Crush 40 Open Your Heart Novels & Stories

On Thanksgiving, my husband Steven Mandel showed up with another woman. Not just anyone—Fiona Osborne, his first love. She had Alzheimer's and only remembered him. And yeah, he said she was moving in. Steven's eyes were ice. "Erica, I stayed away from Fiona out of duty. But I'm not wasting what time I have left without her." Happy 50th anniversary to me. No gift—just a slap-in-the-face love confession. Maya, my daughter-in-law, tried to talk some sense into him, bless her. Then Anton—my own son—cut in. "Mom already kept Dad away from Fiona for years. She's tied ME to you for half my life. Now Dad just wants to take care of the woman he loves—what's so wrong with that?" Steven stepped in front of Fiona like some kind of hero. "Anton's right. Erica, I let you play the wife role for decades. Now, I want to be with the woman I truly love. "If you can't handle that, let's just get a divorce." I stood there, frozen. I'd walked away from a powerhouse law career for this family after we had Anton. I thought I had given everything, and in their eyes, I would be a perfect wife and a perfect mother. But today made it clear—I was never enough. No matter how much I gave, it was never going to be enough. I turned to Maya. She was crying. "You wanna get divorced together?"

"I'm sorry, Anna. I've made a mistake that can never be forgiven." My Alpha mate, Alan Thorne, is drugged with a powerful aphrodisiac—one only a she-wolf's touch can neutralize. His assistant, Leah Hawke, takes advantage and sleeps with him. Alan and I have been bound by a mate bond for eight years. His heartfelt apologies make me believe it is nothing more than a tragic accident. But six months later, everything falls apart. When I hear Alan is caught in a landslide during a business trip, I rush to his side without hesitation. I find him lying in the hospital bed, staring at Leah, guilt weighing heavily in his eyes. "Leah is three months along with my pups. She risked everything to save me, clawing through mud and rocks with bare hands until they were raw and bleeding. "Baby, I swear, you're the one and only Luna. But please... Let me make this right. Let me take care of her until the pups are born." Leah breaks down in tears, pleading, "These pups are innocent. Please don't punish them." At that moment, I feel like the villain tearing a family apart. With bitterness burning in my throat, I rasp, "Alan, you have to choose. Either end our mate bond or banish Leah from the pack." Alan shakes his head, anguish deepening his expression. "I can't break our mate bond, but I also can't turn my back on Leah. That's not who I am." In the end, Leah gives birth to twin pups. The entire pack celebrates, but not me. I already know my time here has come to an end. "Well, Alan, since you can't decide, I'll be the one to vanish from your world."

"You gave your body to a man who didn’t know what to do with it," Cane murmured, his breath hot on her skin. "Let us show you what it means to be wanted… by three." Riley gave everything to her marriage until she walked in on her husband and his stepsister cheating on her. The betrayal shattered her… but only for a moment as she proposes to the one thing he's always wanted: an open marriage. He thought she’d crumble. Instead, she chose revenge. And nothing stings more than the fact that she picked his three best friends to help her get it. Three ruthless bikers. Three men who don’t share unless it’s worth the risk. Three Alphas who made Riley theirs the moment she said yes to them. Now every night, she gives them what her husband took for granted—moans, surrender, and something dangerously close to love. He watches from the sidelines. Burning. Regretting but it's too late. Because she’s not just taking back her power—she’s making sure he feels what it’s like to be replaced. And the worst part? He never expected she’d fall for them. And that they’d fall for her. And Riley? She's only just started.

After getting into an accident, I pretend to be an amnesiac to pull a prank on my husband and son. "Who are you guys?" I ask. A hint of delight flickers in my son's eyes. He pulls a woman waiting outside the hospital ward inside and says, "My parents and I came to visit you, ma'am." My husband watches all of this happen without saying a word. He doesn't correct our son.

Just a few days before my wedding, I accidentally come across a post while scrolling online. The title reads, "To the guy getting married in this city, your fiancée's already cheated on you." Curious, I click in to see the gossip, only to realize I'm the one being talked about. A deep male voice plays in the video. "I heard you're getting married?" The woman in the frame, bare-backed and trembling, chokes back a sob. "After you left, I realized you're still the one I love most. I'm done with him. Take me away, please!" The moment I hear her voice, it feels like someone punches me straight in the chest. Then I notice something on her wrist—the luxury couple's bracelet I gave her just yesterday. And in that instant, I feel like the biggest joke of all. Turns out the fool was me.

I married Emory, my fated mate. But he never loved me. His first love, Ophelia, was stricken with the Lunar Blight. Her dying wish, she said, was to have a mating ceremony with Emory, to become his Luna. I refused. From that day on, to Emory and our son Leo, I was nothing but a selfish, cruel woman. Leo would intentionally feed me things I was allergic to. He’d pretend to get lost during the winter hunt, leaving me to search for him in a blizzard for a day and a night until I nearly died… It was all to keep me from disturbing Emory and Ophelia. So when he started crying and throwing a tantrum, demanding I go catch him a Silver-Frost Rabbit from the dangerous depths of the forest at night, I finally said no. “You don’t have to keep making me sick anymore,” I told him. “I won’t bother your father and Ophelia again.” Because I’m terminally ill. My wolf is fading. I’m going to die soon.

Running late for work, I had no choice but to call an Uber. As luck would have it, my boss turned out to be my Uber driver. We stared at each other awkwardly. He raised an eyebrow and asked, "Let me guess... running late?" Me: ... Later, he docked my pay. I gave him a one-star review.

When love is shared but not equally given, how much pain can a heart endure? Andrea Velasco thought she had the perfect marriage—devoted husband, beautiful home, and a quiet life built on trust. But her world shatters when a single message exposes a truth she never imagined: her husband, Gabriel Reyes, is not just hers. He's also married to Celina Dela Cruz, a younger woman in a different city who believes she is the only Mrs. Reyes. As Andrea and Celina’s lives collide, secrets unravel and tempers rise. But amidst the betrayal lies a deeper question: Who truly owns the right to love, to forgiveness, and to walk away?

"You have to remember one thing, I'll never let go of someone who stole something from me, and you're so sassy stealing my kiss. Naomi ... I think you in trouble right now." (*) Starting from a mistake one night, leading Naomi to an affair scandal with an American businessman who was her ice skating club sponsor. Then, after learning that the man was betrothed by his parents and planning to get married soon, Naomi realizes her relationship with Enrico is no longer just a sex partner. Enrico can't undo his matchmaking with Eve because he doesn't want to disappoint his parents, but he also doesn't want to lose Naomi. The woman he recently realized was someone he loved. When Naomi finally decides to leave his life on his wedding day with Eve, how does their story end?

Nadia Thompson had been in a high-profile, five-year relationship with Harry Jones, the kind everyone in Highport City’s upper social circle knew about. On the day they were supposed to get married and register their marriage, she got ditched. Nadia had enough. She swore a vicious oath, walked away, and turned her fiance into her ex-boyfriend. After one phone call from a certain someone, she got married on impulse. She registered her marriage with Julian Jones, Harry's older brother, despite them not getting along well. Julian was a well-known heir in Highport City’s upper social circle and a terrifying financial shark who built his own empire overseas. After they married, he spoiled Nadia and indulged her in everything. When Harry humiliated Nadia and called her worthless, Julian sent him crashing straight to the floor. "My wife's the apple of my eye, the one I hold the dearest. No matter how she is, I will spoil her. If you say one more word about her, I can get your name erased from the Jones family records!" Only much later did Nadia learn that the man she used to fear had loved her in secret for a decade, and that their marriage was part of a plan he laid long ago…