Skeletons In The Closet

My husband doesn't touch me on our wedding night. He claims he's too tired and asks me to wait. Then, he sneaks into the basement in the wee hours of each night. Whenever he returns, he needs to shower to wash away an indescribable smell. I ask him what he does down there, and he tells me he works out. Why would anyone work out in the middle of the night? I can't take it anymore. One night, I decide to sneak into the basement to see what's going on down there. He chases after me and grabs my pajamas, roaring, "Come back up here! I'll divorce you if you step foot down there!"

"Gale Warm, what the Warm family owes me is for you to pay!" Shawn Wood threw Gale Warm into a mental hospital, tortured and humiliated. Two years later, he married her. "Don't be delusional, you are just here to atone for your family sins." He hated her, and only wanted to bully her.Gale Warm endured it while searching for the truth, and proved her family's innocence. Later, Gale Warm threw the evidence on Shawn Wood's face. "I never owed you." Later, Shawn  Wood turned pale overnight. He whispered in her ear day and night. "Gale, don't leave me. Otherwise, I won’t be able to live..." "Shawn Wood, how dare you threaten me!" "How dare I? You wouldn’t want our children to have no father, would you?"

My parents, the wealthiest couple in the country, were famous philanthropists. I had to ask them for permission if I wanted to spend more than five bucks. The day I was diagnosed with terminal cancer, I asked them for 100 dollars, but instead of helping, they yelled at me for three hours. "What kind of disease could you get at your age? If you're going to ask for money, at least come up with a better excuse." "Do you know that 100 dollars could support children in poverty-stricken areas for a long time? Your sister is more sensible than you." I dragged my sick body for miles, back to the small basement I called home. But as I passed the mall, I saw my parents, live on a huge screen, spending a fortune to rent out Disneyland for my sister. I couldn't hold back the tears anymore. A hundred dollars wouldn't even cover one round of chemotherapy. I just wanted to buy a new outfit and leave with some dignity.

My father's adopted daughter was only locked in the cramped storage closet for around fifteen minutes, yet he punished me by tying me up and throwing me inside. He even sealed off the ventilation with towels. "As Wendy's older sister, if you can't take care of her, then you should also experience how scared she was," he declared coldly. He knew I was claustrophobic, but my desperate pleas for mercy, my terror, were met with nothing but heartless reprimands. "Let this be a lesson on how to be a good sister." As the last sliver of light disappeared, swallowed by the oppressive darkness, I struggled helplessly. A week passed before my father finally remembered my existence and decided it was time to end my punishment. "Let's hope this week served as a good lesson for you, Jennifer. If this happens again, you will no longer be allowed in this house." He would never know that I had already taken my last breath in that suffocating room. My body had begun to rot in the darkness.

Sienna Carter never wanted to be part of Damien Cross’s world. She built her life on independence, fighting to keep her struggling business afloat. But when a devastating financial blow leaves her with no options, she’s forced to make a deal with the most ruthless billionaire in the city. Damien Cross doesn’t believe in love. He believes in power, control, and getting what he wants. And right now, he wants Sienna. Their arrangement should be simple cold, transactional, without emotion. But from the moment she steps into his world, the lines begin to blur. Sienna challenges him in ways no one ever has. And the more he tries to keep his distance, the more obsessed he becomes. What starts as a deal quickly turns into something far more dangerous something neither of them are prepared for. Because in this game of power and passion, the greatest risk isn’t losing control. It’s falling in love.

“I kinda wished it was you. I miss you. I want you. I need you. I don't know if you cast a spell over me, but even if you did, I have no problems with that. I want to be yours. And I want you to be mine. You have no idea how jealous I get when I see people touch you intimately. Please, give me a second chance. Baby, I'm begging you. Please.” *** Two years ago, Luke Williams was outed... and the world turned cruel. He spiraled into depression, battling internalized homophobia and suicidal thoughts. But the deepest cut came from Liam Fox... the boy whom he loved so dearly... abandoned him to protect his own image. Luke escaped to Miami, determined to start over. He built walls, buried the pain, and learned to breathe again with the help of his new friend, Sam. Until Liam came back. Now Liam wants a second chance. But he’s still closeted, still hiding, still afraid. And Luke? He’s not sure he’s willing to shrink himself for someone else ever again.