The Secret Katherine Applegate Novels & Stories

"I don't love you. This is just a contract." That was what Damien Vane told her on their wedding day. Violet agreed to become his wife to save her father and pay off their debts. She expected a cold marriage, a lonely life, and a heartless husband. What she didn't expect was the way he looks at her. The way he gets jealous. The way he claims her as his own. "You are mine, Violet. Even if this marriage is fake, you are still mine." But behind his cold eyes lies a dark secret. Damien Vane rules the underworld. He has enemies who want him dead. And now, they know that his weakness is his wife. When bullets flew and lives were threatened, Damien showed his true self. He was willing to kneel down in the dirt, willing to get beaten, just to save her and her sister. "I would rather die a thousand deaths than live one day without you." Can their love survive the bloodshed? Can a contract marriage turn into a forever love? Or will the dangers and the people who want to tear them apart succeed?

What happens when a hook-up gets complicated by a baby? Can she hide the secret from him? Or will he show her how possessive he can be when he learns she's carrying his child? ----------- "Seven years ago, I had a one-night stand with my brother's best friend, who also happened to be my lifelong crush. The next day, he vanished leaving me pregnant. Now, I am a single mom raising our son in the same small town. Recently, he returned to attend my brother's wedding and the truth about our son was finally revealed. As he reclaims his place in our lives, the sparks between us reignite. However, danger from his past threatens to shatter our newfound connection. I am torn between my love for him and my fear of getting hurt again, especially now that I have two hearts to protect - our son's and my own."

Theme: billionaire romance, contemporary romance, drama, revenge, second chance She married him to save her life. He married her to ruin hers. Aria Monroe never dreamed of marrying a billionaire — especially not Damian Voss, the cold-hearted tycoon with a reputation as dark as his past. But when a medical crisis with her grandmother threatens Aria’s life – her flower shop. she signs a contract marriage in exchange for the funds to survive and to fulfill her grandmother's wish Damian doesn’t believe in love — only leverage. And Aria? He’s convinced she’s the girl who destroyed his sister’s life months ago. Their marriage is a means to an end: revenge. But the deeper Aria is pulled into his twisted world of wealth, secrets, and scars, the more Damian realizes she might not be the villain after all… She might be the cure to the wounds he swore would never heal. Until a shocking revelation tears their fragile bond apart—and an unexpected twin, half siblings from Aria and Damian's past reappears, threatening everything they thought they knew.

Benjamin Dylon, a mysterious billionaire abandoned at the altar Antonela Bianchi whose name she only knows. Suffering the greatest love humiliation, she goes to a bar, meets a handsome man, and gives herself completely to him. When she wakes up the next day in a hotel bed, she realizes that she has committed madness. A few days later, Antonela discovers that she is pregnant and to make matters worse, she finally meets Benjamin, discovering that the man who abandoned her at the altar is the same man she met in the bar. Pregnant and alone, rejected by her own family, Antonela has no choice but to leave so that she can have that child in peace. Three years later, when her mother suddenly passes away, Antonela is forced to return to the city and meet Benjamin again. He is now her sister’s fiancé, and Antonela must hide the fact that he is the father of her child.

A self-made real estate mogul discovers he must take in his late best friend's rebellious younger brother as a ward to fulfill a promise to him. The ward is now a hot-headed 25 year old who hates authority and challenges the billionaire at every turn. Forced proximity in a luxurious penthouse leads to explosive tension, forbidden desire, and the billionaire realizing he wants far more than to just be a guardian.

You have a choice," her first mate growled, his eyes cold and calculating. "Either you become my sex tool, or you leave the pack. But you can't take anything with you, not even the clothes on your back." In a world where strength and power are everything, she was an outcast. Her family had died saving a stranger, leaving her alone and despised by all. But the moon goddess had other plans for her, and granted her a mate. He was everything she had ever wanted, but he rejected her, coveting only her beauty. In a fit of rage, she kicked him to the curb and had a one night stand with a stranger. But her mate still had his eyes on her, and her life became a living hell. Bullied, enslaved, and isolated, she longed for a way out. And then, the Lycan King arrived, claiming her as his mate and bringing an end to her suffering. But secrets and dangers lurked in his kingdom, and she knew she couldn't stay. Faced with an impossible choice, she fled with her unborn babies, determined to raise them in secrecy. But why would she run? What was the truth behind her parents' death? And would the Lycan King recognize her and her babies when she returned completely different? As the Lycan King's secrets begin to unravel, she realizes that there is more at stake than just her own survival. Will she find the strength to confront her past and claim her place as the Lycan Queen, or will she be forever haunted by the ghosts of her past? Only time will tell in this gripping tale of love, betrayal, and the power of redemption.

Tessa Sterling's life was never Meant to be this complicated. Once the daughter of privilege, she now works double shifts to keep her little sister in school after her stepmother seized control of her late mother's inheritance. When her sister begged her to pick her up from a celebrity concert, Tessa expects nothing but chaos. Instead, she runs into Kingsley Voss–international superstar, billionaire CEO, a global icon and every woman's fantasy. But Kingsley is not what the camera show. Behind his fame hides a secret that could destroy his career–a daughter, whose existence no one must ever know. When fate throws Tessa into his world again, this time as a potential nanny, sparks fly and tempers flare, she loathes his arrogance, his charm, his shameless flirting–but she can't resist the bond she forms with his daughter. Kingsley is torn between protecting his secret and protecting the woman who's turning his world upside down. But the closer Tessa gets to his daughter...the closer she gets to uncovering the secret he's sworn to hide. And when love collides with lies, someone's heart will have to pay the price. Behind every secrets lies a forbidden truth– and behind every man like Kingsley Voss, a woman strong enough to bring him to his knees.

Lyra is a struggling junior architect at Vane Enterprises, hiding her 4-year-old son, Leo. Leo is the result of a blind surrogacy contract Lyra completed five years prior. Crucially, Lyra knows she was misled: the "anonymous donor" egg was actually fertilized by the Vane family's unique genetics. An emergency forces Lyra to bring Leo to the Vane headquarters. In the elevator, Julian Vane—the ruthless CEO—sees the boy. The resemblance is undeniable; Leo has the iconic Vane "silver eyes." Julian is obsessed with finding out why a low-level employee has a child that looks like a Vane clone. He suspects his rival brother is involved. Lyra maintains Leo is her adopted nephew, but Julian orders a DNA test. It proves his paternity. Julian confronts Lyra, believing she stole his genetic material to blackmail him. Lyra produces the initial surrogacy contract, revealing she was the one defrauded by a middleman she never met. Julian’s grandmother, the fearsome matriarch of the family, is failing. The Vane dynasty requires a legitimate heir to solidify their control of the company against a hostile takeover. If Julian reveals Leo exists outside of marriage, the family scandal will destroy them, and Lyra will lose her son in the ensuing chaos. Julian leverages his power. He demands Lyra marry him in a loveless contract arrangement for one year. This legitimizes Leo as the heir, appeases the dying matriarch, and guarantees Julian controls the Vane assets. Lyra is forced to agree to the #ContractMarriage and #ForcedProximity to keep physical custody of her child. ​Falling Action: Now living under Julian’s roof as his wife, Lyra must navigate the cold environment. The primary conflict shifts from the secret baby to the rising sexual tension. Julian is surprised by Lyra's resilience and her refusal to be intimidated by his wealth.

Being Alpha Ace Cassilas' mate was hell for Victoria. As if it weren't enough to keep Victoria as his prisoner and slave, Alpha Ace also betrays Victoria. The night Ace announces his engagement to another girl, Victoria runs away with Ace's twins in her womb. Jared Waltz, the Alpha of the South River Pack, rescued Victoria. He treated her so well that he made her his girlfriend. Victoria thought her hell was over. Until another fact is revealed: she is the descendant of Alpha King Salvatore, the cursed Alpha, and her twins are the target of hunters.

In the glitzy world of Manhattan's elite, wedding planner Victoria Harper is about to orchestrate the grandest event of her career – the marriage of billionaire playboy Alexander Sterling. Little does she know that behind the charm and opulence lies a web of secrets. As they dance between society's expectations and hidden desires, the paparazzi's flash exposes not only their carefully guarded love but a betrayal that shakes the foundations of trust.