The Memory Box Kathryn Hughes Novels & Stories

“I know you want me in jail, but I want you in my bed.” Every man and woman Ángel meets disappears. Their severed finger arrives first, like a pretty little Christmas gift, wrapped in silk and presented in box filled with silent promises from his stalker. Castle, Mafia heir. Executioner. Obsessed beyond reason. He doesn’t send threats. He sends bodies. Because no one touches what belongs to him. No one tastes what he’s claimed. And if they try? They bleed for it. At sixteen, Ángel Di Cristina lost everything. His father—an FBI agent—was closing in on the Mafia when a brutal massacre left his parents dead. But that night, one masked man went rogue. He killed his own allies, marked Ángel with a scar, and disappeared. For years, Ángel hunted him. And now, he’s closer than ever. But Castle doesn’t play by rules. He never had. What he wanted, he got. He bends Ángel, fills his whole life with the thought of him. He whispers filthy things against his throat while pressing a knife to his pulse. Run? Hide? Fight? Useless. Because Castillo doesn’t just want to own Ángel. He wants to ruin him. And the worst part? Ángel is ready to let him.

Three years into my marriage with Dominick, Gia, his stepsister, sent me a video clip out of nowhere. I tapped on the video, only to find Dominick tying his stepsister to the bedpost with the tie I had given him. His stepsister lay naked under him, addressing him intimately. After getting their freak on, they shared an embrace, and Gia cozied up against Dominick and uttered, “I don’t like the ring you bought me. Give it to Luna, and tell her it’s a birthday gift from me.” The next day, I sat in an upscale restaurant and stared at the vacant seat across the table. Suddenly, the Underboss wheeled a massive cake toward me. “Don Costa was called away on urgent business. He sent me to deliver your birthday gift.” The box contained his stepsister’s discarded reject. My phone buzzed with new pictures from Gia. Dominick was at the hospital with Gia for a check-up. Without a fuss, I signed the divorce papers and made preparations for a wedding. “Donna Costa, whose names should I put down as the bride and groom?” “Dominick and Gia.” A week from now, I would show the world the kind of filth the supposed solemn Don had been rolling in with his stepsister.

Sharon Smith could not believe that the man who took her last night was the one looking so formidable this morning. She was stricken with shame. She had been convinced last night that he felt the same as she but she had been sadly mistaken. It must have meant nothing to him but a release of sexual tension. She flinched at the memory of his lovemaking, bit her lip and tasted the saltiness of her own blood. Damn this arrogant fool to hell!

Adrianna knew her first heartbreak at the age of eight- when Ash, her only friend moved away. Adrianna thought he was just a memory until her sister persuades her to go out to a club with her. He was once a sarcastic, stubborn, smart mouth boy. Now he's a killer, who is fresh out of jail, and involved in a gang. He was far from the boy she once knew, but now he's coming home to play.

Giselle Piper is breathtaking—sexy, alluring, and born a rare breeder. Males from every pack crave her. She-wolves hate her. Jealousy follows her like a shadow. After a brutal attack, she wakes up with no memory… and in the arms of Alpha Jake, a powerful heir who needs a fake mate. He calls her Alona. But when sparks ignite and secrets unravel, can a fake bond turn into something real—or will her hidden past ruin everything?

Katherine Smith thought she'd left her past behind. But when she returns home with her twin children, she's face-to-face with Dacre Silver - the man who broke her heart. He's still ruthless and manipulative, but now he's determined to claim what he thinks is his. As they clash, secrets come to light, and Katherine must confront the lies that tore them apart. Will she forgive Dacre's past mistakes, or will their love remain just a memory?

The women in these stories do not apologize for their desires. They are not timid, and they are never the underdog. Fearless, intoxicating, and fully in control, they know exactly what they want and are unafraid to take it. From the sex worker chasing freedom, to the betrayed housewife rediscovering herself, to the dominatrix who thrives on power, and the daughter drawn toward dangerous temptation, these stories explore obsession, taboo, betrayal, and seduction. These women are addictive. Alluring. Impossible to resist. But be careful. Once they’ve taken what they came for, they may leave nothing behind but the memory of them.

Benton Danialson Was working on a top-secret project for his company. That’s when the laser grid went off. At the bottom of the mountain where the base of his company was located there was a female. He instantly thought that it was going to be some kind of spy situation. However in all actuality she had no memory of anything suffering from amnesia and she didn’t even know her own name. He was quite surprised at the very end when he found himself changing just to please her.

After five years of simping over Hayden Reid, a car accident wiped Lena Dawson's memory clean. To humiliate her, Hayden handed her a photo of his uncle and said, "That's your boyfriend. Go after him." Then, she pursued Hunter Reid, the elite who became wheelchair-bound because of her. Everyone expected him to ruin her, but instead, Lena became Mrs. Reid, radiant and untouchable. Hayden regretted it and wanted her back, but she had already moved on...

When Alexander Smith stands in front of me and says he's going to marry someone else, that's when I realize he's been reborn too. I remember our 20 years of love in our past life. A plane crash. And then, rebirth. "This is to save Sophia," he says. "In our past life, she was sold to a Vostmark oligarch after her father's political scandal. Not long after, she took her own life due to abuse. I can't let that tragedy happen again, so I need to get engaged to her." As he speaks, he hands me an orange prescription bottle. "If you take this, you'll forget me for a little while. You won't feel the pain. It's just seven days. Once her father's scandal blows over, you'll stop the medication and your memory will return. Then I'll end the engagement and officially propose to you." I stare at the bottle, knowing it's a lie. Not the part about Sophia's suicide. The lie is about the drug. He thinks it only causes temporary memory loss. But I know better. The suppressant causes permanent damage to emotional memory. The seven-day countdown isn't the time it takes for my memories to return. It's the time it takes for my love for him to die.