"Sign the papers and let's end this worthless marriage, Adriana!" Her husband of five years, Jason Bennett, threw divorce papers in her face with one hand as he cuddled her stepmother with the other, "Natasha is carrying my first child," She didn't fight or kick up a fuss like he expected, she quietly signed the papers, packed her bags and called her mother and said. "Mom, remember that billionaire you wanted to set me up with in the past?" "But he's fallen ill and might pass away any day now," "Doesn't matter, set up a date for the wedding," Adriana was mocked for marrying a 'dead man', but when the billionaire's secret is revealed and her ex is on her doorstep begging on his knees for a second chance.
Adriana's POV
"Mom, remember when you said you could arrange a marriage for me with one of the billionaires in Los Angeles," I asked my Mom, as my plane was now closer to Los Angeles than New York. Her response came slowly, almost skeptically, "Well, Yes, but aren't you already married, what happened to Jason?" I lifted my fingers, they felt so naked without the ring there. I hesitated briefly before spilling everything to my Mom.
After a long meeting with the PR team, I rushed home and tiptoed to my bedroom door holding a small chocolate cake that had 'Happy Anniversary' written on top with silver-colored icing. My steps froze when I heard the mingled moans of my husband and stepmother slithering through the door that was callously left ajar. The cake slid from my palm and splattered on the ground, but I hardly noticed as my shaky steps carried me into the bedroom.
"Jason?!" I choked out the name of my husband through the thick lump in my throat, and he jolted off my stepmother. A flash of shock waved past his sweaty face. "Adriana... What are you doing here? ""Aren't you supposed to be in the office?" My chest clenched up with pain.
"I came back to surprise you. ""It looks like you turned the tables on me," the words went past my lips like bitter venom as he hastingly slipped on some briefs and Natasha remained beneath the duvet.
"Aren't you going to say anything?!" I snapped at him, all these years in which I had poured undiluted love and loyalty into him, and he didn't have the decency to at least pretend to be guilty?
"What's there to say?" He straightened up after he was done adjusting his briefs and he walked over to me, reaching out to touch my hair, but I recoiled in disgust.
"Don't touch me!" I yelled, the words ripping through my throat passionately. How could he think of touching me with the same hands that had just been all over my stepmother?
I spun around and made a beeline for the door, coming down to the living room and pouring out my heart in heated tears. All the red flags I had been ignoring began to resurface in my mind; how he gradually grew more secretive with his phone, picking fights over nothing and subtly comparing me to my stepmother, saying I should dress more like her.
"I don't think my stepmother's style would look good on me," I had argued with him in the past, and he went off on me. Complaining that I was tasteless, and he was just trying to give me good advice.
Instead of getting upset with him too, the love I had made me question myself instead and reevaluate his absurd criticism as constructive. I'd wake up early in the morning and curl my hair into light waves even though it was a pain because my hair was naturally straight while my stepmother's was effortlessly wavy. I swapped out the clothes in my wardrobe for clothing that would match my stepmother's aesthetic.
I shivered with shame as these memories flashed through my mind. Even tonight, I'd bought some designer lingerie and was wearing it beneath my clothes because it was something Natasha would wear too.
All the pieces finally fell into place. All this time he wanted one thing–my stepmother. At that moment, I hardened my heart, crushing any feelings I had for him until there was just a small emptiness there where I thought my husband would always be.
About half an hour later, Jesse and Natasha came down dressed in matching sleeping robes. Natasha, without a single shred of shame, was all over Jason, her trailing under his robe. Well, she looked at me through the corner of her eye.
Pretending to just notice me, she gasped.
"Oh, Adriana, you are still here–I thought you would have left." Then she didn't snuggle closer to Jason, whose smile only grew wider. He quickly dipped into a frown when he looked at me, then threw his divorce papers carelessly on the table.
"So you've already prepared divorce papers, how ironic," I said nonchalantly.
"What's ironic about that?" He snapped impatiently. Having either nothing to lose or gain, I replied passively, "Do you remember what today is?" At first, he looked more annoyed than earlier, then realization slipped into his eyes and a flicker of guilt flashed past his face.
"Our anniversary, was it today?" I didn't quench his curiosity with an answer and just casually scrolled my eyes across the divorce papers.
Natasha, probably sensing the shift in mood and not wanting Jason to tap into the little bit of shame he had buried somewhere, suddenly let out a dramatic sigh. She retrieved her left hand from beneath his robe and placed it on her head.
"Oh my gosh! So that's what the cake outside the bedroom was for. "" I'm indeed a terrible mother!" I flicked my eyes up but saw Jason stiffen next to her. She went on undeterred by her ridiculous acting skills.
"You were never my mother," I stated frankly, just to set the record straight.
"Please don't say that. I never meant for you to find out like this–you might not believe me, but I'm hurting even more than you!"
She buried her face into Jason's chest, sniffling. Jason tenderly stroked her hair, then looked at me with an irritated glare as if I was the one that was supposed to be repentant of my own actions when they were the ones that stabbed me in the back.
"Adriana, there is no need for you to be petty. Our relationship has already run its course. But that doesn't mean..." he passed self-reflectively, and maybe he should have just kept reflecting without speaking again. However, Natasha lodged him, and he uttered the most ridiculous words I had ever heard in my life. "... It doesn't mean that we can't be a family anymore, our dynamics will just be different,"
I gave them a blank look as a thousand and one thoughts swirled through my troubled mind.
Natasha chipped in, breaking the awkward silence with even more mind-numbing nonsense.
"Think about it, Adriana, some people might judge us, but is there really anything wrong with your husband becoming your stepfather?"
Before I could throw up, I burnt and signed the papers in a single shaky breath, then stood up. "The two of you deserve each other," I said, before spinning around and walking towards the door, out of this house of lies.
BLURB. Kayla's life turned upside when her father was murdered in cold-blood and she was framed for it. To make matters worse, her elder sister sold her to the dreadful, Lycan king to be his breeder but to her shock she discovered he was her mate and not only that, his twin brother whom she never knew existed, was also her mate. Forced to run away into the human world with her son, Alex gets kidnapped and Kayla is forced to turn to the man she betrayed for help thinking her first mate was the villain but surprisingly he turned out not to be and where was her son?
"Pawns in games are meant to be brutally sacrificed. But what happens when the table turns and the targeted pawn starts playing the game meant to consume it?" When the beautiful Celeste Knight, a self made iced queen tech mogul, decides to take on no other but the world's most known ruthless billionaire in a hostile but justifiable takeover, she knows her onion, and she the risks involved. Killian Voss won't be seen just her competition, he's an indomitable man with no weakness or vulnerability, spares no one, and definitely no past to implicate him. At least, that's what the world thinks. But when attacked unexpected which nearly terminated her existence, Celeste had no option but to form a deadly alliance with the same man she's on a mission to destroy. To the rest world, they are two parallel lines which can never meet. But behind closed doors, they exhibits the characteristics of lovers. And when Killian, willing to save her, proposes an impossible offer; it was a fake engagement which wasn't compulsory, but necessary in exchange for her survival, Celeste chooses to be alive by saying yes. But unfortunately, Killian Voss is hiding something very deadly. And Celeste in response to his trigger is about to discover that in a game of power, the king isn't anyway close to being dangerous. It's the queen that makes the rules.
Betrayed by her mate and sister on the eve of her wedding, Makenna was handed to the ruthless Lycan Princes as a lover, her indifferent father ignoring her plight. Determined to escape and seek revenge, she captured the interest of the three Lycan princes, who desired her exclusively amid many admirers. This complicated her plans, trapping her and making her a rival to the future Lycan queen. Entwined in jealousy and vindictiveness, could Makenna achieve her vengeance in the intricate dance with the three princes?
For as long as Emily can remember, she has wanted to overcome her shyness and explore her sexuality. Still, everything changes when she receives an invitation to visit one of the town's most prestigious BDSM clubs, DESIRE'S DEN. On the day she chose to peruse the club, she noticed three men, all dressed in suits, standing on the upper level, near the railing. Despite her limited vision, she persisted in fixating on them. Their towering statues belied the toned bodies concealed by their sharply tailored suits-or so she could tell. The hair of two of them was short and dark, and the third had light brown-possibly blond-hair that reached the shoulders. The dark, crimson background incised their figures, exuding an air of mystery and strength. They stood in stark contrast to the unfiltered, primal energy that pulsed through the club. Shocked by the desires these men aroused in her, she was disappointed to learn that they were masters seeking a slave to divide and conquer. She couldn't afford the fee, and she also realized that they were outside her league. Emily hurriedly left the club, feeling disappointed and depressed, unaware that she had also caught the group's attention. A world of wicked pleasure, three handsome men. Over the years, they have lived a life of decadence, their lavish lair serving as a stage for their most sinister desires. But despite the unending parade of willing subjects, one woman sticks out. A mysterious stranger with white porcelain skin and a killer body, a slave, a name with no address, the first lady to attract their eye and they will go to any length to obtain her no matter the consequences.
The whispers said that out of bitter jealousy, Hadley shoved Eric's beloved down the stairs, robbing the unborn child of life. To avenge, Eric forced Hadley abroad and completely cut her off. Years later, she reemerged, and they felt like strangers. When they met again, she was the nightclub's star, with men ready to pay fortunes just to glimpse her elusive performance. Unable to contain himself, Eric blocked her path, asking, "Is this truly how you earn a living now? Why not come back to me?" Hadley's lips curved faintly. "If you’re eager to see me, you’d better join the queue, darling."
Rena got into an entanglement with a big shot when she was drunk one night. She needed Waylen's help while he was drawn to her youthful beauty. As such, what was supposed to be a one-night stand progressed into something serious. All was well until Rena discovered that Waylen's heart belonged to another woman. When his first love returned, he stopped coming home, leaving Rena all alone for many nights. She put up with it until she received a check and farewell note one day. Contrary to how Waylen expected her to react, Rena had a smile on her face as she bid him farewell. "It was fun while it lasted, Waylen. May our paths never cross. Have a nice life." But as fate would have it, their paths crossed again. This time, Rena had another man by her side. Waylen's eyes burned with jealousy. He spat, "How the hell did you move on? I thought you loved only me!" "Keyword, loved!" Rena flipped her hair back and retorted, "There are plenty of fish in the sea, Waylen. Besides, you were the one who asked for a breakup. Now, if you want to date me, you have to wait in line." The next day, Rena received a credit alert of billions and a diamond ring. Waylen appeared again, got down on one knee, and uttered, "May I cut in line, Rena? I still want you."
P-please, I beg you. Come let's go tell Christian I had no hand in whatever happened, p-please." I clutched the lapel of his jacket desperately. "Let's go. You need to tell my husband you were paid." "Young lady, you're harassing me." His tone was cold and his stare granite. But I could care less. "You harassed me first! You had sex with me without my consent, my husband knows and now I'm pregnant with this child he doesn't want. You ruined my marriage! I-I hate you!" ************************************ Caught by her husband with another man on their matrimonial bed the morning after her birthday, Hailey Codza could not defend herself. As though it's not enough, she gets pregnant. Her enraged husband decides to pay her back for her infidelity by having an affair with his ex-girlfriend - Denise Kellers, the family Hailey never knew she had. Losing her family's wealth and company to her husband and his ex (now girlfriend), she is devastated, homeless and penniless as all her credit cards are blocked by her husband. She sees the man who is responsible for her pregnancy. The man she has no idea how he'd found his way to her matrimonial bed - Jared Johnson. Jared is annoyed when this strange woman disrupts his meeting and accuses him of ruining her life, marriage and impregnating her. It affects his business deals and having no choice, he marries her to calm the public whilst engaged to someone else. But he loathes her and allows his family treats her badly. Hailey who has fallen in love with Jared is broken when she can no longer take the humiliation. She signs the divorce papers and leaves, only to arrive six years later to the country as a self-made, secret billionaire and a mother of twins. Now her two ex-husbands are begging to have her back...
"Sign the divorce papers and get out!" Leanna got married to pay a debt, but she was betrayed by her husband and shunned by her in-laws. Seeing that her efforts were in vain, she agreed to divorce and claimed her half of the properties. With her purse plump from the settlement, Leanna enjoyed her newfound freedom. The constant harassment from her ex's mistress never fazed her. She took back her identities as top hacker, champion racer, medical professor, and renowned jewelry designer. Then someone discovered her secret. Matthew smiled. "Will you have me as your next husband?"