Carrying a child left Adeline trapped in marriage to the ruthless and unhinged Waylon, and everyone doubted she'd survive to see the baby's first breath. Filled with dread but determined, she carefully won him over and soon became his lethal obsession. Yet on the day she planned to escape, Waylon drove their car to a cliff's edge, foot hovering over the gas. "I'm sorry, love-did you just say divorce?" His fingers skimmed her cheek, his tone a deadly whisper. "Defy me, and you pay." Later, drenched in blood and rain, he knelt before her, trembling, and pleaded, "Tell me how to keep you here."
"Ms. Sullivan, given your condition, we can't proceed with the abortion."
Clutching the final, fateful test report, Adeline Sullivan staggered out of the hospital, her pulse hammering with desperation.
She fled into an abandoned amusement park, where wild weeds sprawled unchecked, and half of an old ship lay swallowed by moss.
Adeline didn't stop nor dare look back. When her shoe slipped from her foot, she left it behind, her bare skin scraping against jagged gravel. Blood mixed with mud, smearing her delicate ankle.
The sun blazed mercilessly, pouring down like molten gold, yet her world remained smothered in darkness.
The pounding of footsteps closed in behind her, growing louder with every second.
Blindly, Adeline stumbled into the ship's hollowed-out interior, curling into herself, arms locked around her trembling frame.
Her white dress barely covered the bruises marring her thighs, and a silk cloth veiled her sightless eyes in pale, ghostly fabric.
Like a flower deprived of sunlight, she was fragile-wilting, fading, waiting for the inevitable end.
"Where did that blind girl run off to?" A young couple burst into the abandoned wreck, breathless from the chase.
Khloe Anderson clung to Oliver Simpson's arm, her lips curling in distaste as she lifted a foot, staring in disgust at the mud sullying her designer heels. "What a disgusting place."
"Then maybe you shouldn't have lost track of her," Oliver shot back, his brow creased as he scanned the desolate park.
After a brief pause, Oliver softened his voice, forcing a coaxing tone. "Adeline, stop playing. Let's go home, okay?"
Silence answered him.
Oliver exhaled sharply and then tried again. "This is a good thing, you know. The baby's father is Waylon, who hails from the influential Holden family, for crying out loud! Your child will make us rich beyond measure. Stop being stubborn and come out. Just be careful with your belly. I swear, I won't hit you again."
A chill slithered through Adeline's bones at the sound of his voice.
At fifteen, Adeline's world had crumbled after her family's bankruptcy. Then came the fire that claimed her whole family's lives and left her to lose her sight overnight.
Blaine Simpson, once a devoted servant of the Sullivan family, had taken her in. For five years, she had lived under his roof.
Last year, Blaine's only son, Oliver, had returned from his studies and showered Adeline with care and affection.
Adeline had thought she had found her safe haven, but she couldn't have been more wrong. The moment she agreed to be with Oliver, his true colors bled through. He was obsessed with any hidden assets she might have left, given her family's once-enormous wealth.
When Oliver realized she had nothing, he had become a beast, hitting her relentlessly and openly messing with her caregiver, Khloe.
Oliver and Khloe, their greed knowing no bounds, had borrowed from loan sharks and thrown money away on reckless bets. When the debts had piled too high, they planned to sell Adeline to pay off their debts. Then came that night at the neon-lit nightclub. The moment they saw Waylon, their scheme had shifted. Without a word, they had shoved Adeline into his room, where the air had been thick with the scent of aphrodisiac.
And Waylon? He was a man no one in Kranbu dared cross. His name alone was enough to silence a room.
Under the influence of the drug, Waylon had slept with Adeline. After their intimate encounter, he had ordered his men to beat up Oliver and Khloe, after which he left nonchalantly.
In the end, Adeline, the poor soul, had taken the full force of Oliver and Khloe's anger.
Oliver's beatings had left Adeline bedridden for nearly a month. Later on, her sudden nausea and vomiting, coupled with the missed period, made Oliver and Khloe realize what was happening and excitedly dragged her to the hospital.
Adeline had seen through their plan-they intended to use the baby growing inside her as leverage to extort Waylon. She had to run away from these two demons. She had to escape today, because if she didn't, she would never get a second chance.
The rustling of leaves snapped Adeline's thoughts back to the present. Those footsteps-they weren't Oliver's or Khloe's. Had they brought reinforcements?
Adeline sank her teeth into her hand, forcing herself to stay silent.
The footsteps crept nearer, each one ticking away like a time bomb.
The air was almost stifling.
Suddenly, the footsteps stopped. A sharp, woody scent drifted through the air, wrapping around her senses, and with it came an overpowering presence.
Above her came a man's voice-low and cold. "Ms. Sullivan, whose baby are you carrying?"
Carrying a child left Adeline trapped in marriage to the ruthless and unhinged Waylon, and everyone doubted she'd survive to see the baby's first breath. Filled with dread but determined, she carefully won him over and soon became his lethal obsession. Yet on the day she planned to escape, Waylon drove their car to a cliff's edge, foot hovering over the gas. "I'm sorry, love-did you just say divorce?" His fingers skimmed her cheek, his tone a deadly whisper. "Defy me, and you pay." Later, drenched in blood and rain, he knelt before her, trembling, and pleaded, "Tell me how to keep you here."
Doing a part-time job in a speakeasy bar, Wendy got drunk unexpectedly. When she woke up, she found that she was regarded as a call girl and lost her virginity. After having a one-night stand with Charlie, an incredibly handsome man, Wendy threw out two hundred dollars to defend her own dignity. However, Wendy's arrogant actions annoyed Charlie, who grabbed Wendy back to bed repeatedly for revenge. "What do you want?" Wendy was annoyed. "Be responsible for what I did to you." Charlie smiled. "But how?" Wendy continued. "By keeping sleeping with you."
Three years of marriage couldn't melt Theo's frozen heart. When an art gallery collapsed on Lena, he was off romancing another woman—lavishing her with a private jet. Three steel pins held Lena's shoulder together, but her heart remained broken. She filed for divorce and told everyone that he was impotent. Rising from the rubble, Lena blazed onto the design world's A‑list. She expected him to sail off with his true love—until Theo reappeared at her runway, pressing her against the wall. "Impotent, huh? Care to give it a try?"
She spent ten years chasing after the right brother, only to fall for the wrong one in one weekend. ~~~ Sloane Mercer has been hopelessly in love with her best friend, Finn Hartley, since college. For ten long years, she's stood by him, stitching him back together every time Delilah Crestfield-his toxic on-and-off girlfriend-shattered his heart. But when Delilah gets engaged to another man, Sloane thinks this might finally be her chance to have Finn for herself. She couldn't be more wrong. Heartbroken and desperate, Finn decides to crash Delilah's wedding and fight for her one last time. And he wants Sloane by his side. Reluctantly, Sloane follows him to Asheville, hoping that being close to Finn will somehow make him see her the way she's always seen him. Everything changes when she meets Knox Hartley, Finn's older brother-a man who couldn't be more different from Finn. He's dangerously magnetic. Knox sees right through Sloane and makes it his mission to pull her into his world. What starts as a game-a twisted bet between them-soon turns into something deeper. Sloane is trapped between two brothers: one who's always broken her heart and another who seems hell-bent on claiming it... no matter the cost. CONTENT WARNING: This story is strongly 18+. It delves into dark romance themes such as obsession and lust with morally complex characters. While this is a love story, reader discretion is advised.
"Listen, Gadreel Ødegaar," she looked at him, not hesitating this time. "It's my anniversary present for you. Let's divorce." *** Ivory Remington had sacrificed five years to look after her husband Gadreel who was in a vegetative state after an accident and a few months ago, he finally awakened like a miracle. She thought it was the start of their happy life but Gadreel still had no heart for her. On their anniversary and her birthday, she received a cheating video of her dear husband and her stepsister. Heartbroken, Ivory chose to quit this stupid game. She decided to set him free but the reason she left on the divorce agreement pierced Gadreel's noble pride. *** "Impotent? Are you serious?" He gripped her wrist and a dangerous glint flashed in his eyes. "I'm a woman, Gadreel. I'm tired of being in a sexless marriage. Let's end it once and for all." "Sexless, huh?" he chuckled lowly and without warning grabbed her chin in between his hands, pulling her face closer. "Turns out my wife was so eager to get a man between her legs? "
After three loveless years, Neil's betrayal deeply wounded Katelyn. She wasted no time in getting rid of that scoundrel! After the divorce, she devoted herself to career pursuits. Rising to prominence as a top designer, skilled doctor, and brilliant hacker, she became a revered icon. Neil, realizing his grave mistake, tried in vain to win her back, only to witness her magnificent wedding to another. As their vows were broadcast on the world's largest billboard, Vincent slid a ring onto Katelyn's finger and declared, "Katelyn is now my wife, a priceless treasure. Let all who covet her beware!"
"I'm a stripper, so what?" "You dare speak to me like that?" Ryan growled. "You ungrateful, good-for-nothing, wretched stripper." "You have no right to judge me. You're only privileged by luck." "Don't get too comfortable. You never know what's coming for you. Watch your back." Did I just stand up to the most ruthless and feared billionaire in town? Unfortunately, he's my husband. And I might be in deeper trouble than I thought. Ryan, a spoiled and ruthless 30-year-old billionaire, can't access his father's empire unless he's married. Desperate, he contracts Iris -a bold 26-year-old stripper-to pose as his wife. Iris, with nothing to lose and everything to gain, agrees. But as her life finally seems to come together, shadows from the past threaten to tear it apart. Ryan's hidden identity and a dark family secret push their lives into turmoil, with his manipulative mother determined to keep the truth buried. Will Iris be the key to unlocking Ryan's empire, or will their fake marriage lead to something far more real-like love? And as tensions rise, will the empire fall into unexpected hands?