Lock Every Door Riley Sager

During the mandatory freshman orientation camp, my skin had flared up with a severe allergic reaction, so I didn't use the plastic washbasin the school handed out. Instead, I opened my suitcase and took out the custom silver basin I had brought from home. My roommate, Louisa Carter, immediately made a snide remark, drawling, "You're really something, huh? Kids from broke families like us are lucky to have any basin at all." I didn't bother responding. I simply pulled out my facial essence to do a cold compress, but she immediately rushed over, slapped the bottle out of my hand, and jabbed a finger at my face. "Bet you get tens of thousands a month for living expenses. You have a sugar daddy, don't you? Don't you feel guilty making your folks work their fingers to the bone back on the farm? People like you don't deserve to be at our school. I'm reporting you to the student counselor." I laughed in disbelief and slapped her. … The next morning, the family photo I'd left on my desk had been slashed to ribbons. Across the back, carved in ink, were the words: 'Daughter of a homewrecker. Go to hell.' I went straight to the police. While officers pulled the dorm security footage, our student counselor and the university president rushed in. The moment the president saw the man whose face had been cut apart in my photo, his legs nearly buckled. He almost dropped to his knees.

In Valeburn, Atlanta’s most dangerous block, power doesn’t pass hands—it’s taken with blood. And no one understands that more than Jayce Navarro, the razor-sharp kingpin who built his empire brick by brick, silence by silence. He rules with cold precision, a name whispered like a gun being cocked—until the ghost of his past returns with vengeance on his breath. Eli Mercer is no longer the soft-eyed teen Jayce once kissed beneath the chapel steps. Fresh from the feds and wrapped in scars, Eli returns to the block with one purpose: burn down the throne that forgot him. But when fate—and the city’s shifting underworld—forces them into an uneasy alliance, old feelings smolder beneath their armor. Lust tangles with rage. Loyalty with betrayal. And love? It’s the most dangerous weapon of all. As enemies circle from the inside and the state threatens to dismantle Jayce’s entire operation, he and Eli must decide what’s worth saving—their empires, their reputations… or each other. But in Valeburn, every crown is cursed. And every favor comes with fire.

Elliot Sinclair has it all—money, power, a picture-perfect fiancée, and the eyes of the world watching his every move. But behind closed doors, his life is anything but perfect. Because Elliot is in love. With Jonah Hartfield. A man. Jonah is everything Elliot shouldn't want—fierce, reckless, possessive. Their affair is a powder keg of passion and danger, one kiss away from destruction. The world can't know. His family can't know. And Clara, the woman he’s supposed to marry for the cameras, definitely can’t know. But Jonah is done playing games. He doesn’t care about appearances. He doesn’t care about the cameras. He just wants Elliot. Completely. And he’s not interested in sharing. When jealousy boils over and secrets get harder to hide, Elliot is forced to choose: keep pretending for the world—or burn it all down for the man he can’t live without.

On the day I'm set to go into labor, I plead to my husband, Timothy Langford, to take me to the hospital when I'm two centimeters dilated. However, a pissed-looking Timothy orders his men to lock me up in a sauna room that's heated to 356 degrees Fahrenheit. This is all because my estimated labor date is one day earlier than my widowed sister-in-law, Natalie Thornton. Since Timothy is bent on making Natalie's baby the oldest grandson of the Langford family, he instructs his men to inject me with 100 labor-suppressant injections. No matter how much I beg Timothy to spare our baby, he remains unmoved. Having received 99 injections, I feel a world of pain crashing down on me, seeing as I'm already suffering from contractions to begin with. But Timothy is the one who injects the final labor-suppressant injection into my huge pregnancy bump. As he gazes at my agonized and writhing form, he says coldly, "It's already difficult for Natalie to survive in this world after losing my older brother. As her brother-in-law, I'm merely fulfilling her wish to become a mother. "Still, you refuse to spare her. It's not enough for you to force her to survive overseas on her own; you even plan on receiving labor-induction injections just to give birth to your baby on an earlier date! "It seems that I've spoiled you far too much for you to have the guts to pull this stunt off! The doctor already told me that once I've given you the labor-suppressant injections and leave you somewhere extremely hot, it can stop you from giving birth. You're only allowed to give birth once Natalie is out of labor." At that moment, I've completely given up on life. The moment Timothy witnesses Natalie's baby being born, his eyes are filled with tears of happiness. He sets off firework after firework to celebrate the grand birth. Later on, as Timothy gazes at Natalie's newborn, he finally remembers me and our unborn baby. When he's about to order his men to take me to the hospital, he receives a phone call from his assistant. "The hospital has called to inform you to take Mrs. Langford's body away."

“I want to divorce you! You’re not worth of being my husband!” Brooklyn had been tired of her husband, Alpha Hale's control. She grow up in a broken family so she cherished her marriage. But enough, she was enough of her crazy husband. Brooklyn suffered a lot and abused by Hale. But it seemed that Hale knew her intention and grab her again and again. He would never let her go until she died! Fortunately, the Moon Goddess heard her prayers and gave Brooklyn a second chance, Alpha Devin. Alpha Devin was looking for his missing wife, he found that Brooklyn’s scent was the same as his wife and they were also MATE! How ridicule was their relationship! Would Alpha Devin help Brooklyn escape from her insane husband and accept her?

Oluchi never thought love would find her this late. She has spent her life following rules, hiding pieces of herself, and convincing the world she was fine. Then comes Amina the soft-spoken lesson teacher with a fire in her eyes, the one who makes Oluchi’s world feel both terrifying and alive. What begins as stolen glances soon becomes a dangerous longing. Desire. Fear. Hope. Everything Oluchi was told to bury begins to rise. But in a world that punishes women for wanting more, for loving differently… Can Oluchi risk it all for love? Or will survival demand her silence once again? The Love That Changed Everything is a tender, messy, and unforgettable story about late-found love, queer longing, and the price of choosing yourself.

Moving to her old town was supposed to be her fresh start into adding up the pieces...or so she thought. But when the fiery, headstrong Jhelani Snowfire finds herself living next door to not only one but three dangerously irresistible Alpha heirs, she learns quickly that trouble comes in leather jackets, tattoos, motorcycles, wicked grins, actions, and wolf eyes that see far too much into her. Caught between lust, love, loyalty, and a curse that names her as the one who would destroy the sworn brothers bounded by oath, Jhelani must decide if she will resist the temptation of the Wolfbane brothers…Or surrender to the Forbidden pull of the Alphas living Next Door.

Four years ago, Jessie Monroe made the biggest mistake of her life— she fell into the arms of a stranger who felt like danger and desire wrapped into one. One night. One choice. One secret she never planned to reveal. Now she’s a hardworking single mother trying to rebuild her life… until she walks into Diaz Enterprises looking for a job and comes face-to-face with the man she never thought she’d see again. Dominic Diaz. Billionaire. Cold. Magnetic. Unforgettable. The moment his storm-gray eyes land on her, he freezes. He remembers her the girl he spent one wild night with… the girl he left sleeping in his hotel bed before dawn… the girl whose body and lips have haunted him for four long years. Jessie panics. She can’t let him get close. Not when she has a four-year-old son with his eyes… his smile… his DNA. Dominic wants answers. Jess wants distance. But fate wants chaos. Because Dominic Diaz is not a man who lets go and Jessie Monroe is running out of places to hide.

At one in the morning, the general manager posted the project assignments in the group chat and tagged everyone. I reviewed my responsibilities carefully, going through each detail to make sure I understood exactly what was expected of me. When I was done, I typed a simple "OK" and hit send. Two seconds later, my phone rang. It was him. As soon as I answered, his voice came through, icy and sharp, filled with unmistakable disgust. "Eric, I'm very disappointed in you. I must have been blind to trust you with anything important." My mind went completely blank. "What… what do you mean?" I asked, the words slipping out before I could stop them. What he said next was something I never could have imagined.

After Dad went bankrupt, Mom immediately started fighting for a divorce. I did not fight or argue, just watched coldly as my sister, Jessica Shaw, shoved me aside and threw herself at Dad. She cried out, "Dad, don't be sad! I'll stay with you!" In my past life, after our parents divorced, Jessica went with our wealthy Mom while I ended up with bankrupt Dad. However, what no one expected was that Mom's remarriage turned into a disaster when she married a scumbag who not only drained her assets but left her with nothing in the divorce. Jessica suffered right along with her. Meanwhile, Dad made a comeback and became wildly successful, eventually turning into a wealthy tycoon. Jessica grew bitter seeing me live well. Under the guise of catching up, she orchestrated a car accident that killed me. When I opened my eyes again, we had both traveled back to the day our parents filed a divorce. This time, Jessica shot me a smug smile and declared first, "I love Dad, so I want to stay with him." Little did she know, I could not have been happier with this arrangement. After all, I refused to spend another lifetime hiding and scraping by.