A Silent Voice Shouko

“Is there something I can help you find, love?” His rich, smoky, slightly accented voice made it hard for me to concentrate. “I…uh. I…I was w-wondering w-where the c-coffee maker was.” Was that my voice? Since when did I sound like a sultry sex kitten? I slowly looked up. I was met with his intense baby blues and once again my body, the treasonous bitch, reacted to him. It took all I had to swallow and don’t think I missed for one second the way his eyes followed my natural body function. This man was sex incarnate and if I was being forced to cohabitate with him I was going to have to be extra careful. “I don’t drink that shit.” His mouth pulled to the side in his trademark smirk. “Then what’s in that?” I point to his mug. “It’s tea.” He said, trying not to smile. “Close your mouth, love. Unless you want me to put something in it?” He whispered in my ear.

On my thirtieth birthday, Gideon Salton told me to meet him at city hall. He made sure I wore a wedding dress and brought my papers, hyping it up as a huge birthday surprise. But when I showed up, all dressed up, he turned to his trashy crew and laughed. "No way—she actually did it. Dress, docs, the whole thing. Pay up, fifty bucks each." Then he looked at me. "Come on, Madison. You didn't seriously fall for that?" I didn't answer. He smirked. "If you're that thirsty to get hitched, go inside and grab some rando to register with." His friends cracked up. They called me Gideon's loyal simp, his forever backup plan. Said I'd never end up with anyone else. But when I came out with my husband and a legit marriage certificate, Gideon just froze—pale, silent, wrecked.

Elena once trusted Julian with her heart—and paid the ultimate price for her faith. Betrayed, abandoned, and left to grieve unimaginable loss, she struggles to rebuild her life among the powerful and ruthless elite of Black Stone Pack. But when secrets long buried come to light, Elena realizes that betrayal cuts deeper than she ever imagined. Caught in a silent war between duty and desire, Elena crosses paths with Ryan, a formidable Alpha who sees the broken pieces she hides behind her quiet strength. As passion and politics collide, Elena is forced to make a choice: remain a pawn in someone else’s game, or seize her fate with her own hands. Haunted by love, sharpened by betrayal, and strengthened by survival, Elena’s journey is not just about healing—it's about rising from the ashes and becoming a force no one saw coming. In a world where loyalty is fleeting and power demands sacrifice, trust is the deadliest risk of all.

Scarlet Watson once believed love was enough—until her husband, Lucas, placed another woman, Maria Owen, on a pedestal far above her. As Maria tightens her grip on Lucas and sets her sights on driving Scarlet out, Scarlet finds herself slowly drowning in a marriage built on betrayal. But just when her world begins to crumble, an unexpected kindness changes everything. Peter, her quiet, observant driver, becomes her only source of warmth in a house gone cold. His steady presence and silent protectiveness awaken something Scarlet thought she’d lost forever—hope. What begins as stolen glances and late-night conversations blooms into a love neither of them saw coming. But Peter carries a secret that could shake everything: one that ties him to the very man who broke her heart. In a world where loyalty is tested and love must fight to survive, can two wounded hearts rewrite their story?

There are monsters in this world. And they used to be us. Now it's time to euthanize to survive in a hospice where Emily, a woman haunted by her past, only wants to do her job and be the best mother possible. Post-infection Chicago. Christmas. Inside The Hospice, Emily and her fellow nurses do their rounds. Here, men and women live out their final days in comfort, segregated from society, and are then humanely terminated before fate turns them into marrow-craving monsters known as ‘Smilers.’ Outside these imposing walls, rabid protesters swarm with signs, caught up in the heat of their hatred. Emily, a woman haunted by her past, only wants to do her job and be the best mother possible. But in a world where mortality means nothing, where guns are drawn in fear and nobody seems safe anymore – at what cost will this pursuit come? And through it all, the soon to be dead remain silent, ever smiling. Such is their curse. It won't be long before that snow-speckled ground will be salted by blood. ©️ Crystal Lake Publishing

“He gave my heart to my mother. So I gave my hand to his father.” When Elara discovers that her fiancé — the man she thought she’d spend forever with — has been sleeping with her own mother just days before their wedding, something inside her shatters. The betrayal isn’t just personal; it’s humiliating, raw, and unforgettable. Instead of collapsing, Elara makes a silent vow: they’ll all pay. And her revenge begins not with a knife, but with a smile. Her target? His father — a cold, enigmatic billionaire who’s always kept his distance from the family drama. She slips into his world like smoke, slowly making herself indispensable… and irresistible. But as lines blur between vengeance and desire, Elara faces a dangerous truth: some hearts are easier to burn than others. And love, even when born of revenge, can destroy everything.

Sanjana lost her parents when she was just a child. Raised by her maternal uncle in the breathtaking valley of Kashmir, she grows up clinging to two dreams—her passion for journalism and the music that flows through her veins. To survive, she sings on the radio, her haunting voice slowly becoming a quiet comfort to countless listeners. Liam, the son of a ruthless billionaire, wants nothing to do with power or legacy. Music is his only escape. On his friend Kabir’s advice, he travels to Kashmir in search of a voice powerful enough to heal him—and finds Sanjana. Her innocence, strength, and quiet resilience pull him in, and love soon takes root. But fate is merciless. A horrific car accident leaves Sanjana’s face severely disfigured. Before she can recover, Liam’s powerful mother steps in, threatening and forcing Sanjana to disappear from Liam’s life forever. Pregnant and broken, Sanjana vanishes without explaining the truth. Unable to watch her suffer, her uncle reveals a long-buried secret—Sanjana’s father belonged to an elite British family. With the help of his brother, a renowned plastic surgeon, Sanjana is given a second chance. In London, she emerges with a new face, a new name, and a shattered heart. Years later, Sanjana is Samantha Blake, a successful journalist in the UK. Fate brings her face-to-face with the past when she is assigned to cover the engagement of a billionaire—Liam. He doesn’t recognize her face. But her voice refuses to let him forget. As buried truths surface and old wounds reopen, love is tested by betrayal, loss, and the question neither of them can escape— Can love survive when everything has changed… except the heart?

“Please,” I muttered, my voice barely above a whisper. His smirk widened, turning dangerous, and my heart skipped a beat. “Please what?” he asked, his tone mocking, daring. Heat flushed through me, my body betraying me under the weight of his gaze. My fingers tightened on his wrist, and I took a shaky breath before whispering, “Please make me come.” His eyes darkened further. He leaned in closer, his voice a low growl that sent a shiver through me. “With pleasure,” he murmured, and then his lips crashed back onto mine. --- She’s a brilliant doctor and the heiress to a powerful family, but she remembers nothing about her past—or the father of her twin sons. Still, an unshakable need for revenge lingers in her heart. Her world takes an unexpected twist when three powerful men step into her life. “Take me back, Astrid. I’ll do anything—please. I can’t live without you,” one begs, his voice trembling. “Miss Aurora,” another says with a soft smile, lowering himself to one knee. “Would you make me the happiest man alive and marry me?” But unlike the others, his cold, unfeeling eyes pin her in place. “I don’t care about anything else. If it’s revenge you want, use me as you please, dear wife.” Aurora must decide: uncover the truth about her past and risk losing everything, or protect the life she’s built for her family. Will exposing her secrets bring the revenge she craves—or destroy everything she holds dear?

***This is a spinoff of my first book Couldn't Hide the Feelings. The female leading's brother in that book will be the hero in this new one. Hope you like it. You can also have a try of Couldn't Hide the Feelings, which won't fail you. By coincidence, Olive lived a life of sharing with her high school classmate Liam, who had been rejected by her. The two were like two strangers living under the same roof. A quiet life ended one night. Olive learned about her recent sleepwalking from Liam. She was embarrassed and didn't know how to react, "Last night was the first time you saw me sleepwalking, right?" Liam said, "There was another time." Olive was silent for two seconds and hesitated to say, "What... what did I do?" "You suddenly ran out, hugging me." "?" Liam raised his eyebrows and added, "And kissed me.”

"Promise me you'll never look for him again." His loud voice reached my ears. He was mad, and I knew it wasn't a good sign. "Answer me, Liliana." "I won't." My voice cracked. "I promise, I won't search for him ever again." All her life, Liliana had always been known for being weak and wolfless. At the ripe age of eighteen, she was yet to awaken her wolf, and if that wasn't embarrassing enough, then Liliana had no idea what was. Like she didn't already have enough on her plate, Liliana finds herself torn in between two irresistible men; her stepbrother's best friend, and her stepbrother himself. Liliana knows she's in the middle of a brewing disaster, but she can't deny the thrill of the forbidden pull between all three of them. As the attraction between them waxes stronger, will Lilliana make the right choice, or will the red hot pleasure scorn her forever?