Leah

Years after Mark Peterson' s death, I finally went to his grave, hoping to find resolution and move on. But right beside his headstone, a new, chillingly familiar stone bore the name: Jessica Hayes. My breath hitched-Jessica, his high school sweetheart, the very woman who had slowly choked the life out of our seven-year marriage was buried directly next to him, not me. All the years of pain and silent suffering condensed into a cosmic joke, realizing he' d not just chosen her in life, but in death too, shattering my hard-won peace and sending me into darkness. I awoke in a clinical haze, confused, only to realize I was back exactly seven years earlier, on the agonizing day of my miscarriage when he' d abandoned me for Jessica. A fierce wave of clarity washed over me: this time, armed with the cruel truth of his lifelong devotion to her, I wouldn't beg, wouldn't cry, wouldn't let him destroy me again. This time, I would walk away first.

I spent three months in Zurich securing banking rights for my family's pack. I couldn't wait to give my five-year-old daughter, Lily, the rare Starlight Moonstone Beast I’d bought to soothe her shifting pains. But before I landed, I saw a photo online: my husband's "distant nephew" was playing with that very toy in my living room. I rushed to the Pack Academy, only to find a teacher raising a riding crop laced with wolfsbane against my child. Instead of protecting us, my husband, Austyn, stepped out with a woman wearing my furs and my grandmother’s emerald necklace. He told the gathered crowd I was a mental patient having a delusion. He hugged his mistress and announced she was the true Luna, claiming our marriage was a mistake and publicly rejecting our bond. For five years, I had suppressed my Supreme Alpha aura to let him feel powerful, funding his lifestyle and building his reputation. In return, he brainwashed my pack, abused my daughter, and tried to cast me out as a beggar in my own queendom. He thought he had won because he believed his own lies about my weakness. But when his illegitimate son threw a rock that drew blood from my daughter’s face, my patience snapped. I stopped suppressing my scent, and my eyes turned molten gold. "This is not a dispute, Austyn. This is an execution."

I had a secret: for three years, Liam Hayes, my brother's best friend and five years my junior, was mine in the dark. I loved him completely, even sacrificing career opportunities for him. When I finally asked for us to be open, I discovered his true intentions were to use me to make his childhood sweetheart, Sarah Jenkins, jealous. The devastating truth hit hard: during an accident where I broke my ankle, Liam abandoned me for Sarah's minor paper cut. Then, at the hospital, he publicly denied knowing me, claiming I was just "Ryan' s sister," before kissing Sarah intensely in front of me, shattering any illusions I had left. The humiliation deepened when I overheard his friends casually discussing his plan to propose to Sarah at an upcoming music festival, using me as the unwitting backdrop by having me sing backup vocals on the song he wrote for her. My world crumbled; I was nothing but a pawn in his manipulative game. The emotional wounds festered as I struggled to comprehend how someone I loved could be so cruel and calculating. How could I have been so blind to his true nature? The betrayal was too deep to reconcile. In a pivotal moment, knowing I couldn't endure another second of being his fool, I made a life-altering decision. I cut all ties, resigned from my job, left the city, and accepted an arranged marriage to a kind, stable man, Marcus Thorne, to rebuild my shattered life.

A pounding headache ripped me from sleep, but this wasn't my bedroom. It was a luxurious penthouse, and I was in bed with a man whose familiar scent brought a rush of panic: Ethan Hayes, my estranged step-uncle who' d vanished years ago. The shock was a physical blow. He was family, a ghost from a bizarre chapter of my life, and the memory of our night together was horribly clear. I fled, scrubbing my skin raw, desperate to erase his touch. I clung to the hope it was a one-time, anonymous mistake. But a week later, my mom called, buzzing with excitement. Someone was investing in our family business, paying off all our debts, saving us. And he was coming for dinner. My stomach dropped when I heard his voice. Ethan Hayes, impeccably tailored, stood in our living room. His eyes, dark and intense, held a spark of knowing amusement that made my blood run cold. He saw me, and he remembered everything. Dinner was torture. My parents adored him, completely oblivious to the suffocating tension. "It's always wise to remove unnecessary obstacles from one's life," he said, his gaze pinning me, a direct hit that solidified his intent. He was here to stay. Then came the new neighbor: Ethan. He bought the apartment right next door. He was at my coffee shop, outside my campus art building. Every polite refusal, every attempt to pull away, only seemed to tighten his web. I was trapped, and nobody else could see the bars of the cage.

Dr. Chen looked at my patent transfer agreement, concerned. "Ava, are you absolutely sure? This patent is your life's work." I was sure; it was my only way to shield it from my family. They saw my success not as pride, but as a resource for Willow, my foster sister, who masterfully painted me as selfish to my father, Richard, and brother, Ethan. My cherished belongings vanished, ending up with Willow, while my room-the one with the best light-was given to her for her "artistic sensibilities," banishing me to the cramped attic. Then came the day I signed the patent away. I returned home to a surprise party for Willow, celebrating her art grant. They had forgotten it was the anniversary of my mother's passing. My fiancé, Liam, usually my partner, stood by Willow, his arm possessively around her. My father, beaming, said, "Ava, perfect timing! Willow needs your help. You're going to give her the patent." I stared, disbelief chilling me. "It's a medical patent. It has nothing to do with art or business. And it's not for sale." Willow burst into tears, claiming Liam said I'd agreed to surprise her. Liam mumbled a pathetic "It's for the family." Then, Willow brought out a mango mousse cake-a deadly allergy for me. Liam, irritated, snapped, "Just for once, can you not make everything about you?" Willow, the kicked puppy, apologized, claiming forgetfulness, and turned to my father, who raged at me. "Look what you did, you ungrateful child! You will sign over that patent and apologize to Willow!" When I refused, he slapped and shoved me. I fell, my face landing squarely in the cake. Anaphylaxis set in immediately. I gasped for air, crawling for my EpiPen, as they watched me-my father, Ethan, Willow, and Liam-all stood by, watching me die. As blessed air trickled back into my lungs, one thought solidified: I'm leaving, and I am never, ever coming back.

The city air was thick with sirens, a constant wail that had become the sound of dread. Thirteen brutal murders had everyone locking their doors a little tighter. I never thought the fourteenth would be mine. The call came just after midnight. "Mrs. Miller? This is the police. There's been an incident at your residence." I knew before he said another word: David was gone. A cold, empty space opened up inside me, a vacuum where fear and relief swirled together. When I arrived, the street below our penthouse was a chaotic mess of flashing red and blue lights. Yellow tape cordoned off the building. A crowd of neighbors stood in their pajamas, whispering and pointing up. "I live here. Sarah Miller. My husband..." My voice broke, a perfectly practiced tremor. That' s when I saw him: Detective Mark Johnson, his face a hard, unreadable mask. He didn't offer condolences. He just stared, his tired eyes seeming to miss nothing. Then, a scream cut through the air. Everyone' s head snapped up. High above, on the balcony of our penthouse, a figure stood silhouetted against the night sky - Susan, my mother-in-law. For a heartbeat, she just stood there, a dark shape against the city' s glow. Then she leaned forward and simply stepped off. The sound that followed was wet and final, a sickening thud that echoed off the pavement. It splattered across the clean, sterile crime scene, a graphic, final punctuation mark. I felt a genuine shock ripple through me. My knees buckled and I grabbed the detective' s arm for support. Tears, real this time, streamed down my face. My husband dead upstairs, my mother-in-law a broken thing on the concrete below. It was the perfect picture of a woman shattered by tragedy. Detective Johnson didn't move. He didn't comfort me. He just looked down at my hand on his arm, then back up at my face. His voice was low and steady, cutting through my manufactured sobs. "You did this." I froze. The world seemed to stop spinning. My breath caught in my throat. "What?" I whispered, my voice hoarse. "Your husband. Your mother-in-law," he said, his eyes drilling into me. "The other thirteen. You killed them all, didn't you, Sarah?" It wasn't a question. It was a statement. A certainty so absolute, so unexpected, it almost knocked me off my feet for real. This was not part of the plan. No one was supposed to see past the grieving widow. Inside, a cold, hard knot of fury began to tighten. This man, this stranger, was looking at me and seeing the truth. Or at least, a version of it. "How can you say that?" I cried, pulling my hand back as if I' d been burned. "My husband... my... Susan... they're dead! I just lost everything!" I let my voice rise, pitching it with hysteria and pain. "Detective, have you lost your mind?" I demanded, my voice shaking. "I was at my sister-in-law's house. All night. Call her. Alice. Alice Brown. She'll tell you." He waved the other officer off. His gaze remained locked on me, intense and unwavering. "I don't need to call anyone, Sarah," he said, his voice dropping to a near whisper. "I've been on this case from the beginning. Thirteen victims before tonight. A city in fear. But now I see the pattern. They all lead back to you." His certainty was terrifying. It was a solid wall I hadn't expected to hit so soon. He wasn't guessing. He knew something. And in that moment, under the flashing lights, with the scent of death hanging in the air, I knew this was just the beginning. The game was on.

The first sign was a text message glowing on Liam' s phone screen. "I miss you. When can I see you again?" it read, from a woman named Sarah. I was sitting on the edge of our bed, waiting for him, clutching the phone that held a history of his secret intimacy. When he walked out of the shower, naked save for the towel around his hips, I didn' t scream. I just held up the phone and said, "Her or me, Liam." He chose me, deleted her number, and swore it was a mistake. But the silence in our penthouse grew louder, his touch became a habit, and his eyes looked through me, not at me. I felt myself disappearing, desperate and pathetic, despite being the heiress to a real estate empire. So, I proposed to him, clutching at a phantom hope at a charity gala, only for his forced "Okay, Ava. Let' s get married" to ring hollow. The wedding preparations were a blur of my efforts, conspicuously absent of him. My friends and family saw the pity in my eyes, but I pushed on, convinced the vows would banish Sarah' s ghost. Then, on our painfully beautiful wedding day, as the officiant prepared to pronounce us, a small voice cut through the air. "Daddy?" A little girl, no more than five, stood at the aisle's entrance, huge tearful eyes fixed on Liam. His face went ashen. He dropped my hands as if burned, turned, and ran-away from me, our vows, everything-scooping the little girl into his arms. Sarah stood behind her, a triumphant, sorrowful look on her face. He abandoned me at the altar, humiliating me for the world to see. Deep down, a cold clarity told me this was always a possibility, and I was not unprepared. Taking the microphone, I announced, "The groom has a prior commitment. Enjoy the food. Consider it a celebration of my newfound freedom." I ordered security and called my lawyer. They had robbed me of my dignity, but I wouldn't let them rewrite my story. It was time to fight back.

The cold, tiled floor of the dungeon pressed against my cheek. I could hear the sounds of a victory feast, the laughter of soldiers loyal to him. My husband, General David, stood over me, his polished boots reflecting the dim torchlight. "Worthless," he spat, the word hitting harder than the back of his hand had moments before. He accused me of driving Bethany, my maid, to suicide, believing every lie she whispered. His boot pressed down on the back of my head, grinding my face into the filthy stone. "You will die down here," he promised, his voice low and final. And I did, alone and broken, my last breath a ragged gasp of despair. I opened my eyes to the dazzling white silk of a bridal suite, my wedding day. The memories weren' t a dream; they were seared into my soul. I was Amelia, an elite special forces operative, now reborn, sent back to the moment it all went wrong. My fiancé, David, was now a charismatic tech CEO, but I knew the cruel soul beneath the expensive suit was the same. Bethany, my maid of honor, my best friend, was the maid who betrayed me in my last life. I heard her soft, breathy voice from the adjoining room, "David, are you sure about this? Marrying Amelia… she doesn' t understand you." Then David's low murmur, "Bethany, don't. Not now." And her whimper, "I love you. I've always loved you." In my past life, I had burst through that door, heartbroken and furious, playing right into their hands. This time, my hand froze on the doorknob; I simply stood there, listening to the betrayal I knew was coming, that had already happened a lifetime ago. A cold calm settled over me. There would be no screaming match, no public drama. I turned away from the door, my plan for simple happiness shattered, replaced by a bitter necessity. "Everything is fine, Marcus," I told my security chief, my voice devoid of emotion. "Plans have changed. We' re leaving. There is no wedding." As I walked away, the memory of the dungeon flashed through my mind: "You will die down here, and no one will remember your name." A grim smile touched my lips. He was wrong. They would all remember my name.

My relationship with Kevin moved at lightning speed. Soon, we were talking rings, especially with my successful dad's generous offer of $100,000 for a down payment on our first home. But the moment our engagement was announced, the trouble began, all thanks to Kevin's deeply resentful sister-in-law, Jessica. Her jealousy ignited a bitter Facebook campaign, portraying me as a spoiled rich girl who' d never worked a day. Jessica' s petty antics quickly escalated to demanding expensive gifts, culminating in a brazen text asking me to buy her kid a $300 PlayStation. My fiancé, Kevin, simply sighed, shrugging off her entitlement, repeatedly telling me to "just buy it to keep the peace." His spinelessness laid bare his family' s true colors, prompting my own dad to call them "leeches" who were "waiting for a handout." How could the man I was about to marry expect me to bankroll his family's insatiable greed? His chronic inability to protect me, his passive complicity in their endless demands, chilled me to the core. I realized I wasn't just marrying a partner; I was being enlisted as the personal ATM and emotional punching bag in an unending family drama. That agonizing realization was my breaking point. I wouldn't just walk away from this toxic situation. I would turn the tables and ensure they got exactly what they deserved.

My life finally had harmony. I was a respected indie artist, building a beautiful future with Liam, the kind, steady man who' d helped me pick up the pieces. Then, a ghost from my past went viral: a grainy college video of me and my ex-boyfriend, Ethan Carter, pop royalty now, promising "Maythan Forever." Suddenly, my phone blew up, and his name flashed across the screen. He was back. The internet was demanding a reunion, but I remembered the sting: how Ethan, three years ago, shattered me, calling me "average" as he left me for his new pop-star girlfriend, Brittany. I watched him publicly dismiss our shared history on national TV, only to have Brittany confront me, accusing me of playing games. Then, she brazenly performed my stolen song on live television, a song Ethan had handed her years ago to sabotage my career, ripping open all the old wounds. How could he, after all he' d done, act so clueless, so entitled? And why did it feel like my every step forward was met with a new attempt to drag me back into their drama, to prove I was still just "average"? It wasn't just about music anymore; it was about reclaiming my truth. I knew then: I wouldn't just survive this digital onslaught. I'd stand on that stage, in front of the world, and sing my story, not just for myself, but for every dream they tried to steal. This time, I' d reclaim what was mine, with the full force of my voice.

She was the quiet architect of his ambition, the silent force behind Governor Ethan Thorne' s meteoric rise, her family' s tech fortune paving his path to power. Now, Nia was a ghost in her own life, coldly banished to the estate' s sprawling guesthouse as Ethan announced his engagement to Victoria Sterling, a well-connected East Coast political heiress. He'd already orchestrated the painful alienation of their young son, Leo, and Victoria's venom grew daily, subtly turning Nia into a convenient secret. Then, the unthinkable tragedy struck: their spirited seven-year-old daughter, Lily, was found drowned in the estate pond-a devastating accident, or so they claimed. Ethan coolly framed his loyal chief of staff, but Victoria, with a chilling, triumphant smile, whispered the shattering truth directly to Nia: Lily's death was no accident. How could the man she' d invested everything in, the father of her children, betray her so completely, steal her family, and then participate in such an unthinkable act? How could a mother, stripped of her children and her sanity, endure such a cold, monstrous injustice? Trapped and heartbroken, yet now consumed by a burning, vengeful rage, Nia found an unlikely ally in Jax, a defiant young street artist known for exposing the powerful. Together, they unearthed years of Ethan' s hidden corruption-a vast, intricate web of deceit, graft, and power abuse that promised to unravel his entire empire. Broken but unyielding, Nia made her final, definitive choice: the gilded guesthouse that was her prison would become his funeral pyre, a blazing testament to her unyielding fury and his impending doom.

Yolande was framed by her younger sister and forced to endure the shameful accusation of infidelity. From that day forward, her husband treated her with cold contempt. For three long years, she lived in hell. As she looked at the man in front of her, she felt her life couldn't go on like this anymore. Though she loved him, she filed for divorce. After that, she came back as an avenging angel to take her revenge, to make those who had pushed her into deepest depression taste a pain as bitter as hers had been!

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.

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 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.

I sat on the edge of the examination table, the crinkle of the sanitary paper sounding like thunder in the sterile room. The doctor didn't even look at me as he confirmed the news: the pregnancy was over. My husband, Keyon, didn't answer my call. He just sent an automated text: "In a meeting." When I returned to our cold mansion, I found his iPad glowing with a message from his "muse," Katina. He was throwing her a secret gala tonight-on our third wedding anniversary. He told her he couldn't wait to escape the "boring" and "draining" atmosphere I created at home. Keyon didn't stumble in until 3 AM, smelling of Katina's perfume with a smear of red on his collar. When I handed him the divorce papers, he laughed in my face. He called me a "glorified housekeeper" with no skills and no future, promising I'd be back in three days begging for a subway ticket. He even bet his friends ten thousand dollars that I wouldn't survive a week without his name. He had his assistant cancel my credit cards and block my gate access before I even reached the end of the driveway. He wanted me to starve. He wanted me to crawl. He sat in his office, mocking the "desperate" woman who pawned her three-million-dollar wedding ring for scrap metal just to pay for a meal. I stood on the rainy curb, watching the man I had protected for three years treat my life like trash. He didn't know about the ultrasound I just threw in the bin. He didn't know that while he was calling me "dull," I was the one secretly writing the code that kept his billion-dollar empire from collapsing. As I slid into a cheap Uber, I opened a hidden, encrypted app on my phone. The screen refreshed to a dashboard for an account Keyon didn't know existed. The balance was ten figures long-the accumulated wealth of "Solaris," the world's most elusive tech genius. Keyon thinks he just evicted a parasite, but he's about to find out he just declared war on the only person who can hit "delete" on his entire life.

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.

The roasted lamb was cold, a reflection of her marriage. On their third anniversary, Evelyn Vance waited alone in her Manhattan penthouse. Then her phone buzzed: Alexander, her husband, had been spotted leaving the hospital, holding his childhood sweetheart Scarlett Sharp's hand. Alexander arrived hours later, dismissing Evelyn's quiet complaint with a cold reminder: she was Mrs. Vance, not a victim. Her mother's demands reinforced this role, making Evelyn, a brilliant mind, feel like a ghost. A dangerous indifference replaced betrayal. The debt was paid; now, it was her turn. She drafted a divorce settlement, waiving everything. As Alexander's tender voice drifted from his study, speaking to Scarlett, Evelyn placed her wedding ring on his pillow, moved to the guest suite, and locked the door. The dull wife was gone; the Oracle was back.

My husband, Ethan Vance, made me his trophy wife. My best friend, Susanna Thorne, helped me pick out my wedding dress. Together, they made me a fool. For three years, I was Mrs. Ethan Vance, a decorative silence in his billion-dollar world, living a quiet routine until a forgotten phone charger led me to his office. The low, feminine laugh from behind his door was a gut-punch; inside, I found Ethan and Susanna, my "best friend" and his CMO, tangled on his sofa, his only reaction irritation. My divorce declaration brought immediate scorn and threats. I was fired, my accounts frozen, and publicly smeared as an unstable gold-digger. Even my own family disowned me for my last cent, only for me to be framed for assault and served a restraining order. Broke, injured, and utterly demonized, they believed I was broken, too ashamed to fight. But their audacious betrayal and relentless cruelty only forged a cold, unyielding resolve. Slumped alone, a restraining order in hand, I remembered my hidden journal: a log of Ethan's insider trading secrets. They wanted a monster? I would show them one.

A loveless marriage, a stone cold husband and a brutal arrogant man was what destiny brought before Ava Leon. Her marriage was an arranged mistake, she was his unwanted bride and he was her stone hearted husband. He treated her like a filth until he found a convenient reason to have her sent to prison. But something went wrong and the woman that stood before him few years later has same features to his late wife. She died, yes, he had her given a proper funeral and everyone mourned her death but another version of her just emerged. Who's this fellow, looking explicitly like his dead wife. Was she cloned or was she a twin that no one knows about? Ava Leon was dead and Aurora Blake has been reborn. Tables turn, personality merges with identity and when things ought to get easier, nah, it got tougher. The death of Ava Leon was not going to be spared by the birth of Aurora Blake. The former was a servant , the latter is an heiress. "On your knees, Adrian Lester!..."