Familiar Zero Novels & Stories

Three months since my husband, Julian Moretti, disappeared. I walked into his favorite den, the grief so deep it stole the air from my lungs. I just wanted to breathe him in, to find any trace of him that was left. Then I heard it. A familiar laugh. And the soft moan of a woman. Through a crack in the door, I saw him. My husband, the man "missing" for three months, had his hand tangled in another woman's hair. "Baby, just a little longer," he said. "Soon as I siphon enough cash from the family's books, we're gone. You and me." In his arms was Bianca, from the Rosso family. "What about your wife?" she purred. "Let her play the grieving widow. She's nothing without me anyway." My fists clenched. The world went quiet, my blood turning to ice. The next day, I put the word out to the entire Family. "I'm holding a memorial mass for my husband." At the service, he stormed in, a ghost returned from the grave, roaring that he was alive and there to take back what was his. But I was standing next to his uncle, Dante Moretti, and all I did was stare him down. "Then explain," I said, my voice cutting through the silence. "Explain the woman. Explain the money. Explain your betrayal... to the Family. And to me."

Three years after our breakup, I ran into my ex-girlfriend, and she had her new boyfriend by her side. "Hey, isn't that Henry the expert?" Diego Stanley taunted with a smirk. "Three years post-breakup, and you're slumming it here playing with clay?" I furrowed my brow, ignored them, and carefully moved the Victorian-era porcelain musician figurine onto its preset base in the display case. When I wasn't biting, he reached out to grab the figurine from my arms. "What's this junk you're treating like gold? Let me take a look." Cynthia Wyatt frowned, her voice laced with that familiar arrogance. "Henry, I've given you three years to shape up, and you're still the same loser? Come on, hand over that clay doll to Diego. Don't kill the vibe. If you play nice, I might even reconsider our old engagement." As Diego's hand neared the figurine, I dodged quickly and barked, "Hands off! It's a historical artifact!" Diego got pissed off and shoved me hard. "Some flea market find, and you're acting all high and mighty?" In the ensuing scuffle, I lost my balance, and the figurine slipped from my grasp, crashing to the floor. That sealed their fate. This entitled pair was about to go bankrupt trying to fix it.

Today I had my first kiss. It wasn’t planned. It was also with a complete stranger. As I walked through the crowded halls of Crestwood High, my heart light with excitement, I felt it before I saw it—a familiar presence, sharp and wrong. My boyfriend, Mark, was nearby and he wasn’t alone. “You’re a bad boy,” the cheerleader laughed softly. “Only for you,” Mark replied before his lips closed over hers. At that moment, I felt sick to my stomach. “Oh, Mark. Stop it. You know we can’t be seen together. What if your girlfriend finds us?” “She’s in class. She’s never late. You don’t need to worry.” My heart was heavy in my chest, but also a wave of fury and resentment crossed me. “Bethany?” Mark breathed, staring at me in shock “What are you—” Before he could get the entire question out, I turned to the gentleman beside me, placing my hands on his shoulders and pulling him toward me. He went easily, though his eyes showed nothing but confusion. I closed my eyes tightly so I wouldn’t have to see his expression any longer. Then, our lips touched. Later, I walked into my class but found,It was him… The man I kissed only moments ago in the hallway. The man I had given my first kiss to, was my professor.

A rewritten fate. A second chance. A choice that could save or destroy everything. Lara Voss wakes up seven years into the past with no memory of her previous life, her body familiar but her soul echoing with warnings she cannot name. Her pack calls her wolfless, broken, cursed, and they’ve never understood why Alpha Kael chose her when he could have anyone else. What she doesn’t know is the truth she once died for. She doesn’t know the Moon Goddess has sent her back, or that a choice once shattered her future. She doesn’t know this second chance carries a warning carved into fate itself: choose revenge, and she looses it all—choose love, and destiny can be remade. Danger moves quietly through the packs. Desire coils under every breath. Dark magic stirs. Enemies watch her too closely. And amid all of it, Lara feels herself pulled toward a destiny she cannot understand and cannot escape. She was sent back to save everything. But she can still lose it all. As Lara uncovers the growing darkness, fragments of her missing memories begin bleeding through. Betrayal, blood, and deceit rise. To survive, she must face the power waking inside her—one that can either break the world or heal it. A woman reborn with no memory. An Alpha with dark secrets. A mission that will determine the fate of everything she loves.

Five years ago, Elara Thorne died in a wreckage of twisted metal and flames. Or so the world believed. In reality, she was running from the powerful Vance family who wanted her erased, and running from Julian Vance, the man who had shattered her heart before she could even tell him she was carrying his twins. Now, Elara is a shadow in the city, a mother living on the edge of survival. But the "Ice King" of New York has a long memory and even longer reach. When Julian catches a glimpse of a familiar face at an elite gala, his world of cold calculation turns into a furnace of obsession. He doesn't find a grieving ex-lover. He finds a woman who has become a lioness, and two children who are the perfect, sapphire-eyed images of himself. Julian doesn’t ask for forgiveness. He demands a debt. He drags Elara from the gutters of Brooklyn into the heights of his glass palace, forcing her into a Marriage of Convenience. He wants his heirs. He wants his revenge. And most of all, he wants to possess the woman who dared to make a fool of him. But Julian has forgotten one thing: a woman who has already survived death has nothing left to fear. As Elara steps back into the world of the elite, she isn't there to play the dutiful wife. She is a Trojan horse in a red silk dress, ready to dismantle the Vance empire from within.

My mother was critically ill, and I drove five hundred miles back to my hometown alone. At a rest stop, I saw a video online. A young man had posted: "First day driving long-distance as a nervous beginner. My ex followed me for three hundred miles, all the way until I got home safely." In the video, a familiar black Mercedes followed a white car the entire way. The top comment came from a burner account: "I'm the driver's ex. No other meaning. I just couldn't stop worrying. "He's timid, but always tries to act brave. I was afraid something would happen to him. "Please don't overthink it. Don't bother him. I'll feel bad." The internet exploded. "What kind of once-in-a-lifetime devoted ex is this? Get back together already!" I stared at that Mercedes. The plate number was GB-8860V. It was my fiancee Vanessa Tomlinson's car. That morning, she had canceled the plan to drive home with me. She said her company had an emergency project and she could not get away. I had sent her dozens of messages, and she had not replied to a single one. Yet she had time to escort the man she never truly let go of for three hundred miles. My phone buzzed. Vanessa had finally texted me: "Is the interstate jammed? Drive safe."

Six Secrets. One Devastating Truth. Zero Escape. One heartbroken night. One reckless stranger. One decision that changed everything. Three years ago, Sloane Carter walked into a Chicago bar to forget the man who destroyed her. She walked out carrying a secret that would define the rest of her life — six of them, actually. Because the devastatingly handsome stranger she gave herself to that night didn't just break through her walls. He left her with sextuplets she's been raising alone, loving fiercely, and hiding from the world ever since. She never got his name. She never needed to. Until now. When a desperate job search lands Sloane inside PIERCE Tower — Chicago's most powerful corporation — she comes face to face with the one man she never thought she'd see again. Declan Pierce. Billionaire. CEO. Ruthless. Magnetic. And the father of her six children, who have his jaw, his eyes, and absolutely no idea he exists. Now Sloane is trapped — forty-two floors up, steps from his office, dodging his questions, outrunning his memory, and fighting a pull between them that three years and six babies haven't dulled one single degree. Declan Pierce didn't build an empire by missing details. And the more time she spends in his orbit, the more she can feel him circling the truth — patient, dangerous, inevitable. She has one rule: he cannot find out. He has one certainty: he's seen her before. And somewhere between the boardroom power plays, the jealous relatives, and six toddlers who look exactly like their father — the clock is running out on the biggest secret in Chicago. Because Declan Pierce never loses. And he's already decided that Sloane Carter is something he's not willing to let go. The only question is what happens when he finds out why.

Everything changed the night Hayden Delaney entered a private room to search for her missing blind date. Four years ago, she lost her family in a fire and thought her stepbrother, Dominic Fox, had also died. That was until she found out that he was alive and her date knew her stepbrother. Also, he is the Mafia Lord. His cold attitude toward her is nothing she isn't familiar with, but now things seem different. After Hayden accidentally killed a mafia boss in a deal gone wrong, she is forced to stay by Dominic's side. Hayden joins his company and works with him so Dominic can keep her safe. What she doesn't expect is that she starts to fall in love with him. That alone is dangerous enough. Facing love rivals, office drama, and someone trying to kill her, can Hayden manage to survive while keeping her heart safe? Dominic had tried to keep his distance from Hayden, not only because she was too young but also because she was too innocent. As the Mafia Lord, his life was already full of hidden dangers. He also had a secret that could destroy everything. He tries to think of Hayden as his sister, but his heart has never thought of her as a sister. Once her life is put in danger, he has no choice but to keep her close. The more time they spend together and the more dangerous it becomes, the less he can keep his heart hidden. Dominic's biggest fear is that he will lose his heart and fail to protect her.

Forever Love unfolds against the backdrop of the captivating island of Malta during the vibrant 90s. Joelle and Jason forge an unbreakable bond, their souls entwined in a dance of friendship laced with unspoken yearning. As their connection deepens, their hearts become entangled in a whirlwind of emotions. Amidst the twists and turns of fate, they find themselves entangled in other relationships, their desires suppressed beneath the weight of loyalty. Yet destiny, relentless in its pursuit, finally orchestrates their reunion. A blaze of passion ignites, painting their world in vivid hues of love and possibility. But love's journey is rarely smooth, and the road they travel is fraught with challenges. Fragile as petals, their romance falters, and they are forced apart. Joelle, her heart shattered, resolves to pour her energy into her work, seeking solace in its demanding embrace. Jason, undeterred by their separation, vows to reclaim her, defying all obstacles that stand in his path. Just as victory seems within his grasp, Joelle's very first love, Chris, reappears, captivating her with a magnetic charm. A whirlwind of emotions envelops Joelle, torn between the loyal and devoted Jason and the intoxicating allure of her past flame, Chris. In this enthralling tale of love's labyrinth, Malta's picturesque landscapes bear witness to a tempestuous struggle of the heart. Joelle stands at the crossroads, faced with a choice that will shape her destiny. Who will be her forever love? Will she follow the path of familiar affection, or venture into uncharted territory in pursuit of a long-lost flame? The answer lies within her, waiting to be discovered amidst the timeless beauty of Malta's shores.

Leonard Burton and I are childhood sweethearts, bound by a family-arranged marriage. After we marry, we live a loving, harmonious life. In a terrible accident, he even gives up his only chance at survival to save me. After Leonard's death, we find a journal among his belongings. In it, he records the three years he was missing after falling off a cliff—years spent with another woman he deeply loved. But his parents had forcibly separated them and arranged our marriage instead. Unbeknownst to anyone, he had continued to protect that woman from afar, silently and faithfully. At the funeral, Leonard's mother, Charlotte Newman, is inconsolable. "Leonard, it's all my fault. Would you still be alive if I'd let you marry Yelena back then?" His father, Samuel Burton, glares at me with hatred. "He fell off that cliff saving you. He died in that crash shielding you. Why do you bring him nothing but harm? Why aren't you the one who's dead?" Yes, why is it not me who's dead? I look at Leonard's familiar, smiling face on his gravestone before running at it and smashing my head on it. When I open my eyes again, I'm taken back to when he just returned from that small fishing village. This time, I choose to let him go and give him what he wants. Finally, I see Leonard again.