Years And Months

Buried deep in the Aster estate was the Heartwood—ancient, sacred, mine. Told my husband, Julian Aster—back when he actually listened—that if it ever fell, I'd die with it. At first, he freaked out. Flew in glacier water, hired a whole squad of plant experts to nurture it 24/7. Then one day, just because his childhood friend—Isabella Duvall—got a scratch from the bark, Julian had the Heartwood ripped out. The second it crashed, I choked on glowing blood—ichor. My power? Gone. Barely standing, I grabbed his arm. "You knew. If the Heartwood dies, I—" He laughed. Straight-up mocked me. "Sera, come on. That fairy tale? Only Grandma still believes that crap. Is that mayo on your mouth? Relax—it's a tree. I'll buy you a forest if you want." Overnight, my hair turned gray. Skin cracked. Eyes dulled. Still, I dragged myself to his grandmother, Henrietta. "I kept your family safe for two hundred years. That's why the Asters thrived. But the Heartwood's gone. Debt's paid. One day left. Whatever happens next? Not my problem."

I was locked in a fridge for 40 days while the uncensored photos of me spread like wildfire across the internet. In the face of the salacious rumors about me, my mother reacted by reposting them. Then, she turned to warn my sister, "Look at how disgusting the entertainment industry is. Don't join it, alright? Stay home and inherit your sister's assets instead. My dearest daughter must be innocent and pure, unlike her." She forgot. She forgot I only joined this 'disgusting' industry to pay for her cancer treatment.

The day my brother, Chester Rodney, came to the orphanage to take me home, my boyfriend Dominic Huxley looked at me coldly and said, "If you choose to acknowledge your birth family, we're over." I knew he had his pride—he could never accept the difference in our social standing. So, for him, I turned my back on the family I had yearned for my whole life. In the decades that followed, I toiled without complaint, saving every cent to help him rise to success. By the time I was not yet fifty, overwork had worn me down. Lying on my deathbed, my breathing shallow and weak, I watched Dominic on television. He was now an acclaimed scientist, just awarded the nation's highest research honor. Tears welled in his eyes as he thanked another woman. "All these years," he said, "I never felt worthy of Alicia. But now, maybe I can use this award as the prologue to a love I've owed her for decades." The "Alicia" he spoke of was the woman mistakenly switched with me at birth—the false heiress the Rodney family raised as their own. The camera zoomed out. Alicia Rodney stood radiant, graceful, and perfectly preserved by years of luxury, blushing as she accepted the trophy. "I waited for you for decades," she said sweetly, "but marriage is still something I'll need to ask my brother about." Chester, who had long taken over the family, looked at her with an indulgent tenderness tinged with something unspoken. "I was adopted by our uncle back then for one reason—to protect Alicia. Making the only princess of the Rodney family happy has always been my life's mission." Only then did I realize—everything I thought I had chosen freely, every sacrifice I made without regret, was nothing but a trap, carefully woven by two men, all for Alicia. The betrayal pierced my heart. I died without peace. But when I opened my eyes again, I was back on the very day Chester came to take me home from the orphanage. I glanced past the two men eyeing me with subtle disdain. Without hesitation, I stepped into the car. "Take me home," I said. This time, I'd send whoever stole my life back to the gutter they slithered from.

When I'm eight months pregnant, my husband, Levi West, becomes a donor to help his ex-girlfriend get pregnant. He even brings her and their illegitimate child home, wanting me to serve them. I refuse, and he calls me inhumane. "Audie's lost her husband—what's so bad about her wanting to have a child? You're a woman, too! How can you be so cruel?" I leave the house in anger, but Levi doesn't care. "Where can a country girl like you go when you're so heavily pregnant? You're going to come back and beg me to take you in again!" I head to the hospital to get an abortion. Then, I return to the countryside and rear pigs with my grandmother. Later, when Levi sees my flat belly and asks to see our child, I throw a handful of ashes in his face. "There you go. It's all there."

I'm having a mental breakdown as I face a clogged drain with my feverish and fussing daughter in my arms. Meanwhile, my husband has reserved a hotel to celebrate another woman's birthday. My mother-in-law spits on the floor. "This is what you deserve. You can't even capture a man's heart!" I clench a fist around the winning lottery ticket in my pocket. I want to get a divorce.

I was twelve when Henry Shaw took me home from the orphanage, gave me a new name, put me through school, and gave me a good life. Ten years later, his first love returned from abroad. Her name sounded like mine, and her face looked like a mirror image. I quickly realized I had been a stand-in all along. Crushing the diagnosis in my pocket, I decided that I was going to live the rest of my life for myself, even if I did not have much time left.

At ten years old, Violet stumbled into the Cedar Grove Pack covered in wounds and malnourished from walking for four days. With her memory shattered, she’s taken in and raised by the pack doctor. Nine years later fate takes Violet across the country, to the wealthiest pack in the world. Soon the walls she constructed around herself, and that harrowing night will be threatened. A face from her past set’s things in motion, his smoky eyes risk sending her to her knees. Flashbacks, blackouts, and secrets steeped in lies, prove to Violet that the past always comes back to haunt you.

Lilith Conner was by all means not a normal 17 year old girl. She has had her fair share of fate and is tired but continues to keep striving forward. All of which is happening in a small town in South Texas. From having her family slaughtered in front of her at the age of 5 to being a outcast in her own Pack. Yes, Lilith Conner is in fact a werewolf, or is supposed to be since she hasn’t been able to Shift everyone says otherwise. Will Lilith live as she is or will destiny have another plan for her?

"Shayari if you're expecting anything from this Nikkah then don't because this Nikkah is nothing but a compromise to save your dignity. I won't be able to give you any rights on me or love that a wife deserves but I will be loyal with you that I assure you. I won't cheat ever but if you dared to cheat on me I won't think twice before shooting you in the middle of your eyes and after a time period I will divorce you as well don't worry we won't be married for forever." He said emotionlessly Well great start for your married life isn't it?He is talking about divorce on the wedding night itself. Note the sarcasm please " I don't expect anything from you, no love, no rights, nothing. This marriage is a big scandal in my life and nothing else.And I'm not a slut that I will cheat on you. I have no interest in that thing. Think yourself free from my side and one more thing if you want you can keep relationships or sleep with others I don't have a problem with that.Anyways, who is interested in you, not me at least. Do whatever you want. And now if you're done with your clear explanation then excuse me I am sleepy and need my beauty sleep because unlike you I sleep at night like any other normal human being "I said and looked at his face.. ***************** Arhaan is like flames dangerous and has the power to burn someone into ashes Shayari is like Roses soft fragile yet full of thorns to protect herself. What will happen when this both will be tied together in an unwanted marriage?Will love bloom between them or the flames will turn the roses in ashes?

" Don't make me take you all night senoria, be a goodgirl and close your legs. Stop teasing me." Alora only required a small amount of money to get through difficult times, deal with family concerns, and get her college degree. However, things change when her friend offers her a "career" with a company that connects young women with wealthy older guys. Alora is paired with Liam, a talented young businessman. The young, attractive billionaire, however, disbelieves in love. Will Alora be able to overcome the obstacle in Liam's heart, or will the difficulties that come with being a billionaire's arm candy drag her down?