Lori Gottlieb Illness Novels & Stories

My parents were renowned educators, celebrated as top-tier teachers who mentored countless high achievers. Yet, I was the black sheep of the family, consistently bringing home failing grades. After yet another gentle reminder from my homeroom teacher, my mom erupted in frustration. "How could I have given birth to such a foolish child? You only exist to torture me!" She disappeared for three days. When she returned, she brought a girl with her. "From today on, Cora is my real daughter. You are forbidden to call us Mom or Dad ever again. Get out. Only when you can pass your exams will you be worthy of being my daughter!" Our next encounter was at the hospital, during the school staff's annual physical check. The dean spotted me, speaking. "Renee, isn't this your daughter? Sherry works here now! That means Cora's illness can be treated. Ask her to introduce you to the new director!" My mother's gaze landed on my white coat and shifted from shock to irritation. "She changed jobs and didn't even bother to tell me?" I discreetly covered the badge pinned to my chest, trying to conceal my status. I was now Evie Coffey, the director of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

After my grandpa receives a critical notice regarding his illness, he takes my boyfriend, Layne Harper, by the hand and pleads with him. "Layne, please marry Aleah while I'm still alive this month. I want to see her live happily ever after." Everyone sheds tears in the hospital room, thinking that Layne will heed Grandpa's words right away by getting down on one knee and proposing to me. After all, I have been waiting for him for the past ten years. With tears brimming in my eyes, I wait for Layne's response eagerly. But he covers the speaker of his phone out of worry that he might awaken his childhood friend, Ruby Martin, whom he has spent the last five hours coaxing to sleep. Finally, Layne replies gently, "Don't worry, Grandpa. I will give Aleah the happiness she deserves. Even if we don't get married in the end, I'll stick with my promise." My relatives stop cheering Layne on immediately. Then, they turn to look at me sympathetically. But I just smile and go with the flow. "I'll still be happy even if I don't marry Layne, Grandpa." After all, in two hours, I will accept another man's marriage proposal.

The notice of my mother's layoff sat on the kitchen table. Rent was due in three days. My younger brother's tutoring fees were already two weeks late. And my little sister, Stephanie, clutched her acceptance letter to the local public arts high school like she'd done something wrong. None of this would be happening if it weren't for me. My illness had taken everything our family had saved. I stayed in my room, leaning against the door, wanting to tell them I'd drop out of treatment—but I couldn't bring myself to open it. "Why did he have to fall sick?" My mother was crying, her voice low and tight, like the words were being forced out of her. "If it were just you both, Stephanie and Jamie, we'd be fine by now." "Mom, please don't say that." My brother and sister held her, barely holding back their own tears. "He's a burden… but he's still my son." Her voice cracked. "I just… I can't do this anymore…" I stepped back and sank into my chair. It wasn't an accusation. It was a verdict.

Five years ago, Kamarah Ruse spent one forbidden night in the arms of Zephyr Kane — the ruthless Mafia Don who ruled the city’s most dangerous casinos. She ran the next morning, carrying a secret she swore he would never discover. Now, with her four-year-old son Nevan battling a life-threatening illness and mountains of medical debt crushing her, Kamarah has no choice but to return to the one place she vowed never to step foot in again: Zephyr’s empire. She takes the stage as a singer at his flagship casino, praying the lights and crowds will keep her hidden. They don’t. The moment Zephyr’s cold, possessive gaze finds her under the spotlight, her world collapses. He never forgave the woman who disappeared after one night in his bed. But when he discovers the sick little boy with his eyes is his son and heir — obsession turns into something far more dangerous. Kamarah belongs to him now. Her body. Her future. His child. Zephyr will stop at nothing to claim the family that was stolen from him. Even if it means binding the only woman he’s ever wanted to his side, forcing her to pay for every lost year in pleasure and pain. She ran from the devil once. This time, he won’t let her go.

Maddison grew up in the Iron Mountain Pack. They are a pack of werewolves with magical abilities, thanks to an old debt paid by an Original Witch Coven. She is very powerful - the most powerful magical shifter born in many years. When she is just a girl, she is accused being behind the deadly illness of her Luna. She tries to tell them she is innocent, but the Alpha is mad with grief. When she refuse to cure the Luna, telling him she has nothing to do with it, he banishes her. 9 years later Maddison lives in her cave. A peaceful life away from the prying eyes of others. She is a shy girl, but will not take shit from anyone. As she encounters her mate at her job, she flees over a misunderstanding and quit the job to make sure she never run into him again. She is adamant to never have a mate, and never enter a pack again. But Faith has its own rules and ways to do things. And as it is, Madison's role in the world is far from over. She must face many dangers to find her peace again. Will it be with her mate or will she uphold her vow to herself? Follow Maddison's journey as she once again is found in the middle of the fray of life, just as she thought she had escaped.

When the heatwave apocalypse hits the Earth, the ozone layer has completely dissipated, forcing mankind to move into the underground city. My husband, Rhett Calloway, and I get to stay on Level Two, seeing as we've funded the construction of the underground city. On day in the third year of the heatwave apocalypse, Rhett brings back a sickly young woman from the slums located on Level Three out of the blue. "Nora, the living conditions on Level Three are very difficult. Anna is in poor health. I can't just sit by and watch her suffer." After that, Rhett carries Anna Archer into our home. I keep my gaze lowered as I remind him, "Don't forget that there's a strict population count on Level Two. The available slots in every family are fixed." "I know that. That's why you need to head down to the slums on Level Three to replace Anna for the time being. Once she recovers from her illness, I'll bring you home." The moment I hear Rhett's response, I remain rooted to the spot for a long time. After walking out the front door, I do my best to suppress the quiver in my tone as I call a number that belongs to Level One. "I've already thought it through. I've decided to join the project to end the apocalypse on Level One."

Adeline Pendleton grew up in a wealthy family. She has everything a person could want in life. Wealth, fame, beauty, money, designer clothes, and gourmet foods. Everything, with the exception of the man she loves. Drake Wright. Drake Wright is the inheritor of the Wright's Corporation. At his very young age, his parents build an empire to be inherited by him one day. Everything is going swimmingly for him, not until his parents got involve in a serious situation which affected their company. His parents told him that their company will go bankrupt and the only thing that can solve their problem is that he must marry their friend's daughter. Adeline Pendleton. He dislikes the lady because she is too naive for him; he despises her guts, and he is already in love with someone else. Unfortunately, his father also had a serious illness and can't do anything about their company so he asked him the favor do fix the problem in his behalf. "Marry her, son. That's the only way. If you won't, then everything that your mother and I sacrifices and did for our company will vanished." Drake's father said while lying in his bed, not able to move his hands. What will become of Drake and Adeline's one-sided and broken marriage? Will Adeline be able to withstand Drake's cruel treatment and arrogance? Will they live together as a married couple without love and understanding? Or will love blossom in the midst of every hatred and misunderstanding?

In the final stages of a terminal illness, my family abandoned me and threw me into a horror game. [Another one here to die. I bet she won't last the first night.] [Just listen to that cough. I'm scared she'll die right inside my phone.] On the first night, the head nurse made her rounds, prepared to execute any player whose heartbeat was abnormal. My heartbeat remained steady only because my body was too weak to fluctuate—and I even helped her sew up the tear in her uniform. "Miss, your clothes are torn. You'll get cold. If I mend it for you, you won't be cold anymore." On the second night, the surgeon swung his scalpel, determined to cut away anything imperfect. I handed him a wrist guard I'd made myself, watching his trembling hands. "Doctor, your talent shouldn't be buried by pain." … On the final day, the ultimate Boss gave me a choice: leave with a healthy body, or stay and perish with these strange beings. Back in the real world, the parents who had abandoned me were suddenly in tears, begging me to come home and split the money. I smiled and said to the creatures inside the instance, "I choose to trade my life… for a home for all of you." The next second, a burst of golden light erupted from the system. [Congratulations, player. You have triggered the one and only hidden ending—Divine Redemption.]

“I’m not your toy. Find someone else you can play with because that won't be me. I won't be the one to satisfy your sick desires.” “What makes you think you have a choice?” He murmured, his voice low and dangerous, sending shivers down her spine. “Because you don't go around telling people you own them and you certainly do not own me.” “Every inch of ground you step upon, I own." He closed the distance between them in one step. "And unfortunately, for you darling. Everything I want. I get.” ⋆༺ ︎︎ ༻⋆ Zeus Trojan rules Castello City's in shadows, a ruthless mafia thriving in havoc and sin where every corner bows to his command. But Saoirse, the innocent cigarette girl haunted by her parents' murder and her brother's deadly illness, is about to shatter that rule. Blackmailed to save her little brother, she vows vengeance against the man who stole her freedom—yet destroying a king demands more than revenge: it means slipping deeper into his gilded cage, unraveling his secrets, and surrendering to his darkness that will bind them in an unbreakable, intoxicating obsession. And in a game where power devours the weak, can Saoirse destroy the man who owns her the world or will their forbidden desire consume them both?

Esmerelda Cooper has always felt like an outsider. Marked by two distinct auras and plagued by an undiagnosed illness, she’s been abandoned by her mother and left to carve out a life tending bar while dreaming of a fresh start at university. But fate has other plans. Jake “Ghost” Thompson, a lone wolf shifter and intelligence gatherer, has spent years tracking a rising wave of brutal murders targeting shifters. When he encounters Esmerelda, he instantly knows she’s his mate—but she’s human… or so she thinks. Drawn together by an unbreakable bond, Ghost fights his instincts while Esmerelda struggles to understand the mysterious forces pulling her toward him. Their worlds collide when a violent confrontation awakens Esmerelda’s latent powers. She is no ordinary woman—she is part witch, part shifter, and destined to become the legendary White Wolf, a being prophesied to tip the balance in the supernatural war. As rival packs, hunters, and witches close in, she must navigate a dangerous path of self-discovery, all while caught in an undeniable pull between Ghost and his enigmatic rival, Magnus. With war brewing and her newfound powers making her both a target and a prize, Esmerelda must embrace her legacy before those who seek to control her tear everything apart. But magic comes at a cost, and love may be the most powerful—and dangerous—force of all.