728 Book(s) Related to ex wife stop 2022

The Kingmaker My Fiancé Sold Me To Was My Broke Ex

The Kingmaker My Fiancé Sold Me To Was My Broke Ex

887 Views · Ongoing · leon
When my family went bankrupt, my fiancé teamed up with my best friend and sold me to an underground club to pay off their debts.
To secure an investment, that scumbag handed me over to the most powerful kingmaker on Wall Street.
But the moment the call connected, I froze.
The big shot my cheating ex was groveling to was actually my first love—the man I dumped five years ago because he was poor.
Looking at the smug jerk who still had no idea who he was dealing with, I let out a cold laugh.
A deadly revenge game had just begun.
From Dead Alpha to Obsessed: My ex husband's brother wants me

From Dead Alpha to Obsessed: My ex husband's brother wants me

246 Views · Ongoing · Danesi MaryamUmar
A cheating husband. A burning curse. One forbidden night with a stranger who isn’t a stranger at all.
When Rose DeLuca’s world falls apart, the man who saves her turns out to be the Alpha she was destined for....and the billionaire who’s ready to claim everything, including her.

18+ WARNING: This novel contains mature themes, including explicit sexual content, betrayal, and dark romance.
Alpha’s hated mate;my ex wife’s twins twins calls me daddy

Alpha’s hated mate;my ex wife’s twins twins calls me daddy

1.8k Views · Ongoing · zammiewrite1
Pregnant?” A gleam crossed my eyes, and before I could control myself, tears began running down my eyes. My vision was blurry from the tears, but I still scanned the files, my heart beating loudly. A smile finally made its way to my face.

I looked at the nurse who was standing behind me, looking happy, but certainly not as happy as I was. Eight years. Eight years of barrenness, Eight years of crying and praying to the moon goddess, Eight years of tolerance to everything I passed through in the hands of my Alpha’s mother.
I married the mafia boss to escape my abusive ex-husband

I married the mafia boss to escape my abusive ex-husband

2.1k Views · Ongoing · Sol Luna
Amanda Rousso married Kenneth Chavez for the thought that all her problems when it comes to finances will solve everything, but she is wrong because the moment she said yes to the fixed marriage, her soul was already buried six feet under the ground.

She never thought she would become a pawn in Kenneth’s twisted game, and trapped her in the marriage filled with broken vows and lies. Throughout 5 years of being together, she was able to learn how to love him and obey him, but Kenneth was so abusive and couldn't accept her because, for him, Amanda is the reason why his first love left him. In order to avenge her, she must endure all the cold treatment.

In the darkest moments of her life, Amanda decided to escape, and she stumbled into the arms of Damon Vera, the king of Mafia society who was feared by everyone. Damon pledged to protect her, but with one condition. She will marry Damon.

Now, Amanda must decide. Will she marry Damon to spare her life and run away from her past that keeps hunting her or get entangled in his life and power as if she stepped into another level of prison?
Boss, Your Wife's Identity Has Been Exposed

Boss, Your Wife's Identity Has Been Exposed

17.4k Views · Ongoing · Mella
Victoria is the abandoned daughter of the Gonzalez family. Everyone dislikes her, but they have no idea that she is the only top perfume mixer and possesses great power in society. Business and political magnates all follow her lead.
Alexander Garcia is a business tycoon, cold and heartless. He has encountered powerful rivals, but he has no idea that young girl Victoria is behind this.
Alexander said, “Victoria, I have personally stripped off all your disguises. Now, it’s time to win your heart.”
The Wife's Secret: A Marriage of Lies

The Wife's Secret: A Marriage of Lies

815 Views · Ongoing · Tamsin
She was his eyes in the dark. He called her a fraud when the lights came on.
Three years as the most authoritative surgeon, playing housewife. Three years whispering another woman's name in his sleep.
Now he kneels to a stranger—begging Dr. Lucy to save his true love's heart.
He doesn't know Lucy is her. The wife he discarded. The genius he never saw.
"Who's the imposter now?"
A surgeon's revenge. A marriage's autopsy. The only operation she can't walk away from.
Behind Closed Doors,The Betrayed Wife's Revenge

Behind Closed Doors,The Betrayed Wife's Revenge

559 Views · Ongoing · Ladys
Here is the translation, adapted into the explosive, high-stakes style of a bestselling American domestic thriller. The pacing is sharp, and the emotional transition from shock to cold vengeance is deeply amplified:

For five years, I honestly believed I was the happiest woman alive.

Until today. The day I came home early and stood frozen just outside the balcony, listening to his phone call.

"What? Shuying, you're pregnant?" Tingshen's voice was laced with a raw, unbridled euphoria I had never once heard before. "I knew getting rid of Jiang Wan's baby back then was the right move."

My knuckles turned stark white as I death-gripped the ultrasound report in my hand.

Qin Shuying. My absolute worst rival. They had been sleeping together.

"Tingshen, are you sure she won't find out?" Shuying's sickeningly sweet voice drifted through the phone's speaker, piercing my eardrums. "If Jiang Wan ever realizes you were the one who killed her baby, she's going to raise hell."

"Relax." Tingshen laughed, his tone dripping with the kind of casual contempt reserved for swatting a fly. "She's so clueless. She honestly believes it was her own failing body. The stupid bitch even cried and apologized to me. She'd never in a million years suspect I drugged her."

My nails drove so brutally into my palms that they broke the skin.

"Besides, I finally got my hands on her core design drafts. Consider them a welcome gift for our baby. As for her shares in the company..." He paused, savoring his own smugness. "She's about to sign them all over to me anyway. So what if her old man built an empire? It's all dropping right into my lap."

The world tilted violently on its axis.

I was carrying his child again.

Just five minutes ago, before I overheard this monstrous phone call, I had been acting like a giddy fool, planning the perfect way to surprise him with the news.

My trembling hand drifted down to my lower stomach. My chest cracked open, a visceral, violent tearing of my own heart. The baby I had desperately longed for and mourned... chemically aborted by their own father, all to keep his mistress happy.

My sweet babies, I thought, the devastating sorrow rapidly freezing into sheer, icy rage. Mommy is going to make them pay for every drop of blood.
His Secret Family,The "Tainted" Wife's Perfect Vengeance

His Secret Family,The "Tainted" Wife's Perfect Vengeance

411 Views · Ongoing · Ladys
After five years in a long-distance relationship, I boarded a more than 10-hour flight without telling him, touched down in the city where he lived, all to give him a surprise.
Hardly had my phone connected to the local network when I scrolled across a post pushed to my feed from the same city.
The title read: What’s the thing you’ve done that you’ve never regretted for a single second?
The top comment stared back at me, sharp and unmistakeable:
I got him drunk and slept with him on the day we graduated college. Back then, he promised his girlfriend he’d never see me again, but his heart softens the moment I cry. Now our kid is 4 years old, and I’m pregnant with our second baby!
The comments below were flooded with questions, and someone asked outright: OP, are you the other woman?
She replied with unapologetic audacity: The one who isn’t loved is the real homewrecker. Besides, that woman was abducted and molested before. She’s long been tainted, and she never deserved him in the first place.
My fingers began to shake uncontrollably. Every single detail lined up perfectly with my own life.
Desperate to calm my heart, which felt like it was about to hammer out of my chest, I stepped into a roadside convenience store to buy a bottle of water.
The second I looked up at the checkout counter, the blood in my veins turned to ice in an instant.
The woman standing beside the cash register was none other than Su Miaomiao—the same woman who’d lain in the same hotel bed with Lu Sinian on that night of our college graduation.
My feet felt nailed to the floor as I watched her walk out of the store with a smile on her face.
The very next second, she threw herself into the arms of a man across the street, tilting her head up to kiss him in a sweet, lingering embrace.
That man was Lu Sinian. My husband. The man I’d legally married, the man I’d spent five years in a long-distance relationship with, the man who’d vowed over and over again to love me and protect me.
I Refused to Save Her, Then Crushed My Ex-Wife’s Corporate Empire

I Refused to Save Her, Then Crushed My Ex-Wife’s Corporate Empire

659 Views · Ongoing · Hades
Victoria discovered that I hadn't submitted any supplemental medical expense claims for two weeks.
She assumed I had finally been disciplined and had given up what she called "the exploitative nature of the lower class."
Little did she know, my backpack held the signed divorce papers and my mother's death certificate.
As I turned to leave, I was still wearing the discounted trench coat she'd casually given me three years ago when we got married.
What she didn't know was that I, a deep-sea geology genius from MIT, willingly endured three years of her humiliation and ridiculous rules, just so my mother could stay in her conglomerate's private hospital to prolong her life.
Now, my mother has died because of unpaid bills , and even her ashes are carried by me in a cheap canvas bag.
Now that my loved one is dead, there's no need for me to continue being her obstructive dog on Wall Street. The lives she owed with those approval forms, I will settle with the collapse of her entire conglomerate empire.
My Ex Called Me Infertile—Now I Carry the Mafia Don’s Twins

My Ex Called Me Infertile—Now I Carry the Mafia Don’s Twins

901 Views · Ongoing · Lily
On our first wedding anniversary, I walked into my husband's office and found him having sex with my best friend.

He didn't even apologize. Instead, claiming he was disgusted that I hadn't produced an heir in a year of marriage, he threw divorce papers in my face.

Five years later, I returned to New York with my new husband—Cassian Vitiello, the Godfather of the North American underworld.

Vincent ran into me at the docks. He handed me a business card, offering me a job as a nanny for his mistress's son.

What he didn't know was that the woman he was mocking was now the Donna—the woman the entire East Coast underground feared.
After I Married the Brain-Damaged Alpha, My Ex Was Left Regretting

After I Married the Brain-Damaged Alpha, My Ex Was Left Regretting

805 Views · Ongoing · azc
I agreed to marry the brain - damaged Alpha of the Lyra's Howl Pack. All I wanted was a large sum of money and to have Frank transferred to serve my half - sister, Stephnie. I thought it would be my way of getting revenge, but I unexpectedly discovered that Frank was deeply in love with Stephnie, who turned out to be a cruel and manipulative person. After going through a series of painful experiences, including an avalanche, the truth finally came to light, and Frank realized his mistake. By then, I had already fallen in love with Alpha Bruce. When Frank tried to stop my wedding with Bruce, I firmly chose Bruce and left Frank in the past.
He Chose His Ex Over Me, So I Left With His Child

He Chose His Ex Over Me, So I Left With His Child

1.8k Views · Ongoing · Irene Vale
For three years of marriage, I played the perfect, obedient wife.
I married him only because my family once saved his from bankruptcy, and because I had loved him since college.
I thought time would soften his heart.
Then his ex returned, and everything fell apart.
He threw a welcome party for her himself, called me to the office under the pretense of work, then turned around and dismissed me as an eyesore. The whispers in the company cut into me like needles.
That same day, the hospital called. I was eight weeks pregnant with his child. Before the joy could settle, the word divorce fell lightly from his lips.
I asked for three months, just enough time to leave with what little dignity I had left. He agreed without emotion.
Yet after I moved out, he secretly placed me in a luxury apartment and stationed people to watch me day and night.
When I finally hid my pregnancy and resolved to raise the child alone, ready to confront his scheming ex, he cornered me against the wall, eyes red, voice shaking.
“Who gave you permission to walk away with my child?”
Twice Rejected by My Cheating Ex, Pregnant with the Alpha King's Heir

Twice Rejected by My Cheating Ex, Pregnant with the Alpha King's Heir

2.1k Views · Ongoing · Zee
Ugly. Good for nothing. Useless. Disgusting.
These are the words Zara hears every single day.


I was the Alpha's fated mate but my rejection was worse than one thousand needles pierced to my skin.
"I, Weston Bruce Furrow, Alpha of the Shadow Moon Pack reject you, Zara Liam Adolf of the Night Moon Pack. A pathetic runt weakling like you is no match for me."
I could feel my heart breaking, Tuna was howling inside me, and I could feel her pain.
"I, Zara Liam Adolf of the Night Moon Pack, accept your rejection..."


Being the Alpha's daughter doesn't shield Zara from the pack's cruelty. Especially when her own father is her worst tormentor.
Years later, the man she once hated most returns. The same man who rejected her, who humiliated her, and now, she doesn't understand why he's back. Worse still, she's being forced to negotiate with him.
Zara wants nothing more than to forget how he made her feel. But her pack needs protection, and he's the Alpha who can offer it.
Which means she has no choice but to put her pack above her pain.
Betrayed by My Ex in the Apocalypse, I Joined the Mad Witch

Betrayed by My Ex in the Apocalypse, I Joined the Mad Witch

682 Views · Ongoing · Rose
“Sheridan, Link gave me hope to live this past year. I’m pregnant with his child now. He’s been malnourished since he was a baby. Could you be a little more generous and give him half of your food?”

"To quell the rumors, give him the commander's authority as well! Consider it proof of your tolerance, and that way everyone will accept our family of three!"

Looking at my fiancée, who was heavily pregnant and had a saintly glow on her face, I felt a wave of nausea wash over me.

Five years of entrusting each other with life and death have resulted in this scene.

Alright, I'll grant your wish.

Without arguing or making a scene, I readily signed the power transfer agreement, removed my epaulets, and walked without looking back into the underground forbidden zone that everyone feared.

There, a crazy witch with a morbid possessiveness toward me is imprisoned.

Sylvia thought that after I relinquished power, I would only be able to kneel in the mud like a stray dog and watch them be affectionate.

But she had no idea that I was the one who had the safety net for her throughout the entire city!

After losing my protection, the system completely crashed within a few days.

That freeloader completely dropped his pretense, not only beating her half to death with domestic violence, but also attempting to invade her private space.

When she crawled to the gate of the restricted area covered in blood, crying and begging me for forgiveness and to save her life.

I was being held in the arms of that aloof witch, watching the pretty boy who had come looking for me:

"The experiment actually spoke, darling..."
The CEO's Regret: His Lost Wife's Secret Twins

The CEO's Regret: His Lost Wife's Secret Twins

53.9k Views · Ongoing · Amelia Rivers
She's the housekeeper's daughter. He's Manhattan's coldest billionaire. One drugged drink changes everything.

Aria Taylor wakes up in Blake Morgan's bed, accused of seducing him. Her punishment? A five-year marriage contract—his wife on paper, his servant in reality. While Blake flaunts his true love Emma at Manhattan galas, Aria pays for her father's medical bills with her dignity.

Three years of humiliation. Three years of being called a murderer's daughter—because her father's car "accidentally" killed a powerful man, leaving him comatose and her family destroyed.

Now Aria's pregnant with Blake's child. The baby he swore he'd never want.

Someone wants her dead. They locked her in a freezer, sabotaged her every step. Is it because her father is waking up? Because someone's terrified of what he might remember?

Her own mother tries to pull his plug. Blake's perfect Emma isn't who she pretends to be. And those memories Aria has of saving Blake from a fire? Everyone says they're impossible.

But they're not.

As attacks escalate, Aria discovers the ultimate betrayal: The woman who raised her might not be her real mother. The accident that destroyed her life might have been murder. And Blake—the man who treats her like property—might be her only salvation.

When her father wakes up, what secrets will he reveal? Will Blake discover his wife carries his heir before someone kills her? And when he learns who really saved him, who really drugged him, and who's been hunting his wife—will his revenge become her redemption?
Abandoned At The Edge:The Grieving Wife's Cold Revenge.

Abandoned At The Edge:The Grieving Wife's Cold Revenge.

1.3k Views · Ongoing · Joy Nyx
I used to believe my husband was my hero. When Julian Miller’s empire was falling apart, I made a desperate choice to save him. I spent a night in the suite of his fiercest competitor, Arthur Vance. Julian called me his hero and said he trusted me.

But he was lying to me for five long years.

Everything changed in an instant. Watching our daughter hang from a broken roller coaster, Julian didn’t attempt to save her. Instead, he reached for his phone to call his mistress.

To him, she wasn’t a child in peril; she was just a chance to wipe out a 'mistake' and start fresh with someone who had been in our lives since the very beginning of our marriage.

Now, people see me as a heartbroken mother and an ashamed wife. Julian thinks he’s buried me under his web of lies and his influence. But he overlooked one crucial point: I have nothing more to lose, and I'm ready to settle a score.

With the one man Julian fears most by my side, I’m stepping back into the light. And by the time I’m through, he’ll understand that the woman he treated like a pawn is the very one who will bring his whole world crashing down.
If She Knew (A Kate Wise Mystery—Book 1)

If She Knew (A Kate Wise Mystery—Book 1)

88 Views · Ongoing · Blake Pierce
“A masterpiece of thriller and mystery. Blake Pierce did a magnificent job developing characters with a psychological side so well described that we feel inside their minds, follow their fears and cheer for their success. Full of twists, this book will keep you awake until the turn of the last page.” --Books and Movie Reviews, Roberto Mattos (re Once Gone) IF SHE KNEW (A Kate Wise Mystery) is book #1 in a new psychological thriller series by bestselling author Blake Pierce, whose #1 bestseller Once Gone (Book #1) (a free download) has received over 1,000 five star reviews. 55 year old empty nester—and freshly retired FBI agent—Kate Wise finds herself drawn out of her quiet suburban life when her friend’s daughter is murdered in a home invasion—and she is implored to help.Kate thought she left the FBI behind after 30 years as their top agent, respected for her brilliant mind, tough street skills and her uncanny ability to hunt down serial killers. Yet Kate, bored with the quiet town, at a crossroads in life, is summoned by a friend she can’t turn down.As Kate hunts the killer, she soon finds herself at the forefront of a manhunt, as more bodies turn up—all suburban moms in perfect marriages—and it becomes apparent there is a serial killer stalking this quiet town. She unearths secrets from her neighbors she wishes she never knew, discovering that all is not what it seems in this picture of model streets and neighbors. Affairs and lying are rampant, and Kate must sift through the town’s underbelly if she will stop the killer from striking again.But this killer is one step ahead of her, and it may end up being Kate who is in danger.An action-packed thriller with heart-pounding suspense, IF SHE KNEW is book #1 in a riveting new series that will leave you turning pages late into the night. Book #2 in the KATE WISE MYSTERY series is coming soon!
My wicked wife wants to trick me into feeding the zombies? I can read minds!

My wicked wife wants to trick me into feeding the zombies? I can read minds!

782 Views · Ongoing · Hades
In my previous life, my wife was addicted to black market gambling on football, which caused us to lose everything.
To make matters worse, a zombie horde then broke out.
We had no shelter and were quickly torn apart by a horde of frenzied zombies.
After being reborn, she planned to run off with all the money, then dump me and elope with her lover.
What she didn't know was that I had awakened the ability to read minds and knew all her plans.
The Demon's Love

The Demon's Love

161 Views · Ongoing · Lili Step
After having unfairly killed in my original world, I surprisingly got into another world - the parallel world. I took over someone else's body and got powerful. And what's even unexpected was the fact that I married the strongest paladin, Duke Zaren Valkyrine, in exchange of my life, including my revenge. But I also am to kill him for my self gains.

However, against my wishes, the Duke keep swaying my heart and his touches proved his affection for me.

I told him, "If you look at me that way, Your Grace, I'd mistakenly think that you love me."
"Don't worry, I won't ever love you." He said before kissing me gently.

Can I really keep pretending I don't love him, or can I muster the courage to kill him and unveil the secrets this world has?
I took the place of my wife in prison, she got together with my younger brother.

I took the place of my wife in prison, she got together with my younger brother.

1.1k Views · Ongoing · Angela
I took the blame for my wife and went to jail, thinking I was protecting our family.

Five years later, when I was released from prison, my mansion was confiscated, my company fell into the hands of my younger brother, and the woman I loved with all my heart was nestled in my brother's arms, mocking my misfortune.

They had been having an affair for a long time, and even my imprisonment was a conspiracy meticulously planned by this despicable couple! What makes me even more furious is that my precious daughter was abandoned on the street like a stray dog, and subjected to beatings and bullying by their illegitimate son .

They thought that by draining my blood, they could forever condemn me to oblivion.

But they forgot that I was once an unparalleled genius in the business world.
In a high-temperature apocalypse, I watched my ex- girlfriend 's family kill each other.

In a high-temperature apocalypse, I watched my ex- girlfriend 's family kill each other.

990 Views · Ongoing · Angela
In my past life, I squandered all my wealth to support my fiancée's family, but when the extreme heat of the apocalypse arrived, she and her lover broke my legs, brutally drained my marrow, and devoured me alive.

When I opened my eyes again, I was back in the seven days before the apocalypse.

This time, I will never repeat the same mistake.

I decisively kicked away these cold-blooded parasites, canceled all my credit cards, and, with the true love who died to save me in my past life, built an indestructible, top-tier temperature-controlled fortress.

As global temperatures soared, Los Angeles became a scorching inferno, and the fiancée's family couldn't even get a sip of dirty water, ultimately being forced to resort to cannibalism and killing each other.

And I, sitting in a 22-degree air-conditioned room eating chilled watermelon, coldly watch this bloody live broadcast of dogs fighting each other.

The fires of hell have been lit, and your judgment has only just begun.
TRAPPED WITH THE SEX ADDICT

TRAPPED WITH THE SEX ADDICT

29.1k Views · Ongoing · Blessing Wike
"Suck my nipples, now!" He ordered before he spoke again.
"Yes! I Own you! You are mine alone. Remember you are indebted to me and If you can't accept that fact, walk away from me and be imprisoned. The choice is yours." He said.


His name was CEO Evidence. He owns a condom company. He was arrogant and was a young billionaire of every woman's dream. He was addicted to sex.
He thought that since 90% of women craved to have him, he would never get rejected by any lady but what happens when the arrogant Sex God who was every woman's dream got rejected by a commoner whom he claimed to love?
Will he pleasure himself with her body by force?
Or he would wait until the day she accepts to willingly give her body to him?
Breed Me Dirty {open Wide. Take It Raw. Beg For More}

Breed Me Dirty {open Wide. Take It Raw. Beg For More}

8.7k Views · Ongoing · Moon Bunnie
Some rules are meant to keep us pure. These stories spread your legs and make you beg to break them.

Stepbrothers who shouldn’t touch you, but shove you against the wall and make you scream their name.

Protectors who swear to guard your body, only to break every oath as they fuck you into the mattress.

Strangers who taste like sin and don’t stop until you’re ruined.

Masked lovers who hide their faces while they spread you open and make you beg.

Even supernatural beasts who mark you, breed you, and take you raw until you’re theirs completely.

This isn’t sweet romance. It is raw heat that claws, bites, and devours.

Dangerous, possessive men you should run from, but instead, you’ll spread wider, sink deeper, and take every filthy drop they give you.

Every page is a dare: moan louder, take more, surrender deeper. Because once you give in to the forbidden, you won’t just fall, you’ll beg to be destroyed.

Welcome to your new addiction.
Once An Overlooked Housewife, Now A Queen Of Fortune

Once An Overlooked Housewife, Now A Queen Of Fortune

386 Views · Ongoing · The Wine Press
‘PETITION FOR DISSOLUTION OF MARRIAGE.’
“And where exactly would you go after the divorce?” Felix scorned.
“Have you forgotten you had nothing when grandma took you in?” He added, giving her a dismissive once-over.
There was no hint of surprise on his face regarding the divorce news, which all the more showed how much he disliked her.
Wren has spent three years of her life trying to be the perfect housewife to an unloving man. But when she’s pushed to the wall, she’s forced to retaliate.
However she has no idea what is waiting for her on the other side. Happiness at last or worse chaos?
I'm Divorcing with You, Mr Billionaire!

I'm Divorcing with You, Mr Billionaire!

31.4k Views · Ongoing · The Wine Press
I received a pornographic video.
"Do you like this?"
The man speaking in the video is my husband, Mark, whom I haven't seen for several months. He is naked, his shirt and pants scattered on the ground, thrusting forcefully on a woman whose face I can't see, her plump and round breasts bouncing vigorously. I can clearly hear the slapping sounds in the video, mixed with lustful moans and grunts.
"Yes, yes, fuck me hard, baby," the woman screams ecstatically in response.
"You naughty girl!" Mark stands up and flips her over, slapping her buttocks as he speaks. "Stick your ass up!"
The woman giggles, turns around, sways her buttocks, and kneels on the bed.
I feel like someone has poured a bucket of ice water on my head. It's bad enough that my husband is having an affair, but what's worse is that the other woman is my own sister, Bella.


“I want to get a divorce, Mark,” I repeated myself in case he didn't hear me the first time—even though I knew he'd heard me clearly.
He stared at me with a frown before answering coldly, "It's not up to you! I'm very busy, don't waste my time with such boring topics, or try to attract my attention!"
The last thing I was going to do was argue or bicker with him.
"I will have the lawyer send you the divorce agreement," was all I said, as calmly as I could muster.
He didn't even say another word after that and just went through the door he'd been standing in front of, slamming it harshly behind him. My eyes lingered on the knob of the door a bit absentmindedly before I pulled the wedding ring off my finger and placed it on the table.
I grabbed my suitcase, which I'd already had my things packed in and headed out of the house.