When Things Get Tough The Tough Get Going

My husband's childhood sweetheart needed surgery, and he insisted that I be the one to operate on her. I followed every medical protocol, doing everything I could to save her. However, after she was discharged, she accused me of medical malpractice and claimed I’d left her permanently disabled. I turned to my husband, hoping he’d speak up for me, but he curtly said, “I told you not to act recklessly. Now look what’s happened.” To my shock, the hospital surveillance footage also showed that I hadn’t followed the correct surgical procedure. I couldn’t defend myself. In the end, I was stabbed to death by her super-alpha husband. Even as I died, I still couldn’t understand—how did the footage show my surgical steps were wrong? When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the day Joanna was admitted for testing.

He presses her hard to the wall, but make sure to secure the little girl head, his hands at his ex-wife waist tightened as his trembling lips opened, his voice quivered as he said something near her ears. "I wont be a bad guy anymore Xiara, dont leave me again, okay?" he repeated it over and over again like chanting a spell, but the pit at his stomach only continued to grow. His eyes flash a bit of crazy obsessiveness and paranoia as the hand that hold Xiara head a while ago gently stroke her head with great restraints. Tilting her head, Xiara blinked, "Who are you?"

Giovanna (Gina) Akir has a reputation that she's proud of. She's worked hard for years to cultivate this reputation, so why is she Going Rogue? "I pride myself on my reputation. I know that probably sounds strange coming from someone who is known as the pack s**t , but I’ve worked for a few years to establish myself as the woman who can help you deal with your stress and pain without adding to it. Becoming the pack s**t was never a goal of mine, and honestly, I hate the title, but it won’t deter me from what I do. My position in the pack does not mean that I’ll sleep with just anyone for any reason. I think of it like a service. I offer physical comfort to those in need, and although I don’t receive money for what I do, I like to think that I add value to the pack by helping our warriors to get out of their own head so they can do what they need to do." ***This is the story of a side character from my first book "Second Chance Luna" Each book will have some spoilers for the other, but you do not need to read either one to understand the other.***

Bella Flynn lived her life of privilege. There was an arranged marriage between her and her childhood Friend, Michael Sean, and this made him to detest her, thinking she forced their parents due to her obsession for him. Jealous and filled with rage, Bella set out to destroy Mandy, her husband's lover and in the process committed many sins. But her sin caught up with her and she died and untimely death. But her story doesn't end there, she finds herself reborn with her memories intacts. In her new life, she is determined to avoid any path of destructions she had taken in her past life. "Like you've always wanted. Let's get divorced." She told her husband and he was shocked to the bone. She thought everything will be fine and they will separate but michael Sean is not making it easy as he is not ready to divorce. Okay then, she will be the most powerful socialite and later divorce her husband. But who is she Kidding, Michael Sean is not ready to divorce. "Mrs Sean, you are tied to me forever. Till death do us part."

Nathalie Darren is not sterile. She wants to tell her husband, Charles Frederick to surprise him with a four-week-old fetus. However, Charles instead handed her a divorce suit and forced her to accept the divorce, because his lover, Gina Trenton was already seventeen weeks pregnant. Nathalie tried to fight for her marriage, but she was insulted and even accused of harming Gina. Stress made Nathalie unable to keep her child and at a critical moment, only Nicholas Grand, Charles's rival, helped her. When Nicholas asked Nathalie to marry him with a one-year contract agreement, she thought that it was a way to repay Charles' actions and Nicholas was also willing to help her. However, everything is not as simple as expected, because there is a secret that Nicholas is hiding, which is related to Nathalie and Charles in the past. The secret that will direct Nathalie's heart, whether she will survive until the end with Nicholas or break off her marriage contract sooner. "Do you think this is fate?" "I don't know. I just know that I have to do this, fate or not, I don't care."

Amelia's husband bangs another woman when the results from the hospital show that she's infertile. Unknown to him, the results are fake. Now Amelia is pregnant and he regrets his decision.

Two months into my cold war with Sean, the lover he’d been keeping finally danced her way right up to me, the real deal. Everyone expected me to react the same way I always had before, kicking up a huge scene to stake my claim. Instead, I looked at the intimate photos of Sean and her in the group chat, smiled, and sent them my blessing. [Looking good. Wishing you two a long and happy life.] The chat went dead silent. Sean must’ve sobered up from his little paradise because in the middle of the night, he drove home and pounded on my door. He was furious. “Do you think this is funny?” However, I only met his gaze calmly. “Honestly, after all these years, none of it is.”

My boss gives me 200 thousand dollars in cash so I can pay his workers their salaries. I leave the house to buy some envelopes to put the money in, but that's when my father lends the money to our neighbor so they can buy a house. I question him about it, but he says I know nothing about forging relationships. Even my mother and brother blame me for not keeping my things properly—they say I'm dumb for leaving money lying around when I know my father likes to lend money to others. Later, my boss fires me but doesn't call the cops. All he wants is for me to repay him. To do so, my father finds me a high-paying job. It's only when I get there that I realize I'm supposed to be an old man's housekeeper. On my first day there, he violates me. I want to call the cops, but my father tells me to be forgiving of him. After that, the old man's daughter thinks I seduced her father and has me beaten to death. When I open my eyes again, I'm back to the day my father lent money to our neighbor.

“Let's make a deal.” He said, his fingers tracing down my neck, sending shivers down my spine. “I'll help you get revenge, but on one condition.” “W–what?” I stuttered, blush creeping in as he smirked. “Your soul.” He whispered, his eyes glowing eerily under the moonlight. “It's mine.” **** Being rejected by her mate in front of everyone, on the night of her anniversary, Anna thought the worst had come, but she was wrong. So very wrong. That same night, he had introduced his wife, the official Luna to the pack, and that was the final snap. Without a second thought, she had fled only to meet her mate. Everyone thought she was crazy, but what they didn't know was that a few years later, she would return. With a thirst for revenge and a son. Their goal? Claim the pack.

The things we want are so very rarely the things we need. Clifton Heights, a modest Adirondack town, offers many unique attractions. Arcane Delights sells both paperbacks and hard-to-find limited editions. The Skylark Diner serves the best home-cooked meals around, with friendly service and a smile. Every August, Mr. Jingo’s County Fair visits, to the delight of children and adults. In essence, Clifton Heights is the quintessential small American town. Everyone knows everyone else, and everyone is treated like family. It is quiet, simple, and peaceful. But shadows linger here. Flitting in dark corners, from the corner of the eye. If you walk down Main Street after dark, the slight scrape of shoes on asphalt whispers you're not alone, but when you look over your shoulder, no one is there. The moon shines high and bright in the night sky, but instead of throwing light, it only seems to make the shadows lengthen. Children disappear. Teens run away. Hunters get lost in the woods with frightening regularity. Husbands go mad, and wives vanish in the dead of night. And still, when the sun rises in the morning, you are greeted by townspeople with warm waves and friendly smiles, and the shivers pass as everything seems fresh and new... Until night falls once more. Handy's Pawn and Thrift sits several blocks down from Arcane Delights. Like any thrift store, its wares range from the mundane to the bizarre. By daylight, it seems just another slice of small town Americana. But in its window hangs a sign which reads: We Have Things You Need. And when a lonely traveling salesman comes looking for something he desperately wants, after normal visiting hours, after night has fallen, he will face a harsh truth among the shelves of Handy’s Pawn and Thrift: the things we want are rarely the things we need. ©️ Crystal Lake Publishing