Bitter Criticism Crossword Clue

I wake up to find the entire room shrouded in thick smoke and flames. I grab my phone and call my boyfriend, a fire captain I've been dating for five years. The phone rings seven whole times before he finally picks up. His sharp, irate voice comes through before I can get a word out. "Bella! How many times have I told you not to make false fire reports out of jealousy! You're a Warrior. Don't you feel ashamed of yourself for constantly picking fights with an Omega like Laura?" Suddenly, I hear Laura Knapp's sweet, pitiful voice on the line. "Thank you, Daniel. I'm safe because of you." As the flames spread, I have no option but to dial the emergency hotline. But the dispatcher tells me, "Sorry, ma'am, but all firefighters in your area are currently tied up. The earliest we can send help is in 30 minutes. Please hold on." I hang up with a bitter smile and see the news of a fire captain rescuing an injured pregnant woman. The flames close in around me, and just before death takes me, I send Daniel Ingram one last text. "Farewell. I wish you a happy life together."

Luciano De La Vega, known as Diablo, is a cold and untouchable billionaire. Feared by his employees and misunderstood by the world, he hides a devastating truth: a fatal heart condition with no cure. To protect others from grief, Luciano builds walls so high that no one can reach him. Camila Torres never imagined her path would cross with the infamous Diablo, until a heated argument over a taxi ride pits her fiery temper against his ruthless arrogance. Days later, their families force them into a contract marriage: for her, a desperate attempt to save her father’s bankrupt business; for him, a duty to his family legacy. Bound by resentment, their union is anything but loving. Yet when a vengeful former employee threatens their lives, the fire between them sparks into an unexpected passion. In Camila, Luciano discovers not just a partner, but a reason to live again. Her pregnancy gives him hope, pushing him to seek treatment for his failing heart. But joy turns to heartbreak when Luciano’s bitter step-sister poisons their newborn son, shattering their world. Grief threatens to tear them apart, but through pain and healing, they learn that love is the strongest heartbeat of all. The Diablo’s Heartbeat is a sweeping tale of power, passion, and redemption proving that even the coldest heart can be revived by love.

All Raven Caruso has ever known is blood, bullets, and betrayal. Born into the infamous Caruso crime family, Raven was raised not with dolls or lullabies, but with guns, knives, and a ruthless code of silence. Trained from childhood to be an assassin, she became her father’s most dangerous weapon,and his greatest pride. Jack Caruso doesn’t just want to rule the South. He wants the North, too. But the North belongs to his bitter rival, the Moretti mafia,and standing between Jack and total dominance is one man: Leon Vitali. They call him The Butcher. Cold. Calculated. Lethal. Jack’s solution? A union of blood and power. Raven will marry Leon Vitali. And when she bears his child, the Carusos will strike,wipe out the Vitali bloodline and rule using Ravens child. Raven knows her mission. She's loyal. Deadly. And ready to make her father proud. There’s just one problem. Leon Vitali is supposed to be the enemy. But he’s also devastatingly charming, maddeningly confident, and far more complicated than she expected. With every stolen glance and dangerous kiss, he awakens something in her she doesn’t recognize,something soft. Something real. Now Raven must decide: stay true to her blood... or betray it for love.

On a bitter snowy day, a crying three-year-old Empress, Anastasia Brokenoff, is forced into the barren desert lands of Nochten, the homeland of vampires, under the promise she will have a better life amongst her mother's kin. But this couldn't be any further from the truth. In Nochten, Ana is mocked for her silver hair, while her only relatives ignore and abuse their power for their gains. Unable to do anything until her first blood, Ana hides behind books and her late mother's rose garden. It is a lonely life, but Ana accepts her fate and tries to bear with it until she is old enough to change it. That is until the arrival of a new maid, a human named Maddie, who is determined to rekindle the relationship between Ana and her father. Ana believes it will go nowhere, but to her surprise, a single letter sparks a whole chain of events that will throw Ana into a new world of people. People like Prince Nicoli, her half-brother, who invokes strange feelings Ana must keep secret as she traverses the dangerous realm of nobility while holding back her cousin, Mykhol, who is not solely focused on her throne. So, will Ana be able to keep her feelings a secret? Will she be able to keep her crown? Or will Ana end up losing everything she fought so dearly to keep?

I waited for Alex for over five years. I endured the whispers of the clan, the mocking gazes, the judgment from his family who never thought I was good enough. Still, I waited—because I loved him. I believed in him. I trusted that he would choose me in the end. But the truth shattered me. One evening, I saw his laptop left open. And on the screen—countless photos of Elsa. His childhood sweetheart. His first love. It felt like a knife twisting in my chest. While I was drowning in problems, silently begging for his support, he was smiling by her side. All those years I gave him... all that waiting… I got nothing. So I left. Broken. Exhausted. Done pretending I was okay. I traveled far from our pack, seeking solitude under the excuse of pack relocation. But the truth was, I was trying to stitch myself back together—one breath, one step, one bitter tear at a time.But now… he’s gone mad looking for me. Why, Alex? Why do you search for me now, after crushing me so completely? When I stood by you, you looked past me. Now that I’ve finally let go… Why do you care?

When American engineer Evan Hart arrives in Rome, he expects worn stones, ancient architecture, and a chance to quietly rethink his failing marriage. He doesn’t expect Livia Moretti—the enigmatic archivist whose fragile intensity pulls him into a slow-burning, dangerous affair he never meant to start. Livia is brilliant, secretive, and a little broken… and Evan can’t stay away. But when he finally tells his wife Leah he wants a separation, she collapses, claiming she’s been diagnosed with a devastating neurological disease. Overnight, Evan’s guilt becomes a trap. Then Livia disappears without a trace. Anonymous photographs of him and Livia arrive in the mail. A stranger begins watching his apartment. And Leah—sweet, steady Leah—starts behaving in ways he can’t explain. When Evan finds hidden documents and photographs connecting the two women in his life, he follows a clue to a remote coastal village, where he learns Livia once lived under a different name… and may have been running from something far darker than heartbreak. As Evan digs deeper, he uncovers the edge of a conspiracy built on identity, memory, and manipulation—one determined to keep its secrets buried. Someone is pulling strings. Someone is rewriting the truth. And someone wants Evan to stop asking questions. Caught between a wife he no longer understands and a lover who may not be who she claimed to be, Evan is forced to confront the one question he never thought to ask: If the women in his life are wearing borrowed identities… then who has been shaping his? In a story of seduction, deception, and emotional obsession, All the Names She Wore explores the dangerous terrain between love and control—and what happens when the truth becomes the most terrifying lie of all.

"Does it feel good when my brother touches you?" Edmund's expert hands were caressing her body, making her want more. "Edmund! We shouldn't be doing this! I am your brother's girl…" breathless Emily was shuddering under his touch. "Mine!" Edmund groaned in her ear, his warm breath was driving her crazy. "This is soo.. wrong.." Emily bit her lower lip to suppress the emerging moan when Edmund kissed her jawline. She can't wait to feel his cushion soft lips pressed with hers in a passionate kiss. Emily groaned in frustration when he intentionally left her lips untouched. "You are greedy, my sweet little Emily!” "Does my brother make you feel this good?" His rough voice sent shivers of pleasure and excitement to her entire body. "Ask me to take you! I am planning on pleasuring you all night" He planted soft kisses on the burning skin of her neck before nibbling on her sweet spot roughly to leave his mark. "Mmm" Emily moaned, her eyes rolled back on her head by the thrilling sensation. "EDMUND! Leave my MATE at this instant!" growled Brian furiously from behind. "She is my MATE too!” ………………. Emily Donavon, a rogue, who was blissfully enjoying her human life, having no clue about her true identity. Everything in Emily’s life was going smoothly like a fairytale until the day of her parent’s sudden accident which caused them their lives. Her normal existence took an abrupt U-turn when two equally gorgeous Alphas entered her life and tried to claim her. What will happen when she will discover that under the disguise of successful billionaires, they are untouchable Alphas of two equally powerful packs? How will she react when she will get to know the truth about her own identity?

Born in scandal, raised in shadows—Mira has only known the scorn of being an Omega’s daughter. In the harsh hierarchy of Pine Shadows Pack, her life is marked by grief and servitude. But when her mother dies mysteriously, Mira begins to unravel a past darker and more powerful than she ever imagined. Bound by secrets and driven by resilience, Mira embarks on a journey to discover her true heritage. Alongside Eryna, a rogue healer, Mira decodes her mother's hidden journals, uncovering a conspiracy of poison and power that spans generations. Her path leads her to Moonlit Pack and into the heart of her real lineage—one where love once blossomed secretly and betrayal took root. Caught between two rival packs, Mira's unique abilities, strength, and immunity to silver make her indispensable. Yet, amidst political turmoil and brewing war, her greatest challenge emerges in the form of forbidden love with Liam, the Alpha heir who once scorned her. Can Mira bridge the bitter divide between packs, unravel the corruption poisoning their bonds, and embrace her rightful destiny? Or will the weight of hidden truths shatter her newfound identity and the delicate peace she's fought so fiercely to forge? "From Omega’s Daughter to Alpha’s Daughter" is a riveting tale of romance, courage, and redemption—a story about the power hidden within us all, waiting to be discovered.

At the dinner table, my wife's best friend suddenly speaks to her in Lytian. "Three years ago, you married Julian in a grand wedding just to help Jace get Julian's letter of forgiveness. Over the years, I've seen Julian fall more and more deeply in love with you. Yet, you're still lying to him. "You gave him sterilization pills but passed them off as his depression medication. Aren't you afraid that he'll fall apart if he finds out the truth?" My wife, Erica Inman, briefly shows a conflicted expression on her face. She then gives a bitter smile and says, "A child unwanted by their mother has no reason to be born. As long as Julian doesn't stand in the way of Jace's happiness, I will keep my promise and stay by his side for the rest of his life." No one knows that I've learned Lytian to keep up with Erica. I stand in the living room and look at the fresh kiss mark on my neck. As I glance at the medication I take regularly for my depression, my whole body turns cold. It turns out that all of Erica's affection toward me was fake. What I thought was my salvation turns out to be nothing but a carefully planned deception. Since that's the case, I'll do my part to make sure they all get what they want.

"I don't care what it takes. Find her!" With those words, William, the youngest and most good looking billionaire in Shanghai urged his security team to double their efforts, to leave no stone unturned in their search for the woman who had captured his heart in a way he had never imagined possible. His eyes fell upon the deep crimson marks on the sheet. A sense of pride and happiness welled up inside him as he realized that he was Sarah's first, and he had been the one to introduce her to the world of physical intimacy. He cherished the thought that no one else had shared that special moment with her, and the idea of anyone else touching her filled him with a possessive anger that simmered just beneath the surface. However, Sarah a young beautiful orphan heiress to a vast multi-billion dollar empire, had vanished into thin air after giving her innocence to William Xu, the most sought-after young bachelor billionaire. The burning question that gnaws at his soul was whether he would ever succeed in locating her. The bitter truth was that she had expertly veiled her true identity, leaving him with nothing but a mystery. What had driven her to willingly surrender herself, only to vanish from his life in the blink of an eye? The elusive motive behind her actions remained locked away, a puzzle that haunted his thoughts day and night. The reason of Sarah's departure is a riddle he was determined to solve.