Smile Inside Crying Outside Novels & Stories

There are monsters in this world. And they used to be us. Now it's time to euthanize to survive in a hospice where Emily, a woman haunted by her past, only wants to do her job and be the best mother possible. Post-infection Chicago. Christmas. Inside The Hospice, Emily and her fellow nurses do their rounds. Here, men and women live out their final days in comfort, segregated from society, and are then humanely terminated before fate turns them into marrow-craving monsters known as ‘Smilers.’ Outside these imposing walls, rabid protesters swarm with signs, caught up in the heat of their hatred. Emily, a woman haunted by her past, only wants to do her job and be the best mother possible. But in a world where mortality means nothing, where guns are drawn in fear and nobody seems safe anymore – at what cost will this pursuit come? And through it all, the soon to be dead remain silent, ever smiling. Such is their curse. It won't be long before that snow-speckled ground will be salted by blood. ©️ Crystal Lake Publishing

Clara James is nineteen years old. From the outside, her life looks rich and perfect. Inside, it is a silk wrapped hell. When she was ten, her world fell apart after her father cheated on her mother. Six years ago, her mother died in a car accident, forcing Clara to move in with her father… and that was where the real nightmare began. After her father married Emilia Cole, Clara’s life turned into an open war. Emilia did not only destroy her childhood, or leave her scarred by the trauma of harassment attempts. She made abuse and humiliation a daily routine. Still, Clara did not break. She did not bow. Everything changed when the wrong man entered her life at the worst possible time. Adrian Cole, Emilia’s brother. He is older. Cold. Distant. A criminal investigator hunting a serial killer roaming the city streets. Dangerous to get close to. Forbidden to touch. Yet he was the only one who held Clara when she collapsed, cleaned her wounds with his own hands, and gave her a sense of safety she had never known. But how can she trust a man who belongs to the family that tried to destroy her? Especially after Adrian uncovers a deadly betrayal inside his case… one that could drag them both into the abyss. Clara loves him to the edge of ruin. But when the enemy is closer than anyone imagines… Does love save, or does it kill?

During the five years I was in a vegetative state, all ten family soldiers assigned to guard me were murdered. One of them merely smoked a cigarette outside my hospital room. The next day, he was found upside down, drowned in a toilet. Another simply adjusted my pillow. The next day, he took a dive from a skyscraper rooftop. The Corleone family was in chaos, but they couldn't find a single trace of the killer. With no other choice, the ten executions, all textbook Mafia hits, became cold cases. Strangely, the very second the tenth guard's heart stopped, I opened my eyes. The first thing I did upon waking was call the FBI and turn myself in. The agents were stunned. "Miss Corleone, are you saying that while in a coma for five years, you planned and executed the murders of ten fully armed Mafia soldiers?" My fingers tapped lightly on the table, a faint smile playing on my lips. "That's right." "Being in a vegetative state only means I couldn't move." "Who ever told you that killing, something so crude, required me to get my hands dirty?"

For over thirty years, my wife Janet faked being broke—for her flimsy ex. When our son Asher landed in the hospital, I begged and borrowed from everyone I knew. Still came up fifty bucks short. Janet? Said she was tapped out. So my mom sold off her own meds to cover the bill—never told me. She died without treatment. I handled my mom's funeral alone. When I went to pick up Asher from the hospital, I found a stash of Janet's old shopping receipts. Custom suits. Million-dollar watches. A damn private jet. I grabbed them and stormed off to confront her. Asher cut me off. "Dad, Mr. Sackett's sick. Mom's just helping him out. Why are you freaking out?" I stared at the kid who only lived because my mom died. It felt like something cracked inside me. Janet barely looked up. "Connor's educated. He deserves the finer things. Unlike you—crying over fifty bucks like some househusband. See? I didn't give you the money, and Asher's fine." Fine. If that's how they see it, I'm done with this family.

After the most wanted bachelor in Renowoods, Marvin Chambers, lost his memory, he began to pursue me relentlessly. I dated Marvin for three years and fell hopelessly in love with him. Just when I was about to tell him I was pregnant, I overheard a girl who used to bully me say to him, "Thanks for pretending to lose your memory and pulling 99 pranks on Serena just to avenge me. "Once you hit 100, I'll be your girlfriend." That was when I finally understood—Shirley Hunt was the one Marvin had always loved. And I was just the fool he used to make her laugh. Later, I died in a plane crash. Marvin lost his mind searching through the wreckage, only to find a single ring. Inside, it was engraved: [Hope You'll Love Me After 100 Pranks]. They say he collapsed crying in the debris and had to be rushed to the hospital after passing out. When he woke up, he turned against everyone who had helped him prank me. Meanwhile, I stood smiling in the snowstorm of Frontania, watching as my medical records went up in flames. He had faked amnesia to win my heart, so I faked my death to teach him a lesson.

She’s a deadly assassin with no mercy. He’s a ruthless Alpha with no time for weakness. But when fate mates them… all hell breaks loose. Samantha Stone is a Were-Vamp hybrid, the most chaotic of Alpha Zoe’s infamous sextuplets, and a cold-blooded assassin with a perfect kill record. Stealth, power, and zero emotional attachments—until a prank gone wrong lands her deep inside enemy territory. Her mission? Infiltrate the Blue Moon Pack. Keep eyes on Alpha Kyler Arrow. Don’t get caught. Too bad she does. Worse? He’s her fated mate. Kyler—genius Alpha, lethal assassin, and a control freak with a temper—should kill her on sight. Instead, he’s drawn to her fire. But just as sparks fly and secrets start to unravel, fate throws its cruellest twist yet… Samantha loses her memory. Now Kyler must protect the girl who tried to sabotage him—the girl who doesn’t remember who she is, what she’s done, or who she is to him. With enemies closing in and her forgotten past threatening to destroy everything, can Kyler convince her to trust him before it's too late? Action-packed, hilariously wild, emotionally intense, and scorching romantic—Bonded To The Dangerous Alpha will leave you laughing, crying, and gasping for more.

Six months after our divorce, my ex-wife, Shanon Reich went viral with her new influencer boyfriend, Tobias Hunt, gaining over ten million followers. One day, by sheer accident, I scrolled into their livestream and saw my three-year-old daughter, Ginny Herbert, trapped inside a car. She was crying so hard she could barely breathe. Her little face was flushed, her eyes wide with fear and confusion. She looked utterly helpless. Shanon didn't smash the window, nor did she call the police. Instead, she laughed brightly at the camera. "Thank you to our top fan for the moneybag gift!" Then she grinned and said, "Send another moneybag! I'll smash the window once I get it, okay?" I lost my mind. I raced over like a madman and wrenched the car keys out of her hand. "Leomund Herbert! Are you insane?" she screamed. "Do you know how much this stream is worth? It's just a little heat! She's not going to die!" I held my daughter in my arms. Her tiny body was limp, and she was barely conscious. With reddened eyes, I pointed at her and shouted, "Shanon Reich! You will pay for this!"

Tall, handsome, sweet, compassionate caring, and smart? Oh, now you're making me laugh! But it's true, that's how you would describe Nathan Taylor, the 28-year-old lawyer who took California by storm. Ladies would swoon at the sight of him but he was married to Anette, his beautiful wife of 5 years. Their lives looked perfect from the outside with Anette being the perfect wife and Nathan being the loving husband. However, things were not as simple as that. Nathan Taylor was hiding things from Anette, he carried on with his life like everything was okay when in reality Anette would be crushed if she found out what he was up to. But what if she already knew? What happens when the 28-year-old Anette takes the law into her own hands and gives Nathan a little taste of his own medicine? ~ "Anette, I didn't think you'd find out about this I'm sorry." The woman said and Anette stared at her, a smile plastered on her face. "Oh don't worry sweetheart. There's nothing to apologize for. All is fair in love and war."

"A slave like you shouldn't call my name. Now, address me properly."  "Yes, m-master."  It has been three years since Serena Laurel-De Silva left her husband after witnessing him having an affair with his ex-fiancée. Even though their marriage was just a contract, she loved Ezekiel De Silva and was deeply hurt. That's why she decided to be with another man who promised her love while carrying Ezekiel's child inside her womb.  But she never expected to fall into a dangerous situation with her new partner and end up in the black market, where she could have been sold to anyone. The worst part of her life was finding out that the person who bought her was none other than her abandoned husband, Ezekiel.  "Why did you leave me three years ago? Do you know the hell I've been living all this time without you?! How could you have a child with him?!" He drunkenly yelled at her, crying in pain. After repeatedly breaking her heart in the past and now enslaving her, why is he acting like he still cares for her? Why is Ezekiel behaving as if she is the one who made a big mistake by leaving him?

With Alpha Cain…there's just something with him that makes my blood boil to the hottest degree, my mind roaring with spite and disdain every time I look at him in the eyes. I often ask myself, "Am I really sure to be the Alpha's Pet or am I just looking at the fastest way to die?" Maybe I'll never know the answer. Maybe I also knew the answer already. But deep inside, one thing's for sure: I hate Alpha Cain. But I also like some part of him. And I hate that part of myself that liked the part of him. *** Anastasia is an I-don't-fucking-care type of Omega who, because she's already bruised outside and broken deep inside, just accepts whatever comes her way. But Alpha Cain somehow liked her wicked mouth. She's the only Omega who can talk back to him with enough sarcasm and wits that most of his pack members lack of. And in the tradition of most packs, whether in every year, months, or even weeks and days, the Alpha will choose among Omegas as his Pet: a more accurate term for his personal bed warmer. It is an actual title in a pack reserved to only one person, with benefits and privileges on its own. And because Anastasia accidentally became drunk the night Alpha Cain tested her skills in bed, she rode so wild and satisfied the Alpha more than he expected. And a hate-to-love, pet-to-lovers tale began to unfold.