/0/66223/coverbig.jpg?v=3f0f4d64f5b471b8362ffbb37accf717)
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.
I had put my daughter to bed and now that night settled, I could relax. I took out my cell-phone and began scrolling aimlessly through Tiktok when I came across a live talk show on street fashion.
I stood up and attempted to focus on the TV but the presenter had already cut away. My phone was stuck to me and my hands felt sweaty, my heart rate was through the roof. I checked that it was indeed a live broadcast from the same city by Googling the time.
Afterwards, I got off TikTok very quickly and video-called my husband, Caleb Brooks.
I saw him on the live streaming with another lady whilst he was supposed to be in Haven for a three days business trip. The phone hearth rang before he eventually picked it after an eternity.
My phone screen shook a little and his charming face appeared, "hey honey!"
"What's up?" I looked at the video on his side and asked quickly. He seemed to be in the hallway of a restaurant, wearing a white shirt and tie. But during the live, that was when I saw him for the first time, he wore on a grey wind coat.
"I'm having dinner with a client. I came out to pick up your phone call. What happened? Is anything wrong? Does Nora have any habit?" He asked.
"Are you in Haven?" I sidestepped his question and asked it again.
"Yes, why? what is wrong?" He looked at me with his usual intense but an inquisitive look through the webcam.
"Oh! It's nothing!" But I was embarrassed and asked, "When do you plan to return?"
"Soon... I'll come back once everything is wrapped up. Are you missing me?" Caleb looked at me with a smile of deep tenderness. "I'll try to return as soon as possible. It's getting late already. You should go and rest now. There are still a few matters I have to attend to here." With that he left!"
He gave me a peck before he hung up.
Struck and annoyed with myself for being suspicious, I reached for my phone. Caleb may have been nothing but a bum when we met, but he was an awesome, handsome, loving husband.
Despite growing up in a humble family with a sickly sister in the city, I chose him among all the guys who were interested in me because he was handsome.
I went into business with him after graduating from college, using my parents' house as collateral, and worked side by side with him for years. He handled the sourcing while I slaved away dealing constantly with customers to the point of almost bleeding internally. Fortunately, our business grew and eventually thrived.
I decided to leave, after I got pregnant and gave my husband the whole store for me to concentrate on our kid and our house. Our daughter turned four years old today. We are a family of three, we had a good life and were well off(made many people jealous).
Caleb felt awful that we didn't have the wedding he'd promised me he would throw, one that would make up for all the bad things I had done.
also what a loser of a husband to cheat?
I think I watched too many TV episodes that made me think like so, so I pursed my lips and chuckled. My mind was still on the vanishing man on TikTok live when I rolled in bed.
It felt like I had been thinking about Caleb all day. I'd ironed the windbreaker for him earlier in the day when he left for his business trip, so it looked familiar. That is to say, I was confused, why was the man on the live wearing similar one?
The next day, Caleb returned earlier than usual and he got for Nora lots of delicious sweets. He gave each and every one of us a warm hug which made the atmosphere all warm and cozy. As an obligation I happily skipped to the kitchen to prepare a lot of his best liked dishes.
We took our seats at dinner when Caleb commented so casually 'there's such a strong scent of oil in here...perhaps you should go take a shower?
I sniffed delicately. "That's how the good food smells." I smiled with satisfaction. "Don't you like how food smells?"
He laughed and ruffled my hair, and then began to shove food down my throat, giving Nora an occasional bite. "All right, my dears," he said at last. "Come along and eat!
I got Nora right to bed after I fed her and hopped in the shower. "Do I still smell like oil?" I said flirtatiously as I walked up to Caleb.
Caleb gave me a gentle pinch with a grin. "My love, I missed you so much!"
He didn't wait for me to reply as he pulled on my wrist to the bed. He seemed too excited today as well.
We were done and I smiled when I saw his tall figure make his way towards the bathroom. His phone lit up beside light breaking me from my reverie that he had got a WhatsApp message just when I was about to clean up.
I froze, my gaze flicking towards it.
Caleb dashed into the room, snatched the phone before me and looked at the message. Then he glanced back at me.
"Lena is here!"
"What's the matter? Are you scared that I might find out something? I threw him a sceptic look and had a strange feeling, like something was wrong.
It contained only four words. Had she found out the truth?
I'd interpreted it to mean the other party was scared I might uncover something, and that had been enough for me. But there'd also been an element of doubt in the text, hence my scrutiny of Caleb. And a strange sense of déjà vu had accompanied my intuition when my stomach told me.
With a light laugh Caleb put the phone back on the night stand. "You're over thinking!" he said, pulling me into his arms and giving me a kiss. It's about my sister Lena, not about you. She's defrauding Mom of money using me as front.
Lena Brooks was Caleb's younger sister. Her family had always baby and spoilt her because she had been weak and sickly since birth. And she was acting like a baby.
In her late twenties and Lena never use to think about anything all she did was travel, eat and have fun and she wasn't even in school yet.
"What are you trying to thief your mother of money? Where you feel she gets it from? I screamed.
With a smile, he knelt down and hugged me. Then he led me over to the Water Closet and bit my ear. It is all your money indeed. That's what happens when I marry a good kind man as you.
I appreciated what he said alright.
I have never been stingy with my family over the years because I felt a happy family brings good fortune in everything. I really subscribe to repaying people's kindness with my own.
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.
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 a world where love is a weapon and technology can twist the mind, Emily Williams fights a battle on two fronts: against a ruthless cancer devouring her from within, and against her husband, Daniel Smith, a tech mogul whose heart has been corrupted by a thirst for revenge. As Emily races to save her father from a mysterious illness, she uncovers a web of deceit that stretches from her own womb to the disappearance of Daniel's sister. With her body failing and her world crumbling, Emily must navigate a labyrinth of high-tech horrors and face the ultimate question: How far will she go to protect those she loves, and at what cost to her own humanity? "Dangerous Husband Material" is a gripping techno-thriller that explores the darkest corners of love, loyalty, and the future of human connection.
Once upon a time, there were two kingdoms once at peace. The kingdom of Salem and the kingdom of Mombana... Until the day, the king of Mombana passed away and a new monarch took over, Prince Cone. Prince Cone, has always been hungry for more power and more and more. After his coronation, he attacked Salem. The attack was so unexpected, Salem never prepared for it. They were caught off guard. The king and Queen was killed, the prince was taken into slavery. The people of Salem that survived the war was enslaved, their land taken from them. Their women were made sex slaves. They lost everything, including their land. Evil befall the land of Salem in form of Prince Cone, and the prince of Salem in his slavery was filled with so much rage. The prince of Salem, Prince Lucien swore revenge. 🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳 Ten years later, thirty-years old Lucien and his people raided a coup and escaped slavery. They went into hiding and recuperated. They trained day and night under the leadership of the fearless and cold Lucien who was driven with everything in him to get back their land, and take Mombana land too. It took them five years before they ambushed and attacked Mombana. They killed Prince Cone and reclaimed everything. As they screamed out their victory, Lucien's eyes found and pinned the proud princess of Mombana. Princess Danika. The daughter of Prince Cone. As Lucien stared at her with the coldest eyes anyone can ever possess, he felt victory for the first time. He walked to the princess with the slave collar he'd won for ten years rattling in his hand as he walked. He reached close to her and with a swift movement, he collared her neck. Then, he tilted her chin up, staring into the bluest eyes and the most beautiful face ever created, he gave her a cold smile. "You are my acquisition. My slave. My sex slave. My property. I will pay you in spades, everything you and your father ever did to me and my people." He stated curtly. Pure hatred, coldness and victory was the only emotion on his face. .
Elena, once a pampered heiress, suddenly lost everything when the real daughter framed her, her fiancé ridiculed her, and her adoptive parents threw her out. They all wanted to see her fall. But Elena unveiled her true identity: the heiress of a massive fortune, famed hacker, top jewelry designer, secret author, and gifted doctor. Horrified by her glorious comeback, her adoptive parents demanded half her newfound wealth. Elena exposed their cruelty and refused. Her ex pleaded for a second chance, but she scoffed, “Do you think you deserve it?” Then a powerful magnate gently proposed, “Marry me?”
After three years of loveless marriage, Kira was slapped with divorce papers. She has shown him her unrequited love throughout her entire marriage with him, but he decided to turn blind eyes all because of his lover. Distraught and heartbroken, Kira choose to sign the divorce papers with bitter heart. But then and there, she promised herself that when she's back, he will come crawling to her, but she will make him pay for hurting her. Join Kira as she transform to a wealthy heiress and soared as the CEO of a multi-billion-dollar empire, a remarkable healer and make her ex-husband pay!
"You're mine, little puppy," Kylan growled against my neck. A soft gasp escaped my lips as his lips brushed my skin. My mind screamed at me to push him away-the Lycan Prince who had humiliated me again and again, but my body betrayed me, leaning into him before I could stop myself. He pressed his lips against mine, and his kiss grew more aggressive, more possessive as I felt my legs weaken. What was I doing? In a split-second, I pulled away and slapped him hard across the face. Kylan's eyes darkened, but the smirk on his lips exposed his amusement. "You and I both know we can't fight this, Violet," he said, gripping my wrist. "You're my mate." "And yet you don't want me," I replied. "You told me you were ashamed of me, that l'd never be your queen, that you'd never love me. So please, accept my rejection and let me go." "Never," he whispered, his grip tightening as he pulled me closer. "Soon enough, you'll be begging for me. and when you do-I'll use you as I see fit and then I'll reject you."
"I, Riccardo Saviano, future Alpha of the Grey Shadow Moon Pack, reject you, Artemisia Guerrieri, Daughter of Alpha Franco of the Blood Moon Pack, as my mate and future Luna." One single sentence. One stupid single sentence was all it took to disintegrate my life. And the day of my birthday, on which this sentence was audaciously uttered to me, I lost the love of my life, my future mate, and my wolf, all at once. As I'm still assembling the pieces of my shattered heart years later, there they come. Like lightning out of a crystal blue sky. My Mates. But wait... If I am mated to triplets, how come I'm about to be mated to 5 gorgeous men? *** TW: explicit and foul language; spicy content; explicit sex scenes ***
Sheila had her back against the wall when her family tried to force her to marry an awful old man. In a fit of rage, she hired a gigolo to act as her husband. She thought the gigolo needed money and did this for a living. Little did she know that he was nothing like that. One day, he pulled off his mask and revealed himself to be the world's top magnate. This marked the beginning of their love. He showered her with everything she could ever want. They were happy. However, unexpected circumstances soon posed a threat to their love. Would Sheila and her husband make it through the storm? Find out!