Does 'Simmer Down' Have A Happy Ending?

Don’t Stop, Daddy An addictive dark erotic romance of secrets, power, and forbidden desire. Sierra Blake was always the good girl. The obedient daughter. The quiet one who never crossed the line. But when she returns home from college, everything changes because her stepfather, Damien Steele, sees her differently now. And the worst part? She wants him to. Damien is powerful, dominant, and dangerously off limits. Married to her mother. Her protector. Her sin. He shouldn’t look at her like that, speak to her like that, touch her like that. But when he does, Sierra can’t bring herself to stop him. What begins as a game of stolen glances quickly spirals into nights of whispered commands, velvet ropes, and aching surrender. Every kiss is a betrayal. Every moan, a deeper fall. And the closer they get, the harder it becomes to hide. Because her mother sleeps down the hall. And secrets like these always find their way into the light. He’s the man she should fear most. But all she can whisper is… don’t stop. Was

Some moments you plan for while most of the good ones, you don’t. Sweet Surrender is a collection of stories about the moments right before everything changes. It’s a storm that leaves two strangers with nowhere to run, a work trip that blurs every line that was supposed to stay straight, a wedding where the wrong person says exactly the right thing. These aren’t stories about perfect people making perfect choices. They’re a little guarded, a little stubborn to the point that whoever finds themselves in situations that make resisting feel pointless and surrender feel like the smartest and easiest thing they’ve ever done. Come in and get comfortable. Don’t make plans for the rest of the evening.

When I found out my wife was pregnant with her lover’s baby, I thought I’d lose my mind just like the first time I caught her cheating, smashing up the whole house like a lunatic. Instead, I looked at our antique vase and realized it was far too expensive to break over them. It just wasn't worth it. Later, walking past a bakery, I thought seeing her buying baby supplies with Joseph would ruin my appetite. Yet, to my surprise, the cake I bought tasted better than usual. Before going to bed, that familiar dark urge to swallow a handful of sleeping pills crept up on me again. I thought I was about to lose my mind and take the most drastic measures to get back at that despicable couple when my therapist sent a message, reminding me once more to go outside and get some fresh air. So, I headed south to soak in the sun and feel the ocean breeze. For twenty-seven whole days, I didn’t think about them once. That was until my wife, Sarah, called. “There are three days left in our divorce waiting period. Don’t forget to come back so we can finalize the paperwork. “Don’t worry, Daniel. This is just temporary. After I have the baby, we’ll remarry. You know you’re the only one I love.” Only after her reminder did I remember the divorce was even a thing. This time, though, I was exhausted. I didn’t want to play their games anymore. So, with the ocean breeze on my face, I said almost without thinking, “How about this time, we end it for good?”

In the tenth year of my marriage to a genius pianist, I came down with a strange illness. A month ago, my husband missed my birthday party to care for his ailing sister-in-law. Night after night, I had waited for him to return home. But that night I forgot to wait at all and went to bed early. Half a month ago, he attended an important performance with his sister-in-law. I had always been petty and prone to jealousy, yet this time I didn't get angry. I simply went home in silence. Three days ago, I fell seriously ill with a burning fever. My husband rushed back from out of town in a panic—but only to tend to his sister-in-law, whose hand had been scalded. When we ran into each other at the hospital, I was strangely calm. I, who used to be fiercely jealous, felt nothing at all. I forgot the promise we had made to grow old together. I even forgot how he once fretted over me for days when I'd scraped a bit of skin. It wasn't until he said he wanted to bring his sister-in-law home and take care of her for the rest of his life that I—my memories riddled with holes—summoned the system at last. "I want to go home."

After five years of marrying into the Loween City in place of my sister, the Gambling King finally passed away. My son and my ex-husband—at long last—gave me permission to fake my death and return to them. But they laid down three conditions. First: kneel before Vivian Gray, apologize for framing her all those years ago, and surrender my place as Mrs. Hartwell. Second: work as a live-in maid for my own son for five years, and never show up at his school in my former identity as the reigning queen of the nightlife scene—lest I embarrass him. Third: drink an abortifacient to destroy my fertility forever, as recompense for the infertility I once caused Vivian. "My lady, you've endured five whole years just to earn your freedom—how dare they humiliate you like this?" My maid's eyes were red, burning with indignation on my behalf. But I just tipped my head back and swallowed the death-faking pill, letting the servants toss my "corpse" into the overgrown brambles beyond the city limits. Then, from the mud and weeds, I crawled back to the Hartwell mansion—one knee at a time. Day one, I knelt as ordered and signed over custody of my son without a fight. Day three, I locked myself in the storage closet and stopped showing up at school to pick my son up like I used to. I also stopped pestering him to call me "Mom." Even when Vivian—knowing full well I'm terrified of the dark—deliberately trapped me in the basement, I bore it in silence. By the time my ex-husband Nathan Hartwell saw me again, I was barely hanging on. For the first time, a flicker of panic crossed his face as he carried me out of that basement. But my son just sneered. "It's just another stunt to win our sympathy." When he caught the tears welling in Vivian's eyes, Nathan coldly dropped me to the ground. "Always scheming against Vivian with your dirty tricks—aren't you tired of it?" Right then, the system chimed in my ear: [Please proceed to the "disposable ex-wife death node" to complete the story line and return to your original world.] I let out a quiet laugh. "Not tired at all." And with that, I turned and dove straight into the swimming pool beside me.

Half-demon witch Callie Durant wasn't evil. After six years in Hell, all she wanted was to get revenge on her father for sending her there. Getting to him was harder than she anticipated. The only way she could get close was for the Head Warlock's son, Nicholas Castillo to fall in love with her. She had to break him up with his clingy girlfriend while hiding her true nature from everyone around her. Escaping Hell didn't come without great cost and the Lords of Hell were trying to drag her back for her crime. She had to make a choice between the two sides of herself. She could have the promise of power or be with the first boy to ever love her. The roads out of Hell were paved with bad intentions.