Dog Scratching Until Bleeding

The end of the world was upon us, but there weren't enough spots for evacuation. The roars of the zombies echoed in my ears as my fiancé, Oliver, gritted his teeth and pulled me onto the rescue vehicle—securing the last available seat. I arrived safely at the survivor base. Lina, his first love, did not. The zombies tore her apart. Oliver still went through with our marriage, but I never expected that he had only done so to make me suffer. In his eyes, I was the one who had killed Lina. If she had to endure such agony, then I should, too. For five years, he hated me. My life was worse than that of a stray dog scavenging for food on the street. On the day my divorce was finalized, he kidnapped me, dragged me into the wilderness, and wrapped his fingers around my throat. Then, he threw us both into the swarm of the undead. When I opened my eyes again, I was somehow reborn on the day the apocalypse began. The rescue team was shouting impatiently, "One more! We have room for one more—hurry!" I turned to Oliver, watching his hesitation. Then, with a quiet smile, I took a step back and let someone else have the last seat.

I give birth to my child after accepting a sperm donation. Later, my CEO husband passes away due to an illness. After I take over the company, I take five years to strike a balance between work and caring for my daughter. On her birthday, a shrew makes me out to be a mistress. "Look at how scantily clad you are—you're doing it to seduce my husband, aren't you?" I explain that I'm single, but she slaps me and snarls, "How dare you claim to be single! Your daughter looks just like my husband! I'll show you today what the consequences of wrecking someone's family are!" She drags me away like I'm a dog before the kindergarten's entrance as my daughter watches. The shrew isn't satisfied with that. She laughs cruelly and says, "I'll show your daughter what a shameless woman you are." Then, she throws herself into a man's arms. "How are you going to reward me for getting rid of a woman who thinks she can have you after having your child, honey?" I look up to see the doctor who helped me with my test tube baby back in the day. He's now my subordinate.

In my previous life, my brother and fiancé teamed up to sabotage my company for the sake of my so-called best friend. After I went bankrupt, they stood beside her watching me collapse in the pouring rain, laughing mockingly at my pathetic state. "Linda Turner, you look as pathetic as a drenched dog!" they sneered. When I opened my eyes again, I was back at the project bidding meeting three years earlier. In my previous life, when my company was just starting out, my brother and fiancé had warned me against using the Turner and Peterson family connections. They claimed it wouldn't be fair to others, but then turned around and handed projects to my best friend under various pretexts, just to see her smile. Now that I was back, I watched them secretly manipulating things just like before, giving my projects to my best friend. I finally gave up on them completely. When they found out I was leaving the country, my brother and fiancé set off fireworks all night, celebrating that they'd finally gotten rid of me, the burden. But three years later, at the Trada Corp's bidding meeting, I took the stage as the CEO's wife—and they couldn't hide the redness in their eyes.

Trigger Warning!! This book is very dark, containing torture and abuse, read at your own risk!! "I'll delete the pictures depending on how obedient you are. You have to do everything I say; if I want you to become a dog, you have to get on your knees and bark; do we have a deal?" Pierce leans intimidatingly to Malakai's height to whisper softly in his ears; his cold eyes flash with cruelty. "You don't want her to know what a dirty little creep you are, do you?" Malakai Kreston, Quiet and perfect son of the county's preacher is who everyone assumes to be a boring nerd, but Malakai has a deep secret. He isn't so perfect after all! A dirty secret that Malakai will do anything to protect. What happens when he becomes a targeted pawn of Pierce Masterson? Kai, who is usually the hunter, becomes the prey, and he discovers that Pierce is more evil... Sinister and very much more twisted than anything he'd ever imagined. Pierce must have everything he wants or destroy it all completely, Escaping is Malakai's only option, but how far will he go before he gets caught? In a game of cat and mouse, neither are willing to lose!

Grayson Harmon's childhood friend, Sophia Lexton, got into a car accident. She didn't just lose her memory—she came away with some post-traumatic stress disorder, too. That's what the doctors called it. They said we had to keep her calm, avoid anything that might upset her. So, for the sake of her recovery, Grayson asked me not to argue with her. To let her have her way, no matter what. She took my engagement necklace and moved into the little love nest Grayson and I had made our own. And on our wedding day, she threatened to kill herself, forcing Grayson to take her to the hospital. He looked at her bleeding out and said to me, calm as ever, "Brianna, I'll make it up to you after the wedding. I'll throw you an even grander one. Sophia is dying." Then he picked her up and walked away, never once looking back. If he had—just once—he might have seen something was wrong. He might have seen the blood soaking into my wedding dress.

Chloe-Anne King is done watching Owen Kyle act like Briarwood High is his personal kingdom. Cocky, adored, and untouchable, he’s the boy everyone fears, and the boy she’s secretly wanted for years, but he won’t see that; they’re not in the same league. So she makes a reckless decision: she’s going to humble him… by getting him exactly where she wants him. One risky night. One dangerous secret. And suddenly Owen has no choice but to play by her rules. But the closer Chloe pulls him, the messier everything gets. Owen stops being just the school’s golden boy; he becomes the one person who sees the cracks in her armor. And when real feelings start bleeding through the lies, the power shifts, the game flips, and Chloe’s the one left exposed. Now their reputations are on the line. Their secrets are slipping. And falling in love might be the most dangerous move either of them can make. She wanted to ruin him. He wanted to forget her. Neither expected to need the other. Briarwood High is about to burn, and they might go down with it.

Five years into what she thought was a happy marriage, Eldora is betrayed and brutally murdered by her mate, his friends, and the woman he was truly destined for. Bleeding out beneath the cold gaze of the full moon, her final thoughts are filled with heartbreak and regret. But fate isn’t finished with her. Eldora wakes up in the past; before the lies, before the betrayal, before she gave her heart to the wrong man. This time, she’s not going to wait to be saved. This time, she’ll take her destiny into her own hands. Her plan? Become the Alpha herself. But to do that, she needs the elite training only offered at the prestigious and ‘all-male’ Alpha Academy. Disguised and determined, Eldora enters a dangerous game of secrets and survival. Can she earn her place without being discovered? What happens when she comes face-to-face with the very people who once betrayed her? And worst of all… What will she do if she encounters her mate there? But that is not all! What she thought was just a revenge game turns into an intricately laid web that threatens the entire werewolf race.

“Who the hell typed this contract, Liam? I see typos.” “What typos? I wrote every damn word myself.” “Then you must’ve been typing while Evelyn was suck–” “Shut the fvck up, Olivia! Just sign it, or forget about ever seeing my babies again.” “They’re my babies too, you asshole! Would you sign if some psycho shoved this shitty contract in your face?” “Then don’t sign. Your loss. Get the fvck out of my office. Call me only after you sign, or you’ll regret it.” --- I thought giving birth would be the happiest day of my life. Instead, it became the day my whole world shattered. While I was still weak and bleeding in that hospital bed, my husband walked in… not with flowers, not with comfort, but with a hard blow to my stitches. That devil set a trap far worse than our marriage itself. And no matter how much I hated him… a part of me still burned whenever he touched me. Was this love, madness, or the devil’s contract I could never escape?

"Fall in love with THE THORNTONS, a family filled with sexy alpha males, passionate women, and lots of heart, all set in a delightful small town in the Pacific Northwest. It’s Christmas time, and the entire Thornton clan is spending the holidays in a cabin deep in the Washington woods. What could go wrong with twelve adults, four kids, and a dog all staying together in one big cabin? Only the most chaotic—and memorable—Christmas ever! Expect kisses under the mistletoe, lots of (spiked) eggnog, and even a surprise wedding as the Thornton clan celebrates the most romantic holiday of all. Author’s Note: I’ll Be Home for Christmas is set six months after the last book, Till There Was You, ends. It’s recommended that you read the other books first, as this book is an epilogue to the entire series. Merry Christmas and happy reading! ** This book is a part of the LOVE EVERLASTING series, which is one large series following multiple families and friends. Each book can be read as a standalone (unless otherwise noted), or they can be read in order of publication as one long series. Each book is interconnected, with many of the same characters showing up in multiple books. LOVE EVERLASTING THE THORNTONS The Nearness of You The Very Thought of You If I Can’t Have You Dream a Little Dream of Me Someone to Watch Over Me Till There Was You I’ll Be Home for Christmas (A Thorntons Christmas)

She was the sacrifice—married off to the city's most ruthless billionaire to save a family that never loved her. But when she discovered his betrayal with her own sister, everything shattered. Pregnant, penniless, and abandoned, Bella Hart disappeared into the night, vowing never to be powerless again. Few years later, she returns as the CEO of an international empire, more powerful than anyone imagined possible. Her secret weapon? The little boy with piercing grey eyes who calls her "Mommy, he is the son of the man who destroyed her. Caleb Black spent years drowning in regret, searching for the wife he threw away. Now she's back, untouchable and unforgiving. He'll do anything to reclaim what he lost his wife, his son, his chance at redemption. But Bella didn't return to forgive, she returned to conquer. With enemies circling, old wounds bleeding, and a passion that refuses to die, Bella must decide: Will she let the man who broke her back into her heart? Or will she destroy him the way he once destroyed her? In a world of billion-dollar deals and deadly secrets, love is the most dangerous gamble of all.