The three-year marriage left her nothing but despair. She was forced to sign the divorce agreement as she got pregnant. Regret filled her heart as she witnessed how ruthless he was. Not until she left away did he come to the realization that she was the one he truly loved. There was no easy way to heal a broken heart, so he decided to shower her with limitless love.
Buzz...
The sound of the phone vibrating was particularly jarring in the quiet room. Patricia Sampson glanced at the phone in a daze and picked it up from the bedside table. When she saw the name on the caller ID, she pressed the answer button without a moment's hesitation.
She was afraid that the call would be cut if she didn't answer it right away.
"Hello." Her voice was shaky, betraying how anxious she felt.
Whenever she got a call from this number, she would feel inexplicably nervous. Now, although the other party could not see her, she could not help but comb her hair with her fingers.
"I am coming home today," said a deep male voice on the other end of the line.
Patricia's heart skipped a beat. After being stunned for a few seconds, she hurriedly asked, "Then do you need me to do anything? What do you want to eat? Should I prepare anything else for-"
"No," he interrupted her coldly, as if he was talking to a stranger and not his wife.
He was her husband, but since he had treated her like this from the beginning, she was used to his attitude towards her.
"Zac..." Placing her hand on her belly, Patricia bit her lower lip and decided to tell him the news. "I... I might..."
"I have to go now."
He abruptly hung up the phone.
Holding the phone in her hand, Patricia smiled bitterly and finished the sentence for her own ears. "I might be pregnant."
Patricia and Zac Reynolds had been married for three years. She lived with his family, while he lived alone in Oakleaf Villa. In the three years they had been married, the only time they had spent the night together was about more than a month ago, when he had suddenly come back to the house of the Reynolds family instead of his own villa. Patricia knew that he probably didn't remember what had happened that night.
Just when she had been starting to feel more and more redundant in this family, she had found out that she was pregnant.
However, she was hesitant to break the news to her husband, because she didn't know how he would react.
She shook her head and forced herself not to think about it. At the end of the day, she didn't care about how Zac treated her. After all, he had fulfilled her childhood wish, which was to marry him. That was all that mattered.
Patricia got out of bed and went downstairs to prepare breakfast. Although it was a little too early to prepare breakfast, she was afraid that her husband would come back early. If she didn't prepare breakfast this early, her husband might have to wait for it.
She was busy in the kitchen for more than two hours. She watched every member of the Reynolds family go out, but her husband still didn't arrive.
The whole day, she lingered downstairs, doing chores to keep herself occupied. When evening came, she was tidying up the dining table, looking at the door from time to time.
"Why do you keep looking at the door, Patricia? Is Zac coming home?" Tina Ridge, who was sitting in the living room and watching TV, glanced at her curiously.
"Yes."
Tina was displeased by her casual answer. "You are such an impolite woman! Don't you know how to address me? I know I'm not Zac's biological mother, but shouldn't you still address me with respect?"
Instead of responding, Patricia lowered her head and continued to clean up the table. In the three years after she had married into the Reynolds family, Tina was the person she had had to deal with the most. Over time, she had learned to stay silent whenever Tina found fault with her, because as long as she didn't speak, Tina would leave her alone after a while. But if she talked back, Tina's lecturing would be endless.
"I'm talking to you. Are you dumb?" Tina raised her voice as soon as she saw that Patricia was ignoring her.
"You have been married for three years, but Zac rarely comes back to this house. Why don't you reflect on yourself?" Tina approached Patricia, looking her up and down in disgust. "Good for nothing! Do you think Zac would have married you if he didn't want to take advantage of the Patricia family's power?"
Patricia clenched her fists to suppress her anger and continued to ignore Tina.
The servants in the room looked at Patricia with sympathy, but there was nothing they could do.
Seeing that Patricia remained silent, Ridge became even more domineering. "You are really good at pretending! You usually don't get up until noon. Are you pretending to be a good wife just because Zac is coming back today?"
Patricia frowned slightly at this, but she still didn't answer.
She hadn't told anyone about her pregnancy, because she wanted to tell this good news to her husband first. It was true that she felt very sleepy and got up late these days, but it was all probably due to her pregnancy.
"Humph! Sooner or later, Zac will kick you out! He is by no means a man you can control, and you are not a good woman. You two are a bad match."
After saying that, Tina covered her mouth and smiled with her eyes narrowed into slits.
At this moment, the servants in the living room bowed to someone and said, "Sir, you are back."
Hearing this, Tina's face suddenly changed.
She slowly turned her head to look at the door. When she saw Zac standing there, her face turned pale. Then, she quickly came to her senses and went upstairs.
After taking a look at Tina, who was nervously fleeing the scene, Patricia walked towards the man standing at the door.
"You're back. Are you tired? Do you want to eat something?" She walked over and voluntarily took off his coat, which was her duty as a wife. Although Zac seldom came home, Patricia would take good care of him whenever he did.
Zac stood at the door without moving. His face was expressionless, making it hard to tell whether he was happy or angry.
However, when Patricia helped him take off his coat, he didn't raise his arms. Although he had never liked her taking care of him, he wouldn't refuse her at least. But today, she could feel that the atmosphere was a little strange.
She raised her head slightly and looked at him, trying to guess what was going on in his mind. "How was your day? You must feel tired after a long day's work. You can take a shower first."
Zac still didn't answer, and he didn't even look at her.
After a long time, he finally took a step forward and said, "Come to the room. I have something to tell you."
Looking at her husband's back as he walked upstairs, Patricia felt even more nervous than usual. In fact, she had been feeling uneasy ever since she had received the phone call from him this morning. It was completely different from the nervousness that she usually experienced when she had been waiting for him and hoping to see him again.
After lingering downstairs for a long time, Patricia finally bit the bullet and went upstairs.
The door to their bedroom was open, and he was standing in front of the French window with his back to her.
He was tall, with features that looked like they had been sculpted. Such a perfect man was actually her husband! She often felt that it was unreal, but at the same time, she couldn't help feeling excited and proud.
"Zac, I've made dinner for you. Eat something first. These are all your favorite dishes." She walked in with a tray.
Hearing her voice, Zac turned around quickly and looked at her beautiful face. "There's something I've been thinking about for a long time. And today, I have finally made a decision."
Patricia deliberately avoided his deep black eyes and approached him with a smile. "Let's eat first."
There was a hint of embarrassment in her smile. She wanted to avoid what her husband was inevitably going to say.
He suddenly strode towards her. His steady steps were too hard, revealing a trace of anger.
Patricia put down the tray in a hurry and turned around to leave. "Have something to eat first. I'll get you a glass of water."
She tried to escape in a hurry, but he didn't give her the chance. "Let's get a divorce."
All of a sudden, Patricia felt as if time and space were frozen around her. With her back to Zac, she didn't move at all.
She stood there in a daze for a few seconds, and then walked out quickly, pretending as if she hadn't heard him. "I'm going downstairs to get something."
The three-year marriage left her nothing but despair. She was forced to sign the divorce agreement as she got pregnant. Regret filled her heart as she witnessed how ruthless he was. Not until she left away did he come to the realization that she was the one he truly loved. There was no easy way to heal a broken heart, so he decided to shower her with limitless love.
Brenna lived with her adoptive parents for twenty years, enduring their exploitation. When their real daughter appeared, they sent Brenna back to her true parents, thinking they were broke. In reality, her birth parents belonged to a top circle that her adoptive family could never reach. Hoping Brenna would fail, they gasped at her status: a global finance expert, a gifted engineer, the fastest racer... Was there any end to the identities she kept hidden? After her fiancé ended their engagement, Brenna met his twin brother. Unexpectedly, her ex-fiancé showed up, confessing his love...
Sawyer, the world's top arms dealer, stunned everyone by falling for Maren—the worthless girl no one respected. People scoffed. Why chase a useless pretty face? But when powerful elites began gathering around her, jaws dropped. "She's not even married to him yet—already cashing in on his power?" they assumed. Curious eyes dug into Maren's past... only to find she was a scientific genius, a world-renowned medical expert, and heiress to a mafia empire. Later, Sawyer posted online. "My wife treats me like the enemy. Any advice?"
Trigger warning!!! Intended for mature readers who enjoy morally complex, slow-burn, poseesive, forbidden, dark romance that pushes boundaries. ***EXCERPT*** Blood everywhere. Trembling hands. "No!" My eyes blurred. His lifeless eyes stared back at me, his blood pooling at my feet. The man I loved-dead. Killed by the one person I could never escape - my stepbrother. *** Kasmine's life was never hers to begin with. Kester, her stepbrother, controlled and monitored her every move. At first, it was all sweet and brotherly until it began to turn into an obsession. Kester was the Alpha, and his word was law. No close friends. No boyfriends. No freedom. The only consolation Kasmine had was her twenty-first birthday, which was supposed to change everything. She dreamt of finding her mate, escaping the sickening control of Kester, and finally claiming her own life. But fate had other plans for her. On the night of her birthday, not only was she disappointed that she wasn't mated to the love of her life, but she found out that her mate was none other than him - Her tormentor. Her stepbrother. She'd rather die than be mated to a man whom she had known as her big brother all her life. A man who would do just anything to make sure she was his. But when love turns to obsession, and obsession turns to blood, how far can one girl run before she realizes there is nowhere else to run to?
Melanie married Ashton out of gratitude, but she quickly found herself entangled in a web of relentless challenges. Despite these struggles, she stayed true to her commitment to the marriage. In the hospital room, Ashton indifferently attempted to draw her blood, disregarding her discomfort. This callous act was a harsh revelation for Melanie, awakening her to the grim reality of their relationship. Resolved to prioritize her own welfare, she decided to sever ties. With newfound resolve, Melanie filed for divorce. In the process, she unveiled her concealed identities, leaving everyone in shock. Throughout these turbulent times, Melanie realized that Derek, Ashton’s uncle, had been discreetly protecting her all along.
After hiding her true identity throughout her three-year marriage to Colton, Allison had committed wholeheartedly, only to find herself neglected and pushed toward divorce. Disheartened, she set out to rediscover her true self-a talented perfumer, the mastermind of a famous intelligence agency, and the heir to a secret hacker network. Realizing his mistakes, Colton expressed his regret. "I know I messed up. Please, give me another chance." Yet, Kellan, a once-disabled tycoon, stood up from his wheelchair, took Allison's hand, and scoffed dismissively, "You think she'll take you back? Dream on."
In order to fulfill her grandfather's last wish, Stella entered into a hasty marriage with an ordinary man she had never met before. However, even after becoming husband and wife on paper, they each led separate lives, barely crossing paths. A year later, Stella returned to Seamarsh City, hoping to finally meet her mysterious husband. To her astonishment, he sent her a text message, unexpectedly pleading for a divorce without ever having met her in person. Gritting her teeth, Stella replied, "So be it. Let’s get a divorce!" Following that, Stella made a bold move and joined the Prosperity Group, where she became a public relations officer that worked directly for the company’s CEO, Matthew. The handsome and enigmatic CEO was already bound in matrimony, and was known to be unwaveringly devoted to his wife in private. Unbeknownst to Stella, her mysterious husband was actually her boss, in his alternate identity! Determined to focus on her career, Stella deliberately kept her distance from the CEO, although she couldn't help but notice his deliberate attempts to get close to her. As time went on, her elusive husband had a change of heart. He suddenly refused to proceed with the divorce. When would his alternate identity be uncovered? Amidst a tumultuous blend of deception and profound love, what destiny awaited them?