Payoff Chapter 13 Early Novels & Stories

I make my way to the orphanage after receiving my cancer diagnosis, hoping to bid farewell to the orphan, Lillian Lowe, whom I was sponsoring financially. I unexpectedly find my husband, Henry Graham, who is meant to be on a business trip, and my sister, Felicity Sullivan, who is meant to be on a vacation. Their fingers are intertwined, while they use their free hands to playfully pinch Lillian's cheeks. Lillian rushes into their embrace, weeping pitifully. "Can you get rid of that mean lady at home? I just want to go home with Mommy and Daddy." I finally understand, at that moment, that Henry, whom I thought had loved me the most, is having an affair with Felicity. They even have a child together. Mom and Dad urge me to divorce Henry and make way for his new family. Lillian, the girl I once held dearly in my heart, curses me to an early death. Henry, the one who betrayed me, insists on keeping our marriage. It's too late, though. I'm already dying, just as they wished. Lillian, who once cried so much at the orphanage, now lives in a mansion with a father, a mother, and a pair of doting grandparents. Their perfect little life seems like a never-ending fairy tale. It is only when my lifeless body is before them that everyone suddenly loses their minds.

The 99th time I caught Sarah Burton cheating, she slept with my foster brother, Lucas, just to get back at me. When I walked in on them in bed, there wasn't a trace of guilt on her face. If anything, she looked unapologetically smug. "Jason," she said, "your brother's a hell of a lot better than you." In my past life, those words broke me completely. I lost my mind. I leaked their sex photos to the entire world. Sarah couldn't take the humiliation. She divorced me. My parents were so disgusted that they kicked me out for good. I thought I'd bounce back. I was wrong. I'd spent the first eighteen years of my life growing up wild in the countryside. Even after the Robinsons brought me back, I had no real-life skills. I didn't know how to survive in their world. Then Sarah's family came after me. I went years without a proper meal. By my early thirties, I died of cancer. Meanwhile, Lucas married Sarah and climbed straight into high society. And me? I was just the ex-husband who became a joke to everyone. Now, I open my eyes again. I'm back on the day she slept with him.

Life has never been easy for Cara. Discovering at an early age that she's not a full-blooded werewolf, but a hybrid; half-witch, half-wolf, in a world where hybrids are forbidden and are known as The Ruined or tainted blood, she loses her parents at sixteen, and then her sisters when her mate rejects her and leaves her for dead. Exiled from her Pack, she stumbles across four hot Alphas - Cage, Sloane, Donald, and Samson. Each of them stirs up something in her, and it's not long before she discovers that they're her second-chance mates. But Cara's priority is to find her missing sisters, and they're the only ones who can help her. Aware that she's running out of time, Cara strikes a deal with the - they'll help her find her sisters, while she'll guide them through the Woods of Evil. Being a half-witch, Cara's abilities will be put to the test. But with Cara's former Pack on the hunt for her for uncertain reasons which can never be for good, and the zombies that inhabit the Woods of Evil multiplying as the days pass by, passion and a peaceful life is the last thing in store for them. Will they survive the Woods of Evil? Will Cara's sisters ever be found? Will she and her new mates ever settle down to a peaceful life? [A Reverse Harem Romance]

On the night of my 30th birthday, I waited until the early hours of the morning, but my husband, Theodore Hawk never showed up. Instead, I came across an Instagram post from his childhood sweetheart, Emily Gallagher. [What romantic is not the starry night, it is having you by my side.] In the picture, she was wearing a delicate, sky-blue camisole that revealed just enough to charm and seduce. A man stood close behind her, his hand firmly gripping her waist. The scene was set in the seaside villa that Theodore had gifted her, their figures intimately entwined under the soft glow of the night. Someone had commented beneath the post: [I can’t stand you two being this lovey-dovey all the time! Just get married already!] Emily had responded with a shy-face emoji. I had just liked the post when Theodore, who I had failed to reach all night, blew up my phone with calls. "Are you out of your mind, Camilla? Emi and I grew up together! If we wanted to be together, we would’ve done so long ago! Why are you being so petty?" Looking at how Theodore gently held her in his arms, comforting her, I realized something. Letting go of someone you’ve loved for seven years... can take only a moment.

Havoc Alexana Javier over-organized every single thing, but not her thoughts when Meter Ozuluen De Leon was around. Since childhood, Havoc already knew how her eyes sparkled just by seeing Meter from afar. The butterflies, the chills, the blushes—they all started with a happy crush until that feeling developed through time. As they faced the early years of adulthood, things suddenly changed. Meter was a heartthrob and he was always chased by girls. As everyone else expected, he got a girlfriend at a young age. On the other hand, Havoc who had a huge crush on him found herself shocked because she was not that sad. It hurt her but not to the point that she would hysterically slap someone's face for stealing someone she never owned in the first place. Maybe because… Rhyme Okideo De Leon was there. Meter's twin brother. Havoc's closest friend. Rhyme always supported Havoc even with her crazy feelings for his twin and whenever it went overboard, he was still there for her—guiding and protecting her. He was consistent. But as time went by, his actions changed due to some inevitable disasters in Havoc's life. Probably because Rhyme needed to help her in his ways. The Rhyme ways—the things he kept holding for a very long time.

On her wedding day, Crown Princess Consort Qing Yue meets an untimely end in the hands of scheming concubines and hidden forces. Transmigrated into the future, she begins a new life as Qing Yue, the daughter of a rich businessman. Set to marry her childhood fiancé, the young woman finally decides to let go of her past and live in the present. However, just when everything seemed to be going well, the past repeats itself, and Qing Yue dies in her 'soon-to-be husband' lovers' hands. In the throes of her impending death, she cries for another chance. A chance to live for herself and no one else. As if pitying her, heaven grants her her final wish. Only there was a twist... She was no longer in the future she came to accept but was sent back to the past she strived to forget. To the night before her wedding day... In this tumultuous and turbulent time period, how will Crown Princess Consort Qing Yue manage to safely navigate through the schemes and conspiracies of the Imperial Palace, while defending against a hidden enemy? Join us in this thrilling storm to find out! ----------------------------------------------------------- Follow me on my socials! Early releases on Patreon, sneak peeks on Instagram, fun activities, contests, and chats on discord. Patreon: patreon.com/Raising_Moon Discord: https://discord.gg/6kEsGuaqfg @ raising_moon#3913 Instagram: @ raising__moon Follow any of my socials to connect with me! ------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright 2022 All Rights Reserved.

I loved the pup my parents adopted so deeply that I cared for him as if he were my own son. At his slightest request, I willingly braved the storm to search the cliff edges for the plant he needed for tomorrow's assignment. Just as I stumbled toward them, battered and disheveled, I heard him secretly call my sister "mama, and call my mate "Dad”. It turned out my beloved Alpha mate had been cheating all along. He said it was too early for us to have pups, then turned around and started a family with my own sister. And my parents had known all along. They even wanted to force me to step down from my Luna position. The pup I cherished like my own heart cursed me with the most vicious words. Looking at them, I laughed through my tears. They didn't know I was already dead. The Moon Goddess had shown mercy—if I could receive one genuine declaration of love within these seven extra days, I could return to life. But they all wished for my death. I granted their wish. So why did they all regret it when the pack enforcers asked them to identify my body?

Twenty seven year old trust fund baby Sawyer Driscoll has way too much time on her hands, and even she knows it. Emotionally scarred with crippling abandonment issues, she finds solace in whimsical Kate Lovelace's comforting presence– the breathtaking lifeguard two years her junior who heroically rescued her from nearly drowning while drunk at Naples beach. At around the same time, she becomes drawn to mysterious Blythe Collier– an aspiring Conductor in her early thirties dead set on fulfilling her longtime dream of working with world renowned Orchestras. After meeting at a local Lesbian nightclub roughly three weeks later, the two hit it off immediately with their mutual love for body shots and the fine art of instrumental music. Her only issue? She's already heavily involved with Kate. The solution to crafty Sawyer's dilemma is simple; Date them both. What could go wrong? Assuming they don't catch on to the idea that their charming girlfriend wants to have her cake and eat it too, that is. Two's company, three's a crowd; Everyone says so, right? ...But does it have to be? *Disclaimer* - Strong sexual content, difficult mental health topics, and discussions of death, self harm, and suicide. 18+, please 2020 All Rights Reserved (you know how it goes)

I, Alpha Lake Rush of the Rush Pack, hereby reject you, JoJo Wyatt, as my mate. However, you will need to keep working to pay off your debt." "Wait, what?" At the tender age of eleven, JoJo Wyatt had been forced to grow up faster than most. Coming from a challenging family background with a distant father and a fragile mother, JoJo realized early on that she had to take responsibility for herself and her younger sister. Her focus was solely on survival—love and romance held no appeal for her, especially after a devastating experience. She swore off relationships with men, but that changed when she began working for him in an unconventional role, trying to pay off roughly 7.8 million dollars for her mother’s hospital treatments. Alpha Lake Rush, 30, was known as the most formidable Alpha in the country. Though burdened by his own struggles, he had learned to be strong and decisive. His past experiences had led him to reject two of his mates. But when fate brings him JoJo, who is working to pay off her debt, everything changes. What happens when his destined mate turns out to be the one person he never expected—his third chance mate?

At the label showcase, Lily Monroe pointed at the second microphone beside Adrian Vale and asked, "Is this where Mira usually sings with you?" The room went quiet. That mic had been mine for seven years. From dive bars with sticky floors to sold-out theaters, I had stood to Adrian's left for every acoustic closer. I wrote the lyrics, arranged the harmonies, booked the early gigs, and talked club owners into paying us when Adrian was too proud to ask. Everyone in the band knew that final song was ours. Adrian had once promised me that when we sold out our first arena, we would sing it together before he announced our engagement. But Lily only tilted her head and smiled, all nervous charm and pretty innocence. "Can I try her part?" Adrian looked at me for half a second. Then he handed her the spare in-ear monitor. "Go ahead." The rehearsal room went silent in the way people go silent when they know they have just watched someone get replaced. Lily stepped up to my microphone. Adrian leaned close to adjust the stand for her height, his hand lingering at her waist as he showed her where to come in on the chorus. The band looked anywhere but at me. That was the moment I realized Adrian Vale and I were over.