juhi

In a tranquil Japanese city, the shocking murder of a successful businessman disrupts the peace, unearthing a web of betrayal, complex relationships, and hidden motives. Detective Kazuki Yamamoto, renowned for his exceptional skills, is thrown into a labyrinth of deception as he painstakingly unravels the truth. Each clue leads to new twists, revealing dark secrets that bind the suspects in unforeseen ways. Will Kazuki's sharp intellect be enough to solve a case where shadows conceal the deepest truths?

My wedding to Ethan Reed was just weeks away. After seven years, I was certain of our perfect future. Then, Ethan claimed "selective amnesia" from a head injury, forgetting only me. I tried to make him remember, until I overheard his video call. "Total genius move," he boasted to friends. His amnesia was a fake "hall pass" to pursue influencer Chloe Vance before our wedding. Heartbroken, I feigned belief. I endured his open flirting with Chloe and their taunting selfies. He mocked my distress, prioritizing Chloe's fake emergency. After an accident he caused, he abandoned me, injured, choosing to send Chloe to the hospital first. He even tried to cut me off financially. How could my fiancé be this cruel, calculating monster? His betrayal poisoned every memory. I felt like a fool for trusting such boundless cruelty. His audacity left me reeling. But I wouldn’t be his victim. Instead of breaking, a cold plan formed. I would shed my identity, become Olivia Carter. I would disappear, leaving him, my past, and his engagement ring behind forever, claiming my freedom.

*Warning* This book contains explicit content and it's rated 18+. They can be read as standalone as they are all age-gap romances. Hope y'all are ready for a pleasant ride. xoxo. "Oh, please, sir. Please, fuck me!" I screamed in delirium. The heat from him disappeared for a moment, and I was sad and scared. Where did he go? What had I done wrong now? But he returned, sheathed and ready to plunge into me. "Oh, thank God," I said breathlessly. He chuckled a little; slowly he slid in, adjusting me on the sink, aligning me to his dick. Each thrust sent me further into a manic need to come. Perhaps I was screaming, because his hand covered my mouth. For a brief moment, I was frightened. I was panting so hard it blocked my need to breathe, but then his voice was in my ear. "Come for me, bluebird."

My life with Ethan Hayes was a true New York fairytale. He was devastatingly handsome, a brilliant tech CEO, and our engagement was the stuff of lifestyle blogs and glittering society columns. I poured my heart into our eight years together, building a perfect future, a "Golden Couple" image people envied. Until I found the texts: "Can't wait until she's out of the picture for good. You promised." And then the photos, the eggplant emoji, the casual cruelty of a Cartier bracelet – "one-of-a-kind," he'd said – glinting on *her* wrist, identical to mine. Chloe Vance, an old college acquaintance, was his secret "escape," his "excitement." Not just a fling, but a long-term, calculated betrayal. He lavished gifts on me, charming me even as he publicly defended her, dismissing my concerns. He even gave his pregnant mistress his family heirloom, the one he swore was meant only for me. My birthday ended with him ditching me for her manufactured crisis, only for me to receive a photo of Chloe's pregnancy report. Eight years. A lifetime of promises. All built on his lies. How could someone be so utterly, flawlessly deceptive? My love for him turned to ice, replaced by a searing ache of betrayal and a cold, quiet rage. I wouldn't cry. I wouldn't scream. I pressed call on Liam Walker's name, a man from a past I’d left behind, and uttered four words that would change everything: "Marry me, Liam." It was time for a reckoning. And I knew just how to deliver it.

I returned to Arizona after four years, happily engaged and hoping to invite my guardian, Marcus, to my wedding. But I found a nightmare: Marcus was engaged to Chloe Davenport, my high school bully. He instantly dismissed my wedding news as a “lie,” blindly favoring Chloe as she systematically tormented me. He allowed her to frame me, forced apologies, and let her steal my cherished artwork. When I reported it, he quashed the police investigation, accusing me of “causing trouble” and confining me. His cruel disregard and blind favoritism was a profound betrayal. Overwhelmed by injustice, I resolved to cut all ties. I repaid every cent he'd spent, leaving a note: “The debt is repaid. I'm gone.” As I flew to Florence, Marcus’s delusion crumbled. He raced across continents, frantic to stop my Tuscan wedding. He burst in, desperate and tearful, only to find me radiant. Calmly, I revealed the three times I nearly died, alone and abandoned, after he sent me away – each time, my calls unanswered. My unwavering happiness with David, and the cold truth of his neglect, utterly shattered him.

My life with Ethan Cole, the charismatic tech CEO, was perfect. I was his beloved wife, carrying our first child, convinced I was the center of his universe. But when my father fell ill, Ethan disappeared from my life, only to reappear in a crushing photo: his arm intimately around my successful cousin, Olivia Hayes. My world shattered. The betrayal ran deeper than I could have imagined. I discovered I was merely a meticulously chosen stand-in, a grotesque copy of Olivia, the woman he truly loved. He even desired our child to have *her* features, a living link to his obsession. Every tender gesture, every shared dream, was a calculated lie, meaning my marriage, my love, and my pregnancy were all built on his monstrous deceit. A cold rage blossomed within me; how could I have been so blind? He believed he owned me, that I would never leave, especially with a baby on the way, confident I was a compliant fool. He was terribly wrong. I would not be his vessel, his substitute. When he least expected it, while he was still flaunting his obsession, I quietly underwent an abortion. Then, using his arrogance against him, I meticulously orchestrated my escape, securing my divorce and vanishing without a trace. He thought he was playing me; I showed him exactly who was being played, leaving him a devastating truth about his own making.

"Maya, we need to talk about the Nova Fellowship." Ethan’s voice was smooth, but his eyes held a look I knew well before he asked for something big. The final interviews for my dream fellowship were just next week. He sighed, running a hand through his perfect brown hair, then dropped the bombshell: Chloe, the Harrisons’ "lost" daughter, suddenly wanted to apply. I stared, my heart pounding, realizing the application deadline had passed months ago, and Chloe knew nothing of astrophysics. He quickly explained they were making an exception for Chloe due to "hardship," courtesy of the Harrisons’ pulled strings. A cold feeling started in my stomach when he gently suggested I withdraw my application for "family goodwill." He squeezed my hands, urging me to "give Chloe a fair shot" because she was "fragile." I pulled my hands away, reminding him this fellowship was my entire future. He insisted I’d find other opportunities, painting my sacrifice as a "gesture for family." His words felt like cotton, trying to smother the fire of my lifelong dream. He believed this was reasonable, that I should sacrifice everything for a girl he barely knew, who had appeared out of nowhere. My carefully built world, with Ethan at its center, felt like it was tilting, as I realized I was just in the way. Then, he left me stranded in a furious Nor’easter, sick and alone, rushing off to comfort Chloe’s "panic attack." Weeks later, the Harrisons, with Ethan’s complicity, publicly branded me a plagiarist, expelled me from Blackwood, and stole my groundbreaking dark matter algorithm. I saw Chloe presenting my life’s work as her own, celebrated as a "rising star." My reputation was in ruins, my academic dreams destroyed, my love for Ethan shattered into a million pieces. How could Ethan, the man I loved, betray me for an imposter, and why did the family treat me as expendable after years of devotion? Publicly shamed, injured in an angry crowd, I truly hit rock bottom, lying feverish and abandoned in a hospital bed. Just as despair threatened to consume me, I remembered the private investigator’s card, tucked away in my wallet, leading to the biological family I thought were dead. That night, lying shattered and alone, I reached for my phone, found the investigator’s number, and made the call to choose myself and reclaim my life.

For seven long years, I, Ava Chen, willingly served as a human blood bank for Chloe Vance, the sickly heiress beloved by Ethan Cole, the man I secretly adored. My architectural dreams at Columbia were constantly sidelined, all for the unrequited hope that Ethan might one day see me. When Chloe desperately needed a life-threatening bone marrow transplant, I demanded Ethan marry me to agree, but during my near-death flatline, his callous words echoed: "If Ava doesn't make it, so be it." I jolted awake, not truly dead, yet Ethan's chilling indifference had irrevocably shattered my foolish, wasted devotion. Later, I was brutally beaten by Chloe and her clique, left for dead, and even then, Ethan ordered my critically injured body to be 'drained' for Chloe's blood. How could I have been so hopelessly deluded, so utterly blind to the callous man I loved, or the manipulative viper he protected? The stinging reality of his cruel pragmatism, repeated over years, finally pierced through my heartbreak, leaving only incandescent rage. In that moment of ultimate despair, a cold, unyielding resolve transformed me: no more sacrificing myself for them. I would reclaim my life, starting with a daring, unexpected act that would ensure Ethan truly received what he deserved, marking my definitive escape from their toxic grasp and a new dawn for myself.

My sister-in-law was pregnant. She said that in our village, giving birth was just a matter of spreading your legs and pushing. But I was worried and insisted that she go for a check-up. It turned out that she had a high-risk pregnancy and needed a C-section to save her and the baby's lives. My nephew was born weak and sickly, and every time he got sick, my sister-in-law would blame me for making her go to the hospital and causing him to be born prematurely and injured. He grew to hate me and eventually killed me by poisoning my water. When I woke up, I was back at home and asked for my opinion on the matter. This time, I won't interfere. I want to see what kind of thing she can give birth to.

As a high school counselor, Sarah Miller, I stood at the PTA meeting, ready to discuss college preparedness. It should have been a routine night. But then Tiffany Hayes, bright smile, clear voice, spoke: "Ms. Miller, about those optional after-school college essay workshops..." A cold dread seized me. I knew this moment. Tiffany's insidious campaign had, in my past life, systematically destroyed me. She’d publicly shamed me, whispering accusations of bribery ruining my career. Her cruelty had shattered Emily, a brilliant student, driving her to a suicide attempt. Emily’s anguished father, blaming me, had violently ended my life with his truck. Darkness. Nothing. Now I was back, staring at Tiffany, as if none of it ever happened. The same words, the same deadly moment. This horrifying loop, the injustice, consumed me. But this time, Tiffany wouldn't win. This time, I would fight back.

The tiny screen showed a pulsing heartbeat, and Doctor Ramirez smiled. I was pregnant, overjoyed, ready to build our perfect family with Michael, my loving husband, and my rock-solid best friend, Chloe. It felt like a dream come true after years of trying. Then Chloe gifted me an antique locket, a seemingly thoughtful "protection charm." But soon after, my baby's heartbeat grew alarmingly erratic. The doctor warned me, while a chilling encounter with an eccentric antique dealer sparked a horrifying thought: Was the locket cursed? Could it be a "vessel of sorrow" meant to "rebalance fates"? His ominous words echoed as Chloe, who’d struggled with IVF, began showing surprising "positive signs." Desperate to protect my child, I tried to banish the locket's influence. That’s when I overheard the insidious truth: Michael’s voice, hushed, conspiring with Chloe. “The locket’s influence is definitely working,” he whispered. “Her inevitable breakdown will make things easier.” “The trust fund... it’ll all be sorted.” Betrayal ripped through me, cold and agonizing. My husband, the man I trusted with my life, and my best friend, were actively orchestrating my ruin. The “curse” wasn’t supernatural; it was a calculated scheme of psychological torture and subtle drugs. It was all designed to induce my miscarriage and drive me mad, all for my family’s trust fund. Every loving glance, every comforting word, a horrifying lie. The terror was instant, quickly followed by a searing, ice-cold fury. They thought I was collapsing, but their vile deception simply ignited a dormant strength within me. They wanted to tear down my world. I wouldn't just survive; I would meticulously expose their every deceit. I would dismantle their entire wicked plot. And I would ensure they faced justice for the monstrous theft of my peace, my future, and my baby.