Cradling

By month four of my IVF treatments, my husband's childhood sweetheart posted a picture of herself cradling her baby bump. The caption? [Having a happy ending with my first love. A family of three.] And there he was—his hand in the shot, making a cutesy heart with hers. Oh, and the cherry on top? He was still wearing his wedding ring.

Alice Long and I were caught in the crossfire. When my boyfriend—a combat medic responsible for saving the wounded—came to our rescue, he pushed me aside. Gently cradling Alice, the girl I had shielded, he shot me a cold glance and said, "Crystal, I'm deeply disappointed in you. She needs immediate care to avoid infection!" What about me? Was I meant to die instead? When my flag-draped coffin arrived home, he had the nerve to weep openly at my memorial. This once-renowned combat medic, celebrated around the globe, never set foot outside his room again.

Seven years into our marriage, Zane Grimes and I remained childless. He once held me close, his voice tender and earnest. "Don't overthink it. I've never cared for children. You're all I want in this life." But on the day his company went public, as the ceremonial bell echoed through the hall, the doors burst open. My sister stormed in, cradling a wailing infant. "Zane, this is your son! How can you abandon us?" Zane's face paled as he turned to me, his eyes brimming with panic and a silent plea. Unbeknownst to him, I had long known about his betrayal and the child.

I was bleeding out in a corner after a hit from a rival family. My husband, Dante—the Torrino family’s underboss—was in his car, holding his best friend's little sister. He gave me one cold look and said, "Leave her. She's a nobody." Later, after someone else saved me, I walked home, soaked in my own blood. I found Dante cradling Seraphina, fussing over her. All she had was a scraped knee. The blood covering my clothes? He didn't even see it. I just watched. Said nothing. Then I pulled out my phone and called my mother. "Mom, I need to come home."

“I want to please you, Angioletto. Teach me how to please you.” I whisper. He steps forward and crouches down, his hand cradling my face. “Be careful what you wish for, Munchkin, girls like you shouldn’t concern yourselves with pleasing insatiable men like me.” She’s his breath of fresh air. He’s the reason he lives. Angiolettto’s mission was clear. Go to Dumont Augustin’s province, and wipe out his entire generation. But Angioletto failed. He failed because a beautiful five foot two, brown eyed girl crossed his path and brought him alive in a way he’s unable to explain. He’s a monster, her monster, the monster whose heart is captured by a nineteen year old girl. And for Oceane, he’s her monster, a monster who saved her life, a monster whom she takes a risk with and gives her heart to.

All Aria ever wanted was to fix their broken bond. But just when she discovers she’s pregnant with twins, his long-awaited pups, she finds her mate, Alpha Aiden, cradling another woman in his arms… and bringing her into their home. Humiliated, heartbroken, and pushed aside, Aria vanishes without a word. But Aiden’s world shatters the moment he finds her diary and realizes the truth: she was carrying his children all along. Now he’ll tear apart the realm to find her. Mate bond or not, betrayal or not, he’ll bring her back, even if it means burning everything in his path. Because losing her once was a mistake. Losing her again? Unforgivable. But Aiden isn’t the only Alpha who wants her. In her darkest hour, Aria crosses paths with Kaelen, the rogue Alpha feared across the realms, who offers her protection and a chance to rise stronger than before.

Elissa and Carson are happily married until one day she finds him intimate with a woman who she thought was a 'friend'. The pregnancy report from her hand slips to the floor along with her heart that shatters into pieces. The day turns out to be the worst day of her life. Not only did Carson accused her of cheating, announced sudden divorce but also told her to abort the child on his mother's orders. Cradling her broken heart, Elissa somehow manages to escape from the hospital and leaves A city with her brother. Three years later, when she returns back due to work with her boss, she encounters with her past again. Seeing her ex husband with the woman he cheated on her, Elissa's heart aches. However, Elissa isn't the naive, weak woman she once used to be. If someone strikes, she will strike back. With enemies lurking around in plans of destroying her, how will Elissa manage to save herself and her daughter? Moreover, will she forgive Carson for his actions?

Shania thought she had it all—her husband Adrian, her home, her future. But that illusion shattered the day her twin sister, Stephanie, appeared on her doorstep, cradling a baby that looked unmistakably like Adrian. The triumphant glint in Stephanie’s eyes delivered the truth: betrayal. Two facts now defined Shania’s life: 1) Her husband, whom she gave up everything for, had slept with her sister. 2) She became pregnant by a stranger after a drunken night, just 240 days after Adrian struck her. Enter Stefan—an enigmatic billionaire with his own dark past. He needed a woman whose name began with 'S' to carry his child. Unbeknownst to Shania, Stefan had been orchestrating her life from the shadows, drawn to her for reasons she could never have imagined. And now, a baby is involved, divorce papers are moving from one home to the lawyer, and a fresh new contract marriage is being drafted. Will Stefan reveal his secrets before it’s too late? And can Shania find the strength to confront her past and embrace the unexpected bond forming between them?

Three years ago, I rescued the CEO of the Patton Group. That very night, he appeared at my door with his grandson and proposed marriage. I'd secretly loved the young man for seven long years, so I accepted it without hesitation. For three blissful years, Damian Patton showered me with affection so profound it sparked envy in everyone around us. But the illusion shattered when the Patton family's adopted daughter returned from abroad. I stumbled upon him cradling her tenderly and whispering words of devotion. "Grandpa won't hand over the company until Serena gives birth to an heir. But I don't care about inheritance anymore. I want to marry you now." Harriet Patton's lips curved into a sultry smile. "No rush, darling. I want you to marry me as the rightful heir to the Patton empire. Just promise me you won't fall for her." His eyes softened. "Seven years ago, you pulled me out of that fire. I swore then to love you forever." Those words crashed over me like an avalanche, burying my heart under a crushing weight of betrayal. His love for me had been all a lie. I was the one who had braved those flames to save him. It was not her.

"You can’t be serious," Bethany whispered, cradling the emerald Caleb had placed in her hand. "I’ve never been more certain," Caleb said, his silver gaze locked on hers. "I would give you the world if I could. But all I want is you. My mate." Her breath caught. "You barely know me." Caleb’s fingers trailed up her cheek. "I’ve waited forty years to find you, Bethany. I knew you the moment I caught your scent. And I’m never letting you go." Caleb is the unmated Alpha of a cursed werewolf pack until he meets Bethany, a shy diner waitress with a hidden strength that shakes his world. For decades, Caleb believed fate had abandoned him. But one glance, one touch, one scent changes everything. Bethany doesn’t believe in fairy tales. Abandoned at birth, she’s lived a life of invisibility and heartbreak. So when the dangerously compelling Caleb declares her his mate, her world turns upside down. With bear shifters closing in and the full moon rising, Caleb and Bethany must defy the rules of nature, power, and fate to claim a love destined to save an entire pack