Moria Anninger

Fifteen years. That' s how long my fiancé, Blake, and I spent building our empire from nothing. On the night he was supposed to propose, a single phone call shattered our perfect future. He publicly abandoned me for a young art student, Hayleigh, who then framed me for violent attacks and faked a pregnancy to win his sympathy. The nightmare ended on a cliff's edge, where our rival forced a choice: save me, or save her. Blake screamed her name. Even my own birth parents, tech billionaires who had only just found me, chose her over their own flesh and blood. As I plunged into the icy ocean, I didn't understand. Why would the man I built a life with, and the family I just found, abandon me for a web of lies? They all thought I was dead. But two years later, I walked back into Miami, ready to take back my city and burn their world to the ground.

I was the "Caged Canary" of the underworld, a biological asset designed to merge two crime families. My fiancé, Bryant Barnes, didn't love me. He loved the power I brought, and he loved his mistress, Kalia. The night Kalia broke into my penthouse and stomped on my hand, crushing the bones and my fashion career, Bryant didn't help me. He told the police she was my guest and warned me not to embarrass him with a cast. That was just the beginning. When Kalia lied about feeling unsafe, Bryant dangled me off a balcony. When she faked a kidnapping, he locked me in an industrial freezer for six hours until I turned blue. And when I fell into the marina, he swam right past me to save her, leaving me to drown in the freezing water. He destroyed my body and my dignity for a woman who was stealing my designs and faking a pregnancy. He thought I was just a broken obligation he could discard. But he made a fatal mistake. He didn't make sure I was dead. I dragged myself out of the water and made a call to his greatest rival. On the night of our grand merger, I walked onto the stage wearing royal blue instead of white. I rolled up my sleeve to reveal the scars he gave me, looked him dead in the eye, and grabbed the microphone. "I hereby terminate my engagement to Bryant Barnes. And I am proud to announce my betrothal to the true King of this city."

My husband, Cameron, cheated on me with his intern, Cara. After months of begging, I gave my childhood sweetheart a second chance, but the trust was gone. One night, after a fight, he stormed out. I watched on a hidden dashcam as he drove straight to her apartment, the sounds of their passion echoing through the car's speakers, a soundtrack to my despair. The next day, I found them kissing in our foyer. In a blind rage, I attacked Cara. Cameron shoved me to protect her, and my head slammed against the wall, splitting open. As blood streamed down my face, he cradled Cara, murmuring, "Are you okay?" At the hospital, his mother arrived, horrified. "She's pregnant with another man's child, and she's trying to trap you!" she screamed at Cameron. But he only had eyes for his mistress. He pushed past me, sending me sprawling to the floor, and rushed to Cara's side after she faked a medical emergency. He didn't even look back. Later, he returned, his eyes cold. "I can't let Cara go," he said. "You'll still be my wife. My queen. Just... allow me this one small indulgence." The audacity was breathtaking. He wanted me, his wife, to accept his mistress. But his arrogance didn't stop there. When Cara went missing, he accused me of harming her. He dragged me from my hospital bed, held a knife to my arm, and sliced my skin. "Tell me where she is," he hissed, his face twisted with madness, "or I'll make you."

Eleanor POV: My husband, Adrien, was my shield against the world, the only one who understood the trauma that haunted me after my family was murdered. I clung to him, my fierce loyalty a desperate attempt to keep the monsters at bay. Then he brought home Daphne, a quiet barista he called innocent. I saw the manipulation in her downcast eyes, but he saw only purity. His affection turned to violence. He threw me against a wall, his words cutting deeper than any blow. "You disgust me," he spat. He let her get pregnant, and when I lost our child in the chaos, he accused me of murder. "You killed my child!" he roared, his love replaced by a chilling hatred. He bound me, broke me, and left me for dead in a burning helicopter, choosing to save her instead. I was the monster, the madwoman, the one who deserved to be destroyed. How could the man who swore to protect me become my greatest tormentor? But I survived. After faking my death to escape his hell, I watched him mourn me with crocodile tears while building a new life with my replacement. Now, I'm back to reclaim my name, my fortune, and to make him understand what a real monster looks like.

I was the long-lost heir of the sacred White Wolf lineage, destined to be the Luna of our pack. My mate, Alpha Kaelen, was supposed to be the other half of my soul. Then I discovered his five-year secret: another family, with a son whose birthday was the same day as mine. Through a gallery window, I watched him kiss another woman and promise their child the very amusement park I had begged for. My own parents were in on it, helping them steal pack funds to finance this secret life. They were even planning to drug me on my birthday so I would sleep through their celebration. To them, I wasn't a daughter or a mate. I was just a placeholder with the right blood, a tool to be used for a true heir and then discarded. So on the morning of my eighteenth birthday, I drank the poisoned tea my mother gave me, faked my collapse, and disappeared forever. But not before arranging for a special delivery to their son's party—a box containing every last one of their secrets.

My husband, Andreas, a brilliant architect, handed me a small bottle on our fifth wedding anniversary. He said they were custom vitamins for my health. But a doctor' s appointment revealed a horrifying truth: they were potent birth control pills, making conception impossible. My world shattered when the doctor, a colleague of Andreas, revealed he had another wife, Annabelle, and they' d just had a baby boy. Then, I overheard Andreas telling his best friend, Mark, that he loved me but couldn' t abandon Annabelle, his childhood friend, who was now the mother of his heir. He chillingly stated, "She gets me. And that's enough. I'll make sure she never has a child. Annabelle will have my heir. Jewel will have my love. It's the only way." My five-year marriage was a lie. I was the other woman, slowly being erased. The thought was humiliating, absurd. I stumbled out of the hospital, my mind reeling. I knew Andreas was possessive and wouldn' t let me go willingly. I needed help. My fingers, shaking, scrolled to a name I hadn' t called in ten years: Cassidy Farrell, my high school flame. "That offer... to help me disappear... is it still good?" I whispered.

My phone glowed in the dark, showing the smiling face of Ethan Reed, the man I' d loved for years. Next to him, Tiffany Chen leaned close, radiating triumph. The caption below demanded "100 likes and we' re done!" The count was stuck at 99. My thumb hovered, then pressed. 99 became 100. It was over, just like he wanted. But then, Mark, his best friend and messenger, called. "Sarah? What the hell did you just do? Ethan is just messing around, he doesn' t mean it." I told him I was busy, packing for college abroad on a scholarship. He muffled a curse, and I hung up. The fight that led to this was orchestrated by Tiffany. She had "accidentally" ruined my university application designs, then cried to Ethan, who, of course, believed her. He accused me of jealousy, of being "needy." And then, his favorite threat: "Maybe we should just break up." I was silent, not with weakness, but with a leaden weight in my chest. He stormed out, slamming the door. That night, alone, I found his tablet. A voice memo to Mark played his casual, cruel voice: "Sarah is getting on my last nerve...I'm gonna have to put her back in her place. Maybe another public breakup threat? That always gets her crying and begging." I had been a fool, shrinking myself to fit his world. But hearing his utter contempt, it wasn't just pain-it was clarity. The fight was over. I had lost. But in that loss, I found myself.

The dull, constant throb in my side was a painful reminder of the jagged scar hidden beneath my sweater, a small price for the five hundred thousand dollars in my duffel bag-every dime of my savings, every penny from selling all I owned, and the rest from selling a kidney. All of it was for Ethan, who desperately needed treatment tonight. But when I arrived at the luxurious lounge he' d named, "The Gilded Cage," I overheard his voice, rich with amusement, not weak or strained, telling his friends that the "struggling musician" act and fake cancer diagnosis were pure genius to con me into selling a kidney. The world tilted as I realized our two-year love was a meticulously crafted hoax. My sacrifice was for their entertainment. My hand went slack, and the duffel bag, filled with the price of my body, slipped to the plush carpet. I fled to the nearest restroom, the betrayal a raging fire. My hands, meant to heal, had helped destroy me. I looked at the crude bandage under my sweater, a symbol of self-inflicted wounds for a lie. He didn' t need fixing; broken me. The shock gave way to cold rage. They wouldn' t win. They wouldn' t destroy me. As Ethan found me in the restroom, feigning worry about the money, I met his gaze, my voice steady, saying, "Yes, Ethan, I have it. It' s all for you." I would play his game, but this time, I knew the rules.

The scent of incense hung heavy in the ancestral hall, a grim prelude to the confession Eleanor Hayes was about to hear. Her husband, Arthur, the Duke Regent she had adored for years, was taking Clara Miller-her adopted "sister"-as a concubine. In his "kindness," her late father had brought the healer Clara into their home, and this was her repayment: shattering Eleanor's three-year marriage. The betrayal escalated when Arthur not only sided with Clara but, upon learning of Clara's pregnancy, shockingly demoted Eleanor to a mere concubine. The ultimate indignity struck when he falsely accused her of poisoning Clara and then, with chilling indifference, demanded she sacrifice her own flesh and blood to create an antidote. His past tenderness curdled into icy cruelty, stripping away her dignity with every word, every biased decision. How could the man who had raised her, the "Uncle" she had loved since childhood, inflict such pain? The very person who swore to protect her was now demanding her mutilation, leaving her reeling from a betrayal so profound it felt like a physical wound. What dark secret lay behind this monstrous transformation? With her heart shattered, Eleanor made her choice. Drawing on the strength of her Vance legacy, she accepted the divorce, abandoned her broken marriage, and volunteered to lead her family' s army north against the barbarian invasion-a desperate bid for purpose beyond her personal ruin.

The key turning in the lock was my daily alarm, signaling Ethan' s return and the inevitable judgment that followed. "Ava? Are you here?" he' d call out, his voice sharp, immediately spotting the dinner plates from last night. Then his gaze would drift to the piled-up breakfast dishes, and the familiar annoyance would seep into his tone. "Seriously? I work a twelve-hour day, and I come home to this? What have you been doing all day?" My usual apologies, my explanations of morning sickness and dizziness, died on my tongue. Not anymore. I just watched him, the familiar coldness spreading through my chest. "There," he' d said, not looking up from his phone, after sending me $5,000. "Go buy yourself something nice. A new bag or something. Maybe that' ll make you feel better." For nine years, money was his solution to everything, a payment for my silence. But as I stared at the notification, the money meant nothing. My eyes landed on his phone, and it wasn' t my picture, or our daughter Lily' s, on his lock screen. It was another woman, Chloe, kissing his cheek, his genuine smile a stark contrast to the irritation he'd shown me for years. "Let' s get a divorce," I said, my voice quiet but clear. He scoffed. "Is this about the dishes? Your hormones are all over the place. Just take the money, go shopping tomorrow, and you' ll forget all about this." But then his phone buzzed again, and the truth solidified. "Don' t start," he warned, seeing my gaze on the screen. "I' m not starting anything," I replied, the words eerily calm. "I' m ending it." He walked away, taking a call, his voice suddenly soft and gentle. "Chloe is taking Lily to her piano lesson tomorrow." My blood ran cold. He was letting that woman, his mistress, get involved in our daughter' s life. He was replacing me, piece by piece, right in front of my eyes. "The baby is gone," I told him, watching his face drain of all color. He stumbled back, horrified, accusing me of lying. But the truth was, he wasn' t there for any of it – the high-risk appointments I went to alone, the emergency visit, or the miscarriage that followed. He was always busy helping Chloe. When I needed him most, he asked, "Which hospital? I' m busy, will try to stop by later." He never came. I had gone through it all by myself. "You… you killed our baby?" he gasped, his words like a slap. "Yes, Ethan," I said, the venom in my voice surprising even me. "If that' s what you need to hear, then yes. I killed it. Are you happy now? You' re free. No more inconvenient pregnant wife to weigh you down." He fell silent, his face pale. Where was the man who promised me forever, the one who held me when my father died, the one who vowed to protect Lily and me? I looked at this stranger wearing my husband' s face. "Because I' ve been alone for a very long time, Ethan. You just weren' t paying attention." The next day, in the hospital hallway, I saw her. Chloe. And then Ethan, his face a mix of surprise and guilt. He asked why I was there, not if I was okay. When he grabbed for my hospital file, it slipped, revealing "Surgical Abortion" in stark letters. Chloe gasped, feigning shock, while Ethan, blaming her, demanded, "Why didn't you tell me she was here?" "It doesn' t matter," I said, collecting the papers. "I' m still filing for divorce, Ethan. This changes nothing." "We' re not getting a divorce," he snapped, as Chloe moved to comfort him, subtly asserting her place. His eyes, however, fixed on a cardiovascular awareness poster behind me, his face paling, as if everything around him had vanished. But I didn't care. "I'll have the papers sent to your office," I said, walking away. This was the end. Two months later, I had moved in with Lily. Ethan fought me every step of the way, sending flowers I returned, texts I ignored. Then came the family gathering he called a meeting-a calculated ambush. His mother, Chloe, even Lily, were there. "Lily, honey, sit up straight," Chloe cooed, adjusting Lily' s collar, a gesture of ownership. Ethan' s mother beamed, praising Chloe as a woman who "knew how to take care of a family." Chloe then presented Ethan with a blood pressure monitor, cooing, "We can' t have you getting sick." But my heart seized when I saw Lily. Her knuckles were white, her right hand scratching anxiously at her left arm. A wave of dread washed over me. "I want full custody of Lily," I declared, cutting through their cheer. Silence fell. "You have no right!" his mother exploded. "After abandoning your family, you want to take his child away? What kind of monster are you?" "Is she fine, Ethan?" I shot back, my gaze locking with his. "Are you so blind that you can' t see how miserable she is? Or do you just not care?" I stood, ready to leave, his face flushing with embarrassment. "You' re making a scene," he hissed. "A scene?" I laughed, raw and angry. "You cheated on me while I was pregnant. You let me go through a miscarriage alone because your girlfriend had car trouble. You let this woman play mother to my daughter." He crushed the blood pressure monitor in his hand, a sharp crack echoing in the room. He looked at the broken device, then at me, a dawning horror in his eyes. It was the first time I had seen genuine remorse on his face. But it was far, far too late. "Get your hands off him," I told Chloe, who was rushing to his side. "You' re scaring her," Ethan said, trying to shield Chloe. "Good," I responded. He tried to justify his affair, claiming I was never there for him. "I wasn' t there for you?" I asked, my voice dangerously quiet. "For nine years, my entire life revolved around you. I managed your health for years, Ethan. You were so absorbed in yourself you never even noticed." His face went slack with shock. "You think I' m a monster?" I swept my gaze over his silent family. "Fine. I' ll be the monster. I' d rather be a monster who protects her child than a 'good woman' who lets her family be destroyed." "Lily. Come on, honey. We' re leaving." Chloe reached for Lily. "Lily, stay here with Daddy." Lily flinched, then shrieked, "NO! Don' t touch me! I don' t want to stay with you!" "What did you do to her?" I demanded of Chloe. Ethan tried to dismiss it as a tantrum. "That is not a tantrum, Ethan," I stated calmly, "That is fear." I pulled out the divorce papers. "Here are the divorce papers. I signed them this morning. I' m taking Lily with me. If you fight me, I will make sure every single person in this city knows exactly what kind of man you are, and what kind of 'caretaker' you left our daughter with." With Lily by my side, clinging to me, we walked out, leaving the ruins of our family behind. That night, alone with Lily, I saw them: faint, bluish-purple bruises on her arms, and raw, red scratches. Guilt, a crushing weight, suffocated me. I had been so consumed by my own pain that I hadn' t seen what was happening to her. I had failed to protect my daughter. I spent the next day making up for lost time, watching Lily' s joy as she fed giraffes, her laughter a balm to my soul. That evening, my friend Mark came over, seeing me finally free. He suggested setting me up with someone. "Slow down. I' m not even divorced yet. And I think I' m going to be single for a very, very long time." Then my phone buzzed. "Ava, pick up the phone. It' s Ethan. I' m using my mother' s cell." Another text followed. "Why aren' t you answering? Where is Lily? You have no right to keep my daughter from me." A hot flash of anger surged. He accused me of being a bad mother. I walked into Lily' s room, took a photo of the bruises on her arm, and sent it to his number. His immediate reply: "What is this?" I blocked him. The silence that followed was more satisfying than any argument. Life moved on. Work was good. My colleague, Ben, a bright, funny guy, constantly found reasons to talk to me. He even asked me out, offering me a ticket to an art exhibit. I gently declined. "Thanks, Ben, but I have plans with my daughter." The divorce was almost final. Any day now. I couldn' t wait to be free. The day the divorce was supposed to be finalized, Ethan was waiting for me at my office entrance. With Chloe. "Ava, we need to talk," he said, blocking my path. Chloe stepped forward, a forced, tight smile on her face. "Ava, I' m sorry. For everything. I' m really, truly sorry." Her performance was for him. I just stared, my face a blank mask. "Okay." He tried to stop me, a strange, desperate expression on his face. He looked broken, aged ten years. He reached out to touch my arm. I flinched. "Don' t touch me," I said, the words sharp and cold. The rejection hit him. Chloe, seeing her apology fail, jumped in. "He's just trying to do the right thing, Ava! Why do you have to be so difficult? He's been a wreck since you left!" "Shut up, Chloe," Ethan snapped. She was stunned. My phone rang, Lily' s school. "Mrs. Patterson? Lily… she' s missing." Panic seized me. "What do you mean, missing?" I shrieked. "How could she be missing?" I dropped everything, my keys clattering. Terror filled Ethan' s eyes, but all I could think was, He can' t find her before I do. If he found her, he' d use it against me. She was my daughter. I had to find her first. I sprinted through the streets, a frantic prayer repeating in my mind: Please be safe, please be safe, please be safe. My phone rang again. It was Ben. "I have her," he said quickly. "I have Lily. She' s safe." Relief washed over me so intensely my knees buckled. I burst into the cafe where he was with Lily, her face tear-streaked while sipping a hot chocolate. She ran into my arms, sobbing, "I was scared, Mommy. I wanted you." After I' d calmed down, Lily confessed. "Aunty Chloe came to school yesterday. She told me that you and Daddy were getting back together and that I would have to live with her again. She said if I told you, she would… she would lock me in the dark closet again." The air left my lungs. This wasn' t just neglect. It was abuse. A cold, hard rage settled deep in my bones. I took Lily straight to the police station. Then to a child psychologist. I filed a report against Chloe. I documented everything. Ethan fought me, furious. "You' re going to create a public scandal! This will ruin me! And it will traumatize Lily, dragging her through this!" "She' s already traumatized, Ethan," I said, my voice devoid of emotion except ice. "Because of who you chose to bring into her life. I don' t care about your reputation. I care about my daughter. This is over." I hung up. With the police report and psychologist' s testimony, the custody battle was short. I was granted sole and full custody. All of Ethan' s visitation rights were suspended pending a full investigation. The day the divorce decree was officially stamped, I felt nothing. I had expected relief, joy, freedom. But there was only quiet emptiness. Nine years of my life, a marriage, a family – all reduced to a signature on paper. The love had died so long ago there was nothing left to mourn. Ben appeared at my side, holding a single, bright sunflower. "I heard the news," he said softly. "I just wanted to say… congratulations. I guess." He handed me the flower. "For new beginnings." I looked at him, then at the school gate where Lily would soon appear. A new relationship was the furthest thing from my mind. "Thank you, Ben," I said honestly. "But right now… I just want to be on my own. With Lily. We need to heal." For the first time, my future was entirely my own. It was a blank page. And I was the only one who would get to write on it. A month later, Ethan was at my door, looking terrible, holding a file. "It' s about Lily," he croaked. He' d gone to her pediatrician, revealing a heart murmur that could be genetic. "My family has a history of heart conditions. She needs both her parents, Ava. She needs a stable home. We should get back together. For her." I stared at him, dumbfounded. He was using a minor, common health issue to manipulate me. "Are you insane?" "I' ve changed, Ava," he insisted. "I realize what I lost. Please… just give me one more chance." "No," I said, simple and absolute. "Why not? I know you still love me." I almost laughed. "Love you? Ethan, the love I had for you wasn' t a fortress. It was a house. And you took a sledgehammer to it, day after day, for years. You don' t miss me, Ethan. You miss having a wife." "That' s not true! It' s for Lily! A child needs her father!" "Lily needs to be safe. She needs to be happy. She doesn' t need a father who ignored her suffering and prioritized his girlfriend over her well-being." Lily appeared, her little face hardened. She ran to me, glaring at Ethan. "Go away. I don' t like you. You let the mean lady hurt me." Ethan flinched. The condemnation from his own child was more powerful than anything I could have said. "You heard her," I said softly. "It' s time for you to go." I closed the door, locking it. He stayed on my doorstep, slumped, head in hands, all night. A few weeks later, rumors trickled in. Mark told me Ethan' s work was suffering; he' d lost a major client. His family, of course, blamed me. Then, Chloe cornered me in the parking garage, looking as haggard as Ethan. "This is all your fault," she hissed. "He won' t even look at me anymore. All he talks about is you. What did you do to him?" "I didn't do anything, Chloe," I said, walking toward my car. "He did this to himself. And to you." "He loves me!" she insisted. "You know, Chloe," I said, turning to face her. "A man' s love is like a bank account… He emptied his account with me a long time ago. And it looks like he' s doing the same to you." She lunged, fingernails outstretched. I held up my phone. "I wouldn' t do that if I were you. The security guards are on their way. And this is all being recorded." She froze, then ran off, sobbing. I drove home, not giving her another thought. That night, a storm rolled in. The sky opened up, washing the world clean. The doorbell rang. It was Ethan, soaked, shivering, looking utterly hopeless. "Go away, Ethan," I said through the intercom, ignoring him. The next morning, the rain had stopped. I opened my front door and almost tripped over him. He was curled up on my doormat, unconscious, burning up with fever. "Oh, for God' s sake," I muttered. Against my better judgment, I called Mark. Together, we dragged Ethan inside and dumped him on my couch. I didn' t want the drama of paramedics. I just wanted him gone. A few hours later, he woke, disoriented. He tried to clean up the mess in my yard. "What are you doing?" I asked, annoyed. "I' m just cleaning up. I made a mess by being here," he mumbled. "Stop it. You' re sick. Just sit down." I gave him pills and water. "Take these. And then you need to leave, Ethan." "I can' t," he whispered. "I lost my job... My mother… she kicked me out. I sold the apartment. I have nowhere else to go." He looked up at me, a mask of shame and desperation. The powerful, arrogant man I married was gone. In his place was this… shell. A slow, sarcastic smile spread across my face. "Fine," I said. "You can stay. For now. You can sleep on the couch. But you' re going to work for your keep." He looked at me, confused. "Work?" "Yes," I said, my smile widening. "You can be the nanny." For two weeks, Ethan lived on my couch and worked. He cooked, cleaned, did laundry, took Lily to and from school, played with her, read to her. He was, for the first time, a full-time, hands-on parent. It was a perfect, sickening imitation of the life I' d always wanted. I watched him like a stranger, a hired hand. The emotional chasm was too vast. Lily remained wary. She was polite, but never offered him easy affection. One evening, as I tucked her in, she whispered, "I love you, Mommy. You' re the best mommy in the whole world. I' m glad we live with just you." Her words were a comfort, a validation. At the end of two weeks, I handed Ethan an envelope of cash. "What's this?" "It's your salary. For the two weeks of childcare and housekeeping services. Now your services are no longer required. You can leave." Humiliation and disbelief flooded his face. "Ava, you can't be serious. I did all this to show you I've changed." "You're a little late," I said, turning away. "Lily and I are going on vacation. We leave in an hour." Our bags were already packed. "Vacation? Where? Are you… are you going with that guy?" His jealousy was transparent. "Who I go with is no longer your business, Ethan." I didn't confirm or deny. I owed him no explanations. I took Lily' s hand. "Come on, sweetie. Time to go." We walked out. He followed us to the taxi. "Ava, please," he begged. "Don' t do this. Don' t leave me." I put our bags in the trunk. I looked at him one last time. "It' s not that I' m leaving you, Ethan," I said, my voice soft but final. "It' s that I already left, a long time ago. You just didn' t notice." I got into the taxi. He ran alongside, his face pressed against the window, forming my name. As the taxi pulled away, I watched him in the rearview mirror, a lone figure shrinking, until he was gone. Lily looked up at me. "Mommy, where are we going?" I smiled, stroking her hair. "Anywhere we want, baby. Anywhere at all." I was free. We were free. And our new beginning was waiting just for us.

The acrid smell of burning plastic dragged me awake, a familiar chaos brewing in my own home. My monster-in-law, Carol, was mid-TikTok dance in the kitchen, casually setting fire to a kettle, already spewing her usual blame. But my heart hammered for an entirely different reason. Just moments ago, I was in a prison cell, rotting, after she and my spineless husband, Matthew, framed me for a crime I didn' t commit. I spent years paying for their lies, my body broken, my life ruined, watching as Matthew chose his toxic mother over me every single time. Every petty accusation, every malicious lie, he was always her loyal soldier, ready to throw me under the bus. How could one woman's viciousness, enabled by her own son, shatter an entire life? How could he stand by and watch me lose everything, all for his 'sainted' mother? Then, I jolted awake, not in a dingy prison, but in my bed, years of torment erased. This wasn't my first life anymore. This time, I' m not just the victim, I' m the architect of their downfall. And my revenge has just begun.

I spent six years, presumed dead, dismantling human trafficking rings in Eastern Europe, a secret tech billionaire Brian Scott ceased to exist. Upon my return, desperate for a glimpse of my son Nathaniel, I found him, not as the privileged heir I' d protected, but as a terrified, bullied charity case, cornered by the boy living his life. Watching my bloodied child being brutally shoved against a wall by my former groundskeeper Kevin, while his godmothers-my closest friends-stood by, even cheering on the impostor, shattered my soul. I couldn't comprehend how the people I trusted most could have so monstrously twisted reality, turning my beloved son into a target of their vicious game, and then frame me when I tried to intervene. Just as the police cuffed me, a single, encrypted ping from a burner phone unleashed a hidden protocol, signaling a war no one saw coming, to reclaim everything they stole.

My husband, Senator Harrison Vance III, was destined for the White House, and I, his adoring wife, was meant for the perfect political life. That illusion shattered in a sterile D.C. clinic when I saw him holding another woman' s swollen belly, listening as he orchestrated a forced miscarriage to protect his legacy. He drugged me himself, making sure I couldn't have children, and later, the mistress gloated, detailing their affair in my own home, confident I was being gracefully removed for his secret wedding. My own husband, a man I loved, systematically destroyed my body, my future, and my trust for an inheritance only his mistress's child could claim. So, I burnt every trace of my past, quietly packed a sealed box for his upcoming "business trip," and disappeared without a trace.

My life seemed solid enough. I was a hardworking union foreman, diligently putting away savings, especially the $5,000 for my dad' s critical surgery. Then the bottom fell out. I opened my banking app, and the bucket labeled "Dad' s Health" was empty. $5,000, gone, Zelle-paid straight to my deadbeat brother-in-law, Kevin. My wife, Brenda, just shrugged. "It was just savings, Jack. Kevin needed it for his image." Oblivious. For years, she' d drained our family' s hard-earned money for his endless, failing schemes - crypto scams, drop-shipping websites, even secretly covering his mother's rent. She saw my sweat as an endless resource for her family, completely disregarding our daughter Chloe' s future. How could she prioritize a grifter over our own child' s future, or my father' s life-saving surgery? The rage boiled when I discovered she was planning to give him another twenty thousand for his latest absurd venture, even after my fake layoff to prove a point. I snapped. Enough was enough. I wouldn't just quit this marriage; I would make her desperately want to leave. I had a plan, a meticulously calculated game that would reclaim my life and rescue my daughter from the financial and emotional wreckage Brenda had created.

I stood at my engagement party, champagne clinking, Liam's arm around me. Life was perfect. My best friend, Chloe, was there, laughing too loudly, but it was our day. Then Liam took the stage. My heart beat faster, ready for his sweet words. Instead, he announced a "sudden, undeniable change." He said he couldn't marry me. His eyes landed on Chloe. "She's the one." The room gasped. My face burned as everyone stared. My fiancé and best friend, my closest people, publicly humiliated me, smirking as I fled town, stripped of dignity. Years later, having rebuilt my life and married Julian Thorne, a tech mogul, I returned to Lynwood for a quiet work trip. And I saw them. Liam, successful, and Chloe, still his trophy. They sneered, mocking my humble appearance, calling me a failure. When I mentioned my husband, they laughed, accusing me of delusions. Liam then attacked me, snatching Julian' s locket, the symbol of my new life. He broke my hand, screaming I was a liar, a thief. Then his goons dragged me to a dark storage room, locking me in. My hand throbbed, my heart ached with crushing despair. They even found Isabella, the kind staffer who tried to help me, silencing her. Chloe appeared, gloating, telling me I would confess I was a lunatic at their wedding tomorrow, to finally destroy me. How could two people be so cruel, so utterly intent on my ruination? I was trapped, shattered, every hope of justice gone. But as they dragged me into the ballroom, preparing to force my twisted confession, an unexpected presence in the crowd began to rise. Julian.

I gave him everything. Twelve years of my youth, my full Stanford scholarship, a promising career as an analyst at Goldman Sachs – all sacrificed to build his company, NextGen Solutions, from the ground up. I was his co-founder, his COO, the true architect of his vision, working 80-hour weeks for a mere $65,000 annually while he took all the credit and lived like a king. Then, just seven days before my 30th birthday, Ethan Miller, the man I believed would finally propose, proudly announced in a Forbes interview he was marrying "a woman who dedicated her youth to him" on that very day. My phone exploded with congratulations, everyone convinced he meant me, his childhood sweetheart and loyal partner. But I knew the chilling truth: he was marrying Brittany Hayes, a stunningly incompetent intern, with a lavish Tribeca penthouse and a 10-carat Tiffany diamond bought with "our" company’s funds. I overheard him telling his fraternity brothers he’d “smooth it over” with me later, mocking me as his “free COO” and “total simp” behind my back. The man I had loved and bled for, the one who took every credit and let his friends humiliate me, truly saw me as nothing more than a convenient, disposable resource. His casual cruelty, after all my loyalty and hard work, hardened my heart. On my 30th birthday, wearing my own custom Vera Wang wedding gown, I walked into City Hall. My presence there was not a desperate plea for him, but a silent, deliberate declaration of my freedom. My true fiancé, a man who truly valued me and our future, was already on his way from London.

After my boyfriend dumped me, my blue-and-white cat, who had been with me for ten years, also disappeared without a trace. Just when I was feeling utterly hopeless, a top-tier billionaire took me home. He showered me with endless affection and care. However, his habits and behaviors were exactly the same as those of my missing blue-and-white cat. Even more bizarrely, the people around me kept reminding me that the billionaire had actually died a month ago.

Elliana, the unfavored "ugly duckling" of her family, was humiliated by her stepsister, Paige, who everyone admired. Paige, engaged to the CEO Cole, was the perfect woman-until Cole married Elliana on the day of the wedding. Shocked, everyone wondered why he chose the "ugly" woman. As they waited for her to be cast aside, Elliana stunned everyone by revealing her true identity: a miracle healer, financial mogul, appraisal prodigy, and AI genius. When her mistreatment became known, Cole revealed Elliana's stunning, makeup-free photo, sending shockwaves through the media. "My wife doesn't need anyone's approval."

"Stella once savored Marc's devotion, yet his covert cruelty cut deep. She torched their wedding portrait at his feet while he sent flirty messages to his mistress. With her chest tight and eyes blazing, Stella delivered a sharp slap. Then she deleted her identity, signed onto a classified research mission, vanished without a trace, and left him a hidden bombshell. On launch day she vanished; that same dawn Marc's empire crumbled. All he unearthed was her death certificate, and he shattered. When they met again, a gala spotlighted Stella beside a tycoon. Marc begged. With a smirk, she said, ""Out of your league, darling."

For three quiet, patient years, Christina kept house, only to be coldly discarded by the man she once trusted. Instead, he paraded a new lover, making her the punchline of every town joke. Liberated, she honed her long-ignored gifts, astonishing the town with triumph after gleaming triumph. Upon discovering she'd been a treasure all along, her ex-husband's regret drove him to pursue her. "Honey, let's get back together!" With a cold smirk, Christina spat, "Fuck off." A silken-suited mogul slipped an arm around her waist. "She's married to me now. Guards, get him the hell out of here!"

Sunlit hours found their affection glimmering, while moonlit nights ignited reckless desire. But when Brandon learned his beloved might last only half a year, he coolly handed Millie divorce papers, murmuring, "This is all for appearances; we'll get married again once she's calmed down." Millie, spine straight and cheeks dry, felt her pulse go hollow. The sham split grew permanent; she quietly ended their unborn child and stepped into a new beginning. Brandon unraveled, his car tearing down the street, unwilling to let go of the woman he'd discarded, pleading for her to look back just once.

After five years of playing the perfect daughter, Rylie was exposed as a stand-in. Her fiancé bolted, friends scattered, and her adoptive brothers shoved her out, telling her to grovel back to her real family. Done with humiliation, she swore to claw back what was hers. Shock followed: her birth family ruled the town's wealth. Overnight, she became their precious girl. The boardroom brother canceled meetings, the genius brother ditched his lab, the musician brother postponed a tour. As those who spurned her begged forgiveness, Admiral Brad Morgan calmly declared, "She's already taken."

Maia grew up a pampered heiress-until the real daughter returned and framed her, sending Maia to prison with help from her fiancé and family. Four years later, free and married to Chris, a notorious outcast, everyone assumed Maia was finished. They soon discovered she was secretly a famed jeweler, elite hacker, celebrity chef, and top game designer. As her former family begged for help, Chris smiled calmly. "Honey, let's go home." Only then did Maia realize her "useless" husband was a legendary tycoon who'd adored her from the start.

In their previous lives, Gracie married Theo. Outwardly, they were the perfect academic couple, but privately, she became nothing more than a stepping stone for his ambition, and met a tragic end. Her younger sister Ellie wed Brayden, only to be abandoned for his true love, left alone and disgraced. This time, both sisters were reborn. Ellie rushed to marry Theo, chasing the success Gracie once had-unaware she was repeating the same heartbreak. Gracie instead entered a contract marriage with Brayden. But when danger struck, he defended her fiercely. Could fate finally rewrite their tragic endings?

Linsey was stood up by her groom to run off with another woman. Furious, she grabbed a random stranger and declared, "Let's get married!" She had acted on impulse, realizing too late that her new husband was the notorious rascal, Collin. The public laughed at her, and even her runaway ex offered to reconcile. But Linsey scoffed at him. "My husband and I are very much in love!" Everyone thought she was delusional. Then Collin was revealed to be the richest man in the world. In front of everyone, he got down on one knee and held up a stunning diamond ring. "I look forward to our forever, honey."

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."

Blinded in a crash, Cary was rejected by every socialite—except Evelina, who married him without hesitation. Three years later, he regained his sight and ended their marriage. "We’ve already lost so many years. I won’t let her waste another one on me." Evelina signed the divorce papers without a word. Everyone mocked her fall—until they discovered that the miracle doctor, jewelry mogul, stock genius, top hacker, and the President's true daughter… were all her. When Cary came crawling back, a ruthless tycoon had him kicked out. "She's my wife now. Get lost."