Novels

My Cousin Flamed Me in Class for Buying Fake Art and Insulting a Master Painter "How can you slander a legend who's contributed so much to the art world? Do you even have a conscience?" she yelled, practically spitting mad. The whole class chimed in, shouting for me to get lost and leave the prestigious art school. Are you kidding me? The "legendary painter" they're all defending? That's me! 1 I was in my studio that evening, putting the finishing touches on my new piece, "Yesterday's Echo," when my mom called, interrupting me. "Honey, it's a disaster! Your dad's deal fell through!" Mom's usually so calm,

My ten-month-old daughter, Lily, had just taken a nasty tumble and was out cold. I was freaking out, but my husband, Mark, gets this call and just bolts out the door, leaving me and Lily high and dry. Later, like 3 AM, he stumbles back drunk, propped up by this young woman. She’s got this snotty look on her face, all, "Oh, hi, sister. You're a stay-at-home mom? Seriously? You're like a freakin' leech, mooching off your husband! You're giving us women a bad name!" Then she has the nerve to add, “You’re not good enough for him!” I take one look

I never believed there could be a child born inherently evil. Until my daughter, Lily, was born. Back in kindergarten, when her grandma had a hypoglycemic episode and ate one of her candies, she stabbed a chopstick into grandma's mouth. In elementary school, after overhearing us praise the neighbor's kid for being well-behaved, she threw that three-year-old girl into the dog pen. During junior high, she bullied her classmate so severely that the girl jumped off a building and ended up with a permanent disability. In high school, she started dating early and stayed out overnight. When her dad locked her at home, she accused

To make his old flame laugh, my boyfriend, Jake, shoved my face into a peanut butter cake. I'm allergic, so my face swelled up like a balloon, and they all roared with laughter. "Jake, go on, smooth things over with your girl," one of his buddies called out. He just shrugged, "Nah, she ain't going anywhere. She'll come crawling back to me soon enough." Six months later, he got my wedding invitation and showed up at my door, eyes red with anger. "How could you?" he demanded. 01 Jake and I were practically raised together. I had a major crush on him from way back, but

01 The scholarship list came out, and my principal, Mr. Harrison, called me into his office. Again. “Okay, Ashley, so the school’s decided to give the merit scholarship to Brittany Miller this year. You know…” he started, avoiding eye contact. I practically leaped out of my chair. “What?! Why? I’ve had the highest GPA for three years straight! I’ve won eight national awards, ten state awards, and countless others. I’ve been top of the class every semester. Brittany? She's barely passing. Why?” Mr. Harrison's face turned sour. “Ashley, don’t push this. Her dad is the VP of Stellar Tech. You…?” he looked me up

My dad was on the subway, heading home from his part-time teaching gig, when some woman accused him of taking upskirt photos. Just like that, his life went to hell. They were shoving each other, arguing loud enough for half the car to stare. Next thing I knew, my old man had fallen. He hit his head hard. They rushed him to the hospital, but it was too late. I was a mess, devastated. My husband, Mark, was nowhere to be found. He’d bailed right when I needed him most. Later, I sued the woman for slander and involuntary manslaughter. Imagine my surprise

My husband's "perfect girl" and I got snatched at the same time. When the kidnappers gave him a Sophie's Choice, he picked her, no hesitation. Me? They chained me up in a warehouse like some stray dog, playing with me like I was some pet. I was done. Over it. I didn’t love him anymore. Then, of course, Mark shows up at my door, all puppy-dog eyes, begging me to forgive him... 1 The news of my rescue blew up the internet. Paparazzi were everywhere when the cops escorted me out of the car, their flashes exposing every inch of my trauma. I looked

My birthday rolled around, and I was sitting at the restaurant until closing time, but Sarah just never showed. Then I see her boy-hood pal, Mike, post on his Insta: “Thanks, Sarah, for the killer yacht! Cruisin’ tonight!” I threw a like on it, commented, “Have fun out there!” Next thing I know, Sarah’s blowing up my phone. “He’s my assistant, okay?! I’m gonna give a bonus for landing a huge deal! What’s your problem?” “Do you have to be so passive-aggressive about it? You’re so useless!” …And just like that, she hung up before I could even get a word in. Seriously? I just

My stepson was about to die, held hostage by a drug dealer, who specifically demanded to negotiate only with my wife. And she was at a children's amusement park with her celebrity crush and his daughter, telling me I was just trying to make her look bad. "Mark, I just cracked a major case, and I'm finally having a day off. Can't you just leave me alone while I’m with Father David and his daughter, Lily? Stop trying to guilt me with the son act. Are you even a man?" Before I could even explain, she hung up. I called back, but her phone