What ties connect her past to her wedding night of a forced marriage with this stranger?
What ties connect her past to her wedding night of a forced marriage with this stranger?
" You will be wed to the Earl of Valthems in a fortnight"
The announcement caused Blair's face to go pale. Horrified, she sat still, at loss for words. If it had been any other person, she would have accused him of jesting, but her father, the Earl of Winrook, never jested, talk more of such a matter. He would grin, yes, but those grins were even more frightening than his frowns, like a wolf flashing its teeth before and attack.
" The wedding will take place in the countryside", he went on. " I've asked..
" I don't want to", Blair said, finally finding her voice though still trembling.
Her father paused but then continued as if she hadn't uttered a word. " I've asked your Aunt, Lady Monique, and your sister, Beryl to see to the preparations. I'll be dropping by at..."
" Father, I don't want to be wed, I don't even know the Earl of Valthems", she spoke louder this time getting on her feet.
" Well you seemed to have enjoyed his company last night ", he pointed out stone faced. Blair frowned.
Indeed she had enjoyed dancing with the Earl last night at Lord Edward's ball. He was a good dancer after all and never stepped on her shoes, which was more than she could say about more than half of the young gentlemen in the county. He was a good listener too and even quite amusing.
Now, she no longer found him so. He probably acted wonderful on purpose to charm her, and what a fool she had turned out to be, falling for his charms . If only she had known then, that he was plotting to marry her, she wouldn't have dancer with him at all!
" You WILL marry the Earl of Valthems, what you wish is of no importance", her father said with a tone of finality.
" Do you not care for my happiness? I am your daughter!"
" Yes, you are my daughter and you will do as I say. Do you think this is the first time a woman is being wed to a man not of her choosing?"
She stared at him defiantly, her jaw clenched and her eyebrows narrowed. She had a lot of things to say, she wanted to scream but instead she just picked up the hems of her skirt and marched out of the room.
" I don't recall dismissing you, or do you want to be sent to bed without any supper?"
She ignored him.
" You should the grateful, the Earl of Valthems..."
The rest of the sentence remained in the study, behind the door which she pushed shut with such strength that the chandelier in the hall shook. She didn't care, as she made her way up to the staircase with a scowl on her face.
Grateful for what? For being given away like a pig to the butcher, with her opinion being of no significance? Her gowns were chosen for her. Her meals. Her books. Her friends. Must her husband be chosen for her too? She was aware of how rare love marriages were in the county. Still, she had hoped to choose her husband, or at least be consulted on the matter.She was twenty two after all and not some teenager. In fact she had begun to wonder if she was going to remain a spinster like her Aunt Marinette.
She never wanted to be a spinster. She thought they were all pretentious, pretending to be fortunate that they had not ended up marrying, pretending they were strong enough to have been able to resist a man's charms, when they actually secretly pined for a man's touch.
Yes, she had always dreamed of marrying and having kids and watching them play in the garden while she knitted or sipped tea. But not like this.
When Jennie gets invited to the wedding of the gorgeous, rich ,sexy and outrightly perfect high school frenemy, Latesha Bogart, she has to do everything to prove that her life isn't in fact as miserable as it already is. This includes a whole list of lies and a hired fiancé, will she be able to pull it off? Or will the thin string holding her facade together, rip right in the middle of everything?
The day Lilah found out that she was pregnant, she caught her fiancé cheating on her. Her remorseless fiancé and his mistress almost killed her. Lilah fled for her dear life. When she returned to her hometown five years later, she happened to save a little boy's life. The boy's father turned out to be the world's richest man. Everything changed for Lilah from that moment. The man didn't let her experience any inconvenience. When her ex-fiancé bullied her, he crushed the scumbag's family and also rented out an entire island just to give Lilah a break from all the drama. He also taught Lilah's hateful father a lesson. He crushed all her enemies before she even asked. When Lilah's vile sister threw herself at him, he showed her a marriage certificate and said, "I'm happily married and my wife is much more beautiful than you are!" Lilah was shocked. "When did we ever get married? Last I checked, I was still single." With a wicked smile, he said, "Honey, we've been married for five years. Isn't it about time we had another child together?" Lilah's jaw dropped to the floor. What the hell was he talking about?
Noelle was the long-lost daughter everyone had been searched for, yet the family brushed her off and fawned over her stand-in. Tired of scorn, she walked away and married a man whose influence could shake the country. Dance phenom, street-race champ, virtuoso composer, master restorer-each secret triumph hit the headlines, and her family's smug smiles cracked. Father charged back from abroad, mother wept for a hug, and five brothers knelt in the rain begging. Beneath the jeweled night sky, her husband pulled her close, his voice a velvet promise. "They're not worth it. Come on, let's just go home."
My world revolved around Jax Harding, my older brother's captivating rockstar friend. From sixteen, I adored him; at eighteen, I clung to his casual promise: "When you're 22, maybe I'll settle down." That offhand comment became my life's beacon, guiding every choice, meticulously planning my twenty-second birthday as our destiny. But on that pivotal day in a Lower East Side bar, clutching my gift, my dream exploded. I overheard Jax' s cold voice: "Can't believe Savvy's showing up. She' s still hung up on that stupid thing I said." Then the crushing plot: "We' re gonna tell Savvy I' m engaged to Chloe, maybe even hint she' s pregnant. That should scare her off." My gift, my future, slipped from my numb fingers. I fled into the cold New York rain, devastated by betrayal. Later, Jax introduced Chloe as his "fiancée" while his bandmates mocked my "adorable crush"-he did nothing. As an art installation fell, he saved Chloe, abandoning me to severe injury. In the hospital, he came for "damage control," then shockingly shoved me into a fountain, leaving me to bleed, calling me a "jealous psycho." How could the man I loved, who once saved me, become this cruel and publicly humiliate me? Why was my devotion seen as an annoyance to be brutally extinguished with lies and assault? Was I just a problem, my loyalty met with hatred? I would not be his victim. Injured and betrayed, I made an unshakeable vow: I was done. I blocked his number and everyone connected to him, severing ties. This was not an escape; this was my rebirth. Florence awaited, a new life on my terms, unburdened by broken promises.
A twist of fate bound Allison to Derek in marriage-she, a powerful heiress with countless hidden identities; he, the city's most admired man, now lying silent in a coma. For three years, Allison used her unmatched medical skills to heal him, all while quietly falling in love. But when Derek's long-lost love returned from abroad, he handed Allison divorce papers without a second thought. Resolved to stop chasing shadows, Allison signed the papers and turned her back on love-rising to fame as a dazzling force in business, medicine, and more. Only when she stood high above the world did Derek finally see her worth. He knelt before her, eyes brimming with regret. "Will you take me back?" he whispered.
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?
Two months. Claire only asked two more month from her ignorant husband to save her marriage from falling apart. She loved him too much to let him go. Hunter MacIntyre was reluctant that it would change anything between them. He could never bring himself to fall for Claire while his heart belonged to someone else. But he anyway agreed, and much to Claire's determination, it worked out between them. Hunter was slowly coming out of his aloofness and showing his tender side to her. However, on the much awaited day of their second marriage anniversary, Hunter abandoned her to be with his ex-girlfriend. "It was all a pretense to save myself from going through that wife-hunting shit again after our divorce, Claire. But now she's back. Sign the divorce papers and set me free. I want to be with the true love of my life." She bit back a curse and nodded sternly, "Fine! If that's what you want, I'll set you free. But don't come crawling back to me in the future. Because I won't accept you." Six months later, indeed he came back to her! Want to know what Claire did with her ex-husband? Start reading now;) Ps. At moments you'll hate Claire for her decisions, but trust me, every decision has a hidden motive behind it;) (Trigger warning: there might be scenes some may find heartbreaking/disturbing/annoying etc. Please beware. It's a work of fiction and purely meant for entertainment. If you can't handle betrayal, divorce, panic attacks, depression, etc than do not pick up this book. You've been warned! Rest others, who like a spicy story with lots of drama, welcome;)
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