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"You're marrying Mike Rowling. There's no choice." That's what my mother said, her words as cold as ever. I never imagined my life would come to this-trapped in a marriage to a man I've never wanted. Mike is a bitter, broken billionaire, his heart sealed off after an accident that changed everything. He's a stranger in his own home, and now, I'm his reluctant wife. But there's something no one knows, not even Mike: my daughter Mia isn't just my little girl-she's his, too. A secret I've kept buried for years. As the days pass, I can't help but feel the pull between us. He's changing, softening, and my heart begins to betray me. But every smile, every touch, feels like a lie because of the truth I can never tell. Then one night, Mike looks at me with eyes full of questions, and I realize-he knows. Everything is about to unravel. Will the truth destroy us, or will it be the key to our future?
"You've got this all wrong, Cath," Alex's voice rang out, sharp and defensive, as he yanked his arm free of Jemma's delicate grasp. "It's not what it looks like."
Cath gazed at the scene before her - Alex, her life partner, standing excessively near Jemma, her sister. Jemma's lips nestled into a sneer, an articulation so weak it might have been confused with responsibility by any individual who didn't have a clue about her.
Her throat consumed. "Then, at that point, *what* does it seem to be, Alex? Since from where I'm standing, it looks a ton like selling out."
Jemma shifted her head, her long light hair flowing behind her in a rehearsed move. "Cath, dear," she said, her voice trickling with pretended guiltlessness, "you're blowing up. Alex and I were simply - "
"Spare me," Cath cut her off, her voice breaking. "I saw enough. You don't get to bend this."
The load in the room squeezed against her chest as she ventured back, shaking her head in dismay. How had it worked out like this? The man she thought she'd wed, the sister she'd guarded for what seemed like forever - together in the faint light of her family's review, murmuring mysteries that currently felt like blades to her back.
Cath's knees clasped, yet she steadied herself against the door jamb, reluctant to fall before them. "How long?" Her voice hushed up, very nearly a murmur, yet it cut through the quiet like a sharp edge.
Alex looked at Jemma, then, at that point, back at Cath. "Essentially nothing remains to be informed you. This isn't - "
"Try not to lie!" The yell got away from her before she had some control over it. Her hands shuddered at her sides, clenched hands grasped so close her nails dove into her palms. "How long have you been sneaking around despite my good faith?"
Jemma moaned, emphatically, as though Cath was the nonsensical one. "Truly, Cath, you've forever been so emotional. Might you at any point see this isn't about you?"
The words hit like a slap. Cath opened her mouth, however no sound emerged. She turned her look to Alex, frantic for some sort of clarification, some defense that would fix the rugged edges cutting into her chest.
He didn't meet her eyes.
The quietness between them was stunning, broken simply by the weak ticking of the clock on the far wall. It was Jemma who broke it.
"If you will cause a ruckus, Cath, perhaps take it elsewhere," Jemma said, looking at her impeccably manicured nails. "Mother won't generally care for you creating a ruckus in the house."
Cath's breath got. "Mother."
Also, as though brought, Kaila cleared into the room. Her heels clicked against the hardwood, her presence glorious and ordering as usual. She stopped, taking in the scene: Cath, flushed and shaking; Alex, blameworthy and quiet; Jemma, grinning as though she'd won some award.
"What's happening here?" Kaila's voice was cool, her sharp look choosing Cath.
Cath attempted to consistent her breathing, signaling at Alex and Jemma. "What's happening? *This*. This is what's happening. Your future child in regulation and your #1 little girl - together."
Kaila's eyes flicked to Alex, then, at that point, to Jemma, and lastly back to Cath. There was no shock, no displeasure. Just inconvenience. "Cath, don't be crazy."
"Ludicrous?" Cath repeated, her voice breaking. "You believe I'm making this up? I got them - here, in *your* house!"
Kaila folded her arms. "Also, what does that demonstrate? That you're adequately unreliable to rush to make judgment calls?"
Cath gazed at her mom, her throat fixed. "You're not kidding?"
Kaila's lips nestled into. "What I'm doing is declining to enjoy your showy behaviors. Jemma is your sister. Alex is - was - your life partner. There's nothing on earth you wouldn't do to safeguard your nobility, as opposed to tossing allegations around like a despised lady."
An unpleasant giggle rose out of Cath. "Respect? You're discussing respect when my sister is lying down with the man I should wed?"
Jemma's grin enlarged, her voice misleading delicate. "Cath, don't be so rough. We as a whole are grown-ups here."
Something inside Cath snapped. She turned on Jemma, her voice rising. "You're inconceivable. Do you partake in this? Taking all that is mine and it's your entitlement to imagine? First my companions, then my chances, this happens?"
"Perhaps in the event that you weren't really uneasy," Jemma answered without a hitch, "you wouldn't continue losing everything."
Before Cath could answer, Alex at long last talked. "No more." His voice was firm, however it came up short of the conviction she once respected in him. "Jemma, how about we go."
Cath's heart sank. "You're leaving? Very much like that?"
He delayed, his eyes shooting to Jemma, then, at that point, to Kaila, who gestured enthusiastically. Without a word, he turned and followed Jemma out of the room, leaving Cath remaining in the destruction of what had once been her life.
Her mom moaned, as though she were the one troubled. "I raised you better than this, Cath. Handle your feelings secretly. This show is underneath you."
Cath's mouth went dry. "You're favoring her." It was anything but an inquiry.
Kaila's appearance solidified. "I'm favoring reality. Jemma is your sister. Whatever occurred, you ought to be attempting to excuse her, not destroying this family."
Destroying this family. The words reverberated to Cath as her vision was obscured with tears. "You have no clue about what she's finished. Also, you couldn't care less."
Kaila's look didn't falter. "What I care about is this family's standing. Go tidy yourself up and quit humiliating us."
With that, Kaila turned and left, her heels clicking away like the last sign of Cath's almost certain demise.
Cath remained there for what felt like an unfathomable length of time, the quietness squeezing in on her like a weight. Her chest hurled with the work of keeping down wails, her hands holding the edge of the work area for help.
This wasn't simply selling out. This was demolition.
A weak sound broke her considerations - a delicate stirring, coming from the side of the room. She turned forcefully, her breath hitching.
There, half-taken cover behind a drapery, was Mia, her five-year-old niece. Her wide eyes were overflowing with tears, and her little casing shuddered as she gripped a stuffed hare to her chest.
Cath's heart sank. "Mia... how long have you been there?"
Mia ventured forward reluctantly, her voice scarcely over a murmur. "Is it true or not that you are alright, Auntie Cath?"
Before Cath could reply, Mia's next words froze her setup.
"I heard Mama conversing with Uncle Alex last week. She said you'd never see whether they were cautious."
Cath's blood went to ice.
"Mia," she said gradually, stooping to the kid's level. "Did you hear something else?"
Mia gestured, her little hands grasping the hare more tight. "Mom said assuming you flew off the handle, Grandmother would make everything better. Like she generally does."
Cath's breath was trapped in her throat. The walls of the review appeared to shut in, the heaviness of the selling out choking out her.
But it wasn't just the betrayal anymore. It was the conspiracy.
And she was all alone.
"I never thought he'd cast me out." As I stood beyond the pack boundaries, the words replayed in my head, the life I knew vanishing minute by moment. She, the lady from his past, had been picked over me by Roland Crown, the man I loved, the Alpha I was meant to be by his side. For a deception, he turned away his true mate, me. I was carrying a secret that no one could ever know: I was expecting his children, as the wind whispered through the woods. I really did not want him to know, but life has a way of bringing everything you've worked so hard to hide back to haunt you. I believed I might get away from being alone in a human world that doesn't comprehend me. However, someone is observing. Someone who is fully aware of what I'm concealing and who will not give up until they achieve their goals. I was mistaken to believe that the worst aspect of this nightmare was the anguish of losing Roland. I don't know who I can trust, and the real danger is just getting started. Will it be too late when Roland arrives at my door with regret in his eyes? Will I be able to shield my kids from the darkness that is encroaching on us when the truth is ultimately exposed? I'll just have to find out. One thing, though, caught me off guard: someone from my past is prepared to ruin everything, starting with me.
"You don't belong here." The people I believed I could trust threw those comments at me, and they rang in my ears for years. My foes, my packmates, and my tormentors are Cassian and Kade. They turned every action I took into something improper and out of character, making my life a living misery. And perhaps I did believe them for a while. But when I turn 19, everything is different. My abilities come to life, more potent and terrifying than I could have ever dreamed. All of a sudden, they are pulled to me as my destined partners rather than as adversaries. The icy Alpha-in-waiting Cassian is troubled by the thought of his future. The vicious Beta Kade is constantly engaged in a game of control and domination. Then there is Alaric, the enigmatic outsider with a secret that has the potential to ruin us all. Destiny created our unshakable bond, but I never wanted to be a pawn in someone else's game. I'm becoming more and more aware that nothing is as it seems. I am at the center of several mysteries that are deeply ingrained in the history of our pack. It's this bond that I wish to resist. I want to despise everyone. However, there is no denying the draw between us. I feel like my heart and soul are breaking apart piece by piece with every touch and look. However, as the prophecy starts to come to pass, I learn that there are other things in danger besides the pack's fate. I'm risking my own life. I'll have to make a decision that will either save us or ruin everything I've ever known. As the full moon rises, I find myself standing on the edge of all my fears. Then I hear it-the one fact for which I could have been unprepared. "Tonight, one of you will pass away." Who will it be? Is it possible for me to halt it before it is too late?
"You will never see your mother again if you don't marry him." My fate was sealed as the words replayed in my head. As the forgotten daughter of a wealthy and influential man, I, Adebola, was thrown into a world of riches, power, and perilous secrets that I never wanted to be a part of. I was forced, not chosen, to be married to the mysterious billionaire in a wheelchair, Yemi Coker. But beyond his icy exterior and scathing remarks, I caught glimmers of a guy who yearned for affection and to be understood. The distinction between obligation and desire started to get hazy as the days stretched into weeks. I wasn't meant to fall for him, but I was drawn to him because of his power, intelligence, and concealed suffering. I had just begun to think that love could blossom from the ashes of betrayal when the ghosts of my past came roaring back. The ideal daughter, Temitope, came returned to take back everything she thought was hers, including Yemi. Her threats became more pointed, her schemes more sinister, and her secrets-oh, the secrets she kept-had the potential to ruin everything. I learned the truth about my own father just when I believed I had faced the worst; it was so startling that it caused me to reevaluate all I had assumed. When treachery is ingrained in your DNA, how do you battle for love? When a man has every reason to doubt you, how can you trust him? The one secret that has the power to either permanently unite us or tear us apart has the answer. Will I find out before it's too late, though?
"You're mine now," he says, his voice low, commanding. I shouldn't be thrilled by his words. I shouldn't even be standing here, in the cold shadows of a life I never chose. But here I am, torn between the man who shattered my heart and the one who calls me his, though I'm nothing like what he wants. When my chosen mate abandoned me for a woman who had once rejected him, I thought nothing could hurt worse. But I was wrong. He came back for her, leaving me with nothing but memories and a hollow ache. And just when I thought I had nothing left, Alpha Adeoye stepped into my life-a king without a throne, a man feared by all, including the wolves who once stood by my side. He's chilly. He is merciless. He's not my type, either. However, whenever he calls my name, I get a real and dangerous sensation. I ought to resist it. I ought to battle him. However, I see a darkness-an anguish similar to mine-when I look into his eyes. And the reality hit me harder than any betrayal just when I thought I had understood my place in this world and could move on from my past. The affection I assumed was long gone is still there. But there's one question I can't ignore: If I let myself fall for Adeoye, will it be the salvation I'm desperate for? Or will it destroy everything I thought I knew about love? As the final battle approaches, I'm left standing at a crossroads, knowing one wrong move could change everything. And then, he whispers, "You'll choose me... won't you?" But the truth is, I don't know if I can trust him.
Natalie used to think she could melt Connor’s icy heart, but she was sorely mistaken. When at last she decided to leave, she discovered that she was pregnant. Even so, she chose to quietly leave his world, prompting Connor to mobilize all of his resources and expand his business to a global scale—all in a bid to find her. But there was no trace of Natalie. Connor slowly spiraled into madness, turning the city upside down and leaving chaos in his wake. Natalie finally surfaced years later, with wealth and power of her own, only to find herself entangled with Connor once again.
After three years of loveless marriage, Kira was slapped with divorce papers. She has shown him her unrequited love throughout her entire marriage with him, but he decided to turn blind eyes all because of his lover. Distraught and heartbroken, Kira choose to sign the divorce papers with bitter heart. But then and there, she promised herself that when she's back, he will come crawling to her, but she will make him pay for hurting her. Join Kira as she transform to a wealthy heiress and soared as the CEO of a multi-billion-dollar empire, a remarkable healer and make her ex-husband pay!
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.
"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."
"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!
It was supposed to be a marriage of convenience, but Carrie made the mistake of falling in love with Kristopher. When the time came that she needed him the most, her husband was in the company of another woman. Enough was enough. Carrie chose to divorce Kristopher and move on with her life. Only when she left did Kristopher realize how important she was to him. In the face of his ex-wife’s countless admirers, Kristopher offered her 20 million dollars and proposed a new deal. “Let’s get married again.”