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"You're marrying Mike Rowling. There's no choice." That's what my mother said, her words as cold as ever. I never imagined my life would come to this-trapped in a marriage to a man I've never wanted. Mike is a bitter, broken billionaire, his heart sealed off after an accident that changed everything. He's a stranger in his own home, and now, I'm his reluctant wife. But there's something no one knows, not even Mike: my daughter Mia isn't just my little girl-she's his, too. A secret I've kept buried for years. As the days pass, I can't help but feel the pull between us. He's changing, softening, and my heart begins to betray me. But every smile, every touch, feels like a lie because of the truth I can never tell. Then one night, Mike looks at me with eyes full of questions, and I realize-he knows. Everything is about to unravel. Will the truth destroy us, or will it be the key to our future?
"You've got this all wrong, Cath," Alex's voice rang out, sharp and defensive, as he yanked his arm free of Jemma's delicate grasp. "It's not what it looks like."
Cath gazed at the scene before her - Alex, her life partner, standing excessively near Jemma, her sister. Jemma's lips nestled into a sneer, an articulation so weak it might have been confused with responsibility by any individual who didn't have a clue about her.
Her throat consumed. "Then, at that point, *what* does it seem to be, Alex? Since from where I'm standing, it looks a ton like selling out."
Jemma shifted her head, her long light hair flowing behind her in a rehearsed move. "Cath, dear," she said, her voice trickling with pretended guiltlessness, "you're blowing up. Alex and I were simply - "
"Spare me," Cath cut her off, her voice breaking. "I saw enough. You don't get to bend this."
The load in the room squeezed against her chest as she ventured back, shaking her head in dismay. How had it worked out like this? The man she thought she'd wed, the sister she'd guarded for what seemed like forever - together in the faint light of her family's review, murmuring mysteries that currently felt like blades to her back.
Cath's knees clasped, yet she steadied herself against the door jamb, reluctant to fall before them. "How long?" Her voice hushed up, very nearly a murmur, yet it cut through the quiet like a sharp edge.
Alex looked at Jemma, then, at that point, back at Cath. "Essentially nothing remains to be informed you. This isn't - "
"Try not to lie!" The yell got away from her before she had some control over it. Her hands shuddered at her sides, clenched hands grasped so close her nails dove into her palms. "How long have you been sneaking around despite my good faith?"
Jemma moaned, emphatically, as though Cath was the nonsensical one. "Truly, Cath, you've forever been so emotional. Might you at any point see this isn't about you?"
The words hit like a slap. Cath opened her mouth, however no sound emerged. She turned her look to Alex, frantic for some sort of clarification, some defense that would fix the rugged edges cutting into her chest.
He didn't meet her eyes.
The quietness between them was stunning, broken simply by the weak ticking of the clock on the far wall. It was Jemma who broke it.
"If you will cause a ruckus, Cath, perhaps take it elsewhere," Jemma said, looking at her impeccably manicured nails. "Mother won't generally care for you creating a ruckus in the house."
Cath's breath got. "Mother."
Also, as though brought, Kaila cleared into the room. Her heels clicked against the hardwood, her presence glorious and ordering as usual. She stopped, taking in the scene: Cath, flushed and shaking; Alex, blameworthy and quiet; Jemma, grinning as though she'd won some award.
"What's happening here?" Kaila's voice was cool, her sharp look choosing Cath.
Cath attempted to consistent her breathing, signaling at Alex and Jemma. "What's happening? *This*. This is what's happening. Your future child in regulation and your #1 little girl - together."
Kaila's eyes flicked to Alex, then, at that point, to Jemma, and lastly back to Cath. There was no shock, no displeasure. Just inconvenience. "Cath, don't be crazy."
"Ludicrous?" Cath repeated, her voice breaking. "You believe I'm making this up? I got them - here, in *your* house!"
Kaila folded her arms. "Also, what does that demonstrate? That you're adequately unreliable to rush to make judgment calls?"
Cath gazed at her mom, her throat fixed. "You're not kidding?"
Kaila's lips nestled into. "What I'm doing is declining to enjoy your showy behaviors. Jemma is your sister. Alex is - was - your life partner. There's nothing on earth you wouldn't do to safeguard your nobility, as opposed to tossing allegations around like a despised lady."
An unpleasant giggle rose out of Cath. "Respect? You're discussing respect when my sister is lying down with the man I should wed?"
Jemma's grin enlarged, her voice misleading delicate. "Cath, don't be so rough. We as a whole are grown-ups here."
Something inside Cath snapped. She turned on Jemma, her voice rising. "You're inconceivable. Do you partake in this? Taking all that is mine and it's your entitlement to imagine? First my companions, then my chances, this happens?"
"Perhaps in the event that you weren't really uneasy," Jemma answered without a hitch, "you wouldn't continue losing everything."
Before Cath could answer, Alex at long last talked. "No more." His voice was firm, however it came up short of the conviction she once respected in him. "Jemma, how about we go."
Cath's heart sank. "You're leaving? Very much like that?"
He delayed, his eyes shooting to Jemma, then, at that point, to Kaila, who gestured enthusiastically. Without a word, he turned and followed Jemma out of the room, leaving Cath remaining in the destruction of what had once been her life.
Her mom moaned, as though she were the one troubled. "I raised you better than this, Cath. Handle your feelings secretly. This show is underneath you."
Cath's mouth went dry. "You're favoring her." It was anything but an inquiry.
Kaila's appearance solidified. "I'm favoring reality. Jemma is your sister. Whatever occurred, you ought to be attempting to excuse her, not destroying this family."
Destroying this family. The words reverberated to Cath as her vision was obscured with tears. "You have no clue about what she's finished. Also, you couldn't care less."
Kaila's look didn't falter. "What I care about is this family's standing. Go tidy yourself up and quit humiliating us."
With that, Kaila turned and left, her heels clicking away like the last sign of Cath's almost certain demise.
Cath remained there for what felt like an unfathomable length of time, the quietness squeezing in on her like a weight. Her chest hurled with the work of keeping down wails, her hands holding the edge of the work area for help.
This wasn't simply selling out. This was demolition.
A weak sound broke her considerations - a delicate stirring, coming from the side of the room. She turned forcefully, her breath hitching.
There, half-taken cover behind a drapery, was Mia, her five-year-old niece. Her wide eyes were overflowing with tears, and her little casing shuddered as she gripped a stuffed hare to her chest.
Cath's heart sank. "Mia... how long have you been there?"
Mia ventured forward reluctantly, her voice scarcely over a murmur. "Is it true or not that you are alright, Auntie Cath?"
Before Cath could reply, Mia's next words froze her setup.
"I heard Mama conversing with Uncle Alex last week. She said you'd never see whether they were cautious."
Cath's blood went to ice.
"Mia," she said gradually, stooping to the kid's level. "Did you hear something else?"
Mia gestured, her little hands grasping the hare more tight. "Mom said assuming you flew off the handle, Grandmother would make everything better. Like she generally does."
Cath's breath was trapped in her throat. The walls of the review appeared to shut in, the heaviness of the selling out choking out her.
But it wasn't just the betrayal anymore. It was the conspiracy.
And she was all alone.
"I never thought he'd cast me out." As I stood beyond the pack boundaries, the words replayed in my head, the life I knew vanishing minute by moment. She, the lady from his past, had been picked over me by Roland Crown, the man I loved, the Alpha I was meant to be by his side. For a deception, he turned away his true mate, me. I was carrying a secret that no one could ever know: I was expecting his children, as the wind whispered through the woods. I really did not want him to know, but life has a way of bringing everything you've worked so hard to hide back to haunt you. I believed I might get away from being alone in a human world that doesn't comprehend me. However, someone is observing. Someone who is fully aware of what I'm concealing and who will not give up until they achieve their goals. I was mistaken to believe that the worst aspect of this nightmare was the anguish of losing Roland. I don't know who I can trust, and the real danger is just getting started. Will it be too late when Roland arrives at my door with regret in his eyes? Will I be able to shield my kids from the darkness that is encroaching on us when the truth is ultimately exposed? I'll just have to find out. One thing, though, caught me off guard: someone from my past is prepared to ruin everything, starting with me.
"You don't belong here." The people I believed I could trust threw those comments at me, and they rang in my ears for years. My foes, my packmates, and my tormentors are Cassian and Kade. They turned every action I took into something improper and out of character, making my life a living misery. And perhaps I did believe them for a while. But when I turn 19, everything is different. My abilities come to life, more potent and terrifying than I could have ever dreamed. All of a sudden, they are pulled to me as my destined partners rather than as adversaries. The icy Alpha-in-waiting Cassian is troubled by the thought of his future. The vicious Beta Kade is constantly engaged in a game of control and domination. Then there is Alaric, the enigmatic outsider with a secret that has the potential to ruin us all. Destiny created our unshakable bond, but I never wanted to be a pawn in someone else's game. I'm becoming more and more aware that nothing is as it seems. I am at the center of several mysteries that are deeply ingrained in the history of our pack. It's this bond that I wish to resist. I want to despise everyone. However, there is no denying the draw between us. I feel like my heart and soul are breaking apart piece by piece with every touch and look. However, as the prophecy starts to come to pass, I learn that there are other things in danger besides the pack's fate. I'm risking my own life. I'll have to make a decision that will either save us or ruin everything I've ever known. As the full moon rises, I find myself standing on the edge of all my fears. Then I hear it-the one fact for which I could have been unprepared. "Tonight, one of you will pass away." Who will it be? Is it possible for me to halt it before it is too late?
"You will never see your mother again if you don't marry him." My fate was sealed as the words replayed in my head. As the forgotten daughter of a wealthy and influential man, I, Adebola, was thrown into a world of riches, power, and perilous secrets that I never wanted to be a part of. I was forced, not chosen, to be married to the mysterious billionaire in a wheelchair, Yemi Coker. But beyond his icy exterior and scathing remarks, I caught glimmers of a guy who yearned for affection and to be understood. The distinction between obligation and desire started to get hazy as the days stretched into weeks. I wasn't meant to fall for him, but I was drawn to him because of his power, intelligence, and concealed suffering. I had just begun to think that love could blossom from the ashes of betrayal when the ghosts of my past came roaring back. The ideal daughter, Temitope, came returned to take back everything she thought was hers, including Yemi. Her threats became more pointed, her schemes more sinister, and her secrets-oh, the secrets she kept-had the potential to ruin everything. I learned the truth about my own father just when I believed I had faced the worst; it was so startling that it caused me to reevaluate all I had assumed. When treachery is ingrained in your DNA, how do you battle for love? When a man has every reason to doubt you, how can you trust him? The one secret that has the power to either permanently unite us or tear us apart has the answer. Will I find out before it's too late, though?
"You're mine now," he says, his voice low, commanding. I shouldn't be thrilled by his words. I shouldn't even be standing here, in the cold shadows of a life I never chose. But here I am, torn between the man who shattered my heart and the one who calls me his, though I'm nothing like what he wants. When my chosen mate abandoned me for a woman who had once rejected him, I thought nothing could hurt worse. But I was wrong. He came back for her, leaving me with nothing but memories and a hollow ache. And just when I thought I had nothing left, Alpha Adeoye stepped into my life-a king without a throne, a man feared by all, including the wolves who once stood by my side. He's chilly. He is merciless. He's not my type, either. However, whenever he calls my name, I get a real and dangerous sensation. I ought to resist it. I ought to battle him. However, I see a darkness-an anguish similar to mine-when I look into his eyes. And the reality hit me harder than any betrayal just when I thought I had understood my place in this world and could move on from my past. The affection I assumed was long gone is still there. But there's one question I can't ignore: If I let myself fall for Adeoye, will it be the salvation I'm desperate for? Or will it destroy everything I thought I knew about love? As the final battle approaches, I'm left standing at a crossroads, knowing one wrong move could change everything. And then, he whispers, "You'll choose me... won't you?" But the truth is, I don't know if I can trust him.
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.
Sawyer, the world's top arms dealer, stunned everyone by falling for Maren—the worthless girl no one respected. People scoffed. Why chase a useless pretty face? But when powerful elites began gathering around her, jaws dropped. "She's not even married to him yet—already cashing in on his power?" they assumed. Curious eyes dug into Maren's past... only to find she was a scientific genius, a world-renowned medical expert, and heiress to a mafia empire. Later, Sawyer posted online. "My wife treats me like the enemy. Any advice?"
There was only one man in Raegan's heart, and it was Mitchel. In the second year of her marriage to him, she got pregnant. Raegan's joy knew no bounds. But before she could break the news to her husband, he served her divorce papers because he wanted to marry his first love. After an accident, Raegan lay in the pool of her own blood and called out to Mitchel for help. Unfortunately, he left with his first love in his arms. Raegan escaped death by the whiskers. Afterward, she decided to get her life back on track. Her name was everywhere years later. Mitchel became very uncomfortable. For some reason, he began to miss her. His heart ached when he saw her all smiles with another man. He crashed her wedding and fell to his knees while she was at the altar. With bloodshot eyes, he queried, "I thought you said your love for me is unbreakable? How come you are getting married to someone else? Come back to me!"
The day Raina gave birth should have been the happiest of her life. Instead, it became her worst nightmare. Moments after delivering their twins, Alexander shattered her heart-divorcing her and forcing her to sign away custody of their son, Liam. With nothing but betrayal and heartbreak to her name, Raina disappeared, raising their daughter, Ava, on her own.Years later, fate comes knocking when Liam falls gravely ill. Desperate to save his son, Alexander is forced to seek out the one person he once cast aside. Alexander finds himself face to face with the woman he underestimated, pleading for a second chance-not just for himself, but for their son. But Raina is no longer the same broken woman who once loved him.No longer the woman he left behind. She has carved out a new life-one built on strength, wealth, and a long-buried legacy she expected to uncover.Raina has spent years learning to live without him.The question is... Will she risk reopening old wounds to save the son she never got to love? or has Alexander lost her forever?
Janet was adopted when she was a kid -- a dream come true for orphans. However, her life was anything but happy. Her adoptive mother taunted and bullied her all her life. Janet got the love and affection of a parent from the old maid who raised her. Unfortunately, the old woman fell ill, and Janet had to marry a worthless man in place of her parents' biological daughter to meet the maid's medical expenses. Could this be a Cinderella's tale? But the man was far from a prince, except for his handsome appearance. Ethan was the illegitimate son of a wealthy family who lived a reckless life and barely made ends meet. He got married to fulfill his mother's last wish. However, on his wedding night, he had an inkling that his wife was different from what he had heard about her. Fate had united the two people with deep secrets. Was Ethan truly the man we thought he was? Surprisingly, he bore an uncanny resemblance to the impenetrable wealthiest man in the city. Would he find out that Janet married him in place of her sister? Would their marriage be a romantic tale or an utter disaster? Read on to unravel Janet and Ethan's journey.
When Zora was sick during the early days of her pregnancy, Ezrah was with his first love, Piper. When Zora got into an accident and called Ezrah, he said he was busy, when in actual fact, he was buying shoes for Piper. Zora lost her baby because of the accident, and throughout her stay at the hospital, Ezrah never showed up. She already knew that he didn't love her, but that was the last straw for the camel's back, and her fragile heart could not take it anymore. When Ezrah arrived home a few days after Zora was discharged from the hospital, he no longer met the woman who always greeted him with a smile and cared for him. Zora stood at the top of the stairs and yelled with a cold expression, "Good news, Ezrah! Our baby died in a car accident. There is nothing between us anymore, so let's get a divorce." The man who claimed not to have any feelings for Zora, being cold and distant towards her, and having asked her for a divorce twice, instantly panicked.