[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"doc-detail-114184-en":3,"doc-seo-114184-105":28,"detail-sidebar-cat-0-en-105":89},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"success",{"doc_id":7,"user_id":8,"nickname":9,"user_avatar":10,"doc_module":4,"category_id":11,"category_name":12,"doc_title":13,"doc_description":14,"doc_content":15,"file_id":16,"file_url":17,"file_type":18,"file_size":19,"view_count":4,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":11,"is_downloadable":11,"audit_status":11,"page_count":20,"language":21,"language_code":22,"site_id":23,"html_lang":22,"table_of_contents":24,"faqs":25,"seo_title":13,"seo_description":14,"update_tm":26,"read_time":27},114184,3848291630094,"Emma Wilson","https://eur-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_085a072bc5b1113ac321206ff7593b45",1,"Story & Novel","Ember - Naima Simone - Chapter 1 - Ember Cross","The opening chapter introduces Ember Cross through a raw, confessional perspective shaped by years of hatred and emotional abuse at the hands of her stepmother Michelle Cross and her sons. On the day of her father Marcus Cross’s funeral, Ember confronts grief, anger, and conflicted feelings while watching relatives perform for mourners and the media. The author’s note establishes a dark romance tone with disturbing content, including drugs, explicit sex, bullying, and murder.","[OceanofPDF.com](OceanofPDF.com)  \nBegin Reading  \nTable of Contents  \nAbout the Author  \nCopyright Page  \nThank you for buying this Tor Publishing Group ebook.  \nTo receive special offers, bonus content, and info on new releases and other great reads, sign up for our newsletters.  \nOr visit us online at  \n[us.macmillan.com/newslettersignup](us.macmillan.com/newslettersignup)[ ](us.macmillan.com/newslettersignup)[For email updates on the author](For email updates on the author), click here.  \n[OceanofPDF.com](OceanofPDF.com)  \nThe author and publisher have provided this e-book to you without Digital Rights Management software (DRM) applied so that you can enjoy reading it on your personal devices. This e-book is for your personal use only. You may not print or post this e-book, or make this e-book publicly available in any way. You may not copy, reproduce, or upload this e-book, other than to read it on one of your personal devices.  \nCopyright infringement is against the law. If you believe the copy of this e-book you are reading infringes on the author’s copyright, please [notify the publisher at: ](notify the publisher at: us.macmillan.com/piracy)[us.macmillan.com/piracy](notify the publisher at: us.macmillan.com/piracy).  \n[OceanofPDF.com](OceanofPDF.com)  \nTo Gary. 143.  \nTo Connie Marie Butts.  \nI’ll miss you forever and love you longer than that.  \nTo Rachel Brooks.  \nYou’re simply amazing, and I thank God for you.  \n[OceanofPDF.com](OceanofPDF.com)  \nAuthor’s Note  \nFrom the desk of Ember Cross:  \nListen, I’ve taken time off of work to do this, so let’s make it quick. I have drugs to create and subjects to make scream. Anyway, welcome to Ember and the House of Cross. We’re all about fashion and foul play over here. Now, before you head in and meet Asad Prince—he feasts on souls for lunch, so good luck with that shit—there are a few things we need to get out the way. I would be remiss if I didn’t warn you that Ember is a dark romance and contains scenes that may be disturbing to some readers. So please, place your mental health and care first.  \nSo what do I mean by scenes? Let me be more specific …  \nEmber includes: mentions of drug manufacturing (think Nino Brown meets Louboutin), depiction of recreational drug use (puff, puff, pass!), abuse and bullying (not shown on-page but discussed and described), scientific experiments on humans (meh, they had it coming), murder (of mostly baddies), explicit sex (filthy AF), and discussion of a mental disorder.  \n[OceanofPDF.com](OceanofPDF.com)  \nCHAPTER ONE  \nEmber Cross  \nI’ve experienced hate before.  \nI hated Jennifer Myler when she slipped my crush Guillermo Braga a note during recess in the fourth grade, asking him to be her boyfriend. Served that little bitch right when she caught him kissing Kim Dixon behind the slide a week later.  \nI hated Anthony Warner when he pulled a Carrie and took me to promon some bet shit, only instead of pig’s blood, he humiliated me by spreading a video of him fingering me in the backseat of his car. He died right before graduation of a drug overdose. Pity. I still despise that ho though.  \nSo yes, I’ve known hate.  \nOr I thought I did.  \nIt isn’t until this moment, staring across the ebony lid of my father ’s closed casket into eyes as cold and dark as the storm-darkened sky above us, that I truly understand the meaning of the word.  \nI hate Michelle Cross.  \nAnd her bitch-ass husband, too.  \nYes, I do mean my father. May his soul forever do the Cupid Shuffle in hell.  \nOne would think on the day of my father ’s funeral, Michelle would chip a sliver off that block of ice she calls a heart and allow me to stand with my“family.” To claim one of the empty seats next to her and her sons, my stepbrothers. To at least, on this day, be acknowledged. To be seen. To be recognized.  \nBut no. Even a funeral for her husband, my father, isn’t a good enough reason to not be a cunt.  \nInstead, I’m exiled to the other side of the grave, relegated to one of","cbCairIyqjjuVCq8","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCairIyqjjuVCq8","pdf",4296648,349,"English","en",105,"# About the Author\n# Author’s Note\n## Content Warnings\n# CHAPTER ONE\n## Ember Cross","[{\"question\":\"What is the central conflict introduced in Chapter One?\",\"answer\":\"Ember Cross wrestles with deep hatred toward her stepfamily while also confronting grief during her father Marcus Cross’s funeral.\"},{\"question\":\"How does Ember describe her relationship with her stepmother and stepbrothers?\",\"answer\":\"She presents thirteen years of mental and emotional torture, claiming she is excluded even during family events like the funeral.\"},{\"question\":\"What content warnings does the author provide before the story begins?\",\"answer\":\"The author warns of dark romance elements, including drug manufacturing and use, abuse and bullying discussed, scientific experiments on humans, murder, explicit sex, and discussion of a mental disorder.\"}]",1785398278,537,{"code":4,"msg":29,"data":30},"ok",{"site_id":23,"language":22,"slug":31,"title":13,"keywords":32,"description":14,"schema_data":33,"social_meta":84,"head_meta":86,"extra_data":88,"updated_unix":26},"ember-naima-simone-chapter-1-ember-cross","",{"@graph":34,"@context":83},[35,52,66],{"@type":36,"itemListElement":37},"BreadcrumbList",[38,42,46,49],{"item":39,"name":40,"@type":41,"position":11},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":43,"name":44,"@type":41,"position":45},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/","Document",2,{"item":47,"name":12,"@type":41,"position":48},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/story-novel/",3,{"item":50,"name":13,"@type":41,"position":51},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/ember-naima-simone-chapter-1-ember-cross/114184/",4,{"url":50,"name":13,"@type":53,"author":54,"headline":13,"publisher":56,"fileFormat":59,"inLanguage":22,"description":14,"dateModified":60,"datePublished":60,"encodingFormat":59,"isAccessibleForFree":61,"interactionStatistic":62},"DigitalDocument",{"name":9,"@type":55},"Person",{"url":39,"name":57,"@type":58},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-07-30",true,{"@type":63,"interactionType":64,"userInteractionCount":4},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":65},"ViewAction",{"@type":67,"mainEntity":68},"FAQPage",[69,75,79],{"name":70,"@type":71,"acceptedAnswer":72},"What is the central conflict introduced in Chapter One?","Question",{"text":73,"@type":74},"Ember Cross wrestles with deep hatred toward her stepfamily while also confronting grief during her father Marcus Cross’s funeral.","Answer",{"name":76,"@type":71,"acceptedAnswer":77},"How does Ember describe her relationship with her stepmother and stepbrothers?",{"text":78,"@type":74},"She presents thirteen years of mental and emotional torture, claiming she is excluded even during family events like the funeral.",{"name":80,"@type":71,"acceptedAnswer":81},"What content warnings does the author provide before the story begins?",{"text":82,"@type":74},"The author warns of dark romance elements, including drug manufacturing and use, abuse and bullying discussed, scientific experiments on humans, murder, explicit sex, and discussion of a mental disorder.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":50,"og:type":85,"og:title":13,"og:site_name":57,"og:description":14},"article",{"robots":87,"canonical":50},"index,follow",{"doc_id":7,"site_id":23},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":90},[91,94,98,102,107,112,117,122,127,130,134],{"id":11,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":44,"category_name":12,"show_sort_weight":92,"slug":93},90,"story-novel",{"id":45,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":44,"category_name":95,"show_sort_weight":96,"slug":97},"Literature",80,"literature",{"id":51,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":44,"category_name":99,"show_sort_weight":100,"slug":101},"Exam",70,"exam",{"id":103,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":44,"category_name":104,"show_sort_weight":105,"slug":106},5,"Comic",60,"comic",{"id":108,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":44,"category_name":109,"show_sort_weight":110,"slug":111},6,"Technology",50,"technology",{"id":113,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":44,"category_name":114,"show_sort_weight":115,"slug":116},7,"Healthcare",40,"healthcare",{"id":118,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":44,"category_name":119,"show_sort_weight":120,"slug":121},8,"Research & Report",30,"research-report",{"id":123,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":44,"category_name":124,"show_sort_weight":125,"slug":126},9,"Religion & Spirituality",20,"religion-spirituality",{"id":125,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":44,"category_name":128,"show_sort_weight":125,"slug":129},"World Cup","world-cup",{"id":131,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":44,"category_name":132,"show_sort_weight":131,"slug":133},10,"Lifestyle","lifestyle",{"id":135,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":44,"category_name":136,"show_sort_weight":103,"slug":137},19,"General","general"]