Trapped Inside Your Own Mind Novels & Stories

Alyana is handed over to Julian Vance, a reclusive CEO who hides his disfigured face behind a mask, to settle her father’s six-million-dollar debt. Forced into a legal marriage to protect Julian’s corporate reputation, she must follow strict rules and live under his control. The arrival of Julian’s brother, Leo, breaks her isolation—Alyana recognizes him as the only person she ever loved before her family’s downfall. Leo offers her a way out, triggering a conflict that exposes the problems within the Vance family. Julian, noticing Alyana’s shifting loyalty, tightens his control. To prevent her from leaving and secure his legacy, he demands a child to bind her to the Vance family.

My boyfriend's "best female friend" was angry again. Why? Because for our five-year anniversary, he got a gift just for me—and forgot about hers. Simone Baker threw a complete fit, sobbing and making a huge scene. Scott Tanner immediately blocked me and removed me on Instagram, then changed our matching couple profile pictures. "Girls can be so dramatic," he said. "Once I've calmed her down, we'll switch them back." I reminded him, "That makes a hundred times now." He just smiled and gave me a quick kiss. "I know. I'll make it fast this time." That night, Simone posted a status update: [Your effort was acceptable. You get three days of freedom.] Almost immediately, Scott unblocked me. [Okay, babe. We can put our couple pictures back now.] But then a male account—using my half of the matching photo—sent him a friend request, followed by a single question mark. [Since when are couple photos a group project?]

I was in my mate Zane’s study, dropping off an invitation for the Alliance gala, when his tablet lit up. A private group chat. “Party tonight at the Alliance’s best restaurant to celebrate Vivienne passing the trials.” Confused, I tapped open the group. There were only four people in it. My own parents, the pack’s Alpha Hector and Luna Freda. My fated mate Zane, the future Alpha. And Vivienne, my adopted sister. The Omega orphan I’d naively rescued years ago. My mother typed: “Good thing Hector used his council connections to get Vivienne the spot in the Alliance’s strategy department. Harper’s already strong enough. This is more important for Vivienne.” Zane replied instantly: “I wish Vivienne were my mate. She’s the one who needs an Alpha’s protection, not Harper. The Moon Goddess must have made a mistake.” I stared at the screen. The blood drained from my body. To my own parents and my mate, I was already an outsider. My strength and independence had become their excuse to shamelessly favor someone else.

“In the rink, they fight for the game. Behind closed doors, they fight for her heart.” Mariah Garrett never belonged in society, most especially in her high school, Iris High. Avoiding everyone was the only talent she had excelled in, but when that excellence led to a devastating collision with the school's best hockey player, Reynold Davidson, and her nightmare, Ralph Levinson, a former hockey star, Mariah realized that her world was cracking down. And just when she thought it would all be over, she was met with a devastating reality. Her bully and the player she loved were her stepbrothers. Mariah must learn not just to survive in a society where all kinds of attention would be placed on her, but also how to control her feelings. But when the hockey players refuse to let go of what happened between them the night before the revelation, Mariah is stuck in an illicit affair with not just one brother but two!

“Strip!”Marcelo growled like some hungry lion deprived of food for days. “Don’t make me say this twice,” I scoffed, "I'd rather join my father in his grave than let you see my skin." A chuckle then rolled his lips as he stared down at me like I was his subject, "Fiesty, huh? By the time I'm done with you, you'll have no choice but to bow to me!" Don Marcello killed my father in cold blood and I must avenge his death. But how can I do that when I'm trapped in the monster's mansion? But I won’t give up! I was supposed to be the heiress to the family territory before Don Marcello claimed it. Every attempt to end his life only fueled my obsession with him, he likes his girls feisty and fighting. I'm the only girl who has been able to stand up to him even though it always earned me punishments. But one dangerous secret changes everything. After learning this secret, I kept asking: Was I still willing to burn in his hell… or would I make the devil fall to his knees?

Nico Romano told me he had no choice. After his brother Enzo died, the Varrone family needed a new Don—and Enzo’s widow, Serena, needed a child to secure the bloodline. So Nico went to her bed again and again. Every time he came back to me, he carried her perfume on his skin and the same gentle lie in his mouth. “Just wait a little longer, Valentina. Once Serena gives birth to the heir, I’ll give you and Luca everything you deserve.” So I waited. For six months, I watched the man I loved become another woman’s husband in every way that mattered. I watched my son fall asleep by the window, waiting for a father who always promised to come home and always found a reason not to. Then Serena was declared pregnant. The entire Varrone family celebrated as if a miracle had happened. Nico’s mother announced that Serena’s child would be the rightful heir, while my son would be introduced to the world as an orphan Nico had taken in. “No one can know the Don has an illegitimate child with a nobody,” she said. My son’s little hand trembled in mine. “Mommy,” Luca whispered, looking at Nico, “am I not Papa’s child?” Nico heard him. He saw the tears in his son’s eyes. But Serena held his arm, and Nico said nothing. That was the moment I stopped waiting. I took off the ring Nico had given me seven years ago and placed it in Serena’s hand. “Congratulations,” I said. “You belong in this family far more than I ever did.” Then I took my son—and the child Nico did not yet know I carried—and walked out of the Varrone mansion for the last time. They all thought I was a nameless woman with nowhere to go. They didn’t know my father was the most feared man in Italy’s underworld. And I was his only heir.

Celia never wanted trouble, just a quiet life, working hard to support her younger brother. But trouble finds her when Rafael, a ruthless mafia boss, walks into her gas station one night. He’s dangerous, untouchable, and completely uninterested in attachments, until she becomes the bait in an ambush meant to take him down. Rafael should have walked away. Instead, he kills for her, rescues her, and drags her into his violent world. Celia fights him at every turn, refusing to be just another possession. But with enemies closing in and no way back to her old life, she has no choice but to trust the man who claims to own her. What starts as a battle of wills turns into something far more dangerous. Celia is no longer just a captive, she’s becoming Rafael’s greatest weakness. And in his world, weaknesses get people killed. But Rafael doesn’t care. He’ll burn his empire to the ground before he lets anyone take her from him.

“Love can be a dangerous game, especially when the heart is at war with the mind.” Quinn's existence is being shattered when Bryan, a ruthless billionaire, driven by a thirst of revenge unleashes his wrath upon her and her family. Yet behind this brutal exterior of his, hides an unacceptable truth ; his love for her. As Quinn struggles to escape the shadows of her family's past, she must confront the monster Bryan has become—and the darkness within herself. Will their twisted love prevail, or will the secrets of the past tear them apart?

At the engagement party for one of our former high school classmates, the bride suggested we play King's Cup. Whoever drew Eight had to do a cross-arm toast with someone of the opposite sex in front of everyone. My husband, Luke Flandern, had always been a germaphobe. The second he saw the card in his hand, his brow furrowed. I stood up, ready to help him out. But then—Sarah Weaver, the girl everyone called the beauty of our class, who was sitting right across from him—asked softly, "Need a hand?" Luke looked at her, and the frown on his face instantly melted. "Yeah, sure." The room erupted. Everyone was laughing and cheering. "Classic Luke—always generous. No wonder he was valedictorian back in the day." "Someone get this on camera. The golden couple from high school is finally reconnecting after all these years? That's destiny right there." Sarah blushed and shyly reached her wine glass toward him. Luke smiled and didn't pull away. I just stood off to the side, quietly watching the two of them drink that cross-arm toast together. And then I remembered how I'd been ready to help him out. A bitter smile crossed my lips. Guess I was kidding myself.

We have a family group chat meant for the core members only. It's named "the Coppola family". The ones in the group are my father, my mother, my oldest brother, Fabio Coppola; my second brother, Luca Coppola, and my little sister, Francesca Coppola. Oh, that's not all. Fabio's bloodhound, Fido; Luca's ragdoll, Neve; and Francesca's fancy rat, Pico, are members of the group chat too. I'm the only one who's not included in that group. There's once when I ask Francesca, "Can you add me into the group?" She's in the middle of feeding Pico at that time. Without bothering to glance at me, she replies, "That group is meant for insiders only. Wouldn't you feel awkward if you were to join the group, Valentina?" I just look at Pico, who keeps screeching in Francesca's arms. It has a special nickname and the right to speak up in the family group. To think that I, the Coppolas' biological daughter, am nothing compared to a fancy rat.