The Cruelest Month

The day I learned the truth about my husband, Duke Alistair, and his adopted sister, Liana, I left. I abandoned my title, my home, and returned to my father's palace. A year passed. Then came news of chaos in the duchy. The servant Alistair sent spoke with desperation, “Your Highness, the Duke and your son are lost to reason. If you don’t return, I fear they will burn everything to the ground.” I looked at the blood I'd coughed onto my handkerchief. I nodded. "Fine. I'll go back." The doctor had already given me my diagnosis. Consumption. I had only a month left to live. So I went back. And I played the part of the perfect duchess. I no longer demanded Alistair's loyalty. I even found him three new mistresses who looked just like Liana and sent them to his bed after he had sent her away for me. I no longer made Damian study the arts of statecraft and not forced him to master his courtly duties. Instead, I supported his ridiculous dream of joining the Expeditionary Force. I took the pain they gave me. I wrapped it in the "understanding" they always craved. And I served it back to them cold. But it drove Alistair mad. He threw out the mistresses. He crushed me in his arms. His kiss was a punishment. He bit my lip, drawing blood. "I sent Liana away! What more do you want from me? How can I earn your forgiveness?" Damian cried and clung to my arm. "I'll never call Aunt Liana 'gentle' or 'beautiful' again! Mother, please. Just stop." They didn't understand. I wasn't making a scene. I just wanted to live out my last month in peace. And then, I wanted to die.

Married to her father’s business partner’s son, Gertrude gave everything that she could to make their marriage work. Unfortunately, she was still not enough for the man. Shameful scandals scattered over the internet with his lover and Gertude felt like trash inside the marriage she had with Dane but still didn’t want to give up. She was secretly in love with him. Divorce. After a month of marriage, Dane was asking for his freedom but that was something that she didn’t want to give at first. But when she was ready to file the divorce and start anew, Dane didn’t show up. He would always find a reason not to make it to the courthouse. What did the man want from her? Was this just a game for him? What else did he need from her?

Life was perfect for Alison Jade Jorgensen, an eighteen-year-old who had everything she could ever ask for - wealth, beauty, and attention. As the only child of a wealthy family, she was the apple of everyone's eye. Despite her privileged life, Alison remained an innocent girl, unaware of the harsh realities of the world. But everything changed when her beloved grandfather passed away a month before summer. Grief-stricken, Alison isolated herself behind the walls of her bedroom, unable to cope with the loss. Enter Jared Thompson, a twenty-five-year-old man who lived for nothing but pleasure. When Alison finally ventures out into the world, Jared becomes her distraction from the pain of her grandfather's passing. But what if Jared ends up causing more damage to Alison than she has already suffered? What if he becomes the source of her destruction?

The Templeton's and those from the Silver family have always been at odds with each other. This hatred passed down to their descendants. Emma and Brandon have always hated each other. They wanted nothing to do with each other but a drunken night leads to an entanglement in the sheets and they came to an agreement to keep on pleasuring the other until one of them gets tired or plans on getting married. Emma calls it off after finding out she was getting married and it is not until after one month did she find out that she was pregnant and the father was her archnemesis. How will her family react when they find out? And how will Brandon react when he finds out she was pregnant with his child? This is the first story in the Enemies but Lovers series. It's not your typical romance story and it's filled with plot twists, betrayals and lots of drama.

Azmia, a housewife who has to accept the harst reality. When she is pregnant, Bram (her husband) is dragged into the word of coercion by Bram's bos. Azmia' brain tumor and Bram's infidelity accompanied the birth of their baby. Azmia struggle and tries to save Bram and their househode from the abyys destruction. However, happiness only last from a moment. The dead of her six - month - old baby Micca left a wound in her hearth. Losing Micca made Azmia cold and away from Bram. She's back to being a hedonistict women. Reuniting with Baren (a man whos still loves her) and knowing the life stories of her friends makes Azmia realize what she really wants in life. When Baren and Bram fought over Azmia's love, suddenly Azmia's condition was critical.

The moms at the company post about me online, claiming the free daycare I provide for their kids is a "prison" and a vile tactic to force them to work overtime. What they don't know is that the daycare was set up with imported equipment and staffed by internationally trained professionals. It costs nearly eight thousand dollars a month per child to operate. The internet curses me out, calling me a show-off and disgusting capitalist. So I grit my teeth and send out a company-wide announcement. "To support everyone's desire to handle their own childcare, the company has decided to close the free daycare program. Effective immediately, it will be replaced with a childcare benefit. Eligible mothers will receive 200 dollars a month." As soon as the notice goes out, the moms panic. They crowd outside my office, begging me not to shut it down.

My husband, Lawrence Schwartz, and I were both liars. He lied to me, saying he would forget his first love, yet his phone is filled with photos of her. I lied to him, saying I would never leave, while secretly planning a future without him. A month ago, I tricked Lawrence into signing the divorce papers. Today was the final day to complete the entire divorce process.. Three hours left. I packed all my luggage and bought a plane ticket for the next day. Two hours left. I cut up every photo of us together, leaving only myself in the album. Last hour. I thought about leaving a message, then decided against it. Today marked the tenth year I had loved him and the first day I left him.

Starla Xander was orphaned at a young age. With both her parents gone, it was her uncle, Xavier Lloyd, who rescued her from that hopeless home. For over a decade, he had cherished her, shielding her from the world, treating her like the most precious gem in his life. And so, inevitably, she fell in love with him. She truly believed he loved her too. She thought that one day, they would get married and build a future together. But when Starla finally confessed her feelings, Xavier reacted as if she had crossed an unforgivable line. “Starla, I’m your uncle. Get rid of those disgusting thoughts!” And that wasn’t even the cruelest part. He chose the most brutal way to reject her. On the twelfth anniversary of the day they met, he stood before her with a beautiful woman by his side. He met Starla’s eyes and said, “Meet her. She’s your future aunt-in-law.” As she watched them standing together—so effortlessly close—something inside her shattered. She let out a soft, bitter laugh. “I understand now.” Without another word, she turned away, pulled out her phone, and called her research mentor. “Professor Zimmer, I’ve made my decision. I agree to the cryogenic preservation procedure.”

I looked at my fiancee and saw the corner of his lips, curved, and there was satisfaction in his eyes that couldn't be hidden after he had managed to push me off the cliff, letting the pack of rogues feast on me. Why? I badly wanted to open my mouth to ask him why he did this to me, but I couldn't muster the courage to ask him. It wasn't because I couldn't, rather I was afraid of hearing the cruelest words from the mouth of someone whom I loved. ~•~ Dahlia Hail was kicked out of her pack for a crime she did not commit. She became a rogue the moment she left the pack. In the forest, she happened to meet a man. They became partners in life as time passed. However, it didn't last long. Dahlia was betrayed by the man she loved. She was discarded by the man who threw her in the pit of rogue hunters, leading Dahlia to die at their hands. She thought her life was over, but the universe blessed her and gave her a second chance. In her second life, she dedicated herself to exacting her revenge, only to discover that the script was changing due to the butterfly effect. How come Kaleid became her Professor and started to approach her with the identity as her mate?

I had everything planned a month in advance for our holiday. I was going to take my wife and daughter on a trip to see the country's beautiful landscapes, but just before we were supposed to leave, they both disappeared. I ended up standing alone in the pouring rain, trying to call them. My daughter's voice came through over the phone—it was cold and impatient. "Mommy's having dinner with Uncle Skyler. We don't want to go anymore." Right after that, the call was cut off. I had been blocked. They locked me out of the house on purpose and left me to freeze out there all night. The rain had already drenched me, and I was running a high fever that turned into pneumonia. Meanwhile, the two of them were off enjoying a vacation with Skyler Shire. That was the moment I knew—this marriage was well and truly over.