It started with a dare. Marrying Zeath Lupin was a blessing until he showed up with a pregnant woman at a family gathering. Now fighting for my marriage would be easier if he didn't make divorce my choice. Yet, as much as he and his family force my hand to forsake our union, I do all that's within my power to have Zeath's respect, at least. But the choices I make only lead to a gnarly situation. Something that could end me, probably even the entity that would soon be the bridge between Zeath and me; a child he doesn't deserve. He took one risky dare to trade my dignity for his pleasure. Now he has to beg! I don't care how he does it; whether he dips his forehead into the fire he set my heart on or licks the remnant of his shite under my boots. I'm Mellow fucking Fanning. And Zeath Lupin knew that before messing with me.
MELLOW.
I never knew agony could drive so deep.
How would I, though? I'm the Fanning princess. I mean, even as my sister would take over my mom's industries, I got freedom. And I'm satisfied. How many can say they married the man they loved, attended the school they wanted, and could have whatever in the damn world pleases them?
I'm Mellow Fanning Lupin, the second daughter of Country Zee's president. But... fairy tales are mere delusions, are they not? They're blissful, colorful... even blinding. Until the sheaths come off and worms begin to writhe in the distaste of a painful reality.
My husband and I have been married for two years. We are the perfect model couple. Always trending for the right reasons. And we do lovey-dovey shit without minding spectators.
I thought we were in love.
But maybe not.
The pretense only had a quick run under a storm we couldn't catch its prints-I couldn't catch its prints.
Now that I'm caught up with it, I'm stepping into its deep footmarks. Squelchy ones that trap my legs in the mud like a sinkhole.
Zeath just showed up at the Lupin family's fucking dinner with a bitch who looks like she's rubbed herself on him to the point she could blend with him. And she seems so familiar it's frustrating.
He gives no explanation whatsoever. None does. But they know what the heck's going on and are hell-bent to leave me in the dark.
Now I'm just sitting where I am, eyes stuck on Zeath as he pulls out a seat for the new woman before sitting beside her.
"We're eleven weeks pregnant!" the bitch squeals, exalted by cheers from the rest of the family. She bumps her shoulder softly on Zeath's, then watches as he dishes food for her.
That announcement is a cutthroat whether it breathes or not. I want to believe it's a prank. And I'm waiting for someone to say, 'Got ya!'
Like, can someone please tell me what is going on? I can't be the only one who's curious, right?
Except, I am. No one seems to mind. They're all absorbed in the moment, acting like it's normal. And the more their silence stretches, the more it feels like I could choke on my meal.
A thought knocks on my head, urging me to remove myself from this situation. Yet, I don't listen.
I'll see to the end of this, even if the end means my own demise on this very table.
Mama Tia, Zeath's grandma, has been watching me for some time now. She was always the best comfort: soft-spoken, never hesitated to mention her love for me.
But her next words drive a spike through my heart.
"Whoever feels uncomfortable should leave."
No one else feels uncomfortable, at least not the way I see it, which means those words are for me. If only she knew I'm not leaving until I'm done with my dinner.
As long as I didn't die when Zeath walked in with the asshole, survived their pregnancy announcement, and now fighting through the bitch's giggles and whispers with Zeath, I'll push through anything. Including Zeath's head when I force an explanation out of him.
His brother raises a champagne glass. "A toast to my brother, Yolie, and their blessed unborn."
Everyone raises their glasses with a cheer. I do too, but I'm rather quiet. I only now observe the toaster, East, from beneath my lashes while sipping my wine.
He meets my gaze and smirks, then relaxes in his seat. "Sorry, I forgot you, Melon," he says. He's mocking me. "Shall we toast to your twenty-six years of abstinence, then?"
I scoff.
Fuck East and his rotten toast. I could squash his glass on his head and force the pieces into his mouth. Pray that it cuts the bloody fucker's tongue.
"I'm sorry, East, but... to hell with you," I snap, right before Zeath gets up noisily and heads toward the restroom. And despite the eyes on me, I follow him.
Male toilet or not, I stand behind him as he relieves himself. He doesn't even act like I'm there, going as far as trying to leave when he's done.
Only I'm faster.
I push myself to his front before resting against the door to block his way out.
"This is about the child, isn't it?" I rap, taking a breath and a moment of silence before adding, "Or sex."
Zeath chose not to reply. He slowly walks to stand near the sink, resting his hands on it while looking himself in the mirror.
His side face is what I get-a fucking smoking beauty, but mostly the center of enthrallment that flaunts a crown in the wake of its glory.
I want to hold him like I always did: jump on his massive form and stick my arms and legs around him like a koala while reveling in the feel of his bulging crotch against me.
He's way past six feet, while I'm just some inch over half of him. The courage to measure my height hasn't really found me yet. What's the use, anyway? It's better seeing than counting feet, after all.
"Zeath," I sigh before ripping my backside from the door to approach my husband with a whisper tearing through my lungs. "We were fine... yesterday. This morning too. Fuck, even an hour ago. What went wrong? Where did I go wrong?" I stop about two paces from him, just enough to view him fully. "Answer me, Zeath, please. We've never quarreled, we've never argued, we've never disagreed or misunderstood each other, so this is just... weird."
The man tries to walk away again. This time, I push myself on him, nudging him backward with my chest, making sure he doesn't get an inch near the fucking door.
Every action he takes is bound to siphon the happy memories we've had together. And he seems to know that, to want that.
"Is this how you wanna do this? Be weird?" I bark, pissed to the core. "I never thought I'd ever have to do this, but maybe I should!" Fingers curled and secured, each fist pound repeatedly into Zeath's chest. "You embarrassed me in front of your fucking family, Zeath! Stop being a coward! You can't just ghost me, can you? This is not what we are! This is not what we dreamed of becoming, so tell me, babe, tell me why you're doing this!"
I'm left in a puff and pant state when I'm done, while Zeath merely stands in my front, staring down at me with eyes colder than the Eastern Antarctic.
"Are you being threatened?" I mutter amidst deep breaths, unable to stop my heart from beating very fast. Then I nod as if realizing something. "You're being threatened, right?"
There's so much that I know about Zeath. And it's that he has so many enemies they're nearly uncountable.
Ones he got from high school and college that grew into adulthood are well-breathing. Not to mention that as Chairman of Lupin Group, it's either the masses against him or competing Groups.
Hell, even his brother's a damn villain. And maybe Mama Tia should start shredding her peels of goodwill as well.
Who knew what they made him do? Seeing as I haven't given him a child or consummated our marriage yet, he must have been pressured into feeling the need for one.
Maybe this is all my fault for keeping to my family's damn law! What does it provide, anyway, aside from a broken marriage?
"Jealousy doesn't look good on you, Mellow," Zeath says flatly, "envy either."
Those words roll right into my brain. They give me the shits even more.
"You think I'm jealous and envious?" I yell, throwing my hands where I see fit. "Thirty-something fucking months together, and that's what you reduce me to? I don't even know if I'm mad at you. Maybe it's disappointment. I expected so much more, and this shit from you is lower than the ocean's depths!" I smack his chest with that last word, then I turn around to open the door, stepping out before facing the motherfucker again. "But, oh, you will tell me the reason. I give you today as a pass. I won't be so compliant next time."
The sound of the slamming door is thrilling, satisfying, yet not enough to quench the pain gurging in my chest.
My legs are feeble and threatening to fail in the discomfort of my heels. Still, I keep them going. I can't be caught slacking off even as tears claw at my glands, stinging my eyes, an antagonist to my desire to stay strong.
Marrying Zeath Lupin was a blessing until he ditched Mellow at a family dinner for his pregnant girlfriend. But the actions she took only led to a deadly situation. Something that would end her alongside the life growing within her-a child Zeath doesn't deserve. She ran for dear life after faking her death. But she was bound to return as Zeath's only means to an end in disguise. Would he recognize her? Would she accept his apology if he ever gave one? And what happened when the threat she once fled from rekindled, endangering her and her child's lives once more? ~ "Do you know how much I wished you wouldn't come near me, even... touch me?" Zeath drones on. "All those cuddles, kisses, and affection? They all made my skin crawl-like a troll embracing its victim before gobbling them. One can only imagine how much it stinks. You're no different. You merely caught my attention because you were a self-absorbed twonk, and we needed to test if you even had the heart to love another." "We?" I croak out. Then Zeath's fingers trail gently along my face, his eyes glinting with pure poison, and his voice no better. "Poor Mellow, it's all a dare, a gratifying one. Divorce or not, it's your choice."
I'd never known a man like Hunter. Dreaded at his calmest, a calm before the storm, Death and Enigma are his sustenance. He unleashes turbulence upon me, snuffing the life out of everyone I know. And now he's coming for me; to ruin me. As I taste the bitterness of guilt at the tip of my tongue, I'm bent on grasping the very thing causing my misery by the neck. If only I wouldn't have to deal with these emotions-old feelings clashing with new ones; love and hate-that make me want to squash Hunter's heart one moment, then piece it up the next. But I know I can't hang between these feelings forever. First, I need to escape Hunter's web. Then I have to choose, and quickly. ~ A Blood Oath-kill the girl. She's supposedly dangerous, a being forbidden from existence. Yet, I find myself gravitating to her. I shouldn't, but I am. Then I realize she isn't the threat. Where danger lies is with my Desire-a longing to have her squirming beneath me. And as the Prophecy hanging over us proves adamant, an animosity lingers between us. Even nature has signed a Fate and will see to its vow that one of us is destroyed. Now all that's left of me is to crawl out of laid traps with my head intact. Because only then can Heidi truly live.
When Eryevir found herself skating on thin Ice, she made her escape from her Mate and his enemies. Eight years later, the fame of the Ice King and his Viesix had dwindled, left in the past and displaced by a new age. A new lord only meant a new terror. Sir Axel Lane, he was calledāa dreaded terminator taken to the taste of blood and gore. After a one-night stand with him, Eryevir discovered that she was pregnant. She was thrown into anguish and turmoil, as her disguise was uncovered by the last person she wanted to see; the very person she hid from eight years ago. From Axel Laneās mouth, she heard the term āFiery Magpieā, a name only Aāxelaan called her. And now she was left to imagine different ways her world would crumble, again. Because, this time, he was no longer the witty traveler, he was the brass-gloved archfiend with the desire to slay and burnāa darkness risen to diminish her light. ERYEVIR: Like they say, the Ice King is coming. But they need to get the irony of it. The Ice King isn't coming to save the world, he is coming for meāto destroy me. And this cursed bond that isn't meant to exist might as well be my end. A'XELAAN: As she shrouds in her pathetic efforts to conquer, I am determined to make her mine, only she won't give in without a fight. She'd risk it all just to be hidden and far, far away from me. Now I have to do all I can to penetrate her hardened heartāeven if it takes me torching the world to ashes.
She was a diamond covered by ashes.... King Dakota was known as the most Powerful Alpha King of all times - more powerful than any other King that had ruled from his lineage. He was cold hearted, introverted and dangerous in anger. Cursed by the Moon goddess, King Dakota had to get married to three wives all in search of a male child that would become his heir, but it was impossible as the curse would only let his wives bear she -wolves. But on a different day, the King meets a lady who offends him and as a punishment, he took her home as his fourth wife. Her name was Shilah. Shilah was a powerless wolf and as a result, was disregarded and intimidated by all. But, when she begins to do things that the King had never felt for years, he began to wonder who she really was. Slowly, she crawled her way into his icy heart and turned out to be something nobody ever expected - a storm.
After spending a night with a strange man on the day before her wedding, Arianna left the country to start her life afresh. The 22-year-old Arianna Jason lived her life pleasing those she loved the most, without knowing that she was simply a prey being nurtured for the day of her ruin. Her life has tasted the butter pill of betrayal. She wants to give back to the world what she's got but how can she change her good, innocent personality to fit into a cruel society and world? Can her sweet nature be contaminated, or will she make it through, paddling on the right path?
"Carroll Brown is dead! But you have to marry him in your sister's name." My mother said to me in a cold tone. My sister was engaged to the hottest billionaire. It should have been a perfect marriage. Unexpectedly, Carroll was dead in an accident. My sister didn't want to become a widow, so she forced me to marry her dead fiance. And I had no right to refuse her. Actually, I was the biological daughter of the Smith family. My sister was an adoptive one. My sister and I had been swapped at the hospital when we were just born. My parents had already had a deep relationship with her. So they chose to sacrifice me. On the wedding day, I was taken to the mourning hall. "Ma'am, please keep Master company and let him feel warm." The housekeeper said with a cold expression. I couldn't help but look up at the portrait above the coffin, and my heart skipped a beat at this glance. The man in the portrait was more handsome than the superstars in Hollywood. Carroll Brown? My dead husband? Wow, he was really handsome! I didn't know how long had passed when my stomach began to rebel. After one glance at the coffin, I swallowed my saliva and then begged with my fingers crossed. "Mr. Carroll, I'm starving! May I eat your pastries? You don't mind, do you?" "I do." "Ah!" Scared, I broke out in a cold sweat. My legs went limp, and I fell to the ground. I shouted, "Ghost!" Carroll curled his lips, leaned over, and touched the black coffin. "Mr. Carroll has risen from the dead. What do you think of this headline tomorrow?"
Maria took her sisterās place and was engaged to Anthony, a disabled man who had lost his status as the family heir. At first, they were just a nominal couple. However, things changed when things about Maria were gradually exposed. It turned out she was a professional hacker, a mysterious composer, and the sole successor to an international jade sculpting masterā¦ The more that was revealed about her, the less Anthony could rest easy. A famous singer, an award-winning actor, an heir of a rich familyāso many excellent men were chasing after his fiancee, Maria. What should Anthony do?
Allison fell in love with Ethan Iversen, the soon-to-be Alpha of the Moonlight Crown pack. She always wanted him to notice her. Meanwhile, Ethan was an arrogant Alpha who thought a weak Omega could not be his companion.Ā Ethan's cousin, Ryan Iversen, who came back from abroad and was the actual heir of the pack, never tried to get the position nor did he show any interest in it. He was a popular playboy Alpha but when he came back to the pack, one thing captured his eyes and that was Allison.
āYou need a bride, I need a groom. Why donāt we get married?ā Both abandoned at the altar, Elyse decided to tie the knot with the disabled stranger from the venue next door. Pitying his state, she vowed to spoil him once they were married. Little did she know that he was actually a powerful tycoon. Jayden thought Elyse only married him for his money, and planned to divorce her when she was no longer of use to him. But after becoming her husband, he was faced with a new dilemma. āShe keeps asking for a divorce, but I donāt want that! What should I do?ā