The Secret Beneath Her Name Novels & Stories

Do this with some control, with an understanding of the needs of the sub, and youd have a sub for life? The door opened, and she came in, now in a plain cotton gown that left her shoulders bare and ran down to the middle of her calves. Perfect innocence with a shy, but sexy appeal. Even the eyelet lace on the top concealed more than it revealed, but the effect was spectacular. Her hair was down, but her mask kept it pinned to her head.

But even after her stomach was empty, the crushing weight in her chest didn't lift. She returned to the bedroom with weak legs, dragging her body like a living corpse. She stared at the laptop once more. The "The X Baby" folder. She understood the name now. 'X' for a forbidden affair, a secret neatly tucked away behind a sacred wedding photo. Niana didn't wail. Her tears fell in a haunting silence. She sat on the edge of the bed, staring blankly out the window where the sun was still shining brightly, utterly indifferent to the fact that a woman’s world had just ended inside.

Because she believed part of it. The girl behind the glass remembered. Maybe not everything. Maybe not clearly. But enough. Enough to make them keep her drugged in a hidden basement under a false name. Elena stepped closer to Sophia until only a foot remained between them. “What’s her real name?” Sophia smiled again. Smaller this time. Crueler. “You really don’t know, do you?” Elena’s expression didn’t change. Sophia leaned in just enough to make the next words feel intimate.

The little details she shared made me wonder if there was a deeper reason for her secrecy. The kiss we shared was warm, beautiful, passionate. But even when we pulled away, the enigma remained. It was both intriguing and depressing at the same time. Maybe she was hiding a scar? The thought saddened me; everyone had their own burdens, their own stories. The announcement for the crowning ceremony pulled us closer to the stage. The crowd cheered for the winners, who were of course Nina and Enzo. They had been the winners last year, too. Nina’s father rigged the system to make her win, despite her protests. I thought it was hilarious, though, and so did Enzo. Besides, they were graduating this y

She’s waited too long already. She closes her eyes and sees the map. The one Arwan swears exists, the one his father Marco used when planning secret passages and emergency tunnels—if it’s real, it would be hidden. Buried beneath years of secrets and dust. And if it’s here, in NorthHill, then she has no choice. No choice but to betray the man she is mated to. *”*”

Bright long strawberry hair, adorable big blue eyes, slightly bushy eyebrows, long lashes, and pouty lips. It's the picture she took secretly of the girl she met at pointe des arts months ago. The girl who called her goldie because she's a blondie. It never occurred to her to watch the pictures but as she sat on the bed after she had been stitched back yesterday, glancing through her gallery was the only thing that seemed to make sense. The only thing that didn't make sense was when she stared at Berry's picture. The more she stared at it, the more she saw a bit of her mom, her dad, brother, and herself in her.

In fact, it had only made him find everything more and more a matter of course. Another message popped up, still from Harrison. [Don't forget to have the hotel prepare welcome bouquets. Mandy likes white roses, not lilies.] The sentence was short, yet felt like a needle, piercing through my last illusion. I wiped my eyes and put away all my vulnerability. From now on, I only had one identity—capo of Narshe's Olsen mafia family. I dialed the hotel manager's phone once more. "Don't reinstate any of the services canceled just now.

The Hidden File That night, Anna moved carefully. Sam slept deeply beside her. Too deeply. She waited another hour. Then she slipped from bed and moved to his study. The passcode panel glowed faintly. She had watched him enter it dozens of times. Memory is power. Her fingers hovered. Then pressed. Access granted. Inside the main desk drawer, beneath organized contracts, she found it. A sealed envelope. Her name written across it. Not “Anna Carter.” Her birth name. The one only the private investigator had uncovered.

My pulse raced, a mix of fear and arousal churning inside me. What if I can't get back? But hell, if this is temporary, might as well enjoy the ride. Her ass swayed ahead of me, the fabric of her skirt hugging her curves, and I couldn't tear my eyes away. We entered a hidden room behind a false panel—her secret chamber, she called it. It was dimly lit, with a massive four-poster bed draped in red silk, chains dangling from the posts, and a table laden with bottles of oil and strange implements that looked both innocent and sinful.

As soon as her son’s excited chatter faded into background noise, old worries crashed in—Ava, still unconscious in that hospital bed; Marcus falling apart; and the woman tangled up at the center of it all, living with the ugliest secret Selena had ever uncovered. Elara Quinn. Up until now, just a name buried deep in restricted files. Keller nudged her on the way to the rental car. “You alright? What do you think?” “I know coming was right, but honestly, it feels like there are stacks of secrets waiting to explode,” Selena said, tired. “If it made sense, we wouldn’t realize how deep it goes.” Keller gave her a look—part concern, part exhaustion. He got it. Selena always let her fears simmer,