1509 Book(s) Related to Love After marriage

She stepped into the role to save her family… and walked straight into a trap.

Mira Chen never imagined her own best friend would sell her out.

When Victoria begged her to pose as a billionaire’s girlfriend for a week just until she returned from an emergency Mira said yes. She needed the money. Her father was drowning in medical debt. And the job sounded simple enough.

But nothing about it was real. Especially not the part where Victoria never planned to come back.

Now, Mira is stuck playing pretend with Tyler Dalton a cold, calculating billionaire with eyes like ice and a temper as sharp as his tailored suits. He believes Mira’s part of the game. Another liar. Another woman using him. And he intends to use her right back.

Except Mira isn’t who he thinks she is.

And the more she fights back, the more Tyler wants her for real.

As the web of lies closes in and the truth behind Victoria’s betrayal is exposed, Mira is left with no one to trust… except the man who was supposed to be her biggest enemy.

But falling for Tyler might be the most dangerous mistake of all.

Because in his world, love is a weapon. And Mira just became the perfect target.

She was only supposed to fake it.
Now the lies are real… and so is the heartbreak.

Mahina Reyes is desperate. An unemployed journalist from a broken home, she sees her last chance in an interview with the elusive CEO of Elites Health Corp, a man known only as Alba Marcelo.
Alba, a man of staggering wealth and unnerving intensity, is instantly captivated by Mahina's indifferent, endearing nature. He orchestrates her employment—a move Mahina accepts, unaware she's now entangled with the handsome stranger she keeps running into in the most unpleasant situations.
When Mahina finally meets her subject, she discovers the truth: Alba is the very man she despises. He agrees to the interview, but only if she meets a bizarre condition: show him the Seven Wonders of the World in a single day. When she fails, she's forced into his luxurious, suffocating mansion, beginning a reluctant proximity that sparks undeniable heat.
As Mahina fights her growing attraction to the dominating and possessive CEO, she stumbles upon the horrifying truth of his origin: Alba is an alien, a creature of unimaginable power from a hidden kingdom of queer, god-like beings who crash-landed on Earth centuries ago.
Their forbidden love threatens to expose a kingdom hiding in plain sight. But with a long-forgotten prophecy meant to tear them apart, will Mahina and Alba's love defy destiny, or will the world—and the heavens—demand a reckoning?

Some melodies are meant to last forever, even if time tries to silence them. For Aria Benson, a 27-year-old aspiring novelist with a penchant for daydreams and self-doubt, the melody of her past comes with a name: Liam Carlisle. Once her college sweetheart, Liam was everything she wasn’t—fearless, passionate, and unapologetically alive. Together, they were unstoppable, until life and ambition tore them apart.
Years later, Aria’s life revolves around quiet days in her hometown and nights spent penning untold stories. Liam, now 29, is a rock star whose fame spans continents, his songs setting hearts ablaze. But behind the glamour lies a man haunted by what he lost—a muse who gave his music its soul.
When Liam’s tour brings him back to the town they once called home, fate composes a new verse. An unexpected meeting reopens old wounds, and the chemistry between them ignites like the first chords of a song. But can they overcome the discord of their past? Can Aria trust a man whose world is so different from her own? And can Liam prove that fame hasn’t extinguished the flame he still carries for her?

Ryuk Mingyu, a woman who came from a chaotic, working class family, got a new job!

Where? At Nam Corporations, one of the big, three prestigious companies in the city!

She applied for a regular employee's position. But as if luck was on her side, she was chosen by the CEO himself to be his new secretary. This choice, however, was only the beginning of a challenging new chapter of her life.

Being handpicked by the CEO personally, she became the target of bullying by her office mates on the top floor. Especially Chun Minju, the daughter of one of Nam Corporations' biggest partners. And has the biggest crush on the CEO, Nam Jinho.

Ryuk Mingyu only wanted a stable job to support her family. But little did she know that fate brought her to Nam Jinho for a specific reason.

The only question is will she remember who he is?

Have you ever heard of magic? Get to know in the Kingdom of Amelia. The Kingdom where magic strongly lives in every single soul dwelling there.
Amara, the princess of Amelia, often dreams of stepping her feet out of her Kingdom. Fortunately, she got the opportunity to leave her Kingdom for a mission.
Based on her mission, her destiny is to marry a wealthy but arrogant billionaire, Collins Edward living in New York City.
Will she fulfill her destiny?. Or are there more to be fulfilled? What will happen if the magic world encounters modern romance?
Find out in Amara!.

"Carolina Lane has lived a completely normal life until recently, but things change when she moves to a new city with her mother. Having Kayler Brown, the sexiest and most respected guy at school, as her neighbor is not amusing to her. However, as she gets to know him better, she gradually realizes that he is not like everyone else. He has something strange and hidden, and it never crossed her mind that he could be a werewolf."

“I always knew you were a nerd, and you just confirmed it today," Cody said, resting his hands on my table. I frowned because he was standing too close for my liking. “You know what happens to nerds in this class. They're really fun to play with. You can ask Alicia and Manuel how much fun they had while you weren't here. Welcome to the nerdy team," Cody added sarcastically, and I rolled my eyes.
“What's the point of being brilliant without being beautiful?" Isabella chimed in. “I bet no guy has even looked your way since you arrived at this school. How pathetic." I wasn't going to let their comments get to me. They were just jealous because I had topped the class, and as a new student at that.

Lily king married kyrian Brandon out of loyalty, but she stayed for love.

She paused her adventurous life for three golden years, caring for her gentle disabled husband she secretly admires. When kyrian regained his strength and ability, his past returned, haunting him in the name of his first Love, Tracey.

Blind to the sacrifices Lily made and driven by a quiet, terrible misunderstanding, Kyrian asks for a divorce in the cruelest way possible. Devastated yet resilient, Lily must rebuild her life while battling the shadows of her own trauma.

Later on, as regret consumes Kyrian and the truth of Lily’s pain and trauma slowly unravels, they both face the hardest question of all:
If love was never spoken, can it survive the silence?

Scarlette Cross, once a wolfless Omega in the Full Moon pack faced rejection and expulsion from Rick, her mate-and the pack’s Beta. Branded a stigma to her pack, she completely disappeared from everyone she knew only to come back ten years later more powerful than ever. She was no longer the wolfless Omega everyone once knew. Scarlette, now known as Lani, has become a skilled warrior, feared magic user and also a female Alpha with her own pack.

As news of her strange metamorphosis was whispered among her former and neighbouring packs in the country, her former detractors and aggressors now desire her approval. However, when Rick sees her he finds himself desiring her again for a reason that only he knows. Unfortunately, he has to chase her now cause she is obviously not in his class anymore.

In a bid to take revenge and build a bigger empire for herself, LANI is faced with a Reverse Harem with love webs dragging her on every side.

Will she let love lead? Or will she focus on the goal… Revenge!

While I was busy looking for a way to save our son's life, Liam, My husband was busy having dinner with his childhood lover, Anna.

"I'm sorry Mrs. Wright, but we can no longer continue with the treatment procedures." Those were the last words the doctor had said before unplugging the life support from my child.

I had lost my child due to my husband's unavailability and I promise to avenge his death.

The day our parents remarried, my entire life descended into unrelenting hell.
Jace, my stepbrother, hated me on sight the second he walked through the front door.
Like a relentless ghost that haunted my every waking moment, he stole every girl I ever cared about, one by one.
I hated him for seven long years, convinced he only got off on grinding me into the dirt. Until that drugged night at the hotel...

Four months pregnant, I went to the bar to bring Connor his wallet, only to overhear a conversation that made my blood run cold.

"She's so controlling. Billy and I can barely breathe," my husband told his friends. "I'm taking Kelsey to the countryside for three months of therapy. I'll just tell Nadia it's a parent-child program abroad."

The worst part? My ten-year-old son Billy would cover for him.

Then I had a miscarriage. In my darkest moment, Connor said he'd use experimental hypnotherapy to help me "forget the pain" so I wouldn't suffer or cling to them while they vacationed for three months.

I agreed.

But when he got everything he wanted, he regretted it.

On the day of our seventh wedding anniversary, I tried to send a work email using my husband's account, but the connection was too poor to go through.
When I clicked into the drafts folder, a glaring message caught my eye:
"Tingzhou, I've prepared a new battle outfit~ Ready to drain you dry."
Seconds later, that draft vanished, replaced by a new one:
"Naughty girl, get the ultra-thins ready and wait for me."
Only three people knew the password to this email account: me, my husband, and his first love...
Watching their increasingly explicit flirtations,
tears streamed down my face uncontrollably.
Turns out, no matter how many years you spend by someone's side, it all crumbles the moment their first love returns.
I steadied my trembling fingers, sent the email, and cleared the history.
Then I dialed a number that had been dormant for seven years.
"I give up. I'm willing to come home for the arranged marriage."
On the other end came my godfather's familiar, authoritative voice,
"Get rid of anything that shouldn't be left behind. Make it clean."
My hand trembled as it touched my lower abdomen. "Okay."
"Someone will pick you up in three days."

Everyone in the Blood Moon Pack knew that our Alpha, Ethan Black, was devoted to his Luna, Elena Mourn.

Until he met his fated mate, Celine.

He wanted to sever our bond to be with her, but I refused. We became the pack's toxic couple—he resented me for not letting go, and I despised him for his betrayal.

To get rid of me without looking like the villain, this asshole staged a pity party—claiming a dark witch cursed him in battle, trapping his memories at eighteen, and now his wolf only responded to Celine as his "true mate."

"Elena, I'm stuck at eighteen... I still love you, but our bond is gone." His voice broke. "I'm so sorry for hurting you all these years. Maybe we're both better off apart."

Watching his fake performance, I said yes.

He thought he'd won, never knowing I went along because three years ago, I took a hunter's wolfsbane bullet meant for him. The poison had been killing me ever since. One week—that's all I had left.

Before I died, I wanted one last look at his eighteen-year-old self, even knowing it was all fake.

My husband and I've been married for three years, and he's been messing around with her the entire time.

Hugging and kissing her on set, whispering flirty lines in interviews.

Everyone online calls me a pathetic stand-in.

I never get mad. I just smile and help him smooth over every rumor.

That is, until I accidentally got pregnant and secretly had an abortion.

He was furious, his heart shattered, demanding to know why.

I cupped his face and said calmly: "Because I don't love you."

The one I truly love is his dead brother.

Lineah's a good niece and hardworking person. Since she was a child she knew, something is missing and her heart felt empty.

She shut herself from intimate relationship, she never had one but it will all change when she found out she's not blood related to his known aunt.

In her journey of searching her identity and real parents she found herself caught up in a steamy romance with the two brothers who promised to help her in exchange of hot nights.

Mia Feather couldn't help but fall in love with one of the most biggest Mafia leaders, Vincenzo Rossi. She was kind, sweet and innocent. Too good for someone as bad as him.

Vincenzo Rossi was powerful, rich and Italian. Not to mention handsome. He could twist anyone around his finger including Mia.

They were both young, madly in love and soon to be married, however one day she is left broken and cheated on by him.

Years later they meet again. Will Mia forgive her cold-hearted lover? Or will she leave her ex fiancé again to move on?

The only sure thing in revenge is the beginning, the ending is uncertain. The truth can surprise you in ways you could never have imagined.

A sequel to His Booty Call.

A WOMAN IN DESPERATE NEED OF RESCUE
A deserted stretch of highway, a young woman stranded in a fancy car, and the sound of motorcycles in the black night....Tessa Monroe's cross-country trip ends all too suddenly when Dane Hayes finds her. From his sexy bedroom eyes to his black leather jacket and dusty jeans, he spells trouble, but so does the nasty-looking biker gang that surrounds them. Within minutes, Tessa is on the back of Dane's Harley, and at the mercy of a man who breaks through all of her defenses and makes her want him--good or bad, right or wrong.

AN UNLIKELY SAVIOR IN LEATHER AND JEANS
Dane's mission doesn't need another complication, yet from the moment he sees her he wants her with a rough, hungry passion that can hurt them both. Claiming her and abducting her is the only way to protect her from the gang. Then all hell breaks loose, and Dane and Tessa are on the run with no place to hide--except in each other's arms.

Three years ago, the man I deeply loved, Nathan Miller, died in a car accident.

Since then, I felt like everything in my life had lost its meaning, except for the role of a substitute, which gave me a reason to live.

Ryan was a financial tycoon, and he deeply loved his ex-girlfriend.

I once peeked at the photo of his ex. She looked like an angel, with an unparalleled charm. Ryan started to chase me when he first saw me. Because I bore sixty percent resemblance to his ex.

Another fight with my boyfriend made me agree to my best friend's crazy idea to party at a nightclub. But then, she spiked my drink and I ended up in the arms of a terrifyingly handsome stranger, Michelangelo.

We spent the night together underneath his sheets, as he took me through wild realms of pleasure. But the next morning, he was gone.

And then I caught my boyfriend with my best friend so my life utterly shattered from that day.

Weeks later, I realized that I was pregnant, and I also got hit by the news of my boyfriend's wedding to my best friend.

Devastated, I moved to a Pack in New York City to start anew with my unborn child, and then three years later, guess who I bumped into? The one and only Michelangelo, the real father of my son.

But then, he lied that night. He didn't give me his full name or his real identity. He didn't tell me that he was the formidable Nico 'Michelangelo' Ferrari, a Mafian Alpha and an insane force to reckon with.

Realizing who he is sends me into a panic attack, but for some reason, he won't stop chasing after me, trying to convince me that he loves me, that he's my fated mate and that he wants to be with me and our son.

What the heck do I do?!

Everything she believed in was a lie.
Keira and Alden were Chosen Mates who built the powerful Stormfang Pack together—until she discovered their Mate Bond was a witch's illusion, and the child she raised was actually his with his true Fated Mate, the Omega Rena.
Broken and ready to leave, a secret letter reveals she is the long-lost daughter of Mooncrest Pack's Alpha, the sole heir to a legacy she never knew.
As her dormant Alpha blood awakens in rage, she vows to reclaim her birthright.
But when Kaelan, the cold and calculating Alpha King, approaches her and claims, "You are my Fated Mate," Keira is thrown into deeper confusion.
Why would he say that? And in a world built on deception, can a bond that begins as strategy ever become real… or is it just another layer of the game?

When Iris went to prison for her boyfriend, she discovered that he was about to marry Alpha's daughter.
It turned out that he had been using her all along and then abandoned her...
Iris fell into despair, but unexpectedly, she crossed paths with Marcus, Alpha's son and her former patient.
She became her ex's brother-in-law's wedding companion?! The most notorious playboy in the Pack?

“He dies to grow stronger. The Tower wants him dead.”

On an ordinary night in Jaipur, the sky splits open and a colossal black tower appears above the city.

Within hours, the same towers rise across the world.

A mysterious voice echoes through every phone, every television, every mind.

“Welcome, players. Enter the Tower and earn power beyond imagination.”

Those who step inside quickly learn the truth.

The Tower is not a game.

It is a brutal trial where monsters roam, alliances break, and death is common.

Millions enter.

Most never return.

Arjun Rathore never planned to become a hero. He was just another engineering student trying to survive in a world that suddenly changed overnight. But on the day he enters the Tower, something impossible happens.

A strange message appears before his eyes.

“Hidden System Detected.”

“Karma Ability Activated.”

Moments later, Arjun is killed by a monster on the first floor.

But instead of dying… he wakes up twenty-four hours earlier.

The same day begins again.

At first, he believes it’s luck.

Then it happens again.

And again.

Every time Arjun dies, time rewinds.

Every mistake becomes knowledge.

Every defeat becomes experience.

But the Tower is watching.

And Arjun soon discovers something terrifying.

He is not supposed to have this power.

Somewhere inside the Tower, something ancient has noticed him.

Something that hunts players who break the rules.

Now Arjun must climb the Tower, uncover its secrets, and survive enemies far stronger than himself.

Because if the Tower discovers what he truly is…

Not even death will save him.

In the delivery room, several nurses pinned me down on the operating table.

They were going to forcibly take my eight-month-old baby out of me.

The pain was tearing me apart. I locked my eyes on my husband Xavier Davis, who was standing to the side, and screamed at him in a hoarse voice.

"You animal! That's your child too. How can you do this to him..."

Xavier stared at me, his face completely blank. He didn't say a single word.

"Hurry up! Mia needs the cord blood!"

Julia, standing next to Xavier, snapped impatiently at the doctor.

She was Xavier's stepmother, only two years older than him. Her husband had died not long after she got pregnant, and Xavier had been taking care of her ever since.

Recently, Julia's one-year-old daughter was diagnosed with leukemia. She needed a newborn's cord blood for a transplant, so she set her sights on my baby.

And Xavier agreed to it. That was when I found out the two of them had been sleeping together for a long time.

Julia had nearly bled to death giving birth to their daughter, and lost any chance of having another child.

"What's going on? Her water already broke. Why isn't the baby coming?" The doctor was sweating with anxiety.

Julia picked up a pair of scissors and handed them to the doctor, her voice completely casual.

"Just cut open her uterus. Then the baby comes out."

My eyes went wide with shock. I shook my head desperately. "No. Please, no..."

As a housewife, I never forgot a single milestone: every wedding anniversary, my husband’s 7th career anniversary, and the birthdays of my husband and daughter. Yet, my own birthday was always ignored. Both my husband and daughter only cared about that outsider woman. Finally, one day, I chose to walk away and revive my vintage shop business. Now... they are the ones filled with regret.

1

Eight years ago, I was the heir to a powerful dynasty—the man set to inherit an empire.

On the way home from a business deal, our convoy was ambushed and I was taken. My fiancée arrived with the ransom, and the kidnappers gave her a choice: save one man. She saved my closest friend—and left me bleeding in the ruins.

They thought I was dead. They went on camera, announced my “tragic death,” took my company, split my legacy, and lived on my name for eight long years.

But I didn’t die. A gray-zone mercenary unit pulled me out of a pile of bodies. I changed my name and climbed from the bottom of their world—training, bleeding, killing, leading—until I became one of their commanders.

Today, my fiancée is marrying my best friend. The invitation arrived with my name on it. I board a first-class flight under a new identity and head straight for their wedding.

Halfway through the ceremony, the priest asks if anyone objects.

I stand up. “I object.”

I didn’t come back to give my blessing. I came back to collect.

A fire broke out at the fraternity party. I desperately pushed Mia, my brother's girlfriend, out of harm's way, only to get pinned down by a falling beam myself. My brother Liam chose to save Mia first, kicking away my oxygen mask as he left. Mia then locked the door, leaving me to burn alive.

Yet they thought I was throwing a tantrum and playing hide-and-seek. They called me "toxic" and "attention-seeking" on social media, even freezing my credit cards.

To fulfill a dying comrade's final request, I spent twelve years living in the shadows to protect his daughter. I took bullets for her, laundered her black-market assets, and eventually handed over my entire stake in the security empire. In her eyes, I am her father’s murderer; in mine, she is a mission—the only flicker of light left in my life. Until that fateful banquet, when she personally shoved me into the sights of mercenaries. Watching my blood bloom across her dress, she hooked her arm around my nemesis and ordered coldly, "Clean it up." In that moment, twelve years of devotion collapsed, and a heart that beat only for her finally learned to freeze. This time, I’ve decided to personally destroy the monster I raised.

I once loved Ryan deeply and helped him become the Alpha, only to be rewarded with chains in a dungeon and the mocking laughter of him and his mistress.

Fate gave me a second chance—I woke up reborn on the morning of the mate selection ceremony. There he was, still ordering me around in front of everyone, expecting me to play the obedient servant.

Everyone tried to convince me that Ryan, the man who killed me, is the "right choice."

Yet I chose Connor—the man feared by the entire clan, the one who will bring ruin to the clan for the sake of his one true love.

This time, I refuse to be the stepping stone on Ryan's climb to power.

I'm going to make everyone see who truly holds the reins.

For the third time, Kael fled before the wedding—this time to deliver medicine to the neighbor girl he grew up with.
As compensation, the pack elders offered me two chests of rare ore and the deed to an island.
Someone, still hopeful, called Kael on speakerphone.
His careless voice echoed through the hall:
“Why bother with compensation? Ella loves me so much; she’ll come around as soon as I go back and sweet-talk her a little.”
“Sophia’s health is what matters now. Once she recovers, I’ll just hold another ceremony for Ella.”
The elders tried to explain, but the surrounding werewolves were all waiting to see the show—waiting to see how much humiliation I would swallow.
Just like the first two times.
But I’d had enough. And I’d lost all interest in Kael.
I kicked over the chest of ore and let my gaze fall on Kael’s uncle.
Then, I smiled.
“I heard the old Alpha left a will: whoever can claim me… becomes the next Alpha.”

My brother Miles blames me for our parents' deaths.
So he chose to adopt the deaf Vivian instead of keeping me.
Later, I met Sullivan.
He gave me a grand confession. He chose me, resolutely.
He also said I hired someone to assault Vivian—that I didn't deserve sympathy.
Five years after being cast out of my family, a dismembered female body was found inside a carnival mascot costume.
Miles, now a police officer, led the investigation. Sullivan, now a forensic pathologist, performed the autopsy.
They saw the bloodstained hearing aid and immediately called Vivian.
"I'm fine. I just saw the news—some big case. Should we tell Sis to be careful too? What if something happens to her?"
They refused, almost in unison.
"The moment she killed our parents, she stopped being my sister."
"She was jealous of you. She did too many terrible things. If she's dead, she had it coming."
My soul hovered in the air, watching them. I laughed until I cried.
But when they found out the victim was me—
Why did they both go mad?

"Give birth to my child, then get out."

With those words, Sean’s kiss fell brutally, ripping Susan’s nightgown open.

His fingers pressed against her clitoris. Sean flipped her over, pinning her under him. His swollen, turgid member quickly found her secret path. He thrust in violently.

Susan broke into a cold sweat. Sean nipped her ear. "Does it feel good? Is this what you like? I’ll make you pregnant, but you can’t stay by my side—this position is reserved for Victoria."

——

Years ago, Susan saved Sean and earned the chance to marry him. But she was damaged in that accident and couldn't conceive. She took countless hormone injections, losing her figure and becoming ugly. Finally, she could get pregnant, only to catch Sean cheating with the young, hot Victoria.

"In that case," Susan said, "let’s divorce."

Susan was bloated and had been a housewife for three years with no skills. Yet, she chose to divorce, even though she couldn't take her own child with her...

Accidental Pups×Contract Marriage × Multiple Identity × Drama × Vengeance & Betrayal × One-Night Stand × Billionaire/CEO × Brave Heroine × True & Fake Heiress

Warning: This is a slow-burn romance. The love story develops gradually through trust, healing, family, and shared secrets.

“He doesn’t trust anyone.”

“I know.”

“Then why does he trust you?”

I don’t have an answer.

I only know that when I found little Cassian bound and abandoned, I couldn’t walk away. I didn’t know then that he was the son of Alistair Voss—the cold, powerful billionaire who trusted no one.

But Cassian trusted me.

And that changed everything.

When Alistair asks me to stay for his son, I refuse. Until he makes an even more shocking offer: marriage.

What begins as an arranged marriage slowly becomes something neither of us expected. Beneath the same roof, Cassian becomes the family I never knew I needed, while Alistair begins to see the woman behind my guarded heart.

But I didn’t return to Verona simply for a new life.

Five years ago, I lost my memory. My identity was stolen. Someone betrayed me, and someone wanted me gone.

Now the past is catching up with us.

And when it finally does, I may discover that Cassian chose me for a reason no one ever expected.

Some loves take time. Some truths take even longer to uncover.

He was born into extraordinary wealth, admired by all.
Until the woman he loved betrayed him. After years together, they parted ways.
Five years later, their paths crossed again. He sat at a bar with another woman in his arms, but the moment he saw her, rage flashed in his eyes.
"You betrayed me. What gives you the right to show your face here?"
She nodded and walked away.
He lost his mind searching for her.
Only then did he learn why she had really left.
He pulled her close, arms tight around her. "Marry me. Whatever burdens you carry, I'll carry them with you. Whatever tears fall, I'll wipe them away."

For my fiancée’s career, I was willing to be the ghost designer behind her for five years.

Until the day of the key bid, she stole the blueprint I had spent two sleepless years perfecting and signed it with the name of her useless first love.

The drawings are gone You can draw them again He needs this project to survive Be sensible she said, impatient when I confronted her

I did not argue My heart went cold I calmly left my engagement ring and my resignation letter and went to Europe

In just three months, without me, she became disgraced and buried in debt While I won Europe’s highest architectural gold award

I watched the once proud her soak in icy water for five hours just to earn a trace of my sympathy

I handed her a basic junior interview form with indifference Want to start over Report to the front desk Start with errands and work your way up

Three months after being reunited with the Harrington family, I won £5 million in the lottery.

Then, they kicked me out of the house.

My father, my mother, and that imposter brother—three swindlers—fabricated an apocalyptic lie and used a so-called "heirloom" to steal my lottery ticket.

They didn't know that the end times really were coming.

Unbeknownst to them, the true power of that wristband was—item duplication.

Little did they know, I was the one who had truly been reborn from the apocalypse.

In my past life, they used me as bait, letting me be torn to pieces by the infected.

In this life, 5 million pounds? Go ahead and squander it.

I want to watch them struggle in despair and die in fear.

And I will have unlimited resources at my disposal, on this wasteland—

After being stood up for the ninety-ninth time while attempting to register for marriage, I sent my fiancé a breakup message. He had allowed me to be let down ninety-nine times, dismissing my asthma as mere pretentiousness and perceiving my sacrifices as acts of greed, all the while lavishing his patience upon another woman. It was only when he had his mistress select a cheap necklace for me and sketched explicit nudes of her that I realized these seven years were not a narrative of profound love, but rather an absurd farce playing out solely in my life. The moment I dispatched the breakup message, I never envisioned that this man, who viewed me as dispensable, would later pursue me with a frenzied obsession.

My husband's foster sister, Delilah, gets poisoned and ends up paralyzed. My husband, Grayson, the Don of this whole crime family, doesn't even bother checking the security cameras. He just throws me, two months pregnant, into the cistern where they punish traitors.

"Tessa, hand over the antidote, or die."

I kneel in the freezing swamp water and beg him. I didn't poison her.

He answers with a kick to the stomach.

For three straight days, I suffer down there. Leeches tear into my skin. My baby turns into a pool of black blood and dissolves into the filthy water. By the end, my vocal cords tear to shreds, my body goes cold, and I stop breathing.

His men get on their knees and beg him to spare me. He just sneers.

"That woman's always been good at playing the victim. No food, no medicine. Let her keep soaking."

Three days later, he finally walks into the cistern, and it's only to give me an ultimatum.

"Crawl out and apologize to Delilah on your knees. Otherwise I'll strip you of your title and sell you off to a trafficking ring. You'll wish you were dead."

No one answers him.

He has no idea. I already am.

Ten years ago, on the day my family was destroyed, Ezra Ashford promised to marry me.
Ten years passed. He refused to honor that promise, and he refused to mark me. The feral instincts in my blood were growing wilder by the day, pushing me to the brink of madness—yet he turned around, announced his engagement to Ophelia, the beloved daughter of the Silvermane Pack, and casually sold me off to Rhysand, a scarred, half-burned monster who cleaned corpses for a living.
On his wedding night, Ezra actually abandoned Ophelia, kicking down my door in his tailored tuxedo.
Only to freeze in his tracks.
I sat naked on the edge of the bed. Rhysand, the supposedly lowly corpse cleaner, had me wrapped in his arms. The bite mark on the back of my neck was still bleeding.