When Love Was A Lie

My Harvard acceptance letter felt like a golden ticket, a one-way out of this dead-end town. That Friday night, after the football game, all I wanted was to help my dad close his auto shop. But then I heard a muffled sob. It was Jessica Miller, the head cheerleader, trapped by star quarterback Bryce Vanderbilt. My dad taught me: "You see something wrong, you make it right." So, I intervened. That act of courage cost me everything. Jessica pointed me out to the police: "He' s the one who attacked me." My scholarship was rescinded for "moral turpitude." My name was dragged through the mud. The stress killed my father, the only man who believed me. Months later, at a gas station, I confronted Jessica and Bryce. He shoved me into traffic. And then, nothing. I woke up expecting hell, but instead, I was back in the high school parking lot. The Friday night lights buzzed. The Harvard letter was in my pocket. And then I heard it again: Jessica's muffled cry. The trauma of my first life crashed over me. Last time, I sacrificed everything for a lie. This time, I knew what to do. I turned around, put my hands in my pockets, and walked away. My father was alive right now. And my only job was to keep him that way. This time, justice would look very different.

The sky exploded with Fourth of July fireworks, painting red and gold, but all I tasted was sulfur and betrayal. My hand instinctively went to the fresh, tender scar on my side, a chilling reminder of what they' d stolen. My family, the people who were supposed to love me, held me down for a doctor to take my kidney for my 'perfect' adoptive sister, Savannah. Chase, my boyfriend and duet partner, celebrated with Savannah, his secret lover, after calling me his "hero." It was all a meticulously planned conspiracy: nurture my career, use my body, then discard me. I, Ava Monroe, country music sensation, was nothing but a spare part, an orphan adopted for good PR, now reduced to a literal organ donor. With nothing left-no family, no love, no reason-I stood on a cold bridge, the canyon a black mouth waiting to swallow my despair. A kind stranger, Liam, tried to pull me back, speaking of bad breakups, oblivious to the monstrous truth. They didn' t just break my heart; they cut me open and took a piece of me, leaving me utterly shattered. As the finality of my decision set in, a gut-wrenching twist of fate occurred: Liam, the only person who cared, jumped with me to save my life. But instead of darkness, I awoke, healthy and whole, in my dressing room, one month earlier, before the betrayal. I wasn't just given a second chance to save myself; I was given a chance to save him, the hero who sacrificed everything for me. My mission became crystal clear: First, I would live. Second, I would make them pay. And third, I would find Liam Sullivan and keep him safe, no matter what it took.

I was a new dad, celebrating my son's one-month birthday at my wealthy in-laws' stunning Napa estate. Life felt perfect, despite my manipulative father-in-law's constant urging to drink. I woke up with a pounding headache to a nightmare: my baby boy was gone. In his crib, lay a baby girl, a complete stranger. My wife, Chloe, and her parents gaslit me, denying my son ever existed. They accused me of being drunk, of rejecting my own child. The world blurred as I was framed for the infant girl's murder. My entire digital life was rewritten, my son's existence erased. Labeled a monster, I was swiftly condemned and executed. The horror was unimaginable, the confusion absolute as I died. But then, I jolted awake, back on that same couch, the party still faintly audible. It was happening again-the terrifying loop of my son's disappearance and my impending doom. Was I insane, or was this a meticulously crafted, cruel conspiracy? This time, the confusion vanished; a cold certainty set in. I wouldn't just be a victim; I would be ready. I would expose their twisted game, reclaim my son, and end this nightmare once and for all.

The air in the luxury hotel suite hung heavy with the scent of expensive flowers and my fiancée Chloe's perfume. This was supposed to be our moment, my pre-wedding feature for Vanity Fair, the culmination of everything I' d worked for. It was finally my turn. But then Dylan, my foster brother, strutted in, wearing the bespoke Tom Ford suit tailored for me. He wore it with a smirk, hijacking the shoot, claiming he was the Harrison heir. The magazine editor, sharp-eyed and sharper-tongued, dismissed me as merely "Leo, his foster brother... a bit lost." Her assistant openly snickered. Chloe, my fiancée, immediately rushed to Dylan's side, fawning over him, straightening my suit on him. The whole crew stared, whispering, seeing me as some ungrateful charity case having a public meltdown. It was sickeningly familiar, a cruel echo from a past life where their whispers of my incompetence and blatant betrayal drove me to the brink. In that life, this would have shattered me, sent me spiraling into despair. Their lies, their manipulations, the sheer injustice of it all… it broke me then. But this time, their sneers stirred no tears, only a chilling, razor-sharp clarity. I wasn't the broken boy they remembered. I walked straight up to Dylan, grabbed his stolen suit, and slammed him against the wall. The smugness vanished from his face, replaced by raw fear. This wasn't the Leo they knew. No breakdown. No tears. Only calculation. I pulled out my phone, typed a message to Uncle Harrison: "Problem at the St. Regis." The game had finally changed.

I, Ethan, had one rule: make it on my own merits, no family help, despite my parents being Silicon Valley legends. For three years, I poured my soul into "Project Prometheus," a project meant to launch my career to new heights, all while planning a future with my fiancée, Chloe. Then, a single LinkedIn notification shattered my world: Chloe's smirking intern, Leo, was taking credit for my project, my invaluable work. When I confronted Chloe, she looked at me with tired annoyance, not guilt, casually dismissing it as "just a title" for Leo's career, before brazenly asking me to endorse his fake "contribution." My furious refusal only made things worse; suddenly, I was the subject of office whispers and Marcus, my director, inexplicably sided with Chloe, burying my name on the project and putting me on a death-sentence Performance Improvement Plan. Chloe publicly smeared me as "non-collaborative," then privately texted: "You lost." How could the woman I planned to marry so casually steal my life's work, mock my integrity, and try to make me an accomplice in my own professional execution? The unfairness was a physical weight, suffocating me, watching them twist the truth while my irrefutable evidence was ignored. My integrity was utterly worthless against her malicious lies. Backed into a corner, my reputation destroyed and career hanging by a thread, I finally made the call I swore I never would: "Mom, Dad," I choked out, "I tried to handle this myself, but I can't anymore. I need your help."

For five years, I, Ethan Hayes, a tech billionaire, adored Chloe, showering her with every luxury, believing my love would finally win her over. Then, a frantic call put me in the Cedars-Sinai ER, facing consent forms for emergency surgery after Chloe's ex, Ryder, joyrode my gift G-Wagen while drunk, critically injuring two. My phone buzzed; Chloe, on her way to Aspen, brushed off my urgency, snapping, "I handled it. I sent the money. Just stay out of it." My blood ran cold when the doctor emerged from the OR with grim news: her parents, on their way to the anniversary dinner I arranged, were dead. Chloe only cared her Centurion Card was declined days later, furious I'd "ruined her trip." She strolled home, demanding to know who died, then dismissed the truth from my housekeeper as "my dramatic attempts for attention." In that sterile hospital hallway, my love for Chloe died; not faded, but extinguished, leaving a cold, clear emptiness, like I was replaced by a stranger. The reality hit me: she paid a fixer to cover up her own parents' murder, and Ryder's old letters, hidden in a shoebox, revealed a years-long scheme to bleed me dry, confirming I was just their "ATM." I knew then I wasn't just losing; I was fighting back, ready to use my wealth, not as a source of affection, but as a shield and a sword. It was never a competition for her love; it was a conspiracy, and the fraud would end now, starting with cutting off every financial tie and bringing the full weight of justice down on them both.

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?

“You need a bride, I need a groom. Why don’t we get married?” Both abandoned at the altar, Elyse decided to tie the knot with the disabled stranger from the venue next door. Pitying his state, she vowed to spoil him once they were married. Little did she know that he was actually a powerful tycoon. Jayden thought Elyse only married him for his money, and planned to divorce her when she was no longer of use to him. But after becoming her husband, he was faced with a new dilemma. “She keeps asking for a divorce, but I don’t want that! What should I do?”

Lucille was one of the most skilled female assassins, and on the previous night, she embarked on a top-secret mission. However, the mission's details were leaked, leading to her untimely demise at the hands of a traitorous companion. She never discovered the identity of the person who betrayed her before her death. But by some miracle, she was granted a new life, and was reborn as a girl with the same name. Determined to uncover the truth and seek revenge for her family, Lucille seized her second chance at life. She planned to avenge her loved ones. However, her plans were complicated by Joseph, an apparently frail man who was actually skilled in martial arts. And he seemed to fall for her deeply, now this newfound knowledge only added to the complications of Lucille's revenge plan...

After two years of marriage, Kristian dropped a bombshell. "She's back. Let's get divorced. Name your price." Freya didn't argue. She just smiled and made her demands. "I want your most expensive supercar." "Okay." "The villa on the outskirts." "Sure." "And half of the billions we made together." Kristian froze. "Come again?" He thought she was ordinary—but Freya was the genius behind their fortune. And now that she'd gone, he'd do anything to win her back.

"Mr. Evans, please maintain some dignity. Don't forget I'm your brother's wife!" Having caught her husband and best friend together in the bed, Elena wanted nothing more than to exact revenge on the people she once called family. She refused to be a pitiful divorcee and vowed to make everyone who had once looked down on her beg for forgiveness. And to start with her newfound freedom, Elena indulges in a one-night stand with a stranger. However, what was meant to be a fleeting escape turns into a nightmare when she learns that the stranger is none other than her husband's older brother! Would Elena be free from the shackles of her marriage? Or would the mysterious stranger make her life a living hell since he seemed to have a personal vendetta against his family? [The story is 18+ and involves mature content.]

They don't know I'm a girl. They all look at me and see a boy. A prince. Their kind purchase humans like me for their lustful desires. And, when they stormed into our kingdom to buy my sister, I intervened to protect her. I made them take me too. The plan was to escape with my sister whenever we found a chance. How was I to know our prison would be the most fortified place in their kingdom? I was supposed to be on the sidelines. The one they had no real use for. The one they never meant to buy. But then, the most important person in their savage land-their ruthless beast king-took an interest in the "pretty little prince." How do we survive in this brutal kingdom, where everyone hates our kind and shows us no mercy? And how does someone, with a secret like mine, become a lust slave? . AUTHOR'S NOTE. This is a dark romance-dark, mature content. Highly rated 18+ Expect triggers, expect hardcore. If you're a seasoned reader of this genre, looking for something different, prepared to go in blindly not knowing what to expect at every turn, but eager to know more anyway, then dive in! . From the author of the international bestselling book: "The Alpha King's Hated Slave."