Danruo Chami

I was eight months pregnant when my husband drugged me and locked me in our panic room. The contractions started immediately, fierce and too soon. He told me over the intercom that his late partner's widow was also in labor. Her child had to be born first to inherit billions from a tech fund. He ignored my screams, my pleas, the blood soaking through my nightgown. He called me dramatic and manipulative. His sister arrived, not to help, but to inject me with another drug to "keep me quiet." I felt my baby's life fading along with my own. I was left to die, a casualty of my husband's greed. But he made one fatal mistake. He never knew I was Elinor Guzman, the sole heir to the Sterling empire. And now, two years after my supposed death, I'm back to collect the debt he owes-with interest.

The man I loved, the man I was going to marry, asked me to save my twin sister' s life. He didn't look at me as he explained that Annabell's kidneys were failing completely. Then, he slid the annulment papers across the table. It wasn't just my kidney they wanted. It was my fiancé, too. He told me Annabell's dying wish was to marry him, even for a day. My family' s reaction was brutal. "After everything we've done for you?" my mother shrieked. "Annabell saved your father's life! She gave him a piece of herself! And you can't do the same for her?" My father stood beside her, his face grim. He told me if I wouldn't be a part of the family, I didn't belong in his house. I was being cast out. Again. They didn't know the truth. They didn't know that five years ago, Annabell drugged my coffee, causing me to miss our father's transplant surgery. She took my place, emerging a hero with a fake scar while I woke up in a cheap motel, branded a coward. The kidney humming inside my father was mine. They didn't know I only had one kidney left. And they certainly didn't know that a rare disease was already ravaging my body, giving me only months to live. Abel found me later, his voice ragged. "Choose, Aurora. Her, or you." A strange calm washed over me. What did it matter anymore? I looked at the man who once promised me forever and agreed to sign my life away. "Fine," I said. "I'll do it."

For twenty-seven days, I sat hoping by my mother' s hospital bed, begging Olivia, the woman I' d loved for six years, to marry me. Her excuses flowed like water-"Swamped with work," "Bad timing," "Next week, honey." Then, a text. And a picture. Olivia, radiant in a wedding dress, arm-in-arm with Brandon, her childhood friend. The marriage certificate read: twenty-seven days ago. The very day my dying mother had entered the hospital and I' d first proposed. The world shattered. My phone buzzed again, an apology from Olivia: she couldn' t make our courthouse wedding, Brandon wasn' t feeling well. Another lie. That same evening, the nurse grimly told me Mom had passed away. Olivia' s deceit had poisoned her last wish. I was numb, my heart a block of ice. When Olivia called later, feigning concern, trying to string me along with more empty promises, something snapped. "Mom is dead, Olivia," I said, then hung up, letting myself finally break. I wouldn' t forgive her. Not for Mom. Not for me. I purged everything-my job, my apartment, every trace of her. But she just wouldn' t quit. Then, the ultimate betrayal: I found Brandon, her secret husband, in my bed, in my apartment, wearing my clothes, while she tried to pull another pretense of love. I walked out, leaving the wreckage behind. I fled south, seeking a clean break, a new start. My life was shattered, but I vowed to rebuild.

The rain hammered against my windowpane, a relentless drumbeat mirroring the dull throb in my abdomen-a constant reminder of the child I' d lost. My husband, Captain David Miller, was a celebrated hero on TV, his charismatic smile a stark contrast to the corroding rust of our marriage. Right there, beside him, was Chloe, my best friend, looking at him with adoration, her hand tucked in his arm. They didn' t know the real David, not like I did. The betrayal had been a slow, agonizing descent, a series of small, sharp cuts. Late nights, calls taken in hushed tones, excuses woven around Chloe' s supposed fragility. "She' s fragile, Scar," he' d say, "You' re strong. You understand." I tried to, but then he missed our anniversary for her panic attack, my doctor' s appointment for her broken-down car. Each time, a piece of my trust chipped away. The final, unforgivable act came when I lay bleeding on the floor, calling him in a choked whisper. "David, please. Something' s wrong. I' m… I' m bleeding." I heard Chloe' s tearful voice in the background, "David, don' t go. I need you." He hesitated. That cold, sharp hesitation twisted in my gut. He never came. I lost our baby alone in a sterile hospital room while he comforted her. He truly cared more about her feelings than our child. Months later, with my mother' s funeral underway, Chloe approached me again. "It' s like she had to go so my son could live," she whispered, claiming my dying mother was a necessary sacrifice for her child. My suppressed rage ignited. This woman, who had manipulated my husband, stolen my locket, and had a piece of my body donated to her, was now mocking my grief. "I want a divorce, David," I declared, the words cutting through the chaos. He tried to deny it, to plead, to promise. But his love was poison, and I was done. I walked away from the graveside, leaving behind the man who had destroyed everything. With the help of my father' s old friend, an opportunity for a new life, a new name, appeared. I didn' t look back as I dropped my wedding ring into a trash can at the airport. It made a small, tinny sound, the final note on a life I was leaving behind. As the city lights faded below, I felt a flicker of peace. My past was over. My future was waiting.

In my first life, I died for my family, betrayed by the closest person to me. My father, a high-ranking State Department official, was disgraced, and my mother died of grief. It was my older sister, Stella, who orchestrated it all. She poisoned my family' s reputation with a self-righteous speech at a D.C. gala, becoming a progressive darling while our lives crumbled. My fiancé, Ethan Lester, and the Vice President' s son championed her, oblivious to the destruction she wrought. But the ultimate betrayal came when I joined the army to protect my younger brother. Stella, posing as a "war correspondent," leaked my patrol's location to insurgents. She deemed a rescue "not worth the risk," leaving me to bleed out in the dirt, her face the last thing I saw. How could my own sister, who once claimed to love me, deliberately condemn me to such a horrific end? The pain of her betrayal was worse than any bullet. Now, I've woken up again, back at that lavish D.C. gala, seconds before she destroys everything. This time, things will be different.

My son, Andrew, killed me. Not with a weapon, but with a slow, agonizing betrayal that drained every ounce of life. I spent my entire existence and my formidable family' s legacy building a golden path for him, scheming and battling to make him a hero, while I became everyone's villain. For my trouble? He stood over my grave, radiating false humility, telling the world he was finally free from his "materialistic, power-hungry" mother, preaching about earning one's own way from a mansion my money bought. The press called him a saint; I was a cautionary tale. The last thing I remembered was the crushing weight of failure and an ungrateful child. Then, I opened my eyes. I was back. Back in my gilded cage of a D.C. home, facing my husband. He was starting the exact conversation that first pushed me down the path of destruction, where I sacrificed everything to make Andrew the political heir. Why was I given a second chance at this hell? But this time, a chilling calm settled over me. This time, I' d write a different ending.

The emergency sirens wailed, another Diablo Wind fire ripping through our valley, just like the last time. As an elite smokejumper and daughter of a Cal Fire legend, I knew these fires. I also knew my husband, Fire Chief Caleb, was supposed to be leading the fight. But in my last life, Caleb's betrayal cost me everything; he left me to die in a blizzard after our baby was stillborn, all because he loved Chloe, his childhood friend, more. Now, reborn into this same nightmare, I knew the fire wasn't the only threat-Caleb was using it as a cover for his affair with Chloe, burning through vital resources while abandoning his post. When I tried to reach out for aid, Caleb convinced his loyal friend, Sheriff Brody, that I was having a psychotic break, framing me as the arsonist. Brody, blinded by Caleb's lies, prevented my escape, causing me to fall and tragically lose my unborn child. Our town was devastated, and Brody's deputies were lost, all while I was held captive, my pleas ignored. Why did Caleb consistently choose deception and destruction? How could a man sworn to protect his community, his family, be so utterly monstrous, and then twist the truth to blame me? The injustice of it all, compounded by the loss of my child, ignited a cold, hard rage inside me, dulling the grief. But then, my sister-in-law, Maya, discovered undeniable evidence from a trail cam: Chloe wasn't just Caleb's mistress, she was intimately connected to "Phoenix," the eco-terrorist who started the fire. Brody, witnessing the true villainy and the devastation his blind loyalty wrought, broke down, offering me his absolute allegiance. With my new purpose forged in tragedy, I knew exactly how I would use his guilt and his position to systematically dismantle Caleb's world, piece by agonizing piece.

I, Sarah Thompson, a driven software developer, had poured my life into securing a multi-million dollar Manhattan condo and a coveted spot at the elite Parkside Academy for my daughter, Emily, envisioning her perfect future. My well-ordered world came crashing down mid-business trip when an unknown South Bronx public school called, bizarrely claiming my Emily Thompson was enrolled there, accumulating unpaid fees and behavioral issues. Rushing back to Parkside, my heart hammered as I was shockingly accused by the headmistress of being an imposter, attempting to abduct my own child. The surreal nightmare intensified when my husband, Kevin, arrived hand-in-hand with his high school flame, Jessie, and publicly disavowed me, coldly labeling me mentally unstable and proclaiming Jessie as Emily's mother. My mind reeled from the sudden, grotesque betrayal; how could the man I trusted orchestrate such a calculated deception, twisting reality to paint me as a delusional stranger? Every fiber of my being screamed over the injustice, desperate to know: Where was my real Emily? The gut-wrenching revelation that our daughter was neglected in his abusive mother's trailer park jolted me from despair, igniting an unyielding resolve. I wouldn't just fight; I would dismantle every lie to reclaim my child and expose their monstrous plot.

Sarah Miller and Ethan Vanderbilt were a unit, nearly a decade strong, their love a rebellion against his old-money East Coast family, especially his disapproving mother. Then, a devastating crash left Ethan with amnesia, his life clinging by a thread, desperately needing a rare bone marrow transplant – a perfect match Sarah bravely provided. But when she awoke, weak yet hopeful, she found Ethan by the side of Ashley Davenport, a 'friend' always coveting him, who now claimed she was his fiancée and his savior. Ethan, his eyes empty of recognition, looked right through Sarah as his mother, Eleanor, coldly dismissed her as an 'unstable fan,' allowing her to stay only as a tormented household servant. Every day, Sarah endured Ashley' s taunts, Tiffany' s cruelty, and Ethan' s chilling indifference, watching her life, her love, erased before her eyes. The man who once whispered 'You're my angel' now lashed out with contempt, accusing her of theft, of trying to harm the woman who stole her place. The systematic destruction of their shared memories, coupled with Ethan' s utter lack of recall, fueled an agonizing despair: how could he forget their entire life, his love for her, the sacrifice she made? Finally, unjustly accused of theft and violent outbursts by the deceptive duo, Sarah was brutally cast out of the mansion, broken and alone, with nowhere left to turn. Yet, just when all hope seemed lost, a quiet act of kindness from an unexpected source offered a glimmer of light and a chance at a new beginning, far from the Vanderbilt' s cruel facade.

My life with Ethan was a fairytale. Diamonds cut like stars, a library wing, a best-selling book titled "100 Reasons Mia Hayes is the Center of My World"-he built a universe around me, declaring me his guide. I was his everything, or so I believed. Then, I found it. A hidden folder on his home office computer. Images of Ethan and a young woman, Skyler Reed, sickeningly intimate and explicit. My carefully constructed world shattered, a thousand glittering pieces falling around me. The betrayal was a physical blow, colder than any frost. Every grand gesture, every loving declaration, now felt like a cruel joke, a meticulously crafted lie designed to blind me. I remembered my one rule for us, whispered years ago: "If you ever truly lie to me, if you break that trust, I will walk away. And you will never find me again." He had laughed then, promising I was his universe. Now, his universe was a lie. A cold dread seeped into my bones. The fear, long buried, clawed its way up my throat. How could I have been so blind? So utterly naive? Was everything just a performance for his audience, for my adoration? The profound humiliation burned hotter than anger. But amidst the wreckage, a chilling clarity emerged. My world was destroyed, yes, but I was not. The decision was instant. Cold. Clear. I picked up the burner phone I'd bought months ago, a nagging unease I'd dismissed as paranoia. "It's Amelia Hayes," I said, my voice devoid of emotion. "I need to activate the Disappearance Protocol. Immediately."

My marriage was crumbling, not because of a cheating husband, but because of his mother – my mother-in-law, Brenda. She was a compulsive thief, but her family called it eccentric. Until the day she framed me for grand larceny, planting stolen heirlooms and stacks of cash in my purse right before a family gathering. No one believed me. Not Mike, my husband, who stood idly by as his "misunderstood" mother wove elaborate lies on the stand. I was convicted and sentenced to years in prison. By the time I got out, Mike had divorced me, my life was in ruins, and I found a desperate escape that ultimately led to my death. I died angry, heartbroken, and utterly betrayed by the very people who should have protected me. They built their lives on the ashes of mine, while I suffered for a crime I didn't commit, a victim of their blindness and her malicious deceit. But then, I woke up. My eyes snapped open, and the digital clock read 9:03 AM – three years before the addiction, before the prison, before my death. It wasn't a dream. It was an impossible second chance. This time, I wouldn't be the victim. I would be the orchestrator. My sweet, silent revenge would begin, and they wouldn't even see it coming.

I was Ethan Thorne, heir to the Kingmaker Casino empire. After saving Veronica Vance and her family from a fiery hotel inferno in Monaco, I was rewarded with her hand in marriage, an alliance supposedly forged in gratitude. On our wedding night, her eyes were cold, filled with something far from love. "You ruined everything," she whispered, her voice like ice, before having me kidnapped. She believed my heroism had overshadowed Julian Croft, the man she truly loved. Her men dragged me to a rotting shack deep in the Louisiana bayous and threw me into a dark, alligator-filled pool. The last thing I saw was Veronica' s serene face as Julian, her 'lost' love, reappeared beside her, smirking, his arms full of stolen art. She killed me, not for defiance, but for helping her family. I died in that putrid swamp, gnawed by beasts, wondering how my good deed had become my death sentence. How could saving a life lead to such cold, calculated betrayal? Then, I woke up. Not in the bayou, but on "The Starlight Express," a luxury train. I was Elias, a lowly attendant. News of a sabotaged trestle ahead crackled over the radio. Veronica Vance was on board, her cruel eyes fixed on me. This time, I wouldn't be a hero for anyone. My past kindness had earned me a pit of alligators. Never again.

Seven years. That's how long I’d been trapped in a marriage where 'we' felt like a generous lie. My husband, Ethan, barely spoke to me, his eyes always on Chloe and his burgeoning career, never on me. Just weeks before the end, in a rare moment of cruelty, he looked me dead in the eye and said, 'I regret being with you. I never wanted kids with you.' Those cutting words echoed as the screech of tires and the sickening crunch of metal filled the air, and then, nothing. Thanksgiving dinner with the man who’d emotionally neglected me for years, his true affections always reserved for Chloe, his career connection. The agonizing truth: my last thought was how utterly wasted my life with him had been. But then, I jolted awake. Not in heaven, but in my grimy college dorm room, nineteen again, an ancient flip phone buzzing with a new message from Ethan: 'Hey, wanna grab a bite later?' This was it: the very beginning of the doomed timeline, the moment our lives intertwined, leading to a decade of his neglect. Only this time, I knew exactly what to do.

On their wedding night, her husband sold her off to a strange man for his own benefit. Under desperate circumstances, she was saved by the last person that ever wanted to see, falling into a whirlpool of pain. Her agonizing memories merged with new misunderstandings made him suspicious of who she really was and he was determined to protect her from any danger. She wanted to escape from the truth and run away. But he pulled the child towards her and said, “This is the product of our affair from five years ago, you will never be able to escape.”

Aurora woke up to the sterile chill of her king-sized bed in Sterling Thorne's penthouse. Today was the day her husband would finally throw her out like garbage. Sterling walked in, tossed divorce papers at her, and demanded her signature, eager to announce his "eligible bachelor" status to the world. In her past life, the sight of those papers had broken her, leaving her begging for a second chance. Sterling's sneering voice, calling her a "trailer park girl" undeserving of his name, had once cut deeper than any blade. He had always used her humble beginnings to keep her small, to make her grateful for the crumbs of his attention. She had lived a gilded cage, believing she was nothing without him, until her life flatlined in a hospital bed, watching him give a press conference about his "grief." But this time, she felt no sting, no tears. Only a cold, clear understanding of the mediocre man who stood on a pedestal she had painstakingly built with her own genius. Aurora signed the papers, her name a declaration of independence. She grabbed her old, phoenix-stickered laptop, ready to walk out. Sterling Thorne was about to find out exactly how expensive "free" could be.

The sterile white of the operating room blurred, then sharpened, as Skye Sterling felt the cold clawing its way up her body. The heart monitor flatlined, a steady, high-pitched whine announcing her end. Her uterus had been removed, a desperate attempt to stop the bleeding, but the blood wouldn't clot. It just kept flowing, warm and sticky, pooling beneath her. Through heavy eyes, she saw a trembling nurse holding a phone on speaker. "Mr. Kensington," the nurse's voice cracked, "your wife... she's critical." A pause, then a sweet, poisonous giggle. Seraphina Miller. "Liam is in the shower," Seraphina's voice purred. "Stop calling, Skye. It's pathetic. Faking a medical emergency on our anniversary? Even for you, that's low." Then, Liam's bored voice: "If she dies, call the funeral home. I have a meeting in the morning." Click. The line went dead. A second later, so did Skye. The darkness that followed was absolute, suffocating, a black ocean crushing her lungs. She screamed into the void, a silent, agonizing wail of regret for loving a man who saw her as a nuisance, for dying without ever truly living. Until she died, she didn't understand. Why was her life so tragically wasted? Why did her husband, the man she loved, abandon her so cruelly? The injustice of it all burned hotter than the fever in her body. Then, the air rushed back in. Skye gasped, her body convulsing violently on the mattress. Her eyes flew open, wide and terrified, staring blindly into the darkness. Her trembling hand reached for her phone. May 12th. Five years ago. She was back.

Vesper's marriage to Julian Sterling was a gilded cage. One morning, she woke naked beside Damon Sterling, Julian's terrifying brother, then found a text: Julian's mistress was pregnant. Her world shattered, but the real nightmare had just begun. Julian's abuse escalated, gaslighting Vesper, funding his secret life. Damon, a germaphobic billionaire, became her unsettling anchor amidst his chaos. As "Iris," Vesper exposed Julian's mistress, Serena Sharp, sparking brutal war: poisoned drinks, a broken leg, and the horrifying truth-Julian murdered her parents, trapping Vesper in marriage. The man she married was a killer. Broken and betrayed, Vesper was caught between monstrous brothers, burning with injustice. Refusing victimhood, Vesper reclaimed her identity. Fueled by vengeance, she allied with Damon, who vowed to burn his empire for her. Julian faced justice, but matriarch Eleanor's counterattack forced Vesper's choice as a hitman aimed for her.

Trigger/Content Warning: This story contains mature themes and explicit content intended for adult audiences(18+). Reader discretion is advised. It includes elements such as BDSM dynamics, explicit sexual content, toxic family relationships, occasional violence and strong language. This is not a fluffy romance. It is intense, raw and messy, and explores the darker side of desire. ***** "Take off your dress, Meadow." "Why?" "Because your ex is watching," he said, leaning back into his seat. "And I want him to see what he lost." ••••*••••*••••* Meadow Russell was supposed to get married to the love of her life in Vegas. Instead, she walked in on her twin sister riding her fiance. One drink at the bar turned to ten. One drunken mistake turned into reality. And one stranger's offer turned into a contract that she signed with shaking hands and a diamond ring. Alaric Ashford is the devil in a tailored Tom Ford suit. Billionaire CEO, brutal, possessive. A man born into an empire of blood and steel. He also suffers from a neurological condition-he can't feel. Not objects, not pain, not even human touch. Until Meadow touches him, and he feels everything. And now he owns her. On paper and in his bed. She wants him to ruin her. Take what no one else could have. He wants control, obedience... revenge. But what starts as a transaction slowly turns into something Meadow never saw coming. Obsession, secrets that were never meant to surface, and a pain from the past that threatens to break everything. Alaric doesn't share what's his. Not his company. Not his wife. And definitely not his vengeance.

The roasted lamb was cold, a reflection of her marriage. On their third anniversary, Evelyn Vance waited alone in her Manhattan penthouse. Then her phone buzzed: Alexander, her husband, had been spotted leaving the hospital, holding his childhood sweetheart Scarlett Sharp's hand. Alexander arrived hours later, dismissing Evelyn's quiet complaint with a cold reminder: she was Mrs. Vance, not a victim. Her mother's demands reinforced this role, making Evelyn, a brilliant mind, feel like a ghost. A dangerous indifference replaced betrayal. The debt was paid; now, it was her turn. She drafted a divorce settlement, waiving everything. As Alexander's tender voice drifted from his study, speaking to Scarlett, Evelyn placed her wedding ring on his pillow, moved to the guest suite, and locked the door. The dull wife was gone; the Oracle was back.

My husband Julian celebrated our five-year anniversary by sleeping with his mistress. He thought I was a clueless trophy wife, too dim to notice the vanilla and tuberose scent on his expensive suits. He was wrong. For years, I played Mrs. Vance, hiding my brilliance while Julian claimed my patents. An anonymous email confirmed his ultimate betrayal: photos of him and Scarlett Kensington in ecstasy. My heart didn't break; it solidified into ice at five years wasted. I activated "The Protocol" for a new identity and escape countdown. Playing the doting wife, I plotted his downfall, catching him with his mistress selling my work, and publicly snapping his credit card. His betrayals and stolen work ignited a cold, calculated fury. He had no idea the monster he'd created. I was dismantling his empire. I shredded his patent papers, stripping him of his ill-gotten gains. With a final tap, I initiated "Identity Erasure." Mrs. Vance was dead. Dr. Evelyn Thorne had just begun her counterattack.

Yelena discovered that she wasn't her parents' biological child. After seeing through their ploy to trade her as a pawn in a business deal, she was sent away to her barren birthplace. There, she stumbled upon her true origins-a lineage of historic opulence. Her real family showered her with love and adoration. In the face of her so-called sister's envy, Yelena conquered every adversity and took her revenge, all while showcasing her talents. She soon caught the attention of the city's most eligible bachelor. He cornered Yelena and pinned her against the wall. "It's time to reveal your true identity, darling."

The acrid smell of smoke still clung to Evelyn in the ambulance, her lungs raw from the penthouse fire. She was alive, but the world around her felt utterly destroyed, a feeling deepened by the small TV flickering to life. On it, her husband, Julian Vance, thousands of miles away, publicly comforted his mistress, Serena Holloway, shielding her from paparazzi after *her* "panic attack." Julian's phone went straight to voicemail. Alone in the hospital with second-degree burns, Evelyn watched news replays, her heart rate spiking. He protected Serena from camera flashes while Evelyn burned. When he finally called, he demanded she handle insurance, dismissing the fire; Serena's voice faintly heard. The shallow family ties and pretense of marriage evaporated. A searing injustice and cold anger replaced pain; Evelyn knew Julian had chosen to let her burn. "Evelyn Vance died in that fire," she declared, ripping out her IV. Armed with a secret fortune as "The Architect," Hollywood's top ghostwriter, she walked out. She would divorce Julian, reclaim her name, and finally step into the spotlight as an actress.

Betrayed by her fiancé and stepsister a day before her wedding shattered all Lina's dreams about love. She was heartbroken and in pain. Being drugged and unknowingly loosing her virginity to a stranger is not as painful as being betrayed by her loved ones. She promised to make her pretentious step sister and her unfaithful fiancé pay back hundredfold for what they did to her. On her journey to seek revenge, the stranger she had a one night stand with, came knocking at her door with a marriage contract in hand. Without her knowing he was the one she has that blissful one night stand with, she agreed on the marriage contract for some reasons. Will she find out he was the one she had that blissful one night stand with? Will she fall in love with him after being betrayed? Will she be able to get her revenge on those that betrayed her? Find out in this amazing book "Contracted After Being Betrayed"

Vivian clutched her Hermès bag, her doctor's words echoing: "Extremely high-risk pregnancy." She hoped the baby would save her cold marriage, but Julian wasn't in London as his schedule claimed. Instead, a paparazzi photo revealed his early return-with a blonde woman, not his wife, at the private airport exit. The next morning, Julian served divorce papers, callously ending their "duty" marriage for his ex, Serena. A horrifying contract clause gave him the right to terminate her pregnancy or seize their child. Humiliated, demoted, and forced to fake an ulcer, Vivian watched him parade his affair, openly discarding her while celebrating Serena. This was a calculated erasure, not heartbreak. He cared only for his image, confirming he would "handle" the baby himself. A primal rage ignited her. "Just us," she whispered to her stomach, vowing to sign the divorce on her terms, keep her secret safe, and walk away from Sterling Corp for good, ready to protect her child alone.