose, her family's debts were paid off, and everyone disappeared on her. At that time, she found herself miserably abandoned. Five years later, she had already become a famous painter once she returned to

Literature

Stand By by Hugh McAlister

LGBT+

"No, don't go," he said wincing in pain, tears pricked in my eyes. unable to witness such a scene. "You need help Christian! I can't fix this on my own" I plead with him to let me go but he pulled me closer "You are enough" he smiled painfully, and held the back of my head pulling me closer to his

Billionaires

MARRIED BY MIDNIGHT A slow-burn billionaire romance full of heat, heart, and one accidental "I do." Sloane Hart thought landing a job as executive assistant to Manhattan's most powerful CEO would change her life. She just didn't expect it to change her last name. Grayson Astor is cold, calculating

Fantasy

A prince cursed to turn into stone by day falls for a gardener tending the magical roses in his castle grounds. Together, they seek the key to breaking the curse before it's too late

Modern

I was an architect, designing futures, and I finally had my own: a baby with my fiancé, Ethan Riley. Then, a brutal attack left me in darkness. Ethan told me it was a mugging, that they saved me but couldn't save my eyes. I believed him, clinging to him in my new black world. But then, one night,

Billionaires

Luciana Alejandro is a twenty five year old, single mother of Rodriguez-Matthew Alejandro, her five year old son. She had Rodriguez when she was twenty with her ex-boyfriend who abandoned her and his responsibilities as a father. She had taken up different jobs to be able to afford her son's needs a

Billionaires

Damian Cross is a reclusive billionaire, haunted by a past so dark that it keeps him isolated from the world and from love. A traumatic witness to his father's murder, he's spent years building an empire while secretly seeking vengeance on those responsible. But when Emma Blake enters his life as an

Billionaires

Zara Morgan has spent most of her whole life in the shadows. Because that's what happens when you're cursed by death. And haunted by a father who was tortured, then killed, for a crime he didn't commit. As far as Zara is concerned, the whole Morgan family is cursed. Forever bound to suffer from th

Werewolf

Aria never wanted to stand in the center of the Moonlight Ceremony, surrounded by wolves who despised her. But one touch on the moonstone changed everything. The mate bond snapped into place with Alpha Kael-the strongest wolf in the Western Pack. His breath hitched. Her pulse raced. But Kael sa

Romance

My godmother Eleanor, ever the matchmaker, sat across from me with a stack of glossy portfolios, ready to choose my future wife. But a cold dread washed over me, sharper than any D.C. winter. I remembered it all: Veronica, "Ronnie" Sterling, my ex-wife, handing me divorce papers with a chilling sm

Romance

My name is Luna Boudreaux. They call me the Oracle. For generations, my family, the Boudreaux, has served the powerful Devereaux dynasty. Our sacred duty: activate the Legacy Locket to choose the next Devereaux heir, who then marries me. Today was that day, the Locket ceremony, set to fulfill our de

Modern

A splash of ice-cold water shocked me awake, but the smell of stale takeout and cheap air freshener told me something was terribly wrong. The last thing I remembered was a dark cargo container, the scent of the sea, and the chilling realization that my own brother, Liam, had sold me to human traffi

Modern

Dr. Chen looked at my patent transfer agreement, concerned. "Ava, are you absolutely sure? This patent is your life's work." I was sure; it was my only way to shield it from my family. They saw my success not as pride, but as a resource for Willow, my foster sister, who masterfully painted me as sel

Werewolf

"Meet me in my chamber April, tonight i shall weaken your bones with pleasure" " Do not come with your underpants" Wiston added with a wink."Yes my lord" April replied shyly as her face turned pink.April had always identified as the "Weak One", a A wolfless omega without powers. For years, she's bee

Billionaires

Elena Carter never wanted to marry Killian Blackwood , the ruthless billionaire who bought her father's company. But when she's blackmailed into signing a marriage contract with an unbreakable clause, she becomes his wife bound to him by law, but despised in his eyes. Killian believes she's a trai

Billionaires

That's all he wanted from her to heal his shattered heart and the compensation's currency will be in millions. Rule: No Emotional Intimacy Should Be Involved In This Relationship. She signed the contract, and he owned her. But three weeks before the deadline, she went missing, leaving him clueless