She loved him loudly. He loved her quietly-only when it was convenient. Leah believed two years of love meant security, a future, a place she could finally call hers. Yet, every time it mattered, he chose someone else. A best friend. A familiar comfort. A silence that hurts more than betrayal. This is a story about emotional neglect, unspoken loyalties, and the slow realization that love without priority is a form of loss. It asks a difficult question: How long can you stay where you are never fully chosen?

For twelve years, I thought I had the perfect life in our quiet Chicago suburb. A loving husband, three beautiful kids, and my childhood best friend who felt more like a sister. Family barbecues, late-night talks, unbreakable trust. Until the day I discovered the truth about sweet little Everly the three -year-old I've always called my niece. She's not my brother-in-law's daughter. She's my husband's. And her mother? My best friend. They hid it for three long years while I shared every secret, every laugh, every tear with the woman who helped create the biggest lie of my life. This is my story of love turned to ashes, betrayal that cuts deeper than anything I've ever known, and the question that haunts me every single day: How do you rebuild when the two people you trusted most stole your entire world?❤️‍🔥❤️

No blurb yet, but in short: marriage-in-crisis. Both working professionals. She's a public defender; he's a court reporter. Will have emotional cheating on hero's side. Betrayal in that emotional cheating sense, grovel, and redemption. Will have OW drama, but I'm not sure how much yet and to what degree. It will be posted on Wattpad and free, but eventually I may pull it for KU--depending--once it's completed and edited. A new chapter(s) will be published on Fridays. At no specific time.

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.

Two childhood best friends. One man. One secret. Mila was Marc's first love-his high school sweetheart who vanished to chase her dreams in Vegas, leaving him broken. Emily stayed. She became his wife, the safe choice, the one who loved him when Mila disappeared. Twenty years later, Mila returns. Old feelings resurface, promises resurface-and she comes back with a secret that could destroy Marc's marriage and shatter Emily's world forever. Some loves never die.

Emerald Sawyer has always been my home. She was the one who saw something in me when everyone else saw a hockey goon who couldn't even read properly. When the world called me stupid, she called me capable. When I had nothing, she sacrificed to give me everything. Now, I'm Hayden "Haymaker" Sawyer-the league's most feared enforcer. My violence goes viral. My fists pay the bills. Every fight, every brutal hit, every autograph, every picture, every deal-I do it all for her. But somewhere along the way, I lost sight of her. I missed the warning signs-the threats, the harassment, the shaming, the strangers who hate her simply for being mine. When she showed me, I told her it didn't matter. It was jealousy. It was nothing. I told her that she was safe. I was wrong. The losses started piling up. The fans raged. My anger grew. My fights became more reckless. My temper snapped, and I said careless words that pushed away my entire world. While I'm smiling for the cameras, my wife was brutally attacked by a fan. While I'm protecting my career, my Emerald was fighting for her life. Every moment I'd ignored her, every time I'd put hockey before her, every careless word I'd ever said-all of it hit me at once. Now I see everything. She's alive, but terrified. She doesn't trust me. She doesn't feel safe with me. She flinches when she sees my jersey. I will never forgive myself. But I cannot give up. I will prove to the only person who ever saw me-the only person who ever loved the real me-that I am still worthy of her. That I can put her first, that I can make things right, that I will fight with everything I am to keep her safe, to bring her back to me. I demand vengeance for my wife, against everyone who ever harmed her-and that includes me. Because Emerald Sawyer is my home, my heart, and my everything. This fight-for her-is the most important fight of my life. https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2ykD1DIiMtJwouI2choaIJ?si=c70ab896ac4446b8

Since we first got together, his parents have become like my own. They always told me to come straight to them if he ever misbehaved. I don't think he listened.