Truth After Dark Chicago Novels & Stories

I'm three months pregnant when my husband, a doctor, personally performs an abortion for me. I can see the fetus in the trash can. Chuck Gross uses his doctor's coat to block Valerie Green's curious eyes. "Don't look, Val. You'll get nightmares." After the abortion, he throws a few tissues at me, looking icy. Then, he leaves with Valerie. Later, when Chuck learns the truth, he bursts into agonized tears. "Can we not get a divorce? Please?"

In a world where having power means having a target on your back, love isn't a fairy tale, it's a risk. Luca Moretti never wanted to be a piece in someone else's game. He’s a man who values his family above everything else, and that’s exactly how they got to him. To save the people he loves, Luca is forced into a marriage he didn't ask for, tied to a man who represents everything he fears. Adrian Voss doesn't do "feelings." After a past that left him cold and a lifestyle that demands total authority, he built an empire where he is the only one in charge. For Adrian, marrying Luca isn't about starting a life together. It’s about a deal. It’s about having someone under his roof that he can control, own, and break. Behind the closed doors of their shared home, the public smiles disappear. Adrian doesn't want a husband; he wants a shadow. He wants to see how much Luca can take before he finally snaps. He’s determined to strip away Luca’s pride until there’s nothing left. But Adrian made one mistake: he underestimated who he was marrying. Luca might be trapped, but he isn't broken. As the two men move through a dangerous dance of manipulation and a strange, heated attraction they both hate, the lines between "enemy" and "lover" begin to blur.

Two years of marriage. Two years of trust. Two years of secrets I never knew existed. I thought I was coming home to the man I married—surprising Nathan after my work trip ended early. Instead, I stood frozen in the doorway of our bedroom, watching my husband tangled in the sheets with someone I never expected. Someone whose face I only caught a glimpse of before she bolted—running out the back like a ghost escaping the scene of a crime. But I know that face. I’ve seen it every day of my life. Felt its presence in my laughter, my tears, my memories. That night shattered everything. The perfect husband. The perfect life. All of it was a carefully crafted illusion built on lies. Now, nothing is what it seems—and I have no idea where this road will take me.

Dakota Stelter and I tumbled down that steep ravine together. I lay there bleeding and broken, only to watch my boyfriend scoop her into his arms and walk away without a backward glance. He left me. In that moment, in every way that mattered. While everyone fussed over Dakota's scratches, no one even checked if I was still breathing. When I was finally rescued and recovering at the hospital, my boyfriend didn't even visit. I was hurt. So I moved on. Piece by piece, I rebuilt myself without him. But then he became distraught. Suddenly, he was sobbing, telling me he had always loved me.

I had been on a business trip overseas for less than six months when I suddenly received a call from the hospital. "Mr. Jones, your wife is having a difficult labor. Should we proceed with a C-section or try to continue with a natural delivery?" The words hit me like a bolt of lightning. I stood there, frozen. When I left, my wife had not shown any sign of pregnancy. How could she be giving birth less than six months later? I quickly dialed her number. The moment the call connected, I heard her cries of pain. "Honey, what's wrong?" From the other end of the line, I could hear a nurse urging her to push harder. However, my wife forced her voice to sound calm. "Sweetheart, I just slipped and fell a moment ago. It's nothing serious. You should keep focusing on your business trip. Don't worry about me." As I listened, the faint sound of a baby crying filtered through the phone. My grip tightened so hard around the phone that it nearly cracked. "Is that so? Then, get some rest," I said calmly. After hanging up, I immediately called my father, the richest man in the country. "Dad, Rebecca's cheating on me. She's in the delivery room right now, having another man's child. Stop all investments in the Harris family immediately. I want her thrown out with nothing to her name."

Earth was butchered, wrecked, and scared long before I was born. According to the legends, humans ruin began when the Viatores came into existence in the human world. Viatores are banished creatures from an alternate universe, weaklings who couldn't save their own world and as welcoming as humans are, we accepted them. Redemption, that was what they seeked here on earth but those backstabbing asswipes had other plans. A tyrant, a bastard, known as Nicholas Sylvester led the war. The Changeling. The human rulers had no chance. We were his little project to enslave. He and his seven Lords claimed all continents. On my eighteenth birthday, I was gifted to the King of all Benders: one whom no human dared look at, trembles at his presence. However, in this game of heart and truth, fate has its plan hidden.

Ashton didn't know how she would move on. How she would keeping putting one foot in front of another, until Z came along and changed everything. Would his darker world save her or destroy her?

Olivia’s heart was shattered by her boyfriend Luke's betrayal. She witnessed him cheating with another woman in his apartment and was devastated. To numb the pain, she drowned herself in alcohol, seeking solace in the bottom of a bottle. It was during this haze that she met Antonio. Despite barely knowing him, Olivia felt a powerful pull towards him, a connection she couldn't explain. That night, she surrendered to the stranger, and despite the circumstances, she didn't regret it. The night held a strange, bittersweet memory for her. Olivia was determined to forget that night, to escape the pain and the man who had taken her innocence. But fate had other plans. They met again in their hometown, and despite trying to deny it, Olivia found herself falling for Antonio. He pursued her relentlessly, and she couldn't fight the feelings that were blossoming within her. She accepted his kisses, his embraces, and his promise to marry her. But fate seemed to be playing a cruel game. Olivia discovered that Anton was involved with Sandra Cervantes, the woman who had brought them together. She also learned that Anton was planning to buy a large portion of land in their province, a move that would displace many workers. Despite her own heartbreak, Olivia, driven by her love and trust in Antonio, convinced him to abandon his plan. He agreed, but only on the condition that she marry him, which she couldn't refuse. Their relationship blossomed, and they eventually married, with the majestic Mayon Volcano as a witness to their love.

My mom always said, "I've never played favorites. "You and your brother mean exactly the same to me." She said it so often I almost believed it. Growing up, anything my brother had, I had too. If he got a new pair of sneakers, so did I. If he signed up for coding classes, I was enrolled in the same ones. Even this year, when we came home for the holidays, my mom smiled as she handed each of us a neatly-packaged designer shopping bag. "I picked these out for you two at the store. One for each of you, exactly the same. "These outdoor brands are expensive, you know. A single jacket costs thousands. I'd never buy one for myself, but I don't mind splurging on you two." I took the jacket. It was well-cut, structured, and looked high-quality. A small warmth stirred in my chest. However, when I tried it on, the collar felt oddly irritating against my skin. Frowning, I pulled back the lining to check. There was a ring of yellowed sweat stains around the label, and tiny flakes of dandruff were caught in the Velcro. A faint musty smell lingered on the cloth, mixed with the stale odor of cheap tobacco. It was sour and impossible to ignore.

Ever since the death of her parents Deborah only wanted peace. Working for Lucas seemed perfect until she learned the truth: he wasn’t just a billionaire CEO, but the underboss of a feared Mafia empire. Their love was intoxicating, unstoppable… and doomed. As they dug deeper into each other, they uncovered betrayals that set them on opposite sides of a war neither of them wanted to fight.