Guilt-tripping

Victoria Zara Jane Cruz lived a life built on quiet devotion—believing that love meant patience, sacrifice, and unwavering loyalty. As the wife of the powerful and untouchable Lance Daylen Cruz, she endured loneliness behind the walls of a seemingly perfect marriage… until the day she saw the truth with her own eyes. Betrayed. Broken. Humiliated. In one reckless night, driven by pain and alcohol, Zara makes a decision she never thought she would—falling into the arms of a man she least expected. Alexander Knight. A dangerously composed billionaire. A man feared in business, desired in silence… and known to Zara as someone tied to her past—a long-time family associate she once called ninong out of respect. But behind his calm exterior lies a dark obsession that had been quietly growing for years. What started as a mistake turns into something far more dangerous—Because Alexander doesn’t believe in accidents. he believes Zara was always meant to be his. As Zara struggles between guilt, desire, and the remnants of her shattered marriage, she finds herself drawn deeper into Alexander’s world—a world where control, passion, and possession blur into something intoxicating… and terrifying. But Daylen isn’t the kind of man who lets go easily, And when secrets begin to unravel, Zara is forced to choose—Return to the life that broke her… Or surrender to the man who is willing to burn the world just to keep her. In a story of betrayal, obsession, and forbidden desire…How far can love go before it destroys everything?

On the surface, David Dawaon had it all. Wealth, deadly looks , intelligence and a big cold ass attitude. But beneath the veneer of masculine perfection lay a broken man. A man obsessed with revenge. A man who hated her with a passion. Or did he? After all, there's a thin line between love and hate. He is a devil blessed with the face of Greek God who thrives on control, both personally and professionally. The billionaire CEO never planned to marry— until the threat of blackmail forces him to marry a woman he hates the most. His best friend’s sister. He starts to feel something in his chest that he shouldn't have to. She will never be his first choice but now protecting her , and not letting her go is one of his choices. ******* Too old. Too tall. Too rich. Too out of my league. That's David Dawaon, the billionaire CEO for me. But apparently, he is the perfect marriage material guy according to the world's pushiest parents of mine. Getting married was never in the equation for me. But I couldn't survive the emotional blackmail and guilt that my parents put me through and married him. Coming from a family that is rich but not excessively rich to be known as the richest family in the world, Olivia lives a peaceful life as a psychiatrist. Until, her father forced her to marry his best friend's son. Who I hate more than anything. I wish we both don't kill each other before our marriage.

Larissa Kingston never believed that she will ever go back to Moonfang pack- the place where she was rejected and humiliated by Alpha Xavier, whom she once loved. When she is called home by her separated parents though, she finds the shocking fact that they have sold her to Xavier as his bride in order to pay off a debt. Larissa is against her forced position as Luna, and she does not want to be pulled into a world where she has been desperately trying to come out of. Existing at the roof of Xavier is cold and unfamiliar but her outlook changes when she finds out the agony of Xavier behind his cruel surface. Troubled by the killing of his parents, Xavier tries to get even with the pack of wolves that had killed his parents- Silverstone wolves. Kai, the rogue Alpha, doesn’t play by pack rules. He wants Larissa for himself not just to break Xavier’s hold, but for reasons even Larissa can’t begin to guess. And when Xavier begins to waver, Kai is ready to strike with fire, seduction, and chaos. But the real threat wears a smile. Selene, Xavier’s former lover, returns with the most dangerous weapon of all: a child she claims is his. She twists Larissa’s pain and Xavier’s guilt into poison, all while plotting to reclaim her place beside the Alpha no matter who gets destroyed. As Larissa’s heart battles betrayal, power, and passion, she must rise or be crushed by the very throne she was forced to sit upon. Because in this world, love is a battlefield… and not everyone survive.

The day my wife gave birth to my foster brother's child, my entire family waited tensely outside the delivery room. They were not concerned about whether Sheila Rogers would make it through labor safely. They were worried I might turn up and make a scene. My mother kept glancing at the elevator. "He won't try to come up the stairs, will he?" My father was on the phone with hospital security again and again. "Yes, about six foot three. Have you seen him?" My brother stayed coiled and ready, fists clenched. "If my brother causes trouble, I'll lay down my life to protect Sheila and my son." However, from the start of labor to the moment Sheila delivered safely and both mother and child were declared healthy, I never showed up. Reclining on the hospital bed, Sheila took out her phone and asked my mother to call me. "Tell Hank not to cause any trouble," she said calmly. "If he's willing to be the child's godfather, we can still live our lives together." She felt absolutely no guilt toward me. From her perspective, she had merely granted my parents their long-standing wish for a grandchild. What fault could there possibly be in that? What no one knew was that I had never planned to go to the hospital. At that very moment, I was training beneath the scorching sun. All for a single reason: in one month, I would deploy with my unit to Safrana on a peacekeeping mission. Once I left, there would be little chance of ever coming back.

Charlotte Whitmore is the daughter of a nobody, a hopeless romantic who believes in fairytales and Prince Charming. Fate finally smiles on her when she is contracted to marry the only man she has ever loved—Christian Hale, heir to the billion-dollar Hale Enterprise. But there is a condition: she must keep his fiancée alive. For three years, Charlotte gives her blood, her heart. She endures his coldness, his indifference hoping that one day, he will choose her. But he never does. When the woman in the coma awakens, Charlotte is discarded without hesitation. Secrets begin to unravel, and she realizes her prince was nothing but a beautifully dressed frog all along. Now she must prove to herself that she is more than a substitute bride. More than a tool for family contracts. More than a woman begging to be loved. She asks for a divorce. ******************************************* Christian Hale has always known his duty—to protect his family’s empire at all costs. Even if it means sacrificing his love. Even if it means sacrificing the woman he has loved for years. So when tragedy strikes, he binds himself to guilt and a deal that allows him to keep the love of his life close in the cruelest way. He believes time will give him a chance with her. But his calculated decisions begin to crumble when she finds out about his deal. Now she hates him. He must try to win her love again, even if it means him losing everything he has. And even the woman he loves at the end.

Anais Vale vanished three years ago, breaking the terms of a legally binding marriage contract with billionaire CEO Cassian Vale. To the world, their short-lived marriage was a mystery. To Anais, it was survival. But when a mysterious legal summons pulls her out of hiding, she’s forced to return—not as a woman in love, but as a wife under obligation. Cassian, ruthless and unreadable, never divorced her. Their original contract still holds, and now he wants her back—if only to fulfill the remaining years and protect his corporate empire from a hostile takeover. Emotion is not part of the deal. But the contract hides more than just legal conditions. It conceals a past filled with betrayal, a family legacy steeped in secrets, and a shared history neither of them fully understands. Anais returns as a woman determined to endure it quietly. But things change quickly: she discovers Cassian’s health is failing, that someone wants her dead, and that her own tragic past may be connected to his family’s crimes. As the truth unravels, Anais is forced to confront who Cassian really is—and who she must become if she wants to survive in his world. Along the way, both begin to transform. Anais, once passive and self-effacing, begins to find her voice and strength. Cassian, seemingly heartless and stoic, is forced to feel and face the consequences of his past. Their story is a collision of control and vulnerability, love and guilt, power and protection. What begins as a contract slowly becomes a reckoning—and a second chance neither of them expected. But second chances come at a cost. And not every ending is fair.

The Mother That Fed the Dark is a study of inherited guilt, ritual, and the long reach of a mother's choices. Amahle, a woman who practices the old rituals in secret, believes that her younger son , Sipho, was born as a spiritual "door" to be sacrificed for the sake of power and protection. During the ritual she performed , she got interrupted by the older son, Thando, who died instead. While the community believes Thando's death was accidental, Amahle knows better: it was the wrong son who died, and the ritual was left unfinished. Drenched in fear and resentment , Amahle raises Sipho as if he is the love of her life, while at the same time working to destroy him. Behind closed doors, she feeds the supernatural force from the failed ritual, which weakens Sipho, making him fearful and dependent. As Sipho grows, so do the misfortunes that follow him, and an unseen entity begins to present itself-first in dreams and whispers, then in the physical world . What we see is that the ritual did not bind to the house but to Sipho's bloodline. When Sipho leaves home, the haunting grows stronger. After Amahle's death, Sipho finds her secret notebooks , which reveal to him the shocking truth: that his brother's death was a mistake and, in fact, Sipho was never meant to die but to be the vehicle for the ritual, which he indeed is. Setting the family home on fire brings only temporary relief , but the curse does not break. In the final revelation, Sipho realizes that he is not the offering but the keeper, the living portal through which harmony, hardship, and magical power flow. Unlike his mother, he comes to the realization that he has a choice.

When Thalia wakes reborn in the heart of Silverpine—a secluded werewolf pack—she remembers only fragments: the terror of her escape, the fire she unleashed, the coven sisters she left behind. Haunted by guilt and desperate to hide her witch’s power, Thalia is forced to play the role of the Alpha’s fated mate to protect herself and the pack from enemies within and without. Silverpine is a fortress of secrets, suspicion, and pack law. The council circles, hungry for weakness. Livia, the Alpha’s rival, wants Thalia gone. Only a handful know the truth of Thalia’s magic—and if word spreads, it will mean death for her and danger for the wolves she’s learning to care for. As she navigates brutal trials and dangerous alliances, Thalia is drawn to Rowan, the troubled Alpha who carries scars—physical and emotional—from battles with witches long past. Their fake engagement ignites a bond that neither can ignore, but trust is as dangerous as betrayal. When Rowan’s need for a mate clashes with Thalia’s instinct for survival, both are forced to confront the wounds of their pasts. Haunted by memories of her old coven—of Mira, the friend she left to burn—Thalia must decide: keep hiding, or reclaim the full force of her power. But the magic that saved her may destroy everything she’s come to love. As rival packs close in and the council demands blood, Thalia must choose between saving Silverpine and saving herself. In the ashes of her past, can she forge a new future—or will old betrayals rise to consume them all? A witch among wolves. A lie that can’t last. And a power that refuses to stay buried.

Isabella Moretti was born into power, wealth, and expectation. As the precious heiress of an empire, her life has never been her own. So when her family demands she marry cold, commanding billionaire Sebastian Blackwell to seal a lucrative alliance, she obeys—because that’s what a Moretti does. But on the night of the wedding, behind the locked doors of their lavish suite, Sebastian is not what she expected. His touch is possessive, his gaze unreadable—but beneath the ice, there’s heat. He makes her feel something she shouldn’t. And when their bodies collide, it isn’t duty—it’s desire and longing. Still, her heart doesn’t belong to him yet. It belongs to Luca Rossi—the boy her family cast out, the man she was forbidden to love. Wracked with guilt and confusion, Isabella flees before dawn, still in her wedding dress, and finds her way back to Luca. Their reunion is messy, breathless, and full of longing. One night. One mistake. One more secret. Days later, Isabella’s world tilts again: she’s pregnant. And she has no idea whose child it is. Now, torn between a man she never meant to want and fall in love with and the man she never stopped loving, Isabella must navigate a storm of lies, legacy, and longing. Sebastian won’t let her go. Luca won’t give her up. And the child growing inside her may belong to either. One heiress. Two nights. One impossible choice.

Nearly the last remaining member of Olivia Cattenach's family has just died overseas and left her overcome by grief. But when a soldier shows up at her ranch with a final message from her brother, she finds new purpose. Nathan Roldan is as formidable as they come. Bulging muscles and inked to boot, he looks like every bit the bad boy he claims to be. Except, under his shuttered gaze and behind his walls lies a gentle giant. Determined to carry out her brother's wishes, she chips away at Nate's layers and discovers more pain than any person should ever have to endure. And a passion she never dreamed was possible.He's not the hero she thinks he is...Nate's mistake got a fellow comrade killed, and a deathbed promise to take care of the guy's sister lands him in Wyoming with the hope of redemption. But he wasn't expecting...her. Beautiful, witty, and sweet, Olivia is everything he doesn't deserve. Born a nothing, he'll die a nothing. Though guilt is a living thing, temptation is too hard to resist. Somehow, she's unleashing his restraint and unearthing feelings he buried long ago. He wants her. More, he's worried he needs her. She's trying to save him, but when she learns the truth, he'll lose the only happiness he's ever known. "An emotionally raw story with beautiful prose. A compelling read."Cattenach Ranch is created by Kelly Moran, an EGlobal Creative Publishing signed author.