Barely Tolerable Novels & Stories

The day my husband's first love shows up at my house, I catch a faint, cloyingly sweet scent of gardenias in the air. My genetically-linked asthma flares violently at the scent of gardenias. As expected, halfway through the meal, my chest suddenly tightens. I can barely draw a breath before collapsing onto the couch. My younger brother sprints into my bedroom like he's lost his mind, grabs an inhaler, and shoves it straight to my mouth. "Tess!" he roars. "Why the hell is there gardenia perfume?" Everyone panics. My dad grabs a liquor bottle. My mom lunges forward, grabbing the woman by the hair. And my husband positions himself in front of her, protecting his beloved first love as she trembles. Amid the chaos, I muster the last of my strength. I reach into the crack of the couch, grab another inhaler, take a deep breath, and slowly push myself upright. I let out a cold laugh as I fix my gaze on the woman cowering behind my husband. "Finished with your little performance? It's my turn now."

After a bitter falling out with her mother, Mavi decides to leave her past behind and seek a connection with a father she barely knows. In a quiet and reserved town, she tries to rebuild her life, facing not only the wounds of her mother’s rejection, but also the watchful eyes of a new reality. What Mavi didn’t expect was that a chance encounter with a stranger would awaken a desire that would consume her — and, even more shocking, this man turns out to be Alexandre Xavier, the most respected surgeon in the region and her father’s best friend. Amidst unexpected encounters, heavy glances and conversations interrupted by tense silences, an undeniable attraction begins to take root — an attraction that neither of them can deny. Alexandre, always the calm and disciplined professional, finds himself undone under the weight of emotions he has never allowed himself to feel, leading him to question everything he knew about loyalty, love and desire. My Father’s Best Friend is My Love is a story of forbidden attraction, challenging boundaries and a love that defies reason. How far can you go for a love that is born from the impossible?

What would you do if you gave up your entire life to someone who would later betray you? This is the life of Marigold Kelp a beautiful 19 year old woman who gave up everything to support her dead beat father, her only living kin. After doing everything in her power to land a job her father repays her sacrifices by selling her for 10 million dollars to Nathaniel Bax the owner of a Billion Dollar clothing company (called The Bax Company) to do as he pleases with her. What plans does a man in his late 50's have for a young 19 year old young woman? To force her to marry his untamed son, the richest and most sought-after CEO in the country, but what happens when Marigold doesn't want to be with Beau Bax? Fights, destruction, bitterness, hate, and no good thing. For no matter how hard she resists she can't get out of her new contractual marriage. Pushing down all her emotions, Marigold must now adjust to her new life as the wife of a CEO whom she barely knows…

Leon Santoro's ex-wife and their daughter pushed me down the stairs. I lost the baby. Leon came to see me in the hospital. He sat beside the bed, his expression as composed as always, and said, "She's a child. She didn't know what she was doing. I'm sorry you had to go through this. I apologize for Rosalie." "That's it?" I asked. "Just an apology?" He turned to look at me. "What else do you want? Money? Stock?" "I can't exactly make Rosalie pay with her life for what happened to your child." Your child. Not our child. So he truly never cared about the baby I was carrying. He'd made a promise to his ex-wife Giselle: Rosalie would be his only child. When I told him I was pregnant, he'd barely reacted. Just a shrug and a flat "I know," like I'd told him the weather. Thinking about it now, I looked at him and asked quietly, "You're relieved, aren't you? Now that the baby's gone."

He looked at me, his piercing eyes cold and sharp. “What do you want?” he asked, his tone irritated. “Cat got your tongue?” Fear gripped me, but I couldn’t back down. Not when proving my love was on the line. My hands trembled, but I managed to speak. “Hunter Steele...” I swallowed hard, my voice barely above a whisper. “Will you... will you marry me?” His brows furrowed, and he tilted his head slightly. “What?” ANYA BLAKE ____________________________________ I can’t remember the last time I willingly let a woman get so close. To me, they were a necessary evil....useful when needed, and avoided afterward. But when a young woman, trembling yet determined, stepped in front of me and asked the most ridiculous question I’d ever been asked, I felt something I hadn’t felt in years: a spark. And when I kissed her, it awakened something in me—a feeling I hadn’t known existed. Her innocence intrigued me and I wanted to be the one to claim her, to mold her......to make her mine. HUNTER STEELE

My husband Bill and his beautiful assistant Doris are laughing and eating like they're on a first date. But the joke is on me... I'm here, Bill's wife, watching them from across the room, tending to my flat belly where a little life is now living. Of course, Bill doesn’t know about the baby yet. The news is still fresh in my mind, barely a few hours old. It is supposed to be a family dinner gathering, but I'm never the welcome one but an outsider. Watching Bill take the steak cut and handed over by Doris, his young age best friend who knows him the best, I guess I'm spoiling their fun by telling them now that I'm having a baby. Three years of marriage, and his frequent absences from the family left me feeling overwhelmed and alone. I've even forgotten the reason we got married. Maybe it was a mistake to begin with. Finally, I made a decision. Divorce. But a man came along and shifted things dramatically. And it didn't occur to me that this man was still deeply connected to bill's family. He was Bill's uncle.

For three years, Elena endured a husband who barely acknowledged her, a mother-in-law who treated her like hired help, and a sister-in-law who sneered that she was nothing but a golddigger. All the while, her husband, Damien, pined after his “perfect” ex, like his own wife didn’t exist. Until the day Elena had enough. She signed the divorce papers, packed a single bag, and vanished. Damien was certain she’d come crawling back within a week. But the woman they all dismissed? Turns out Elena is a billionaire heiress, the CEO of the very empire Damien has been desperate to partner with and the one now signing his paychecks. Oops. Now Damien is spiraling, realizing too late what he lost. But Elena has choices she never had before. Like her childhood best friend, an NFL star who’s been in love with her all along. So who will it be? The ex-husband who finally woke up? The best friend who never left? Or has Elena finally decided she’s done with men who don’t deserve her?

When Ava Walker agreed to a marriage she barely understood, it wasn’t love she sought — it was escape. A quiet woman with a past she never speaks of, Ava only wanted to start over. But fate had other plans. Ethan Newton, heir to the Newton Group, was supposed to marry the woman his grandfather handpicked — a polished socialite, perfect for the family name. One mistaken signature, one unexpected bride, and his life took a turn he never saw coming. By the time Ethan realized he had married the wrong woman, it was too late. Divorce wasn’t an option. Trapped in a marriage he never wanted, Ethan’s pride turned cold, his heart colder still. He believed Ava schemed her way into his life — the quiet mask of an ambitious woman. But when danger from Ava’s past returned, and Ethan found himself defending the very woman he swore to despise, everything began to change. In a world of mistaken identities, buried secrets, and love born from hate, Ethan will have to decide: Was she truly the wrong bride, or the only one fate ever meant for him?

When Levi Ezra and I got married, he had solemnly vowed he would love me for a lifetime. Seven years later, he got another woman pregnant — a woman he had so carefully tucked away in a luxurious estate, complete with everything money could buy for a perfect, pampered delivery. By the time I discovered the truth, his mistress's belly was already round and heavy. Her due date was just around the corner. Levi had hesitated — for barely a second — before instinctively shielding her behind him, as though I were some threat. He said, "Nikki, you're terrified of childbirth. Now that this baby is coming, the Ezra family will finally have an heir. You won't have to suffer anymore. We'll still be the same as before. Nothing will change." I clutched the freshly issued pregnancy report in my hand — the one confirming my own child — and let out a laugh so sharp and brittle that it shattered into tears. The day his mistress went into labor, I terminated my pregnancy. I left the divorce papers on his desk, packed my bags, and boarded the first flight to a foreign land.

I woke up at midnight to find my husband out of bed. I called his number, but there was no answer. I searched everywhere and realized he wasn't around. The young nanny had disappeared as well. I barely reached the garage when I heard muffled wanton noises inside. I stormed over, trying to catch the infidel pair in the act. When I opened the door, my husband was standing there with a surgical kit. He was about to head out in his car. He explained, "Honey, I need to catch a flight to Silverport. A patient there needs immediate surgery. You should go to bed without me." I sighed in relief, feeling ridiculous to have doubted him. Suddenly, a few comments rolled before my eyes. "That was so close! They almost got caught! Luckily, Ava had cleverly hidden in the trunk. That bitch will find nothing once Ethan drives away." "My heart is swelling just from watching them! A stoic, genius doctor and a cheery, adorable nanny are a perfect match! Tonya stands no chance against Ava!" I glanced at the shut trunk and slid into the driver's seat with a smile, offering, "Honey, why don't I give you a ride to the airport?"