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"Even if you are engaged to another man, even if you have his child, I don't care because you are mine baby girl, you would always be mine" he said his eyes blazing with anger, the kind i had never seen before. **** Lyra would give everything up to be with Adrian Sterling, to be noticed by him, to be loved by him. Including giving her organs and blood away for the love of his life, Nina. And what did he do? He sold her for one million dollars making her go to jail for two years. But what happens when she met Adrian again after a few years but this time with a baby boy in his arms? Will Adrian have a change of heart towards Lyra or would he be too late as she may have found someone else?
Lyra's POV
I hated the hospital.
The sterile smell of disinfectant clung to everything, sharp and suffocating, mixing with the endless beeping of machines. It felt like the walls of the intensive care unit were closing in on me, suffocating my thoughts.
In my hand was the bill, six figures. Just for the consultancy.
My chest tightened, and I stared at the numbers again as if they'd magically change. How was I supposed to come up with that kind of money? Not in a year, not in two.
Not even if I worked myself to death.
I turned my gaze to the frail figure lying on the bed. My grandmother, the strongest woman I knew, looked so small beneath the layers of blankets.
I bit my lips as I felt reality press down on my shoulders as her faint smile greeted me.
"You're back from the accounts section," she said weakly, her voice barely above a whisper. "How did it go?"
I forced a smile, swallowing the panic threatening to spill out. "Nothing to worry about, Grandma," I lied, trying to sound cheerful. "I'll ask my boss for overtime. We'll figure it out."
She studied me, her knowing eyes seeing through the facade. I could feel my resolve cracking, but I couldn't let her see the despair lurking beneath the surface.
"Did the doctor tell you?" she asked suddenly.
I shook my head, nervous about the answer. "No, not yet."
Her frail hand reached for mine, her touch light but grounding. "Lupus," she said softly.
The word hung in the air, foreign and heavy. "Lupus?" I repeated, my brows furrowing. "What is that?"
Her lips twitched into a weak smile. "It's what I call a rich man's sickness."
"Grandma, this is not the time for jokes," I said, my voice wavering between sternness and concern.
She chuckled softly, a sound that somehow felt both comforting and heartbreaking. "What do you expect me to do, darling? Cry about it? We have to find humor somewhere, or I might just add stress to my list of ailments."
Her attempt at lightening the mood didn't soothe me. The reality of the situation was sinking in too fast. Before I could respond, a nurse entered the room, breaking the moment. She smiled politely before glancing at me.
"How's everything going in here?" the nurse asked gently.
I hesitated. "Could you... could you explain what lupus is?" My voice felt small, uncertain.
The nurse nodded, pulling up a chair beside me. "Lupus is an autoimmune disease," she began. "It means the body's immune system attacks its own tissues and organs."
I blinked, trying to keep up. "Wait, so... it's like her body is fighting itself?"
"Exactly," the nurse replied. "It can affect many parts of the body-joints, skin, kidneys, even the lungs. That's why her breathing has been a concern."
"And it's... serious?"
She hesitated, her eyes softening. "It's manageable with the right treatment. But without it..." She trailed off, letting the unspoken words hang between us.
I swallowed hard. "And how much will the treatment cost?"
The nurse handed me another paper. "This includes everything she'll need."
I glanced at the numbers and felt the air leave my lungs. "This can't be real," I muttered, shaking my head.
"I'm sorry," she said quietly, "You'll need to settle this with the accounts section," she said. "Your grandmother's lungs are failing. We are afraid it may start moving to other parts as well."
She didn't finish, but she didn't have to. The urgency in her voice said enough. When she left, the silence felt heavier.
Grandma's frail voice broke it. "You're so young, Lyra. Let this old woman go, alright? Don't ruin your life for me."
"Don't say that," I whispered, tears blurring my vision. "I can't lose you."
Her fingers brushed away my tears, her smile unwavering despite everything. "You're stronger than you think, darling. You'll handle this."
Her words were meant to reassure, but they only deepened the ache in my chest. I left her room, the sterile hospital corridor stretching endlessly before me. Each step to the accounts section felt heavier than the last.
The staff offered me a payment plan, but even the first installment seemed impossible. Desperation clawed at me. As I walked away, an unsettling thought crossed my mind-selling my body. The idea churned my stomach, but the fear of losing Grandma was stronger.
"No," I muttered to myself. "I can't do that."
I pulled out my phone, scrolling through the darker corners of the web. Odd jobs sometimes appeared there. Maybe I'd get lucky. That's when I saw it: a request for blood donation. The pay was astonishing-enough to cover Grandma's medication and more. The only catch? The recipient needed a rare blood type, B-.
Lucky me, it was exactly my blood type.
I hesitated, rereading the post for the third time. "This has to be a scam," I muttered under my breath, my finger hovering over the apply button. But what choice did I have? Grandma needed me to act, and I was out of options.
With trembling fingers, I filled out the application form, my thoughts racing. "This is crazy," I whispered, hitting submit and half-expecting nothing to happen.
Minutes ticked by
I paced the room, my phone clutched in my hand, when a sudden buzz made me jump. A notification popped up with an address and a time.
"Already?" I stared at the screen, my stomach flipping. "This is happening too fast."
Still, I grabbed my coat and left. The cab ride to the outskirts of the city felt like an eternity. When we finally pulled up to the address, I froze.
The house was enormous, its sleek, glass facade glowing faintly under the streetlights. "This can't be it," I murmured, double-checking the address on my phone.
"You getting out or what?" the cab driver called, breaking my trance.
"Uh, yeah," I said, fumbling with the door handle. My heart pounded as I approached the entrance, the faint hum of a security system making the silence even heavier.
"Relax," I whispered to myself, forcing my legs to keep moving. "You're doing this for Grandma."
A man stood by the door, his emerald eyes studying me with quiet intensity. His features were sharp-a chiseled jawline, a neatly trimmed mustache, and a perfectly styled head of dark hair.
He radiated a calm authority that unnerved me.
"You must be Miss Quinn," he said smoothly, his voice like silk.
"I knew he was trouble the moment I walked into our shared house. The way his hands gripped my waist when no one was looking, the way his voice dipped when he said my name, it wasn't just wrong, it was dangerous. He wasn't just my stepbrother, he was my undoing." **** All Evie Hayes wanted was to finish her college degree in peace, far from the chaos of her past. But when she moves into her stepfather's house near Ravencrest University, she finds herself stuck with Ryder Kingsley, her stepbrother and the school's golden boy. Ryder is everything she's sworn to avoid, arrogant, infuriatingly handsome, and completely off-limits. When late-night arguments turn into stolen touches, their forbidden connection becomes impossible to ignore. But in a world where secrets don't stay hidden, someone's bound to uncover the truth. And when they do, Ryder and Evie will have to decide if the risk is worth the ruin.
"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!
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."
"There will be no falling in love, we will only act as a loving couple when we are in public, we will share a room to make it believable, but no intimacy, touching is off-limits. We'll only have sex once a month, and that's solely to produce an heir. You won't interfere in my business, and I won't interfere in yours. You will be my wife in every sense and you will not be involved with any other man," he said, arrogance seeping from every word. I watch his mouth move, I'm not ready to fall in love with any man, especially not one as arrogant and egoistic as him. I can handle acting as a loving couple, and as for intimacy once a month. I can agree to that just to satisfy my sexual cravings with no strings attached. "Where can I sign?" I asked since I had nothing to lose. *** Nadine's wedding dreams turned to nightmares when she caught her sister and fiancé cheating! With a secret recording, she's ready for revenge. But then mysterious billionaire Logan West offers a deal: A Contract Marriage to take down her ex's empire. But what Nadine doesn't know is her life is getting complicated as she takes her chance to get revenge or risks everything for a chance at love?"
The dream of everyone with regards to marriage is to be able to find that special someone and settle down with them. Even arranged marriages grant you an opportunity to meet your partner briefly before the wedding. How will you feel about waking up in the morning with someone sleeping next to you who is not just anyone but your legally married partner yet with no memory of how that had happened in just a few hours of going out the previous day? This is the story of Jason Haward and Julia Harrison, two strangers trapped in a marriage they never planned. The quest to find out why led to the unfolding of a mystery which made them realize they are both living a lie. To find out more, read this amazing story of love, betrayal, revenge and murder.
After two years of marriage, Sadie was finally pregnant. Filled with hope and joy, she was blindsided when Noah asked for a divorce. During a failed attempt on her life, Sadie found herself lying in a pool of blood, desperately calling Noah to ask him to save her and the baby. But her calls went unanswered. Shattered by his betrayal, she left the country. Time passed, and Sadie was about to be wed for a second time. Noah appeared in a frenzy and fell to his knees. "How dare you marry someone else after bearing my child?"
"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 ***