Guilt-tripping

The day before the spacecraft launch, I am anonymously reported for concealing a mental illness and lose my qualification to board. After being confined in a psychiatric hospital for three years, my husband, Simon Bergman, who is now a decorated figure in the aerospace field, personally brings me home. "I had no choice but to send you there. I even applied to be demoted just to bring you back. Let's just live our lives well from now on," Simon says. Burdened by guilt for affecting his career, I spend the rest of my life carefully taking care of him and busying myself in the kitchen as a dutiful wife. But before I die, my daughter finds the letter accusing me of having a mental condition—it is written in my husband's own hand. She also discovers decades of correspondence between him and a deceased war buddy's widow named Charmaine Marlowe. In those letters, he writes that to fulfill his buddy's dying wish to take care of Charmaine, he fabricates a false mental illness record and inserts it into my astronaut application. As a result, I was sent to the psychiatric hospital, and my position was taken by her. The glass shatters, and the sharp fragments pierce me, like they are stabbing into my heart. I was supposed to be the one to go to space. But my husband sacrificed my chance so that another woman could have it! I die in despair. When I open my eyes again, I am back on the day of the astronaut selection for the manned spacecraft launch. This time, when Simon offers to help submit my application, I refuse to let him.

Selina, a young single mother struggling to rebuild her life, carries the weight of abandonment, financial hardship, and society’s harsh judgment. One stormy night, broken from betrayal and despair, she crosses paths with Darius King, a wealthy and powerful businessman mourning the death of his beloved wife during childbirth. In a moment of vulnerability, their worlds collide, leading to a one-night encounter neither of them expects to matter until Selina discovers she is pregnant again. Determined to stand on her own, Selina applies for a job at King International, desperate for stability. Instead of sympathy, she is met with prejudice from Juliana, the company’s sharp-tongued HR officer. But fate intervenes when Darius himself walks in and recognizes Selina as the woman from that night. Shocked to learn about the child she carries, he is torn between anger, guilt, and an overwhelming sense of responsibility. As workplace tension blends with undeniable attraction, secrets unravel. Darius confronts his pain and the possibility of loving again, while Selina faces jealousy from those who wish to see her fail. When Juliana and others try to push her out of King International, Selina’s resilience is tested, but Darius finds himself standing by her side. Together, they must confront their scars: a man afraid to love after loss, and a woman terrified of being used and abandoned again. Their journey weaves through heartbreak, second chances, and the search for healing proving that love, in its purest form, costs nothing but the courage to accept it. In the end, Selina and Darius embrace not only each other but also a new future one where love is not bound by wealth, grief, or the mistakes of the past, but strengthened by forgiveness and hope.

'The King of Darkness or a King hiding in the dark?' For years the King of Vampires, Vladimir had been hiding. . . Hiding from the ones he had betrayed for his bride~ Living in the darkness, speaking the language of silence. . . 17 years ago the King of Vampires, Vladimir was lured into a trap set by an Oracle. To Find His Fated Bride~ The girl was yet to be born and Vladimir was aware that no parents in their right mind will give their daughter to a vicious Millennium old Vampire King. So in the heat of the moment, Vladimir traded with the Oracle to hand his bride to him in secret without letting her parents know. But the Vampire King never expected the witch to deceive him and abduct his bride using Vladimir as a pawn in her twisted game. . . Battling with his fury and madness the Vampire King had searched every dark forest where the Oracle could hide but he had come back empty-handed with nothing more than the weight of guilt, shame, and longings on his shoulders. What will happen when the bride Vladimir had been searching for will sweep him off his feet as if he was a little princess by literally kidnaping him from his Royal Ball? What will happen when the King who had been hiding in the dark avoiding the limelight will become the hero of the biggest scandal of the century? "Lethal killing machine, the most cunning, ferocious, and oldest Vampire to ever roam earth got kidnapped from his own Royal Ball in front of the crowd of the deadliest vampires, by a young anonymous witch." This scandal was unbelievable yet authentic. ... What will happen when the selfish, cruel, demanding and extremely unreasonable assassin Esmeray will meet the arrogant, self-centered witch-hating Vampire King Vladimir?

Marissa was the perfect wife. She gave up her high powered corporate career to build a beautiful life supporting her husband, Ethan—home cooked meals, a curated home, and unwavering loyalty. But her world shatters when Ethan confesses to a four-month affair, not out of guilt, but because his mistress is blackmailing him for $300 million. His solution is as cold as his betrayal: “Cheat back. Get even. Stay married.” Fueled by rage and humiliation, Marissa agrees. Determined to reclaim her power, she steps into the night seeking one reckless moment to erase the sting of his betrayal. It leads her to an exclusive masquerade club, where identities are hidden and desire rules. Behind a mask, she meets a commanding stranger—mysterious, intoxicating, and unlike anyone she has ever known. For one night, he sees her not as a wife, but as a woman with fire still burning inside her. Their connection is intense, unforgettable. By morning, Marissa disappears, intending to leave it as nothing more than a calculated act of revenge. But some secrets refuse to stay buried. When she returns to the corporate world, Marissa comes face to face with the man behind the mask....Xavier Sterling, her former boss, a ruthless billionaire CEO… and Ethan’s best friend. Xavier recognizes her. He knows her in ways no one else does and he knows exactly what Ethan did. Now, Marissa is trapped in a dangerous web. Her husband is desperate to keep her, his mistress wants her gone, and Xavier is determined to claim the one woman he was never meant to touch. As power, betrayal, and desire collide, Marissa must decide....will she remain a pawn in their game or become the one who controls it?

Tiana Greene arrives on Lycan Isle with nothing but a suitcase, a scarred past, and a desperate need for work. When she is hired as a maid in the sprawling cliff-side mansion of Ross Lycan – the island’s reclusive billionaire – she expects long hours, strict rules, and silence. What she does not expect is the man himself: cold as the steel in his voice, brutally private, and carrying a shadow in his gaze that keeps everyone at arm’s length. Rumours whisper through the island of former staff fleeing in fear, of Ross’s cruelty, and of the mysteriously vanished brother whose memory haunts the mansion halls. Tiana tries to keep her distance, but every forbidden glance and accidental touch tightens the invisible thread pulling them together. When a near-fatal accident on the cliffs pushes Ross into her life more violently than either of them intended, the dynamic shifts. Ross grows protective yet distant, drawn to Tiana in ways he cannot accept – while she fights her own confusion over the man beneath the frost. As the annual island festival approaches, tensions rise. Tiana becomes a target for the island’s elite women, whose humiliation of her sparks a dangerous, possessive reaction in Ross. Social pressure thickens, rumours spread, and the boundaries of employer and servant begin to blur into something darker, deeper, and irresistibly intimate. But everything changes the night Tiana slips into a forbidden study and uncovers the truth about Ross’s past – a past woven with loss, guilt, and secrets buried beneath the island’s stormy surface. Now she must decide. Can she love a man built from shadows? And can Ross love someone brave enough to walk into the darkness he’s spent years trying to hide?

Amara Kol endured three years of Kalus Mike's compliant, subservient wife, enduring his chilly disdain silently while reserving his affection for herself. But when he serves her with a divorce notice, eager to wed his long-time sweetheart Lydia Osita, Amara is confronted with harsh reality: the union, to him, had been three years and a mistake that could not be erased. Heartbroken and spurned, Amara vanishes into thin air, leaving only tears-soaked divorce papers behind. What Kalus fails to know, however, is that Amara Kol was never the woman he thought she was. She is actually Dera Denz, only child and heiress of the powerful Denz clan—a woman infinitely wealthier and more powerful than he could ever imagine. By the time Dera re-emerges as the gorgeous, hot, and untouchable CEO of Zz Group, she is no longer the modest wife who pleaded with him to love her. She is a queen on her own terms, determined to get everything that had been lost—her dignity as well. Now Kalus is haunted by guilt, unable to shake the memory of the woman he spurned. But Dera is gone—and doesn't want to come back. As he watches her climb to the top, with a clique of powerful acquaintances surrounding her—including Frank Denz, ominously guarding over her—Kalus learns too late: The woman he had cast aside is the one he can't do without. But Dera isn't that woman who asked him to stay once before. It is his turn now. Will Kalus reclaim the love he never cherished, or will Dera depart leaving him where he so rightly belongs, in the past?

On my birthday, I proposed a family trip to the northern grasslands. My younger sister, Clara Harrington, who was studying in the southern territory, decided to drive through the forest to meet up with us. But unexpectedly, she was attacked by Rogue wolves in the woods, and her body was never found. My parents, Oscar Harrington and Margaret Vale, placed all the blame on me for her death and cast me out of the family. Overwhelmed with guilt and sorrow, I left the pack to atone for my sins. I took on odd jobs to earn money to send home, all while searching for any trace of Clara. Three years later, I found myself in the southern territory and began working as a delivery runner for a forest cafe. One day, while delivering an order to Werewolf Academy, I saw my parents and Clara standing at the school gate. She said, "Dad, Mom, Adeline has been wandering for three years. Shouldn't we let her come home?" But my mother replied calmly, "She is too selfish. It's only right that she suffers a little. We can bring her back once she realizes her mistakes." My father nodded in agreement. "Let her wander for another year. We'll bring her home next year." I clutched my stomach, my face pale as I forced out a bitter laugh. Three years of exhaustion had left me gravely ill. My wolf was gone, and I only had three days left to live. I could't wait until next year for my father to come and take me home.

Deliliah Carmichael was once destined for greatness...until love ruined her. As the most gifted acolyte of the Moon Goddess, her future was destined to be great. But one forbidden night with the Alpha’s adopted son shattered everything. Branded a traitor to the goddess, Deliliah was cast into punishment and stripped of the life she believed in, only to awaken powers that should have been lost forever. Three years later, she has risen from disgrace to become the Head Priestess of the Vyrclaw Pack, her heart sealed off, her vows resolute. She will never love again and she would do her best to perform her duties. Then the Alpha King returns. Viktor Volvov, the man who abandoned her to save himself now stands before her wearing a crown forged in blood and conquest. He is cold, ruthless, undefeated… and still dangerously in love with the woman he left behind. Before the Moon Goddess and every watching pack, Viktor makes an insane vow. He will mate no woman but Deliliah before his thirtieth birthday, or surrender his life to the goddess’s judgment. Deliliah refuses to be trapped by guilt, power, or prophecy. She will not love him. She will not save him. Even if his life is at stake. But the Moon Goddess has her own plans. As Viktor’s life force slowly begins to drain, and political forces close in, Deliliah is forced to confront a cruel truth...that refusing him may cost more than surrendering ever could. With time running out, desire burning against duty, and fate tightening its grip, Deliliah must make a choice. Is love truly her downfall…or the one thing powerful enough to defy the Moon Goddess herself?

"She thought she had escaped the past, but the past had other plans." Victoria Lancaster had it all—love, luxury, and a future with the man she adored, billionaire Elias Westbrook. But one devastating accusation shattered everything. Accused of embezzling millions from Elias’s company, she was torn apart by the press and forced to sign divorce papers, leaving behind a life of privilege. The heartbreak was unbearable, and she vowed to never return to the world that betrayed her. Years later, Victoria is finally rebuilding her life, running a small business, and finding solace in simplicity. But when a letter arrives with shocking news—that she is pregnant with Elias’s child—everything she thought she had left behind comes rushing back. The revelation forces her to face a past she thought she had buried forever. Elias, now a cold and reclusive billionaire, is torn between anger and guilt when he learns of Victoria’s pregnancy. He has spent years seeking the truth, uncovering a deep betrayal by someone he never expected. The shocking truth: it was his own sister, Selene, who framed Victoria to seize control of the Westbrook empire. Now, Elias is determined to make things right. But after years of hurt and deception, can he win back Victoria’s trust and rebuild their shattered love? The battle for the Westbrook fortune intensifies, and Victoria must decide: forgive Elias or protect her child from the greed and betrayal that tore their family apart. Get ready for a whirlwind romance filled with shocking twists, heartbreaking choices, and a love that refuses to die. Will Victoria and Elias reclaim what they lost, or will their past destroy them forever? Read "The Ex-Wife's Secret" to uncover what happens next!

What does the underboss of an infamous crime family have in common with a spirited primary school teacher? Absolutely nothing, except a marriage of convenience, of course. When Lionel Tyson defaults on a gambling debt and offers his most prized possession as collateral, Austin Hawthorne is underwhelmed. But in desperate need of a housekeeper and permanent child minder, he knows he’d be an idiot to look a gift horse in the mouth. So, against his better judgement, he accepts an offer he should absolutely refuse. Marybeth Tyson is horrified to learn that not only is her father wanted by loan sharks, but he has also sold her off to a mafia boss. Bound by duty and pushed by guilt, she agrees to give Austin Hawthorne one year of her life, despite common sense screaming at her to run the other way. After all, how hard can pretending to be madly in love with someone be? It’s all fun and games until play pretend becomes all too real, and an earth-shattering secret from Austin’s past comes to light, threatening to destroy his second chance at love with his dogged pursuit for answers. Betrayal, especially at the hands of his older brother Blake and long-time friend, Andrei Ivanov, is a bitter pill to swallow for Austin, and letting them off scot-free is not an option. Driven by his unquenchable thirst for revenge, Austin will stop at nothing to get to the truth, even if it means destroying decade-old friendships and fragile ties to The Corporation. 2022 Val Sims. All rights reserved. No part of this novel may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author and publishers.