Therapist Couch

Keeping her safe has become his life's mission. 
 Gage Hendrix is a man without roots. As an MSD Team Leader for the Department of State, he operates in high-threat environments. Serving in dangerous postings around the world, his team provides emergency security support and crisis response. Keeping the US ambassador's daughter safe in Sri Lanka? An unusual assignment for an "action group" used to dealing with evacuations, wars, incursions, and coups. Expecting a spoilt princess, Gage finds a hard-working therapist with a huge heart and sad eyes. 
 Hiding from heartache is no longer an option. 
 Chantal Durant's best friend has gone into hiding with intel that could lead to a nation's upheaval. Enemies have targeted the last person who helped her to escape… Turning a tragic past into a constructive existence, Chantal dedicates herself to helping others. She likes her work, likes her routine, and doesn't like that her safety is now in the hands of a cocky MSD agent. Her undeniable sexual attraction for the ruggedly handsome bodyguard would not only end his career but could get them both killed. 
 As multiple threats close in, Gage is faced with harrowing decisions. Trapped in an unfamiliar landscape, both Gage and Chantal will have to act fast to make it out alive. "If you're looking for the perfect blend of action and steam set against the backdrop of exciting international locales...your first stop should be Louise Dawn." - Janie Crouch.

My twin sister, Ruby Stone, and I split up after our parents' divorce. She stays with Mom, while I went with Dad. Since the divorce, he's sunk into a deep depression, gambling away every penny we have. We move into a dark, damp apartment, and life becomes an endless struggle. Every day, I go to school and quietly work a part-time job to keep us afloat. Then, out of nowhere, Ruby—whom I haven't heard from in forever—sends me a link to a live stream. "Check this out, Aria. There's a surprise waiting for you." I click it, and my jaw drops. I'm the one topping the trending live streams. The screen splits in two. On one side, I sit in my dingy apartment, hunched over homework under the dim light. On the other side, Mom and Dad cuddle with Ruby on the fancy couch of their sprawling villa. The comments came pouring in. "Let's see what happens when twins are raised on opposite sides of fortune all the way to 18." "Aria still doesn't know, right? Her parents never divorced. They're loaded and perfectly happy. Ruby's life has been like a dream too." "Poor Aria. She's always starving and never has anything decent to wear. Isn't that basically abuse?" "She's the more sensible one, so her parents decided to raise her poorly."

On the fourth day of Christmas, my true love sent me, heartbreak on a platter of gold. How thoughtful. Melody Hart once believed December carried its own charm, everything feels beautiful and magical, and she would be having a Christmas wedding, something she’d dreamed of since childhood. But magic turned to ash the moment she walked in on the man she loved, unwrapping someone else like a gift. Determined to start over, she runs to New York City with nothing but a bruised heart and an almost empty bank account . She isn’t searching for miracles anymore. She just wants a job, a bed that’s not a borrowed couch, and one peaceful night where she doesn’t cry herself to sleep. Just like she had her problems, Logan Russo had his. He needs a woman for Christmas, someone who would be able to act in front of his whole family, just to get them off his neck. Melody needs two hundred thousand dollars. Neither of them needs love. The universe brought them together, two desperate strangers who needed each other. What started off as a confrontation at the airport, soon blossomed into something beautiful. She got her Christmas miracle after all. All that was short-lived because the universe had other plans. But this time, how much can she take, how willing is she to protect what she's built? Only time will tell.

My fiancee gets drunk the day before our wedding. While I'm taking her home, she mistakes me for my best friend. "Jackson, don't bring our child to the wedding tomorrow. I don't want Samuel to know about us." I slam on the brakes, causing Madelyn Wilkinson to hit the seatback and come to her senses. When she realizes it's me, she freezes for a moment before slowly explaining, "Since you heard that, let's call off the wedding for now. You don't have to worry. Jackson doesn't plan on getting married again. But I'm still that child's mother no matter what, so I need to help out. "Jackson's your best friend. You feel sorry for him if he has to raise a child alone, don't you? I'll marry you after my son starts school." I can't help smiling bitterly. "Alright then… I don't have a problem with that." When we get home, she packs up a suitcase and leaves without another word. Feeling a sting in my eyes, I suppress my emotions as I sit on the couch, falling into a daze. That's when my phone rings at the worst possible moment. My childhood friend, Hazel Parsons, says in a hoarse voice, "Sam, don't marry her. Please." I fall silent for a beat. "Alright."

“It’s our anniversary today. I planned our day together,” I declare. “I have work to do,” “But I asked your PA to clear your schedule for the day,” “That’s the thing. You made plans behind my back without talking to me about it first, Ariel,” He then walks past me and walks out of the closet. “I thought I was doing something nice for you – for us at least. You have always worked so hard, so at least take this day off with me. We never got to celebrate our wedding anniversary,” I rebuke. He decides not to say anything. He opens his bag on the couch facing our bed and takes out a white A4 envelope, tossing it on the little table in the middle of our room. “Is it so hard for you to read the room all the time? How would you celebrate a wedding anniversary when there is no love between us? Are you not tired of all this pretence because I am!" He chastises. "That’s for you. Sign it so that we can get it over and done with,” With that said, he puts on his black sunglasses and walks out of the room. Only then do I breathe out the air I didn’t even know I was holding. I’m confused and, most of all, hurt. I didn’t see this coming. I drop my eyes on the envelope with bold printed letters of the name of the law firm our lawyer works at.

"That's going to conclude our session today" "Please, come back tomorrow, miss Athena. I enjoy your visit, especially when it's in this lone alone" He rasped, voice raspy as ever. Sadistic was his way of analyzing her features and expressions, he finds amusement in her suffering. Then she won't suffer. "don't forget that they're cameras here and all your sessions is being recorded Nyx, along with the guards out there, they just need me to press this button to make them walk in, "she said, locking her eyes with him as she showed him the red button of the instrument of the recording room. She eyes him silently." I don't have a problem with that " he paused before he continued" but I have one when you come to my cell, showing off your genius ass to the other prisoners, Doctor " he spoke. as she looked at him weirdly, until realization hit her. So the villain can be jealous. Interesting. "Jealous much? " "Yes, after all, you're my therapist, not theirs right ??" "maybe?" she paused taking a deep breath, "but what can I say? It seemed to me that the Villain is jealous. Goodbye, Mr. Nyx." She stood up, arranging her papers before walking toward the door. She was leaving him hanging on her words. The villain of her story.

I met him in a place no sane woman should ever be in Blackgate Prison. As a prison therapist, I was trained to see danger. Every part of me screamed to stay away, but I couldn’t. He was a legend behind bars, Nikolai Sokolov, ruthless, untouchable, the leader of one of Russia’s most feared Mafia syndicates. Darkness clung to him like a second skin. The dim light carved his face into something sharp and dangerous. He looked at me, cold and unreadable, and held me in place with his gaze. “Who are you?” His voice was rough, heavy with threats and scars I couldn’t see. I forced a smile, trying to keep my voice steady. And yet… a part of me felt at home in this danger, a shadow inside I had never admitted, one that hummed quietly at his presence. It was darkness like his, though he couldn’t know it. “I’m Dr. Korovin. I’m here to evaluate you.” The chains rattled as he shifted, a predator testing the limits of his cage. His lips curved, not into a smile, but into a warning. “My name is Nikolai,” he said slowly, deliberately, heavy with threat. “Remember it, Doctor.” I should have been scared. I should have run. But something inside me stirred, something dark, like him, and I didn’t yet understand it.

“I'm not just the vampire king of tales, Ellie. I'm a talented artist.” Vanchure said with every stroke he made on the canvas with his paintbrush. “So you can either be the one posing on my couch, behind the canvas, or be the one whose blood I will use in replacement for paints.” In a mystical world named Shirlon, there was a division of two powerful mythical creatures, two great kingdoms, with two great rulers. Speaking of which were the Black Pack, the werewolves, and the Thorx Coven, the vampire with the respect of law and order. These two kingdoms had a ball of symbiosis where they worked hand in hand to maintain their stable world. The werewolves were considered as the soldiers, the ones left to do the tough and dirty jobs within both kingdoms. While the soldiers had the day and night to themselves, the vampire blossomed in the dark. The vampires were also known as Royalties. They've been known to have ancient riches, making them superior to the soldiers. In these two kingdoms, they had their kings. Eamonn, Alpha of Black Pack, and Vanchure, king of Thorx Coven. They had maintained the order of peace and had always set their boundaries between each other until Ellie came along. Ellie was born of the soldiers, just a commoner that the Alpha of her Pack proclaimed as a mate. Ellie was set on a path to rescue her missing sister from the hands of the vampire king, Vanchure. But on her first encounter with that handsome devil, her whole life takes a different turn.

For seven years, Grace has been the dutiful "moon goddess" at the side of Alpha King Ethan Silver, enduring his indifference while desperately trying to strengthen the weakening MATE bond between them. On her birthday, she returns to the eastern territories only to find her home empty - her partner absent and her daughter, whom she brought up as a child, estranged. "I've got something going on here, tomorrow." Ethan's impatient voice came over the phone, but Grace caught another female voice in the background. Olivia Stone. Her half-sister. "Aunt Liv is so handsome, I love Aunt Liv so much, why is mommy so annoying." She heard her daughter Emma complain. The truth becomes irrelevant when Grace finds Ethan and Olivia in an intimate embrace in his office. The mate bond she tried so hard to defend meant nothing to him. "Who gave you permission to come in here!" Ethan's expression was justified, and Grace stood rigid, the coffee tray trembling in her hands. Determined to leave them and rebuild her work and her life, Grace ditches the Silver family and her position at pack medical to return to her roots as a therapist and reconnects with her former partner, Dominic Hayes. As Grace rebuilds her life and professional standing, Ethan begins to notice her absence. But is it too late? Grace has awakened to the fact that she doesn't want to be his Luna anymore. Can she truly sever the seven-year mate bond? And what happens when Ethan finally realizes what he's lost?

While I'm patching up the injured wolves in the pack, I overhear a few young Omegas muttering among themselves while sharing a photo to each other in a corner. Apparently, it's a post that has been uploaded by a social media account named "True Love Above All". "He told me that the she-wolf by his side only needs a title. As for me, I need his protection. This is the amulet he has obtained from a witch after visiting the forbidden grounds." In the photo, the amulet can be seen emitting a magical glow. I know that he's the only one in the entire pack who's capable of obtaining this amulet. I look down at my empty wrist. Today is the Christmas Eve. According to the pack's tradition, mates must exchange tokens of love with each other. When I return to the pack house at night, Alpha Ethan enters the house while smelling like another she-wolf. He pulls out a cheap-looking bangle—that still has half a price tag stuck onto it—from his pocket before tossing it onto the couch casually. "This bangle is for you, Maya. It's the most popular style this year." As I pick up the mass-produced bangle that can be found in any accessory store, I feel the coldness of my fingertips seeping into my heart. It turns out that Alpha Ethan thinks he can easily fool me with a random gift despite me being the Luna. Yet, the she-wolf—whose identity he refuses to give away—gets to enjoy the protection he has risked his life obtaining for her sake.