The Kindest Lie Novels & Stories

To save Hugh, I took the hit—literally. The kidnappers beat me so bad I ended up with a brain hemorrhage. My mind? Stuck at thirteen. Hugh, all guilt and promises, said, "Wenna, I'll protect you forever." And he did. He watched over me. When the house caught fire, he threw himself over me, took the burns, didn't flinch. Then came his oh-so-perfect foster sister. "Mia's not into... slow people. Maybe you should live next door," he said. And my son? The one I nearly died bringing into the world? "Stupid woman! You embarrass me and Dad. You're nothing like Aunt Mia—she's smart and pretty. If it weren't for you, she could've been my mom. You should just die!" To play hero for Mia, my son shoved me into the street. A truck did the rest. When I opened my eyes, I was back on the day Hugh proposed. This time? I wasn't here for his pity. And I sure as hell wasn't marrying him.

"If you offend Alpha Carlen, Luna Irene might plead for you. But if you cross Luna Irene, there won't even be a scrap of you left." That's a widely circulated saying in the werewolf upper circles. I'm Irene Chandler. Because of one game, I've decided to dissolve the mate bond with Carlen Alvarado. During the game, he says drunkenly, "I love resting my head on the belly of an expecting she-wolf and listening to the pup's heartbeat." The room falls silent. Every werewolf turns to look at me. There's no surprise in their eyes. What I see is their pity for me, the rightful Luna, and a flicker of panic that their secret has been exposed. At that moment, I understood everything. They all know Carlen has a pup with another woman. They've been helping him hide it from me. That's because they know I'm Carlen's everything. I'll leave him if I ever find out. And if I leave, he'll lose his mind. I have to admit that they know me well. After learning the truth, I plan to do three things. First, I toss the wedding ring Carlen designed for me into the furnace. Second, I save the video of Lily Chalvez flaunting her pregnancy to provoke me onto a flash drive. Third, I submit documents to the Pack Affairs Department, applying to become a researcher on the isolated Icebound Island. The day I leave the pack happens to be our seventh wedding anniversary. I'll vanish from his life like a wisp of smoke.

After spending six months overseas expanding business, I had just closed a deal worth ten billion. Casually scrolling through the news, a headline made me stop dead in my tracks. [Shocking! Illegitimate Daughter Provokes Meyer Family Heiress, Teacher and Classmates Punish Her!] In the video, my daughter Maeve stood in the freezing snow wearing nothing but a tattered dress, her body covered in bruises. She was being forced to endure the cold, her little frame shivering uncontrollably. A female teacher poked at Maeve's head, ordering the entire class to call her a shameless illegitimate child. Maeve sobbed, insisting she wasn't, but all she got in return was crueler, more mocking laughter from everyone around her. Then a chubby little boy ran up and slapped her across the face. "Your mom's a mistress, and you're a filthy illegitimate child! You're both just gutter rats!" The teacher didn't stop him—she clapped her hands in approval. "That's right! The Meyer family heir isn't something just any nobody gets to pretend to be." "Besides, Mrs. Meyer picks up Clarisse every single day. Look at her—so elegant, clearly classy. And your homewrecker of a mother? Pathetic. She's not even in the same league." When I heard that last line, I slammed my laptop shut, shaking with rage. I turned to my assistant. "Book me the fastest private jet home. I want to see for myself exactly when Aaron, that worthless husband of mine, managed to father an illegitimate child."

Valerie My own image haunts me Two billionaires deceived me and broke my heart just because of my face. Now the woman who stole their hearts smiles blissfully as I'm forced to plan her wedding. Drew threatens to ruin me if I break my silence. Aiden's volatile nature scares me. But I am worth more than a borrowed life. My once hopeful heart now burns with an icy flame. I will reduce their empire to embers. Their lies will have ruinous consequences. I am Valerie. When Valerie's heart is shattered by two men and she is forced to plan a wedding for one of them she swears revenge to ruin them for life. But will Valerie escape the trap these two billionaires that have caught her in? Or will exposing their lies ruin her too?

My Vampire fiancé, Vincent, was the powerful prince of New York's most influential coven. He had lived for centuries and was notoriously ruthless, yet he bestowed upon me, and only me, every honor imaginable. But one month before our Union Ceremony, he suddenly insisted on postponing it. The reason was his childhood friend, Camilla, was dying from a rare condition known as Bloodline Degeneration. To repay a life debt from long ago, he wanted to hold a mock wedding with her to fulfill her last wish to wear a wedding gown. I refused outright. It was a flagrant violation of coven dignity. But he pressured me relentlessly, using a supposed ancient code of honor as emotional blackmail. Then, two weeks before the ceremony, I received an anonymous email containing an advanced blood analysis report. Only then did I learn that he hadn't just been preparing a wedding; he had already secretly formed a Mutual Blood Bond with her, a pact that would bind their lives together for eternity. In that moment, I finally understood. My two centuries of devotion to him had been nothing more than a joke. And so, I called off our union and set fire to everything he had ever given me. On the day of the ceremony, I traveled to Europe's Supreme Institute for Vampiric Research in Italy and took charge of the Institute's most secret and critical project. From that day forward, I would have nothing more to do with the noble prince. We were finished.

As the price of gold soars, my late mother, Eleanor Hutchinson, appears to me in my dream. She tells me she has left a gold bangle on my nightstand. If I wear them, they'll bring me wealth and bless the child I'm carrying. But after I find the bangle, I give it to the rabid dog the neighbors keep locked up. In my previous life, my younger sister, Irene Owens, and I marry two brothers and become pregnant at the same time. During a prenatal checkup, the doctor says Irene's baby appears to have severe birth defects and recommends terminating the pregnancy. She doesn't take it seriously at all. That very day, Mom comes to me in my dream, and I find the gold bangle on my bedside table. After I tell Irene about it, she slips the bangle onto my wrists. She says, "You always say Mom favors me. But after she dies, you're the first person she thinks of and approaches. Just wear them." I do exactly as she says and never take the bangle off. But on the day we give birth, Irene delivers a healthy baby boy with rosy cheeks and a loud, vigorous cry. My baby, however, is born with two sets of reproductive organs. The child isn't breathing the moment it's delivered. Before this, every prenatal exam has shown that my baby is healthy. I realize Irene and the bangle must have something to do with it. The sight of my horribly deformed baby drives me insane. In a fit of rage, I dig up Mom's grave and confront Irene. "Why does Mom keep paving the way for you even after she's dead?" She has me committed to a psychiatric hospital. I waste away in despair until I die. When I open my eyes again, I'm back on the day Mom first appears in my dream.

BLURB ‘’Wanna see dominance?’’ I taunted, giving into the provocation. I gripped his chin and pulled his face to me, close enough for his ocean blue eyes to stay locked to my amber eyes. Then I shamelessly breathed out. ‘’Fuck me.’’ ——— Anastasia Reed is the undisputed, ice-cold head of Reed & Associates. But only by day. By night, She is ‘Lyra’ a wild, uninhibited sensation of Monaco’s most exclusive clubs who answers to no one. But when a masked stranger in a darkened booth dares to challenge her dominance, Anastasia does what she does best—she wins. She commands him to take her, losing herself in the most consuming night of her life, before fleeing into the sunrise. To her, it was barely a one night stand that needed forgetting. Until Nikolai Stavros barges into her boardroom. Ruthless, powerful, and harboring a dangerous intent, Nikolai gives her an ultimatum: sign a six-month marriage contract, or he destroys her and all that she had worked hard for. His evidence? Security footage of ‘Anastasia’ walking out of his estate with a stolen briefcase. The problem? It wasn’t her. It was her twin sister. Trapped by a crime she didn’t commit and forced into the bed of the man she can’t forget, Anastasia signs the contract to protect her family's secrets. Moreover, she is an expert at surviving arrangements rigged against her. Except…Anastasia isn't prepared for Nikolai’s relentless control, his unexpected patience, or the positive pregnancy test that would change everything.

I made one promise to my mother. No baby without a ring. Then I got drunk, slept with a stranger who left cash on the nightstand like I was nothing, and woke up pregnant with no name, no number and no way to find him. Pregnant. Jobless. And my only option is marrying a man I already hate on sight. Ivan West is everything I cannot stand. Arrogant, cold, and used to getting exactly what he wants. But he needs a wife and I need a husband and somewhere in between desperation and bad decisions we sign a contract that is supposed to fix everything. One year. Shared penthouse. Fake marriage. Real baby that he agrees to claim as his. Simple. Except nobody stays enemies when they are forced to share a bed every night. Nobody keeps their walls up when life keeps finding new ways to tear them down. And nobody, nobody, walks into a contract marriage with a man like Ivan West and comes out the other side feeling nothing. I came into this with one rule. Do not fall for him. I should have read the fine print.

Amara I have always known my parents would sell me off for their political careers but I would never allow that Now, I am engaged to James McKenna, the most eligible bachelor in the country and the feared billionaire just to spite my parents. But he looks at me like I’m the worst mistake he’s made, he thinks I am reckless and impulsive, I think he is insufferable. We can’t stand each other but every news outlet in the country believes we are hopelessly in love! James I built my empire by staying in control. Love had no place in my life and marriage was never the plan, until the past I buried threatened to destroy everything I’ve worked hard for. Now, I am blackmailed to marry the Mayor’s impulsive daughter. Amara Livingston; the well known rebellious daughter. She was meant to be a temporary solution. A pawn in my new game. Instead, she became the only woman capable of bringing me to my knees. But now, I don’t know what to do without her.

For love, I followed Harrison, the underboss of the Moretti family, from halfway across the world. But for five whole years, my permanent residency application had gone nowhere. Several key steps required Harrison's personal involvement, but he always claimed he was too swamped with family business to find the time. Yet Cathy, my so-called stepsister, who was living on our estate, got her residency in just two short weeks. I only found out through the servants' gossip that Harrison had personally stepped in, pressuring a top immigration lawyer to rush it through. With my hopes completely shattered, I told him I wanted to go home. Harrison, a man who was always so proud, panicked. He pulled me into a fierce embrace, kissing my hair. "Aurora, you're my wife. Getting your permanent residency is just a matter of time." "But Cathy is different. She has no family to protect her. Without legal status, she could be deported at any moment." "Just do it for me. Stay. Okay?" Once again, I gave in to his tender words. Until today. I went to the immigration office alone to check on my file. The clerk stared at the screen, her face a mask of confusion. "Ma'am, the system clearly states that Mr. Harrison Moretti's legal spouse is... a Ms. Cathy." "Did you perhaps fill out your form incorrectly?" My world froze. So, the five years of waiting had all been a lie. I wasn't just denied permanent residency; my very marriage was a fraud. I didn't go back to the estate. I went straight to the airport and flew home. Before I boarded, the last message from him read: "Stop throwing a tantrum. Come home." But Harrison, we didn't have a home anymore.