Belinda's Secret & Other Stories
Set against the vibrant yet volatile backdrop of the Caribbean, this intense collection of five short stories uncovers the devastating consequences of long-held secrets and the high price of loyalty when families are pushed to their breaking point by author Ashlee Cox.
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Caribbean Suspense Anthology: About Belinda's Secret
What if the most dangerous secrets aren’t enemies… but the people you love?
In Belinda’s Secret & Other Stories, you’ll step into lives where a single truth can shatter a family, a hurricane can tear a world apart, a burned home hides a deadly mystery, and justice blurs into vengeance.
Every story dives into high-stakes drama and raw emotional tension that grips you from the first line.
Story Guide: Domestic Thrillers & Survival Drama
šŖļø Story 1: The Hurricane Lee ā Two sisters against natureās fury.
Theme: Survival & Sisterhood
"Just the roof, please just leave the roof."
Amy is 25. She just buried her mother.
Now, she is raising her little 8 year old sister Carey, barely holding it together when a Category 5 monstrous hurricane named Lee rampages through Barbados tearing the small island apart.
Suddenly she is the only thing standing between her little sister and the end of their world as they know it, realising that "staying strong" might not be enough to keep them alive.
Amy prayed fervently to the Almighty, 'Just the roof, please just leave the roof on.'
As the walls shake and the world turns dark, she has to lie to the one person she loves most.
'It’s going to be okay,' she whispered... knowing all the while that Carey did not believe her. Worse, she wasn't sure she even believed herself.
The Vibe: The terrifying roar of the wind vs. the fragile beat of a sister’s heart.
The Question: When the walls cave in, who do you hold onto?
š„ Story 2: The Conspiracy ā A house fire, a suspicious mind, a chilling mystery.
Theme: Betrayal & Suspicion
John Walker’s world didn’t end with a whimper; but with a spark.
He comes home to find his house consumed by flames.
His mother is gone.
But amidst the tears and the smoke, there is a secret feeling rising in his chest.
He is grieving, yes.
But deep down?
That suffocating guilt burning hotter than the flames is mixed with the darkest kind of liberation.
“What did I do?' he whispered...
'What do I do now?' he asked again, as he crumpled to the ground... overcome with real grief and horrifying fear.”
Was this a tragic accident by a forgetful old woman? Or was it arson?
The Vibe: Smoky, paranoid, and absolutely devastating.
The Twist: The match didn't light itself.
š¤« Story 3: Belindaās Secret ( Title Story) ā A deathbed lie and a truth that could destroy everything.
Theme: Guilt & Redemption
Belinda has a perfect life. A wonderful son. A husband, Trevor, who adores her.
But as Trevor lies in a hospital bed, weak and fading, Belinda knows she can’t let him die with the lie that has defined their marriage.
She has to tell him.
Even if the truth shatters the last smile she will ever see on his face.
“She needed to unburden herself from the weight of the lie she had been living under for too many years... 'Trev, I have something very important to tell you...'”
"I love you, Belinda. Nothing can change that."
A hospital monitor beeping. A heart shattering before it stops beating.
Trevor is dying.
He looks at Belinda and sees his angel.
He thinks his life was perfect. He reaches for her hand, thinking their love is pure.
He is wrong.
Belinda isn't here to comfort him. She is here to unburden herself before he fades away.
“Slowly, she untangled their hands, Trevor too weak and feeling too terrible to stop her. 'Trev, I have something very important to tell you,' she whispered, tears in her throat... 'And I know you might not ever forgive me.'”
She leans in close. She kisses him. And then she drops the bomb that ruins him.
The Vibe: The heavy, suffocating silence right before a confession that changes everything.
The Pain: The truth won't set you free. It will kill you.
š Story 4: Nightmare in Reverse ā Reality shifts with terrifying consequences.
Theme: Psychological Horror
A glitch in reality.
Jeremy is late for school.
He’s running.
Then—Bang.
Pain—hot, jagged and breathtaking—exploded within his body...
One minute he’s walking to school; the next, he’s plunged into a cold, sterile world where physics don’t apply and he has terrifying new abilities.
Jeremy thinks he can teleport.
He thinks this is the best dream ever, so he treats it like a game... until he sees his classmates crying…until he realizes he can’t wake up.
He screams, but no one hears him.
'I'm right here! I'm here you idiots! I'm here!' Nothing. Not even a blink.
He watches his teacher deliver the news to the class, and the nightmare becomes real.
... Jeremy was slowly being pulled into a different world, but he did not want to go.
The Vibe: Disorienting, trippy, and claustrophobic.
The Hook: Death isn’t the end. It’s the nightmare in reverse.
šļø Story 5: Her Haunted Eyes ā A courtroom drama of justice and a motherās love.
Theme: Justice & Sacrifice
Sharon isn’t crying in the courtroom.
She’s frozen.
Numb.
She’s on trial for killing her husband—the man who beat her daily, the man who turned her home into a prison.
She feels nothing but a cold, deep void.
Except when she looks at her daughter, Julie, the only reason she fought back.
She turned just enough to meet the eyes of her daughter... Those eyes... those deep brown, haunted eyes.
She looks across the courtroom and allows herself to lock eyes with Julie.
She didn't kill him for herself.
Cold steel. A mother's love loaded like a weapon.
They call her a murderer.
She calls herself a mother.
Her husband was a monster, so she became the thing that goes bump in the night to save her daughter.
This is the price I had to pay. He’ll never hurt you ever again. Never. Ever. Again.
The Vibe: Cold, steely resolve and the heartbreaking gaze of a mother who did what she had to do.
The Ending: Guilty? Not in her eyes.
š„ Which Secret Will Break You First?
We told you it wasn't safe here.
These characters aren't heroes.
They are survivors. They are liars.
They are us.
This collection is for the readers who want to feel everything.
The fear. The guilt. The relief.
The rage.
Stop looking for a happy ending.
Start looking for the truth.
So, tell me... which secret are you taking to the grave?
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From Ashlee
"Every story in this collection is a deep dive into the resilient, complex, and sometimes very dark heart of human nature."
I wrote these stories to explore how people survive unthinkable crises—from catastrophic storms to devastating deathbed secrets.ļ»æ
I hope you enjoy these glimpses into lives where consequences are absolute and the drama never stops.
Why Readers Are Feeling This Anthology
This 138 page Kindle Edition Collection is comprised of 5 intense short stories that expose the darkest secrets families keep and the catastrophic lengths they go to for love, revenge, and survival.
This Kindle anthology brings you:
- Heart-wrenching family secrets
that cut deep
- Survival drama on a Category 5 island storm
- Mystery and conspiracy in a tight-knit community
- Psychological tension that stays with you
- Emotional immersion that keeps you turning pages
Whether you love suspense, domestic thrillers, or character-driven drama, this collection delivers stories you’ll think about long after you finish reading.
Grab your Kindle edition now.
