Luo Ye

For years, I, Alyssa Peterson, worked tirelessly as a firefighter, striving for the approval of my father, Battalion Chief Michael Peterson, and my brother, Captain Eric Peterson, while constantly eclipsed by my adopted sister, Chloe, their undeniable favorite. Then, during a ferocious wildfire, a critical warning identifying an imminent, life-threatening flare-up was deliberately withheld from my crew by my father and brother, a decision made solely to protect a "distressed" Chloe, who was safely removed from any real danger far from the front lines. My team and I miraculously survived, coughing and scorched, only for my family to coldly dismiss our near-fatal ordeal, prioritizing Chloe’s dramatic performance over our genuine trauma, making it painfully clear they’d sacrifice me and my crew without a second thought. How could the very people sworn to protect, my own family, so cruelly abandon me and my fellow firefighters to near-certain death for the sake of a melodramatic, manipulative girl who had never truly accepted me? Realizing I was and always would be disposable in their eyes, I ripped myself free, moved out, and meticulously filed explosive complaints with Internal Affairs and OSHA, defiantly recording their furious threats to blacklist my career, prepared to burn down their carefully built empire and forge my own path.

For two years, I was the invisible force behind tech billionaire Kieran Douglas, convinced that our "private" romance was his way of protecting us from the tabloid spotlight. I managed his mergers, warmed his bed, and waited for a future that didn't exist. The illusion shattered at 6:00 AM when a Page Six alert debuted Kieran’s "real" romance with socialite Aspen Schneider. Before I could even process the betrayal, Kieran sent me a cold, professional text: "Order flowers for Aspen. Pink peonies. Her favorite." When I tried to walk away, my own mother called me a disgrace and threatened to lock my inheritance forever unless I married a sixty-year-old businessman to save her failing estate. At a high-society gala that same night, Aspen intentionally crushed my burned hand in front of the cameras, while Kieran stood by and dismissed me as a "mediocre assistant" who had overstayed her welcome. I stood in the cold New York rain, drenched in champagne and humiliation, realizing that every sacrifice I made for Kieran was a joke. I was a ghost in a penthouse that was never mine, discarded the moment his "soulmate" returned. To the world, I was just a placeholder whose time had run out. But Kieran forgot one thing: my father’s multi-million dollar trust fund unlocks the moment I legally marry. I didn't need love; I needed a signature and a shield. I walked into a discreet law firm and signed a marriage contract with a man I believed was the city’s most notorious, scandal-ridden playboy. I thought I was marrying a degenerate "beard" to buy my freedom and secure my revenge. I didn't realize the man who signed that paper wasn't a playboy at all, but Gaston Collins—the most powerful and dangerous man on Wall Street—and he had no intention of letting our fake marriage stay fake.

My husband Jeremy crashed a wedding for his ex, Donnie, and the video went viral. I was at home, pregnant and making his favorite lasagna, when I saw him screaming about saving her from the groom. This wasn't the first time. Three years ago, his obsession with playing her hero cost me our first baby. He swore it would never happen again. He had promised to be there for my prenatal check-up, but he abandoned me to rescue her instead. When he finally came home that night, he fell to his knees, crying and begging for another chance, just like he did before. He looked pathetic. But this time, I felt nothing but a cold, hollow emptiness. The woman who loved him was already dead. I looked him straight in the eye and calmly delivered the final blow. "I had an abortion today. The baby is gone." "Sign the papers, Jeremy."

For ten years, I lived as a powerless Omega, my only joy being my brilliant daughter, Michelle. I had bound my true nature—a powerful White Wolf—to protect her from my family's enemies. When she won a coveted internship at the International Council, I thought our quiet life was finally secure. But a week later, I found her crumpled in a corner of her school, bound by silver ropes that burned her skin. Her dreams were being torn apart by Lacey, the daughter of our pack's Alpha. "This little nobody thought she could steal my spot," Lacey sneered. "The internship my Alpha father secured for me." My world shattered. The Alpha was my husband, Vincent—my fated mate of ten years. When I reached out to him through our sacred bond, he dismissed my panic with sweet lies, even as I watched Lacey and her friends torture our child for sport. The ultimate betrayal came when his mistress, Ivy, flashed the Alpha's Mate card—"my" card, which he had given to her. He arrived only to deny knowing me in front of everyone, a sin that shattered our bond. He called me a trespasser and ordered his warriors to punish me. As they forced me to my knees and beat me with silver, he just stood and watched. But they all underestimated me. They didn't know about the amulet I'd given my daughter, or the ancient power it held. As the final blow landed, I whispered a name into a hidden channel, calling in an oath my family made generations ago. Seconds later, military helicopters swarmed the building, and the High Council Guard stormed the room, bowing to me. "Luna Harper," their commander announced, "The High Council Guard is at your command."

For five years, I was the Alpha's mate, but my husband, Mark, saved all his affection for another woman. At a grand pack gala, our fragile charade came crashing down when a massive crystal chandelier tore from the ceiling, plummeting towards the three of us. In that horrifying second, Mark made his choice. He violently shoved me aside-not to safety, but directly into the path of splintering debris. He used his own body as a shield, but only for Isabella, his mistress. I woke up in the infirmary, my body shattered and my connection to my wolf spirit crippled for life. When he finally visited, it wasn't with remorse. He stood over my bed and performed the ultimate betrayal: the rite of severance, brutally tearing our sacred bond in two. The spiritual agony was so profound it stopped my heart. As the monitor flatlined, the pack doctor burst in, his eyes wide with horror as he looked from my lifeless body to Mark's cold face. "What did you do?" he screamed. "By the Moon Goddess, she's carrying your heir."

My name is Jennifer Smith, and for eight years, I believed I was the luckiest woman alive. I was marrying Ethan, the charismatic musician who' d promised to be my rock, the one who saw past my severe stutter. At our rehearsal dinner, my parents gifted us millions: a trust fund and a historic Beacon Hill brownstone. Then, Ethan' s mother, loud and sharp, mocked my stutter, questioning my ability to speak my own vows. Before I could even react, Ethan, my supposed protector, brazenly addressed my parents. He claimed that due to my "condition," managing such assets would be overwhelming. He suggested all wedding gifts be put under his name, for my own protection and to prevent anxiety that triggered my stutter. My father roared, slamming the table, refusing to make his daughter a business deal. The stress and betrayal were too much; he clutched his chest, gasped, and collapsed onto the floor. My father suffered a heart attack. While he fought for his life in the hospital, Ethan' s mother posted a viral video, painting us as cruel rich people who gave my father a heart attack for refusing to give them money. This malicious lie, going viral as #JusticeForEthan, reached my father's tablet. He saw it, and his heart gave out. In that moment, I knew. They killed him. Grief consumed me, but underneath it, a cold, hard fury solidified. I saw Ethan in the hospital, smirking, already plotting his next move to exploit my father' s death for gain. But he didn't know the game had just fundamentally changed. My father' s funeral would be the beginning of my war.

The sound of shattering glass was the first thing I heard, a familiar prelude to years of belittlement and control in my own home. My husband, Ethan, his voice cold and cutting, threatened to take our children and leave me with nothing, casting me onto the street. My mother-in-law and sister-in-law snickered from the couch, reinforcing the lie that I was worthless, just as they always did. His words, his family's disdain, echoed the desperate, lonely motel room where I would die, twenty years from this very moment, abandoned and full of regret. But this time, as I stood there, watching my life unravel, I felt an icy calm replace the rage, because I knew this was my second chance.

My hands, my father' s legacy, were destined for culinary greatness. I was just days away from the Golden Whisk competition, a scholarship to Le Cordon Bleu within reach, my dream of becoming a master pastry chef about to ignite. And Caleb Scott, the man I loved, my seemingly devoted partner, was supposed to be my biggest supporter. Then, with a sharp click, the heavy industrial mixer door slammed shut, my hand trapped inside. A white-hot explosion of pain, a raw scream. Caleb stood before me, his eyes cold, resolute. "Molly' s father died for me, Gabby. I owe her this." In an instant, he shattered not just my bones, but my future. My career was over before it began. Staring at my mangled hand, then at his impassive face, I couldn' t comprehend this monstrous betrayal. He offered to "take care of me," an insult layered on top of the injury. Molly, his childhood friend, later visited me in the hospital, feigning sympathy, holding the trophy I should have won. His mother then offered me a fortune – a bribe to disappear and erase me from their perfect narrative. I took the money, feeling my spirit crush under the weight of their callousness. How could the man who claimed to love me orchestrate such a cruel, calculated act? What kind of debt repayment costs another person their entire life' s ambition? Why would he so casually destroy everything I worked for, for someone else' s perceived gain? But as I packed the last remnants of my old life, clutching my father' s recipe book, I felt a new flicker within the devastation. This wasn't the end; it was a forced redirection. I would not disappear. I would reclaim my love for baking, on my own terms.

Sarah Miller believed her life was perfectly on track: a thriving career as a marketing associate, a loving fiancé, Mark, and a dream engagement vacation to Napa Valley just days away. But her world abruptly shattered with a discreet email about company restructuring, quickly followed by the brutal news that her position had been eliminated without warning. Then, her fiancé, Mark, dropped an even more devastating bombshell: the company's ruthless CEO, Victoria, was pregnant with his child, and he chillingly admitted he had personally arranged Sarah's layoff, shamelessly calling it "strategic" and "for their shared future." Reeling from this double betrayal, Sarah found herself not just fired, but publicly humiliated by Victoria in her own home, with Mark betraying his true, mercenary nature and choosing his mistress over her. The ultimate insult came when she found the cheating pair flaunting their affair at the very Napa resort meant for her engagement, only for Victoria to then stage a public ambush, falsely accusing Sarah of corporate espionage and pursuing Mark. How could the man she loved so cruelly scheme against her, destroy her career, and then, with twisted logic, claim it all "to protect her," utterly oblivious to her own true, powerful identity as the secret heiress to a multi-billion dollar empire? The bitter irony of his "sacrifices" festered, fueling a quiet rage. But as Victoria prepared for her final, public mockery, she had no idea the "broke nobody" she was attempting to shame was about to unleash a truth bomb that would not only reclaim her stolen dignity but spectacularly dismantle their entire corrupt kingdom.

The rejection letter for Danny' s after-school program landed like a physical blow. I just wanted a safe, affordable spot for my sweet five-year-old. But the reason shocked me: the spot was taken by "another child" of Sergeant First Class Tom Barnes – my husband. Tom admitted it was for Kyle, son of "Gold Star widow" Crystal, claiming he needed to help them for his promotion, casually dismissing Danny's needs. He then offered to take Danny to his duty station, "unofficially," to keep him out of Crystal's hair. Foolishly, I agreed, putting my boy on a Greyhound bus, his little backpack and beloved rocket ship t-shirt packed. Three days later, the call came: Danny was abducted. Tom arrived not with comfort, but screaming blame: "If you hadn't fussed... if you were stronger, this wouldn't have happened." He told me to "move on," then vanished back to Crystal and Kyle, leaving me in a silent, empty house, clutching a single, tattered piece of Danny' s blue t-shirt. The crushing guilt and unbearable emptiness drove me to swallow pills, praying for oblivion. How could the man I loved, the father of my son, so easily destroy our lives and then blame me? Why did I believe his lies, sacrificing my child for his career and his affair? The thought that I might have prevented it, if only I' d known the truth, was a tormenting torture. Then, one morning, I awoke in my own bed, the calendar reading May 15th-Danny' s application day. "Mommy? Are you awake?" That small voice, the sight of Danny, alive and whole, brought tears and a rush of crystal-clear memories. This time, I wouldn't be a victim. My fingers flew to the phone, straight to the Department of Defense Inspector General.

My life was a greasy blur: taqueria shifts, a rundown trailer, and a dad who mostly slept or muttered about bad luck. Mom supposedly left with my twin, Kendra, when Dad’s investments went south. That’s what I believed for six long years. Then a rare message from Kendra, cryptic and laced with a link, shattered everything. My fingers fumbled as I tapped it, splitting my phone screen. On one side, my grime-covered existence. On the other: Mom, Dad, and Kendra, laughing in a mansion, beneath a banner blaring: “Double Track Lives: The Texas Sisters' Growth Experiment. Subscribers Only.” My stomach churned. This wasn't just a show; I was the show. I was the “control group,” the struggling poor one, while my family manufactured their wealthy lives from my very real pain. Every tear, every struggle, even the staged debt collectors who demolished my fifty-cent birthday cupcake – all for views. My father, who claimed illness, stole my grandmother’s keepsake and flaunted it on stream, saying it taught me ‘sacrifice.’ The betrayal burned colder than any Texas night. How could they? How could my own family turn my life into a spectacle of poverty, milking my hardship for their luxury? My despair hardened into an icy resolve. They thought they had me scripted for a big family reunion on graduation day. But as I walked off that stage, clutching my MIT acceptance letter, I wasn't walking to them. I was walking away, with a new purpose and a stack of loans taken in my father’s name. This experiment was about to go off-script.

Trapped in the shackles of a lonely marriage. A never ending void of monotony. Charles had her by his side but one thing he didn't have was her heart. Yet, he wasn't bothered. As long as he had her around, he convinced himself that he would one day win her over. Life doesn't always work out though. He never wanted to see his wife's crush come back into her life but it seemed that it was meant to be. Jealousy engulfed him, Charles completely lost all control. Lies, doubt, and desperation gradually filled their marriage. This life was not one to live anymore, she finally divorced him and left. However, her life didn’t reset as she expected. Charles came back and he was a man on a mission.

The sterile white of the operating room blurred, then sharpened, as Skye Sterling felt the cold clawing its way up her body. The heart monitor flatlined, a steady, high-pitched whine announcing her end. Her uterus had been removed, a desperate attempt to stop the bleeding, but the blood wouldn't clot. It just kept flowing, warm and sticky, pooling beneath her. Through heavy eyes, she saw a trembling nurse holding a phone on speaker. "Mr. Kensington," the nurse's voice cracked, "your wife... she's critical." A pause, then a sweet, poisonous giggle. Seraphina Miller. "Liam is in the shower," Seraphina's voice purred. "Stop calling, Skye. It's pathetic. Faking a medical emergency on our anniversary? Even for you, that's low." Then, Liam's bored voice: "If she dies, call the funeral home. I have a meeting in the morning." Click. The line went dead. A second later, so did Skye. The darkness that followed was absolute, suffocating, a black ocean crushing her lungs. She screamed into the void, a silent, agonizing wail of regret for loving a man who saw her as a nuisance, for dying without ever truly living. Until she died, she didn't understand. Why was her life so tragically wasted? Why did her husband, the man she loved, abandon her so cruelly? The injustice of it all burned hotter than the fever in her body. Then, the air rushed back in. Skye gasped, her body convulsing violently on the mattress. Her eyes flew open, wide and terrified, staring blindly into the darkness. Her trembling hand reached for her phone. May 12th. Five years ago. She was back.

Aurora woke up to the sterile chill of her king-sized bed in Sterling Thorne's penthouse. Today was the day her husband would finally throw her out like garbage. Sterling walked in, tossed divorce papers at her, and demanded her signature, eager to announce his "eligible bachelor" status to the world. In her past life, the sight of those papers had broken her, leaving her begging for a second chance. Sterling's sneering voice, calling her a "trailer park girl" undeserving of his name, had once cut deeper than any blade. He had always used her humble beginnings to keep her small, to make her grateful for the crumbs of his attention. She had lived a gilded cage, believing she was nothing without him, until her life flatlined in a hospital bed, watching him give a press conference about his "grief." But this time, she felt no sting, no tears. Only a cold, clear understanding of the mediocre man who stood on a pedestal she had painstakingly built with her own genius. Aurora signed the papers, her name a declaration of independence. She grabbed her old, phoenix-stickered laptop, ready to walk out. Sterling Thorne was about to find out exactly how expensive "free" could be.

I was once the heiress to the Solomon empire, but after it crumbled, I became the "charity case" ward of the wealthy Hyde family. For years, I lived in their shadows, clinging to the promise that Anson Hyde would always be my protector. That promise shattered when Anson walked into the ballroom with Claudine Chapman on his arm. Claudine was the girl who had spent years making my life a living hell, and now Anson was announcing their engagement to the world. The humiliation was instant. Guests sneered at my cheap dress, and a waiter intentionally sloshed champagne over me, knowing I was a nobody. Anson didn't even look my way; he was too busy whispering possessively to his new fiancée. I was a ghost in my own home, watching my protector celebrate with my tormentor. The betrayal burned. I realized I wasn't a ward; I was a pawn Anson had kept on a shelf until he found a better trade. I had no money, no allies, and a legal trust fund that Anson controlled with a flick of his wrist. Fleeing to the library, I stumbled into Dallas Koch—a titan of industry and my best friend’s father. He was a wall of cold, absolute power that even the Hydes feared. "Marry me," I blurted out, desperate to find a shield Anson couldn't climb. Dallas didn't laugh. He pulled out a marriage agreement and a heavy fountain pen. "Sign," he commanded, his voice a low rumble. "But if you walk out that door with me, you never go back." I signed my name, trading my life for the only man dangerous enough to keep me safe.

Vesper's marriage to Julian Sterling was a gilded cage. One morning, she woke naked beside Damon Sterling, Julian's terrifying brother, then found a text: Julian's mistress was pregnant. Her world shattered, but the real nightmare had just begun. Julian's abuse escalated, gaslighting Vesper, funding his secret life. Damon, a germaphobic billionaire, became her unsettling anchor amidst his chaos. As "Iris," Vesper exposed Julian's mistress, Serena Sharp, sparking brutal war: poisoned drinks, a broken leg, and the horrifying truth-Julian murdered her parents, trapping Vesper in marriage. The man she married was a killer. Broken and betrayed, Vesper was caught between monstrous brothers, burning with injustice. Refusing victimhood, Vesper reclaimed her identity. Fueled by vengeance, she allied with Damon, who vowed to burn his empire for her. Julian faced justice, but matriarch Eleanor's counterattack forced Vesper's choice as a hitman aimed for her.

I woke up on silk sheets that smelled of expensive cedar and cold sandalwood, a world away from my cramped apartment in Brooklyn. Beside me lay Ezra Gardner—my boss, the billionaire CEO of Gardner Holdings, and the man who could end my career with a snap of his fingers. He didn’t offer an apology for the night before; instead, he looked at me with terrifying clarity and proposed a cold, calculated business arrangement. "Marriage. It stabilizes the board and solves the PR crisis before it begins." He dressed me in archival Chanel and sent me home in his Maybach, but my life was already falling apart. My boyfriend, Irving, claimed he had passed out early, yet his location data placed him at my best friend’s apartment until three in the morning. When I tried to run, I realized Ezra was already ten steps ahead, tracking my movements and uncovering the secret I’d spent twenty years hiding: my connection to the powerful Senator Grimes. I was trapped between a CEO who treated me like a line item on a quarterly report and a boyfriend who had been using me while sleeping with my closest friend. I felt like a pawn in a game I didn't understand, wondering why a man like Ezra would walk up forty flights of stairs on a broken leg just to make sure I was safe. "Showtime, Mrs. Gardner." Standing on the red carpet in a gown that cost more than my life, I watched my cheating ex-boyfriend’s face turn pale as Ezra claimed me in front of the world. I wasn't just an assistant anymore; I was a weapon, and it was time to burn their world down.

Trigger/Content Warning: This story contains mature themes and explicit content intended for adult audiences(18+). Reader discretion is advised. It includes elements such as BDSM dynamics, explicit sexual content, toxic family relationships, occasional violence and strong language. This is not a fluffy romance. It is intense, raw and messy, and explores the darker side of desire. ***** "Take off your dress, Meadow." "Why?" "Because your ex is watching," he said, leaning back into his seat. "And I want him to see what he lost." ••••*••••*••••* Meadow Russell was supposed to get married to the love of her life in Vegas. Instead, she walked in on her twin sister riding her fiance. One drink at the bar turned to ten. One drunken mistake turned into reality. And one stranger's offer turned into a contract that she signed with shaking hands and a diamond ring. Alaric Ashford is the devil in a tailored Tom Ford suit. Billionaire CEO, brutal, possessive. A man born into an empire of blood and steel. He also suffers from a neurological condition-he can't feel. Not objects, not pain, not even human touch. Until Meadow touches him, and he feels everything. And now he owns her. On paper and in his bed. She wants him to ruin her. Take what no one else could have. He wants control, obedience... revenge. But what starts as a transaction slowly turns into something Meadow never saw coming. Obsession, secrets that were never meant to surface, and a pain from the past that threatens to break everything. Alaric doesn't share what's his. Not his company. Not his wife. And definitely not his vengeance.

My husband, Ethan Vance, made me his trophy wife. My best friend, Susanna Thorne, helped me pick out my wedding dress. Together, they made me a fool. For three years, I was Mrs. Ethan Vance, a decorative silence in his billion-dollar world, living a quiet routine until a forgotten phone charger led me to his office. The low, feminine laugh from behind his door was a gut-punch; inside, I found Ethan and Susanna, my "best friend" and his CMO, tangled on his sofa, his only reaction irritation. My divorce declaration brought immediate scorn and threats. I was fired, my accounts frozen, and publicly smeared as an unstable gold-digger. Even my own family disowned me for my last cent, only for me to be framed for assault and served a restraining order. Broke, injured, and utterly demonized, they believed I was broken, too ashamed to fight. But their audacious betrayal and relentless cruelty only forged a cold, unyielding resolve. Slumped alone, a restraining order in hand, I remembered my hidden journal: a log of Ethan's insider trading secrets. They wanted a monster? I would show them one.

Serena Vance, an unloved wife, clutched a custom-made red velvet cake to her chest, enduring the cold rain outside an exclusive Upper East Side club. She hoped this small gesture for her husband, Julian, would bridge the growing chasm between them on their third anniversary. But as she neared the VIP suite, her world shattered. Julian's cold, detached voice sliced through the laughter, revealing he considered her nothing more than a "signature on a piece of paper" for a trust fund, mocking her changed appearance and respecting only another woman, Elena. The indifference in his tone was a physical blow, a brutal severance, not heartbreak. She gently placed the forgotten cake on the floor, leaving her wedding ring and a diamond necklace as she prepared to abandon a marriage built on lies. Her old life, once a prison of quiet suffering and constant humiliation, now lay in ruins around her. Three years of trying to be seen, to be loved, were erased by a few cruel words. Why had she clung to a man who saw her as a clause in a will, a "creature," not a wife? The shame and rage hardened her heart, freezing her tears. Returning to an empty penthouse, she packed a single battered suitcase, leaving behind every symbol of her failed marriage. With a burner phone, she dialed a number she hadn't touched in a decade, whispering, "Godfather, I'm ready to come home."

My husband promised me forever, but gave me endless lies. On our anniversary, I found his secrets on social media, exposed by his mistress. He didn't just break my heart; he broke my entire world. Seraphina sat alone in her opulent mansion, preparing their anniversary dinner, feeling the suffocating weight of her cold, hollow marriage. An Instagram post from Tiffany Sloan then brazenly revealed Harrison's hand at a romantic dinner, shattering his flimsy excuses and exposing his blatant infidelity. The betrayal turned Seraphina's despair into cold resolve. He gaslighted her, dismissed her pain, and reminded her she was "nothing." He chose his mistress over her dying brother, caused her to break an ankle, and finally abandoned her on a desolate street corner, stripped of dignity. How could she have sacrificed her entire violin career for a man who so casually discarded her? Under that bridge, her foolish love died, leaving only a fierce desire for reclamation. Shivering and alone, a faded flyer for a violin teacher caught her eye. It was a defiant whisper of her old self, a promise: Seraphina Vanderbilt was gone, and a new Seraphina was finally free.

The roasted lamb was cold, a reflection of her marriage. On their third anniversary, Evelyn Vance waited alone in her Manhattan penthouse. Then her phone buzzed: Alexander, her husband, had been spotted leaving the hospital, holding his childhood sweetheart Scarlett Sharp's hand. Alexander arrived hours later, dismissing Evelyn's quiet complaint with a cold reminder: she was Mrs. Vance, not a victim. Her mother's demands reinforced this role, making Evelyn, a brilliant mind, feel like a ghost. A dangerous indifference replaced betrayal. The debt was paid; now, it was her turn. She drafted a divorce settlement, waiving everything. As Alexander's tender voice drifted from his study, speaking to Scarlett, Evelyn placed her wedding ring on his pillow, moved to the guest suite, and locked the door. The dull wife was gone; the Oracle was back.