In the eyes of outsiders, Alvaro, a man who lived with his wife's family, appeared to be nothing more than a total loser. In the eyes of his wife's family, Alvaro was no better than a servant. Following a devious conspiracy, Alvaro was humiliatingly expelled from the Douglas family. Yet, unbeknownst to all, in that very moment, the birth of an unparalleled man, capable of sending shivers through the world, was set in motion...
"Alvaro, leave the clothes. You don't have to do the laundry anymore. It's your birthday today. I have cooked a delicious feast for you. Let's have it together," Donna Douglas urged with a smile.
Alvaro Clifford was washing the clothes in the bathroom. A startled gasp escaped his lips, for he couldn't believe his ears.
He turned and saw Donna smiling at him. She was a charming woman in her forties. "Mom..." he trailed off in a tremulous voice. "Are you serious?"
Ever since Alvaro became Donna's son-in-law, he had been living with her family, performing household chores as servants did.
He served everyone and attended to his mother-in-law's needs, only to get abused by the entire family.
His wife, Carmela Douglas, had always been indifferent toward him. She didn't even let him lay a finger on her in the past five years. Although they shared the same bedroom, she would make him sleep on the floor.
Five long, daunting years had passed in the blink of an eye. Alvaro succumbed to their torture and eventually became numb.
He had thought of divorcing Carmela and fighting back. But he endured everything only for Carmela's grandfather, Emilio Douglas, who raised him. If not for him, Alvaro wouldn't be alive now.
He didn't know how else to repay his kindness.
Emilio had saved his life. Alvaro felt the injustice he felt was nothing compared to what Carmela's grandfather did for him.
Being accustomed to all the torture, he was shocked to hear Donna's kind words.
"You are my son-in-law; Carmela's husband. We are family." Donna's smile widened.
Alvaro grew emotional. "Okay. You wait for me at the table. I will come as soon as I finish."
"Okay, don't be late."
He quickly finished washing his clothes.
When Alvaro entered the living room, his mother-in-law, wife, and sister-in-law greeted him with a smile. They were already waiting at the table for him.
The delicious aroma of the mouthwatering dishes wafted in the air. Alvaro's eyes widened when he saw the enormous birthday cake and the bottles of red wine on the dining table.
His sister-in-law, Aaliyah Douglas, walked over and held his arm. "Why are you standing there? Come here and take a seat."
More than her kind words, the intimacy in her voice surprised him even more.
Carmela gently inserted a few candles into the cake and smiled at him. "Honey, make a wish and blow the candles."
Alvaro nodded unblinkingly. He couldn't fathom what had gotten into them. Carmela was gentle and kind to him for the first time in five years.
She had always been cold to Alvaro. She seldom looked him in the eye or smiled at him. His mere presence disgusted her. Besides, he cooked for the entire family but was never allowed to eat with them. However, everything seemed to have changed overnight.
Alvaro smiled to himself as he blew out the candles and made a wish.
"Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you..."
The three women unanimously clapped their hands as they sang the birthday song.
Happiness and warmth filled the air.
"I hope this continues forever."
Alvaro felt a myriad of emotions when he saw the three women beaming at him. He wondered if all this was just a dream.
It looked like his hard days had finally come to an end. After five years of struggle and hard work, his wife and her family finally accepted him.
"Alvaro, come and eat. I've cooked all your favorite food."
"Let me pour you a glass of wine, honey."
"Happy birthday, Alvaro."
Alvaro happily hogged down the food. It was the best meal he had eaten in his lifetime.
The three women gave him a toast, served him food, and chatted with him like they were always fond of him. Alvaro was drowned in happiness that he didn't realize he was getting drunk. Eventually, he couldn't stay awake anymore. His eyes shut on their accord.
The next morning
The bright sunlight flooded through the window.
Alvaro woke up to the deafening screams of a girl.
He jerked up in shock and sat up. He rubbed his eyes and found himself lying on an unfamiliar bed.
Finally, his gaze fell on Aaliyah, who was looking at him with reproachful eyes, shaking with terror.
Just then, the bedroom door flew open.
"Alvaro! You jerk! How could you?"
Alvaro recoiled in shock.
Donna and Carmela angrily stormed into the room.
Alvaro opened his mouth to explain.
However, Donna slapped him in the face.
"Shut up! I don't want to listen to your stupid explanation. We celebrated your birthday out of sheer kindness, but you're a filthy monster. Look, we won't call the police considering our relation. But I can't stand the sight of you. Get out, and don't ever show your sorry face to me again!"
Alvaro's shoulders slumped. He knew they wouldn't believe him regardless of what he was to say.
Besides, what he did was blasphemous, even if it was just a drunken mistake.
He had no choice but to bear the consequences.
"I'm sorry, Aaliyah. I'm so sorry..."
Alvaro repeatedly apologized. However, Aaliyah continued to sob and refused to look at him. He had no choice but to put on his clothes and leave with a heavy heart.
"Wait a minute. Take this crap with you!"
Carmela took out her wedding ring and threw it on the floor.
Alvaro's face darkened.
The ring was a gift he got on his twentieth birthday from a mysterious man.
He received it via express delivery without the sender's name or address. The package only contained the ring along with a small note that read: "Happy birthday, King."
The strange gift surprised Alvaro. He thought someone had sent it to the wrong address, so he went to the courier company with the ring. However, the staff checked the records and said they neither received the package nor did any of their employees deliver it.
Alvaro tried every way to track down the sender but couldn't. Therefore, he kept the ring. After marrying Carmela, he gave it to her as a wedding ring because it was the most beautiful ring he had seen.
Later, Carmela took the ring to a jewelry store to find its worth. She learned it was a piece of scrap metal worth nothing and never wore it again.
Alvaro bent and picked up the ring. Then, he looked at the house for one last time, sighed, and left.
*
When Alvaro walked out of the house, he suddenly remembered he had forgotten to take his clothes. Just as he returned to the house, the burst of laughter from inside caught his attention.
"Wow! I can't believe it. We finally drove that loser away! It was amazing."
"Yeah. That moron thought we celebrated his birthday out of kindness and didn't realize we drugged him. He won't set foot into this house again."
"Yeah, thank God! He doesn't think he's good enough for me, does he? I wouldn't have married him if Grandpa didn't force me."
"It's okay, Carmela. We aren't going to see him again. Let's pop open a bottle of champagne and celebrate it."
Alvaro stopped dead in his tracks when he heard that.
The blood on his face drained. He clenched his fists, ignoring his nails sinking into his palm. He was seething with rage.
Suddenly, everything seemed to make sense.
The birthday party was a conspiracy.
The three women had conspired to get rid of him.
Alvaro felt stupid for falling for their trick. They had cooked a storm and celebrated his birthday only to kick him out of the house.
It was despicable.
Alvaro shook his head bitterly. He felt confronting those vicious people was pointless.
It wouldn't do him any good.
Therefore, he decided to leave.
The Douglas family had always treated him as a servant. Alvaro worked wholeheartedly without complaining once. He ignored all the humiliation just for Emilio.
But he couldn't stand it anymore.
Alvaro understood the entire family resented him. There was no point in staying there any longer.
He was exhausted.
A gust of cold wind whipped him.
Alvaro wrapped the coat around him and took a deep breath.
This winter was colder than the previous year.
A car darted toward Alvaro at lightning speed.
His eyes widened in horror.
Before he could react, the car knocked over him.
A piercing scream echoed across the silent road.
Blood splashed on the ring, and a strange, mysterious light flashed through the ring.
"Is it considered betrayal to develop feelings for your best friend's boyfriend? What about when fate intervenes, and he turns out to be your destined mate? You might think it's luck and thank the moon goddess for such a twist of fate. That's what I believed until the love of my life uttered those dreaded words: 'I want a divorce!' As I stared at the pregnancy test in my hands, I realized it was better to keep my secret to myself. My name is Violet, and this is my story."
"Listen, Gadreel Ødegaar," she looked at him, not hesitating this time. "It's my anniversary present for you. Let's divorce." *** Ivory Remington had sacrificed five years to look after her husband Gadreel who was in a vegetative state after an accident and a few months ago, he finally awakened like a miracle. She thought it was the start of their happy life but Gadreel still had no heart for her. On their anniversary and her birthday, she received a cheating video of her dear husband and her stepsister. Heartbroken, Ivory chose to quit this stupid game. She decided to set him free but the reason she left on the divorce agreement pierced Gadreel's noble pride. *** "Impotent? Are you serious?" He gripped her wrist and a dangerous glint flashed in his eyes. "I'm a woman, Gadreel. I'm tired of being in a sexless marriage. Let's end it once and for all." "Sexless, huh?" he chuckled lowly and without warning grabbed her chin in between his hands, pulling her face closer. "Turns out my wife was so eager to get a man between her legs? "
"Love is blind!" Lucinda abandoned her beautiful and comfortable life because of a man. She married him and slaved off for him for three long years. One day, the scales finally fell off her eyes. She realized that all her efforts were in vain. Her husband, Nathaniel still treated her like shit. All he cared about was his lover. "Enough is enough! I quit wasting my years with an ungrateful man!" Lucinda's heart was shattered into many pieces, but she summoned up the courage to ask for a divorce. The news caused a stir online! A filthy rich young woman recently got divorced? She was a good catch! Countless CEOs and handsome young men immediately swarmed to her like bees to honey! Nathaniel couldn't take it anymore. He held a press conference and begged with teary eyes, "I love you, Lucinda. I can't live without you. Please come back to me." Would Lucinda give him a second chance? Read to find out!
Loraine was a dutiful wife to Marco since they got married three years ago. However, he treated her like trash. Nothing she did softened his heart. One day, Loraine got fed up with it all. She asked him for a divorce and left him to enjoy with his mistress. The elites looked at her like she was deranged. "Are you out of your mind? Why are you so willing to divorce him?" "It's because I need to return home to get a billion-dollar fortune. Besides, I don't love him anymore," Loraine replied with a smile. They all laughed at her. Some believed that the divorce affected her mentally. It wasn't until the next day that they realized she wasn't fibbing. A woman was suddenly declared the world's youngest female billionaire. It turned out to be Loraine! Marco was shocked to the bone. When he met his ex-wife again, she was a changed person. A group of handsome young men surrounded her. She was smiling at them all. The sight made Marco's heart ache severely. Putting his pride aside, he tried to win her back. "Hello, love. I see that you are a billionaire now. You shouldn't be with suckers who just want your money. How about you come back to me? I'm a billionaire too. Together, we can build a strong empire. What do you say?" Loraine squinted at her ex-husband with her lips curled in disgust.
Aria never wanted to marry Kael, the arrogant playboy her father forced her to accept as her fiancé. But Kael had his own twisted motives-he only wanted her because she was the one girl who refused him. When Aria rejected his demand to sleep with him a week before their wedding, Kael tried to take what he wanted by force. His drunken pursuit ended in tragedy when he was struck by a car, leaving Aria caught in the crossfire of blame. Zander, Kael's elder brother and the soon-to-be Alpha King, believed Aria was responsible for his brother's death-and promiscuous to boot. To prevent war between their packs, Zander agreed to marry her, but only for revenge. His plan? Ruin Aria's life for a year, then cast her aside and divorce her. But Zander's scheme begins to unravel when his ex-best friend Asher returns, determined to take Aria for himself. As secrets from the past resurface, Zander discovers betrayal, lies, and truths he never wanted to face. Was Aria truly guilty, or was she just another pawn in a deadly game of power and revenge? Asher laugh and say, "You're a fool; she never wanted to come. I told her you were with Lyra, so she came. And now I've achieved my goal: I ruined your marriage." Zander feel foolish, asking, "But why? I never did anything to you! You were my best friend. I should have killed you when you slept with my ex fiancée, Lyra!" Asher respond, "You knew I loved her, but you stole Lyra from me. She was my true mate, but she refused to marry me because you were soon to be the Alpha King! She never loved you. She loved me but wanted to be the queen of werewolves; that's all." Zander would realize how foolish he was. Yet, he still believed Aria wasn't innocent because she slept with his deceased brother before the wedding.
In her previous life, Kimberly endured the betrayal of her husband, the cruel machinations of an evil woman, and the endless tyranny of her in-laws. It culminated in the bankruptcy of her family, and ultimately, her death. After being reborn, she resolved to seek retribution against those who had wronged her, and ensure her family's prosperity. To her shock, the most unattainable man from her past suddenly set his sights on her. "You may have overlooked me before, but I shall capture your heart this time around."