you ll never believe what happened to lacey

The things we want are so very rarely the things we need. Clifton Heights, a modest Adirondack town, offers many unique attractions. Arcane Delights sells both paperbacks and hard-to-find limited editions. The Skylark Diner serves the best home-cooked meals around, with friendly service and a smile. Every August, Mr. Jingo’s County Fair visits, to the delight of children and adults. In essence, Clifton Heights is the quintessential small American town. Everyone knows everyone else, and everyone is treated like family. It is quiet, simple, and peaceful. But shadows linger here. Flitting in dark corners, from the corner of the eye. If you walk down Main Street after dark, the slight scrape of shoes on asphalt whispers you're not alone, but when you look over your shoulder, no one is there. The moon shines high and bright in the night sky, but instead of throwing light, it only seems to make the shadows lengthen. Children disappear. Teens run away. Hunters get lost in the woods with frightening regularity. Husbands go mad, and wives vanish in the dead of night. And still, when the sun rises in the morning, you are greeted by townspeople with warm waves and friendly smiles, and the shivers pass as everything seems fresh and new... Until night falls once more. Handy's Pawn and Thrift sits several blocks down from Arcane Delights. Like any thrift store, its wares range from the mundane to the bizarre. By daylight, it seems just another slice of small town Americana. But in its window hangs a sign which reads: We Have Things You Need. And when a lonely traveling salesman comes looking for something he desperately wants, after normal visiting hours, after night has fallen, he will face a harsh truth among the shelves of Handy’s Pawn and Thrift: the things we want are rarely the things we need. ©️ Crystal Lake Publishing

Ashley is a shy girl who keeps to herself, with a bad past all she wants right now is to focus on her future. What happens when she meets Jake who is the exact opposite of her? Will she open her heart to him? Will she be able to deny the attraction between them? Join them in their journey of love and drama!

After Karina Hernandez ' four years of marriage ended, she decided to leave her home country and travel to Japan–her mother's home country. Starting a new life in a foreign country was never easy to begin with, yet Karina managed to with the help of her brother's ex-fiance. Karina thought that everything would be perfect and peaceful as it should be. However, it all faded when his path crossed with hers for the second time. Will Karina be able to mend what has been torn in her past or will she again run away and hide from his grasps?

Xincere Calliope Monroe was a Psychology student who has a captivating look that was greatly noticeable. She had a childhood neighbor named Zachary Flynn Williams, he was a well-known basketball player at the Psalms Eastern University. They used to go to the same school together since first grade. His undeniable looks were able to get any girl he wanted. He was secretly in love with her, but used to be so mean to her. Will they let anyone come between them, or will they finally accept and admit their feelings for each other to prove that after all, it's going to be the both of them?

A liar gas has invaded the world permanently. Nobody can lie, else an instant . Ariyah has commited herself to remaining silent for the rest of her life. Her family thinks it is just because she is afraid of , but how can she hide the fact that she is bisexual now that she can't lie? Will she come out to everyone and move on with life or will she let the liar gas rule her world and make her a mute, till she actually dies?You can't lie!

UNDER HEAVY EDITING. ***** He chuckled at her desperate attempt to make the lie believable. "Pretty little liar, your face betrays a lot, sadly" he placed his hand on her cheeks, his face dark "you can't run from me, Maya; no matter how hard you try to, I'll always find you. Even in the deepest part of hell, And when I find you, you get punished according to how long you were away from me, understand?" His tone was so soft and gentle it could have fooled anybody but not her. She could see through him, and She trembled under his touch. "Y-yes, maestro" **** Though her sister commits the crime, Maya Alfredo is turned in by her parents to be punished by the Ruthless Don Damon Xavier for selling information about the Costa Nostra to the police. Her world is overturned and shattered; she is taken to the Don's Manor, where she is owned by him and treated like his plaything, meanwhile knowing his intentions to destroy her. But then things get dark in the Don's Manor, with the presence of Derinem Xavier. Maya doesn't stand a chance in Damon's furnace. Will he destroy her and everything she loves for the sins he thinks she committed? Or does luck have other plans for her? Note— This is a dark romance. Not all lovey-dovey. ML is a psychopath. Trigger warnings!!! **** TO READ THE EDITED VERSION, PLEASE LOG OUT AND LOG IN AGAIN.

"Before you go, was there something I could have said to make it all feel better?"- Lewis Calpadi Economic hierarchy strips a twenty three year old accountant, Maria Crawford, of a five year relationship with trillionaire Mama's boy, Dominic Payne. Things get a tad bit dramatic when a body is found in Dominic's trunk and love scores again as Maria does everything she can to prove that her ex is innocent. The Good news; she has a best friend who's a good lawyer and actually the best in the state named Zack Osborn, who lucky for them is in town. The Bad; our lawyer friend once had a bruised cheek courtesy of Mama's boy. With pleas from Maria, Zack agrees to be Dominic's lawyer even as he still hates his guts. What could a simple accountant know about murder cases? Would she be throwing herself out too for the murderer to find, or will she leave all these unscathed? ©️ Hillary 2022 ®️All rights reserved

Julian Ziegler betrays his and Willow Harper's four-year marriage. He pursues his true love like mad, wanting to make up for the regrets he experienced in his youth. Willow loves him deeply and tries her best to win him back. However, he wraps an arm around his true love and mocks her. "You're the furthest thing from a woman I've ever seen, Willow! I can't even get it up when I look at your icy face!" Willow's heart dies at his words. She no longer clings to him and leaves, not wanting to embarrass herself further. … Julian doesn't recognize Willow when they meet again. She sheds her strong, domineering façade, revealing a softer, more affectionate side. Countless big shots pursue her—even the most powerful man in the city smiles only for her. Julian loses his mind! He loiters outside her door every night, giving her checks and expensive jewelry. If possible, he would dig out his heart for her. When others are curious about their relationship, Willow merely smiles indifferently. "Mr. Ziegler is just a passing chapter in the book of my life."

Struggling to make ends meet while having to care for a sick mother, Lena is forced into a perilous choice: to borrow a large sum of money from Damian, a feared mafia lord with zero mercy in applying his power. The price? Seven years of her life serving him in his treacherous underworld. What starts as a desperate bid for survival soon turns darker. Damian is ruthless, using her as a pawn in his world of power where secrets and loyalty are as fragile as glass. Though many have shared his bed, no one has touched his heart—he views love as a weakness he can't afford. But as Lena's resilience and quiet strength start to crack his hardened exterior, Damian finds himself questioning everything he once believed. Torn by her own fears and his growing affection, Lena has to tread carefully in a world where betrayal hides around every corner. In a place where love's a liability and trust's a death sentence, will Lena be able to survive Damian's shadowed world, or will she lose herself in the process?

Sandara Vernace is one of the most competent financial managers of Hornbrown Investments. She can handle any kind of investment, whether it is stocks, bonds, or money mutual funds. But, could she handle the tension when she impulsively challenged Kleinder Maze Velasco, their branch manager who is also a member of No Mercy Gang, that she would do anything to make him fall in love with her in six months? Knowing that Kleinder's type is definitely not someone like her? If falling in love was a big challenge for her, how about the time when she is destined to leave him? Will she be able to leave Kleinder once she accomplished her goal? She wanted him to fall in love with her so that she could hurt him in the end, because it is the simplest way to break him… Since it was the only way to unfold the remaining secrets no one has ever known before.