Calling Chris

Welcome back to Clifton Heights. Sheriff Chris Baker and Father Ward meet for a Saturday morning breakfast at The Skylark Diner to once again commiserate over the weird and terrifying secrets surrounding their town. Sheriff Baker shares with Father Ward the story of a journal discovered in the ruins of what was once an elaborate koi pond and flower garden, which regales a tale of regret, buried pain, and unfulfilled debt: “Sophan” – Jake Burns has always been a bit...off. Rude, awkward, sometimes brutish, he's tolerated by Nate Slocum and his friends because he hits a mean line drive, and because they all know but don't discuss the abuse he faces at the hands of his troubled father, a Vietnam veteran consumed by his demons. But Jake is suffering something far worse than domestic abuse, and when Nate discovers what, he faces an impossible choice: help Jake and put himself in the path of evil, or abandon him, only to damn himself in the process. ©️ Crystal Lake Publishing

Ever since Stanley jilted Petals in front of the entire school by calling their relationship a fake based on bets with his friends, she couldn’t bring herself to fall for anyone. She stayed hidden and never attended school reunion to avoid running into him for years. Her friends informed her about Stanley too not attending so she had nothing to worry about and forced her to go that particular year thanks to a game she couldn’t avoid with her friends only for her to meet him in the party. She tried her best not to interact with him but he was pushy, as a CEO, he had what she needed desperately, a job. He offered her a job in return for sleeping with him and she was caught between choosing the job that will turn her life around or letting the past be just as it is even if everything in her life was upside down. Unknown to Petals, the job she took on will be the one to solve all the mysteries and unanswered questions in her lives all these years. She is able to unravel all the hidden and deep secrets surrounding everyone around her and herself. What will be the fate of two people who still have a thing for each other beneath the deep hatred? Will their love be able to spring forth and prevail amidst all those storms?

He was meant to be a sacrifice. Instead, he became an obsession. When Elias is cast out of his master’s home, accused of seducing a nobleman’s son, he flees into the forbidden lands of Lucian D’Arcy—the cruel, beautiful vampire lord feared by all. But instead of killing him, Lucian claims him, drawn to Elias in ways neither of them understand. Elias resists the dark temptation Lucian offers, but his body betrays him, his pulse quickening under the vampire’s touch. The longer he stays, the harder it becomes to deny the hunger in Lucian’s gaze—or the sinful desire curling in his own belly. But something is wrong. Elias’ body weakens, his dreams haunted by whispers of an unseen force calling to him. And when a shadow from his past sends a warning, Lucian realizes Elias is more than just a mortal in his grasp. He is something else. Something dangerous. Lucian swore he wouldn’t break Elias. Wouldn’t ruin him. But as desire turns to obsession, and obsession to possession, one thing becomes terrifyingly clear. He will burn the world to keep him.

It was my 30th birthday, and my husband said he had a surprise for me. However, on the day of my birthday, he was nowhere to be found. I called him countless times, but no one answered. Just as I was about to panic and consider calling the police, I happened to see a post on the social media feed of his female secretary. “A typhoon hit, and my boss was worried about my safety, so he personally took me home. How wonderful! I’ve got a guardian angel for myself!” My anxiety turned to cold calm in an instant. I commented on her post: “Traveling during a typhoon is dangerous. Tell him he doesn’t need to come back.” Not long after I posted the comment, my husband called. “Kelly, I was only concerned about the safety of my subordinate, and yet you’re thinking such vile thoughts. “Birthdays come every year. Missing one won’t kill you!” You were right. Birthdays came every year. But there was no way I would celebrate them with you.

He inhaled then chuckled, "I see you still smell like vanilla when aroused, but the way you were spitting words at me, calling me a murderer, and all the other day, I did not think that only the view of my naked chest can make you so wet." After overhearing a murder plan by her fiance and his family to kill her, Alex Cage left Shadow Pack with a broken heart and a pregnancy.  But in a twist of events, she crosses paths with her mate, Hayden Walker, who starts to force his way into her life using their children and denies knowing anything about the plan to kill her. Will Alex forgive him and let old feelings be ignited? Did he really try to kill her, or was it a setup? Find out in The Luna's second chance at love.

After my parents passed away, Uncle Mike took me in. When greedy relatives tried to snatch away my inheritance, he chased them off with a kitchen knife. “As long as I’m here, nobody lays a finger on this girl!” Aunt Rachel doted on me, calling me her precious baby and making me nutritious meals every day. My cousin Pete secretly slipped me pocket money and made sure to pick me up and drop me off at school, afraid I might get bullied. The neighbors all said I was lucky and to repay their kindness someday. On graduation day, I cooked them a lavish meal to show my appreciation. Every dish was laced with rat poison. I didn’t spare a single soul, not even the neighbors. I killed them all!

I used to be so happy with my husband, Ian Shaw, until his first love got too drunk one day and was taken away by five strange men for an entire night. To protect her reputation, he told everyone that I was the one who was kidnapped that night. Everyone criticized me, calling the baby in my belly a child of shame. I questioned Ian hysterically, but he said nonchalantly, "Ruby isn’t married yet. People will laugh at her if the news spreads." I looked icily at the man I had loved for six years, shock taking over as I realized he had probably never loved me back.

To let Alpha Duncan's first love become the mother of our son, my husband didn’t hesitate to commit perjury in court and personally send me, his wife, to prison. Four years later, after I was released, just as I was starting to regain hope for life, dozens of luxury cars showed up at the prison gate, with two people stepping out. “How could you?! How could you do something so evil?! You should never have been my mom. I wish Auntie Ashley has always been my mother!” My heart broke. Seeing my husband and son again, I felt like they were real demons, turning me away so easily. Just then, the little boy beside me stepped forward. “Don’t bully Mommy!” Hearing this, my biological son angrily asked, “Who are you calling ‘mommy’?! I’m her only son!” I didn’t want to deal with them or explain anything. I just wanted to live a good life with my Justin. I crouched down, hugged him, comforted him in saying, “Justin, there’s nothing to say to these people... We’re overstaying our welcome. Come on.” “Halt right there!”

One day, after getting rear-ended outside my office, I, Maeve Dahlman, call out for help, but Austin Cooper, who is simply passing by with Carmen Holt, merely glances at me impatiently, annoyed that I've disrupted their lunch plans. Instead of helping, he has his assistant take me to his private club and lock me in a room, accusing me of being paranoid and dramatic. "I'll give you three days to calm down," he says before walking away and leaving me in isolation. Eventually, I escape and call the police. An ambulance rushes me to the hospital, where doctors diagnose me with a brain injury that requires immediate surgery. I keep calling Austin, only to realize that he has blocked my number. Then, I see Carmen's latest post online, gushing about a romantic luxurious dinner with him. After I'm discharged, I cancel the wedding, destroy all the invitations, and finally call my mother. "Mom," I say, "I've made up my mind. I'm ready to meet him."

My daughter gets into an accident and needs to leave town for an operation. My husband is the pilot of the flight that takes her there. However, instead of calling him, I head straight to the airport and ask the ground staff for help. In my past life, I begged and pleaded with my husband for help. He arranged a seat for our daughter and flew the plane there. Because of that, he missed the chance to send his childhood sweetheart to the hospital, and she died in labor. My husband disappeared for two months after that. He later returned, acting like nothing had happened. However, one day, he poisoned the whole family. "If not for you forcing me to get on that flight, I could've taken her to the hospital. She would've given birth, and she wouldn't have died. You guys are the ones who deserve to die!" He pushed me off the 20th floor. When I open my eyes again, I'm taken back to the day my daughter gets into an accident. This time, my husband successfully takes his childhood sweetheart to the hospital. But why does he later regret it?