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"I said, what if I want to spend unnecessarily on you and your daughter?" Sebastian whispered, placing his hand on the small of my back and drawing me closer to himself. My breath hitched, my blood catching fire the moment my body hit his and my toes curled. His eyes pierced into mine as if they were searching my soul, wanting to see past all my guards and defences. "What if I want to spoil you? What if I want to give you everything you want? What if I want to make sure you don't lack anything you ever desired? What if I want to place the world at your feet? Will you let me, Aurora?" ~~~~ Divorced and disowned on the same day, I simply decided to end my life. But I didn't think I'd save a man from doing the same, nor did I expect him to give me a reason to live. Five years later, my life hasn't gotten better. I'm drowning in debt and trying so hard to give my daughter a healthy life, but it's not enough. Everything appears to be grim until the enigmatic billionaire Sebastian Warners unexpectedly enters my life and offers me everything I want on a silver platter for nearly nothing. Why? Why is a stranger so insistent on helping me? And what will I do when the past I had frantically tried to bury reappears? Can true love, in which I had lost all hope, save the day, or will my entire life go up in flames again?
"W-what is this?"
"What does it look like? Divorce papers." Bruno replied, taking a large drag of his cigarette.
"You're divorcing me." I whispered, gripping the sides of the file in my hand. The air in the office suddenly became too thin and too heavy, like I was breathing in blades.
"Don't act so surprised. You knew this day would come." He scoffed, blowing a puff of smoke in the air.
I knew. I knew this day would come from the moment I said 'I do' two years ago. The countless affairs and the times he threatened to do so were an added bonus. But I never expected it to be this day of all days. Not when I found out the news that was going to change our lives.
"W-what about your child?" I asked as my trembling hands dropped the file on the table between us.
"What delusions are you talk-"
"I'm pregnant." I breathed, pulling on a paper from my purse and dropping it in front of him. He stared at it with zero emotions in his and took another drag of his cigarette.
"T-that was why I went out without your permission today. I went to the doctor, and the test came out positive." I explained, biting my inner cheek and praying he didn't yell at me again for leaving the house.
It was unfortunate that I just had to get pregnant the day he was kicking me out, but that didn't mean I wanted to stay. I just wanted to know how he planned to take care of our child.
"And so? Do you expect me to keep you because of a child that isn't mine?" He said, raising a brow and hers furrowed.
"W-what?!" I gasped as my eyes grew wide. "It's yours. I-"
"You really have the nerve to try to babytrap me with a child that isn't even mine." Bruno hissed as he stood up from his chair and walked to me.
"It's yours. I sw-!" A small scream left my lips as he grabbed a fistful of my blond hair in his hand and glared straight into my amber eyes.
'Please don't hit me. Please.' I trembled at the pure rage in his gaze.
"Look! I don't care about the devil spawn in your womb. I don't care if you aborted it or if the two of you died. You're going to sign these papers and leave my house. Understood?"
"Yes, sir." I nodded, blinking back tears, and he let go of my hair. Why did I think he would want anything to do with the child? I was a fool.
My fingers shook as I picked up the pen on the table and wrote my signature on the space on the paper. I always imagined a heavy weight would be lifted off my shoulders when I finally signed our divorce, but dread curled up in my stomach.
"You have thirty minutes to pack all your stuff and leave. Sasha will be here in the next one hour, and I want your stench to be gone." Bruno said, walking back to his chair.
'I'm not surprised Sasha is the first girl he would invite. She has always been his go-to sex buddy, even before we married.' I thought as I stood up and walked to the door.
"You know you're not getting any dime from me, right?" He asked as I opened the door.
I didn't need to turn back to see his satisfied smirk. It was very audible. And he didn't have to tell me. I didn't forget the prenup that completely favoured him.
"I know," I nodded, stepped out, and closed the door.
'Don't cry. Don't dare cry.' I scolded myself as I staggered to my room, though my eyes pricked. 'Crying won't change the fact that you foolishly loved a man who completely hated your existence.'
(´;︵;`)(´;︵;`)
"What are you doing here?" My mother's voice boomed through the foyer the moment I stepped through the door of my family's mansion.
"Mother! Father!" I stiffened, forcing a pleasant smile as I tried not to squirm under my parents' harsh glares. "I-"
"Not a word from you. Bruno already told us. How dare you disgrace us?! Do you know how hard it was for us to secure a marriage with such a good man?!" My father yelled as they stormed to me.
Good? There was nothing morally good about Bruno. He was an abusive, narcissistic, egoistic man, but that didn't matter to my parents. As long as there was a fat bank account and business deal, even the devil was a saint. To them, he was the perfect man.
"I'm sorry I failed you, father." I apologised, bowing my head and clasping my hand in front of me. Tears gathered, but I blinked them away. 'Crying means you're guilty and you're only looking for a way to escape', said my mother always.
*Slap*
His large, rough palm collided with my cheek, sending me to the ground. Black spots dotted my vision, my head rang at the pain, and I couldn't stop my tears as I held the stinging spot.
"You're a disgrace to this family! Do you know what people will say when they hear you divorced just after two years of marriage? You've brought shame to all of us!"
"I-I'm s-sor-"
"Sorry?! You're sorry?! After all my training, you still couldn't keep your husband. How can you fail in the one thing you're made to do, you useless, useless girl?!" My mother yelled, and I flinched as my tears hit the floor.
"I-I s-swear I-I'll be a better daug-"
"And where are you going with those?" My father growled at the maids pulling my bags into the house and they froze. "Take them out now! There's no place for uselessness in my family!"
"What?" I gasped, lifting up my head to stare at their disgusted faces and blazing glowers. He couldn't mean what I thought he was saying.
"You are no longer a part of this family, Agatha. I disown you. I never want to see you near any of us and our properties unless you want to sleep in jail." He sneered, and cold settled in my bones.
"P-please you.. y-you can't kick me o-out!" I begged, kneeling in front of them and placing my hands on my belly. "I... I h-have n-nowhere to go, and I'm p-pregnant-"
"Then go to your lover, or you think Bruno didn't tell us about that too." He spat, turning on his heels, and walked away.
"The baby is his. I never-"
"James, throw her out now! Beat her if she resists. If I come here in the next two minutes and she isn't out, I'll fire all the staff in this house and make sure none of you find a job in this city!" My mother commanded, turning away from me.
"Mother! No please! I'm sorry!" I begged, struggling against the man that grabbed my arm and was yanking me towards the door.
"You are not my daughter. I regret the day I gave birth to you. I should have killed you like your father suggested. I wish you death!" She spat, glowering at me from over her shoulder.
My begging and pleading turned silent as my entire being processed her words. She had said a lot of hateful things to me, and I persevered, but those ones... they shattered the tiny fragments of what was left of my soul, leaving me empty.
I was thrown to the ground, but the force or dirt didn't phase me. I took my bags and stared at the mansion that was once my house but never my home. I was never a part of a family.
Everything else went in a blur. One moment I was at my parents', no, the Jacobs' family house; the next I was on a bridge, staring at the water below. The darkness and the distance blurred my vision of my reflection, and I was glad. I didn't want to look at the pathetic girl that was thrown away twice.
'Where do I even go from here? I have no experience of the outside world, and I'm pregnant. How am I going to take care of a baby if I can't stand on my two feet?' I thought, leaning against the railings and staring down below. It was almost like it was calling me, telling me to end it all.
'If I jumped now, in a few minutes all the pain and emptiness I'm feeling will just disappear. I won't have to worry about living another day or taking care of a child in this awful world. I'll be free. No one would miss me, so why do I have to cling to life.' I leaned forward, lifting a leg up and pressing my stomach against the railings. 'A little bit forward and it will all be over.'
But my body refused to move. Two sides of me were conflicted at my actions, yelling to jump and stop at the same time.
A figure in a distance caught my eye. A man stumbled to the railings like he carried the sorrow of the world and stood a few feet away from me.
'Does he want to do the same too?' I wondered as he stared at the water and shook my head, turning my head away. 'I should focus on myself instead of poking into someone's business.'
Still, I couldn't help but watch him from the corner of my eyes. He threw one leg over the railings, then the next and sat on it.
'I shouldn't interfere. It's his life, not mine.' I told myself as I stood up straight and my feet walked towards him.
'If he thinks life isn't worth living, then fine. Let him do what he wants. I don't judge him.'
The man closed his eyes and slowly, he leaned forward. A little bit further and he would fall off. My tentative walk turned into a sprint.
'I should let him, but... I can't.' My arms wrapped around his torso, yanking him backward.
"Ahh!" She was in a moaning mess. She did not want to feel anything for this man. She hated him. His hands began to move all over her body. She gasped when he pulled down the back chain of her dress. The chain stopped at her lower waist, so when he zipped it off, her upper back and waist were exposed. "D-Don't touch m-ummm!" His fingers rolled around her bare back, and she pressed her head against the pillow. His touches were giving her goosebumps all over her body. With a deep angry voice, he whispered in her ear, "I am going to make you forget his touches, kisses, and everything. Every time you touch another man, you will only think of me." - - - Ava Adler was a nerdy omega. People bullied her because they thought she was ugly and unattractive. But Ava secretly loved the bad boy, Ian Dawson. He was the future Alpha of the Mystic Shadow Pack. However, he doesn't give a damn about rules and laws, as he only likes to play around with girls. Ava was unaware of Ian's arrogance until her fate intertwined with his. He neglected her and hurt her deeply. What would happen when Ava turned out to be a beautiful girl who could win over any boy, and Ian looked back and regretted his decisions? What if she had a secret identity that she had yet to discover? What if the tables turned and Ian begged her not to leave him?
When Corynn mustered up the courage to tell Elliot about her pregnancy, she unexpectedly found him gallantly helping another woman from his car. Her heart sank as three years of effort to secure his love crumbled before her eyes, compelling her to leave him behind. Three years later, life had taken Corynn down a new path with someone else, while Elliot was left grappling with regret. Seizing a moment of vulnerability, he pleaded, "Corynn, let's get married." Shaking her head with a faint smile, Corynn gently replied, "Sorry, I'm already engaged."
Rumors claimed that Fernanda, newly back with her family, was nothing more than a violent country bumpkin. Fernanda just flashed a casual, dismissive grin in response. Another rumor suggested that the usually rational Cristian had lost all sense, madly in love with Fernanda. This frustrated her. She could tolerate gossip about herself, but slander against her beloved crossed the line! Gradually, as Fernanda's multiple identities as a celebrated designer, a savvy gamer, an acclaimed painter, and a successful business magnate came to light, everyone realized they were the ones who had been fooled.
"Miss Brown, I am the butler here at your service," the butler replied. "My master wants to buy the baby in your belly." "What?!" Does that mean the abortion didn't take place? Did they kidnap her from the operating table just to buy the baby? But why her? "You..." Alice was about to ask a question, but the man in front of her calmly continued, as if he had expected her question, "You're pregnant with his child, and he needs a child. That's all I can tell you." Alice was forced to sign a surrogacy contract and eight months later gave birth to two healthy babies. Fortunately, the man was unaware of her daughter's existence. It wasn't until five years later that fate brought them together again...
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.
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."