Friends Never Die

There are monsters in this world. And they used to be us. Now it's time to euthanize to survive in a hospice where Emily, a woman haunted by her past, only wants to do her job and be the best mother possible. Post-infection Chicago. Christmas. Inside The Hospice, Emily and her fellow nurses do their rounds. Here, men and women live out their final days in comfort, segregated from society, and are then humanely terminated before fate turns them into marrow-craving monsters known as ‘Smilers.’ Outside these imposing walls, rabid protesters swarm with signs, caught up in the heat of their hatred. Emily, a woman haunted by her past, only wants to do her job and be the best mother possible. But in a world where mortality means nothing, where guns are drawn in fear and nobody seems safe anymore – at what cost will this pursuit come? And through it all, the soon to be dead remain silent, ever smiling. Such is their curse. It won't be long before that snow-speckled ground will be salted by blood. ©️ Crystal Lake Publishing

5 years ago: “I’m pregnant,” I stated. “It’s not my baby. You must have gotten pregnant by someone else. Abort it,” Alpha Baxter hissed. “Why would I make a baby with an omega like you? My beta mate will give me an heir,” Alpha Graham scoffed, his eyes cold. “And even if it is mine, give it up for adoption. I don’t want him calling me daddy,” Alpha Elgin sneered, wrinkling his nose. 5 Years Later: “Please! Let me be a part of my baby’s life,” Alpha Baxter pleaded, his voice breaking. “My mate can’t conceive. I want my child to know me and to call me father.” Alpha Graham requested. “I would hate for my baby to call someone else daddy in front of me,” alpha Elgin whispered, choking back emotion. “Didn’t you say you wanted me to abort them? How can you claim them now?” I spat, locking eyes with them. .. Living as an omega was never easy for Madeline, but she survived with the support of her three alpha best friends. They protected her, cared for her, and made her feel valued, until they discovered she found them attractive, which changed everything. Desire took over, and they claimed her, only to cast her aside once they had what they wanted. When Madeline learned she was pregnant, she turned to them, only to be rejected and told to end the pregnancy. Betrayed and heartbroken, she fled the pack to protect herself and her unborn children. Years later, Madeline stands strong, raising three children who carry the DNA of the alphas who abandoned her. Now the alphas regret the choices they made, but Madeline knows one thing for certain—her children will never call them “daddy.”

Story 1: "Make a wish," He asked her. "I want to die." She replied without hesitation. He was the only one who could save her, and she was the only one who could see him and bring him back to life. Story 2: after so many years, a message arrived for a reunion of the whole batch. everyone was excited except those two hearts, twisted and anxious. But little did they know it was going to be a new beginning for the two of them as they would finally fall in love all over again...

Ich bin die beste Kunstfälscherin und Informationsspezialistin in ganz Chicago. Und ich verliebte mich in den Mann, dem die ganze Stadt gehörte – Don Vincenzo Russo. Zehn Jahre lang war ich sein Geheimnis, seine Waffe und seine Geliebte. Ich baute sein Imperium aus dem Schatten heraus auf. Ich dachte, ich würde einen Ring bekommen. Schließlich war er jede Nacht, die er in der Stadt verbrachte, in mir versunken und nahm sich seinen Vergnügen. Er flüsterte, ich gehöre ihm, dass es sich mit niemand anderem so gut anfühlen würde. Doch dieses Mal, nachdem er mit mir fertig war, verkündete er, dass er die russische Bratva-Prinzessin Katerina Petrov heiraten werde. Da wusste ich es. Ich war nicht seine Geliebte. Ich war nur ein Körper. Für ein Bündnis, für sie, opferte er mich. Er ließ mich sterben. Also zerstörte ich jedes Stück des Lebens, das er mir gegeben hatte. Ich machte einen einzigen Anruf bei meinem Vater in Italien. Und dann verschwand ich. Doch als der Don, der Chicago beherrschte, sein Lieblingsspielzeug nicht mehr finden konnte … wurde er wahnsinnig.

One reckless night. One unexpected baby. Two men who might be the father.Darcy never saw it coming..literally. A cryptic pregnancy leaves her blindsided when she wakes up in a hospital bed with a newborn in her arms. But the real shock? Her daughter's father could be one of two men. Cassian Dempsey; the cocky, troublemaking bad boy from the wrong side of town. Elias Mercer; the ruthless, untouchable golden boy with a fortune to his name. Both are her brother's best friends. Both were never supposed to touch her. And when they find out the truth, neither is willing to let go. But the biggest scandal of all? The DNA test comes back with an impossible result... They're both the father. Now, caught between secrets, temptation, and two men who refuse to back down, Darcy is in deeper than she ever imagined. Because some betrayals can't be undone. And some men won't take no for an answer.

After the plane crash, my body was never recovered. My soul drifted back to the home I hadn't stepped foot in for five years. They didn't know I was dead. They were still waiting for me to come home for Christmas. When my mom got the call from the airline, she froze for a long time, completely at a loss, before breaking down in tears. I followed them as they went to the memorial crash site. That was when I noticed something strange—I could see their levels of regret hovering above their heads. My brother's regret level read: 40%. My father's showed: 60%. Even my sister-in-law had 30% over her head. But my mother's regret level? It flashed a cold, unchanging 0%.

Shannon Gray loved Sean Ford wholeheartedly, regardless of her loneliness or feelings of lack of accomplishment.She once believed that he would be her forever until the end. However, things happened the other way around. Finally, she woke up when he pushed her to the edge of the cliff for another woman, only then did she know that she was just a passerby in his life and he would never be hers…Sean, you will regret this one day. In fact, no one can escape from feeling helpless. Perhaps, I will be gone when you decide to come back...

After being betrayed by her stepsister and cast out by the people she once called family, Olivia is banished from her pack, stripped of her title, her home, and her dignity. Now, she’s being forced into marriage with Ryan Blackwood, a cold, crippled billionaire who makes it clear he doesn’t want her and vows to make her life miserable. As if that isn’t enough, she’s lost her wolf… and gained weight she can’t explain. But fate has other plans. As buried secrets begin to surface and unexpected sparks ignite between them, Olivia finds herself caught between a dangerous past that refuses to die and a love she never saw coming. Now, torn between revenge, desire, and destiny, Olivia must decide where her heart and her future truly belong.

My husband has azoospermia. After trying all the options available, I finally conceived. However, my husband is worried my child will hurt his first love's feelings—she had a miscarriage. He tricks me into going for a prenatal checkup. In truth, he conspires with a doctor to induce labor when I'm only five months along. He says, "You must be the one with the problem. Why else is it so hard for us to have children? The baby won't be healthy even if it's born! We can have more children when you're healthier. Julie has just had a miscarriage; I don't want to aggravate her." He doesn't know he has azoospermia. I only managed to conceive this child after trying out IVF countless times and taking countless folk remedies. He will never have a child of his own in this lifetime, and I discover his true colors. I ask for a divorce, and that's when he loses his mind.

It was not until after I married Bennett that I found out he had a clingy little childhood friend who loved to play the victim. On the very first day of our marriage, at dinner, I simply asked Bennett to pass me a bite of food. She immediately exploded. "Holly, you're disgusting! Bennett already used those utensils, and you seriously asked him to serve you food? What, don't you have hands?" I froze, completely blindsided. Before I could even react, Bennett put down his spoon and went straight to her, wrapping her in his arms like she was the one who had been wronged. Then he turned to me and said I should just get my own food from now on. However, honestly, wasn't it normal for a husband to serve his wife a bite? What was so outrageous about that? I barely got a word out before Bennett shut me down in a low, firm voice. "That's final. If Rosie doesn't like it, then we're not doing it. End of discussion."