Fault Lines

Jessica has some explaining to do. Not only has she lied to her best friend, but she is lying to the father of their daughter. But it's not her fault that she fell in love with the man the day they met. Jessica remembers that day like it was yesterday. His smooth skin, sparkling smile, and beautiful eyes are something that haunts her dreams every night. Jessica had told Christine that the father knew about Adamelia, but that was a lie. Jessica had told the father of her child that she doesn't love him, but that was also a lie. Jessica has even told herself that she has moved on. That was a huge lie. Wallowing in shame and guilt, Jessica has decided that it is her punishment. She was the one who created the web of lies in the first place. Now she will do everything in her power to right her wrongs.

‘It’s not that there aren’t good people in the world. It’s that the bad ones are so much easier to find.’ A teen mother raises her daughter on a looping road trip, living hand-to-mouth in motel rest stops and backwater towns, stepping occasionally into the heat and chaos of the surrounding cities. A life without permanence, filled with terrors and joys, their stability is dependent on the strangers—and strange men—they meet along the way. But what is the difference between the love of a mother, and the love of a friend? And in a world with such blurred lines, where money is tight and there’s little outside influence, when does the need to survive slide into something more sinister? ©️ Crystal Lake Publishing

I wasn't supposed to fall in love. My job was simple, spy on him, and help break Capo Enzo Valenti but now, I'm the one breaking. He kisses me like he owns me, f*cks me like I’m the only thing holding him together, and I let him. Every.Single.Time. Because somewhere between the lies and the orgasms? The lines blurred and my loyalties conflicted. My name is Alessandra, and I’m holding a knife to my husband’s back while begging him to f*ck me like I still belong to him. . . 🦋 When Alessandra Romano's sister angers the next Capo dei Capi Enzo Valenti, he picks her to replace Sofia. However, she has secrets, secrets that would make Enzo bury her. But, what happens when Alessandra finds out she's not the only one holding secrets in their marriage? Can a love built on lies survive the truth, or will they destroy each other the moment the masks come off?

As we kissed, it was like a rush of emotions. Relief, joy, and the happiness of being close again filled me up. Every kiss felt like a fresh start, wiping away the silence and bringing us back together. Then I realized that I was truly his desire. The world around us disappeared as if no one mattered. I could feel the heat of his hands through my shirt, his fingers caressing my skin and sending shivers down my spine. His lips moved down to my neck, leaving a trail of kisses. ************************** Harper was rudely bumped into by an arrogant jerk at the gym, not wanting to own up to his fault, he ordered her out of the gym. Imagine her shock when she finds out that he was no other but Joshua Stevenson, her new boss at the office and they had been arranged to marry. Will she bow to pressure or give Josh a run for his money?

“Nate, don't you dare start with that nonsense too. I told you already, I don't care about those ridiculous traditions." Marcel responded irritably as she hopped into the copilot seat of her best friend's car, anxious to get as far away as possible from her home. “Hey, I've known you since you were four, so don't try and act all brave and mature. Tell me the truth, you're afraid aren't you?” “Humph! What's there to be scared of?...” “That Mike's ghost might come back to haunt you." The boy interrupted, carelessly blurting out his analysis, adding…“I just don't get it; everyone else knows his death wasn't your fault…” “I know it wasn't!” “Then why won't you pray for his safe journey into the afterlife? What if his soul is damn to roam the earth, wreaking havoc among the living or even disrupting the balance between the two worlds?” “Ahh! Don't be childish. There is no such thing as the afterlife; parents just use these pathetic excuses to trick their children into believing that our loved ones are better off. If that was the case, why don't we all join them… oh yeah, that's right, we can't commit suicide otherwise we'll go straight to hell. Grow up Nate! The spirit dies with the body.” Follow the journey of a young woman as she tries to keep her sanity when the world around her was quickly crumbling after one faithful night of honoring the dead. Will she be able to save the life of those closest to her? or will her soul be bound to an eternity of madness?

When her first love died, my wife jumped from the cruise ship to end her life on our honeymoon. That was when I realized she had never let go of Tyler. Reborn back to our teenage years, she didn’t hesitate to shake off my hand and walk straight toward her first love. I watched them leave together, then turned away. From that moment on, our lives became two parallel lines that would never cross. Ten years later, we meet again at a lavish gala in Rivendell. She was now the rising star of high society, proudly clinging to Tyler’s arm as they made their entrance. When she saw me crash the gala in search of someone, she couldn’t help but advise me. “Why are you still obsessed with me? Even if you’ve waited ten years, I’ll never love you.” I ignored her and pulled my son out of the corner where he had been sneaking cake. Her eyes instantly redden as she grabs my hand in a panic. “You’re doing this on purpose, aren’t you? Didn’t you say you’d only ever love me in this life?”

Alpha Fabian's first reaction to learning I was his fated mate? Rejection. But drunk at the bonfire festival, he couldn't fight the pull of fate. He marked me. Marking a rejected mate came with a price. His power weakened. Forced into a bond with me, he despised me. For two years, I bled for him. I did 100 impossible things, just hoping for a single glance. I snuck into forbidden lands for rare herbs. I negotiated with enemy packs. I fought on the front lines for him in pack wars, always coming back covered in scars. But the one he truly loved was my adopted sister, Gloria. Even my own parents, the pack's Beta, hated me. I was their lost daughter, raised by rogues for fifteen years. But they only had eyes for their perfect, obedient adopted girl. Then, on my 100th task, I nearly died in the Valley of Shadows. When I woke up, I had amnesia. I was done chasing a cold mate and a family's love I'd never have. And when I finally walked away, Fabian discovered the truth. It was never me who couldn't live without him. It was always him.

Five years after marrying Blake Sullivan, I make a dumb move. I chase his favorite lover out of the country in hopes that he'll come back to me. He doesn't say anything after finding out. Instead, he makes my family go bankrupt and forces my father to his knees before him. My mother's hair goes gray overnight. Now, he stands before me. It's my turn to suffer his wrath. "It's my fault for treating you too well, Karen. It made you cross the line. It's time for you to experience what hell on earth is like."

"Go on Hailey, be a good girl and give daddy your best." I could not believe it when I walked in on my husband with his secretary. This happens to be the upteenth time that I would catch Emilio in the act of cheating which makes me wonder if he ever really gets tired of it. But each time I try to walk away, Emilio finds a good reason to make me stay. We have not even had any form of intimacy in the last two years since I lost the baby. I know he secretly hates me but it was not my fault that he happened to be away when I needed him the most. However this time I would not just run away. Perhaps it's high time two plays at the game. **** **** **** Samantha DeGeneres might have played the house wife to her narcissist husband Emilio for quite the while now but it was perhaps high time she levels up on the game and get the revenge she long craved for. It was also at this point that she decided to take up a job at the poles in one of her husband's numerous clubs under a different name, Kitty.

During a critical heart transplant, my doctor husband insisted his intern assist despite her garish nail art compromising the sterile field. When I called her out, he abandoned the patient mid-surgery to comfort her. I begged him to return, but he snapped, "Giselle is upset. Can't you wait? This is nothing compared to her feelings." 40 minutes later, the patient bled out and died. Later, they discovered that he was our highly respected mayor and placed the blame on me. "If it weren't for you causing a scene and kicking us out of the operating room, the mayor wouldn't have bled to death. This is all your fault!" Defenseless, I was sentenced to life in prison, tortured, and died in agony. My husband and his intern walked down the aisle, enjoying their happy life. When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the day of that fateful surgery.