When a body turns up in Westmere, Leila Harlow is haunted by fractured memories and a fear she can't name. Her brothers keep their secrets close, and she must uncover the truth on her own.

Real courage is when you know you're licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and see it through no matter what. - Harper Lee. Willa Parks is a young, sensitive girl, whose heart has hardened greatly over the course of her life. At almost 14, the universe does not seem to be on her side. Suffering through grief, anxiety, and trauma, she struggles day by day. Not to mention, the presence of her striking 7 older brothers, all who hide their own secrets.. Can their presence be enough to extricate sweet, darling Willa from the darkest depths of her mind? Or will their secrets push her right over the edge? In a world where family is the top value, are secrets really all that worth it? Will they just cause the inevitable crash and burn? The time is now for Willa to unlock her tenacity. The question is whether or not she can do it. Random updates :))

'I wish I could, but I know I can't.' ▪︎ 15-year-old Josephine Parker just wanted to seek shelter in the old warehouse. Instead, she unwillingly overheard something she shouldn't have and therefore crosses the path of the Marini family. A family known for making people 'gone' and whose brothers are willing to do anything to protect their family, even if it means a homeless girl becomes their sister. But Josephine's past is something that can't be made gone.

Life and death are two ends of the same rope. You can either be dead while living, or you can live while dying and the rope is your choice. Aliyah chose the latter. Aliyah and her brothers have faced many challenges together. From the death of their parents to financial crises. They have fought all along with the same courage and zeal. Now it's time for the ultimate battle, battle of life and death. When Aliyah is diagnosed with a life-threatening disease, the roots of this strong family is shaken beyond repair. Aliyah has a long battle to fight but her brothers wouldn't let her do it alone. Because that's the thing about family, no battle is fought alone. There's an army behind you, ready to fight for you against all the odds. //All the pictures used in this story are from Pinterest and belong to their rightful owners.\\

❝All of today, and only today.❞ ☼ ☼ ☼ I want to tell you a story that will break your heart. I want to tell you about a girl who was born to fly and before she could touch the clouds... her wings were ripped away. Her fall was nothing short of excruciating agony, and with it, everything she had ever dreamed was lost. But even when the end seemed near, she chose to live in those delicate moments. She took comfort in the embrace of her three older brothers and they became her strength. Her anchor when the waves kept coming. Her beating heart when all else failed. Until her love was all they had left. And her name will forever be Aida Valievo. ☼ ☼ ☼ NOT INCEST. This book is about sibling bonds through difficult times. Updates biweekly. ☼ ☼ ☼ Cover is made by me. Copyright © 2022 Josie Marie Any relation to other stories or characters is entirely coincidental and not intentional. Any credit for the #olderbrother trend goes to its appropriate writers/creators. All of my work is original, inspired by the #olderbrother trend.

6 siblings turned strangers that complete each other in all the wrong ways. ☾☾☾ Estranged from her family since nine years, all it takes is one phone call from the hospital to send Thea Reid's past launching into her present. As old severed ties heal and new ties form, will Thea's relationship with the family she left behind take on a new meaning, or will she have to face the consequences of letting her family back into her life? Because there is a very good reason that she left her brothers and birthed a new life of her own ⎯ it was far from conventional. ☾☾☾ Will Thea finally follow her heart, or play by the rules? #1 in dysfunctional out of 1.38K stories (20/6/24) (3/10/24) (13/10/24) #2 in dysfunctional out of 1.35K stories (20/7/24) (2/10/24) (11/10/24) #3 in dysfunctional out of 1.39K stories (20/10/24) #4 in newbeginnings out of 5.55K stories (10/8/24) #5 in secrets out of 1.9K stories (11/6/24) #5 in brokenfamily out of 4.33K stories (20/10/24) #7 in family out of 279K stories (10/6/24) #9 in brothers out of 27.1K stories (8/4/25) #10 in grief out of 17.5K stories (25/3/25) #10 in dysfunctional out of 1.47K stories (8/4/25)

Alessandra has never believed in safety. Life never gave her a reason to. Pain carved her childhood, silence became her armor, and trust? That was a luxury she could never afford. So when she runs -- bloody, broken, and barely breathing, she doesn't expect saving. She certainly doesn't expect to be taken in by a family dripping in wealth and power and. . . warmth? A mother who refuses to give up on her. A father who watches like he's waiting for her to let him in. And six brothers. Rough. Protective. Complicated. Brothers, who don't know what to do with a sister who won't speak. She doesn't know how to trust. How to believe that maybe not everyone wants to hurt her. Every instinct tells her to run. To shut down. But they don't let her go. Not when she flinches. Not when she hides. Not even when she breaks. Happiness is for other people, or that's what she believes. But when love comes wrapped in gentle patience and fierce protection, when hands reach for her without demand, when hearts break themselves wide open just to hold her... she starts to wonder. Can a girl stitched together with silence and fear ever belong in a family built on love? Can she stand tall when the ghosts of her past refuse to let go? And when danger claws its way back into her life, threatening everything she's come to know... will she find her voice, or will she shatter all over again? Trigger Warnings: Child abuse. Violence. Addiction. Panic attacks. Self-harm. Death, and more.

I wanted to stay hidden, in my apartment in South Dakota. I wanted to remain anonymous, their world knowing me as Sleuth, someone whose presence was strictly digital. Helping people find their missing loved ones. Then came a deal I couldn't refuse - literally. The Morelli family was one you just didn't say no to, and when you were on their radar, they weaved you into their way of life, their web sticking to you like glue. I promised myself I wouldn't go back to that life after growing up in it; but there was a missing girl to find. And I just happen to love solving a mystery. 'A missing sister story, where she finds herself and a family she didn't even know she wanted.' ⭐️1st in #MISSINGSISTER on the 22/12/2025

One last chance...... That's what she told herself again and again, because if your own family doesn't love you... you start hating yourself. Pale skin, blond almost white hair.... people will instantly start questioning because she looks nothing like her family. First it started with family members, then her own parents and then her siblings. She's breaking and no one sees it. All she has is the voices in her head, the drugs and the pain of being abandoned by the very people who were supposed to love her no matter what.

"It's not what we are but what we do that defines us." Aylin Black has come to believe that she deserves all the misfortunes life throws at her. Yet she refuses to back down. At least not without a fight. But as her past comes knocking at her door she's forced to rethink all her beliefs. And she just might have to give up this losing fight much sooner than she expected.