The Smile Has Left

Holly thought she had it all—a decade-long marriage to the love of her life, Michael, a cozy home, and a sense of stability. But when Michael starts pulling away and forming a suspiciously close bond with a charming coworker, Holly feels the familiar pangs of being invisible in her own love story. Determined not to jump to conclusions, she supports Michael through his stress, even as her own insecurities and loneliness deepen. But everything changes during his work trip. Faced with the slow unraveling of her marriage, Holly chooses herself for the first time in years. She throws herself into therapy, fitness, and healing—reconnecting with parts of herself she had long buried. By chance, she meets Finn, a magnetic bartender with a guarded past and a knack for listening. Their late-night conversations turn into something more… something safe, yet electric. Now caught between the ashes of a long-term love and the flicker of something new, Holly must answer the hardest question of all: Can love survive betrayal—or is it time to let go of what once was, to make room for what could be?

Growing up, Sophie's life has been woven from threads of privilege and shame. As the illegitimate daughter of the esteemed Rowling family, she lived in shadows, her identity shaped by the secrets and lies that surround her birth. Despite her family's wealth and status, Sophie's existence felt like a whispered rumor, forcing her to live under the cruel and merciless shadow of her stepsister Mandy, the golden child Mandy was the epitome of everything Sophie could never be: legitimate, adored, and untouched by scandal. While Mandy basked in the spotlight, Sophie was relegated to the shadows, forced to make do with the leftovers – hand-me-down clothes, shoes, and even food. And now, it seemed, she has been reduced to a mere substitute in a marriage arrangement meant for Mandy, a typical hand-me-down marriage. Left to navigate the treacherous landscape of her new family alone, with no genuine support from her husband, Sophie knew she had to stand up for herself and fight for what she believed in.

I was bleeding out in a corner after a hit from a rival family. My husband, Dante—the Torrino family’s underboss—was in his car, holding his best friend's little sister. He gave me one cold look and said, "Leave her. She's a nobody." Later, after someone else saved me, I walked home, soaked in my own blood. I found Dante cradling Seraphina, fussing over her. All she had was a scraped knee. The blood covering my clothes? He didn't even see it. I just watched. Said nothing. Then I pulled out my phone and called my mother. "Mom, I need to come home."

"I think the both of us were destined to meet," he leaned closer, casually trapping me between him and the tree behind me. As intense as this was, I had to pull myself together. Maxine Carlisle doesn't show emotions! "Well I think you're delusional. There is no such thing as destiny," "And yet here we are," he gave me a sly smirk. "We were just unfortunate to be here," I reciprocated the gesture. I wasn't going to show him that he's gotten to me. "I'm starting to like you Maxine," somehow, those words sent butterflies in my stomach. "You don't want to make that mistake Ryan. I'm bad news!" Maxine isn't one to feel sadness, or pity or even compassion for anyone. She doesn't gossip with her friends and she doesn't giggle about boys. When girls her age are out shopping, she's out on the streets doing graffiti on walls... so no, she isn't your typical average teen. Her father may have all the money in the world, but even he can't get her a new attitude. And all the love he showered her with still didn't manage to soften her heart. Tired of her daughter's rebellious attitude, her father takes her to a Summer camp in hopes that her daughter may at least learn to tolerate people if not live with them. 'Nothing good could come out of this' she told herself, 'a total waste of valuable time. But she ended up slightly enjoying life without WiFi... and shocker! Actually making a friend. Miseri Camp changed her life completely... and the pessimist arrogant rebellious girl who hated the world and didn't believe in love.. Well... Read and find out!!!

"Mom, Dad. I've changed my mind. I'm willing to go back to Bimern and marry Mr. Coleman, even if he's in a coma." I keep it a secret from Frederick Kirby, my boyfriend of seven years. I'm going ahead and arranging a wedding with someone else. Lennon Downey, Frederick and I grew up together. I had fallen in love with Frederick when I was a teenager, while Lennon was always like an older brother to me. We are close, and we've always been that way. That is, until the three of us went on a trip and got caught in a flash flood. Florence Cooper, the fake heiress, stole the credit for saving their lives and even lied that I left them behind to save myself. Since then, they've taken her side in everything. They've even hurt me for her. I cried, fought, and tried to explain over and over again. I thought that they would see her for who she really is one day. However, they never did. All I got in return was betrayal, again and again. I'm done. I just want to leave. I want to disappear from their lives and never, ever see them again.

"You know the rules Noah". Drew says, clocking the gun in my face while smirking at me. "If you can't pay me before the deadline. I take away the one good thing you love dearly. But in your case, the two good things you love dearly" I've always had my life planned out for me, race, skip classes, race again. My whole life centered around illegal street racing because I loved it and also had a huge debt left to me by my father that I needed to pay. And Drew, my boss, leader of a notorious gang, Snakes and Ladders, was a man of rules. But I also had my own rules. Never fall in love or hold anything dear because in a snap of a finger Drew could take it all away from me. But that was until a hazel eyes brunette helped me treat my wounds from a racing accident. And a green-eyed little girl a female version of me, appeared on my doorstep claiming to be my daughter. Hi, Author here. You can follow my page on Facebook for updates and fan arts@Chimdi Jane Samuel Reach out on Twitter @janelovescoding and Instagram @chimdi_jane_samuel This book HAS NOT been published anywhere else apart from GoodNovel so if seen elsewhere please report to me or send an email @ janesamuel308@gmail.com

She was heartbroken. He was drunk. One rainy night in Baguio, two strangers with shattered hearts found comfort in each other — and made a mistake that would change their lives forever. Seven years later, Elise Ramos walks into an interview, praying to land a job that could save her and her daughter’s future — only to find herself face-to-face with her new boss: Gabriel Navarro. The cold, powerful CEO… The same man who unknowingly left her pregnant that night. He doesn’t remember her. She remembers everything. But secrets like that? They don’t stay buried forever.

During the pack's wilderness training, my adopted sister, Tessa, shoved me from a cliffside thick with wolfsbane. My Alpha, Fenrir, turned and left with Tessa feigning injury in his arms, leaving me for dead at the bottom of the ravine. I died instantly, but my soul lingered, watching everything with cold detachment. I watched as Tessa's tearful complaints swayed him into blaming me for my own disappearance. "Will Selene ever stop causing me trouble?" "She's weak and always looking for trouble. How could she possibly be fit to be our Luna?" He had no idea I was already dead at the bottom of that cliff choked with wolfsbane. Five whole days. The poison hit my bloodstream like liquid fire, racing through my veins with merciless speed. As my body decayed under the moonlight, my love for him faded with it. The title of Luna, the magnificent coronation I had dreamed of, everything I once cherished was now meaningless. The Selene who loved him was well and truly dead.

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."

My Alpha mate Kieran ordered our eight-year-old son to burn my mother alive because his Omega assistant accused me of killing her pet dog out of spite. Kieran's eyes were filled with impatience and disgust. "You're supposed to be our pack's respected Luna. Why would you target an innocent Omega? Whatever harm her pet suffered, your mother will endure the same. Your mother is paying the price for your jealousy!" I fell to my knees, begging Kieran to spare my mother. But he commanded our seven-year-old son Owen to light the fire himself. My son didn't hesitate for a second as he threw the torch into the pile of wood. "That's what you get for always going against Aunt Sera!" I screamed and cried, desperately begging them to help me put out the flames. "Please, I'm begging you, take my mother to the healing center..." "Enough, Aria. Your mother is still lying in the hospital bed. That's just a training dummy. Stop putting on this pathetic act." After saying that, father and son walked away without looking back. They didn't know that it really was my mother burning in those flames. But when I finally gave up on them and left, why did they both come crawling back, begging me to return?