115 Book(s) Related to pamper

Everyone thinks I'm the wild child of the family, the one who won't fall in line.

Blake's the young king of the business world—rational, cold, always in those perfectly cut suits.

But every night, he's got me pinned underneath him, breathing my name.

He said I was his, but never let me see daylight. Until she came back—my father's mistress's daughter, in her white dress, smiling like an angel.

On my birthday, he went to pick her up from the airport. When the chandelier crashed down, he carried her to the hospital and left me bleeding on the floor. When she smashed my mother's heirloom, he made me apologize on my knees. He said she was fragile, needed care; said I was strong enough to understand.

Then I heard them on my bed, her moaning his name.

So I left. Married a man who truly loved me. And he went insane.

He kidnapped me, forced a wedding, announced to the world I was his wife.

But this time, I just smiled and shook my head.

"Let go. It's too late."

On a rainy night outside Lumina City Hall, Chloe is abandoned by her fiancé of five years. Her grandfather is dying, her ten-year-old brother Noah may be taken by CPS, and a vicious inheritance battle is closing in. With no time to fall apart, she turns to Arthur, a stranger who has also just been left at the altar, and asks the impossible: “Will you marry me?”

One contract, one-dollar penalty, and one fake marriage later, Chloe only wants to protect Noah, fool the caseworker, and give her grandfather peace. But Arthur is not the broke freelance writer he claims to be. His expensive clothes, secret calls, and unsettling control hint at a far deeper secret.

He makes promises at her grandfather’s ICU bedside, plays the perfect husband during the CPS visit, and slowly earns Noah’s wary trust. Chloe knows this is supposed to be a deal—so why does his kindness feel dangerously real?

They survive the first home visit, only to learn CPS will return unannounced within thirty days. Arthur has to stay.

But as his true identity begins to surface, can their one-dollar marriage remain just a transaction?

Every time my husband wants to make me give in, he slaps divorce papers on the table. Every time my parents want me to cave, they threaten to disown me.

What they want is simple: give everything to my twin sister.

I used to fight back. I cried. I demanded to know why it always had to be me.

But when the doctor slides the test results across his desk and tells me in that pitying voice, "Stage four brain cancer. You have a month, maybe less," something in me just... stops caring.

I'm dying anyway. They can do whatever the hell they want.

Ethan Ashworth had nothing — no money, no family, no future. Just a rundown room, a handsome face that brought him nothing but pain, and the daily beatings from rich bullies who saw him as trash.

Then came the brutal ambush behind the school building. Left bleeding and alone as the weekend began, Ethan finally gave up on life.

That was when the voice spoke.

[Bloodline Legacy Contract activated.]

Suddenly, the frail orphan from the slums was thrust into another world — a realm of magic, kings, and monsters. With a mysterious system at his side and a sword in his hand, Ethan must complete deadly missions to grow stronger.

Because back home, the rich still rule… and he has a score to settle.

"I will sort that out, just have some faith in your man."

"Yes, daddy," Encha knew just how much that word drives her man crazy.

Looking at his hazy eyes made her roll her eyes at him with laughter.

Keaton who had been made fun off could only restrain his anger and drove the little girl to his penthouse apartment.

When Encha realized what was happening, she was already pinned against the elevator wall being thoroughly kissed.

All it took for him to have her in palm was a marriage proposal threateningly done by him.

In order for her to keep the secret she had been keeping from her adoptive parents,

Enchantia didn't hesitate to give herself to the man who made her heart skip and sent shivers down her spine.

So what if he was dangerous? Enchantia believed that between the two of them, she was more dangerous than him but for the sake of her beloved ones, she wouldn't mind attaching herself to this devil.

What could she fear when she can be herself around him?

On the way to escape, a stranger took away her virginity. She didn’t expect that the stranger was Jasper Milton, who was rich and powerful, as well as ruthless and cold. It was said that he didn’t love woman. However, it was not true. She was suffering from a sore back after having sex with him every day, and finally she couldn’t stand it, “You don’t need to be responsible for me anymore, and you are free now.” He sat by her bed, pulled her into his arms, and said gently: “Stella, are you mistaken, shouldn’t it be you who is responsible? " Stella Grace:”…"

She’s been a proper princess—but she wants to rebel.After the death of her fiancé, Princess Madeleine knows a loveless, arranged marriage awaits her. She’s resigned to her fate until she meets her intended husband. Crown Prince Enrique is gorgeous, but he comes on way too strong, says the wrong things, and fumbles with apologies. He’s more court jester than Prince Charming. How can she marry him?Enrique might be self-centered and lack social skills, but he’s trying to do better—for himself, his country, and his future wife. Despite their royal union being a political necessity, he wants his marriage with the captivating Madeleine to be a love match. He’s willing to do whatever it takes to woo her. How hard can it be to win his princess bride’s heart?Nearly impossible, he discovers, because Madeleine seems unwilling—or unable—to give him her heart. On their wedding day, instead of exchanging vows, will the royal couple say goodbye?

All it took for him to have her in palm was a marriage proposal threateningly done by him. In order for her to keep the secret she had been keeping from her adoptive parents, Enchantia didn't hesitate to give herself to the man who made her heart skip and sent shivers down her spine.
So what if he was dangerous? Enchantia believed that between the two of them, she was more dangerous than him but for the sake of her beloved ones, she wouldn't mind attaching herself to this devil.
What could she fear when she can be herself around him?

Love is not part of why Kane Beaumont marries Emilia Taylor.
It was purely a contract deal to him and nothing more. Saving her family's business from the claws of evil loan sharks is Emilia's motive for marrying a man she barely knew.
However, she doesn't count on being hopelessly attracted to him even when he treats her like a worthless peasant.
Their relationship is chaotic, thanks to Kane's lover who is determined to ruin any opportunity of their romance ever blooming.
Even if it means putting Emilia's life in danger, setting her up, and turning the world against her.
When sparks begin to fly between Kane and Emilia after an unfortunate accident, their relationship goes through a tough test that destroys the tiny flames of love burning between them.
Will love eventually find a way in the end or will this marriage continue to be a high-stakes business deal with dangerous rewards?

Vera is a poor girl who was tricked by bad guys to sell to human traffickers. She successfully escaped and caught Egan being hunted by the enemy. Vera saves Egan's life and is rewarded by him by marrying her.

Lani, the step-sister, learned that Vera had a happy life and was jealous, trying to harm Vera to take her position.

After so many storms, will Vera be happy with Egan?

The day Elodie was diagnosed with late-stage cancer, she received intimate photos of her husband and his mistress.

Five years of marriage, and she had been nothing more than a presentable servant — her mother-in-law barked orders at will, her husband saved every tender moment for someone else, and even the money to treat her illness had to pass through layers of approval.

Finally, she slid the divorce papers across the table to him, picked up her luggage, and moved into a rented room. In her pocket: the cheapest painkillers she could find. On the bill: Initial Treatment Cost — $100,000.

No one knew she was sick. And no one remembered that this so-called "useless young madam" had once been a legendary prodigy at law school.

A light buried under dust for too long.

It was time to dig it back out.

At my ex-fiancé's engagement party to my own sister, a stranger made me come with just his hands and his mouth. I only found out later he was the city's most feared Mafia boss...

Dear readers,
I'm taking a necessary health break and will have to pause updates for a while. Thank you for your understanding and continued support! I appreciate you all.

"To my lovely readers: I’m really sorry to say that I’ve been sick lately and need to take a short break from writing to recover. I’ll be back as soon as I can!"

Beautiful, kind and loyal.
Who would have thought this would happen to her?
When Piper steps in to help a friend, she would never expect she would land in serious trouble. Abused, broken and used as a pawn in a conspiracy to bring down her best friend’s husband’s company, her life takes on a sudden somersault.
Will she ever walk out of this living hell or will she be drawn in by the temptation of the evil within?

Married for four years, Emily remained childless. A hospital diagnosis plunged her life into hell. Unable to conceive? But her husband was rarely home during these four years, so how could she get pregnant?
Emily and her billionaire husband were in a contractual marriage; she had hoped to win his love through effort. However, when her husband appeared with a pregnant woman, she despaired. After being kicked out, homeless Emily was taken in by a mysterious billionaire. Who was he? How did he know Emily? More importantly, Emily was pregnant.

On the anniversary of my mother's death, Thomas promised he'd come pay his respects with me. I waited at the cemetery all day, only to see media reports of him vacationing with his first love.

Everyone assumed Thomas had a secret child with her. That they were about to get married.

And me? His actual wife?

I went home, left the divorce papers on the table, and burned our marriage certificate.

Three years of marriage. Harper gave up her career, cut off her friends, and made herself invisible for Evan.
Then on her birthday, the blow came. Claire showed up pregnant: "Mrs. Morgan's spot will be mine eventually. What's the point of you holding onto it?"
Harper finally woke up. She filed for divorce without looking back.
The day she signed the papers, she smiled calmly at the reporters waiting outside: "The reason for the divorce? Mr. Morgan was simply never able to satisfy me. In that department."
The untouchable CEO became a punchline overnight.
Evan assumed she was getting back at him. He had no idea Harper was no longer the caged bird he remembered.
Her design talent shook the industry. His own business rivals fell for her.
By the time he realized the partner he had been desperately chasing was his ex-wife, it was already too late.
"Harper, can we start over?"
"Mr. Morgan, if something's wrong with you, go see a doctor. Do you need me to pay for the appointment?"

Synopsis – The Beloved and Pampered Wife from Childhood of the CEO
Genre: Contemporary Romance / Family Drama / Suspense

From childhood friends to reluctant soulmates, Kian Sutton and Elena Madison were bound together by an innocent promise and a secret marriage. As heirs to two of New York’s most powerful families, their paths were scripted from the beginning—until tragedy, betrayal, and painful choices tore them apart.

Years later, Elena returns to New York—not as the pampered heiress she once was, but as a quiet storm determined to uncover the truth behind her mother’s mysterious death and the web of corruption buried deep within the Sutton Foundation. She’s no longer the shy, obedient girl Kian once knew. And she’s certainly not here for love.

Kian, now the cold and commanding CEO of Sutton Enterprises, never expected to see the wife who vanished without a trace. But her reappearance shatters the careful order of his life. She’s still legally his. Still tied to him in ways that make his board nervous and his heart ache.

As Elena digs deeper, enemies from both their pasts begin to circle—some willing to destroy the Sutton legacy, and others desperate to bury the truth forever. Tensions rise. Old feelings resurface. And Kian must choose between protecting his empire or standing beside the woman who might burn it all down to uncover justice.

In a world of power, wealth, and betrayal, love may be their greatest liability—or their only way out.

Do all men lose interest in their wives after marriage?

We’ve been married for five years, and he never touched me.

At first he said he wasn’t well, so I was understanding. Later he recovered, but still kept me far away.

On our fifth wedding anniversary, my sister came in for a check-up, clearly pregnant with his child.

The truth hit me hard: he wasn’t incapable. He was just incapable with me.

I drew up the divorce papers, ready to end this empty marriage.

On the reason for divorce, I wrote with my own hand:

“Male sexual dysfunction; no marital relations in five years.”

He only smiled coldly when he saw it.

A week later, in the urology clinic.

I put on my medical gloves, looked at him, and said calmly:

“Sir, will you undress yourself, or shall I help you?”

His disapproval didn’t take away my confidence.

I still embraced better things in my career and love life!

But his life started to be filled with one accident after another.

He drained my blood to save his mistress; now, I'm back to drain his empire dry.
"How can you do this to me, Zane?!" I ask in a heartbroken and devastated tone as tears roll down my cheeks in torrents.
"I stood by your side when everyone else left you! Hell, I donated my skin to you!" I say in a frantic tone as I try desperately to understand the reasons behind his actions.
"Stop being pathetic, Zara. You have lost the one thing that made you useful: your beauty, and in turn, your modelling career. The only woman who can secure my inheritance is Elora. You were only good while you lasted." Zane says with a sneer on his lips.
"It's over between us," Zane says with a tone of finality.


Zara Smith, blinded by love, abandons her heiress legacy and hides her identity to marry an illegitimate billionaire heir, Zane Wesley.
After getting into an accident staged by his step-siblings, he urgently needs saving. Despite being informed of all she had to lose, she donates parts of her skin to heal him.
When Zane no longer sees a need for her, he divorces her and marries another heiress to secure his inheritance. Three years later, she returns and is determined to bring Zane down.
To do this, she reclaims her legacy and... forms an alliance with her all-along silent investor and billionaire heir, Leo Armstrong. Watch them ruin the cheating couple—piece by piece!

"You're marrying my mother, Jack,"I said. "And I'm pregnant with your baby."
"Pardon?"
The icy voice behind us froze me in place.
I didn't need to turn to know who it was.
Jack's grip tightened, but my knees were already giving out.
I turned slowly, and Celeste stood in the doorway, her face a porcelain mask of shock and fury.
"Mum…" I took a trembling step toward her, instinctively wrapping my arms around my stomach. "Please, I can explain…"


I let his father touch me.
I didn’t mean for it to happen.
It was supposed to be just one night—a reckless decision to escape the pain of a broken past. I didn’t know who he was, only that he was older, magnetic, and made me feel wanted for the first time in years.
But that night changed everything.
Jackson Romero isn’t just anyone. He’s the father of my first love—the boy who broke my heart ten years ago. And now… I’m pregnant.
Worse, Jackson is about to become my stepfather, and his son is back in my life.
They say age is just a number, and Jackson… belongs to my mother.
But how can I walk away when every part of me already belongs to him? When my body remembers his touch, but my heart still aches for the boy who turned his back on me.
Caught between the twisted lies my mother spins, the betrayal of the boy I once loved, and the dangerously irresistible man I never should have touched, I’m faced with a choice that could destroy us all.
In our story, love always comes with a price.
And someone lurking in the shadows will stop at nothing to make sure I pay it, no matter the cost.

“Nira,” he breathed, reaching for the back of her head.
She continued to work every inch of him, her hands teasing, her mouth caressing, until his legs began to shake and his knees nearly buckled. She started to feel him grow larger as she moved faster, pulling his hips to her as she swallowed every inch of him, listening to him pant and groan.


It began with the legendary love story between Nira and Cursed One, Mikael. Mythical Investigator Nira Daniels was sent to look into a realm veil because of rumors of Daemoni terrorizing the local village. What Nira found instead was Mikael, the son of the High Queen, known as the Cursed One. He was nothing like she expected a Daemoni to be. Nira saw a thoughtful and insightful man under Mikael’s fearsome Daemoni form. And Mikael learned what love is with Nira’s company. It was a happily-ever-after, until their daughter Theanna was born, whose life was bonded to an intricate destiny……

High-school misfit Julian fell in over his head into a relationship doomed for dysfunction. When the love of your life turns out to be a polyamorous vampire, eternity together is bound to be a messy rollercoaster, but even after all the trauma and heartbreak, this one of a kind devil still holds his heart. If only Luc shared his devotion... He certainly shares his obsession.

“Your girlfriend’s pretty cynical, now isn’t she?” Luc speaks into my ear, leaning casually on my shoulder. I blush bright red, and his smile grows all the broader.
He takes both our hands and leads us off across the dance floor, and the crowd parts for him like he’s the King of England - the bouncers steering away anyone that tries to block us.
“Holy shit. You really are the owner?!” Heather drunkenly shouts, as we make our way up the stairs and into that VIP booth.
“My club and my right to lay claim to anyone who catches my eye,” Luc drawls, and I shoot him a look, shifting my weight to get in between him and Heather.
“Look, you can’t just… I mean, thanks for the drinks, but she is not going to…” God I sound like an idiot, and staring straight in Luc’s eyes I feel more than a little intimidated, especially because he is not intimidated by me whatsoever. He’s smiling like I’ve just gifted him a shiny new present. I turn to tell Heather we should go, and Luc catches my arm.
“I wasn’t trying to steal away your date,” he laughs. “I invited the both of you here, now didn’t I?” He pushes a hand through Heather’s hair, turning boldly to face her dreamy eyed gawking. “You ever had a three way?”

Eli tore off my soaked panties, his cock thrusting straight into my body.
"Baby, you're so tight and so wet!" Eli murmured in my ear.
Tears streamed down my face as I begged him to leave.
"Eli, you're my uncle—we can't do this!"
He slammed into my body with force. "You're just my brother's adopted daughter; we have no blood relation!"
——
Genesis discovered that her uncle Eli had murdered the family advisor. Unfortunately, she was also spotted by Eli. To avoid being killed, she had no choice but to submit to him while secretly looking for an opportunity to strike back. However, as Eli toyed with and teased her, he gradually crossed the boundaries of their familial roles.
Unwilling to become his mistress, Genesis exposed Eli's murder of the family advisor to the public. Enraged, Eli left the family. Genesis, in turn, was forced to leave the family as well for framing him. Three years later, they met again. By then, Genesis had become an outstanding IT talent, while Eli had built his own powerful family empire. Now that their paths have crossed once more, what will become of them?

"Erin, are you really going to get back together with that cowardly ex-fiancé?" Kingsley stared at me, demanding an answer.
Tears welled up in my eyes as I glared at him and shouted back, "Yes! So what? We have nothing between us.Who the hell are you to question me?"
Kingsley burst into laughter, his laugh so sinister that it sent chills down my spine; looking at him, I felt both terrified and utterly estranged.
"He's a gentleman, sure, but can he make you climax in bed?" It was only then that I realized Kingsley had backed me into a corner.
His hand slid my short skirt up, his fingers teasing along the edge of my already drenched panties.
"Miss Erin, you're soaked for me!"

“So blood is less like a meal for you than it is a drug trip,” I note, and he rests his hand on my thigh, making my heart clench.

“No, blood is sustenance,” he corrects, “some bland and some flavorful, but your blood,” He leans in closer, finger tracing up the side of my leg, right along the femoral artery. “I was taken to heaven, my soul lit aflame. Pure ecstasy. I wish I could show you.” His eyes scorch my skin, suffusing my cheeks with heat. His fingers are right there between my legs, and I know without a doubt that such ecstasy is well within my reach, no biting required. He can see that desire darkening my gaze, and his smile steadily broadens. “You know, there are ways of enhancing one’s flavor. I normally tease it out for hours before I drink.” He rests his lips against my ear. “Sanguis always tastes best when a woman is in full climax.”


Leah just wanted to make some friends and blow off some steam. She did not expect her night of clubbing to get her kidnapped by a coven of hot, young vampires addicted to her blood. Now she’s a slave, a blood servant in a mansion of beautiful tormentors fighting each other to lay permanent claim to her. She doesn’t need to pick just one. She could have them all if she chose, but the urge to escape and rescue her imprisoned best friend, the man she’s been in love with since grade school, that noble need remains. Even if he could never fully satisfy her needs and fulfill her darkest fantasies the way the others can… It’s too deadly a game, leading them all on, and one of these vampires is bound to overindulge and suck her dry. Though the truth is, she’d enjoy every second of that experience, right up until death.

"Nydia, you're moaning too loud. Your ex-fiancé in the garden is going to be heartbroken if he hears!"
Vincent's cock was thrusting against my G-spot, his hands kneading my breasts. I clung tightly to Vincent, tightening my core under his powerful thrusts until I reached climax.
"Let him die! Right now, I only want you!"
——
At Nydia's long-awaited proposal ceremony, her fiancé Gordon cheated on her with her adoptive sister. Faced with the double betrayal from her fiancé and her family, Nydia decided to leave and rely on her own dancing talent to regain her former confidence. But Gordon soon regretted it. He knelt at Nydia's door, begging her to take him back—but the one who opened the door wasn't Nydia. "We just finished making love; she's too exhausted and resting." Nydia once thought no one truly loved her, but Vincent's appearance made her bloom with her original radiance, taking her again and again to explore the limits of her body.

I like to stay an optimist, but being a college drop-out and lonely barista is not exactly an eventful or enviable life. Then one of my customers kidnapped me on my way to work and tried to turn me into a human sacrifice. It seems she mistook me for her rival, an ancient witch.
To be clear, I am not a witch. Turns out I can shape-shift though. Just.. not very well. I have zero control over what I turn into, and now I appear to be stuck as a cat, a little black house cat to be more specific. I was stranded in the woods with zero chance of getting back to civilization when I came across this beautiful werewolf boy just returning from a night of full moon fun way out here in the woods.
Now I know what you’re thinking: cat chases dog, a bad idea, right? But human him seems to love my fluffy cat self. Though he has no idea who I really am since the only thing I can say to him right now is either “purr” or “meow”. He was kind enough to rescue me and take me home to his apartment. Now I’ve been sitting on his lap and sleeping in his bed and feeling entirely frustrated I have no way to ask him how the hell you control this animal to human thing! He seems to manage it easily enough, snapping right back to human shape each morning from wolf, so why can’t I escape this prison of furry flesh?
I need to find some way to communicate with him, and also to deal with this witch hunting me down. And also avoid this boy’s family: an entire, volatile clan of werewolves with a decidedly low tolerance for cat-girls.

Everyone deserves a second chance, even if they tried to strangle you to death in your sleep.

Aya has been trained all her life as a living weapon, but she has never taken a life. She has never been with a man. She lives her life for the sake of her mistress Lady Charlotte. Her latest mission: impersonating her lady and becoming bride to the barbarian prince who has invaded her homeland and imprisoned the former queen.

It will be a brutal task, assassinating the prince and his father and reclaiming the castle from the hands of the hundreds of savage northmen who have seized it. Aya is fully equipped for that mission, but she is not at all prepared for the savage charm of her new suitor. His tongue is just as wicked as his features are angelic, and the fact that he could break her neck with ease should he discover her duplicitous plot… Her intense attraction to him grows ever more potent, and her impulse is to claim him, not as a victim of her deadly scheme, but as her lover.

Will the prince even accept her though, if he uncovers her true identity: a peasant girl who came to this castle to murder him? Or is this deadly game of betrayal doomed to end in all out war?

Three years ago, on the eve of my wedding, my fiancé murdered my parents.Hiding behind his billions, he feigned insanity and slipped through the cracks of justice.
Now, three years later, this devil has returned—professing love, begging for another chance.He watches me, forces me, imprisons me, as if I were his golden canary, trapped and powerless.
I fight back, collecting evidence piece by piece, determined to put him behind bars.I thought I was the one holding the power, standing at the cliff’s edge, watching him struggle at the bottom.
What I didn’t know… was that I had been the devil's prey all along, and it was me writhing at the bottom—while the devil stood above, smiling in control.

After three years of a secret marriage, my husband refused to pay for a life-saving surgery—
yet spent a fortune on another woman.

I filed for divorce.

He thought I would come back, broken and begging.

Instead, I picked up my scalpel again.

While my ex-husband looked down on me, I saved countless lives.

When my breakthrough medicine won an international award,
and the world’s richest man proposed to me,
my ex-husband finally lost his mind—
showing up at my proposal ceremony too late to stop anything.

Within the intricate tapestry of "Anonymous Baby Daddy," a tale of shadows and redemption unfolds. Yingmei, an heiress enshrouded in opulence, stumbles upon a truth that shatters the facade of friendship and love. As she navigates the tempestuous waves of betrayal, her journey becomes a symphony of resilience and vengeance, interwoven with the enigmatic Gu Mohan. Through a whirlwind of emotions and intricately woven plots, Yingmei must unveil the depths of deception, confronting the very essence of forgiveness and the complexity of human connections. In a crescendo of revelations, alliances form, destinies entwine, and a new dawn beckons, casting its ethereal light on love's enduring power amidst adversity. Is a symphony of words that dances between perplexity and Burst, leaving readers entranced by its melody of emotions and the entangled fates of its characters.

"Don't call her a bitch, asshole," Sierra hissed.
"What's it got to do with you?" the greasy creep demanded.
"Oh, I don't know, Stimpy, maybe because you're harassing my woman and she just got here."
"Oh, shit, Orion. Sorry, man. Didn't realize she was with you."
Orion: As the heir apparent to the Primal Howlers' MC President patch, a chance encounter with a beautiful woman pulls me into a war I wasn't expecting that could bring the whole club down. But when she runs from me, I will pursue her to the end of the earth to find her and bring her back.
Whether she likes it or not.
Raquel: I moved to Monument, Colorado to write my thesis and get some much-needed distance from my overbearing family. What I didn't expect was to find myself hung up on a biker who appears to have nothing to lose.
I, however, have everything to lose and I'm worried Orion just might be my downfall.

Road to Joy
Join the members of the Dogs of Fire Motorcycle Club as they prepare for their Christmas Celebration. Revisit your favorite characters during the most festive holiday of the year.
Unwrapped
Christmas is approaching for the Dogs of Fire and Burning Saints Motorcycle Clubs, but rather than the usual holiday cheer, the air is filled with the tension of a brewing civil war.
The Gresham Spiders, a local 1% MC, is hellbent on expansion and both clubs lie directly in their path. Will assistance from an outside ally help diffuse the situation long enough to keep the peace during the holiday season?
Join Hatch and Minus, along with these two beloved MCs, as they celebrate the holidays and try to keep their clubs from splintering under the pressure.
Rocky Mountain Christmas
Mouse
There's only one gift I want this Christmas, but the closer I get to Kennedy, the more she pushes me away. I'll do whatever it takes to get onto her nice list, even if it means riding my bike all the way to the North Pole and strong-arming Santa myself.
Kennedy
I have two choices. Open myself up to a man who has the power to shatter me. Or run and protect my heart once and for all. The problem is, a murderous Douglas Fir gets in the way of my perfectly planned escape.
Is it a sign, or merely a roadblock on the path to finding true love?
And does a scrooge like me, even deserve to find herself under the mistletoe this Christmas?

I used to be the Blackwells' best killer. For him, I walked away from that life and became his wife. I even gave him a daughter.

I thought it was redemption. Turns out, it was the start of something worse.

Three years ago, during that shootout at the docks, his first love showed up with his bastard son. When the rival family put guns to both kids' heads, he didn't hesitate. He chose to save her son.

My daughter burned in the explosion.

That was the day the man I loved for ten years died. What's left is just my sworn enemy.

At the Met Gala, I heard my husband tell his friends in French that I'm "boring." That his 22-year-old girlfriend is "so much more exciting in bed."

He laughed when they asked if I knew. "Elle ne comprend même pas 'bonjour'." (She doesn't even understand 'bonjour'.)

What Marcus doesn't know: I spent two years at the Sorbonne.

Je comprends tout, Marcus. I understand everything.

The diamond necklace he gave me after my miscarriage suddenly feels too tight. I smile at him across the champagne and candlelight.

He has no idea what's coming.

Everyone says he loved me more than anything. So I chose to answer that love with death.

Forbes cover stories, tearful speeches at charity galas, shutting down Fifth Avenue every Valentine's Day just to watch fireworks with me. They said he ruled a business empire but would kneel in front of the entire world and call me his reason to live.

I used to believe it.

Until I discovered my perfect husband had built another home with another woman. A warm one, filled with laughter and his child.

So I chose to disappear the night the storm swallowed everything.

They say he spent three days on his knees at the cliff's edge, screaming my name into the black ocean. The man worth billions couldn't even find his wife's body.

When the rescue team recovered that burned-out car, he finally opened the safe I'd left for him. Inside was a positive pregnancy test and a divorce agreement that would never be signed.

By then, nothing mattered anymore.

At the bar, I watched Ethan get publicly dumped and made a crazy proposal fueled by liquid courage—a three-month fake dating contract.

I thought this was my only chance after twenty years of secret crushing. Until his ex showed me the text: "With Mia? Pretty convenient. She's been following me around since we were kids."

So I was just a tool.

The day we broke up, he shouted with red eyes: "I've been crazy about you for twenty years!" I thought he was acting, until his mom handed me a worn journal—

That careless comment I made at thirteen, "I'm never marrying Ethan," he'd remembered for twenty whole years.

Every page of that diary was filled with my name...

Three years after returning to the Duke's estate, I finally admit the truth: the phoenix I poured my heart into raising doesn't love me. He only spreads his brilliant tail feathers for the replacement.

I was six when traffickers took me, stuck in the slums for twenty years. A year after losing me, the Duke and Duchess adopted an infant from the church.

That girl became the new daughter, enjoying everything that should have been mine.

When they found me at twenty-six, my parents looked at me with guilt, yes, but mostly like I was a stranger. They loved the daughter they raised more.

I don't blame them.

Twenty years in the slums taught me: don't count on anyone's love. Only power and gold won't betray you.

So when he refused me for the third time, I went to the black market auction and bought a battered wolf slave.

The phoenix finally panicked, feathers flaring, voice shaking:

"Master, you promised you'd only keep one magical beast..."

Ethan and I grew up together. We were supposed to exchange rings at the altar, make our vows. But on our wedding day, he left me standing there to go save his so-called suicidal ex. Almost killed my parents from the shame.

Four years later, I'm back in Portland with my husband. The city isn't that big, and of course fate decides to throw him in my path again.

He has the nerve to ask me to be his mistress.

I hold up my left hand, the ring catching the light. "Are you blind?"

The day I get diagnosed with stage four lung cancer, I can finally stop selling plasma.

For five years, I thought I was paying for the fire that killed my parents and son, left my brother disabled. Selling plasma, joining drug trials, doing the worst jobs imaginable, all to pay back a debt that wasn't even real.

The doctor says I have a few weeks left. I clutch the diagnosis report and head home to tell them.

The moment I push open the door, I see my parents in the kitchen, the ones who supposedly died in the fire. My brother, who was supposed to be in a wheelchair, stands there raising a glass, laughing with my husband.

My brother shrugs like it's nothing. "The broken leg was fake the whole time. You were the only one hurt in the fire. We just wanted to teach you a lesson, make you appreciate things."

"We were going to tell you eventually." My husband pats my shoulder. "Go apologize to Vanessa. Stop giving her a hard time."

"All the money you gave us went to Vanessa," Dad says. "That's what you get for throwing your bio-daughter status in her face."

I touch the diagnosis in my pocket. Everything was a lie. The only truth is that I'm dying.

The first thing I do with my second chance is sell off my perfect fiancé for ten million dollars.

The first time around, I became someone else for Julian Whitmore.

He likes nude-toned dresses. Hates when I wear anything with color. He won't let me have more than one glass of champagne in public. Won't let me laugh too loud. Won't let me initiate anything in bed.

His voice is always so calm, like he's correcting a disobedient pet.

I spend three years turning myself into what he wants: docile, proper, flawless. Until depression drags me under. Until that night I lay in the bathtub and watched the water turn red.

When I die, he's still downstairs in his study, editing my speech for tomorrow's charity gala.

When I open my eyes again, I'm sitting in the Winters' living room with that unsigned arrangement in front of me.

This time? Fuck perfect.

But when he lifts that veil at the wedding and realizes the bride isn't me, this man who's spent his whole life in control completely loses it.

It's supposed to be our last class trip before graduation. The bus loses control on a mountain road and goes over the edge.

I think we're all going to die.

When I open my eyes again, I'm sitting in a classroom that looks like it's been rotting for decades.

A system alert blares through my skull:

【Welcome to Ravenwood High. Unnameable creatures roam the campus. Survive 7 days. Uncover the truth behind the campus Boss's death. Every player who dies adds $800,000 to the prize pool. Make it out, and the money is yours.】

Everyone loses it. Screaming, crying, total chaos. The first thing Brett does is shove me toward the door to check the hallway. Because of course he does. I'm the class punching bag. The girl nobody would miss.

Everyone assumes I'll be the first to die.

What nobody sees is the smile pulling at the corner of my mouth as I stand at that door, staring at whatever is writhing in the shadows of the hallway.

The night the team wins again, the roar inside the arena could raise the roof.

On the ice, the captain has his arm around the new cheer captain, spinning her under the lights. His skates cut clean lines across the ice. Teammates whistle and shout, someone yells "ask her out!", someone else films on their phone. Everyone waits for me to show up and make a scene. Cry, stumble onto the ice, drop to my knees and beg him to come back. Pathetic, like every time before.

But no one knows I'm in the back of the locker room right now, pressed against a cold metal locker.

The quiet backup player has his hand on the back of my neck, his voice barely steady. "You sure about this?"

I push up on my toes and kiss him first.

Three months ago, I was kidnapped. When Alexander rescued me, I woke up in a hospital bed with my clothes disheveled and bruises covering my body. What happened during those hours? I don't remember any of it.

A week ago, I found out I was pregnant. He held me as I shook and told me that it wasn't my fault. That he failed to protect me. Even if the baby wasn't his, he'd raise it. He'd still give me the perfect wedding.

But the guilt ate me alive until depression took hold.

Every night, sleep stays out of reach. Nightmares find me the moment I close my eyes. I've tried to end it. Three times now. Each time, someone found me just in time.

After the third failed attempt, I make tea and head toward his study to apologize. Voices drift through the door before I reach it.

"Are you out of your mind? Evelyn's your fiancée!" His friend sounds disbelieving. "You actually hired someone to kidnap her? Made her think she was assaulted? Just so Lily could take her place? Do you know how messed up that is? What that does to someone?"

Alexander's voice comes out calm. "Lily got sick because of me. Her dying wish is to marry me once before she goes. If I didn't push Evelyn out of the picture, her father would never let Lily take her place."

All those nights. All those nightmares. All those times I scrubbed my hands raw until they bled. It was all a lie. A setup.

For another woman.

I pull out my phone and call my father.

"Dad. I'll agree to the arrangement."

I'm two months pregnant with Tristan's baby when Brielle, the woman he'd do anything for, shoves me down the stairs.

She calls it an accident. I lose the baby.

I beg my husband to do something about it. Instead, he shields her and turns it around on me.

"Brielle saved my life in that fire. The whole Merrick family owes her. So drop it."

That debt. Always that debt.

Three years. No matter how many times Brielle humiliates me, degrades me, Tristan only ever has one answer: "I owe her my life."

But the truth about that fire? I'm the only one in the world who knows it.

I tried to tell him once. He laughed in my face. "Adeline, you're so desperate for attention you'd make up something like that?"

So I shut my mouth. Buried the truth. Buried whatever was left of my heart along with it.

The man I trusted with my life just handed my child to the woman who killed them, and called it loyalty.

I'm done.

I pull up the number I blocked three years ago and hit call.

"Dad. I'll take over the company. I'll go through with the engagement to Everett. But I have one condition. I want Tristan and Brielle ruined beyond recovery. Nothing and no one left."

Being born a Moretti daughter means one thing: the family owns you.

In my past life, Vivian thought she had what it took. She promised Dad she could handle it, swore up and down she'd make him proud. Six months later, she'd burned through three generations of work and left us with nothing but an empty shell. Our enemies found her eventually. Broke both her legs.

And me? I married Marco Rossi.

Everyone envied me for marrying into one of the most powerful families in the city. What they didn't know was that I was his prisoner. He used me, turned my family's connections into stepping stones for himself, spent my money on his mistresses, used my body as a bargaining chip at his deals.

In the end, Vivian killed me. Jealous of my "perfect life," she dragged herself over on those broken legs and put a bullet in me.

When I open my eyes again, I'm sitting in Dad's study.

The door slams open. Vivian bursts in, cutting me off before I can speak. "Dad! I'm marrying Marco Rossi! Give the family to Sienna!"

I look at her and smile.

This time, I'm going to survive. And I'm going to do a hell of a lot better than just survive.

In my past life, we were camping in the wilderness area of a state park when my best friend handed out "lucky charms" to the whole group. Charms she'd secretly packed full of wildlife attractant.

A wild boar knocked me to the ground outside the cabin door. Its tusks tore into my stomach. I pounded on the wood with both fists, screaming. "Help! Open the door!"

Inside were my boyfriend of two years and the best friend I'd been quietly supporting for just as long. Autumn Warren.

"I'm so sorry, Brynn." Autumn's voice broke into sobs, but her weight stayed pressed hard against the door. "There are boars everywhere. We open that door, we're all dead."

"Just hold on! I'm calling 911!" Wyatt Fletcher's voice rang out with the kind of conviction that cost him absolutely nothing.

I paid for that trip. I'd fallen behind because I'd stopped to pull Autumn along.

And they stood on the other side of that door, my blood soaking into the dirt, and locked me out.

I open my eyes. I'm back. It's the day we left.

I spent seven years being Preston Maddox's personal errand girl.

Did his homework, took his father's belt for him, cut off every friend I had because he said he didn't like me talking to other guys.

I told myself that if I was good enough, patient enough, he'd eventually see me.

Then came the school's centennial gala. In front of everyone, he locked me, a girl with severe aquaphobia, inside a water tank filled to the brim with ice-cold water, so Vanessa Sinclair could have a pretty backdrop for her ballet number.

The audience roared. He watched Vanessa take her bow with this soft, adoring smile on his face. The only time he glanced at me was when he noticed I'd made a mess, and all he did was wrinkle his nose.

The water rose over my head, and something in me finally understood.

To Preston Maddox, I wasn't even worth as much as a dog.

If a dog was drowning, its owner would at least care.

Me? I just disgusted him.