The Bullet That Missed

Emilka Winchester is the envy of Seattle. To the outside world, she is Mrs. Perfect—the beautiful, devoted wife of a powerful man, living a life of marble counters, designer dresses, and carefully curated happiness. But behind closed doors, the silence is deafening. When her husband misses their fifth anniversary, a single crack begins to spread. A missed dinner becomes a trail of lies leading from the rain-soaked streets of Seattle to a hidden hotel room in Chicago. One receipt. One lingering scent of lilies. One scrap of red lace that doesn’t belong to her. The truth shatters everything. But Damian doesn’t ask for forgiveness. He offers a solution. An open marriage. After years of failed IVFs and the weight of a legacy that never came, he no longer wants a wife,just a woman to maintain the illusion while he lives his life elsewhere. Now Emilka must decide: remain the perfect wife in a beautiful lie… or destroy everything to reclaim the truth. Because in a world built on appearances, the truth is the most dangerous thing she can choose.

She had it all—beauty, wealth, and the love of her powerful family. Raised in the lap of luxury, she never questioned the world around her, nor did she imagine the cruelty it could harbor. Her life was a fairytale until she made one unforgivable mistake: she gave her heart to the wrong man. He was nothing like the men from her world—no money, no status, and certainly no respect for her. Yet, his cold indifference lured her in, and she loved him with everything she had, only to find him in bed with her best friend. Betrayed by her lover and best friend, she faces ruin, until a surprising offer comes from the one man she despises—the arrogant playboy who never missed a chance to mock her: a contract marriage, not for love but revenge. As their game of pride and power begins, she discovers there may be more behind his cold exterior—and perhaps, a chance at something real.

Everyone in New York knew I was the Godfather’s heart. Gavin Whitestone’s heart. He loved me for ten years. He’d fly into a rage if I so much as got a paper cut. But he’s the one who gave me these three scars. The first time, he pulled every doctor to treat Sofia, the girl who took a bullet for him, and ignored the shrapnel tearing into my side. The second time, he was drugged and fucking Sofia in his bed. When I walked in on them, he shoved me aside, desperately carrying her to the hospital. The third time, he took my father's last gift to me—a revolver—and gave it to a pregnant Sofia, just to make her smile. He told me, “It’s all for the baby. Once the baby is born, we’ll go back to how we were.” But this time, I didn't forgive him. I threw away every gift he ever gave me and vanished without a trace. And that’s when the untouchable Godfather finally broke.

In my last life, I loved my brother’s best friend longer than I loved myself. I was the princess of the De Luca family, a New York political dynasty. A good girl, through and through. He was Orion Corvo. The king of Chicago's underworld. A ruthless, brutal man. No one thought we belonged together. I never dared to confess. Not until I was kidnapped. That cold-blooded, savage Don took a bullet for me. He shielded me with his body as I bled out. We died together. Only then, seeing the desperation in his eyes, did I understand. He loved me too. Now, I'm back. 18 again. I ditched my life in Europe to stay by his side. For five years, I was his most trusted art appraiser. In private, he’d lose himself inside me. He fucked me like he wanted to own my soul. I became his favorite fuck. His biggest secret. But now, he’s getting married. And the bride isn't me.

On our fifth wedding anniversary, I discovered I was two months pregnant. I wanted to surprise Owen Reed with the news. However, on my way home with the gift-wrapped ultrasound report, I got caught in a street shootout. A stray bullet tore into my abdomen. Right as I collapsed on the pavement, writhing in pain, Owen appeared out of nowhere. He had told me he was away on business and would not be home until evening, but here he was, frantically shoving through the crowd. He ran right past me and toward a woman up ahead. "I'm sorry I'm late. Don't worry, nothing's going to happen to you." His voice was soft, gentler than I had ever heard it. He swept her up in his arms and disappeared down the street, surrounded by bodyguards. He never saw me. I was barely three feet away, bleeding out on the ground. When I woke up in the hospital, my baby was gone. That was when I knew I was done with this marriage.

They called him the Mafia King, but I knew him as the devil who ripped my sister from this world. My mission was sacred; vengeance. My method; Seduce the beast, then plunge the knife deep when he least expects it. I stepped into his world and offered him my supposed innocence, and like all devils, he took the bait. ​Dominic Sokolov didn’t just want me; he claimed me. Every possessive stare, every burning touch, every depraved whisper chipped away at the vengeance that once fueled my soul. He was a poison I craved, a sin I embraced, and with every scorching kiss, the bullet meant for his heart began to feel like my own. But a devil always finds his due. And when he discovers the assassin hidden beneath the lover, I know what waits. ​A hell far worse than death itself. CONTENT WARNING: This book contains mature themes, including dark romance, morally complex characters and situations that might be intense for some readers. Reader discretion is advised.

I was with Don Massimo for five years. The whole time, he never hid his favorite: Cara. His driver’s daughter. The man who took a bullet for him. He called it paying a debt. Like a fool, I bought it. He gave her jewels. Fast cars. He even bought her an island. Three days before the wedding, I found out he'd moved the venue. Not to my family's estate in Sicily. But to the island. Her island. His excuse? Cara was claustrophobic. Couldn't handle a big indoor wedding. I was done. Three days later, the wedding happened on that island. But the bride was a no-show. Massimo was publicly humiliated. He tore the city apart looking for me. That’s when he found out. He thought he was marrying me. Instead, I married his greatest enemy. Nikolai Volkov. The Godfather of the Russian Bratva. He ditched Cara. He ran to my family's estate and waited. Seven days and nights. With flowers, a ring, and a whole lot of begging.

Power, secrets, and bloodshed, no one is safe in a world built on lies. Rico Blackwood was born into power, but behind the wealth and influence lies a family built on bloodshed and betrayal. When his sister’s murder exposes cracks in the Blackwood empire, Rico is forced to make a choice dig deeper or become the next casualty. Melissa Reynolds should be dead. The world thinks she is. But staying in the shadows is no longer an option. Someone knows she’s alive, and if she doesn’t find them first, her second chance at life will end in a body bag. Catherine Blackwood is the perfect wife, the perfect mother… and the perfect predator. When she learns of a woman from Rico’s past, a woman who should have stayed buried, Catherine is ready to do whatever it takes to protect her throne. And Evelyn Hawthorne? She’s not playing games. She’s waging war. In a city where alliances shift like shadows, secrets are unraveling and bodies are piling up and love is a weapon as deadly as a bullet, survival isn’t guaranteed. Some will rise. Some will fall. And Some will burn!

During a turf war, I took a bullet for Daniel Wilson. When I woke up in the family hospital after three years in a coma, I discovered that Eva, the showgirl I'd saved from a black market auction, had usurped my place in the Wilson family. My husband Daniel, the family's Underboss, saw that I was awake, and his first words to me were: "The entire underworld recognizes Eva as the woman by my side now. Why did you have to wake up at a time like this?" "Alice and I both love her. She's the one who's been by our side these past three years. And you? You've just been a body in a hospital bed, absent from our lives." "We're through, Sarah." Watching the man I once loved so deeply speak such heartless words, I didn't put up a fight. I simply nodded and gave him what he wanted. But he had no idea the Wilson family was about to burn to the ground.

In her life ... She lived that the decision did not come from her, she was forced to love the person She didn't like, she missed some parts of her personal life. She was hurt because she forced love that wasn't really for them. She was confident that maybe they could really be together ... But she was wrong ... She ran away from everyone....specially from him... Just in case...Everything will be fine over time. But to all of that she do, she regret. She should have just learned to face her consequences. She learned...that all things will never flew away in one blew. Afterwards... She realizes in all her decision she made. Theirs the one she regretted the most, was ran away from the first person to love her dearly. In all thing sudden... She was chosen to be half of the person who dearly deeply love that she did not expected in a first place... And she doesn't know now how to put it back.