The Secrets We Left Behind Novels & Stories

Three years into my arranged marriage with the Valachi family heir, the one that got away came back. He left me for Julia eight times. The ninth time, he left me bleeding on the side of the road with a gunshot wound to go running to Julia, who’d called him because she felt a little dizzy. "She needs me. You get that, right, Leona?" This time, I didn't fight for him. He didn't know about the bet I’d made with Julia. The ninth time he abandoned me, I would be the one to leave for good. So on his birthday, I left a set of signed divorce papers on his desk and got on a plane.

Luna Chavez, an orphan maid who turns into a billionaire heiress, must confront the secrets of her past and present. As she navigates her way through luxury and love, she finds herself caught between two brothers: George, a cruel billionaire with a charm and Luke, the passionate and true-hearted brother who awakens her heart. One of them she seeks revenge on, while her heart longs for the other who has secrets of his own. With lies, deceit and hidden agendas threatening to destroy her, Luna must uncover the truth about her inheritance, her family, and herself. Will love be the key to her self-discovery or will old secrets tear everything apart?

I loved Spencer. Even though I knew he only saw Fiona when he looked at me. I clung to the wedding dress he picked out himself, holding onto the dream of a future that felt so close. But on our wedding day, she came back. In front of everyone, he has my dress ripped apart—for her. Now, he knelt before my grave, begging for forgiveness. But all I could think was, even here, he was ruining my peace.

Being the only daughter of the Calhoun family, a mafia family in Merovia, I am doted on like a princess. This changes when I turn 18, when Mom dies. On the way back from a family meeting, the car blows up, and Mom shields me beneath her. Even as she lies in a pool of blood, her gaze is tender as she says to me, "Don't blame yourself, sweetheart. I love you." Still, after Mom's death, everyone in the family starts blaming me for what happened, including Dad and my older brother, William Calhoun. I go from being the princess of the family to the jinx that everyone hates. Soon after that, Dad brings home a new adopted daughter, Juliet Calhoun. William favors her and detests me. Even my childhood sweetheart, Shawn Kramer, takes a liking to her and ignores me. Dad says his new adopted daughter is way better than his biological one. They all agree to attend my college graduation ceremony. But on the day, they end up taking Juliet onto our family's yacht and holding a cocktail party out on the water to celebrate the official addition of a new family heir. This is the 100th time they ditch me for her. Unable to stop myself from an emotional breakdown, I cry out, "I'm the one who's related to you by blood!" Dad shields Juliet, who backs away from me out of fear. Then, he slaps me on the face. "I wish I'd never had you." "Who wants to have a younger sister like you? I wish you'd died with Mom!" William roars in contempt. This time, I've decided to let it all go. I call Aunt Marissa, Mom's sister. She's the founder and a therapist at MindCare Treatment Center. "Come here. This is your home now." I know that Mom's death was a conspiracy. This isn't just me leaving, but withdrawing myself from the family entirely. I hope that the next time I meet the Calhouns, there won't be tears on my end. Instead, judgment will befall them.

The day my husband left the country on a business trip with his assistant, I learned—by sheer accident—that his archenemy was plotting revenge overseas. Without a second thought, I raced to the airport and stopped him from boarding the plane. But his assistant went ahead, alone. And over there, she was killed brutally. Not a trace of her remains was ever found. When my husband received the news, he fell apart. Wracked with guilt, eaten alive by remorse, he spiraled into a relentless, violent mania. In the past three years, I'd been in and out of hospitals more times than I could count because of him. And this time, he pushed me so far—I lost our child. Then I overheard a conversation between him and his secretary. "Sir, Casey is still alive. Why keep pretending you're sick? Aren't you afraid your wife will find out and leave you?" "Leave me? What right does she have to be angry?" He laughed coldly. "If she hadn't stopped me from going abroad, Casey would've never been lured away by that bastard. Everything Linda's suffering now—she brought it on herself."

When I follow my boyfriend back to his hometown, I accidentally discover the wounds and scars all over his sister's body. Then, an old lady in the village tells me to flee as quickly as I can. This makes me shudder. Before I can process what's happening, I run into my long-lost best friend at my boyfriend's uncle's house. The way my boyfriend looks at me becomes increasingly creepy…

It's Family Day at my daughter, Hannah Neel's, preschool, but my wife, Samantha Miller, says she has to work and tells both Hannah and me not to go. Seeing the disappointment on Hannah's face breaks my heart, so I bring her to school anyway. As soon as we step through the gates, I see Samantha. She's holding her childhood friend—Oscar Barnett's—hand, with a little boy clutching her other. The three of them look like a perfect family, laughing and chatting, as if they belong together. When Samantha sees us, her smile fades, and she lets go of Oscar's hand. "Zach, it's not what you think. Oscar's raising his son alone. Today's his fifth birthday, and he just wanted to give him a little taste of a mother's love," she says quickly. I study her for a moment, then kneel and gently take Hannah's hand in mine. "Sweetheart, say hello to the lady."

“Be my woman and warm my bed,” he said, with a smirk. "And you must follow the terms." The terms: no pregnancy, always remind him to use protection, constant permission for even the simplest things—even visits to her sick mom—and never denying him intimacy. Sophie Thompson should have walked away. She should have told him where to shove his suffocating terms. But when her mother’s life hangs in the balance, Sophie signs away her freedom to the masked billionaire whose kiss feels like sin and whose touch makes her tremble. She thought it would be just a deal. She thought she could survive his world of wealth and power. She was wrong. Because Julian has secrets buried in darkness, an ex-fiancée who wants him back, and a past that could destroy them both. And when Sophie breaks the one rule she never meant to—falling for him—she’ll learn the deadly truth that hides behind the billionaire’s mask. #1

Anna has a secret, one that could ruin the relationship she has with everyone, even her own family. She is in a relationship with Alejandro, her older sister's husband, one of the top billionaires in the world Two nights before Anna arrived in New York City, she had a one-night stand with a mysterious man who she later found out was her sister's husband Alejandro.

Sarah is a struggling journalist who prefers gritty stories over the superficial glitz of the wealthy elite. But when she's assigned to interview notorious billionaire playboy Daniel Blackwood, she knows it's a challenge she can't pass up. Sarah knows this is her chance to make a name for herself, but she never imagined the interview would take such a shocking turn. In exchange for access to information about his business dealings and wealth, which would ultimately boost her career, he wants her to be his wife. Sarah is caught off guard, struggling to weigh the benefits against the risks. She is torn between her career aspirations and the unconventional proposal. Can she take the risk and agree to a marriage of convenience with a man she barely knows? Or will she let go of the opportunity and work her way up the ladder on her own terms? The stakes are high, and Sarah's decision will change the course of her life forever.