Lakeview Library Hours Novels & Stories

Sloane Madden has spent her entire life fixing her twin sister's mistakes while remaining invisible for all the right reasons. When her reckless sister disappears forty-eight hours before a high-profile wedding, Sloane is forced to walk down the aisle in her place or lose the only home her family has left and the medical care her younger brother desperately needs. Declan Shaw, billionaire CEO of Shaw Industries, notices immediately that the woman standing beside him is not the one he proposed to. He marries her anyway. Their marriage is supposed to be temporary. Three months. Public appearances. Separate rooms. No emotions. But Sloane becomes dangerously good at solving Declan's problems, protecting his empire, and seeing parts of him no one else can reach. Then he humiliates her in front of the entire world. And this time, Sloane doesn't stay. She disappears with a secret that could destroy everything Declan thought he controlled. Years later, the woman he underestimated walks back into his life more powerful than he remembers and far less willing to forgive. The question is: what happens when a man realizes he destroyed the only woman he was never supposed to lose?

On my birthday, Connor Simpson's first love jumped off a building due to depression. She died on the spot. Connor blamed everything on me. I never celebrated my birthday again after she died. After the murderer electrocuted me for more than ten hours, they forced me to call Connor. "Connor, it's my 25th birthday today. Can you come over and spend time with me?" However, Connor did not notice anything unusual. His voice was laced with venomous iciness. "Clarisse Winter, Audrey wouldn't have died if it weren't for you. How dare you ask me to celebrate your birthday? If only you were the one who died." I heard him coaxing a woman on the other end just before he hung up on me. That low and gentle tone was what I loved to hear the most in the past. That night, the murderer cut my body into countless pieces, packed them in bags, and threw them in front of the police station. Connor was summoned back overnight. He spent two days and two nights piecing together the body parts, but he did not realize that the dead person was the wife that he hated the most.

The Sullivan brothers had always treated me like I was their whole world. That changed the day I was diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumor. The pain soon grew unbearable, and I was told I might lose my memories if I opted for surgery. I reached out to the brothers. I did not want to forget them, and I needed their help. However, when the call connected, the only thing I heard was an icy, sharp voice. "Summer, it's Yvonne's birthday today. Can you not ruin it for once?" I blacked out from the pain. When I woke up in the hospital, there was a message from Yvonne on my phone. "Summer, the boys gave me these lucky charms for protection." Attached was a photo of three silver pendants, each engraved with the brothers' initials. I knew those pendants well. I had spent seven hours in the freezing rain just to get them blessed. That was the moment I gave up. I went abroad alone for the surgery, and with it, all my memories of the brothers faded away. I completely forgot about them until one day, three strangers knocked on my door, begging like madmen for my forgiveness.

The healer told me I had Soul Decay Syndrome. In three days, I'd be dead. The only thing that could save me was water from the Sacred Spring. But my Alpha mate, Vincent, gave it to my adopted sister, Fiona. So, during the final 72 hours of my life, I gave up everything. When I handed Fiona the perfume formulas I'd spent years developing, my parents smiled in satisfaction. When I gave up the couples' vacation package I'd won and let Vincent take Fiona to see the Northern Lights instead, he praised me for finally being mature. When I taught my daughter to call Fiona "Mom", she didn't hesitate. She turned to me without a second thought and called me "Aunt." To my family, all my sacrifices were only natural. "Fiona is a frail human. Her lifespan is much shorter." "We'll love you properly later. We'll make it up to you." I let out a mocking laugh. There was no later for me. I'd never live long enough to receive their love. And after I died, they lost their minds with regret.

Andy Williams is a nineteen year old Senior struggling to balance her school life, after hours job and moonlighting as a rock star. When her band is booked to do the end of term concert her cover is blown and she struggles to cope with the groupie, who just happened to be her Mathematics teacher, Miss Gweneviere Sheldon.Her English teacher, Miss Preston, offers to tutor her during the holidays and they start to get really close, perhaps too close? Uncomfortable with the situation Miss Preston calls everything off and sends Andy spiralling into a world of alcohol and drugs.Andys band tries to help Andy get over Miss Preston but ends up making the situation worse. Andy rethinks her actions during a couple of days in the hospital, she quits the band, changed her school schedule and starts extra Mathematics lessons to make up for lost time.She makes new friends, finds a new job. Her life seems to be back on track when a tragic accident happens on a school trip that leaves Andy temporarily paralyzed.She makes it through with the help of family and friends and reconnects with the band. With a little hard work Andy graduates and is free to pursue Miss Carol Preston.

Robert Blackwell promised to marry me, then postponed it thirty-eight times. The fifth time, a car crash broke eight of his ribs, and I signed seven critical-condition notices. The tenth time, on the way to get our marriage license, he and the car were thrown into the sea, and his suit was torn apart by sharks. By the thirty-eighth time, his heart disease had worsened and his life was hanging by a thread. Eight months pregnant, I changed flights three times and flew twenty-three hours across half the world to find him. When the door opened, a little boy who looked exactly like him lifted his face and said, "I thought Mom was back." Robert rushed out barefoot, panic written all over his face. I turned around and saw my best friend of twelve years standing behind me with a key in her hand. The little boy ran to her and threw himself into her arms, calling her Mom. So the fiance I had waited seven years for was my best friend's secret husband all along. "I will not wait through these thirty-eight near-death weddings anymore." "Robert, I do not want you either."

Evy was a simple-minded girl. If there's work she's there. Evy is a known workaholic. She works day and night, dedicating each of her waking hours to her jobs and making sure that she reaches the deadline. On the day of her birthday, her body gave up and she died alone from exhaustion. Upon receiving the chance of a new life, she was reincarnated as the daughter of the Duke of Polvaros and acquired the prose of living a comfortable life ahead of her. Only she doesn't want that. She wants to work. Even if it's being a maid, a hired killer, or an adventurer. She will do it. The only thing wrong with Evy is that she has no concept of reincarnation or being isekaid. In her head, she was kidnapped to a faraway land… stranded in a place far away from Japan. So she has to learn things as she goes with as little knowledge as anyone else. Having no sense of ever knowing that she was living in fantasy nor knowing the destruction that lies ahead in the future. Evy will do her best to live the life she wanted and surprise a couple of people on the way. Unbeknownst to her, all her actions will make a ripple. Whether they be for the better or worse.... Evy has no clue.

When I see Reese Chapman again, it is exactly three years after I sever our mate bond. It is also the third year since I completely seal my wolf and hide at the edge of the Shadow pack territory, living as an insignificant healer. Tonight, the air in the clinic feels heavy and icy under his overwhelming aura. He carries a lightly injured female companion in his arms and forcibly takes over the best VIP ward in the clinic. During my shift, he summons me three times through his guards. The first time, he coldly orders, "There are wolfsbane fragments on the bedsheets. Change them." I send an apprentice herbalist to handle it. Two hours later, he has a nurse relay another order. "The smell of medicine is too strong. Change it again." I suppress the urge to suddenly break down and arrange for someone to take care of it. At 2:00 am, he reaches me through our mind-link. "The sheets are dirty. Come up and change them." I instinctively block him and refuse calmly. "Sorry, Alpha Reese. The staff responsible for cleaning have already gone to rest." In the darkness, a cruel chuckle comes from the man. In a tone that allows no refusal, he murmurs, "Then you come and change them yourself."

When I find out there's a tumor growing in my brain, the Kane sisters are in the middle of celebrating Evan Kennedy's birthday with him. If I undergo the tumor-extracting surgery, I'll risk losing my memories. I don't want to forget the sisters at all, so I call them in hopes of seeking their help. But all three sisters don't hesitate to berate me on the spot. "Why can't you be more understanding, Declan? It's Evan's birthday today! Nothing is more important than his birthday!" Heartbroken, I feel immense pain wrecking my head. That's how I end up collapsing three times in a row later on. When I regain my consciousness in the hospital, I see a text message sent by Evan. "Declan, the Kane sisters have given me three protective charms just to protect me." In the photo, the "protective charms" are actually the very same charms I have managed to obtain after spending ten hours climbing a mountain while groveling all the way. My heart has officially died at that moment. So, I decide to fly overseas on my own to undergo that life-saving surgery and forget all about the Kanes. Weirdly enough, the sisters go crazy right after I've forgotten about them.

After Dominic Hatch loses his memories, he refuses to believe that I'm his wife. "If you really are my wife, why is it that there aren't any photos of us together?" I explain to him that he doesn't like taking photos. That's why we didn't even have a wedding portrait of us. But soon, Dominic digs out nine thick and heavy photo albums from a hidden compartment in his safe. The main characters in those albums are him and another unfamiliar woman. There are countless photos documenting their journey—from they were still children to when they had completely grown up. The pure and innocence on their faces slowly give way to the sappy love and affection they have for each other. In fact, Dominic and the woman even had a wedding portrait of their own. At the back of the photo, a passionate "I love you" is scrawled there. I feel the blood in my veins turning to ice. With a trembling hand, I dig out my marriage certificate. Dominic merely glances at it before scoffing at me. "The edge of the seal is crooked! Clearly, this copy is forged!" My mind buzzes loudly at that moment. At the same time, the system's warning blares loudly in my mind. "This marks the end of the marriage registration mission. You have failed the mission. Commencing eradication protocol. Countdown: 48 hours remaining."