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A tiny, innocent baby girl was found curled up near a dumpster behind the city hospital. Her cries pierced the night, but no one cared. Wrapped in a threadbare blanket-her only witness to a betrayal no one saw. Elsewhere in the city, another baby girl slept peacefully in the arms of an elegant woman, in a bed adorned with gold. Her name was Celestine Avarelle, daughter of the wealthiest and most powerful family in the country. She grew up with love, the best education, and all the luxuries money could buy. They were twins. But only one was acknowledged by the world. While Celestine learned to play piano and dance ballet, her twin-Seraphina Vale-clung to life with bloodied hands. She was raised in the dark alleys of orphanages and the streets of the city. Poverty was her mother. Humiliation and loneliness were her family. But Seraphina never gave up. Behind her cold gaze burned a fire that never faded-a fire that demanded answers. Who was she? Why was she discarded? And most of all... who was to blame? As fragments of the past began to surface, Seraphina's world changed forever. A misplaced medical record, an old letter, and a reopened scar-all led to one truth: she was the daughter who was switched, discarded on purpose to protect the Avarelle family's name. Now, Seraphina stands between two choices: take back the life that should have been hers... or exact revenge in a way that will change their world forever. Because not everything that is thrown away stays lost. Some return to burn everything down.
The rain was merciless that night.
It pelted the rusted rooftops and turned the narrow alleyways of East Durnham into rivers of mud. Thunder cracked like bones breaking in the sky, but it was the scream of a baby-thin, hoarse, and desperate-that truly split the darkness.
She lay in a tattered blanket, barely bigger than a loaf of bread, her skin pale with cold and her fists curled tight as if clinging to life itself. No name. No note. Only a burn mark on her ankle-an accidental branding from the metal bin she was left beside.
The nurse who found her at dawn almost stepped over her.
Almost.
Had it not been for that single, shuddering cry-the one she would later swear "sounded too human to ignore"-Seraphina Vale might have died before the sun rose.
She didn't.
Instead, she lived.
And every second since that moment had been a fight.
Seventeen years later, the same rain returned. But now, Seraphina didn't cry. She stared out the cracked window of her shared room in the orphanage, watching the storm lash against the glass like it was trying to get in and drag her back to the place she came from.
If only it knew-there was nothing left to take.
"You're spacing out again," muttered Lira, her bunkmate, without looking up from her tattered book.
Seraphina didn't answer. Her reflection flickered against the glass-long black hair, sharp cheekbones, tired eyes that looked too old for her age. Eyes that had seen too much. She touched the burn scar on her ankle unconsciously, the reminder of her beginning. The branding of rejection.
"I heard Sister Magda talking about you," Lira continued, voice low. "She said someone's asking questions. About a girl who was found seventeen years ago."
That made Seraphina turn.
"What kind of questions?"
Lira shrugged, clearly enjoying the shift in Seraphina's tone. "The kind that make the staff nervous."
Seraphina's heartbeat quickened. She was used to whispers, but never like this. Her past was a closed door. No one ever came knocking.
Until now.
In the heart of Avarelle Estate, miles away and worlds apart, Celestine Avarelle was dressing for another charity gala. Her golden curls were being pinned into place by the household's finest stylist, while her mother fussed over her jewelry choices. The diamond necklace or the sapphire choker?
"Smile, Celestine," her mother murmured, adjusting the angle of her chin. "Remember, you're the face of the family. The legacy."
Celestine nodded obediently. She always did. Her life was mapped out in detail-schools, parties, friendships, even her future marriage. The Avarelles didn't raise daughters. They bred legacies.
She had never once questioned her place in the world.
Why would she?
She was born into silk and sunlight.
But that night, as she stepped into the waiting car, a flicker of something strange brushed past her thoughts. A face-faint, unfamiliar-hauntingly similar to her own. Eyes that mirrored hers. Lips curved the same way when angry.
A dream?
She blinked it away.
Back in the orphanage, Seraphina snuck into the records room.
Her fingers shook as she opened the rusted cabinet marked "1990s-Foundlings."
She'd searched before. Dozens of times. And yet, something drove her back now.
She found the file. Thin. Too thin.
Name: Unknown.
Date of discovery: November 6.
Condition: Malnourished. Estimated age: 3 days.
Unique identifier: Burn scar on left ankle.
She knew all this.
But this time, there was something new tucked inside-a page she'd never seen before. Folded. Yellowed with age.
A hospital wristband.
And written on it, in faded ink:
"C. A. V."
Her breath caught. Her heart thundered in her ears.
C. A. V.?
She grabbed the page and backed out of the room like a thief. Something heavy and invisible pressed against her chest.
Back in her room, she Googled the initials.
They hit instantly.
Celestine Avarelle.
The face that stared back at her from the search results made her knees weaken.
It was her face.
No-Celestine's.
But it could have been her.
Could have been her.
She stared at the image-flawless skin, a life of wealth wrapped around that smile-and felt something primal rise in her chest. Not envy. Not jealousy.
Rage.
How long had she been walking with someone else's shadow draped across her shoulders?
Who decided she was the one to be thrown away?
And why?
The next morning, she stood at the bus stop, rain still drizzling, her fingers wrapped tight around the hospital band in her coat pocket.
She had nothing-no money, no power, no name anyone cared about.
But she had questions.
And if no one wanted to give her answers... she'd tear them out one by one.
Even if it meant walking into the lion's den.
Even if it meant facing the girl who lived the life meant for her.
Aria, a simple and caring young woman, suddenly finds herself caught in a secret marriage with Dorian Calderon, a widower known for his cold and possessive nature. It all started with an accident involving her younger sister, Mira, who ran over Dorian's twin sister, Lina, who was pregnant at the time. As a result of the accident, Lina lost the child she was carrying and also her ability to have children. In an attempt to protect his sister's reputation, Dorian mistakenly believes Aria was the one responsible for the accident, even though she wasn't the one at fault. In the confusion, Dorian feels the need to "fix" things by forcing Aria to bear him a child, believing it will make up for Lina's loss. However, the truth is that this decision was orchestrated by Dorian's parents, who intentionally sacrificed Aria to protect Mira's career, which was at risk. Now, Aria is forced to live a life in a marriage built on lies and manipulation, with a man who is not only arrogant but also full of secrets and oppressive power. In this forced union, Aria struggles to find her own path while being trapped in a relationship full of tension, deceit, and unspoken feelings.
Madisyn was stunned to discover that she was not her parents' biological child. Due to the real daughter's scheming, she was kicked out and became a laughingstock. Thought to be born to peasants, Madisyn was shocked to find that her real father was the richest man in the city, and her brothers were renowned figures in their respective fields. They showered her with love, only to learn that Madisyn had a thriving business of her own. "Stop pestering me!" said her ex-boyfriend. "My heart only belongs to Jenna." "How dare you think that my woman has feelings for you?" claimed a mysterious bigwig.
"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...
Natalie used to think she could melt Connor’s icy heart, but she was sorely mistaken. When at last she decided to leave, she discovered that she was pregnant. Even so, she chose to quietly leave his world, prompting Connor to mobilize all of his resources and expand his business to a global scale—all in a bid to find her. But there was no trace of Natalie. Connor slowly spiraled into madness, turning the city upside down and leaving chaos in his wake. Natalie finally surfaced years later, with wealth and power of her own, only to find herself entangled with Connor once again.
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!"
Rosalynn's marriage to Brian wasn't what she envisioned it to be. Her husband, Brian, barely came home. He avoided her like a plague. Worse still, he was always in the news for dating numerous celebrities. Rosalynn persevered until she couldn't take it anymore. She upped and left after filing for a divorce. Everything changed days later. Brian took interest in a designer that worked for his company anonymously. From her profile, he could tell that she was brilliant and dazzling. He pulled the stops to find out her true identity. Little did he know that he was going to receive the greatest shocker of his life. Brian bit his finger with regret when he recalled his past actions and the woman he foolishly let go.
"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?