Power never fades quietly.
One year after the collapse of the Vale empire, the world is still bleeding from its fall. Alliances have shattered. Old loyalties rot into resentment. And those who once ruled the shadows are desperate to reclaim what they lost.
But while her enemies spiral toward chaos, Risa Luthor has already risen from the wreckage.
Forged by betrayal and stripped of everything she once loved, Risa has become something far more dangerous than the world expected.
Her empire thrives in the void where love once lived.
A queen transformed by loss.
A ruler hardened by heartbreak.
The world sees only her power.
No one sees what it cost.
Until the truth detonates everything.
Chloe Mercer never knew she had a child. Her memories were altered. Her past erased. Her life carefully rewritten.
But Risa knew.
For nearly a year, Risa has been hunting for the child Chloe was never allowed to remember-following dead ends, uncovering classified records, and pushing through traps designed to stop her. She never told Chloe. She carried the burden alone.
When Chloe finally learns the truth, it shatters everything she believed about her life.
The son she never held.
The future stolen from her.
And the woman who knew before she did.
Now Chloe must confront the darkness Risa has become... and the love that still flickers beneath the ruin.
Meanwhile, Lillian descends into madness, engineering a living weapon meant to rival her daughter's terrifying evolution. Determined to reclaim her empire, she drags Lena into a spiral where obsession blurs the line between loyalty and control.
As their paths collide, old betrayals resurface.
Alliances fracture.
And every move pulls them closer to annihilation.
Through it all, the grim rhythm of survival continues:
30 - still talking
60 - still breathing
90 - flatlined
In Ad Nauseam, power demands a price few can survive.
Escape is an illusion.
Only the endless cycle of loss, vengeance, and transformation remains.
Contains mature psychological and emotional themes. Intended for adult readers.