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"They were torn apart by secrets. Can love bring them back together?" ********** Marie, the secret heiress of the Smith Group, marries Max, the boy she loved as a child, even though her grandfather doesn't want her to. Lena, Max's adopted sister, has a bad past and an obsession that makes them unhappy. Lying and not trusting cause broken hearts and deception. After a miscarriage makes the truth clear, Marie leaves to start over with the help of her grandfather and Dave, who is her grandpa's adopted son. Lena's jealousy drives her to plan dangerous things when her feelings for Max come back. To get her happy ending back, Marie has to find out the truth about how her parents died and trick her enemies. Will her enemies win, or will she be able to overcome betrayal and take her proper place?
The rain poured fiercely outside, putting a dark mist over the luxurious, beautiful estate as Marie peeked through the window once again to see if she could get a glimpse of her husband driving in the building, but there was no sign of him....yet. She pulled herself back to the massive king-sized bed and sat on the edge, staring out the window with her eyes fixed on the rain falling like tears on the glass.
With just one candle blazing on the nightstand and weird shadows cast on the walls, the room was hardly illuminated at all. With her hands clasped tightly in her lap and her fingers tensely intertwined, Marie awaited her husband's arrival via the sound of the door opening.
She couldn't define what she truly felt. It wasn't excitement she was feeling, as for the past three years, her marriage to Max had been nothing but a nightmare. He had treated her as nothing more than trash, but still, she wanted him back home. Wondering why he hadn't returned home at that late hour, she speculated if he was with Lena. They were probably in a room getting intimate. She felt her heart starting to ache and quickly shrugged off the thoughts.
She was about to go to bed when her eyes met a small shiny package on the dressing table that looked like a jewelry box. She grabbed it and opened it out of curiosity. A diamond ring was in the little jewelry box. With astonishment in her eyes, Marie stared at the ring, her pulse pounding with anticipation.
Had Max gotten his for her? Was he finally realizing what was going on and trying to make things up? Without hesitating, she tried the ring on right away, sliding it onto her finger and clicking it gently. The diamond glinted on her skin, illuminating the space in small rainbows. Marie felt like a princess in a fairy tale, and she couldn't help but gasp with ecstasy.
The ring fit perfectly, as if it had been made for her alone. She twirled her finger, watching as the diamond flashed and shimmered, its beauty taking her breath away.
Just then, the door opened. Her heart skipped as she froze.
"What the heck are you doing?!" Max's voice echoed through the room, his piercing green eyes fixed on Marie with a mixture of irritation and anger.
"Honey... you're back," Marie stuttered, trying to shift his attention.
"I just asked you a question," Max ignored, as he dashed towards her in anger.
"I was just... I was just admiring it," Marie stuttered again, her heart racing seriously.
"And who said you could touch it!" Max roared as he dragged the ring and box from her grasp. "I got this ring for Lena; it must be clean and flawless. A dirty woman like you touching it makes me sick!"
Marie's heart sank as she stared back at him with tears gathered in her eyes. She slowly wiped them off with the back of her palm, the pain of the betrayal was a physical ache in her chest. 'A dirty woman like you...' his voice echoed in her mind, the words cutting deep like a knife. That's what she is to him? 'A dirty woman?' She lifted her gaze to meet his. The stare in his eyes were as cold as ice. This wasn't the man she had fallen in love with. No, this isn't Max.. Can't be.
"But why do you treat me like this, Max? I am your wife. Just what have I done to deserve this ill-treatment from you?"
"Did you just say wife?? How did you get into the position of being my wife? Do you need me to remind you?! I will never forget your face, you poisonous woman!" Max scoffed.
"Max, please, I don't deserve this..."
"Don't act pitiful in front of me!" Max spat, the words piercing Marie's heart like daggers. "Your presence alone sickens me."
He angrily flung the ring onto the bed. "Get this through your head: you mean nothing to me."
Marie's eyes widened, the tears threatening to spill. "Max please, listen to me," she choked out, her voice trembling. "I..."
Not wanting to hear any more of her words, Max dashed angrily towards Marie and dragged her outside the house, pushing her into the rain angrily. "Since you don't understand what I said, you will kneel here and reflect on yourself," he said without an ounce of emotion.
Marie could feel her heart shattering into a million pieces. What was he talking about? She had explained several times about the incident. She was really innocent.
"Is this about that incident? Max, it wasn't me who did it, I've told you before," she said without pause. "Why don't you believe me? It was Lena, she..."
"Shut up, you disgusting woman!" Max cut in. "Do you even have the right to call Lena's name?!" He paused, swallowing hard. "You really should feel lucky I'm only letting you kneel here. Even if you died a hundred times, it wouldn't be enough for all the things you've done to Lena over the years."
Marie bristled with anger and pain, feeling the injustice of the accusation scorch her skin. "I haven't done anything to harm her, Max, why don't you believe me?" Marie said with tears, feeling her heart heavy in her chest..it felt so heavy like it was going to burst out.
"Shut up! You witch!" Max roared. "If it wasn't for you, would Lena have had that accident?!... It's been four years, and you still show no remorse!"
"Max..."
"You kneel right there! When I calm down a little, only then can you stand up!" Max said, clenching his jaw as he turned to leave.
"Max, please!" Marie cried as the rain kept pouring on her, the pain all-consuming, leaving no room for anything else.
"Tyler Wills broke my heart and now, he's back to pick up the pieces, but I built walls he can't climb... or can he?" --- Samantha Blake, a rising star in New York's design world, thought she left her broken past behind. But when a big lie messes up her life, she has to face Tyler Wills, the man she once loved and lost. As secrets come out and enemies show up, Samantha must deal with a mix of lies and desire. Will she find the strength to forgive and get her future back, or will the past ruin everything she cares about?
"You have no right to ask me such questions," Ava said, almost immediately. "This whole marriage thing is only on paper, remember? It doesn't give you any claim on my personal life. I am not your property, Jace!" "The contract is still on! Fake or not, I own you Ava and I do have every damn right to ask!" Jace cuts in, his voice low and dangerous. "Now, tell me - who was that guy with you at the bar??" ****** In a storm of betrayal, obligation, and unexpected twists, Avalynn finds herself entangled in a contract marriage with Jace Malvis, the heir to a powerful business empire. As their relationship evolves from a facade to something more, secrets unravel, revealing hidden connections that change everything. With the truth finally emerging, Avalynn must navigate love, family, and her own identity. Can she find true happiness amidst the chaos, or will the demons of the past haunt her future?
In the previous life, Maggie Johnson was so cowardly, gullible and stupid that she was coaxed by her fiance and stepsister and then broke her legs and lost everything including her fortune, love and even life. However, she was so lucky that she was reborn in the year before everything happened. Since her life restarted, how could she repeat a previous tragedy? Therefore, in this life, she took the opportunity to improve herself and take revenge on the ones who had ever insulted her. Facing the people who had humiliated her previously, she became smart and experienced to break their frames and tricks that had caused her to hurt in the previous life. Finally, no one could stop her pace to amaze the world any more.
To the public, she was the CEO's executive secretary. Behind closed doors, she was the wife he never officially acknowledged. Jenessa was elated when she learned that she was pregnant. But that joy was replaced with dread as her husband, Ryan, showered his affections on his first love. With a heavy heart, she chose to set him free and leave. When they met again, Ryan's attention was caught by Jenessa's protruding belly. "Whose child are you carrying?!" he demanded. But she only scoffed. "It's none of your business, my dear ex-husband!"
She was a world-renowned divine doctor, the CEO of a publicly traded company, the most formidable female mercenary, and a top-tier tech genius. Marissa, a titan with a plethora of secret identities, had hidden her true stature to marry a seemingly impoverished young man. However, on the eve of their wedding, her fiance, who was actually the lost heir to a wealthy dynasty, called off the engagement and subjected her to degradation and mockery. Upon the revelation of her concealed identities, her ex-fiance was left stunned and desperately pleaded for her forgiveness. Standing protectively before Marissa, an incredibly influential and fearsome magnate declared, "This is my wife. Who would dare try to claim her?"
"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!
Corinne devoted three years of her life to her boyfriend, only for it to all go to waste. He saw her as nothing more than a country bumpkin and left her at the altar to be with his true love. After getting jilted, Corinne reclaimed her identity as the granddaughter of the town’s richest man, inherited a billion-dollar fortune, and ultimately rose to the top. But her success attracted the envy of others, and people constantly tried to bring her down. As she dealt with these troublemakers one by one, Mr. Hopkins, notorious for his ruthlessness, stood by and cheered her on. “Way to go, honey!”
Sawyer, the world's top arms dealer, stunned everyone by falling for Maren—the worthless girl no one respected. People scoffed. Why chase a useless pretty face? But when powerful elites began gathering around her, jaws dropped. "She's not even married to him yet—already cashing in on his power?" they assumed. Curious eyes dug into Maren's past... only to find she was a scientific genius, a world-renowned medical expert, and heiress to a mafia empire. Later, Sawyer posted online. "My wife treats me like the enemy. Any advice?"