Afrodite LesFolies

Six years ago, I destroyed the only man I ever loved to save him. Today, he walked back into my life to take the only thing I have left. I was dying of leukemia, with only months to live. My only wish was to spend that time with my daughter, Kenzie. But I was being sued for custody by my deceased husband's sister, who demanded a fortune I didn't have. Then, the opposing lawyer walked in. It was Bryan Flores. He stood by, his face a mask of indifference, as his client slapped me across the face. He threatened to take my daughter, calling me an unfit mother. "Sign it," he said, his voice like ice. "Or I will see you in court, and I will take everything from you. Starting with your daughter." He didn't know Kenzie was his child. He didn't know I was dying. He only knew he hated me, and he now had a new family with the very woman whose family had destroyed mine. I had sacrificed everything to protect him, pushing him away with cruel lies so he could have a future. But my sacrifice had turned him into a monster, and he was now the weapon being used to destroy me completely. To save our daughter, I gave up my life-saving treatment money and sent her far away. As he celebrated the birth of his new child on the floor above, I died alone in a hospital bed. But I left him a letter. A letter that would burn his perfect world to the ground.

My childhood sweetheart, Bryce, swore he'd never leave me, even after he was revealed as the long-lost heir to the Larson crime family. He was my home, my future, my protector against his ruthless new world. Then my sister, Diana, reappeared as the polished daughter of a rival Don, and he fell for her instantly. When Diana was "poisoned," Bryce didn't hesitate. He ordered doctors to take my blood for the antidote, a rare transfusion that could kill me. When she framed me as a rat, he had me thrown in a cellar. There, I was beaten, branded like an animal, and left for dead. The man who swore to protect me had me tortured and broken, all for his new love. His final act was to marry me off to a powerful stranger, a political move to get rid of me. But as the black armored car carried me to my new life, he finally came chasing after me, begging for forgiveness. I looked at the man who destroyed me and delivered my final vow. "My name is Callie Benton. And you, Bryce Larson, are nothing but a stranger from a life I no longer remember."

The call came at dusk: my brother, Ezra, had been in a motorcycle accident. The doctor, his voice chillingly calm, said he needed immediate surgery. Then came the news that shattered my world: his leg was amputated. The surgeon, Dr. Kaitlin Russo, cited "complications," but I, an investigative blogger, smelled a lie. It wasn't a complication; it was a botched procedure. My exposé went viral, detailing her negligence. And then, it vanished—scrubbed from the internet. My husband, Hayden Bridges, a titan of Silicon Valley, was suddenly unreachable. My sister, Ivy, disappeared from her apartment, leaving behind nothing but a set of muddy footprints and a scent of fear. I found Kaitlin admiring a new diamond bracelet, a smirk playing on her lips. "Hayden takes very good care of me," she purred. The truth hit me like a physical blow. My husband wasn't just her powerful backer. He was her lover. He forced me to issue a public apology to Kaitlin, making me watch a live video feed of Ivy, terrified and weeping in a dark room. "She's safe," he promised, his voice cold as ice, "as long as you drop this." I had no choice. But my choice meant nothing. Ivy was tortured by Kaitlin's monstrous brother, Kyle, and died in my arms. Days later, Ezra was found dead in his hospital bed. In the desolate quiet of my grief, a new, cold purpose ignited within me. They had destroyed my family. I would burn his empire to the ground.

Chloe Miller and Blake Harrison were husband and wife, a title that masked three years of mutual hatred and separate beds. Then, a gang abducted and brutally murdered Chloe. But instead of peace, she woke to the Grim Reaper' s voice: "Ms. Miller, you have desires you have not resolved. You cannot be reborn yet." She was granted ten days to return to life and fix her problems, or risk eternal damnation. Chloe returned to find Blake celebrating her "death" with her adoptive sister, Amelia Miller, the woman Blake truly loved. Blake, believing her to be a manipulative ghost, grabbed her throat. "You have the nerve to come back!" he snarled. He thought she faked her kidnapping, mocking her with twisted accusations alongside Amelia and her parents. Chloe, overwhelmed, saw the prayer beads she' d gotten for Blake during his accident, a symbol of her wasted devotion. Her past devotion felt like a torment now, a chain she needed to break. She pulled the beads from his wrist, scattering them, severing their hold. "I' m tired, Blake," she said, her voice clear and firm. "Let' s get a divorce." His eyes widened in shock. He refused. He' d always refused. But this time, Chloe wasn' t fighting for him. She was fighting for herself. She was finally ready to rewrite her own story, leaving behind the shattered pieces of her past.

I opened my eyes to a miracle: A second chance. Reborn into my past life, I knew I was meant to cherish Ethan Cole, the husband I’d scorned, the man who’d loved me silently and died for my sake. This time, I vowed to be the wife he truly deserved. For a few precious weeks, there was hope; he, too, seemed reborn, gazing at me with cautious affection. But then Sophia Vance appeared, and everything shattered. His eyes, once full of tender light, turned relentlessly cold. He began to inflict systematic cruelty, using Sophia as a pawn in a twisted game of "testing" my love. He coerced me to sacrifice my dying mother for Sophia’s sibling, subjected me to public humiliation, and threatened me with physical harm. When my mother’s life and my own reputation weren't enough, he targeted my deepest fear: threatening my parents’ lives unless I confessed to Sophia’s absurd lies. My desperate love for him withered under this relentless onslaught, replaced by a chilling terror. How could the man who died for me become such a monster? Was this his perverse way of making me pay for my past sins? Or had his own reborn hope curdled into a devastating, calculated revenge? The man standing before me was a stranger, inflicting unimaginable cruelty, and I was trapped. I knew then: I wouldn't break. I would escape his torment. My only choice was to fake my own death, leaving him to his own regret and finally reclaiming my freedom.

For ten years, I, Eleanor Vance, played the perfect wife, silent and supportive, while my celebrated architect husband, Robert, built his monuments of glass and steel-and enjoyed a revolving door of ninety-nine mistresses. But the real crack in my meticulously constructed facade came when his latest, Liam, moved into our guesthouse and began digging up my most cherished possession: my rose garden, a sacred memorial to the two children we lost. Not only did Robert permit this desecration, but he publicly humiliated me, praising Liam as a "dazzling talent" at a lavish party more extravagant than our wedding, while our social circle whispered and pitied me. The ultimate blow came when he used the memory of our dead children as a weapon, ordering me to kneel before Liam. How could he so casually dismiss my grief, my sacrifices, and the sacred space I carved out of our shared tragedy? How could a man I loved with every fiber of my being tear down my very soul for an empty imitation of a past ghost? In that shattering moment, as a cruel smile spread across his face, I knew my love for him was finally dead; and Eleanor Vance, the dutiful wife, chose to embark on a radical, irreversible path to reclaim her life, her dignity, and her legacy, planning a public, messy fight he wouldn' t see coming.

Sarah Miller poured her heart and soul into creating the perfect launching pad for her daughter, Emily-a cozy apartment near university, smelling of fresh paint and new beginnings. She envisioned a safe space for Emily to flourish, a place where her bright, kind daughter could study and grow into the amazing woman she was meant to be. But that peace shattered within three days when Emily' s voice, broken by sobs, revealed a nightmare: her best friend Ashley' s family had invaded the apartment, pushing boundaries, eating their food, and leaving a trail of disrespect. Worst of all, Ashley' s brother had crept into Emily' s room at night, watching her sleep and whispering unsettling words, only for Ashley to dismiss it as a joke. Sarah' s blood ran cold when she heard the terror in Emily' s voice, caught between fear and a desperate plea to avoid a scene. How could a supposed best friend allow such a violation, turning kindness into an open invitation for chaos and harassment? Driven by a mother' s primal fury, Sarah walked into her daughter' s apartment, witnessing the wreckage of their new beginning-stale smoke, greasy food, and a smug intruder. The complacent smirk of Ashley' s brother, coupled with his callous remark about Emily being "high-strung," ignited a firestorm in Sarah. She saw red and acted, a resounding slap echoing through the ruined living room, setting the stage for an inevitable confrontation. This was no longer just about boundaries; it was about reclaiming sacred ground and protecting her daughter' s sanctuary. With that decisive blow, Sarah declared war on anyone who dared threaten her child' s peace, peace she had worked her entire life to provide.

I woke up in 1982, my 22-year-old body buzzing with memories of a 72-year marriage to Mark Johnson. This was my second chance. Today was the day Mark proposed in our past life, and my heart beat with familiar hope, ready to relive our perfect love story. I found him at the town gathering, my heart leaping. But he wasn't looking for me. Instead, Mark went straight to Bree Thompson, his confident smile fixed on her. Then, loud enough for everyone, he asked her out. My treasured memory, my entire hope, shattered instantly. That perfect marriage, all those cherished moments, felt poisoned. He was reborn too, and he clearly wanted someone else. Public humiliation, malicious accusations, and finally, deliberately snapping my guitar string right before my talent show performance-his cruelty knew no bounds. My beautiful past was ruined. Was our entire 72-year marriage a lie? Was I just a convenient second choice? The rage and disbelief at this changed man consumed me. Why was he so intent on destroying me? Why did he hate the life we' d built? The confusion was a constant ache. But defiance sparked. I sang acapella, winning a demo deal. Enraged, Mark dropped his charade, spewing venom about how I'd held him back. "We're done!" I declared, finally seeing the selfish parasite he always was. This was my true second chance: to embrace my music, my freedom, and my own splendid future.

I was dying. Late-stage cystic fibrosis. Months, maybe a year. My last wish? To finish my art installations and reconnect with Ethan, the man who once promised me forever. But Ethan, now a renowned architect meticulously planning his life with perfect fiancée Sophia, wanted nothing to do with my "chaos." I blackmailed him with his father's dirty secrets, forcing him into a 60-day contract to help my art. He dismissed my fading health as "drama," relentlessly judging me. Sophia publicly humiliated and framed me, and Ethan chose her every time, even sending thugs to "scare" me away. On his wedding day, a desperate old acquaintance fatally stabbed me. I died alone, my final cries for connection misunderstood as manipulation, my love overshadowed by public shame. Why did he hate me so much? Why couldn't he see beyond the chaos to the dying woman begging for a final human touch? It wasn't until my death, when Ethan found my hidden journals and saw the truth of my terminal illness, that he understood. Crushed by regret, he dismantled his life, realizing the love he'd denied. Years later, inexplicably drawn back into his orbit, I met him again. Not as Ava, but as Mia. My soul, reborn, for a second chance at a love he never truly let die.

For five years, I played the part of the devoted wife to a billionaire who despised me. I endured his coldness, his public affair with his mistress Gisele, and every humiliation he threw my way. All of it was a performance, a long game for one single purpose. On our fifth anniversary, the day my contract ended, I finally collected my deceased fiancé Julian's ashes. His last wish was to have them scattered on Mars, a dream only accessible to me through my marriage to his identical twin brother, Clayton. With my mission accomplished, I asked for a divorce. But Clayton, the man who had ignored me for half a decade, refused. He laughed, then kissed me with a brutal possessiveness I' d never felt before. "You're not going anywhere," he whispered. "You're mine now." He dragged me from our sterile penthouse, his eyes burning with a terrifying obsession. He offered me a real marriage, a child, a future I never wanted. He couldn't understand that my heart had always belonged to his dead brother. When I finally revealed the truth-that our entire marriage was just a means to fulfill Julian's last wish-he didn't let me go. He broke. He abandoned his mistress, begged, and even kidnapped me, convinced he could force me to love him. "You'll learn to be mine," he snarled, his sanity unraveling as he held me captive on his private jet. "We'll have children. They'll bind us together. You'll never leave me then." But he was wrong. This wasn't the story of a woman won over by a monster's late-blooming love. This was the story of my escape, and I was finally ready to be free.

For two years, I, the quiet girl from the town' s greasy diner, nursed a secret, pathetic crush on Ethan Hayes, our school' s golden boy and star quarterback. He embodied everything I admired, a perfect hero from a storybook. Then, one day, I collapsed at a noisy pep rally, and when I came to, he was kneeling beside me, offering a hand, his voice laced with concern. But a chilling, disembodied voice pierced my mind – his actual thoughts: "Ugh, she' s always staring. So clumsy. Probably smells like that greasy diner her parents own." The boy I' d idolized, the kind, perfect Ethan, was instantly replaced by a sneer I hadn't seen but had devastatingly heard. His disgust became a physical weight, overshadowing the relentless bullying from Brittany, his queen-bee friend, which he passively allowed. The final blow came when I was publicly accused of cheating on an exam, and he, the one person who knew Brittany' s true intentions, remained a shameful, silent observer. How could my hero be such a snob, such a coward, letting me be publicly ridiculed and unjustly branded a cheat? The overwhelming unfairness of it all ripped through me, leaving me shattered and utterly alone. But in that deepest pit of humiliation, a scorching resolve ignited within me. I decided then and there to turn all that pain into raw fuel, to outwork everyone, especially him, and secure my escape to a future where my worth wasn' t dictated by their petty judgments.

For four years, I' ve played the part of Alex Miller, the broken, grieving husband of powerful CEO Cassandra Davenport. She believed she "saved" me after my sister Sarah's tragic DUI. But the truth was a horror: Sarah wasn't just in an accident; Cassie, her brother Dylan, and even my ex-fiancée executed a calculated plan to harvest her organs for Dylan. Cassie then married me, thinking my grief would ensure my silence and control. Every feigned hug, every comforting word, every moment of pretend devotion was a step in my meticulous hunt. I used my honed cybersecurity skills, patiently navigating their labyrinthine lies, gathering the cold, hard evidence of their depravity. They thought I was docile, a puppet on their strings, completely unaware of the raging storm building beneath my placid facade. The injustice of Sarah's stolen life, and their smug impunity, fueled every waking moment. Tonight, with the irrefutable evidence of their conspiracy and their global organ trafficking rings finally secure, my pretense shatters. This isn' t a story of healing; it' s a meticulously planned detonation. The Davenport Foundation' s lavish awards gala, their shining hour, is about to become the stage for their very public downfall.

I woke up with a vicious hangover in the bed of Kaelen Blackwood, the ruthless Alpha King of our city. As a wolfless Omega, I panicked and told him I couldn't be his because I had a boyfriend, Julian. But Kaelen just sneered, and hours later, I found out why. Julian had been cheating on me with the princess of the rival Thorne Pack, colluding with the very enemies who ruined my family. When I tried to run, Kaelen cut off every escape route. He branded me with his suffocating scent, tracked my every move, and threw a Mate Contract on my lap. He knew my deepest, darkest secret: I was hunting Alaric Thorne, the monster who murdered my mother. "Sign it. It's your only ticket in." Three years of my life with Julian had been a pathetic lie. I was betrayed by the man I loved and sold out to the pack that destroyed my mother. My ex thought I was just a weak, discarded Omega he could trample on. He thought I was left with nothing. He was dead wrong. I took the billionaire Alpha's pen and signed the contract, demanding a shadow team and untraceable resources in return. Tonight, at the elite charity gala, I stood draped in diamonds beside the most dangerous predator in Manhattan. Seeing my cheating ex pale with absolute terror in the crowd, I looked up into Kaelen's stormy gray eyes. "Kiss me." I am no longer the prey. I am his Luna, and I am going to destroy them all.

I sat in a Louis XV-style chair that cost more than my entire education, picking at the peeling leather of my thrift-store handbag. Across the mahogany table, Council Bartlett didn't even look at me; he just checked his watch, treating our marriage like a corporate merger that needed to be finalized before the market closed. To the world, I was a gold digger hitting the lottery, but I was actually a woman with a secret I guarded more fiercely than a state secret. I had one week to show a social worker a stable home with a husband, or they would take my four-year-old nephew, Leo, and put him back into the system forever. The ink was barely dry on our marriage certificate when my world started to fracture. My aunt called, screaming for help as her drunk husband broke into her house, forcing me to leave my new "billionaire husband" in my cramped Queens apartment to handle a domestic nightmare with a baseball bat and pepper spray. When I returned, smelling of cheap whiskey and sweat, I found Council’s mother—the ice-cold Hortense—waiting on a video call. She didn't just want a business arrangement; she wanted an heir, and she’d already sent a box of fertility drugs to my kitchen counter to prove it. I was living a lie in a tenement building, caught between a man who treated me like a line item and a social worker who viewed my life as a "phantom." Council was sleeping on my lumpy sofa, his expensive legs dangling off the end, while I locked the bedroom door every night. I didn't want his money; I just wanted my boy. But how could I survive a war where the enemy lived in a penthouse and the casualties were measured in custody hearings? Just as Council saw me holding Leo and the "Ice King" finally began to thaw, his phone buzzed with an anonymous threat. "I know you're faking it. Pay me 100k or the press gets the story." The blackmailer was someone inside the Bartlett estate, and the "shield" I had built for Leo was about to become our cage.

As I lay on the floor of our manor, bleeding out from a ruptured ectopic pregnancy, I used my last ounce of strength to call my husband, Cole. I begged him for help, my vision blurring. But the only thing I heard was the clinking of champagne glasses and his mistress's giggle in the background. "Stop the drama, June," Cole snapped, his voice cold. "We're about to go on stage. Don't call again." He hung up, leaving me to die alone on the Persian rug while he accepted an award with another woman on his arm. I woke up in the hospital days later. My baby was gone. They had removed my fallopian tube. Cole finally arrived, smelling of expensive scotch and his mistress's perfume. He didn't hug me. He didn't cry. Instead, he leaned over my hospital bed, pressing his knee into the mattress until my fresh stitches tore open and bled. "You embarrassed me by calling an ambulance," he hissed. "My mistress, Alycia, says you're faking it. Clean yourself up." He left me bleeding again to go announce a $10 million donation to Alycia's "groundbreaking" medical research. I stared at the TV screen, numb. The research Alycia was taking credit for? It was mine. I wrote that patent years ago under a pseudonym. They thought I was just a poor, orphan housewife who needed Cole's money to survive. They had no idea I was actually a billionaire scientist hiding my identity. I pulled the IV needle out of my arm. A drop of blood fell onto the divorce papers I had been hiding. I didn't wipe it off. I signed my name right over it. Then I walked into the bank, reactivated my dormant account with $128 million, and bought the penthouse directly overlooking Cole's house. The mourning widow is dead. The avenger is born.

I was once the heiress to the Solomon empire, but after it crumbled, I became the "charity case" ward of the wealthy Hyde family. For years, I lived in their shadows, clinging to the promise that Anson Hyde would always be my protector. That promise shattered when Anson walked into the ballroom with Claudine Chapman on his arm. Claudine was the girl who had spent years making my life a living hell, and now Anson was announcing their engagement to the world. The humiliation was instant. Guests sneered at my cheap dress, and a waiter intentionally sloshed champagne over me, knowing I was a nobody. Anson didn't even look my way; he was too busy whispering possessively to his new fiancée. I was a ghost in my own home, watching my protector celebrate with my tormentor. The betrayal burned. I realized I wasn't a ward; I was a pawn Anson had kept on a shelf until he found a better trade. I had no money, no allies, and a legal trust fund that Anson controlled with a flick of his wrist. Fleeing to the library, I stumbled into Dallas Koch-a titan of industry and my best friend's father. He was a wall of cold, absolute power that even the Hydes feared. "Marry me," I blurted out, desperate to find a shield Anson couldn't climb. Dallas didn't laugh. He pulled out a marriage agreement and a heavy fountain pen. "Sign," he commanded, his voice a low rumble. "But if you walk out that door with me, you never go back." I signed my name, trading my life for the only man dangerous enough to keep me safe.

I woke up on silk sheets that smelled of expensive cedar and cold sandalwood, a world away from my cramped apartment in Brooklyn. Beside me lay Ezra Gardner-my boss, the billionaire CEO of Gardner Holdings, and the man who could end my career with a snap of his fingers. He didn't offer an apology for the night before; instead, he looked at me with terrifying clarity and proposed a cold, calculated business arrangement. "Marriage. It stabilizes the board and solves the PR crisis before it begins." He dressed me in archival Chanel and sent me home in his Maybach, but my life was already falling apart. My boyfriend, Irving, claimed he had passed out early, yet his location data placed him at my best friend's apartment until three in the morning. When I tried to run, I realized Ezra was already ten steps ahead, tracking my movements and uncovering the secret I'd spent twenty years hiding: my connection to the powerful Senator Grimes. I was trapped between a CEO who treated me like a line item on a quarterly report and a boyfriend who had been using me while sleeping with my closest friend. I felt like a pawn in a game I didn't understand, wondering why a man like Ezra would walk up forty flights of stairs on a broken leg just to make sure I was safe. "Showtime, Mrs. Gardner." Standing on the red carpet in a gown that cost more than my life, I watched my cheating ex-boyfriend's face turn pale as Ezra claimed me in front of the world. I wasn't just an assistant anymore; I was a weapon, and it was time to burn their world down.

Vesper's marriage to Julian Sterling was a gilded cage. One morning, she woke naked beside Damon Sterling, Julian's terrifying brother, then found a text: Julian's mistress was pregnant. Her world shattered, but the real nightmare had just begun. Julian's abuse escalated, gaslighting Vesper, funding his secret life. Damon, a germaphobic billionaire, became her unsettling anchor amidst his chaos. As "Iris," Vesper exposed Julian's mistress, Serena Sharp, sparking brutal war: poisoned drinks, a broken leg, and the horrifying truth-Julian murdered her parents, trapping Vesper in marriage. The man she married was a killer. Broken and betrayed, Vesper was caught between monstrous brothers, burning with injustice. Refusing victimhood, Vesper reclaimed her identity. Fueled by vengeance, she allied with Damon, who vowed to burn his empire for her. Julian faced justice, but matriarch Eleanor's counterattack forced Vesper's choice as a hitman aimed for her.

The sterile white of the operating room blurred, then sharpened, as Skye Sterling felt the cold clawing its way up her body. The heart monitor flatlined, a steady, high-pitched whine announcing her end. Her uterus had been removed, a desperate attempt to stop the bleeding, but the blood wouldn't clot. It just kept flowing, warm and sticky, pooling beneath her. Through heavy eyes, she saw a trembling nurse holding a phone on speaker. "Mr. Kensington," the nurse's voice cracked, "your wife... she's critical." A pause, then a sweet, poisonous giggle. Seraphina Miller. "Liam is in the shower," Seraphina's voice purred. "Stop calling, Skye. It's pathetic. Faking a medical emergency on our anniversary? Even for you, that's low." Then, Liam's bored voice: "If she dies, call the funeral home. I have a meeting in the morning." Click. The line went dead. A second later, so did Skye. The darkness that followed was absolute, suffocating, a black ocean crushing her lungs. She screamed into the void, a silent, agonizing wail of regret for loving a man who saw her as a nuisance, for dying without ever truly living. Until she died, she didn't understand. Why was her life so tragically wasted? Why did her husband, the man she loved, abandon her so cruelly? The injustice of it all burned hotter than the fever in her body. Then, the air rushed back in. Skye gasped, her body convulsing violently on the mattress. Her eyes flew open, wide and terrified, staring blindly into the darkness. Her trembling hand reached for her phone. May 12th. Five years ago. She was back.

Aurora woke up to the sterile chill of her king-sized bed in Sterling Thorne's penthouse. Today was the day her husband would finally throw her out like garbage. Sterling walked in, tossed divorce papers at her, and demanded her signature, eager to announce his "eligible bachelor" status to the world. In her past life, the sight of those papers had broken her, leaving her begging for a second chance. Sterling's sneering voice, calling her a "trailer park girl" undeserving of his name, had once cut deeper than any blade. He had always used her humble beginnings to keep her small, to make her grateful for the crumbs of his attention. She had lived a gilded cage, believing she was nothing without him, until her life flatlined in a hospital bed, watching him give a press conference about his "grief." But this time, she felt no sting, no tears. Only a cold, clear understanding of the mediocre man who stood on a pedestal she had painstakingly built with her own genius. Aurora signed the papers, her name a declaration of independence. She grabbed her old, phoenix-stickered laptop, ready to walk out. Sterling Thorne was about to find out exactly how expensive "free" could be.

I was the orphaned "parasite" of the Tyler family, taken in only to be abused for fifteen years after my parents died in a tragic car crash. To finally escape their control, I sold my first time to my ruthless billionaire boss, Ellsworth Mosley, for one million dollars. I thought it was a clean transaction. But the next morning, covered in severe bruises he left on me, I was handed a brutal contract with a fifty-million-dollar penalty. He didn't just buy my silence; he bought me. My nightmare only worsened when my adoptive family found out about my connection to the billionaire. Instead of disgust, they invited me to a hypocritical family dinner. "Talk to Mosley, convince him to invest in our failing business," my adoptive father demanded shamelessly. His son, who had tormented me for years, even grabbed my hand. "Do this, and we can be officially engaged. You'll finally be a real Tyler." They wanted me to whore myself out to save the family that had treated me like a stray dog. I shattered my wine glass, cursed them to go bankrupt, and walked out into the rain. As I reached the door, my phone vibrated with a terrifying summons from Ellsworth. But it was the panicked whisper behind me that froze my blood. "She knows about the brakes on her parents' car. If anyone finds out what we did, we'll go to prison." They murdered my parents. I gripped my phone, accepting the devil's call. Since I was already bound to a monster, I would use his power to drag them all to hell.

I stood in the pouring rain at my father-in-law's funeral, the heels of my black pumps sinking into the mud. I was Mrs. Vargas, the wife of New York's most powerful billionaire, yet I was standing at the edge of the crowd like a forgotten statue. Ten feet away, under the dry shelter of the family tent, my husband Hayes held another woman against his chest. It wasn't me he was whispering comfort to; it was Felicity, his late brother's widow and childhood sweetheart. The humiliation didn't end at the cemetery. Hayes moved Felicity and her son into our home, relegating me to the guest wing while she took over the primary suites. He watched silently as her son smashed the only photograph of my deceased parents, then demanded I apologize for "scaring" the boy with my reaction. When Felicity's negligence ruined a twelve-million-dollar family heirloom, Hayes had the audacity to ask me to use my own savings to buy her a "consolation" engagement ring. He treated me like a parasite, never realizing I was a brilliant scientist with a hidden fortune and three patents to my name. I realized then that our three-year marriage was a hollow farce. Hayes had never even touched me, claiming he wanted to "remain pure" for his memory of Felicity. I was nothing more than a business merger, a smudge on the lens of the perfect family portrait he was building with another man's widow. The breaking point came during a lethal blizzard. Hayes promised to accompany me to my family's mandatory gala-a tradition where my absence meant a death sentence. But at the last second, he stood me up to stay home and tend to Felicity's stubbed toe. Left alone to face the wrath of the Santos Matriarch, I was forced to kneel in the freezing snow as punishment until my lungs began to fail and my vision blurred. Just as the darkness started to take me, a black Maybach smashed through the iron gates. My exiled brother, the man the world calls "The Wolf," stepped out of the storm to reclaim what Hayes had discarded. Hayes thought I was a helpless doll who couldn't survive a day without his trust fund, but he's about to find out what happens when you let a Santos daughter freeze.

Her sister is marrying her ex. So she brings her best friend as her fake fiancé. What could possibly go wrong? Savannah Hart thought she was over Dean Archer-until her sister, Chloe announces she's marrying him. The same man Savannah never stopped loving. The man who left her heartbroken... and now belongs to her sister. A weeklong wedding in New Hope. One mansion full of guests. And a very bitter maid of honor. To survive it, Savannah brings a date-her charming, clean-cut best friend, Roman Blackwood. The one man who's always had her back. He owes her a favor, and pretending to be her fiancé? Easy. Until fake kisses start to feel real. Now Savannah's torn between keeping up the act... or risking everything for the one man she was never supposed to fall for.

Trigger/Content Warning: This story contains mature themes and explicit content intended for adult audiences(18+). Reader discretion is advised. It includes elements such as BDSM dynamics, explicit sexual content, toxic family relationships, occasional violence and strong language. This is not a fluffy romance. It is intense, raw and messy, and explores the darker side of desire. ***** "Take off your dress, Meadow." "Why?" "Because your ex is watching," he said, leaning back into his seat. "And I want him to see what he lost." ••••*••••*••••* Meadow Russell was supposed to get married to the love of her life in Vegas. Instead, she walked in on her twin sister riding her fiance. One drink at the bar turned to ten. One drunken mistake turned into reality. And one stranger's offer turned into a contract that she signed with shaking hands and a diamond ring. Alaric Ashford is the devil in a tailored Tom Ford suit. Billionaire CEO, brutal, possessive. A man born into an empire of blood and steel. He also suffers from a neurological condition-he can't feel. Not objects, not pain, not even human touch. Until Meadow touches him, and he feels everything. And now he owns her. On paper and in his bed. She wants him to ruin her. Take what no one else could have. He wants control, obedience... revenge. But what starts as a transaction slowly turns into something Meadow never saw coming. Obsession, secrets that were never meant to surface, and a pain from the past that threatens to break everything. Alaric doesn't share what's his. Not his company. Not his wife. And definitely not his vengeance.