Happily Never After
/1/127579/coverbig.jpg?v=2ea34f2e2c2f3053a637d5acfe2fbf25)
His Unwanted Wife, The Hidden Genius
I flew back to New York on my twenty-fifth birthday, carrying vintage gold cufflinks I spent weeks finding for my billionaire husband, Declan. But when I walked into our townhouse, I found him throwing a massive victory party with Sloane, a glamorous socialite, standing by his side as the proud hostess. "Don't cause a scene. Go upstairs." Declan coldly dismissed me in front of his guests. Even Poppy, the rookie player whose shattered ankle I had painstakingly rebuilt, rolled her eyes and ignored me to suck up to Sloane. Hiding in the shadows, I heard the maids gossiping that everyone thought Sloane was the future Mrs. Hartford. To make matters worse, I discovered Sloane had stolen my anonymous, groundbreaking medical algorithm and was planning to present it as her own. First my husband, then the girl I mentored like family, and now the scientific foundation I had built with my own hands. Declan even texted me to cancel our birthday breakfast without a single apology, treating me like an annoying afterthought. My tears vanished, replaced by a freezing clarity. I signed the divorce papers, leaving them on his desk with zero demands for his money. Then I packed my bags, booked a one-way ticket to Boston, and prepared to destroy them on the global stage.
Chapter 1
Aurelia Vance POV:
I had been married to Declan Hartford for three years.
Today was my twenty-fifth birthday, and I had flown back from Boston in secret, hoping for one quiet evening with my husband.
I'd spent a week carefully picking out a pair of gold cufflinks as a gift for my husband.
But the laughter spilling from the front door told me I was already too late: the woman who had taken my place at his side was already inside.
The heavy oak door swung open before I reached the porch. Three young players from the New York Titans, Declan's NHL franchise, stumbled out with crystal tumblers of scotch, laughing loudly. They barely glanced at me as they passed.
I stepped into the grand foyer. The heat hit me instantly,expensive champagne, roasted tenderloin, cigar smoke.
Dozens of people filled the double parlor: executives, scouts, wives in designer dresses.
In the center stood Declan, tall and broad in a bespoke charcoal suit. Beside him, laughing into his ear, was Sloane Whitfield, her backless silver dress catching the chandelier light. Her hand rested on his forearm like she belonged there.
Before I could take another breath, a blur of blonde hair darted past my elbow.
"Sloane!" Poppy Delacroix cried, throwing her arms around Sloane's slender waist. "You were completely right about the catering! This is literally the best victory party the team has ever had!"
Poppy is fourteen, a junior elite forward prospect.
I scouted her two years ago from a crumbling youth league, back when she was at her lowest.
Her parents had once shown me great kindness, and I knew they had already passed away, leaving her all alone in the world.
Declan and I adopted her together.
I rebuilt her shattered ankle with a custom rehabilitation plan.
I had always loved and cared for her as both a mother and a sister.
Now, she did not even glance in my direction.
Declan turned his head, his gaze sweeping over the crowd until his eyes locked onto mine. The easy grin on his sharp jaw vanished instantly. His brows drew together in a hard, irritated line.
He excused himself from Sloane, cutting through the throng of players with long, impatient strides.
"Aurelia," Declan said, stopping two feet in front of me. His voice carried zero warmth. "What are you doing here?"
My throat felt like sandpaper.
"I took the four o'clock flight from Boston," I whispered, clutching the strap of my bag until my knuckles turned white. "It is my birthday, Declan. I thought we could—"
"We are celebrating the division win," he cut in, his tone sharp enough to draw blood. "The board is here. The sponsors are here. Sloane spent four consecutive days coordinating this event so the organization could project stability."
He did not look at me. His gaze slid past my shoulder to the bar, like I was a waitress who had wandered into the wrong room.
"Don't cause a scene," he added quietly. "Go upstairs."
A soft, mocking murmur rippled through a cluster of players' wives standing near the grand staircase. Two women with platinum blowouts exchanged knowing glances over their flutes of Dom Pérignon.
"I didn't know," I said, my voice barely audible over the swelling music. "I am sorry."
I turned toward the staircase, my legs trembling beneath my wool trousers.
Near the landing, Poppy was adjusting her designer jacket in the hallway mirror.
"Poppy," I said softly, pausing beside her. "How is your ankle feeling after Thursday's third period? Did you complete the isometric sequence I sent?"
Poppy rolled her eyes, sighing loudly as she pulled out her phone.
"Aurelia, please, not right now," she muttered without looking at me. "Sloane is introducing me to a marketing director from one of our partners. I don't have time for your spreadsheets."
The dismissive edge in her voice hit me harder than Declan's coldness. I had stayed up until three in the morning reviewing her biomechanical scans while she was recovering from surgery, and now I was just an annoyance in the way of her social ascent.
I walked up the rest of the stairs and entered the primary suite—the massive, sterile bedroom allocated to me under our prenuptial agreement.
I sat on the edge of the mattress and pulled out the velvet box. The gold cufflinks gleamed under the bedside lamp, cold and useless.
Downstairs, cheers erupted. The sound vibrated through the floorboards.
I walked to the French doors overlooking the rear garden. Down on the illuminated patio, Sloane was directing two servers by an ice sculpture. Declan stood beside her, his head bent down as he listened to her speak, his hand casually brushing the small of her back.
They looked like the couple the city expected them to be.
My phone buzzed in my coat pocket. I pulled it out, hoping against hope.
It was an email notification.
"Happy Birthday, Aurelia. Remember that true science requires patience and solitude. You are meant for greater arenas than New York boardrooms. -Dr. Edmund Sterling."
My mentor at Harvard was the only person in the world who had remembered.
I typed a brief "Thank you, Professor" and shut off the screen.
Hours passed. The bass eventually quieted, replaced by the occasional clatter of glassware and slamming car doors. My throat burned with thirst.
At two in the morning, I padded downstairs in my stocking feet to fetch a glass of water from the butler's pantry.
As I rounded the corner near the service hallway, the voices of two newly hired catering maids stopped me dead in my tracks.
"Miss Whitfield is stunning," the first girl whispered, scraping dessert plates into a bin. "Mr. Hartford's girlfriend carries herself like royalty."
"A girlfriend?" the other asked, pausing. "But isn't Mr. Hartford rumored to be married? Is it inappropriate to be this close with Whitfield?"
"Married?Where did that come from? Even if there was one, they must have split long ago. I've worked three events here this month, and Miss Whitfield is the only woman hosting by his side. Everyone knows she's the future Mrs. Hartford."
I shrank back into the cold shadow of the archway, my blood turning to ice.
In the home where I held a legal marriage certificate, my presence had already been wiped clean.
/0/81780/coverbig.jpg?v=7064f4841f2fbd9ed9899c794ef4196a)
Happily Ever After, Without You
Five years ago, I drove away from Boston, vowing never to look back at the city that had shattered my world. I had meticulously rebuilt my life in Portland, nurturing a freelance design business, a loving marriage with my supportive husband, David, and a joyful life with our son, Leo. But a mandat
/0/20607/coverbig.jpg?v=038c4667f2bacfac8fc355bcb379d8d8)
Happily Ever After with Mr. Heartthrob
There was a wealthy simple girl who was bullied by her classmates and the one she loved during highschool. When they graduated from highschool she met the handsome billionaire Dylan Mikail and eventually found out she was betrothed to the guy since she was born and the reason why the one she loved o
/0/57808/coverbig.jpg?v=5126d981c4d220ee87b13b1c6458c2db)
A Never-Ever After
A college romance of a girl and boy, which ended with pain and tears because of unbearable betrayal and lies. Why didn’t she realize he was just playing with her? And he was not a poor guy like he mentioned? He did nothing but lie to her for three months of their relationship. He was playing wit
/0/43271/coverbig.jpg?v=630bb403248b4d732b399fd56f4716ee)
Happily Ever Mate
Louise grew up knowing that she was chosen by a man, of her kind, whom came as a King for a title, her family being in good standing with the Dukes family, dreamed that the husband to be was the Dukes twin son’s, while the Duke wanted her, no one knew who would be her mate. Until the night of the we
/0/18732/coverbig.jpg?v=a44398844948ac79bd28bb4583bcf6ff)
Chase After Love: Never Let Go Of You
Kathryn got kidnapped while she was on her way to the shopping mall. She lost consciousness, and when she opened her eyes, she was already in a devil's trap. Her heart filled with misgivings and gloom was like a poison that overwhelmed it. It seemed that strong pressure was pushing her down deep int
/0/51654/coverbig.jpg?v=66b37eb8b1c7502e6e58caeab2c07925)
After
"TODAY is our fourth anniversary. Then... T-Then... Are you just playing with me? Tell me, Jai. Do you really love me?" I asked him while I was crying. It feels like my chest is being stabbed with a sharp blade and it seems non-stop, so I feel more pain in my heart. "I love you, Miamor. I love you
/0/46690/coverbig.jpg?v=9d34c4161ff74c38ded588cc97ec2f0c)
Cold CEO Happily Marries Substitute Wife
Michelle Richard is a shy and naive girl who was forced by her father to substitute her step sister as a bride to a man that was rumoured to be impotent and was also on a wheelchair. Daniel Anderson is a passionate, powerful man and the heir of the Anderson group of companies, he has made the com
/0/46101/coverbig.jpg?v=24f631093b20cfba9623da78c4fed58c)
The Unshackled Queen: Never Say Never
It took only a second for a person's world to come crashing down. This was what happened in Hannah's case. For four years, she gave her husband her all, but one day, he said emotionlessly, "Let's get divorced." Hannah's heart broke into a million pieces as she signed the divorce papers, marking the
/0/13884/coverbig.jpg?v=d4a001d15ff7455ab78063ca782791db)
/1/114494/coverbig.jpg?v=4cd8c17b9da061d556a56c9bc20f4723)
Never Forgive, Never Forget His Betrayal
I was seven years into a perfect relationship, engaged to the man who helped me overcome my fear of commitment. I was even secretly pregnant with our first child. A pet-sitting gig led me straight into the heart of his betrayal-a luxury apartment he shared with his mistress of a year. She had hired
/1/114552/coverbig.jpg?v=0f29073a5898e17764300480907e81f0)
Never Forgive, Never Forget My Pain
After eight years in captivity, I was finally rescued. I thought it was the beginning of a new life with my mother. But she didn't even look at me. She ran into the arms of a handsome stranger, her real husband, and I was treated like a dirty secret from her past. They called me a contaminatio
/0/66820/coverbig.jpg?v=a0f0d56cfb8b1cfe9117359aff1a57ac)
After Highschool
Ashley, a resilient girl from a humble background, catches the attention of Fred, the wealthy heartthrob of her high school, at a party where she is working as a waitress. Their unexpected connection sparks jealousy in Emily, the school's queen bee, who is determined to claim Fred for herself. As Em
/0/12073/coverbig.jpg?v=2d5ce9cb67230e0ed508f7b9bd836998)
After London
After some sudden and unspecified catastrophe has depopulated England, the countryside reverts to nature, and the few survivors to a quasi-medieval way of life. Beginning with a loving description of nature reclaiming England — fields becoming overrun by forest, domesticated animals running wi
/0/17880/coverbig.jpg?v=08f8659dde659cb9fa5de728cd254424)
After Grace
Grace has grown up relatively safe in her small farming community decades after the war which decimated the world. But when a mysterious man tells her he knows more about her past than she does, she follows him on a dangerous mission in hopes of figuring out why she has never felt like she belonged.
/0/81353/coverbig.jpg?v=06e5ee9390ad1dae193dcf69490fd380)
I Never Hated You
Hakim was every girl's dream at Northwest High and every guy's role model. He was hot, smart, popular, romantic and all, and every girl's dream was to get laid by him. He was living the dream life, but he had one single problem; Dante. Dante was the complete vice versa of Hakim; soft, gentle, unnoti
/0/28797/coverbig.jpg?v=94166dd23f6dca2c5ed510519a8da3bb)
NEVER KNEW HIS WORTH
“It's too late Caitlyn, we can't go back to the past. You made my heart cold” * He was the youngest buisness man and billionaire across the continent. Blessed with everything he wanted as a kid and while growing up, he was known as a very excellent creature ever. All girl's dream. Wealthy and autho
/1/123745/coverbig.jpg?v=1816bb11f3d41d86623dcbb1c1856a17)
HE WAS NEVER MINE
"You were never my wife. You were just... a placeholder until I got my real life back." Nathaniel Sterling said the words like they cost him nothing. Avery Monroe didn't flinch, she didn't cry, she didn't even beg. "Give me one night," she asked instead. "My first, and my last, as your wife." He
/0/75960/coverbig.jpg?v=65d19d6cc8fd19ff0990ac7a6a74b941)
NEVER LETTING YOU GO
Synopsis: In his first life, Lucien Vale loved her with a depth he could never put into words. But bound by the darkness of his world, he made the cruel decision to let her go - thinking she deserved more than the pain his life would bring. He watched as she fell into the arms of another man, belie
/0/28641/coverbig.jpg?v=f91767acb9f03ac5034ccbf69473c75e)
Yours, Never Again
Eloise has decided to stay away from relationships till she secures a good-paying job after college. All goes to hell when she meets Victor, a student at her school who she's never met until a party. He's an introvert and everything she wants in a man. Will she hold her ground on not wanting a rela
/0/39333/coverbig.jpg?v=c92a77d4812d5883e496477653fa44dd)
NEVER LET ME GO.
Tired of hiding herself from a persistent guy, to get rid of the unwanted admirer, she kissed an unknown handsome man in a masquerade ball. What will happen when she finds out the same guy is her ruthless boss? *****She fell in love with a man who never felt her existence. Her broken heart gave her
