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The Girl Who Stayed She didn't leave because someone had to stay. When the world crumbles around her, eighteen-year-old Helena is the last one standing. Left behind in a broken town with fractured memories and no one to depend on, she makes a choice: stay, survive, and fight for what little she still believes in. Helena doesn't trust easily. She's had to build walls to protect what's left of her heart. But with danger closing in and the past refusing to stay buried, she must learn to navigate a world where strength isn't about fists it's about staying when everyone else runs. In this gritty and emotionally charged survival story, Helena's voice is raw, real, and unforgettable. The Girl Who Stayed is a coming of age tale about resilience, loyalty, and the quiet power of choosing to stay behind not because it's easy, but because it matters. For readers who crave tough heroines, visceral storytelling, and emotional depth.Helena's story will stay with you long after the final page.
Mom's been gone for three days.
I count again just to be sure. Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday. Today's Friday. The clock on the stove blinks 7:02 AM, but the power must've gone out at some point last night because it was blinking 3:17 when I got up to pee.
Three days. Not a single text. Not even one of her classic voicemail rants that always start with "Helena, don't start with me." Nothing.
The cereal box is empty. I already knew that, but I shake it anyway, just in case some invisible crumbs appear out of loyalty. Nothing but the dusty sound of disappointment. I think about mixing water with the last spoonful of peanut butter, but the idea makes my stomach churn. I'm not that desperate. Not yet.
I go to the fridge. Half a bottle of ketchup, two pickles floating in ghost juice, and a slice of processed cheese that's curled at the edges like it's afraid of me. I grab the cheese and chew slow, even though it tastes like rubber and regret.
There's ten dollars in the coffee mug on top of the fridge. I stare at it for a long time. That was supposed to be for laundry. Mom left it before her last shift at the diner. "In case the machine eats your socks," she joked, but I saw the look in her eye. The fear behind the laugh.
She knew she wasn't coming back.
I take the ten dollars anyway. I tuck it into my bra and zip up my hoodie. My stomach growls like it's arguing with me, and I whisper, "I'm working on it," like that'll help
School is five blocks away. I take the alley behind the Dollar Mart so Mrs. Crenshaw doesn't see me walking past her window. She's the neighborhood snoop. The type who'd call child services just because she hasn't seen Mom's car.
Not that she's wrong. Just... not her business.
When I get to school, I slip into the bathroom first. I change into a clean(ish) T-shirt from my backpack and wash my face with the awful pink soap that smells like fake flowers. I use the hand dryer to fluff up my hair and give myself a look in the mirror. My eyes are dull, bruised underneath. But I smile. Just enough.
Nobody can know.
In first period, Mr. Delaney drones on about European revolutions, and I try to look interested while secretly counting the hours until lunch. If I can just make it to lunch, I can eat something and figure out what to do next. If I time it right, I can sneak a couple extra milks and maybe swipe an apple.
When the bell rings, I bolt for the cafeteria. I sit at the end of the table with the girls from drama club. They don't really notice me, which is good. I make a show of opening my brown bag even though there's nothing in it. I get in line with the rest of them like I have a ticket.
The lunch lady eyes me hard. "You already used up your balance, Helena."
"I know. I forgot my lunch card. My mom-she said she'd refill it this week."
She doesn't believe me. But she lets me through. Maybe she pities me. Maybe she knows. Maybe she remembers what it's like to be hungry.
I eat like I've never seen food before. The meatloaf is gray and spongy, but I chew like it's steak. I pocket an orange and two plastic forks. You'd be surprised what you can do with a plastic fork if you're desperate enough.
After school, I don't go home. There's nothing to go home to.
Instead, I head to the gas station by the highway. The clerk there, Jerry, knows me. He's the kind of guy who talks too much, mostly about his bad back and failed band days. But he lets me hang around sometimes.
"Your mom okay?" he asks when I walk in.
I shrug. "Working a double."
He nods. "Tough lady, your mom."
"Yeah." I fake a smile. "Tough."
He doesn't press. Just goes back to stocking gum. I pretend to look at the snacks until he disappears into the back. Then I slide a protein bar up my sleeve and walk out like nothing happened.
That night, I sit in the living room with the lights off. The silence buzzes louder than any TV ever could. I stare at the door and wonder if she'll walk through it. Smell like smoke and fry oil and cheap perfume. Complain about her feet. Ask what I ate.
But the door stays shut.
I think about calling my dad. I even dial half the number. But what would I say? "Hey, remember me? The daughter you left behind?"
No. He's not coming.
No one's coming.
I rip the protein bar open with my teeth and take the smallest bite I can manage. I need it to last. I chew slowly, swallow, and lie back on the couch.
Tomorrow I'll figure out the power bill. And maybe the landlord won't notice we're behind again.
I close my eyes.
I don't cry.
Crying's for people who still think someone's going to save them.
Falling for him was easy. Escaping him was harder. Twenty-two-year-old Nora isn't looking for love, she's looking for control. After a life of careful boundaries and emotional armor, the last thing she expects is to be drawn to Austin, a guarded, magnetic stranger with a darkness behind his eyes and a silence that speaks louder than words. Their connection is instant. Addictive. Dangerous. The deeper Nora is pulled into Austin's orbit, the harder it becomes to tell the difference between passion and possession. As his secrets begin to unravel mysterious disappearances, shady connections, and a past he refuses to name Nora starts to lose herself in the chaos. She lies to her friends. She misses work. She stops recognizing the girl in the mirror. She's not afraid of him. She's afraid of who she becomes when she's with him. Torn between desire and survival, Nora must face a devastating truth: some people aren't meant to be saved. And some love stories aren't meant to last they're meant to teach you what you deserve. The Pull is a raw, emotionally intense exploration of toxic love, emotional trauma, and the complicated power of walking away. Gritty, intimate, and hauntingly honest, this story doesn't offer a perfect romance it offers a real one.
P-please, I beg you. Come let's go tell Christian I had no hand in whatever happened, p-please." I clutched the lapel of his jacket desperately. "Let's go. You need to tell my husband you were paid." "Young lady, you're harassing me." His tone was cold and his stare granite. But I could care less. "You harassed me first! You had sex with me without my consent, my husband knows and now I'm pregnant with this child he doesn't want. You ruined my marriage! I-I hate you!" ************************************ Caught by her husband with another man on their matrimonial bed the morning after her birthday, Hailey Codza could not defend herself. As though it's not enough, she gets pregnant. Her enraged husband decides to pay her back for her infidelity by having an affair with his ex-girlfriend - Denise Kellers, the family Hailey never knew she had. Losing her family's wealth and company to her husband and his ex (now girlfriend), she is devastated, homeless and penniless as all her credit cards are blocked by her husband. She sees the man who is responsible for her pregnancy. The man she has no idea how he'd found his way to her matrimonial bed - Jared Johnson. Jared is annoyed when this strange woman disrupts his meeting and accuses him of ruining her life, marriage and impregnating her. It affects his business deals and having no choice, he marries her to calm the public whilst engaged to someone else. But he loathes her and allows his family treats her badly. Hailey who has fallen in love with Jared is broken when she can no longer take the humiliation. She signs the divorce papers and leaves, only to arrive six years later to the country as a self-made, secret billionaire and a mother of twins. Now her two ex-husbands are begging to have her back...
It was supposed to be a marriage of convenience, but Carrie made the mistake of falling in love with Kristopher. When the time came that she needed him the most, her husband was in the company of another woman. Enough was enough. Carrie chose to divorce Kristopher and move on with her life. Only when she left did Kristopher realize how important she was to him. In the face of his ex-wife’s countless admirers, Kristopher offered her 20 million dollars and proposed a new deal. “Let’s get married again.”
As a simple assistant, messaging the CEO in the dead of night to request shares of adult films was a bold move. Bethany, unsurprisingly, didn't receive any films. However, the CEO responded that, while he had no films to share, he could offer a live demonstration. After a night filled with passion, Bethany was certain she'd lose her job. But instead, her boss proposed, "Marry me. Please consider it." "Mr. Bates, you're kidding me, right?"
There was only one man in Raegan's heart, and it was Mitchel. In the second year of her marriage to him, she got pregnant. Raegan's joy knew no bounds. But before she could break the news to her husband, he served her divorce papers because he wanted to marry his first love. After an accident, Raegan lay in the pool of her own blood and called out to Mitchel for help. Unfortunately, he left with his first love in his arms. Raegan escaped death by the whiskers. Afterward, she decided to get her life back on track. Her name was everywhere years later. Mitchel became very uncomfortable. For some reason, he began to miss her. His heart ached when he saw her all smiles with another man. He crashed her wedding and fell to his knees while she was at the altar. With bloodshot eyes, he queried, "I thought you said your love for me is unbreakable? How come you are getting married to someone else? Come back to me!"
To the public, she was the CEO's executive secretary. Behind closed doors, she was the wife he never officially acknowledged. Jenessa was elated when she learned that she was pregnant. But that joy was replaced with dread as her husband, Ryan, showered his affections on his first love. With a heavy heart, she chose to set him free and leave. When they met again, Ryan's attention was caught by Jenessa's protruding belly. "Whose child are you carrying?!" he demanded. But she only scoffed. "It's none of your business, my dear ex-husband!"
"Mr. Evans, please maintain some dignity. Don't forget I'm your brother's wife!" Having caught her husband and best friend together in the bed, Elena wanted nothing more than to exact revenge on the people she once called family. She refused to be a pitiful divorcee and vowed to make everyone who had once looked down on her beg for forgiveness. And to start with her newfound freedom, Elena indulges in a one-night stand with a stranger. However, what was meant to be a fleeting escape turns into a nightmare when she learns that the stranger is none other than her husband's older brother! Would Elena be free from the shackles of her marriage? Or would the mysterious stranger make her life a living hell since he seemed to have a personal vendetta against his family? [The story is 18+ and involves mature content.]