Ruth Ware Zero Days Novels & Stories

Luciano moved closer, closing the gap between them. An expressionless glare hardened his features as his rough hand clamped around her jaw, forcing her face up to meet his dreadful gaze. "Your husband sold you to me. I gave you the freedom you always wanted, yet somehow you ended up in my arms again." "I'm not one of those useless women who crawl back to you," she spat, ignoring the way his grip tightened on her jaw. "I despise you with everything inside me." "I bought you for seventy billion dollars," he said coldly. "If you can afford to give me back the money, I'll have no reason to deny you the freedom you want so badly. "But if you can't, you'll continue to serve me—" His lips curved into a cruel smile. "As my personal toy and plaything." \* \* \* Abandoned as a child and raised in an orphanage, she learned early that love never lasted. Years later, the same parents returned — not for her, but for their debt. To settle it, they handed her over to Davin, the man who became her husband. Just when she thought she was finally happy, everything ended. An evening after her birthday, her husband was shot dead. The man who pulled the trigger was her boss — Frederick Hayden. Until she discovered that everything happening to her from the very beginning was tied to him.

When a fragile peace between two powerful mafia families begins to crumble, a political marriage becomes the only way to prevent another devastating war. For years, the Romano family has blamed the Mancini empire for the tragedy that shattered their lives. Alessia Romano has carried that hatred since the day her mother died, and she has never forgiven. So when Leonardo Mancini, the ruthless Don of the Mancini empire, arrives to negotiate an alliance, Alessia expects tension, hostility… and war. What she does not expect is to be pulled into his world. Originally promised to her younger sister, but as alliances deepen and tensions shift, Leonardo’s attention turns in an unexpected direction. Toward her. There is something about Alessia he cannot ignore. Something familiar. Something unsettling. A connection he does not explain, and she does not understand. Forced into a world where power is everything and loyalty is tested, Alessia finds herself navigating a life she was never meant to live. A life where every choice has consequences, and every truth comes at a cost. As their dangerous attraction blurs the line between hatred and desire, long-buried truths surface. Secrets about her mother’s death. A war that may have been orchestrated from the shadows. And betrayals that cut deeper than she ever imagined. Someone powerful has been controlling events for years. The closer Alessia gets to the truth, the more she realizes the greatest threat may not be the man she’s being drawn toward—but the family she was born into. Now caught between obsession and betrayal, Alessia and Leonardo must decide where their loyalties truly lie. Because in their world, love is not a weakness. It is a risk. And trusting the wrong person could cost them everything.

Beatrice Carbone always knew that life in a mafia family was full of secrets and dangers, but she never imagined she would be forced to pay the highest price: her own future. Upon returning home to Palermo, she discovers that her father, desperate to save his business, has promised her hand to Ryuu Morunaga, the enigmatic and feared heir of one of the cruelest Japanese mafia families. With a cold reputation and a ruthless track record, Ryuu is far from the typical "ideal husband." Beatrice refuses to see herself as the submissive woman destiny has planned for her. Determined to resist, she quickly realizes that in this game of power and betrayal, her only choice might be to become as dangerous as those around her. But amid forced alliances, dark secrets, and an undeniable attraction, Beatrice and Ryuu are swept into a whirlwind of tension and desire. Can she survive this marriage without losing herself? Or will the dangerous world of the Morunagas become both her home and her prison?

Betrayed. Broken. Stripped of everything she once called hers. Elysia Sinclair thought she had already lost it all—until she lost the one thing that truly mattered. Her baby. Left bleeding and abandoned in a cold hospital room, she swore revenge. But what could a woman with nothing do against the man who destroyed her? Enter Adrian Blackwood. Ruthless, calculating, and as dangerous as they come. He doesn’t do charity. He doesn’t do kindness. But when he looks at Elysia, he sees something more—something raw, something familiar. "Sign these papers, leave him, and marry me," he says, his voice a dark promise. "I'll help you get your revenge." It’s a deal with the devil himself, but Elysia is too shattered to refuse. One signature, and she goes from the discarded ex-wife of a billionaire to the new bride of a man even more powerful. But Adrian didn’t just want a wife. He wanted her. And as he slides his ring onto her finger in front of the man who betrayed her, a shiver runs down her spine. Because in Adrian’s eyes, this isn’t just a contract—it’s possession. Now, tangled in his world of power plays and whispered threats, Elysia must ask herself— Is she using Adrian to destroy her past? Or is he using her to rewrite his own? One thing is certain: when you strike a deal with the devil, there’s no turning back.

My heart was never meant to be divided… but my soul belongs to both of them." When I fled into the wilderness, I never expected to be hunted by rival wolves, by fate, by them. Kain is the ruthless Alpha who took me captive. His command is law, his touch a punishment… and his claim on me is absolute. But then there’s Darius, his brother, wild, untamed, and the only one who sees the fire in me instead of trying to extinguish it. The problem? I’m mated to both. Kain says the bond is a mistake. Darius swears it’s destiny. And the pack? They’re ready to tear me apart for daring to come between their Alphas. Now, every stolen glance, every forbidden touch, is a betrayal. Every choice could start a war. I don’t know which bond is real. I don’t know which brother is lying. But I do know this: One of them will kill for me. The other will die for me. And when the truth comes out… I might not survive the fallout

I saved the life of Don Stefano Marino of the Marino family. The moment a bullet was about to strike him, I was the one who shielded him from it. Because of the life debt he owed me, Stefano decided that I would be the one marrying him instead of my older sister, Anna Costa, in the marriage alliance. But on our wedding night, Stefano would rather drink himself into a stupor somewhere in the city than consummate our marriage with me. Like a naive fool, I thought that I'd be able to melt his heart of ice someday with my love. But it had been less than five years when Stefano brought a kid, who resembled him, and Anna back. "Anna has suffered tremendously during her time overseas while trying to raise her child on her own. I need to make it up to her." Then, Stefano passed the divorce agreement to me. "You've hogged the position as the Donna for so many years. It's time for you to give it back to her." Only then did I find out that Stefano had actually spent the night with Anna on the night of our wedding. I pulled out the pregnancy report that I had meant to surprise Stefano with, only for him to rip it into shreds. "I don't need another child." Once those icy words fell, I was sent into the operating theater by force, where I suffered from heavy bleeding afterward, resulting in the deaths of me and my unborn baby. When I woke up again, I saw Stefano, who was about to get shot. This time, I shoved Anna in his direction.

Kamrynn: Perhaps I was cursed or maybe it was just a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Whatever it is, it got me accused of murdering my twin sister and punished severely for a crime I didn't commit by the man I've loved since childhood. Calvin is everything— was everything. But it's crazy how creative a person can get when it comes to making another person suffer. I managed to escape, pregnant, but I had no idea what destiny had in store for me. Calvin: She killed my mate and unborn child, I hated her. It would only be fair that she replaces the child she killed, no? But she ran away while pregnant with my children and on top of that, she cursed me and my Pack. And now I'm tormented, my people are dying. She was no murderer, instead she turned out to be the moon goddess' daughter and I've doomed my Pack. I've realized what a grave mistake I made, I want her back, I want my children back. Only she can lift the curse but she hates my guts and wants nothing to do with me… FB: Author Ireti.

*MATURE CONTENT* Alina is a wolfless werewolf, hiding from the deadly Wolf Slayer. After being rejected by her mate, she spends one wild night with a stranger, only to discover he’s the Wolf Slayer himself. Now claimed her as his mate and takes her back to his pack. Alina must hide the truth of her nature. She’s a werewolf carrying another man’s child no in a pack where her kind was hated. Alina must navigate the treacherous world of lycan politics while hiding her true identity. But as she grows closer to Alexander, she's torn between her loyalty to her own kind and her forbidden love for the man who slaughters her people. In a world full of danger, lies, and betrayal, one secret could cost her everything, including her life.

Everyone is talking about the private assistant of the CEO. She looks beautiful, mysterious, and strong. No one can tell that once, she was as fragile as a bird. All she was asking for was a peaceful death, for she found her life hopeless: After discovering she had cancer, poor Flora had only six months left. So she decided to let go of her abusive family and mafia boss husband Jack Black, to live her last days peacefully. Yet she got captured and tortured to death by her maniac husband. "Finally! That ugly child is gone!" Said the vicious stepmother at the funeral of Flora. But here she appears again as the precious protégée of Claude Knightly, the wealthiest billionaire in the city! That cruel and cold CEO is hiding a dark secret and a horrible goal. Flora knows that once he captures her, it will be the point of no return when everything she wants is a peaceful death! Will Flora be able to get her peaceful death? Or will fate push her to run away, survive, revenge, fight, and live the life she deserves? __________________________ "The south is owned by Claude, the north by Jack. And both want you!" "This is your last chance to escape Flora! Otherwise, you will be mine forever!" "I came searching for you. And no one can take you away from me, my babydoll. You can run, but never hide" "I will drink the blo*d of him, who dares hurt a finger of my precious girl!" "I love you Flora. I love your tears, your cries, your laugh, your smiles. I adore everything about you. And tonight, I want you in my bed. I will print that silky body of yours, and make you my bride"

"You will carry my child in your womb!" She let his words sink into the deepest part of her heart as he grabbed her hair fiercely and pressed his lips against her ear. "And your body will remain mine. Mine to fuck and Mine to own!" Moistening my lips, she gulped hard. ****************************************** After the horrible death of her mother, Daisy was sold to the cruelest Alpha king Maximillian by her step-father, she accepted her fate after they made a bargain that she would leave after birthing his child. But what Daisy didn't expect was that the Alpha king was her mate. The sad part was that he didn't know it. She waited believing that he would realize the bond sooner or later. Just when she fell in love with him, she discovered that he was in love with another woman, Jezebel. Jezebel vowed to ruin the relationship between them so she could be his Luna and this she did by poisoning Maximilian's heart against Daisy. Unable to bear the hurt and humiliation she was subjected to, Daisy fled with her babies. Max realized his true feelings for her and regretted his indifference to her love. He swore to find her and take her back no matter what. What would happen when some shattering secrets are revealed? What happens when Max sets eyes on her and this time, love, a new feeling overtakes his heart? Will she ever love Max again now that she is sought by many Alphas? And if she does, will their love survive the trials that shook its foundations? We can only find out as the story goes on.