Ray Bradbury Zero Hour Novels & Stories

“As a financial forensic, I'm trained to uncover traces of fraud in numbers. But nothing prepared me for discovering my own husband's secret accounts... and the bodies buried beneath his transactions.” In the heart of glittering Amsterdam, where ancient canals hold modern secrets, Sofia Van Der Meer is a renowned relationship therapist who seems to have it all: a successful practice, a beautiful canal house, and a perfect marriage to hedge fund manager Marcus Dekker. But behind the glitter of their elite Dutch society life lies an intricate tangle of lies that threatens to destroy everything they've built. When Marcus' dangerous secret is revealed, Sofia is drawn into a dangerous game of passion and revenge with charismatic psychiatrist Dr. Julian Reeves. As the line between professional ethics and primal desire begins to blur, Sofia must confront a dark truth: sometimes those who heal others bear the deepest wounds.

I never thought I'd end up severely injured and lose my baby on my wedding day. That day, I walked toward my husband full of excitement, only to watch him rush right past me and straight into the arms of his secretary. Confused, I turned around and saw someone in a wedding dress lying on the ground, blood pooling beneath her. It was his secretary, Quinn Fable. Steve York, my soon-to-be husband, panicked and scooped her up, but Quinn stared at me with tearful eyes, crying, “Summer, I ate the candy you gave me… Why would you want to hurt my baby? Please, Steve, save our child… please…” Steve was beside himself with rage. Without a second thought, he kicked me hard in the stomach. I collapsed into the champagne tower, shards of glass embedding into my skin. Blood poured from between my legs. Yet, they still clung to each other, crying bitterly as if I didn't exist. When the ambulance arrived, they didn't even hesitate to push me aside to save her first. “Forget about her!” Steve shouted. “Save Quinn! She's lost so much blood. She must be in terrible pain! As for Summer, that vicious witch… she deserves to die!” Due to the delay, I suffered a ruptured uterus and missed the window for proper treatment. And as if that wasn't enough, Steve personally announced that our marriage was null and void. He marched straight to the clerk's office with Quinn and made it official. On my ICU bed, I received a text from him. “Pack your things and get out. Quinn wants you out of her sight.”

"I didn't ask for your help, you piece of , so you can keep your arrogant remarks to yourself." I snapped back, not liking the stranger's approach. "What did you just call me?" He demanded, halting. His voice sounded like the thunder that made the ground underneath my feet quake. At this moment I knew I had overstepped my boundaries. **** Jaclyn Tarr had not lived a normal life ever since she was a child. She was born on the night of the Wild South fire and for some bizarre reason, a golden fire symbol existed on the skin right above her heart. This, coupled with the mysteries surrounding her birth, made her the abnormal one as a child. And even now at nineteen, she was still labelled the abnormal one due to her dormant werewolf gene. Her life, however, changes when Alpha Dane Vixon walked into her life and she fell in love with him, but little did she know the alpha wasn't who she thought he was and the love she felt for him would be the death of her.

On the day of my prenatal checkup, I found out my husband Don had booked me a termination surgery instead of a postpartum care package. I thought he had placed the wrong order and was about to tease him, but Vincenzo spoke flatly. "I didn't book it wrong. I need to come clean with you about something." "I've been keeping another woman. She's a good girl. She doesn't want a title or to take your place as Donna." "But she got pregnant recently. I've already made her suffer enough. I can't let her child suffer too. I have to give the child the Moretti family name." I froze on the exam table, my voice shaking uncontrollably. "Then why did you abort my child?" He wiped the ultrasound gel off my belly and smiled. "I just want you to adopt Giuliana's child. I'm having yours terminated because I'm afraid you'll play favorites and treat her kid differently." He handed me the consent form, calm and composed. "I promise you will always be Donna. No one will ever take your place." I gave him a long, hard look, then was wheeled into the operating room. "Never mind." "Vincenzo Moretti, you're going to regret this every single day for the rest of your life." He didn't know it, but I was the only woman in the world who could ever give him a child.

“Thirty minutes for 10 thousand dollars.” That was the deal. Julian Valentino is the “Holy Billionaire,” an ice-cold CEO who views love as a liability. After a brutal Valentine’s Day betrayal, he didn’t just swear off women…. he chose a path of strict celibacy, vowing to keep his body as untouchable as his empire. For years, he has been a saint in a world of sinners, until he is anonymously drugged in his own hotel. With his control now crumbling and his body on fire, he turns to the only woman who can quench the flame: THALIA. Popularly known as "Tee" in elite lounges, she is a high-end sex worker who doesn’t believe in fairytales love and only lives for the bag to fund the search for her lost identity. What she expects to be an easy paycheck turns into a nightmare when a city-wide murder triggers a 48-hour security lockdown. Now trapped with a possessive, drug-fevered billionaire, thirty minutes of service becomes two days of raw heat and secret whispers. But when the doors finally open, Julian doesn't want to let her go. He wants a new deal... a new contract to buy her time and be her exclusive client. And that is when it dawns on Thalia that she has walked into a trap. Behind the closed doors, another contract was waiting. She isn’t just a worker anymore… with the outside contract? She’s now the very weapon sent to destroy the Valentino empire. CONTENT WARNING: This story is strongly 18+

When she left the cold, controlling man she loved five years ago, Isabella left behind more than just a shattered marriage. Now that she has returned to the city as a prosperous businesswoman, she has a little son who is actually the CEO's heir. Alexander, the strong CEO she previously married, promises to discover her secrets when he learns of her return. However, what he discovers shocks him: a woman who is no longer weak and submissive, and a child who bears his blood. Isabella and Alexander are drawn back into a perilous game of love, power, and retaliation as adversaries circle and secrets come to light. Will pride ruin their second opportunity, or can they confront the truth?

Joey Clad was the Moonstone Pack’s Alpha while I was his fated mate, his future Luna. The truth was, he rejected the Moon Goddess’ will and remained obsessed with my stepsister, Anna Bate. Joey made sure to present Anna with a one-of-a-kind gift on every holiday. He was available 24/7 to cater to her every whim. I never expected Joey to seize my mother’s keepsake just to please the birthday she-wolf. Worse still, he turned a blind eye as Anna killed my brother, Jake Bate, all to put a smile on her face. Amid the pouring rain, I held Jake’s lifeless body, slipping Joey’s ring off my finger. I promised myself that they would pay in blood.

For our third anniversary, my boyfriend claimed he wanted to 'broaden my horizons'. However, he was just waiting for me to step into the restroom from the moment we arrived. He immediately shredded my passport and every piece of identification I owned. Before I could even comprehend what he had done, he dragged me into an underground casino. He strutted in like he belonged there, greeting everyone along the way. "This one's premium, fresh from studying abroad!" I blinked at the massive men closing in on me. The black rose tattoos on their arms… They looked like the insignias of the Lyon family, the mafia syndicate led by my ex-fiancé, who was also their newly crowned Godfather. He once loved me obsessively, pursued me for eight years, and nearly forced me into marriage under the weight of his family's power. It took everything I had to escape that life back then. What just happened? One vacation, and I somehow landed right back into their hands?

Lisa is a teenage girl who fell in love with her stepfather, Laredo. They ended up having an intimate relationship under her mother’s nose. The story unfolds with more intense drama and the consequences of family betrayal.

Paige's world is turned upside down when she discovers her boyfriend in the arms of her half-sister. To make matters worse, her parents force her into a loveless marriage with a bankrupt billionaire's son to save their failing business. Left with no choice, she finally agrees after her step-mother promises to pay for her mother's kidney transplant. Little did she know that her soon-to-be husband was the guy she had a one-night stand with after a dare! Will Paige's life take a positive turn after the marriage, or will it continue to spiral downward?