The Nutshell Milton Ma

The night before high school graduation, Ethan Luciano pulled me into his bedroom. His hands were rough, his touch demanding, yet my heart overflowed with a decade's worth of unspoken longing. I'd loved Ethan for ten years, and finally, it seemed my silent wishes had come true. Afterwards, as we lay tangled in his sheets, he whispered that he'd marry me after graduation. Once he took over the Luciano family's empire from his father, he'd make me the most cherished woman in the family. I believed him. The next morning, I sat curled up against his bare chest as he casually told my foster brother, Lucas, about us. My cheeks were flushed, and my heart raced, still clinging to the sweetness of the night before. However, then their conversation shifted into Italian. Lucas smirked, leaning back against the doorframe. "Not bad, Young Boss. Your first time, and the school's 'it girl' just threw herself at you. So, how's my little sister taste?" Ethan gave a lazy chuckle. "Looks like an angel, but a freak in the sheets. Who would’ve thought?" The room erupted in low, conspiratorial laughter. Lucas raised a brow. "So, should I call her my little sister or my future sister-in-law?" Ethan’s tone darkened, his arm tightening around my waist for a moment. Then he let out a sigh. "She’s nothing. Just practice," he said, his voice dropping to a whisper. "I’m trying to hook up with the cheer captain, Sylvia Dawson, but I don’t want her thinking I’m clueless in bed. Cynthia Saville’s just a warm-up." He paused. "But don’t tell Sylvia. I don’t need her getting all emotional." They didn't know that I’d spent months secretly learning Italian, preparing for the life I thought I’d share with Ethan. I didn't say a word. Later that day, I quietly withdrew my early decision application to Caltech and applied to MIT instead.

I'm Ailee. I am the princess of the largest, most feared Irish mafia and next in line to take over. I'm known as the Ice Queen because of how ruthless I can be to my enemies. I came to the Renegades to find my father. I need his bone marrow to save my life. I don't need him or his club for anything else. But their resident cowboy catches my eye. He says I'm his but can our worlds combine without a deadly explosion? I'm Lug Nut. The moment I see a picture of Ailee I know she is mine. I will make sure her father saves her life so I can have her in mine. Our worlds are different as they can be but I won't let it stop me from making this mafia princess mine. When I suddenly become the guardian of a baby will Ailee stay by my side or will it be too much? The cowboy Renegade will do whatever it takes to keep Ailee and the baby that is the only blood family I have left.

Celeste is a worrywart single mother who has a phobia about her past catching up on her. Her teenage son, Neil, is growing up so quickly, and at his phase, needs a father figure which she's unable to give to him. Running from her past, she ran into Nathan, a talented chef. A handsome hunk is an ex-marine planning to start his restaurant business putting his wonderful cooking craft into reality in Celeste's hometown. There Neil takes a liking and a fond attachment to Nathan leaving Celeste no choice but to admit there is more than just the chemistry between them and she wants him in her life as a friend, lover, father to her son, and most importantly a life partner. But all seemed impossible when an acquaintance from Celeste's past comes to hunt her putting the lives of the most treasured people in her life in danger. With reassurance, faith, and love Celeste discovers there's more to life than just being uptight and playing hard-to-get. Nathan was one who is made just for her.

I was treating some friends to dinner at the private club my cousin owned. When we wrapped up, I waved over a server. "Just put it on Nick's tab." The server nodded, but a manager I'd never seen stepped in to block her. Wearing a smile that never reached her eyes, she said, "Sir, Bosco is a members-only establishment. We don't offer tabs." I felt a flicker of irritation. "I'm the owner's cousin. Just let him know." She let out a sharp, mocking laugh and slapped a bill onto the table. Eighty-eight thousand. Exclusive suite atmosphere maintenance fee, ten thousand. High‑end social network filtration fee, twenty thousand. Spontaneous entertainment ambience enhancement fee, fifteen thousand. And a mess of other miscellaneous charges. Since when did Nick's place dare to bleed customers dry like this? "What's wrong? Can't pay and now you're trying to name‑drop?" She looked me up and down with an arrogant tilt of her chin. "I've seen plenty of our boss's relatives. Not one of them is as broke, pretentious, and shameless as you." Right in front of her, I dialed Nick and put the call on speaker. "Ten minutes," I said. "Make sure she disappears from my sight. Otherwise, I'm revoking your authorization for this club."

After a devastating fire ends her career and fractures her memory, famed concert pianist Mila Renard retreats to the Halden Institute, a luxurious psychiatric clinic hidden in the Swiss Alps. Her goal is simple: disappear into silence, avoid the past, and never ask questions. But Halden is not the safe haven it pretends to be. Files vanish. Patients whisper. And her assigned psychiatrist, Dr. Adrien Kael, is as enigmatic as he is unorthodox. Drawn to Mila’s haunting music and unreadable silence, Adrien begins to suspect her amnesia is no accident. When strange accidents start to occur and fragments of that lost night resurface, Mila realizes she didn’t come to Halden by chance—she was brought here. Now, every answer uncovers a new danger. Because some memories were buried for a reason. And someone is watching, waiting, and willing to do anything to make sure the truth stays dead.

I'm due for a promotion when I stumble upon my husband entangled with his childhood sweetheart. After that, I'm secretly admitted to a psychiatric facility. I repeatedly tell the doctors that I'm fine, but all I get is worse abuse and humiliation. When Howard Armstrong visits me every month, I beg him to get me out. Each time, he says, "This is a proper establishment, so you have to follow the doctor's instructions. Don't be unreasonable!" On the day I'm discharged, he speaks to me tenderly and calls me his honey. Later, when I place a divorce agreement before him, he breaks down in tears.