Chapter Summary The Things They Carried

My father died of esophageal cancer. For the final two years of his life, he could barely swallow anything. By the time he passed, he was nothing but skin and bones. The first New Year after his death, he came to my mother in a dream. "I'm starving," he said. "I just want to taste the thick-cut steak you used to make." My mother believed it without question. That very day, she pan-seared a large platter of steak and carried it to his grave. The next morning, she suffered a sudden heart attack and died on the spot. Devastated, I handled my mother's funeral together with my husband. That same night, my husband dreamed of my father as well. "Chester," he said, "I haven't eaten in so long. I want your pâté, served with some strong liquor." When my husband woke up, he bought the finest liver pâté, opened a bottle of single-malt whiskey, and went straight to the grave. However, not long after returning home, he collapsed from acute liver failure. He was rushed to the ICU and died three days later. I was on the brink of collapse myself. I left my daughter in the care of a close friend while I tried to handle the endless wave of tragedy. That evening, my daughter never came home from school. I searched everywhere, and finally, on the road to the cemetery, I found her. She was clutching a bowl of spicy stew, several grilled sausages floating in the broth. "Mom," she said, "Grandpa and I used to eat this all the time. I dreamed he said he was hungry." I finally lost it. I knocked the bowl from her hands and carried her home. That night, my father appeared in my dream once more. "I suffered so much while alive," he said. "Have some pity on me. "New Year's is coming. I want to come home for a meal. Make sure you cook fish." I woke in terror. Holding my daughter, I sat before the three framed portraits for two full days without eating or drinking. On New Year's morning, I realized she was no longer breathing. Clutched tightly in her hand was a packet of spicy dried salmon. I could not believe it. When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the day my mother, her eyes red with worry, said she was going out to buy steak.

Evelyn's entry in New York was a turning point in her life. She insulted Billionaire Sebastien Robinson because of some misunderstanding. Once she was drunk and she end up sleeping with a man who saved her from being molested. That man turned out to be Sebastien Robinson with whom she was on bad terms already. He left a note for her "Whatever happened last night, let's just forget it. We were not sober last night. You don't havs to feel guilty about it. Just hope we never cross paths with each other ever again." They decided not to cross path with each other but their destiny brings them together again. On her first day at work she found out that Sebastien is her boss. Evelyn and Sebastien both were unawared that this was not a beginning of a new chapter but a journey to finish the old chapter. Their encounter at a coffee shop led them to complete a love story which ended 4 years ago in a tragic incident.

Maynard Hansen planned a luxury birthday cruise for Darlene Thompson, but the cruise ship capsized when a violent storm swept in without warning. Without hesitation, Maynard gave the last seat on the lifeboat to Darlene. As I struggled in the water, my son, Waldo Hansen—whom I carried for nine months and gave birth to—cried out, "Don't let Mom up! She'll push Ms. Thompson off." Clutching nothing but a broken plank, I somehow made it to shore. By the time I collapsed on the sand, I was frozen, exhausted, and done. I had never felt so alone. Shortly after, I found myself clutching a diagnosis of severe depression in my hand. I was ready to bring this wretched life to a quiet end. But when my husband and son realized I truly didn't want to live anymore, they collapsed into tears. They wrapped their arms around me as they sobbed, "Please don't leave us. We really can't live without you."

Selina loved Alpha Alaric with everything she had. She even agreed to marry him, knowing full well that his heart still belonged to Lyra, the woman lying unconscious in a coma. All she wanted was to be acknowledged as his Luna, so she accepted the one condition he set: to wake Lyra using the power that flowed within her. And she did. But what waited for her wasn’t love. It was betrayal in its cruelest form. The child she carried was murdered, and her world shattered into pieces. Out of the wreckage came Raven. Alpha of the Bloodhowl Pack and Alaric’s cousin. He knew Selina was destined for someone else. He knew that loving her was forbidden. Yet the more he fought it, the stronger his need grew to protect her... and make her his. Now Selina is trapped between two Alphas: one who destroyed her life, and one she was never meant to love. The Alpha’s Forbidden Love is a story of betrayal, desire, and a forbidden bond that dares to defy fate itself.

In that little town on the island, there was one family more rich and powerful than the rest, the Dankworths. And Jana knew that all too well. She was a pretty fifteen-year-old girl from the other side of town. Her family were outcasts, nobodies, seen as part of the lowlifes. But even so, she had eyes only for Lawrence Dankworth, one of the Dankworth sons. He became the center of her universe, though she had to keep it a secret. If people ever found out about her ultimate crush on him, she would become the laughingstock of the town. Lawrence held nothing but hatred for her family. It even came to the point where he showed up at their home and ordered them to leave. She was too shocked to comprehend the hatred in his eyes, too stunned as their house burned under his command, before she could even pack what little they owned. They had no choice but to leave the island. But Jana carried the memory of that day deep in her heart. Years passed. And now, she has decided to return.

During a battle with a rival pack, my Alpha mate, Damien, burst into my private healing sanctuary. He was carrying Lyra, a Beta warrior who had supposedly taken a poisoned blade for him. The next day, under the watchful eye of the Moon Goddess, Damien was forced by the pack elders to apologize. He explained that bringing an outsider into my sanctuary was a desperate act in a moment of crisis. After all, Lyra had saved his life. But that night, in the bed we once shared, Lyra stabbed herself with a dagger laced with wolfsbane and framed me for the attack. He chose to believe her. The rejection ceremony ripped my wolf from my soul. I was cast out—a powerless exile, left for dead in a storm, to be torn to shreds by rogues. But what Damien never knew was that the ancient curse afflicting him could only be healed by me. When I opened my eyes again, I was back at the beginning: the moment Damien carried that woman in, demanding I save her.

Ivy Grant, a nurse trapped in a marriage to the abusive Caleb Torres, is unaware that her husband is hiding a dark secret: he’s responsible for her parents’ murder, carried out under the orders of Maxwell Pierce, the Blackwood family lawyer. Fate brings Ivy into the life of Adrian Blackwood, a billionaire heir facing a looming deadline to marry or lose his inheritance. After a chance encounter and a passionate one-night stand, Ivy flees when she uncovers disturbing truths about the Blackwood family. Desperate to find her and meet the conditions of his grandfather’s will, Adrian falls prey to a sinister scheme by Dr. Sebastian Cole, who introduces a false heiress to secure Adrian’s fortune. As Ivy returns to expose the deception, a web of blackmail and betrayal forces Adrian into a loveless marriage, while Ivy disappears once more. Years later, Adrian’s life is in shambles until Ivy reappears with their twins, Lucas and Sophia, and a plan to reclaim their stolen future. Together, they must face their enemies and uncover the truth to restore their lives and find happiness.

Olive finds herself in an unusual union with the billionaire, Xander Giovanni. And when things come crashing in a sudden divorce, she leaves to find her life somewhere else, keeping away the fact that she's carrying his child. Fast forward to a few years later and she's back in town. Inevitably, their paths cross and things are about to take a different turn as Xander grovels for her to give him another chance. Would they ever work out?

Warning: This is a no-sweet love story, but a must-read for those with a dirty mind. The novel is not for the faint of heart. Within these pages lie secrets that are whispered in darkness and moaned in ecstasy, stories that explore the raw, unfiltered depths of human desire. Each chapter builds to a crescendo of passion, leaving you breathless and aching for more. It is a journey through the diverse landscapes of eroticism, where power struggles dance with surrender, and mind games blur the lines between pleasure and pain. If explicit scenes that push boundaries offend you, turn back now. This collection is crafted for dark-minded adults who embrace their primal fantasies without apology. “For those seeking scorching hot, unapologetically dirty tales of wild passion, look no further. But be warned: these stories will make your legs quiver and your imagination burn.” Strictly 18+. If you're underage, do not dare proceed. Even adults should lock their doors before diving in. You've been warned. “Now step inside if you think you can handle the heat.”

At 19 years old, Nicole Adams has gone through things no teenager should ever go through. Losing her father at the age of 14 being one of the simpler things, she has built a wall so high and so strong around herself, that not even Hulk himself could penetrate it. Join her in a world she has created for herself- a world so tiny and so lonesome that the only other person in it is her mother. Maybe, just maybe, someone is about to change that.