Truth After Dark Chicago Novels & Stories

When I was born, the nurse handed me over to my parents, and the smiles on their faces instantly vanished. Hovering over their son's smooth head was a line of numbers that no one else could see. 6570 days. It was exactly 18 years. Not a day more, not a day less. The nurse thought they were just nervous first-time parents, but my parents knew the truth. That number was my lifespan. While everyone else in the delivery room was celebrating a new life, my parents were staring at my death. For the next 18 years, I was the most precious person in the family. No matter how poor we were, the eggs were always mine, the new clothes were always mine, and the meat was always mine. My younger sister could only look on enviously. My parents often told her, "Let your brother have it. He doesn't have much time left." I was well-behaved from a young age, never causing trouble, quietly waiting to die. On my 18th birthday, I blew out the candles and said a sincere goodbye to the world. The next day, my parents and sister, dressed in black clothes, walked into my room with swollen eyes. I rubbed my eyes, smiled at them, and said, "Good morning." The air froze. The sadness on their faces slowly turned into astonishment, then coldness.

"Why do you always look at me like that?" she whispered. "Because you're unlike anyone I've ever known," Damien replied, his voice low and husky, sending shivers down her spine. "Your presence is like a thorn in my side." Eira scoffed. “You're nothing but trouble, Damien. A brooding vampire with an ego the size of a castle. But you need me. Without me, you’ll be dead.” “I hate that," he admitted. She smirked. "Hate that you need me? So, what is it, Damien? A weakness you'd rather keep in the shadows?" Damien leaned in, his face dangerously close to hers, his gaze dropping to her lips. Eira's breath caught, her shock palpable. "I might need you, Eira, but I don’t want you," he said, his eyes betraying a desire he refused to acknowledge. "Remember that." With that, he turned and walked away, leaving her standing there, her thoughts in turmoil and her lips tingling with the ghost of an almost-kiss. *** The Silverstone Pack is out for blood, determined to avenge their alpha's brutal murder. All eyes are on Damien, the prime suspect, who now lives in the shadows, focused on survival. His only goal is to stay one step ahead and keep himself well-fed. But everything changes when he encounters a girl who is mysteriously immune to his powers. In her, he finds a glimmer of hope he thought long lost. Eira, heartbroken from a recent breakup, unexpectedly crosses paths with Damien. Her confrontation with him quickly turns into a nightmare when she is taken captive. Damien, desperate and cornered, offers her a chilling deal: help him save himself, or face unimaginable suffering. With little choice, Eira agrees, setting off a chain of events that will forever change the course of her life.

Adeline has been betrayed by the man who vowed his loyalty to her. The woman he betrayed her with was someone she would have never expected. After everything she has been through she vowed to never love again. Until she meets her mate. Who just happens to be her husband's enemy.

"Some loves are written in the stars. Others are carved in sin." Sophia Chen never met her stepfather; she was too busy living her dream abroad to attend her mother's wedding. Two years later she returns home exhausted and broken from a failed relationship, the man who opens the door isn't just her mother's husband. He's everything she never knew she needed. Marcus Reid is hot, tall, intelligent, and trapped in a loveless marriage with a woman who sees him as nothing more than a convenience. The moment he meets Sophia, something shifts inside him, something dangerous, something he can never act on. For months, they orbit each other in agonizing silence. Late-night conversations. Stolen glances. A tension so thick it threatens to suffocate them both. Marcus struggles against thoughts that invade his most intimate moments with his wife, while Sophia battles a desire that grows stronger every day. Then Diane asks for a divorce. Six months later, they bump into each other again, no longer bound by marriage, no longer forbidden by law. Just two people who've denied a burning desire for too long. But freedom comes with a price. Because Diane didn't just leave Marcus for another man. She left because she knew. She'd watched them fall for each other in real time. She'd heard Marcus moan Sophia's name in their bed. And now that they're finally together, she's going to make sure they pay for every stolen moment, every forbidden thought, every lie they told themselves. Some secrets destroy families. Some loves are worth the ruin.

"I know I don’t deserve a second chance. I know I’ve hurt you in the cruelest way. But I regret it, truly regret it. I've spent five years searching for you, hoping to atone for my mistakes. I... I still love you." My heart raced. Part of me wanted to believe him, wanted to surrender to the words I had longed for. But I couldn’t just forget how he had shattered me. "Love?" I let out a small laugh. "You’re talking about love after what you did to me? After you made me feel like nothing more than a replacement? I’ve moved past the days when I cried over you, when I questioned my self-worth just because you chose another woman. You want me back? But what if one day you find another reason to leave me?" "No!"

Seventeen years old Rosemarie Mazur battles managing her new stepfamily and a pursuit from England's prince, after her mum's heart breaking passing. At the point when she starts succumbing to Russia's crowned prince, a dark force decides to obliterate her once and for all. Could she at any point genuinely accomplish a "Happily Ever After?"

“So, you really think I did what Fiona accused me of? I know it sounds bad, and it’s almost believable, but I’d never get into Fiona’s bed. If you could just slow down a minute, I’ll explain,” Jordan said. “Let’s assume Fiona is wrong. Where are you coming from right now? It just proves her allegations against you. As you can see, I’m busy. Please leave! I’d like to change my clothes,” I said firmly. His expression changed. “Ella, you’re kidding, right? I’ve literally seen all of you. In fact, I might have seen your guts when I’m between your legs,” he chuckled softly. “My point is, I love you, and I wouldn’t do anything to hurt you. So, please sit, and let’s talk,” Jordan said, walking toward me, grabbing the bag I had packed, and shoved it aside. Ella’s life of misfortune takes a shocking turn when a one-night stand with multimillionaire Jordan Denver leaves her pregnant. Jordan, who had been betrayed deeply by his ex, falls in love with Ella, but their happiness stands on the edge of a cliff, especially with an obsessed ex-girlfriend like Fiona threatening to destroy everything. Their world spirals further when Jordan is involved in a fatal shootout and loses parts of his memory, forgetting everything about Ella. In the midst of all this chaos, Ella’s freedom is threatened when she learns she might go to jail for a murder she’s been accused of. Will Jordan remember the woman who captured his heart and save her before it’s too late, or will Ella’s life come crashing down for good?

Three months after my death, my brother is hospitalized due to leukemia. That's when my family finally remembers me after kicking me out. My sister, Ruby, texts me. "Caleb is sick, so get the hell back here for a bone marrow transplant. Mom and Dad will stop holding a grudge against you for stealing money." Dad calls me a few times, but they go unanswered. He curses, "How dare she! She didn't even bother calling since we kicked her out a few months ago!" Mom holds my brother, Caleb. Her gaze is full of heartache. "Jolene is an ingrate. She must be hiding because she doesn't want to save you. I'll find her, even if I have to scour the world!" None of them care about me. They have no idea that I died on the night they kicked me out of the house. When they tossed me out, my head bumped into a stone hidden beneath the snow. The snow was particularly heavy that night. It kept falling and falling. Later, when they finally start looking for me, they find my frozen body underneath the thick snow.

Olivia Fordham was married to Ethan Miller for three years, but that time could not compare with the ten years he spent loving his first love, Marina Carlton. On the day that she gets diagnosed with stomach cancer, Ethan happens to be accompanying Marina to her children's health check-up. She doesn't make any kind of fuss, only leaving quietly with the divorce agreement. However, this attracts an even more fervent retribution. It seems Ethan only ever married Olivia to take revenge for what happened to his little sister. While Olivia is plagued by her sickness, he holds her chin and says coldly, "This is what your family owes me." Now, she has no family and no future. Her father becomes comatose after a car accident, leaving her with nothing to live for. Thus, she hurls herself from a building. "The life my family owes will now be repaid." At this, Ethan, who's usually calm, panics while begging for Olivia to come back as if he's in a state of frenzy …

There was a man who was very unlucky in his childhood until he grew up. He had to experience so many bad obstacles in his life that everything he does has it flawed. The reason for him to lose everything he’ve got. His only luck that was in him he thought was - he’s born to be a very handsome man. Until one day, he dreamed that everything he does will became true. Will he be able to control his destiny?