Lori Gottlieb Illness

She died fat, broken, and unloved, but she came back ready to burn it all down. Catherine Vale has one memory seared into her soul from her past life: the feeling of her mother-in-law's hands draining the life from her body while her new husband pretended not to hear her screams. Reborn on her wedding day, Catherine knows that marrying Anderson Vale means death. So she does the unthinkable, she runs from the altar in her wedding dress and boards the honeymoon jet alone. Her destination is Las Vegas and her plan is to get drunk and forget everything. What she gets instead is waking up married to Davis McFanger, the most powerful hybrid alive and her runaway groom's father. Davis doesn't believe in coincidences, and he's convinced Catherine is another trap sent by his manipulative ex-wife to destroy him. But the mating bond doesn't lie, and neither does the heat that forces them together night after night, even when he can barely look at her come morning. Catherine is hiding secrets even she doesn't understand. The pills she's been taking for seven years to keep her stable might be poison designed to suppress her powers. Her so-called mental illness might be a lie fed to her by the same people who killed her and the power trying to claw its way out of her skin, burning her from the inside out might be exactly what they murdered her to steal. As her phoenix abilities violently awaken, Catherine faces an impossible choice: trust the cold, ruthless man who claims her desperately in the dark but refuses to acknowledge her in the light, or face her killers alone and risk dying a third time.

Nelly and Naomi is a tragic, emotionally charged novel about love, betrayal, and the inescapable weight of the past. Nelly and Naomi are two beautiful, life-loving young women bound by both friendship and family, with Naomi only three years older. Their bond is tested when each is separately violated by the same man, who disguises his crime as love. When Nelly confesses her trauma to Naomi, she discovers that Naomi has endured the same fate. Pregnant and forced to flee her city, Naomi moves to another town and invites Nelly to start anew with her. For a while, they rebuild their lives—until fate turns cruel again. Naomi marries a man she loves but hides her pregnancy from him. Unbeknownst to her, the same man falls in love with Nelly and secretly marries her as well. Living under one roof, the truth remains hidden, allowing betrayal to deepen and wounds to fester. When the truth finally surfaces, Naomi leaves with her young son and begins a new life in another town, eventually marrying a different man. Nelly, meanwhile, betrays her husband emotionally, leaving him torn between love and resentment. Years later, he encounters Naomi again—along with the child Nelly bore—but Naomi refuses even to acknowledge him. Facing death after being diagnosed with a rare illness, Nelly seeks Naomi one last time, begging for forgiveness. Naomi, scarred by the past, refuses. Broken, Nelly returns home only to find another woman in her husband’s bed, mirroring her own betrayal. Life ultimately forces the two women and their husbands back together at a single event, where unresolved love, guilt, friendship, and disappointment collide once more—proving that some stories never truly end, they only change shape.

"You are a miserable pathetic omega." He said taking slow steps towards me as I writhed on the ground, "You stink! You are worthless! You are ugly and useless! You look like a corpse, how dare you address me with my first name?! How dare you hold me?! And how dare you think of me even accepting you?!" He bent down before me and he grabbed my hair pulling my head back before slamming my face against  the ground and I heard my nose crack, I felt the warm red liquid pooling gently at my nostrils. "Stupid bitch!" ******* Demi Carson suffered the death of her parents at a young age and was entrusted with the care of her sick Younger brother but she's thrown into a life of slavery by her Alpha mate who wants nothing to do with her and continues to make her life hell. Things take a huge turn when she's sent to kill the Alpha king in exchange for a cure to her brother’s illness which she declines and runs away from her abusive mate only to land in the territory of the Alpha king finding out that he is her second chance mate! The same Alpha she has been sent to kill. Eros Dardanos the Alpha King has wanted a mate his whole life but fate plays a cruel one on him when his fated mate carries a quality that he can't bear, a quality that worsens his weaknesses and he is torn between letting her go and fighting for her to be his. Will these two get together or will their fates be against them and what happens when Demi’s former mate barrels into their lives and Anya who desires Eros makes it a mission to bring Demi down?

Months turn into years as Colter realizes that he likes the human college experience. He decides to stay, having lost all hope of finding his mate. He’s in his senior year, when he finally comes across his mate. Only to his surprise, she is the complete opposite of what he had hoped she would be. She’s Human This is a first for Colter. He has never heard of a wolf being mated to a human before. What does this make him? Weak? What should he do about it? Tell his father? Keep it a secret? Or…get rid of her? Losing her father was a blow that both Aurelia and her mother barely survived. While eventually Charlene starts to try and pick up the pieces of their life for the sake of her daughter, Aaurelia, Who was once full of life has sank into a deep depression that Caused her to Shrink away from life. Even deciding not to Continue college. When they moved, things didn't change much. Then she met Colter Sloan. She didn't understand the concept of their bond but she knew that it made her feel less alone. Unfortunately, she didn't have much time to enjoy it before Colter callously rejects her. Unable to cope Aurelia packs up and leaves, not just college but her mother as well to try and start over. It isn't until she learns of her mother's illness that Aurelia returns home after 3 years to care for her. But she's changed, and when she finally runs into a now-engaged Colter Sloan again, the Alpha sees it. Aurelia sparks Colter Sloan's desire in a way that he has never experienced before. The question is...can he prove to Aurelia that he is worth a second chance?

At the company team-building event, I got called out by my colleague Samantha Rowler for not removing my price tag—she accused me of being a "freebie chaser." "Oh wow, Carla, you drive a BMW 5 Series. Are you seriously planning to return your clothes within seven days too?" she sneered. I tucked the tag back in and ignored her snide remark. But after the event, as soon as I got home, my phone started blowing up. My chat apps were going insane. A friend had sent me a link: [Luxury-Car Executive Turns Out to Be a Return Addict!] Someone had filmed me leaving the price tag on and posted it to a short-video platform. I opened the comment section and was met with a barrage of insults. [Can't afford to live, huh? Tag warrior.] [Is this car a sugar-daddy gift? Those who know, know.] [OMG, does this woman have some kind of illness? Which brand is this so I can avoid it!] I immediately knew Samantha was behind it. I messaged her to delete the video. Instead, the next second, she blocked me—and pinned a comment to the top of the thread: [You can know a person's face but never their heart!] I was about to post a statement to clarify, my finger hovering over the send button, when I noticed the video's likes had already shot past ten thousand. I laughed. If they wanted a scene, fine—let's make it bigger. I quickly posted a new update: [The outfit is really nice. I'll wear it again next time.] The netizens erupted. The insults doubled, the heat skyrocketed, and the post shot straight to number one trending. I just put my phone down and went to sleep.

"Marry me," Helena said with a pounding heart. Alexander's eyes darkened, making her legs feel like jelly. "And what do I get in return?" "80% of my shares, plus 2 years of my time." "I don't want your shares, Helena... I want you." ***** They say you only realise what you've lost when it's gone. Helena realised this as she lay dying, killed by her husband and sister. Switched at birth and reclaimed by a family that never wanted her, Helena lived as an outsider in her own home. But when her grandfather left her a fortune, suddenly everyone cared. Especially Michael, her sister's ex-boyfriend, who swept her off her feet with promises of love. But love was a lie. Pregnant and naive, Helena signed away everything before they killed her. In her final moments, she prayed for one impossible thing: a second chance. When Helena opens her eyes to the reading of her grandfather's will, she knows exactly what she has to do. No more being the fool. Now, she'll reclaim what's hers and pursue her dream of becoming a doctor. Then she collides with handsome and powerful Alexander Grant, who looks at her like she's a puzzle he's dying to solve. He harbours dark secrets—including a terminal illness and a solemn promise to her dead grandfather. When Helena proposed a contract marriage, his answer ignited a fire neither of them could control. He remembers their past life, and this time, he'll stop at nothing to protect her, claim her, and make her his, even as his own life is fading. But desire is a dangerous game when your grovelling ex-husband wants you back and enemies circle like vultures. Can Helena save the one man who truly loves her, or will trusting her heart destroy her all over again?

CAMILLA As if being used by Rico for his club business wasn’t enough, he sold me to Nighthaven’s billionaire, the untouchable AUGUST CHILDE. August Childe is dangerous in ways money can’t hide. He is intense, possessive, and beautifully broken. He lives with bipolar disorder, a mind that swings between control and care. I should be afraid. Instead, I’m falling. And loving him might cost me the last piece of myself I still own. AUGUST She’s a goddess. That’s the only word that fits. I want her—desperately, irrationally—but how does someone like her survive someone like me? I want her, but I have a fiancée forced on me by my family, and my family would rather destroy this goddess than tarnish our legacy. I want her. And I don’t know how, or if I can stop. Sold into South Nighthaven’s underworld, Camilla survives years of exploitation before being claimed by August Childe—the untouchable billionaire heir whose power hides a dangerous truth: a bipolar disorder he has never learned to control. What begins as captivity ignites into a forbidden, consuming love complicated by his fiancée, a woman forced on him by his family, his family’s ruthless legacy, and a mind constantly on the edge of unraveling. When August chooses reputation and almost marries his fiancée, Camilla walks away carrying his child—only to be dragged back into the darkness she barely escaped. It is only after losing Camilla that August dismantles the empire that owned her, confronts his illness, and abandons the life that taught him love was disposable. Love offers them a second chance—but only if August chooses healing over control, and Camilla decides whether trusting the man who once let her go is worth the risk of losing herself again.

Dad is famous for being a total simp over Mom in the elite society. Naturally, he views Callie Archer, the stepdaughter whom Mom has brought with her, as his own. But Callie is afflicted with a severe case of walking phobia. Her feet couldn't touch the ground at all. Only when she's stepping on my back can she roam around in the house freely. So, whenever Callie looks in a certain direction, Mom will press my head down and force me to crawl toward Callie to serve as her doormat. The doctor issues a warning to my family that my spine is severely contorted. So when Callie wants to admire the flowers in the yard while wearing a pair of spiked shoes again, I can't endure the pain anymore, so I shiver slightly out of instinct. Callie ends up losing her balance and falling to the ground. She bawls like a baby afterward. Mom rushes over immediately before kicking me in the gut, her high heel lodging into my flesh. "It's extremely rare for Callie to be willing to leave the house! Why must you ruin her mood? Can't you just be more understanding and play your role as a doormat for the sake of your sister's illness?" Meanwhile, Dad scoops Callie into his arms, his heart bleeding for her plight. He coaxes her gently, telling her that he'll buy her new dresses later. I can only curl up on the ground while hacking up blood. But Dad just thinks I'm playing the pity card. He commands his men to throw me into the basement. Apparently, I can only be released once I've learned to stay stationary when I'm supporting Callie. As I clutch my broken ribs, I feel my tears flowing down my face as well as the blood from my injuries. I'm sorry, Dad. Next time, I will definitely not move a muscle, just like a corpse.

Joyce Stone, the beautiful and rich campus belle, often puts the tab on my account whenever she uses her card on any transactions. When she helps a low-income student with their financial problems, the money I save up from thrifting and working part-time jobs for the month is instantly depleted. When she treats the whole class to lunch, the prize money I won from my physics competition is drained right away. I try to argue with Joyce, only to hear the whole class calling me jealous of her beauty and kindness. Only my boyfriend, Lucas Zimmer, still trusts me. We work together to come up with all sorts of solutions to stop Joyce from using my money. But no matter what I do, my money keeps getting funneled from my account. Before the final exams, Joyce suddenly suggests that we all attend an auction and buy whatever we want there. The million-dollar funds that I've gathered from selling my house in order to treat my mom's illness vanishes from my account immediately. Mom ends up dying from her illness. Since I no longer have money in my account, my life force is the one getting depleted when Joyce keeps spending with her card. In the end, I've died as well. Before I close my eyes, I notice a video of Lucas and Joyce kissing on my phone. He looks at Joyce lovingly before saying, "Melanie gets jealous far too easily. If I don't pretend to trust her, I'm worried that she might go berserk and hurt you." When I open my eyes again, I've returned to the day Joyce is about to use her card to pay for everyone's expenses. Before she can open her mouth, I dig out my bank card right away. "Let me treat all of you to whatever you want today."

Everyone knows that the mafia Don's only son, Antonio Gatti, gets to choose a completely new mistress of his own once every three months. Women who are in dire need of money and have no other option left in life will flock to Antonio's wife, Martina Russo, to apply for the position. If they get to spend a night with Antonio, they'll receive a million dollars. Those who are capable of giving birth to his heir will receive half of his family fortune. There are so many women who want to latch onto Antonio as their ticket to wealth. As for me, Martina, I become the hottest piece of gossip in the entire mafia underworld. "Just what sort of lethal leverage does the Gatti family have over Martina to the point that she can tolerate her husband's whims to this degree?" Everyone is very sure that I will submit to the Gatti family's influence and live a humiliating life for as long as I draw breath. That is, until Antonio brings a young woman named Camilla Ferrara home one day. Camilla is an ordinary woman, and yet she's capable of transforming Antonio, a cold-blooded and violent man, into a completely different person. He gets rid of all his other mistresses for her sake. He cleanses every inch of himself three whole times because she claims that he's filthy. Antonio has become obsessed with Camilla. He tells me, "Camilla is a pure and innocent angel; unlike you, whose hands are completely stained with filthy blood. Your heart is as dirty as the rest of you." He seems to have forgotten that I've done those filthy things just so I can get rid of all the obstacles in his way in order to protect the Gatti family's legacy. On the day Mamma passed away from her illness, Antonio prepared a huge fireworks show that's capable of lighting up the entire sky above New Wis City just to celebrate Camilla's birthday. After that, I find out that Antonio has the gall to dump my mamma's ashes into the fireworks assembly on Camilla's birthday. They end up combusting alongside the rest of the fireworks that night. I toss the divorce agreement in his face with all my might. At the same time, I unlatch the safety on the pistol that's hidden in my sleeve before pointing it at him and Camilla. "I'm giving you two choices right now. Option one—sign the divorce agreement and file for a divorce with me, which entitles me to half of the Gatti family's fortune. Option two—die together with your beloved mistress so that you can go to hell and apologize to Mamma there."