Before We Drowned Novels & Stories

For as long as I can remember, my parents have been crying about how poor we are. In order to put food on the table, I dare not apply for a prestigious university even though I'm more than capable of doing so. Instead, I work several jobs per day just to pay the bills, hoping to lighten the financial burden on my parents' shoulders. What I didn't expect is that my parents actually bought my younger brother, Randall Carter, a 500,000-dollar Ferrari behind my back! It turns out that my so-called impoverished parents are actually millionaires! The reason why they keep in the dark about their wealth is so that I don't fight with Randall over the family wealth! But they've completely forgotten that if it wasn't for me, Randall would've drained their accounts dry a long time ago!

Kael Draven is one step away from becoming the most powerful wolf of his generation. There's only one problem. He isn't exactly the kind of Alpha the public warms up to. Even after years of carefully curating his image, the verdict remains the same: he’s scary, unapproachable, cold, untrustworthy, impossible to love… ‘dead-eyed’, as one commentator once put it. Which is exactly why he has her. Elara Lennox. His wife. His fated mate. Once the internet's favorite Omega, Elara was known for her warmth, her charm and the kind of life people couldn't stop watching—something simple and real. Together, they were perfect. A flawless image of a flawless marriage, one the world couldn't get enough of. She was the softness to his edge. The light to his darkness. Everything looked perfect. Until now. When they're thrown into a brutal reality TV show built around failing marriages, their carefully constructed illusion begins to crack under constant surveillance and very public judgment. The rules are simple: fall back in love… or fall apart in front of millions. As tensions rise and a powerful rival Alpha steps into the spotlight, the truth becomes impossible to ignore: Elara was always perfect for Kael's image. But was he ever good enough for her? At all? Now, with the entire world watching—and voting— Elara must decide: will she keep fighting for a mate who never truly loved her, or finally, finally choose herself?

My boyfriend, Sam Gibson, had a childhood best friend named Tina Lincoln. She was a star medical student. On the day Sam and I were supposed to get our marriage license, Tina took one look at the tight top I was wearing and flat-out claimed I had been sleeping around for years. She pointed at my chest with obvious disgust. “If men hadn’t been all over you, there’s no way your breasts would be this big.” Sam believed her completely. He started cursing at me, calling me a slut who had sleep with anyone, and refused to go through with the marriage license. I tried over and over to explain, but Tina just sneered at me. “People may be more open-minded these days, but that doesn’t mean you can sell your body and make your chest that big.” She used me as some kind of “example,” started a livestream to lecture people online, and exposed all my personal information. After that, strangers kept sending me disgusting, harassing messages, asking how much I charged for a night. Some even followed me and tried to force themselves on me. I begged her to clear things up for me, but she just shrugged and said, “If you never did that kind of thing, why would people be asking you?” In the end, I was assaulted and killed. And she went on to become a nationally famous influencer doctor, gaining fame and money at the same time. When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the day I was supposed to get my marriage license with Sam.

My name is Olivia Barnett. For as long as I can remember, I have always been in love with Josh Morgan Sterling, the heir to the vast Sterling wealth. Unfortunately, he does not love me. Why would he? I am just an orphan his grandfather had the generosity to take in. But one night of drunken passion led to a pregnancy. I was not asking for anything, yet Josh offered to give our baby the identity of a family and a complete home. I was happy. I thought Josh was finally seeing me. It turned out it was all fake. Josh only wanted the baby, not me. He already mapped out a future with his one true love. And I? A place holder and a baby vessel. But time had a way of evening the score. I left the Sterlings broken and pregnant. Five years later, I came back with a new status and my triplets beside me. I was no longer the naive girl who once married Josh. I have options. I have a choice. And love? That's overrated. When love is gone, it's over.

"You like what I do to you, darling? As much as you don't want it, your eyes show desire.” ****** Ethan wakes up to a naked man in his bed. Last night, this naked man was a stray. Ethan doesn't know what he's brought into his life, but as the stranger begins to unravel—showing his dark, mysterious side—he finds himself in a love that's forbidden. Alexander Grey, a cold Alpha who loses his memories, finds himself in human territory. Hunted down by his pack, Alexander creates an illusion of happiness with Ethan, even when he has sixty days left to turn feral. Their love is forbidden. An Alpha. A human. It’s war. Alexander isn't willing to let go, but if the pack gets to him first, he won’t even remember Ethan loved him at all.

Everyone said I was too possessive when it came to my girlfriend, Amanda Crane. When Amanda first started taking photos of her childhood friend, Ian Lewis, I ripped apart all the rolls of film. When she helped him fix his computer, I called her 100 times in an hour. And when he called her from the airport, asking her to pick him up because the rain made it impossible to get a cab, I held a knife to my throat. I told her I'd take my own life if she went to him. Fed up, Amanda shipped me off to a psychiatric hospital that same night. When I got out, I vanished. Amanda was certain I was hiding somewhere, spying on her and Ian, but I never showed up—until the celebration party for a business project three years later. Ian put his arm around Amanda and swirled the wine glass he was holding. He shot me a taunting look, remarking, "You used to get so jealous, Steven. I'm sure you no longer mind if Mandy and I drink from the same glass now, right?" He waited for me to go berserk the way I used to three years ago, but I simply moved the bottle of wine closer to them. "I don't mind at all, of course. Have as many glasses as you want. It's great to see that your relationship has been progressing so well." Amanda paused. Her eyes started to redden. She stared fixedly at me and questioned, "Why don't you feel jealous anymore, Steven?"

I married a guy thirty-two years older than I am. Reason? Money. We got divorced, I got all his money and became the city's richest person. Just when my luck was starting to turn, I was hit with devastating news. My ex died. Drowned, they said. The cops think I'm the killer.

My family and I have gone on a vacation to an island on All Hallows' Eve. Alas, that's where we get trapped by a flood as well. The tour guide claims that someone among us has committed many misdeeds, resulting in the flood. That person's antics have offended some malicious spirits, it seems. As long as the sinful culprit is thrown into the water and drowned, everyone else can leave the island safe and sound. "Here's a piece of information for you—the offenders are a family of seven. As long as all seven of them are dead, the rest of you get to survive." My heart goes tense at the tour guide's words. My family consists of seven people! Are we supposed to get annihilated on this island? "That's bullshit! How is the flood related to malicious spirits?" "Floods are caused by natural disasters! How are they related to people?"

After my rebirth, I avoided my family and my boyfriend like the plague. When they tried to throw me a birthday party, I faked an urgent business trip to dodge it. When my parents pleaded with me to move back, I secretly bought my own house that very night. When my boyfriend popped the question, I spun on my heel and married someone else. In my previous life, my sister and I were swept away in a raging flood. By sheer luck, a jagged tree branch snagged my clothes, saving me from the depths, but my sister drowned in the merciless current. My parents, consumed by grief and rage, gripped my throat and screamed, "If it weren't for you, Andrea would still be alive!" My boyfriend acted like it was no big deal, offering half-hearted comfort before we tied the knot. But on our wedding anniversary, during a family cruise, they cornered me on the deck and shoved me overboard. "Time to taste drowning yourself!" they hissed. It turned out they had never gotten over Andrea's death. My boyfriend had never forgotten about her. When my eyes fluttered open again, I found myself back on that fateful day. This time, I vowed to live for myself, reclaiming the joy they'd stolen from me.

The day I found out I was a match for my dad—stage four leukemia—I bailed. Mom tore the world apart looking for me, but yeah, she had to watch him go. After that, she drowned herself in research, built a name, even adopted this perfect little angel. We crossed paths again at some fancy leukemia conference she was hosting. I was on the demo table. She took one look and scoffed. "Charlotte Stein, not the time for your crap. Get up and go." The host blinked, stunned. "Dr. Cooper... you know this cadaver?" She actually laughed. "What, she paid you for this stunt?" The host turned ghost-white. "M-Miss Stein passed three days ago..."