Going Home: A Novel Novels & Stories

When my middle-school-aged daughter underwent surgery for appendicitis, I messaged her homeroom teacher to request a two-week leave of absence. The teacher called back a few minutes later, clearly irritated. “Mrs. Stephens, is your daughter going to take time off during the SATs, too? Other students attend school even with broken legs. Why is Claire the only one demanding special treatment?” I already knew Claire’s teacher was notoriously difficult, so I steadied myself and explained as patiently as I could. “Miss Lawson, an appendectomy is an invasive surgery. Her doctor has specifically ordered at least two weeks of bed rest. I hope you can understand…” Before I could finish, she hung up. Convinced I had made myself clear, I set my phone down and thought no more about it. I never expected Claire to come running home in tears two weeks later. “Mom, Miss Lawson said the advanced class has no place for lazy students like me and that she refuses to teach me anymore. She also said no one needs two weeks to recover from such a minor surgery. She accused me of sleeping around, getting pregnant, and secretly staying home to recover from an abortion.”

Just when I was about to step through airport security for my Around-the-World trip, I heard the twins in my womb, a boy and a girl, shouting. 'Mom! Can you stop thinking about going to have fun? The whole world is going to become a frozen block of ice in a month! You're still thinking about flying around at a time like this? Don't be silly!' 'My brother's right! Hurry home and stock up on food and medicine already! Renovate our mansion! Turn the garden into food storage! Turn the swimming pool into a reservoir!' My heart skipped a beat, and the milk in my hand spilled all over the floor. The passenger behind me urged me impatiently, "Can you hurry up? You're holding everyone up." I ignored him. Instead, I turned around and called my assistant. I also gave him another order. "Get me ten thousand pounds of grains and five thousand pounds of pork belly. The ones with the skin on. I want them now!" From that moment on, Kirsten, the woman in Harbor City who only knew how to burn money and fly all over the world, changed. She became Kirsten, ruler of the frozen wasteland.

I'd been assigned overseas for three months, but I wrapped up my work ahead of schedule and flew home early to spend New Year's Eve with my wife. While waiting for a ride, I scrolled through TikTok and came across a video captioned: [Marrying the one you love feels like winning a war.] Then the scene shifted, and my world tilted. The bride slung over the groom's shoulder… was my wife. At first, I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me. But then I spotted familiar faces—her relatives, unmistakable in the crowd. I didn't hesitate. I checked the hotel location tagged in the video and shoved my phone toward the taxi driver. "Change the route. Take me here," I said. "I'm going to catch them in the act."

It was my first time going to my boyfriend’s home for the New Year. In the middle of dinner, his childhood friend suddenly slammed her spoon on the table. “Cole, how could you bring a bar girl to our New Year’s Eve dinner?” The room fell silent. Everyone thought she simply had too much to drink. But she spoke with complete confidence. “One of my friends works on the vice squad. He arrested her himself. There’s no way he got the wrong person.” She threw a police penalty notice onto the table. My name was clearly printed on it. I was stunned. Last month, the city’s vice squad had arrested dozens of people. I was the one who approved and signed those cases. I had just taken office as bureau chief.

He was never supposed to fall in love with her. Now he will burn the world to keep her safe. Diego De' Luca is a ruthless Italian mafia boss with blood on his hands and a lot of enemies. The bride he was promised runs away and her younger sister has to take her place. Isabella Ford is untouched, unwilling, but very prepared. She has just one agenda in the De' Luca's home and she has to see through it, even if she ends up getting caught. ******* His callous hands grabbed my arms, pinning them above my head. "You're my wife, I should know what you look like beneath those hideous clothes." "I'm going to give you five seconds to strip, or I will rip it off you."

In the fifth year of my marriage with Caspian Hayes, I finally receive the wonderful news of being able to leave this world once and for all. In my last three days of existence, I decide to play the roles of the perfect wife and the silent mother Caspian and our son, Noah Hayes, want me to play. On the first day, Caspian complains that I'm not prim and proper enough, so he intends to attend the banquet with the fake heiress, Erin Winslow, as his date. I merely iron his suit without a word of complaint. On the second day, Noah doesn't like how nagging I am, so he throws a tantrum and demands to see Erin. With a smile on my face, I deliver him to Erin's doorstep. On the third day, my friend calls me on the phone. She asks me in a disappointed tone, "Aren't you worried that you might lose favor with them for real at this point?" I just smile wanly. "It's fine. I'll be going home soon anyway." That's when Caspian wheels around to look at me. For once, there's panic in his eyes. "Aren't you an orphan, Astrid? You don't have another home other than the one you have with me!"

"Babygirl?" I asked again confused. "I call my submissive my baby girl. That's a preference of mine. I like to be called Daddy." He said which instantly turned me on. What the hell is wrong with me? " *** Iris was so excited to leave her small town home in Ohio to attend college in California. She wanted to work for a law firm one day, and now she was well on her way. The smell of the ocean air was a shock to her senses when she pulled up to Long beach, but everything was so bright and beautiful. The trees were different, the grass, the flowers, the sun, everything was different. The men were different here. Professor Ryker Lorcane was different. He was intelligent but dark. Strong but steady. Everything the boys back home were not. *** I moaned loudly as he pulled out and pushed back in slowly each time going a little deeper. "You feel so good baby girl," he said as he slid back in. "Are you ready to be mine?" He said looking at me with those dark carnal eyes coming back into focus. I shook my head, yes, and he slammed into me hard. "Speak." He ordered. "Yes Daddy, I want to be yours," I said loudly this time.

(Reverse Harem) (Steamy) (Book 3 of Her Wolves Series) (Can read as Stand Alone) Farren Torrez had never thought she would be returning to her old home. Lupitum. The werewolf crime capital of the world. Playground of the wicked. Home to the most notorious crime family in the werewolf world. For years, she had protested against returning. Kicked up a storm when her brothers pleaded with her to care for her ailing mother. She had been done with that life. Done with the misery that came along with it. Until they needed her most. Doing her daughterly duty, Farren went back to the city she hated the most. Fell into a world she had desperately tried to climb out of. But what a world it was now. Going to the house of the most notorious crime family, Farren discovers something far beyond her grasp. She is the mate of the Don of the Amador family. The most wicked man alive. And he was going to do everything in his power to get his hands on her. If that wasn't enough to unsettle her, Farren soon discovered that his right and left-hand men were coming for her as well. In this tangled web of lies and love, will Farren accept the ones who claim to love her the most? Or will she run and never look back at the mafia boss with his heart on his sleeve and gun in his hand?

Newly graduated Audrey becomes the new assistant to Joaquim, a billionaire and the CEO of a start-up software company. The role is previously handled by Joaquim's ex-girlfriend who also used to live within the mansion compound. She makes it clear that she will stay in the office, not in the mansion to do her job where she works with Bobby, Joaquim's loyal right hand man who she wishes is her boss. Audrey is in the mansion for her regular task when the strict implementation of the lock down is suddenly enforced leaving her no choice but to stay there until she gets her permit to go out. She and Joaquim bond naturally after they are left alone in the compound for a few weeks. He grows fond of her stories, which he prefers over his boring sentiments making him more relax and smile easily. On the other hand, she knows him better now and changes her mind about living in the mansion with him. Eventually, she goes home to her family and sees Bobby as well. This turns the bond between them back to being purely professional. Audrey recommends Bella, her former classmate to be the new cook for Joaquim, who after knowing him tries to win his heart. Later on, they discover that she is pregnant. Thinking it is Joaquim's baby, Audrey resigns and begins to date Bobby. Joaquim loses focus on an important project that compels Bobby to step in making Joaquim suspicious of his motives. They have an argument causing Bobby to leave the company too. Two years later, the two meet in an event. Joaquim shares his life changing experiences during the pandemic including some losses in his own business to which Audrey reminds him that she still does not want to live with a billionaire.

I had a fever, so I boiled myself an egg. I didn’t expect my son to come home and call the police. “There’s a thief in our house,” he told them, dead serious. “She stole one of my eggs.” The officers thought it was a joke. Evan didn’t. “Ms. Blake gave me those eggs. They’re imported. She stole from me, so she should be arrested.” Then he looked at me like I was a stranger. “Mom’s just lazy. She’s pretending to be sick. No wonder Dad likes spending time with Ms. Blake.” I bit down hard to keep from crying. It didn’t help. To him, my silence was proof I was guilty. “Ms. Blake said people who do bad things always act pitiful,” he added coldly. When my husband got home, he didn’t even ask how I was. “You sit around all day and still say you’re sick? Sounds like you just have too much time to be dramatic. If you were half as thoughtful as Sophie, I wouldn’t be this exhausted.” I almost laughed. When I had a 102-degree fever, he said the clinic was too expensive. But when his secretary mentioned her villa felt a little cold, he signed a thirty-million-dollar contract without hesitation. He was never stingy. Just never with me. That was the moment I stopped caring. That night, I stared at the message my father had sent me. And made a decision. Tomorrow, I was going home, not as his wife, not as anyone’s mother, but as the heiress I had always been.