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In a world where love and family should provide solace, Jenna finds herself trapped in a perpetual cycle of rejection and heartbreak. Torn between her unwavering devotion to her son, Lucas, and the bitter realization that she will never be enough for her own family, Jenna embarks on a journey of self-discovery that will test the boundaries of her resilience. As the ghosts of her past continue to haunt her, Jenna must confront the harsh truth that her husband, Dylan, has never truly loved her, his heart forever entwined with her sister, Allison. With her world crumbling around her, Jenna finds herself at a crossroads, torn between the desire to protect herself from further pain and the yearning for the love and acceptance she has always craved. In this gripping tale of love, loss, and the unbreakable bonds of family, Jenna must navigate the treacherous waters of betrayal and rejection, all while fighting to preserve the one thing that keeps her afloat – her unwavering love for her son.
I exit my car and head cautiously in the direction of the home. My body was perspiring, and my hands were shaking.
I was still in disbelief that everything was over. that I had lastly obtained a divorce from him. Right now, the evidence supporting that was in my purse. I was here to pick up Lucas and deliver the last set of paperwork to him.
I follow the sounds of quiet voices into the house, but I come to a stop as I get close to the kitchen.
I could hear them plainly right now, and what I heard chilled my spirit to the bone.
"Why you can't live with me and your mother is still beyond me." Lucas asks his dad.
My hands tremble and reach my chest. His voice broke my heart with its anguish. Though I would stop at nothing to win his divorce, it was unavoidable.
It had been a mistake to get married. There was something wrong with us all. It simply took me some time to realize the reality.
"You understand why your mom and I are no longer together, Lucas." He answers in a quiet voice.
It truly is strange. that in all the time we've been married, he has never used gentle language with me. It was consistently chilly. Constantly impersonal and emotionless
"However, why?"
He mumbles, "These things just happen."
I can picture him frowning. He's trying to explain things to Lucas so he won't ask any more questions. However, Lucas is my kid. His innate curiosity and inquisitiveness go deep.
"Do you not adore her?"
The query is so simple and sincere that it makes me gasp. I move back, resting against the wall. My heart is pounding as I wait for his response.
I was aware of his response. I've been aware of it all along. That dreadful answer is certainly well known to all but Lucas.
He really isn't in love with me. Never will have and never will have. It was evident as day. I was still curious to hear his response, though. Would he be lying to our son, or telling the truth?
His throat is cleared, clearly stalling. "Lucas."
"Dad, do you still love your mother?" Lucas asks once more, ending his question.
I hear the dejected sigh. At last, he responds, "I love her for giving me you."
It was not a response, but a placation.
I shut my eyes to block out the Miller pain shooting through me. following a lengthy period. It hurts even now. My heart is shattering all over again. I'm not sure why, but there was a tiny part of me that thought his response would be different.
Those three words were never stated by him to me. Not when I gave birth to Lucas, not when we were married, not in the years that followed, not when we shared a bed together.
All the way during our marriage, he held himself back. I gave it everything I had, and all he gave me back was suffering and heartbreak.
There were three of us in our marriage, not just the two of us. The love of his life, me, and him. The woman he has spent nine long years unable to let go of.
My eyes water, yet I rub them anyhow. I had had enough of crying. I was fed up with pursuing a man who wasn't interested in me.
"Have you ever been told that listening in on other people's conversations is impolite?"
His powerful voice pierces the stillness. disturbing my train of thinking in the process. I take a square stance and head into the kitchen.
He is standing close to the kitchen counter there. Dylan Woods, my husband of the past.
I can't move from the spot, his mocking grey eyes.
My gaze veers to my son. My delight and pride. all that is positive in my life. His father is undoubtedly the source of his beautiful looks. He has my dark hair and my Miller grey eyes.
"Hello," I say with a tiny smile.
"Hello, mom," Lucas says, setting down his partially consumed lunch and leaping from the counter. He runs over to give me a tight hug. "You've been missed,"
I kiss his forehead and say, "Missed you too, my love," before he turns away and resumes eating.
I awkwardly stand there. I don't feel at home here anymore, even though it used to be. As if I don't belong.
But in all honesty, I never did.
Whether he knew it or not, he designed this home with HER in mind. Everything in this house, even the color palette, was HER ideal home.
That ought to have been his first clue that he wasn't going to let her go. that he wouldn't feel the same way for me.
He asks angrily, "What are you doing here?" while fixating on his watch. "You said you wouldn't interfere with my time spent with Lucas."
"I am aware...I thought I could bring you a copy of the divorce decree while I go get Lucas because I received it today.
His lips thin and his face goes completely chilly. I feel like a piece of me breaks every time he stares at me like way. Even though I have loved him for as long as I can remember, he doesn't care that at all.
He has repeatedly wrecked my soul and broken my heart. I was still in love with him. Hanging on. I kept expecting things to change, but they never did.
Upon our marriage, I believed that I would at last experience love. the love that I had desired since I was a young child. I was in error. Getting married became a nightmare. I was always at odds with the ghost of his former life. The ghost of a girl that, despite my best efforts, I could never live up to.
I give my chest a rub. attempting to lessen the suffering contained there.
It is ineffective. Even after months apart, it still hurts like crazy.
Could you please head up to your room, Lucas? With clinched teeth, Dylan adds, "Your mother and I need to discuss something." The word "mother" slips out of his mouth in contempt.
He gives us a minute's worth of stares, then nods.
"Avoid fighting," he orders before walking away.
Dylan slams his fist against the counter in rage as soon as he is out of earshot. He looks at me with cold, steely eyes.
With a scowl, he says, "You could have sent them to my damn office instead of interrupting my time with my son." His fists are clenched, as if he were about to explode on me.
"Dylan." I sigh, not knowing how to finish the phrase.
Not at all. No way! Nine years ago, you completely changed my life. When you asked for that filthy divorce, you did it once more. Was this your way of punishing me? preventing me from loving you and separating me from my son. Breaking: By the time he finishes, his breathing is labored, "Jenna, I fucking hate you." His irate words fly out of his mouth like projectiles aimed directly at me. My heart feels pierced by them. Every word breaks my heart, which is already frail.
"I-I."
When the man you still love declares his hatred for you, what are you to say?
"Please just leave my fucking house.When my time with Lucas is up, I'll bring him home," he yells.
I placed the divorce judgment on the countertop. Just as I was about to apologize, my phone rang. I get it from my purse and glance at the caller ID.
MOM.
She never calls me unless it's something serious, so I wanted to ignore it.
I hold the phone up to my ear and swipe the screen.
"Mothe," I sigh.
She cuts me off before I can continue speaking.
"Now go to the hospital!" "Your father has been shot," she exclaims, practically hysterically, and hangs up.
My phone falls out of my grasp. I'm taken aback.
"What is it?" his voice pierces my consciousness.
My heart pounding, I pick up my phone and answer him without looking up.
"The father was shot."
Astrid Bennett, a brilliant scientist, was once lost but now returns to her biological family the powerful Bennetts after 18 years. As she reenters their lavish world, she uncovers dark secrets and treachery, especially from her adopted "sister," Iona, who had orchestrated an attack on her. Astrid must navigate a toxic family dynamic filled with manipulation, jealousy, and violence while holding onto her principles and desire for justice. With tensions rising, Astrid faces a battle for her rightful place in the Bennett household and against those who wish to see her fall.
Mara has always trusted her husband Caleb, but that trust is shattered when she catches him on a live TikTok video with another woman while claiming to be away on business. Struggling with doubt, she begins to notice more red flags-late-night texts, secretive behavior, and lies that no longer add up. When a message saying, "Did she find out?" appears on Caleb's phone, Mara's worst fears are confirmed. Determined to uncover the truth, Mara starts digging into Caleb's life, only to find that another woman is pretending to be his wife in his professional circles. As the betrayal deepens, Mara also begins to question the loyalty of her best friend, Tessa, and Caleb's sister, Lena, who seem entangled in his web of lies. Battling between protecting her daughter and confronting Caleb's deception, Mara must decide whether to fight for her family or walk away from the life she thought she knew. **Hidden Scars** reveals the emotional unraveling of a marriage built on lies, and one woman's fight to reclaim her life.
A young werewolf, Lena, bent on revenge due to her brother's betrayal allies with the Alpha of the rival Blackfang pack, Logan. United, they stand against a powerful creature threatening their world. With Lena growing in power from the Moonstone, darkness comes forth, and she must discover her own strength. A dangerous and perilous journey lies ahead for Lena and her pack as they fight to save their world from some unknown evil lurking in the shadows.
In a world of claws and teeth, love is the greatest risk. However, Bonnie seems to have taken the most risk with a pitiful past that fuels her revenge against her one true love but she's in a dilemma when faced with too many suitors that she has complicated feelings for Will she be able to manavur all this and get her sweet revenge or will she go back to her vomit?
When Shelby Henderson gets rejected by her mate, she makes a choice that leads to her second chance mate-Derek Hemsworth. Derek Alpha of the greatest Lycan Pack seeks to unravel the mystery that would cost him a lot of sacrifices. Given another chance to love her, Derek realizes there's nothing worth having more than the love he once lost.
In the Lakeside region, Seraphina, the daughter of a crime boss and Mafia Lord, Don Carlo, is forced to choose between duty and desire when she falls in love with the deputy of the Sebastian Mafia, the Mafia which she is married into. To add to the already escalated tension which is simmering on the surface, her brother who vows to avenge her father's death is on a killing spree, silently plotting his revenge. In this compelling thriller and story of romance, Seraphina finds herself at crossroads as she has to choose between her new found family, and the love for her biological brother. "The Don's Daughter" is a story that tells the struggle of Seraphina as she navigates the world of crime, love, duty and desire.
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?
Sandra Hill, the long-lost real heiress of the Hill family, was shunned by her own kin. Instead of embracing her, they bestowed their affection upon an impostor. They even arranged her to marry a vegetative man in place of her so-called “sister”. Sandra sneered, refusing to put up with this humiliation, cut off ties with the Hill family immediately and ran into the flash marriage with Wesley Cooper, her unconscious billionaire husband. With her incredible medical skills, she defied the odds and revived him. Little did she expect that her husband spoiled her with all his love... A medical genius, a computer prodigy, a national treasure in painting, and a racing legend... Her husband revealed her various identities, leaving the Hill family regretful. Her father came pleading, "It's Dad's fault. Please come back." Her mother wept, "Mom will protect you from now on. Please come back." Even her five brothers knelt before he, begging for forgiveness. Yet, Sandra's smile held a hint of mockery as she vowed, “Never!”
Janice, the long-forgotten legitimate heiress, made her way back to her family, pouring her heart into winning their hearts. Yet, she had to relinquish her very identity, her academic credentials, and her creative works to her foster sister. In return for her sacrifices, she found no warmth, only deeper neglect. Resolute, Janice vowed to cut off all emotional bonds. Transformed, she now stood as a master of martial arts, adept in eight languages, an esteemed medical expert, and a celebrated designer. With newfound resolve, she declared, "From this day forward, no one in this family shall cross me."
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.
6 years ago, Lydia suffered a brutal betrayal orchestrated by her own husband and step-sister, who drugged her and framed her. In a twist of fate, she ended up having a one-night stand with a stranger. Don't even remember what he looked like. Later, in the throes of death, she discovered the truth about her mother's death all those years ago. In the blink of an eye, she lost everything. 6 years later, Lydia returned with her genius son, vowing to exact revenge on all her enemies! Little did she know, she encountered an incredibly familiar man at the airport! *** The man was briskly pushing open the door to the restroom, heading to the urinal. Even with such a mundane action, he did it with unparalleled elegance and grace. Lydia, following him in a daze, saw his fierce lower body and suddenly snapped back to reality. She let out a high-pitched scream, instinctively covering her eyes with her hands, her cheeks flushed, and stood there stiffly, unsure of what to do. Lambert furrowed his brows slightly but remained calm as he continued to relieve himself. The sound of water hitting the urinal made Lydia's face even redder. She angrily shouted, "You pervert!" Little did Lydia know that Lambert, seeing her in this state, had a flicker of recognition in his eyes. Memories from many years ago flashed through his mind, and his heart couldn't help but stir. It was her!
Iris grew from an orphaned child to the adopted daughter of the Stewart family at age ten, finding warmth in her nominal uncle Vincent's kindness. Seven years later, she became his secret lover. When Vincent's engagement was announced, gossip spread about the notorious playboy CEO finally settling down. But only Iris knew the extent of his cold, two-faced nature. Iris fell for Vincent and, through tears, begged, "Marry me," only to be met with his frosty refusal. Defeated, she accepted a lawyer's proposal, sparking public excitement. Then, on her wedding day, Vincent pleaded desperately, "Don't marry him…"