Holly Ben Elf Novels & Stories

"I will be your mistress, Adrian. Just let my family live." Adrian lifted his glass of wine. A faint smile curved his lips. "I thought they would send me the adopted daughter," he said, "I didn't expect you." "Everyone said your brother spoiled you like a princess. Turns out that was just a joke." The tip of the pen paused, stabbing a small blot of ink onto the paper. I signed my name, calm to the point of silence. The contract would take effect in three days. Then, I would cut all ties with the Willis name. I traded myself for the survival of the Willis family and my own permanent release.

To help my surgeon husband with his erectile dysfunction, I made an appointment with an expert six months in advance. But as the day approached, Isiah Coleman canceled it without explanation. Just as I was about to call him to demand answers, I spotted a post from his female friend on her social media. My usually stoic husband was beaming as he wrapped his arms around her. The caption read: [Only I can cure your illness.] What struck me, though, was the telltale bulge in his pants in the photo—a reaction I'd never seen from him with me. With a cold laugh, I liked the post and left a comment: [What a miracle worker!] The post exploded, with everyone speculating whether I'd confront the mistress. But what awaited him after the holiday was our freshly printed divorce certificate.

To get her revenge, she must build an empire. To build an empire, she must stay off his radar. Damian Blackwood, the Shadow King of LA, a man who owns everything he sees. And now, he sees her—Ava Monroe, the impossible girl who came from nowhere and is suddenly winning every game. She is a mystery he must solve, a secret he must possess. He thinks she's a pawn in his game, a beautiful anomaly to be captured and controlled. She knows he's the one man who could destroy her... or be the only king worthy of his reborn queen. In a war of secrets and desire, when two predators start to fall for each other, the only rule is that there are no rules. And the collateral damage could be the world.

Liam is a runaway, who is trying to make a better life away from his abusive family, and has to continue to run

Typical teenager Joanna Gore Alex is less than thrilled to be the new girl in a new school. During her first day, she quickly learns teachers obviously favor the popular students and her classmates have no interest in being nice. Just when Joanna believes the day couldn't get any worse, she has a slightly embarrassing and awkward altercation with one of the hottest guys at school. But as the school days pass by, Joanna forms friendships with some unexpected classmates and discovers exactly how strong she can be against the school's mean girl. When Joanna is drawn to one of her brother's new friends, Frank, she feels like she's known him forever. Even his full name - Francis James - sounds familiar to her for some reason. Joanna quickly learns life isn't all about handing assignments in on time (although it is important), she discovers the meaning of friendship, family, heartache, and most of all, love.

At my mother's funeral, I caught my husband passionately kissing a sales associate at the local department store. When I confronted him about it, he turned the tables and accused me of being paranoid and delusional. Later, I discovered she had been calling my husband "daddy" in their text messages. The betrayal left me emotionally numb, and I decided to step aside, giving them my blessing. What I did not expect was discovering that she was not just involved with my husband—she had been sleeping around with multiple men. When my husband finally learned the truth, he came crawling back to me with tears streaming down his face, begging for forgiveness. By then, I had already moved on with my life and wanted nothing to do with him.

Vito lays down his rules: She belongs to him now. No escape. No other men. No defiance. But Ortensia isn’t one to submit so easily. She pushes him, taunts him, tempts him. And when she disobeys, he makes sure she learns her lesson… in ways that leave her breathless. Their nights are filled with heated battles, rough punishments, and forbidden touches. He swears he won’t fall for her tricks, won’t let her get under his skin. But every time she fights him, he only wants to break her more to hear her beg, to see her surrender… But in this twisted game of dominance and desire, who will truly end up owned?

Thanks to an accident, I'm somehow able to get on a phone call with the past version of me from seven years ago. Upon hearing that I will be getting engaged to Edward Herring soon, Younger Me is so excited that she keeps rolling around in bed. She also claims that she will be the happiest woman in the world seven years later. Am I happy, though? I can only smile bitterly without saying anything. Then, I silently show Younger Me the old scars of the suffering and pain I've gone through in the past. The gentle Edward is no longer here. Now, the Edward I'm with is the type who allows others to call me a manipulative bitch repeatedly and demands that I grovel to his first love, Madison Scott, and her family in a form of apology before our engagement. "So, do you still want a future like this?" The sparkle in Younger Me's eyes fades away instantly. After that, my past has been rewritten. Let's never see each other from the start, Edward Herring.

After chasing my crush, Edward Lightwood, for ten years, he finally accepted me as his blood bound. But, the day we were taking our eternal vow, his first love, Beth, from the allied clan was murdered by a gang of vampire hunters. He blamed me for her loss and tormented me every day. Exposed me to the eternal sun, pierced me with wooden stakes just not enough to kill me and then locked me up in his basement. Exhausted and heartbroken, I grabbed the oak stake and stabbed my chest in front of him. I killed myself. But, I did not die. I was reborn to the day I had confessed my feelings to Edward. But, this time, I'll not repeat my mistake. I'll stay far away from him.

I accompany my husband, Michael Yates, to a stationed assignment on a remote island. Out at sea, a sudden storm hits. The ship capsizes and begins to sink. As the commanding officer, my husband gives the last life vest to his so-called godsister, Naomi Hollister. I don't cry or scream. I just watch silently as he carefully fastens the straps around her body. In my past life, I had clutched my pregnant belly and begged him for help. After a brief hesitation, he finally put the vest on me. But Naomi was swept away by the waves, and her body later washed up on shore. Only half of it remained. Michael insisted it wasn't my fault. He also said that saving me was his duty, both morally and professionally. He even took leave to stay by my side before I gave birth. But when my water broke in the dead of night, he pushed me into the sea. His eyes were bloodshot and burning with hatred. "Leah, if it weren't for you, Mimi would still be alive! Did you really have to force me to give you the vest when you were just pregnant? Couldn't you have waited a little longer? Why do you get to live? Go down there and die with her!" I drown, and fish tear my body apart. I die without even a full corpse left behind. And then, I open my eyes. I'm back on the day of the storm.