When The Bough Breaks Novel Novels & Stories

Grandpa will be announcing his will at his birthday banquet. Apparently, I only possess the right to inherit the family's assets if I'm in a stable relationship with someone. I beg my girlfriend, Hannah Samson, countless times to have our relationship publicized. But she keeps using her overtime shift as an excuse. Today, she finally yields to me. "Alright. You should attend the family meeting first. I'll be there soon." The moment I step into the manor on my own, I hear my relatives' mocking laughter surrounding me. "You keep claiming that you're busy with your career every day. To think that you can't even bring your own girlfriend to this meeting! You do realize that your inheritance right depends on your partner, right? "Don't tell me you lied to us about having a girlfriend!" I clutch my phone tightly, feeling my palm going clammy with sweat. Time slowly ticks past. Just as Grandpa is about to read his will out loud, someone pushes the front door open abruptly. I turn around in delight, only for my smile to freeze on my face. Isaac Letterman, the fake heir, smiles wanly at everyone, his hand still laced with Hannah's. "Sorry, we're late." As I stare at the duo, I feel my heart plunging into an icy abyss. Then, I turn back to look at the relatives, who were mocking me earlier. "You said you wanted to see my girlfriend, right? That's her right there."

I was supposed to marry Marco DeLuca, the man of my dreams, in just three days. He was the mafia don of the South—dangerous, ruthless, the kind of man everyone warned you about. And I came from the Moretti family, just as powerful, a dominant force in the North. But just when I thought I had it all, fate had other plans. What was supposed to be a simple drug deal negotiation—one Marco had asked me to cover—quickly spiraled into a gunfight. In the chaos, a bullet tore through my chest. Marco made sure everyone in that room paid for my accident, but no matter what he did, it didn’t change the fact that I was lying here, wondering if my life would ever be the same. And it only got worse. In the haze between consciousness and dreams, I overheard Marco speaking with his family doctor. “After removing the bullet from Miss Moretti’s chest, we found fragments near her heart,” Dr. Levois said. “She may need another surgery.” “There’s no need for another surgery. As long as she can breathe, I’ll take care of her for the rest of her life. But if you treat her now, she’ll wake up and ruin everything I’ve planned.” Marco’s words hit me hard. “And I promised Camilla I would bring our daughter, Violetta, into the family,” he continued. “It’s better this way. Gianna won’t be a threat to her then.” So the wedding I’d longed for, the love I once believed in, was nothing but a cruel illusion. What Marco wanted, what I thought was mine, had twisted into my worst nightmare. If this was what Marco truly wanted… so be it. It wasn’t like I cared anymore.

My mate’s sister, Selene, was with pup when she leapt from the highest tower of Blackrock Keep. Before she died, she sent me one final whisper through the pack bond. “Lyra saw him.” From that day on, I became the greatest sinner in Stormcliff. Everyone believed I knew who had driven Selene to her death. The elders demanded the truth. My father-in-law, the aged Alpha, knelt before me. My mother-in-law, the elder Luna, clutched my legs and begged until her voice broke. But I said nothing. For two years, I carried the secret alone. Darian, my mate, did not exile me. Instead, he stayed by my side, gentler than ever. I thought he still loved me. Until the day I gave birth to his pup. That night, he locked me inside the cold stone dungeon and brought out the Soul Recollection Device. Every wolf who had used that device either died or lost their mind. As the silver needles pierced into my skull, Darian stood before me with bloodshot eyes. “If you won’t speak,” he said, his voice cold and shaking, “then I’ll tear the truth out of your soul myself.” He thought I was protecting Selene’s murderer. But when he finally saw the truth I had buried for him, Darian went mad.

Dr. Hayes cleared his throat, glancing at the screen.“The child’s DNA… it matches yours.” She froze. “No… no, that’s impossible. I’m just his nanny.” Ten years ago, Bree Washington carried a child for a wealthy, anonymous couple. She was paid, promised secrecy, and told never to return after the child's birth. But life happened, putting her in a broken place... causing her to search for any means of survival. Alas, Bree gets a job as a nanny for a billionaire’s young son. The boy is sharp, stubborn, and oddly familiar. The man who hired her is cold, commanding, and haunted by loss. His wife is gone, and he needs someone he can trust to guide his child… someone who understands him in ways no one else can. Bree thought her past was behind her. She thought being a nanny would create her a new life.. But some mistakes never fade… And some secrets refuse to stay buried. Love doesn't cost a dime, but in Bree's case? Love indeed would cost her every part of her life due to her billionaire mistake.

Ethan is the first man I fell in love with. After seven years of sacrifice, he decided to use our love as a sacrifice at the altar of his pride, helping his mistress and first love to bully me and almost made me lose my sanity, I have decided to leave him but before I do, I will make him lose everything!!.

Rocco Falcone, who is the Falcone family's Don and my so-called husband, hangs up on me for what feels like the 99th time. Having been diagnosed with leukemia, I haul my ravaged body into the family lawyer's office. "I'm here to file for a divorce," I said. … When Rocco hears about it, he barges in with my family ten minutes later. The moment he enters, he slaps me. "Did you use the emergency line just to ruin Sofia's big night? Are you out of your mind?" Lily Marone, my mom, snatches the diagnosis right out of my hand and skims through it. She chuckles dismissively. "Did you fake being sick just to get attention? How many lies have you told since you were a kid, Claire?" Sofia Moretti holds Rocco's arm with tears in her eyes. "Forgive me, Claire. I shouldn't have taken the position. Please stop hurting yourself and Rocco." I wipe the blood from my mouth and turn back to the lawyer. "I have no family left. Please hurry with the divorce paperwork. I need it settled before my cremation in three days."

AN INTENSE, SIZZLING HOT, FORBIDDEN ROMANCE COLLECTION THAT WILL LEAVE YOU BREATHLESS. (50% STEAMY. 18+) MAIN STORY Trapped in a loveless marriage built on debt, sacrifice, and silent suffering… she thought endurance was her only choice. Until him. Her husband’s powerful, dangerously composed superior sees everything she tries to hide and slowly, deliberately, inserts himself into her life. His help becomes protection. His protection becomes control. And his control becomes something far more intoxicating than she ever imagined. Every glance lingers. Every touch burns like sin. She knows she should resist him. He is forbidden. Ruthless. Possessive. But the deeper she falls, the more she realizes… Ruin has never felt this sweet and walking away may destroy her far more than staying ever could.

Sage is a young silver wolf who grew up as an orphaned Omega. At a young age she awakened a powerful wolf, a silver wolf which was considered to be ominous. To survive, she hid her identity from everyone. At sixteen she was unexpectedly found by her family who revealed that she was the biological daughter of the Alpha King and the true princess of their pack. She returned home only to find there's no place for her. In her absence she had been replaced with another girl, Eleanor who had been the princess for the last sixteen years, receiving everything that should have been hers. Replaced by Eleanor, Sage struggled to earn her family's love but instead became the scapegoat. Forced to marry Aegon, the feared Lycan prince of an enemy nation in place of Eleanor, Sage sought escape and revenge against her parent for giving her away. Unknown to her, Alpha Knox, Aegon's uncle is her true mate but he refuses to tell her since she's to be wed to his nephew. On a full moon, Knox accidentally bites Sage, marking her and entwining all three of them in a love triangle.

My husband, Gavin Chapman, is giving his secretary, Natasha Gardner, exactly what she wants. He's making her his wife. To pull it off, he fakes a lab accident, pretends to have amnesia, and brings her home. In his office, Gavin wraps his arms around Natasha and murmurs indulgently, "Not just Mrs. Chapman. Even if you want to pretend to be the vice president for a week, I'll let you." My eyes dim, but I let the lie go on. The next day, at a press conference, Gavin holds Natasha's hand and tells the world she's his real wife. He even threatens to kick me out of the company and take over all my research data. Dozens of cameras swivel toward me, waiting for my outburst. But I stay silent and simply sign the termination papers. Gavin doesn't know that the pharmaceutical project he believes will be done in seven days isn't quite finished. There's still one final step, and I'm the only one who knows how to do it.

I’m about to enter a blood bond with another vampire lord. But my partner of a century, Kaelan, has no idea. He’s too busy getting cozy with his new human assistant, Sylvia. They spend entire nights in his office, under the guise of “researching synthetic blood.” He even turned our centennial anniversary into her birthday party. In front of everyone, Kaelan presented her with a Black Forest cake decorated with Silver Bells. They laughed, smearing frosting on each other. They forgot the flowers are a deadly poison to me. My power shattered. Agony ripped through me as shadows lashed out, uncontrollable. My family’s guards had to drag my convulsing body away. And while I recovered alone in the cold, dark vault, Kaelan was still at the party, bathing in the cheers for him and Sylvia. The blood in my veins turned to ice. A century of love and hope burned to ash. In that moment, I agreed to my family's arrangement. Without hesitation. A union with the lord of the Obsidian Throne—a vampire they say is power incarnate.