Alex had been my friend with benefits, and like a stupid cliche, I had to go and fall in love with him. I thought...I really thought...he was falling in love with me, too. Getting ready for a serious relationship. And he was. Just...not with me. He told me he wanted to find a girl just like me...

Leo and I fell in love, and he loved and accepted my little girl as if he was her father. He made it 100% clear that he wanted to marry me and adopt Samantha. As if we couldn't get any happier, I got pregnant -- big surprise. Then his parents, who had adored my daughter, backed away from her since she wasn't their "real" grandchild. But it wasn't until Leo backed off from wanting to adopt my daughter that I realized maybe Leo and I weren't going to have the happily ever after we'd been planning.

As a single mom intent on making a better life for my two children and myself, I gave up dating while I finished my degree and started a new job. Then I met Edge and we began casually but soon became more. I was well on my way to falling in love with him and he was getting to know my children. Our future looked bright... ...until one night, at a party a his house, I overheard him telling his female best friend (and someone who had once been more to him) something about me that cut me deep. So, I cut him out of my life because while you can say anything you want about me, saying something about my children is a whole different story...

A Hollywood movie star promised his wife he'd stop doing sex scenes in his movies if she'd marry him. She finally agreed and things were great for years. Until the scripts weren't coming in for Mack like they used to. He caved to his agent's pressure and went behind his beloved Oriana's back and did a sex scene. He was going to tell her after the premiere when she came back from being overseas for work. But Oriana surprised him at the premiere -- and she ended up being surprised. Then Mack got a surprise and realized he might not be able to save his marriage.

Sam needed a wife. I needed a stable for my horses. We agreed to a marriage of convenience, but it seemed to be more. For a while. Until my distant cousin, who was Sam's ex, showed up on our doorstep. And I was no longer convenient.

He called her his. His ol' lady. His wife. Property of Clutch. Rebecca "Bex" Pierce never belonged to anyone. She chose him. She stood beside him. She wore his patch with pride. Until the night he chose wrong. When a lie tears through the Dawnbreakers MC, loyalty turns toxic and pride turns cruel. In front of his brothers, in front of the clubhouse, Clutch does the one thing Bex never thought he would. He doesn't hit her. He doesn't cheat. He just doesn't believe her. And if he doesn't believe her? Then the patch means nothing. So she takes it off herself. Throws it at his feet. And walks away from the only life she's ever known. No protection. No club. No husband. The fallout fractures the Dawnbreakers from the inside out. Secrets unravel. Brothers fall. The club reforms. But the woman he lost? She isn't waiting to be claimed again. If Clutch wants his wife back, he won't just have to apologize. He'll have to rebuild everything he broke. Publicly. Relentlessly. Without expecting forgiveness. Because this time, she isn't property of anyone. Not even him. This story was born inside the Grovel & Betrayal Facebook group during a live "build-a-book" day. You asked for: • Public humiliation • Believed-the-wrong-person betrayal • Nuclear heartbreak • A man who has to earn her back And as I was reading your comments, one character kept echoing in my head. Clutch. You met him in Unlawful Hearts. You saw the quiet weight he carried. You heard him whisper to Remi. You watched him stand in the fire with the Dawnbreakers. This is his story. Welcome back to the Redemption Road world, this is within the same timeline as Unlawful Hearts.

Copyright © 2025 by Bookish Dae After single mom Sophia overhears the love of her life, Grey, call their life "exhausting," her world shatters. She walks away, forcing the tattooed, man who adored her and her son to embark on a relentless journey fighting for a second chance to become the husband and father they deserve.

**SAMPLE ONLY - READ ON KU, EBOOK, OR PAPERBACK** US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GV177BWC UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0GV177BWC AU: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B0GV177BWC CA: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0GV177BWC 𝐇𝐨𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐲 𝐦𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐡𝐢𝐦 𝐚 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫. 𝐈𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐚 𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐭. Emerald Sawyer has always been my home. She saw something in me when everyone else saw a hockey goon who could barely read. When the world called me stupid, she called me capable. Her faith built me in ways my father's cruelty never could. Now I'm Hayden "Haymaker" Sawyer-the league's most feared enforcer. My violence goes viral. My fists pay the bills. Every hit, every fight, every autograph, every deal-I told myself I was doing it all for her. Somewhere along the way, I stopped seeing what it was costing our marriage. I let my agent handle the business so I could focus on the game. I ignored the threats and harassment. The fans who hated her simply for being mine. When Emerald tried to show me how cruel it had gotten, I told her it didn't matter. That I would always keep her safe. I was wrong. The losses piled up. The fans turned vicious. My temper snapped, and with one ugly moment, I pushed away the only person who has ever truly loved me. Then, while I was smiling for the cameras, my wife was brutally attacked by a fan wearing my jersey. Now I see everything too late. I want blood from every single person who touched her. And the deeper I dig, the clearer it becomes that none of this was random. My agent, Rick Fox, has been pulling the strings for far too long. I'll do whatever it takes to bring down the people who came for my wife, earn back the woman I love, and prove that this time, I won't fail her again. Because Emerald Sawyer is my home, my heart, my everything.

QUEENS OF CHOAS SERIES PREQUEL!!! Once upon a time, a girl was sent away. No trial. No second chance. Just a story everyone believed because it was easier that way. Five years later, she comes back. This is the part where, in a Disney movie, she'd forgive everyone, hug her family, and learn the power of love. Instead, Gianna De Santis learns how to break bones, keep secrets, and survive rooms that were never meant to be safe. The family expects a villain. The kingdom expects obedience. And some Princes are not always charming . There are no fairy godmothers here. Only men with power, women with knives, and lies that refuse to stay buried. And while everyone's busy wondering if Gianna is still dangerous- They forget to ask the real question: What happens when the girl they tried to erase comes back sharper... and finally decides to stop being nice? Because this isn't a Disney movie. And the girl who survived the tower doesn't believe in happily ever after- She believes in consequences.