Forced Habits
- Reads 888
- Votes 153
- Parts 24
A woman who spent years running from her past collides with the man who never forgot any of it.
This is a romance about trauma, faith in the midst of violence and corruption, and the redeeming power of love.
About people caught between the lives they inherited and the ones they're fighting to choose.
It begs one question...
Can we break the cycles we were raised in, or are we forever shaped by the habits forced upon us?
𓆩❤︎𓆪
"You make me go crazy sometimes," he whispered, mint and heat brushing my face.
"Am I really that bad?" I asked softly.
"No," he rasped, low and honest. "I am."
𓆩❤︎𓆪
!! CHECK TAGS !!
action. Christian. dark romance. faith. Jesus. mafia. slow-burn. strangers again. redemption. tension. HEA. healing. ceo. witness protection. billionaire. morally grey. humor. banter. found family. friends.
All Rights Reserved
Join the largest storytelling communityGet personalized story recommendations, save your favourites to your library, and comment and vote to grow your community.
You may also like
Fix Your Glasses.
Christina. I swear I hate him. Ethan Carter with his stupid dimples and neat black hair, always sitting in the front row like the professor personally adopted him. He writes everything down, color-codes it, breathes it. Meanwhile, I'm in the back, half-awake, half-bored, living for the chaos of anything but lectures. And yet he watches me. Not in the judgmental way everyone else does. Not like I'm a disaster waiting to happen. His brown eyes are steady, calculating, almost amused. Like he knows something I don't. We got paired for the semester. Same goddamn dorm room. Of course we did. The universe loves tormenting me. But he didn't flinch. He just smiled slightly, dimples showing, like he was the one entertained. He thinks he can fix me. That's cute. What he doesn't know is I don't want fixing. Still... when he leans over my desk, lowering his voice so only I can hear, telling me exactly what I'm going to do and when, something tight coils in my stomach. I hate that I listen. I hate that I want to. Ethan. Christina Emerson is chaos in human form. Dirty blonde hair never brushed the same way twice. Gray eyes that challenge everything. She pretends not to care about anything, especially not me. But she notices me. She notices when I don't look at her. She notices when I do. Everyone thinks I'm boring. The quiet nerd. The safe one. They don't see the way I study people the same way I study books. Christina is reckless, but she's not stupid. She just runs from effort the way others run from fear. And she runs from me. I don't try to change her. I just corner her with expectations. Deadlines. Eye contact that lasts a second too long. She rolls her eyes, calls me names under her breath. Yet she shows up. Late, dramatic-but she shows up. Her breath stuttered. She does hate me. She just hates that I see through her. And I'm patient. Very patient.Complete
The Man Named Death ✔
"I don't know what I did to make you hate me, I haven't done anything to warrant how you ignore me! Please, just tell me!" "I'm in love with you, damn it!" He roars. "I love you so much Aphrodite, and you scare me because you are so strong and I don't want to be the one to break you!" * Aphrodite Muerte is hiding something and so is her long term crush Thanatos Amaro. Both are helplessly in love with one another and both have very different approaches on how to hide it. Love makes you do crazy things and with Aphrodite and Thanatos, it's no different. Pretending to hate Aphrodite, Thanatos manages to hide his true feelings which takes a toll on both of them. Thanatos has no idea what he's doing. Past trauma rules over Aphrodite at night causing nightmares and panic during the day. Aphrodite has no idea how to live life outside of pain. Abuse has a way of shaping people, and she's barely mended from being so broken. Both have friends that force them closer but their love might just be the reason why they end up staying together. Afterall, someone can only stay away from the person they're in love with for so long. One argument and a couple of confessions later leaves them on a confusing path that has the opportunity to be beautiful or disastrous. Love is magical but it is also savage. For Aphrodite and Thanatos, they are each other's downfalls and each others saviors. How long they last is up to them. How much they go through to get together is up to fate. In the end, will they make it or will their love end in splinters and heartache? * WARNING: Mature Content (of all sorts). All rights reserved to STESLARA, any copying or plagiarism is illegal and can be punished in a court of law. Started: June 25th, 2019 Finished: Dec 13th, 2019Complete
My best friends crush
My best friend watched him all the time. She didn't even try to hide the fact that she crushed on him, but why would she when everyone else seemed to do exactly the same. It seemed like I was the only person left with a little sense in my mind. Sure, he was hot and all, but I always liked to believe that there was something more to people then what we could see. And it was...Complete
Roots
While falling in love with a drug kingpin, Tikera must prove she can survive in his dangerous world - and convince him their relationship is worth fighting for. ***** After dropping out of university and setting her sights on traveling to Europe, twenty-three-year-old Tikera Copeland is desperate for a job. So when she innocently applies for a gardening position and immediately gets hired, she's shocked to discover that her "real" job will be tending to a bunker full of thriving, (definitely) illegal weed plants. Intrigued by this world she knows nothing about, Tikera agrees to stay, but her growing feelings for "The Boss" -- the mysterious drug kingpin who owns and grows the plants -- quickly complicate things. He's falling for her too (and she knows it, even if he won't admit it), but breaking through his icy exterior won't be easy. And with thieves, vengeful hitmen, and rival kingpins threatening them at every turn, will they even survive long enough to find their happily ever after? [[word count: 100,000-150,000 words]]Complete
Under the Same Moon as Mathias| Original
Mathias glowers at me with those dull, yet bright eyes and all I can do is glare back at him. The air around us crackled with electricity and a raging fire from the pit of my stomach licked the back of my throat. I was ready to spit flames at him, scorch the smug smile off his face and leave him to burn like he does me. Instead I don't get the chance. His soft lips capture mine and I know I'm fighting a losing battle. Extended summary inside HR: #4 in Witchcraft 8/23/18 #2 in Witchcraft 8/24/18 #4 in Werewolves 3/16/20 [EDITING] //I don't own any of the images found in the cover or aesthetics//Complete
The Bad Boy's Princess ✓(Completed)
Kierra Rogers is a shy, smart student who stays out of the spotlight. She also has a secret and a past that still effects her. Jordan Williams is the school's bad boy. He has 2 bestfriends and a secret no one knows and he also has a past. He doesn't talk to a lot of people. What happens when these two meet? Will they simply ignore each other? Or will an unlikely romance begins?( I'm terrible at descriptions. Just give it a try💙) ----------------------------------------- Preview: "what's your favorite color?" She jumps and looks up at me. Before she can back up I grab her waist to hold her in place. I know she's scared, I can see it in her eyes. "I won't hurt you. Just don't back up or run from me ok?" I can see the in decision in her eyes. "Please?" She finally nods and I let her go, but stay in the same spot. "Lets make a deal. We have 10 minutes before school starts. In that time you let your guard down and we talk. If you see that you're comfortable talking with me, we be friends. Nothing more and nothing less. If you still aren't comfortable talking to me, I'll leave you alone. And I don't lie." She looks at me with curiosity. "What if I lie and say I don't because I'm scared but I really do?" She looks sad and I wish I could erase that look on her face. ----------------------------------------- Read to find out what happens next💙 -Alene xx Highest Ranks: #5 in Lonely #1 in Sunshine #1 in africanamerican #2 in princess #9 in BBW #1 in newschool #82 in Romance #14 in goodgirl #13 in bestfriendsComplete
I Like You a Latte {Completed}
"You're my favorite thing." He croaked. "You're all I have left . . . I don't know what I would do if you left me." *** A story built on coffee, awkward glances, dark pasts, too many puns, and one girl's uncanny ability to find trouble. Oh, and love. *** Beverly had always loved local coffee shops. When she stumbles upon Cynthia's, she enjoys a mocha and the adorable, awkward giant of a barista, who is covered in tattoos and would be terrifying, if not for the fact that he can hardly look her in the eye. As they grow closer, Beverly works to unravel his tricky past, whilst trying not to get involved in her roommate's suspicious antics and the sudden uprising of drugs and alcohol at her university. *** Highest Rankings: #1 in Sweet 5/14/22 -- 5/18/22 #5 in Chicklit 7/23/22 #1 in shyboy 8/7/22Complete
The Unseen Witness
"You think I don't care about you?" he murmurs. "You think I don't feel anything?" "I-Noel-" His voice is low enough to weaken me. When her best friend disappears without a trace, Lily arrives at college carrying more questions than answers. Raised by former detectives, she knows one rule: nothing vanishes without reason. What she doesn't expect is him - charming, guarded, and always one step ahead of the truth. As clues surface and feelings deepen, she begins to realize the person she's falling for may be the one who knows exactly what happened to her best friend. Some secrets are buried. Others are sleeping beside you. #1 in Romeo 02/26/26 #6 in mystery
Saving Midnight
When love finds the shattered, it doesn't come quietly. A story where two broken people were never supposed to collide-let alone fall for each other. A mean girl with heels sharper than a knife, Devora Midnight is guarded, impulsive, and drowning in the weight of her past. Adelio Marchetti is a mafia heir haunted by a lost love-and completely unprepared for the storm Devora brings. She's reckless, unapologetic, and everything he was told to avoid. She's the chaos he craves. He's the control she resents. Their chemistry is electric, their connection dangerous. But as buried secrets claw their way back, the line between love and destruction begins to blur. BOOK 1 OF 𝙋𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙧 𝘼𝙩 𝙈𝙞𝙙𝙣𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 SERIES - 𝐃𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫, If you 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐬𝐥𝐨𝐰-𝐛𝐮𝐫𝐧, 𝐣𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐲, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐬𝐭 ...𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐝𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮.Complete
When Different Worlds Collide ✔️
Katherine Reynolds and Erik Jones couldn't be any more different. White/black, Upper class/lower class, sweet and innocent/dangerous and corrupt. Their lives should never cross paths. Their lives should be completely separate. They had no business knowing each other, other than the fact that they went to the same school. Even then, they had no correlations. They had no classes that were the same, they had no mutual friends, they had no reason to know each other. Somehow, their lives kept intertwining with one another and they found themselves slipping deeper and deeper into each other's life. Erik always thought that Katherine was nothing but a spoiled brat with a perfect life, but soon he found himself realizing that her life isn't as perfect as it seems. Katherine always thought that Erik was nothing more that the rumors that were spread about him: a dangerous guy with bad friends. Soon she realizes that he would do anything for his family, no matter what the cost. Can Katherine and Erik find a way to navigate their unlikely friendship or will they prove to be too different from each other. Will hate and intolerance win out or can love, acceptance, and understanding conquer all?Complete
Elle (Sample)
•A Wattpad Twice-Featured Story. *Previously named Elle's Saviour* At 25 years old, Elle Barrett resorted to escorting to provide for her son and unwell Grandmother. Struggling to pay bills and keep food on the table, she met Dean Wallace at the lowest point in her life. Little did she know that he would change her life completely. After attending an event with her client Dean, in which the two find themselves stuck in a lift, Elle's life takes a sudden and unexpected turn when he offers her a job. But will Dean be her saviour, or her undoing? Featured by Wattpad: 14th Dec 2017. Completed on: 17th Dec 2017. Highest Rank: #3 in Romance on March 2018. 1 million reads as of 5th Jan '18 2 million reads as of 25th Feb '18 5 million reads as of 3rd June '18 10 million reads as of 23rd Feb '19Complete
Lost (in Your Emerald Eyes)
"They said opposites attract. Like the Sun and the moon, they draw to one another. Then why, now that I know you does the love we share feel so easy and real? Why now that we've tied our knots, now, only now, we figured out that the differences we thought we had are nonexistent? Why now, after all these years, I discover that you and me... We're the same." ☆ Elizabeth "Betty" Cooper. A sweet girl from a sweet family. A straight-A student (much to her parents' satisfaction). Cheerleader - both literally and emotionally. A sincere young lady with the best manners, and even a better heart. ☆ Forsythe Pendleton "Jughead" Jones the third. The bad boy from the wrong side of the tracks. The son of the leader of one of the two gangs on the Southside: the Serpents. A boy with countless layers and secrets and a stone-cold exterior. ☆ ||Word count: 167,600||Complete
HIS PAST
We had our flaws and our perfection. We had our issues and problems. We weren't meant for each other and that's ok, because it was fun while it lasted. We were so different but opposites attract, so it's fine. We fought a lot but it's ok because we love each other and that's all that matters. Isn't it? ••• Bella Stonefield, an eighteen year old undergraduate, hoping to earn a few dollars before entering College, meets Ashton Kutcher, the high school 'badboy'. At first, she thought it would be just like high school, when they never talked or even made eye contact. As she got to know him she started hating him, but nevertheless loved the narcissistic, self centered, egoistic jerk he was. She tried to hide her feelings, but it was too hard for her. Finally when she feels he might feel the same way, he withdraws from whatever was going on between them. And the only thing that can bring them back together is... The truth The truth about his past...Complete
The Bitter Everythings || ✓
• a romance thriller • "Break my heart, I give you the permission Maia Oberain." Levi whispered. « ¤ » "You are like the first ray of sunshine reaching the Earth at dawn, Lana. The start of a new day, a new beginning.You are what defines my reality." Damien said. ¦ ~ ¦ Something which both Lana Wilson and Maia Oberain absolutely hate, are surprises. They despise them with a flare and they hate whoever brings it upon them. But what happens when its life trying to give them just that. Surprises and more surprises. You might want to see them struggle. || twisted tale of two love stories weaving into one as secrets are unraveled and people are hurt || 09/12/20 : rewriting; editing.Complete
Psycho's Favorite Toy.
LUCAS People think they know me. Golden boy. Loud laugh. Always at the center of the party. The one who throws an arm around your shoulders and tells you life is amazing. Because if I stop smiling, I might fall apart. And then there's Logan Willmore. Everyone whispers her name like it's a warning label. Psychopath. Freak. Crazy. She talks about serial killers like they're historical heroes. She smiles at things that make other people flinch. They're scared of her. I'm not. She asserts dominance without trying. A look. A word. A slow step into my space. And God, I love it. I love that she isn't pretending. I love that she doesn't soften herself for anyone. I love the darkness in her because it matches the quiet ache inside me. Maybe I'm broken. Or maybe she's the only one who makes me feel something real. LOGAN They call me insane. They're not wrong. I like the way organs look in textbooks. I find comfort in crime documentaries. I study serial killers the way other girls study makeup tutorials. People avoid me in the hallway. They think I'm dangerous. Good. Fear keeps them predictable. Lucas Carter is the biggest lie in the school. Sunshine boy. Party king. Everyone's favorite golden retriever. But when he laughs too loud, I see the cracks. When he thinks no one's watching, his shoulders drop like he's carrying something heavy. He thinks he's hiding it. He isn't. He gravitates toward me like a moth to a flame he knows will burn him. He watches me when I talk about dark things. Not with fear. With fascination. With need. He likes when I tell him what to do. When I invade his space. When I lower my voice and watch him fold. He thinks I don't notice the way his breathing changes. I do. He's addicted to the danger I represent. To the control. To the fact that I don't fake my emotions the way he does. Maybe I'm a psychopath. But when he looks at me like I'm the only thing that makes sense in his chaotic head... I almost feel human.Complete
When Logan Hates Me
Stacey Bennet is perfect. She's got everything a girl would ever want in life. She has the rich family, and the rich boyfriend who so happens to be the star athlete of their school- cliche, I know. She's got the fame and the looks and all the dresses and high heels one would want to fashionably walk down the future she so carefully had planned with her high school sweetheart... or so she thought. When she finds her boyfriend fucking her little sister, all her perfect doll life crumbles to the ground and she's now faced with an uncertain future and a life that apparently isn't as easy as she deemed. So what does she do? She takes sweet revenge, of course. Logan Miller is everything Stacey would never touch even with a ten foot pole. He's the quiet boy raised in the wrong part of town. He's everything she hates. He's antisocial. He blends in. He doesn't care about school drama and love in the air that inevitably leads to heartbreaks. And for some reason, he's immune to her. No, scratch that, he hates her with a passion so fierce it blindsides her. But he's the boy her sister is obsessed with. The same one her boyfriend has a sick inferiority complex about. It's either him or nothing and Stacey always gets what she wants.
Unrequited love
Love. As 'beautiful' as love can be it hurts and bleeds. If you're unlucky you may even love the very person you know you can't have. The best friend, The distant boyfriend, The sisters friend, The brothers friend, The ex best friend, Love isn't always given back the way you gave it. Leaving you with half a heart as the person you gave your half too never gave you their half back. But what if someone else has another half to make yours whole again?Complete
B L U E ✔
"I found you. I gave you time. Now there's no letting go" he growls and I found myself confused but intrigued. "Why do you speak in such riddles. Mr. Night" I mock and his hands tighten around my waist. "Well. If you want it in more simpler terms. You. are. Mine" -------- My name is Blue. My life was pretty normal. No parents, some guardians, a job at their restaurant. Y'know. Everyday stuff. Little did I realize that one man would come in the form of a king. A dangerous king, to take me away to his kingdom. That's when I observed, that I was Loved By The Mafia King ~~~~~~ Completed. #708 in romance 13/03/17 #500 in romance 14/03/17Complete
Unexpectedly You
"You're mine you hear me! No one else's but mine. So whoever you're thinking about dating, get that shit out your damn head or suffer the fucking consequences" ~~~ please read the description to the end ⚠️ Kendyl Johnson is a very average teenager with many many many problems. Her brother Porter was struggling to admit his feelings for their best friend Melanie and her boyfriend Leo, who is a manipulative sociopath who loves and craves attention. After finding out her boyfriend Leo has been cheating on her, she breaks it off immediately. Leo does not like this. Knowing his history of aggressive behavior and many months of anger management, Kendyl needs to get her mind off things. In comes Trent, he's the school's best athlete and every girl's crush. To save his football career Trent takes matters into his own hands and makes Kendyl tutor him, but little did she know that entering his world will make her life a whole lot harder. After numerous encounters with Trent Wilson Kendyl begins to develop strong emotions for him, little did she know that confessing will take a major turn for things? Fast forward a couple of years later they meet again but this time Trent is not who he use to be. This book itself is NOT BWWM only the series. Book 1, 3 & 4 (coming soon) are. Book 2 is told from Melanie's BFF's perspective who is NOT black. ~~~ BAD BOY SERIES PRESENTS: Unexpectedly You (#2) The prequel to Bad Ass White Boy With Nothing To Prove (#1) *CAN BE READ ON ITS OWN!Complete
The Boss's Daughter
"You." I gasped His smirk turned into a full smile. White teeth. He was so gorgeous. "You didn't answer my question.. miss me?" "I don't even know you." "Get to know me. We're a lot alike." (2020-2021)Complete
Christina. I swear I hate him. Ethan Carter with his stupid dimples and neat black hair, always sitting in the front row like the professor personally adopted him. He writes everything down, color-codes it, breathes it. Meanwhile, I'm in the back, half-awake, half-bored, living for the chaos of anything but lectures. And yet he watches me. Not in the judgmental way everyone else does. Not like I'm a disaster waiting to happen. His brown eyes are steady, calculating, almost amused. Like he knows something I don't. We got paired for the semester. Same goddamn dorm room. Of course we did. The universe loves tormenting me. But he didn't flinch. He just smiled slightly, dimples showing, like he was the one entertained. He thinks he can fix me. That's cute. What he doesn't know is I don't want fixing. Still... when he leans over my desk, lowering his voice so only I can hear, telling me exactly what I'm going to do and when, something tight coils in my stomach. I hate that I listen. I hate that I want to. Ethan. Christina Emerson is chaos in human form. Dirty blonde hair never brushed the same way twice. Gray eyes that challenge everything. She pretends not to care about anything, especially not me. But she notices me. She notices when I don't look at her. She notices when I do. Everyone thinks I'm boring. The quiet nerd. The safe one. They don't see the way I study people the same way I study books. Christina is reckless, but she's not stupid. She just runs from effort the way others run from fear. And she runs from me. I don't try to change her. I just corner her with expectations. Deadlines. Eye contact that lasts a second too long. She rolls her eyes, calls me names under her breath. Yet she shows up. Late, dramatic-but she shows up. Her breath stuttered. She does hate me. She just hates that I see through her. And I'm patient. Very patient.
More detailsContent Guidelines