Super Supportive

Faith McChrystal My mom taught me one important thing "Never trust anyone because they all leave when they're are done sucking you dry" And yes, that's how I ended up being a 24 year old single woman with no boyfriend, no girlfriend, no bestfriend but a shitty job and apartment. Life was normal until I found the job at C&S Clothing as the executive assistant. It's not a problem to work for a gay couple right? The problem is when the two sinister hot-as-hell bosses are the epitome of every fantasy you've had. Jared Scott and Hardin Calu were going to take me to an early grave. Hardin Calu I HATE WOMEN. I hate every fucking thing about them. That's why I was married to one and only man I had in my life. Jared! He was everything one could pray for. He saved me from my old self and turned me to a loving person. But fuck me, I was still cold and hard as ice. Everything that involved women made my skin crawl painfully. Their rosy scents and gloss-smeared lips, their tied skirts and slutty suits, fucking everything about them was a reminder of what happened. What made me scared. Until the little Faith McChrystal walked into that office. Jared Scott. Money! Power! A good marriage! I had it all. Life was beautiful with my man. Hardin Calu! He was a loving husband who'd wake me up with breakfast, and a kiss on my head, who'd kiss every pain away. Who made me see the world differently. I was complete with him. Or so I thought! Because a fucking nerdy chick walked into our office for interview and turned everything upside down!

After my son’s surgery, I stayed overnight at the hospital. While keeping watch, I scrolled through my phone and came across a post. [What’s the worst thing you’ve ever done?] An anonymous user replied. [I used the senior who sponsored me as a stepping stone.] [My sponsor was rich and clueless. He paid for my entire college education, and after I graduated, I slept with his wife. She even had my child.] [The best part is that he treats my son like his own. He works himself to exhaustion just to set that kid up for life.] [By the way, his family just received three million from the relocation compensation. My lover will be here soon. She’ll pretend we need it for a school district apartment and trick him into giving it to us.] [Once the cash is in hand and the villa is bought, I’ll have my son acknowledge me as his real father and then throw my sponsor out of the house.] A blurry photo of a little boy was attached. My heart skipped a beat. On his wrist was the safety charm I had given my son. Just then, my wife pushed open the hospital room door. “Honey, Xeno is starting elementary school soon. Let’s take your mom’s compensation money from the relocation and use it to buy a place in a good school district.”

I'm admitted to the hospital for gastritis, but my boyfriend shoots to his feet after receiving a call. "Chelsea has a fever. I'll go check on her; I'll be right back!" He runs off without waiting for me to say anything and doesn't return for the rest of the night. That night, I see a short clip that Chelsea Calloway has shared. "I'm not afraid of any illness with you by my side." I comment, "He is pretty good at caring for others."

On the day of my 30th birthday, my CEO wife, Sabrina Langford, leaves hurriedly at 3:00 am. She claims that there's something urgent going on at the company and that she won't be home the whole day. Later on, Timothy Cross, the low-income university student that Sabrina has been sponsoring, updates his social media feed. In the photo, I see Sabrina standing at the side of the road in a bikini. Two big apples are balanced on her 36D bust. The caption of the photo is, "The beautiful and hot CEO has personally come over to my house to help me sell the homegrown apples. You'll regret it if you don't buy these apples from me!" My brows are drawn into a frown immediately. When I call Sabrina, the call goes through rather quickly. "I told you I'm very busy at the company right now. If you disturb me again, I'm not going to forgive you this easily!" After that, Sabrina ends the call. But right before the call gets cut off, I can hear a car honking in her background. I'm not mad at her at all. She likes helping others to sell fruits, right? I might as well lend her a helping hand. So, I share the social media post to the company's group chat. The message I've drafted is, "Does anyone here want a batch of rotten apples? I'll even throw in a second-hand wife for free."

While we're shopping for college supplies, my younger brother, Reuben Whitaker, picks up a limited-edition gaming bedding set and grins at Mom. She doesn't even glance at the price before putting it in the cart. When it's my turn, I barely pick up a charcoal-gray bedding set when my older sister, Cheryl Whitaker, frowns. "Garrett, why do you always choose such gloomy colors? You need to be more upbeat like Reuben," she scolds. My childhood friend, Phoebe Thorpe, smiles as well. "No one at the dorm knows you anyway, so buying something new will be a waste," she says. Reuben glances at the sheets in my hands and quietly suggests, "Garrett, why don't you use my old set? You never cared about things like that anyway." Mom immediately nods in agreement. "Garrett, you don't need new sheets. Besides, putting two sons through college isn't easy." My grip slowly tightens around the set. I remember Reuben's old bedding. The corners are covered in pills, and the fabric is stained with soda he spills during his late-night gaming sessions. It has always been this way. I get the designer sneakers he no longer wants, the backpacks he's grown tired of, and the bedroom he doesn't like. If I don't complain or fight him for anything, my turn will eventually come. At least that's what I think. But even after 18 years, their only response is, "You never cared about things like that anyway." At the register, I watch Mom pay for Reuben's things one by one before casually tossing my charcoal-gray sheets back onto the shelf. It's then that my lips curl into a smile. As it turns out, no one has ever bothered to remember what I like. I pick up the charcoal-gray sheets again. This time, I won't put them back.

Jadie is the only daughter of the Beta family. The youngest of three, Jadie feels out of place in her home. When she decides to move across country to find herself, the last thing she expected to happen was for her to not only run into her mate, but to be rejected by him too. With a clouded vision of her future, the only way Jadie can be pulled out of her gloomy state is to befriend his best friend and Alpha, Lincoln. With Lincoln’s help, Jadie adventures to find her new version of normal and fulfill the true reason she moved to Michigan. Along the way, secrets of Lincoln’s are revealed that make her realize they are a lot closer than she ever thought.