She loved her husband. She gave him everything, without hesitation, offering her heart, her soul, and her dreams. But he was nothing but a receiver, never a giver. He took without ever giving back, feeding off her affection and sacrifices. He was selfish, and every gesture she made for him seemed like a mere formality to satisfy his needs. He was never there for her, except when it served him. The only things he offered were confusion. He gave her empty promises, sweet words that rang hollow. He offered manipulation, ideals disguised as his "undeniable love," but in reality, he only loved one person: himself. She adored him, but he saw in her nothing more than a tool to fill his inner emptiness. He had invaded her mind to the point where, when he proposed an open relationship, he made her believe it was her idea, seducing her with subtle words. She wanted to believe him, convincing herself that it was a step of compromise, a sacrifice for the love he claimed to have for her. But deep down, she knew it wasn't what she wanted. She wanted him, and only him. He wanted her, and all the others he could get, all those who would feed his insatiable need for power and domination. But all of that changed when Tobias Wrexler entered their lives. His intense gaze, his silent yet powerful presence, brought a turning point in her life. The shadow of her husband suddenly seemed far less threatening in the light that Tobias brought.
01
2 hours.
I sat there for 2 hours.
I sat there in my lace, rouge red teddy with my garter sitting seductively on my bare thigh and in my black stiletto Christian Louboutin red bottom heels to match. My skin was glossy, moisturized from head to toe, almost patent, but I was ready to glisten from the glow of the orgasms he used to give me. I was ready for the lace to be ripped off my body, beyond repair, only to be left in my garter and my Louboutins. I was ready to be ravished by the man who put that final ring on my finger only five years ago, today.
But that wasn't going to happen-and deep down, I knew it.
I waited and waited, hoping, praying, wishing on stars that probably had long since burned out. I imagined him walking through the double doors of the house we built together, his eyes dark with the same hunger he used to have for me. I pictured him lifting me off my feet, carrying me to the kitchen table to devour the two-course meal I had spent hours preparing, only to then devour me for dessert.
However, that dream shattered when I woke up, still in my ensemble, sitting on the edge of our marital bed in the dark of night. The house was still, save for the sound that ultimately ripped me apart-a hearty laugh, his laugh, followed by the soft giggle of another.
I quickly wrapped my silk robe around my body, the cool fabric sticking to the heated skin that was still embarrassingly primed for him, and silently crept down our grand staircase.
What I was met with wasn't a surprise, but it still chipped at my beating heart every single time.
There he was-Chase.
The man I promised my life to.
The man who now belonged to someone else every night and expected me to pretend it didn't shatter me.
His wedded hand was twisted in a fistful of her red hair-his favorite color. He devoured her lips like they were oxygen and he was suffocating. She clung to him with desperate fingers, and he didn't seem to care that anyone could see, least of all his wife.
I stood there, arms crossed over my chest, clutching my robe tighter, waiting, hoping he would notice me. But, as per usual, he didn't.
I felt a single tear slip down my cheek as the pain I had anesthetized for so long finally woke up again, sharp and all-consuming.
"Chase-" she breathed, gasping as he trailed kisses down her neck to her shoulder.
"Cha-Chase, your wife is here," she moaned, almost embarrassed but too caught up in him to really care.
I felt bile claw up my throat. He slowly looked over his shoulder at me, as if I were nothing more than an inconvenient interruption.
I couldn't even meet his eyes. I felt myself instinctively covering my chest with the tiny silk material wrapped around me, shrinking under his gaze.
"Hey-hey baby, what are you doing up? I'm so sorry we woke you," he said casually, like he was apologizing for stepping on my foot, "I just wanted to spend tonight with my girlfriend, you can go back-"
"You asked her to be your girlfriend tonight?" I felt my voice break, the words tumbling from my lips like shards of broken glass.
He looked startled for a brief moment. Then he placed his hands on my arms, as if that would somehow tether me back to him. "Baby, we-we spoke about this. You said you were okay with this, you were the one who wanted this open relationship so I wouldn't cheat-"
And there it was.
The blame.
The guilt.
The manipulation that he wielded so perfectly.
Yeah. It was my choice.
Serves me right for thinking this would be different.
I loved this man with everything in me. I loved him so much that I let him talk me into an arrangement that broke me piece by piece. I agreed because the alternative-losing him-seemed worse. But now, I realized that maybe losing him would have been mercy compared to the slow death of our marriage.
I felt their eyes on me, burning holes into my soul. I couldn't let her see me like this-weak, broken, betrayed.
Without another word, I fled to our room and slammed the door behind me.
I slid down the heavy wood, my knees giving out as tears flooded my face.
"Stupid, stupid, stupid," I whispered harshly, hitting the back of my head softly against the door with each word. My sobs were so violent that they shook my body, years of swallowed pain spilling out all at once.
Then I heard it-loud footsteps rushing toward me, then a single heavy thump as Chase slammed his hand against the door.
"Please open the door, please, beautiful," he pleaded.
That single word.
It could unravel me in seconds.
Beautiful.
Chase always knew how to get to me. Even when everything else crumbled, he made me feel beautiful. He whispered it into the darkness when I cried about my body. He murmured it into my hair when the world was too cruel. He said it like it was a truth no one else could take away.
And hearing it now, layered with enough love and desperation to sound almost convincing, I hated how badly I still wanted to believe him.
I pressed my forehead against the door, my tears soaking into the wood.
"I'm sorry, baby," he continued on the other side, his voice cracking. "You know I love you more than anything. You know you're my world. Please don't shut me out."
I squeezed my eyes shut, letting more tears fall.
Because part of me still wanted to believe him.
Part of me still wanted to throw the door open, leap into his arms, and forget the girl with the red hair ever existed.
But the other part-the part that was growing louder and angrier every day-knew better.
Still, the war raged inside me. Love and pain tangled together so tightly I couldn't tell where one ended and the other began.
I stayed on the floor, silent. Listening to him breathing heavily on the other side, waiting.
Waiting for me to forgive him like I always did.
Waiting for me to choose him over myself.
Again.
But tonight, for the first time, I didn't know if I could.
She was barely twenty years old when her heart was shattered by the man she thought she could love, a man who, out of spite and a thirst for revenge, left her in pain. He hated her for a crime she didn't commit, a crime she didn't even know about. The pain was unbearable, the betrayal devastating. Five years later, Ana was no longer the fragile, vulnerable young woman she once was. She had grown, matured, and built a strength she never knew she had back then. Life had changed her; she no longer believed in love or the goodness of men. She had learned not to let her emotions control her. Yet, when Devin reappeared, her balance faltered. He had returned, determined to finish what he hadn't been able to do before: his revenge. His dark, cold eyes exuded an icy hostility, but Ana knew he was no longer the man he once was. The Devin of today was more cynical, more ruthless. Still, she couldn't ignore the lingering attraction she had always felt for him. Devin, for his part, bore the scars of a life marked by betrayal and pain. Since the age of fourteen, revenge had become his only obsession. Fate had driven him to hate the daughter of the man who had destroyed his family. But when he crossed Ana's gaze again, he realized that the war he had waged against her could destroy both of them. Could their love be possible, or would the past be too heavy to bear?
Bronte was the beloved girl of everyone, always smiling and full of life. Her popularity made her an essential person in everyone's eyes. Yet, there was one exception: Blake. This arrogant bad boy, with his messy hair and piercing gaze, didn't even seem to notice her. But that was before her parents went to Africa. Forced to leave for several weeks, they entrusted Bronte to Blake. Upon her arrival, Bronte felt like an intruder in his world. Their first interactions were cold, marked by endless pranks and arguments that never seemed to end. Yet, behind Blake's attitude, Bronte sensed something deeper, a secret he hid carefully. Over the days, their relationship slowly began to change. Despite the provocations and tensions, an attraction started to form between them. Blake couldn't admit it, but it was clear that Bronte was no longer just the neighbor.
"Look at yourself in the mirror, little bun. You're still shivering under my touch, so excited, so pitiful..." His voice was low, teasing, as he stroked her cheek, his fingers trailing down to her trembling neck. "Let go of me, you bastard!" She struggled, trying to twist away, her hands pushing against his chest. "What did you do to the divorce paper?!" He smirked, not even flinching at her resistance. "It wasn't a divorce paper, baby." He leaned in closer, his breath warm against her ear. "I changed the contract." Her eyes widened, confusion flashing in her gaze. "What do you mean-?" "In the end," he whispered, "you belong to me, and only me." His fingers brushed over her lips as he held her in place, savoring her resistance, knowing all too well how much she wanted to escape. But it didn't matter. She was already his, and the paper proved it. There was no going back now.
He swept my sweat-drenched hair off my neck, pressing his lips against my ear. His hot breath made me shiver, and every vibration of his voice left me breathless. "You're not the first to try to seduce me," he whispered, his warm breath grazing my skin. "But you're my favorite." His eyes locked with mine, piercing and intense, before he slowly pulled me away. I watched him take my red lace thong, a mysterious smile playing on his lips. A wave of desire overwhelmed me, mixed with a strange sense of defeat. I hadn't expected this, nor the palpable tension that had settled between us. And now, I'm an intern for Cole, the writer of the steamiest novels I've ever read. All of this is more real, more intense, and most of all, more dangerous than I could have ever imagined.
Jack had just arrived in town, a cold breeze following him, signaling the arrival of winter. The first snowflakes danced in the air, covering the streets with a white blanket. Summer, on the other hand, hated this season. Every year, she dreaded the cold, the gray skies, and the early darkness. But that day, something changed. When he walked into her café, an unusual shiver ran down her spine. The man with silver hair and icy blue eyes, as cold as the winter sea, seemed to bring a breath of fresh air with him. But there was something else, something captivating in his presence, a mystery that Summer didn't yet understand. Jack, with his calm, frosty demeanor, knew how to bring the chill, almost as if he could make the air feel sharper. Yet, soon, she would discover that beneath that apparent coldness, he had the power to ignite a fire inside her. A fire she never imagined could exist.
Maddison Holt, the youngest and only female alpha in North America, took her father's place after his death and her mother's illness. She's always believed a mate would be a weakness. However, her mate is the killer who slaughtered her father. Jay Pierce, the most feared alpha in history, is the devil himself-handsome but merciless. Maddison wants nothing to do with him, but he intends to make her submit. A power struggle where only one rule exists: one of them must yield. The war between Maddison and Jay begins.
Iris grew from an orphaned child to the adopted daughter of the Stewart family at age ten, finding warmth in her nominal uncle Vincent's kindness. Seven years later, she became his secret lover. When Vincent's engagement was announced, gossip spread about the notorious playboy CEO finally settling down. But only Iris knew the extent of his cold, two-faced nature. Iris fell for Vincent and, through tears, begged, "Marry me," only to be met with his frosty refusal. Defeated, she accepted a lawyer's proposal, sparking public excitement. Then, on her wedding day, Vincent pleaded desperately, "Don't marry him…"
After being kicked out of her home, Harlee learned she wasn't the biological daughter of her family. Rumors had it that her impoverished biological family favored sons and planned to profit from her return. Unexpectedly, her real father was a zillionaire, catapulting her into immense wealth and making her the most cherished member of the family. While they anticipated her disgrace, Harlee secretly held design patents worth billions. Celebrated for her brilliance, she was invited to mentor in a national astronomy group, drew interest from wealthy suitors, and caught the eye of a mysterious figure, ascending to legendary status.
I'm a Luna. After three years of marriage to Alpha Nathaniel Blackwood, I'm finally pregnant with his pup. But he's unclaimed me for his first love. I'm leaving the pack with this secret, praying he never finds out. Nathaniel Blackwood is a handsome, powerful Alpha. In a world where humans and werewolves coexist, he has it all: a billion-dollar empire, untold power, a massive pack, and, most importantly, the perfect Luna. But the return of his first love shattered our marriage. When he finds out the secret I've been hiding, will he regret rejecting me? Will I ever be able to forgive him? Dive into this gripping serialized novel to find out more-Enjoy the ride!
Maria took her sister’s 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 master… 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 family—so many excellent men were chasing after his fiancee, Maria. What should Anthony do?
She thought she was the love of his life, and he became the love of her life that fateful day she had seen him at the pack's party. Selene Grace was only a replica of Alpha Leo's real mate, and when he spotted her, Leo immediately claimed her as his Luna in order to suppress the rumors of him being mateless. Being unable to conceive turns Selene's marriage into a nightmare, and as if that wasn't enough, Alpha Leo finally reunites with his long time lover and mate, rejecting a pregnant Selene as a result. 5 years later, Selene, a now successful doctor, receives an invitation to the moon shadow pack in order to rid the pack of a deadly disease which has struck it. Will Selene return back to the pack which had caused her so much pain, and what would she do when she realizes that she is mated to the Alpha who had betrayed her in the past?
"I'm going to tell you what I have in mind," he murmured. "First you're going to strip down until you're completely naked," he whispered against her ear. "Then I'm going to tie you up so you're completely powerless and subject to my every whim." "Mmm, sounds good so far," she murmured. "Then I'm going to insert a plug to prepare you for me. After that I'm going to spank that sweet ass of yours until it's rosy with my marks." She shivered uncontrollably, her mind exploding with the images he evoked. She let out a small whimper as he sucked the lobe of her ear into his mouth. God, she could cum with just his words. She was already aching with need. Her nipples tingled and hardened to painful points. Her clit pulsed and twitched between her legs until she clamped her thighs together to alleviate the burn. "And then I'm going to f**k your mouth. But I won't cum. Not yet. When I'm close, I'll flog you again until your ass is burning and you're on fire with the need for relief. And then I'm going to f**k that ass. I'm going to take you hard and rough, to the very limits of what you can withstand. I won't be gentle. Not tonight. I'm going to take you as roughly as you can stand. And then I'm going to cum all over your ass. Are you ready to be completely and utterly dominated?"