After a night of passion, Callan dropped a bombshell. "She's returned. I think we should divorce." Lacey felt devastated, realizing that her three years of devotion had been nothing but futile self-deception. She had believed Callan craved her body, so she strived to meet his every desire in an attempt to overshadow the person he truly yearned for. Despite her efforts, their relationship ended in divorce. Concealing her turmoil, Lacey left decisively. However, Callan halted her and asked with red-rimmed eyes, "Who is this man you call out for in your dreams every night?"
In the master bedroom of the Owen family's villa, two figures were entwined passionately.
As Callan Owen let out a deep growl, he and his wife, Lacey Owen, both collapsed onto the pristine bed.
Afterwards, he planted a tender kiss on her forehead before heading to the bathroom.
Lacey slowly opened her eyes, her gaze full of desire following the man.
Callan had been insatiable that day, making love to her on the sofa, in the bathroom, and finally on the bed.
Lacey thought about their undeniable chemistry in bed and felt her cheeks warm up.
Suddenly, the phone beside the bed rang.
With a slight frown, Lacey reached for it, unlocked the screen, and checked the message.
The message contained a photo of a couple dining together.
But Lacey's expression turned to stone when she recognized the people in the photo.
The man was her husband, Callan!
And the woman with him...
Her phone beeped again with a new message from the same sender.
"Lacey, after three years with Callan, it's time for you to return him to me, right?"
Lacey's hands shook uncontrollably.
It had been three years, and now the woman returned.
Staring at the image of her husband cozying up to another woman made her heart sink. Despite it being summer, a cold chill enveloped her.
The sender was Sylvia Barnes, Callan's former fiancee and the woman he truly loved.
Lacey's union with Callan was nothing more than a contract.
Three years prior, her adoptive mother suffered a heart attack and desperately needed surgery. Lacey's path crossed with Nadia Owen, Callan's grandmother, near the hospital, which led to their acquaintance.
Nadia's intervention enabled her foster mother to undergo the necessary surgery. Consequently, Lacey married Callan, who was in a deep coma following an accident and was at risk of permanent paralysis.
By some miracle, Callan recovered after three years, during which Lacey cared for him devotedly.
Over those years, she grew to love him, witnessing his struggles and resilience daily.
As for Sylvia, she had abandoned Callan at his lowest, opting to pursue her career abroad.
Lacey had convinced herself that Callan and Sylvia were a closed chapter. Yet, to her dismay, Callan met with Sylvia for dinner the moment she returned from overseas.
Was he really so eager to reconnect with her?
Lacey's heart sank as she stared at the photograph.
Over the last three years, Sylvia's name had been a constant echo, revealing how deeply Callan cherished her.
Lacey had been in denial, but the truth was clear now.
Despite being his wife for three years, she couldn't outshine the memories of Sylvia, who still held a place in his heart.
The sound of running water stopped. Callan emerged in a bathrobe and approached Lacey, who sat frozen on the bed.
"What's on your mind?"
Lacey hastily hid her phone and shook her head in response.
Callan embraced her, his head leaning in, his breath warm and damp on her ear.
Just moments ago, their connection felt right. But now, the image from the photo made her feel repulsed.
Struggling to maintain composure, she pushed Callan back and questioned, "Callan, can a couple be happy if one harbors feelings for someone else?"
The desire in his expression vanished.
His gaze intensified, filled with confusion. He scrutinized her before responding. "What are you implying?"
One harbors feelings for someone else? Was Lacey suggesting she was unhappy because she had feelings for another?
Taking a deep breath, Lacey confronted him with a steady gaze. "Have you seen Sylvia recently?"
Callan's reaction was a mix of surprise and complexity.
After a pause, he admitted, "Yes. She's returned. I think we should divorce."
Lacey felt a pang of heartache.
Though she braced herself for such a moment, the reality of his words was unbearable, mixing bitterness and sorrow.
Inhaling deeply, she replied with firmness, "Alright."
Callan detected a hint of resignation in her tone.
Was she so ready to let go?
Could it be because of that man?
With a surge of frustration, Callan's hand tightened into a fist.
He asked her sternly, "Lacey, did our marriage mean anything to you?"
"What's the point of discussing this now?" Lacey, struggling with her emotions, didn't catch the shift in Callan's expression.
With the return of his old flame, Callan's decision to leave her for another was clear. Did her feelings even matter now?
Lacey silently dressed and started to pack her belongings, fighting back tears.
Observing her actions, Callan's expression turned sour. "Are you in such a hurry to go?"
Perhaps she was anxious to be with the man she loved.
Lacey stopped momentarily.
She longed to show him the message from Sylvia, to expose the truth, yet she restrained herself.
Facing him, she retorted with a mocking laugh, "Look who's talking."
With those words, she grabbed her suitcase and left the room, swallowing her sadness and disgrace.
As she neared the door, Callan's voice halted her. "Lacey, does Christopher Hewitt mean that much to you?"
The mention of Christopher after so long made her heart jolt.
Lacey felt overwhelmed, flooded with memories she wished to forget.
Christopher had saved her once but then vanished. His fate was unknown. How could she simply move on from him?
Overcome with grief, Lacey found herself unable to speak.
Callan interpreted her silence as confirmation. Mocking his own folly, he muttered, "You're free now, Lacey."
Turning to face him one last time, Lacey realized those were the words he should hear from her.
She had shared three years of her life with Callan. With the divorce, he was now free to pursue the woman he truly loved.
Struggling with her emotions, Lacey replied, "The same goes for you."
With those words, she turned and walked away.
Callan watched her leave, his fists clenching and unclenching in a mix of emotions.
His gaze hardened, and he let go of his tension, heading towards his study.
As Lacey descended the stairs, she couldn't help but glance back.
The hallway was deserted, leaving her feeling profoundly let down.
A bitter laugh escaped her. What was she hoping for?
Gripping her suitcase firmly, she was about to exit when a disdainful voice called out, "Lacey, you're leaving, I see?"
Lacey glanced over her shoulder.
It was Dolores Owen, Callan's mother.
With a scornful look, Dolores remarked, "Of course, now that Sylvia is here, what chance do you stand?"
There was only one man in Raegan's heart, and it was Mitchel. In the second year of her marriage to him, she got pregnant. Raegan's joy knew no bounds. But before she could break the news to her husband, he served her divorce papers because he wanted to marry his first love. After an accident, Raegan lay in the pool of her own blood and called out to Mitchel for help. Unfortunately, he left with his first love in his arms. Raegan escaped death by the whiskers. Afterward, she decided to get her life back on track. Her name was everywhere years later. Mitchel became very uncomfortable. For some reason, he began to miss her. His heart ached when he saw her all smiles with another man. He crashed her wedding and fell to his knees while she was at the altar. With bloodshot eyes, he queried, "I thought you said your love for me is unbreakable? How come you are getting married to someone else? Come back to me!"
COALESCENCE OF THE FIVE SERIES BOOK ONE: THE 5-TIME REJECTED GAMMA & THE LYCAN KING BOOK TWO: THE ROGUES WHO WENT ROGUE BOOK THREE: THE INDOMITABLE HUNTRESS & THE HARDENED DUKE *** BOOK ONE: After being rejected by 5 mates, Gamma Lucianne pleaded with the Moon Goddess to spare her from any further mate-bonds. To her dismay, she is being bonded for the sixth time. What’s worse is that her sixth-chance mate is the most powerful creature ruling over all werewolves and Lycans - the Lycan King himself. She is certain, dead certain, that a rejection would come sooner or later, though she hopes for it to be sooner. King Alexandar was ecstatic to meet his bonded mate, and couldn’t thank their Goddess enough for gifting him someone so perfect. However, he soon realizes that this gift is reluctant to accept him, and more than willing to sever their bond. He tries to connect with her but she seems so far away. He is desperate to get intimate with her but she seems reluctant to open up to him. He tries to tell her that he is willing to commit to her for the rest of his life but she doesn’t seem to believe him. He is pleading for a chance: a chance to get to know her; a chance to show her that he’s different; and a chance to love her. But when not-so-subtle crushes, jealous suitors, self-entitled Queen-wannabes, an old flame, a silent protector and a past wedding engagement threaten to jeopardize their relationship, will Lucianne and Xandar still choose to be together? Is their love strong enough to overcome everything and everyone? Or will Lucianne resort to enduring a sixth rejection from the one person she thought she could entrust her heart with?
Rachel used to think that her devotion would win Brian over one day, but she was proven wrong when his true love returned. Rachel had endured it all—from standing alone at the altar to dragging herself to the hospital for an emergency treatment. Everyone thought she was crazy to give up so much of herself for someone who didn’t return her feelings. But when Brian received news of Rachel’s terminal illness and realized she didn’t have long to live, he completely broke down. "I forbid you to die!" Rachel just smiled. She no longer needed him. "I will finally be free."
Lindsey's fiancé was the devil's first son. Not only did he lie to her but he also slept with her stepmother, conspired to take away her family fortune, and then set her up to have sex with a total stranger. To get her lick back, Lindsey decided to find a man to disrupt her engagement party and humiliate the cheating bastard. Never did she imagine that she would bump into a strikingly handsome stranger who was all that she was currently looking for. At the engagement party, he boldly declared that she was his woman. Lindsey thought he was just a broke man who wanted to leech off her. But once they began their fake relationship, she realized that good luck kept coming her way. She thought they would part ways after the engagement party, but this man kept to her side. "We gotta stick together, Lindsey. Remember, I'm now your fiancé. " "Domenic, you're with me because of my money, aren't you?" Lindsey asked, narrowing her eyes at him. Domenic was taken aback by that accusation. How could he, the heir of the Walsh family and CEO of Vitality Group, be with her for money? He controlled more than half of the city's economy. Money wasn't a problem for him! The two got closer and closer. One day, Lindsey finally realized that Domenic was actually the stranger she had slept with months ago. Would this realization change things between them? For the better or worse?
Rosalynn's marriage to Brian wasn't what she envisioned it to be. Her husband, Brian, barely came home. He avoided her like a plague. Worse still, he was always in the news for dating numerous celebrities. Rosalynn persevered until she couldn't take it anymore. She upped and left after filing for a divorce. Everything changed days later. Brian took interest in a designer that worked for his company anonymously. From her profile, he could tell that she was brilliant and dazzling. He pulled the stops to find out her true identity. Little did he know that he was going to receive the greatest shocker of his life. Brian bit his finger with regret when he recalled his past actions and the woman he foolishly let go.
"Never let anyone treat you like shit!" I learned that the hard way. For three years, I lived with my in-laws. They didn't treat me as their son-in-law but as a slave. I put up with everything because of my wife, Yolanda Lambert. She was the light of my life. Unfortunately, my whole world came crashing down the day I caught my wife cheating on me. I have never been so heartbroken. To have my revenge, I revealed my true identity. I was none other than Liam Hoffman—the heir of a family with trillions of dollars in assets! The Lamberts were utterly shocked after the big reveal. They realized what fools they had been for treating me like trash. My wife even knelt down and begged for my forgiveness. What do you think I did? Did I take her back or made her suffer? Find out!