The Departed Comfortably Numb

When my sister, Amelia, and I are waiting to be adopted at the orphanage, a man and a woman come to visit. Ambitious as ever, Amelia instantly sets her sights on the elegantly dressed woman named Charlotte Evans, while I end up being chosen by the man in plain, unremarkable clothes. But to my surprise, the man turns out to be a discreet billionaire. After adopting me, he publicly announces my identity for everyone to see. Meanwhile, Amelia is taken in by Charlotte, who's so harsh it borders on cruel. She constantly scolds and punishes her. Moreover, Amelia is bullied at school and even gets doused in dirty water by her classmates. While she stands there trembling and humiliated, I walk away with friends crowding around me. Consumed by jealousy and resentment, Amelia waits for the perfect moment and pushes me off a tall building when I least expect it. The next time I open my eyes, I find myself back on the day we are supposed to be adopted. I watch as Amelia chooses the man without the slightest hesitation. It's obvious she's come back to this day, just like I have. On the day we part ways, Amelia gives me a knowing smile. "From now on, I'm going to live the high life. If you ever go hungry, maybe I'll spare you a bite or two." Outwardly, I look angry, but inside I am over the moon. In this life, Amelia can enjoy her luxurious life, even if it means living comfortably in a gilded cage.

Mafia Academy Series 1 (Book 1 of Red Duology) Kaytlyn Santiago only hates three things in life: rain, cliffs, and her second name. At a very young age, she had already experienced being kidnapped and tortured, pressured and forced into a life she never wanted in the first place. Kayt lived her life carrying all the hardships alone and blaming herself for the death of her mother. She'd already gone through any possible form of pain, making her heart numb and as cold as ice. She chose to build those walls around her that no one could ever break and wear the mask that was almost as perfect as a white lie. But her life changed when she entered the academy. She never once thought that someone would find a way to break those walls she built in. In a battle where she has to choose between her happiness and her family, who should it be, and was it worth taking the risk? She only has one chance, and the future lies in her hands. She mustn't pick the wrong choice. One decision can change everything. One wrong move and the game is over. *** Disclaimer: This story is written in Tagalog-English.

Two years ago, as a graduate of Werewolf Medical School, I volunteered to go to the most remote and poorest pack, as it had always been my dream to help werewolf patients in need. I heard from my teacher that the werewolves in the Rogue Pack were the poorest and that their living conditions were the worst. Most of the werewolves there were old and weak, so I volunteered to go to that pack as soon as I graduated. After I arrived, I helped them build an infirmary and even set up a blood station. Every year, I led them in voluntary blood donations. But one time—right after I had taken a short break following a blood donation—they turned on me. They slandered me, calling me a selfish and heartless healer. Worse still, they accused me of faking illness, claiming I was lying comfortably in bed while patients were dying—refusing to lift a finger to save them. Not only that, they stormed into the infirmary, seized all my herbs and equipment, and completely trashed the place I had built for them with my own hands. Recalling the days I had spent day and night healing them—only to see my infirmary destroyed and my dream shattered—I let out a bitter smile. I picked up the phone and called the dean of my home pack. "I'm ready to return," I said. "I want to serve the patients in our own pack." Then, without a trace of regret, I left that place behind. However, after I gave up, the whole pack regretted it and begged me to return.

My mind, my soul, my heart are all stone. Tears, pain and sorrow all dwell in me, inside one body. I'm numb, I'm brusied I'm a broken part. Fifteen years ago, I lost every reason to live. Fifteen years ago the bone crushing hands of the universe fell on my two shoulder. I lost everything!!! Dove...Dove Rivera, I was once a happy, child with my baby brother Kevin by my side. I knew all the happiness in the world. My dad, a prominent and honest politician and my mom a renowned lawyer. A family of four living the best life. But..it all came to a standstill in just one night...one cool night. "Dove!!!" Mom screamed. "Dove wake up" "My dear, the house is on fire" "Run!!!" Mom screamed tearily. Those were the only words , I remembered and she was the only and last person I saw that night. I managed to escape but they didn't. Even as a child...I knew that it was no ordinary fire, it was an attack. And all my nights, days, minutes, hours all I think of is revenge. It whisper in my head every minute "Revenge! Revenge!! Revenge!!!"

Is it possible for a cage to offer freedom? A deeply conservative father, a mother resigned to the status quo, and the ghost of a twisted abuse have beat Kriti Tripathi into a numb kind of acceptance. The kind of acceptance that allows her to block out the uncomfortable realities that come with forming meaningful bonds with the people around her. When her mother shoves her into an arranged marriage to a stranger, Kriti is forced to confront secrets that have painted her past black and surrendered her future to the demands of her possessor. But Kriti’s quietly mysterious husband has been whispering things as she struggles to adjust to her new life. Things that make her think she might not be as trapped as she feels, and Kriti begins to suspect that this marriage might mean more than she expected. Kriti isn’t the only one who has been keeping secrets. Even her perfectly responsible, too mature husband has something to hide. Secrets have a way of revealing themselves, though. When the demons of her past show up on her doorstep, the secrets they‘ve been keeping threaten to destroy Kriti and her marriage; unless Kriti can reform herself into her own brand of a savior.

Fairytales don't exist; there is no such thing as happy endings, not for Thomas Evergreen. He witnessed too much death at a young age for that. How could he dream of sunshine and rainbows when all he saw was the blood of innocents tainting the world around him? Thomas lived through nightmares most couldn't begin to imagine. The memories of his past always followed him wherever he went, and if he managed to push them from his mind, the scars on his body made him remember just how cruel the fates truly were. No, for Thomas, he was a dead man walking, numb to the outside world. His only mission now was to keep his wolf in check and prevent anyone from meeting their untimely demise by pissing him off. He had gained a small piece of control in his life; he had finally found a sliver of calm amongst all the chaos. But all of that is about to change. Fate was coming once more, and this time she brought betrayals, lies, and one stubborn she-wolf that would push him past his breaking point. Will Thomas survive the new trials thrown his way? Or would he crash burn, taking everyone he ever cared about with him?

I get picked up by the cops in the middle of the night for street vending. While questioning me, they pull up my file. One officer eyes me suspiciously through my mask and asks, "What's a Clairefield University graduate like you doing selling stuff on the street at midnight?" I freeze and lean over to look at the file. The ID number matches mine, but the photo has been replaced with one of Madison Bass. That's when it hits me—20 years ago, I was the one who got accepted to Clairefield University! Dazed and numb, I stumble home only to hear my husband, Joseph Gunther, speaking on the phone. "Madison, don't worry. I won't let Lucy interfere with your life. Just go abroad in peace." It's him! Joseph helped Madison steal my identity and my future. My stomach twists. I turn to confront him, to expose the truth. But before I can, he strangles me to death with a belt. "I'm sorry, Lucy. You can't ruin Madison's future…" When I open my eyes again, I'm back in the classroom. Our homeroom teacher is handing out university application forms. This time, I'm taking my life back.

~~~ "How many punishments do you have pending, Lucienne?” Immediately the word punishment left his ears, I turned hot, my tongue went numb, my throat became dry, my hands trembled and very became sweaty. "Answer me!" He demanded and I flinched, my gaze now directed to the ground. "S-seventeen," I stammered, my tears and liquid from the different things hurdled at me mixing and landing on the soil. "So this makes it eighteen?” he asked and I forced myself to nod. He dished out some orders to the pack members before turning to me. "Then let's get this started. Your kneels must not leave the ground till we get to our destination. And no, it's not part of your eighteen punishments. Let's go!" ~~~~ Haunted by a past filled with pain and betrayal, Lucienne bears the scars of a life marred by tragedy. Tangled in the clutches of a possessive mate, who constantly makes sure happiness is far from her, she battles not only the physical wounds but the emotional turmoil from years ago. As she tries to escape this painful life, will Lucienne find the strength to embrace love and happiness, or will the echoes of her history shatter the remnants of the once-happy girl she used to be and make her a lone wolf for life?

Alexander seeks a divorce with Vanessa after his Father's death and a day to his installation as the Alpha of the Blackmoon pack. He had longed to break up with her, because he didn't know why his father forced him into marrying her. Vanessa had never shifted to her wolf form which was the one secret known only by those she trusted and that is her husband, sister and bring. But in a twinkle of eyes, the three turned against her using her little secret to betray her Aura. Unable to perform the task aligned by Alpha Alexander, she was highly embarrassed in the presence of all pack members watching her sister and bestfriend get married to her once husband. Stripped of her royalty, she was forced to sign the divorce paper then banished from the pack never to return. Attacked by rogues as she departed the pack, she was saved by an Alpha from another pack who tried knowing her past but then Vanessa wasn't ready to uncover her secret because she was betrayed once. Just as she thought things were going smoothly Nanisa, the fated mate to Alpha Gerald came back to have him with a clear war to get him all to himself revealing the secret Vanessa had long hid from him. Will he ever want to continue with her? Finding out he knows her secret Vanessa runs away from the pack falling into the deep secret about her life which she longed to know and now she is faced with three Alphas each having a thing with her past will she ever seek for revenge or will she let love rule with her three Alphas.

When Isabella De Rivera runs away from home to escape an arranged marriage to a powerful Filipino-Italian tycoon, she ends up in the arms of a mysterious stranger she meets at a club. He brings her to a hidden place he calls the Red Room, a space filled with sexual equipment chains, whips, sling chairs, and desires she doesn’t yet understand. Drawn to him despite her fear, Isabella gives herself completely to the man who makes her feel seen for the first time. But the next morning, everything changes. Her father’s men find her and drag her home. The wedding will happen whether she wants it or not. Broken and numb, Isabella walks down the aisle in silence… only to freeze when she sees the groom’s face. It’s him—the stranger from the club. The man who took her breath, her trust, and her innocence. Bound by a vow to the man who claimed her body and bought her life, Isabella enters a war zone. Her husband, Sergio "Serg" Medici, harbors a ruthless history he can't bury, including a former wife determined to win him back and a young daughter who doesn’t know Isabella exists.