Payoff Chapter 13 Early

Ethan Hayes and I grew up together, but we ended up resenting each other for a lifetime. He blamed me for taking matters into my own hands, forcing his memories back, and causing his true love to jump off a building. I blamed him for going back on his word. He promised to love me forever, but after losing his memory, he fell for someone else. In the early stages of our ten-year marriage, we were as cold as strangers who knew each other too well. When I got diagnosed with ALS, everyone in town urged him to divorce me. He only carried me to a chapel, knelt among the burning candles for an entire day and night, and prayed for a miracle. On my deathbed, he held me through the night, his forehead against my cheek. "I've done my duty to you in this life," he whispered. "If there's a next one, I hope you don't make me remember. Just let me be with her." Tears slid down my face. I finally got it. I shouldn't have chained him down with our teenage love, dragging him through a whole life. When I opened my eyes again, I was back to the day I found Ethan. This time, I chose to let him be with his true love instead of waking his memories.

I ditched a shot at studying abroad to help my boyfriend, Gavin Censori, launch his startup. Stuck it out with him through seven brutal years. Then boom—success hit, and so did the ghosting. On Valentine's Day, he hit me with the classic "work's crazy" excuse. Instead of showing up, he had some random delivery dude drop off a box of cosmetic samples. Samples. Later that night, his secretary Rebecca popped up on my feed, flexing hard. Caption: [With a boss like this, why go home early?] Pic: A box of high-end makeup. Same brand. Hers weren't samples. I dropped a comment: [You're doing great at your sidechick job. Gold star.] Gavin called instantly, losing it. "What's your problem? She's just an employee! I bust my ass making money for you, and you're always jealous!" I laughed. Didn't even yell. Just dumped him. Seven years, and I'd never touched a dime of his. Joke's on him—his precious startup? Secretly bankrolled by me. Fast-forward three years. Business summit. He rolled in wearing a tailored suit. The second he spotted me with a bag of bottles, his smirk kicked in. "Didn't like those cosmetics I gave you, huh? Now look at you—reduced to bottle collecting?"

Monalisa Del-a-Cruz, an Italian-American mafia queen was often referred as the queen of the underworld. She’s feared by both the old and young and they all bow at her feet. Despite being a high schooler, she controlled 85% of the black market in America, no one dare defies her order except they want their head blown off. At an early age of five, she was trained to be merciless, ruthless and cold, those who challenged her never lived to tell the tale or their body parts got chopped off. Meet Jeremy Martins, the class president of senior 05 class, twilight high school. He’s an annoying, funny and nerdy teenage boy who cares about two things; his studies and his sister. He believes in love even though his parents fight and beat each other every single day. When Monalisa gets transferred to a new school, she meets Jeremy who thinks she’s crazy, so, they didn’t start off on the right foot. As time goes on Monalisa gets confused about what she feels towards him because she doesn’t know what love is. Unknowingly she finds herself fighting for her rightful place as mafia queen with her step brother. Read along to find out about betrayals, the dangerous adventures they both participate in and perhaps maybe she might let him break the walls she built to protect herself.

Been Alpha Archer’s mate for seven years now, and he still can’t remember my birthday. Even though he’s ice-cold to me, I still love him so much. I keep telling myself our mate bond’s gonna make him and his wolf fall for me one day. On my birthday, I left work early hoping to hang with Archer and our daughter Trista. But what really broke me? Finding out Archer took Trista to see his real love.They left me all alone for the whole day. That’s when I finally called it quits with him. And when Trista said she wanted that woman to be her mom instead of me?I didn’t even hurt anymore. I drafted the divorce papers, gave up custody of Trista, and walked out. Now I’m just waiting for the final divorce order. After leaving my family and going back to work, I showed everyone who used to look down on me I’m way better than they ever thought. But Archer still won’t reject me—and neither will I. On top of that, he’s been coming back to the pack a lot more lately. When he found out I wanted a divorce, his usual coldness was gone in a second. He pinned me against the wall, growling, “Divorce?Ain’t gonna happen.”

After two years of marriage, I believed I was living the dream—until the day I gave birth to our long-awaited heir. The house was filled with joy as my husband's family arrived, bearing gifts and ready to bestow a name upon our child, as tradition dictated. But the happiness of the day shattered in an instant when my husband walked in, hand in hand with his childhood sweetheart. In front of everyone, he announced not only our divorce but also his engagement to her, as if I had never mattered. *** "I’m divorcing Stacy," Jason announces, his voice unwavering, "to marry Nicole Cruz, my childhood sweetheart." He points to the woman standing before him who smiles and waves at everyone in the room. My world tilts on its axis. The words echo in my mind, louder and louder until they drown out everything else. What is going on?? "But why?" I whisper, my voice barely audible, even to myself. I'm unable to believe his betrayal. Jason doesn’t even glance at the child in my arms. "Because this has been a long time coming, Stacy. I’ve only stayed this long out of obligation and not love." Important Author’s Note: This is a rewritten version of my book The Alpha’s Betrayal: Reclaiming His Rejected Luna. From Chapter 12 onward, the story takes a new turn with fresh twists and drama. Thank you for reading—I hope you enjoy this new version!

Roman Thorne is the invincible team leader of college hockey. He is large, aggressive and a nightmare to the media. The press, however, does not know what makes the Briarwood Ice Devils so feared. They are not just players. They are ruthless, blood-swilling offspring of the most formidable crime business in the city. Trying to keep a small scandal which is about to blow up their small business, the Thorne family appeals to the service of Sloane Mercer. She is 24 years old and a brilliant ruthless PR fixer. Her task is easy: to improve the image of the team, to work with press, and not to put Roman in the prison. But Sloane has not come to save them. She is here to ruin them. Sloane is enraged by the club of men belonging to the toxic boys at the University which exploits women at school. She espies documents to bring down their empire. She feels it’s a perfect plan. But the boss notices her plan. Rather than shooting her, the vain, insane captain does even better. He turns into a mad man who is obsessing over her. Roman does not care about his gang, their criminal history, and the law. He is simply interested in this cold-blooded, witty lady significantly desires to ruin him. Handling her is capital punishment. In case the family discovers that the captain loves one of the traitors, the trouble will be extended past the ice. The school locker room becomes a instances of psychological battle where a girl is emulating god and the mob boss who desires to possess her. Can you endure the obsession of the boss? Read Chapter 1 now.

RATED 18 This is NOT your regular puppy love Christmas story, fit for a casual road trip with friends/family. This book contains extreme s****l contents, every chapter another opportunity to dr*p your pants, and mindlessly daydream about the first time you got laid out of your senses. If this isn't your vibe, pick up another book this instant. But if you're ready to walk this sin with Lilian, who had thought all her life that she hated men until she arrived at her best friend's house to spend Christmas. Sit tight, watch the scenes roll out. Remember, don't scream too loud. *** I never knew I could crave a man this hard, until I agreed to spend the Christmas break at Sonia's, my best friend I wouldn't even trade for gold. "I have two daddies. Surprise!" her voice had trailed off with every other sound as I beheld my forbidden desires. The surprise isn't that Sonia had been brought up by gay fathers and I knew nothing about it until now , the surprise is: Why was I m**ning my soul out in the middle of the night of Christmas, at the mercy of Sonia's supposedly gay daddies while she slept downstairs. I continued to be consumed bare and r*w, and that was the best Christmas present ever.

Tamara Topaz Valentine is not your average human, She is far from it. She never realized how different she was until her20th birthday. Typical werewolves first shift at 16 as for Tamara hers was at 20. This fantastic couple adopted her and she always saw them as her biological parents with no questions asked. At age 15 they passed away in a tragic car accident. Leaving Tamara in foster care until she turned 18. Without her parents by her side, she felt the extreme loneliness that was never thought she world ever fill in her heart. Once she go into her first-choice college she knew that it was meant to be to have a fresh start. She knew it was time to start a new chapter in her life. Little did she know that her who life was going to be turned upside down. My name is Atlas Whitlock I am the next alpha to take over the pack once my dad steps down as alpha. I am a Junior in college to get my degree in business so I know what it takes to run a business successfully. Little did I know that I would have found my soulmate when school started again. She is perfect the only thing is she had no clue that she is a werewolf. Will I be enough to get her through her first shift? Will she accept me as her mate? Will love be enough to survive the unknown?

A FANTASY ROMANCE AND ADVENTURE! “A man’s touch should never scare you.” His voice called for her attention and she gave it to him. “A man’s touch is something you are meant to enjoy. It will fulfill all your desires and protect you no matter what.” ~ "If she dies, he dies. So will his wolf." ~ High school was rough for Zaramanni who has features that are strange to other humans. Just when she was about to forget about her past that almost killed her, just when she was ready to open a new chapter in her boring life, she is pulled into a new world. When her soul is suddenly connected with the wolfless Alpha King of Zenrada, she becomes an open target for fairies and she finds her real identity as a half-fairy. Her stay in that strange universe gets riddled with strange occurrences, an unexpected mate bond, attempts to take her life and never-ending supernatural drama. But her stay in that universe may not be a terrible thing as she thought it would be. Asides from having powers others can only dream about, she learns what it means to be loved and to be touched by a man in ways she could never imagine. Her once boring life finally became fun and for once, living became bearable. [Contains triggering and mature scenes] ~ NB: THIS STORY CONTAINS TWO BOOKS BOOK ONE: THE POWERFUL HALF-FAIRY BOOK TWO: THE WAR THAT LOOMS

When a young girl named **Emilia** moves to an isolated, fog-drenched city in search of a fresh start, she quickly discovers that something is terribly wrong. The streets echo with silence, residents vanish without a trace, and time itself begins to twist and collapse. As doors appear in places they shouldn’t, and her own reflection begins acting on its own, Emilia realizes she’s trapped in a place that is not just haunted — it’s alive. Each chapter peels back a new layer of horror: shadowy watchers, eerie apparitions, underground tunnels, and ghostly echoes of past inhabitants. But the real terror lies within — the city seems to feed on fear, loneliness, and the feeling of failure. It reflects Emilia’s own anxieties back at her, warping her reality into a trial of the soul. As she searches for meaning, and later for escape, Emilia uncovers the city’s sinister purpose: it traps those most vulnerable and forces them to confront their darkest selves. With the help of other survivors — some real, some echoes — she must navigate psychological mazes and make impossible choices to survive. But survival isn't enough. Emilia must transform — not by escaping her fear, but by embracing it. In doing so, she becomes something more than a victim of the city. She becomes a guide, a witness, and eventually, a keeper of the door. *Trapped in the Hollow City* is a suspenseful, haunting exploration of inner demons, resilience, and the eerie beauty of choosing to become — even when the world seems built to break you.