Sheelagh Sexton

My fiancé, Arthur Mckay, had just beaten leukemia. A bone marrow transplant saved his life, and we were supposed to be planning our engagement party, celebrating our future. Then she walked in. Diana, the donor's beautiful, fragile ex-girlfriend. Arthur became obsessed, claiming he had "cellular memory" and that the donor's cells were compelling him to protect her. He postponed our wedding plans for her. He let her invade our home, touching my art, sleeping in my robe. He called me possessive and cruel when I protested. The man who once promised to cherish me was gone, replaced by a stranger who used a medical procedure as an excuse for his cruelty. The final straw was my mother's locket, the only thing I had left of her. Diana saw it and decided she wanted it, weeping that her dead boyfriend had owned one just like it. When I refused, Arthur's face hardened. "Don't be a child," he ordered. "Give it to her." He didn't wait for my answer. He strode forward and ripped the chain from my neck, the metal stinging my skin. He fastened my mother's locket around Diana's throat. "This is a punishment, Ella," he said calmly. "Maybe now you'll learn some compassion." As he wrapped a protective arm around her and led her away, I knew the man I loved was truly dead. I picked up my phone, my decision made. "Dad," I said, my voice steady. "I'm coming home."

My world shattered with a frantic phone call: my mother had been attacked by a dog. I rushed to the emergency room, only to find her gravely injured, and my fiancé, Cohen, dismissive and annoyed. He arrived in his expensive suit, barely glancing at my bleeding mother before complaining about his interrupted meeting. "What's all the fuss? I was in the middle of a meeting." He then shockingly defended the dog, Caesar, belonging to his childhood friend Hillary, claiming it was "just playful" and my mother "probably scared him." The doctor spoke of "severe lacerations" and infection, but Cohen only saw an inconvenience. Hillary, the dog's owner, appeared, feigning concern while smirking triumphantly at me. Cohen wrapped an arm around her, declaring it "not your fault, Hillary. It was an accident." He then announced he was still going on his "billion-dollar business trip" to Zurich, telling me to send the hospital bill to his assistant. Two days later, my mother died from the infection. While I was arranging her funeral, picking out her burial clothes, and writing a eulogy I couldn't read, Cohen was unreachable. His phone was off. Then, an Instagram notification popped up: a picture of Cohen and Hillary on a yacht in the Maldives, champagne in hand, with the caption: "Living the good life in the Maldives! Spontaneous trips are the best! #blessed #zurichwho?" He wasn't on a business trip. He was on a lavish vacation with the woman whose dog had killed my mother. The betrayal was a physical blow. All his promises, his love, his concern-all lies. Kneeling at my mother's grave, I finally understood. My sacrifices, my hard work, my love-all for nothing. He had abandoned me in my darkest hour for another woman. It was over.

The sound of the front door opening was a nightmare come true-my younger sister, Emily, stood there, not alone, but holding a baby in a cheap pink blanket. "Surprise! Meet Leo. He' s the newest addition to the Miller family legacy," she announced, her voice sickeningly carefree, echoing the very words that had derailed my life in a past I' d already lived. My blood ran cold; this exact moment, this casual act of irresponsibility, had led directly to my death before. My parents, blinded by affection, embraced the child and Emily' s monstrous lie, turning their backs on my desperate pleas for reason. Consumed by a terrible sense of déjà vu, I remembered the blinding pain, the darkness that consumed me when Emily, armed with one of my own sculptures, ended my previous life for simply asking her to be responsible. But this time, I wouldn't be the martyr-this time, the cycle would break, and Emily would pay.'

"That will be two dollars and fifty cents," the ice cream vendor chirped, a cheerful end to a warm afternoon. My daughter, Lily, beamed up at me, eyes wide for a rainbow-sprinkled cone. But before my fingers found my wallet, a cold voice cut through the air. "What do you think you' re doing, Ava?" It was Leo, my husband, arms crossed, face a mask of disapproval. He shamed me, publicly, over two dollars and fifty cents. "It' s the principle," he snapped, throwing a five-dollar bill at the vendor. "Consider this an advance. Transfer me one dollar and twenty-five cents by tonight. I' ll be checking." My face burned, my heart twisting as Lily clung to me. That night, I overheard his voice, warm and indulgent, on the phone. "Of course, Sophia. You liked the red one? I' ll have it delivered to your new place tomorrow." He was buying his stepsister a penthouse, showering her with gifts, yet demanding I pay for half of our daughter' s ice cream. The contrast was a physical blow. His love, his generosity, was for someone else. Later, in my small art studio, I typed a search: "divorce papers." I downloaded the forms, each keystroke heavy, final. When I placed the stack on his nightstand, he finally looked up, disbelief twisting his face into an ugly laugh. "A divorce? Don' t be ridiculous. Is this about the car I bought Sophia? Are you that jealous?" "It' s about the ice cream," I said, my voice steady, empty of the tears I' d held back all day. He scoffed, tossing the papers aside. "The ice cream? You want to end our marriage over two dollars and fifty cents? Ava, you' re being hysterical." He didn't know yet. This wasn't hysteria. It was the quiet, steel-edged birth of a rebellion.

For five years, I was Julian Vance' s shadow, known only as his fiercely loyal assistant, but my dedication was a meticulously crafted lie. My real mission was to avenge my sister, Sarah, an environmental activist Julian' s company silenced after she uncovered their toxic secrets. Today, I walked out, my resignation a symbol of triumph as I held the USB drive with the evidence that would finally expose him at his grand charity gala. But then, as I stood ready to unleash the truth, I instinctively shoved him from the path of a falling stage light, shattering my hand, my ribs, and my five-year plan. Instead of gratitude, I received his cold dismissal, then Julian' s glamorous fiancée, Isabella, ordered his security to drown me, leaving me for dead in a freezing warehouse. Julian, seeing me struggle, simply watched Isabella whisper in his ear before they turned their backs and walked away, abandoning me without a second thought. I survived, only to have Julian demand I cover up his complicity, publicly discrediting me as "reckless" while Isabella played the hero and he played the concerned boss. Why did he abandon me like a broken doll, only to then use my pain for his public image? I was invisible, disposable, and I knew then that the truth wasn't enough; my revenge would be a personal one, meticulously planned. I disappeared, only to be dragged back to a horrifying auction where Julian and Isabella sold me like property, but I refused to be his victim any longer. My carefully built facade of loyalty shattered, not just for him, but for myself; I was done fighting his battles, living in his shadow, and now, finally, I was going to live for me.

The world was an ugly place, full of bland perfection, but I saw beauty in decay-a dead pigeon, a cracked wall. Everyone else called my unique perception disgusting; it cost me my job at the bakery for finding art in a burnt loaf. Now, an eviction notice on my door threatened to take my apartment, pushing me to the brink of despair. Why was my genuine appreciation for the world' s true textures met with such revulsion, forcing me into a corner for simply seeing differently? Then, a bizarre ad for "Crimson Peak Apartments" appeared, promising a "unique living environment" at an unbelievably low price, compelling me to take a chance on a place as strange as my own heart.

I was on my private Caribbean island, living the dream retirement of a tech billionaire, confident my gentle son, Caleb, was safe at home in Palo Alto, surrounded by the loyal friends I' d funded and cherished. I' d built a fortress of care for him. Then, a garish headline flashed on my screen: "SILICON VALLEY HEIR CALEB HUGHES, 18, TO WED REAL ESTATE SHARK DEBRA CLARKSON, 55. A LOVE STORY OR A HOSTILE TAKEOVER?" The accompanying photo showed my son, pale and lost, next to a woman old enough to be his grandmother, her hand possessively on his shoulder. My blood ran cold; this wasn't possible. I immediately flew home, my fury matched only by a growing dread. The moment I stepped onto my estate, a familiar, toxic fescue grass covered the lawn – a severe allergen for Caleb – and the faces awaiting me were smug, not worried. Andrew, the son of my late partner, and the three girls I' d raised like my own, smirked, talking about Caleb's "scandal" and how they were "managing" his impending forced marriage to Debra Clarkson. My heart shattered as Caleb limped down the stairs, gaunt, covered in an allergic rash, his eyes hollow. They claimed his injuries were from a skateboarding accident and self-harm, that he was "difficult" and "infertile," spinning a web of lies to blame him for his own torment. How could the people I trusted betray us so completely? Why would they do this to an innocent boy? But when Debra Clarkson brazenly walked in, and she and Andrew openly planned to take over my family and fortune, then dared to lay a hand on my son, something snapped. They thought I was a washed-up genius on an island. They were about to learn Nathaniel Hughes was far from finished.

Six months into rebuilding her life, single mom Sarah is proposed to by Mark, a kind widower. Her heart, long dormant, finally warms as Mark proposes, surrounded by their hopeful children. But then, a terrifying premonition: a camping trip with Mark's daughter, Lily, turns deadly as Lily summons hordes of venomous spiders to kill Sarah and her son, Leo, coldly whispering, "No one gets to be Daddy's favorite but me and my real mom." Sarah gasps awake, back at the proposal, the chilling memory of venom and Lily' s malevolence still vivid. With a shudder, Sarah rejects Mark, baffling him and infuriating his family, who brand her cruel, while Lily's angelic facade cracks to reveal a glimpse of pure, icy fury. Lily, however, won't be deterred; she stalks Sarah, hacking Leo's smartwatch and staging a manipulative late-night scene that traps Sarah into letting her inside. The nightmare escalates when Lily kidnaps Leo from his after-school program, and Sarah discovers Mark's shocking history: all his previous girlfriends, and even his wife, died from mysterious "spider bites." Sarah' s confusion turns into a cold fury, realizing Mark isn't just oblivious but complicit, enabling his daughter's monstrous trail of victims. Lily' s voice, relayed by a tarantula-borne recorder, demands Sarah come alone to an abandoned quarry, threatening Leo with a spider attack. Knowing the police will only escalate the danger, Sarah races towards the quarry, ready to face the truth and fight for her son' s life.

For three years, I poured every ounce of myself into Liam's tech dream, working multiple jobs to keep a roof over our heads. Tonight was the night I'd finally tell him my own life-altering secret: I was Ava Vance, the long-lost, presumed-dead heiress to the colossal Sterling-Vance empire. I believed in him, utterly. But he didn't walk in alone. He arrived with a stunning, polished woman named Chloe, arm-in-arm, and then dropped the bomb: she was his fiancée, and her father was his lead investor. He looked at me, his eyes cold and dismissive. "I'm leaving you," he stated flatly, then mocked our entire relationship, calling me just a "housekeeper" and an "embarrassment." When Chloe spilled wine on herself, Liam forced me to my knees to apologize to her like a maid. The ultimate betrayal came when he returned later, poisoned me to destroy my voice, and dragged my limp body into our cold, damp basement dungeon to keep me quiet. From my prison, I overheard them coldly plotting to frame me as delusional and commit me to a psychiatric hospital forever. The man I had loved and sacrificed everything for was a monster, systematically ripping away my very existence. Every lie, every calculated cruelty, twisted into a horrifying full picture. But they seriously underestimated the woman they thought they'd silenced. Just as two thugs came to haul me away, I found the strength to activate the emergency beacon hidden in my Sterling-Vance necklace. They believed I was a "lost cause," but they were about to face the terrifying wrath of the Sterling-Vance empire.

Ava Miller was a rising Hollywood starlet, on the verge of landing her dream role in a major film, with her supportive producer boyfriend, Ethan Reed, by her side. She believed he was her rock, her unwavering champion in a cutthroat industry. Suddenly, a bombshell from TMZ exploded: "EXCLUSIVE: Rising Star Ava Miller's Wild Night Out - Intimate Photos Leaked!" Ava' s stomach dropped, but the true terror struck when she overheard Ethan, her supposed protector, confessing to orchestrating the entire smear campaign, designed to ruin her and clear the path for another actress. Her reputation was instantly shattered, her dream role snatched away. Ethan then paraded his new muse, Isabelle Vance, publicly, openly mocking Ava. His betrayals escalated to chilling cruelty: allowing Isabelle to destroy Ava's cherished family heirloom, gifting Ava a "healing" cream secretly designed to permanently scar her face, and in a twisted act of horror, facilitating the amputation of Ava's finger as a transplant for Isabelle after a set fire. Amidst this escalating torment, Ava' s memories of a past life shattered her reality. She was his wife then, too, but he was always obsessed with Isabelle. Now reborn, Ethan was brutally replaying that obsession, deliberately using Ava as a disposable pawn, inflicting unimaginable pain to "correct" his past. The depth of his malice was incomprehensible, a cold fury consuming her. But from the ashes of her destroyed life, Ava chose to rise. She underwent reconstructive surgery, embraced a new identity as Eve Ashton, and meticulously planned her escape to London, vowing to forge a new, unburdened existence, free from Ethan' s suffocating, toxic grasp.

I'm Ethan Montgomery, son of tech moguls. In a life I barely lived, I extended naive kindness to Kyle Johnson, our housekeeper's son, by giving him a supplementary Amex card. A small help, I thought. He used it like a magic wand. Kyle became the campus philanthropist, "donating" labs and AC with my money. He'd smirk, making me feel indebted for letting him build his empire using my funds. It climaxed when he claimed my cherry-red graduation muscle car. When I tried to tell the truth, his "fans" turned, screaming, "Liar! Thief!" They shoved me, fists flew. My reputation shattered. I became a pariah. I gathered proof to expose him. But Kyle couldn't let his world crumble. His aunt, a construction manager, violently swerved her truck into my car. Metal screamed. Glass shattered. Pain, then darkness. Kyle, my "grieving best friend," then stole my entire inheritance, my life. A gasp tore from my throat. My eyes snapped open. I was in the university conference room. Dean Thompson beamed, Kyle Johnson, triumphant, signed the "Innovation Lab" agreement. The exact moment. This time? My fingers, steady, fumbled for my phone. "Supplementary cards. Kyle Johnson. Deactivate. Confirm."

At NovaFlight Dynamics, I was "the guy who couldn't get his fiancée to the altar." Alex Miller. My fiancée, Jessica Thorne, a co-founder, had canceled our wedding thirty-two times. I poured my genius into NovaFlight' s critical satellite launch, always putting her first, even as the 33rd date loomed. She canceled again, for Leo Maxwell, a junior engineer. That night, at the pre-launch party, Jessica, radiant, openly fed Leo a canapé. He flashed a new luxury smartwatch, mirroring hers. On our seven-year anniversary, Leo's Instagram showed them clinking champagne glasses: "Celebrating a successful partnership!" I resigned, publicly terminating our engagement. Jessica, smelling of Leo' s cologne, abandoned me for his 'crisis.' My engagement ring? Tossed aside. I threw it in the trash. At the office, Leo 'accidentally' destroyed my personal research laptop with corrosive solvent. Jessica witnessed it, then shrieked, blaming me and demanding I credit Leo for my groundbreaking designs. My very dignity was systematically dismantled. My dedication, my love, my future-all casually destroyed. The future she spoke of was a cruel, hollow joke. A dark government vehicle waited. I powered down my old phone as her casual 'raincheck' text buzzed one last time. I stepped into the car without a single look back. This wasn't an end; it was finally, unequivocally, my beginning.

Ethan Miller, a Seattle software architect, woke in a cold sweat, his heart hammering. His wife, Olivia, slept peacefully beside him, unaware. The calendar showed it was ten years earlier, their first year of marriage, but he’d just lived through a terrifying premonition: Olivia, supposedly dead for two years, reappeared in an Alaskan lodge with another man, Liam, confessed a harrowing regret, then died again. The dream's raw pain and phantom ache of betrayal clung to him, chilling his once-normal mornings. Soon, the nightmare began to bleed into his present. Olivia's late nights grew more frequent, her phone calls hushed. He caught glimpses of a new, unfamiliar perfume. Then, the undeniable truth: witnessing her outside an upscale restaurant, laughing intimately with a young man, Liam Vance, his heart-stoppingly familiar face mirroring the one in his dream. A small park rendezvous sealed it—a public, passionate kiss, Liam’s smug gaze, Olivia captivated. The illusion of his loving wife shattered with sickening finality. But the worst was yet to come. Hiding in plain sight, Ethan overheard Olivia giddily discussing Liam, dismissing him as "boring," and chillingly, casually discussing his life insurance policy. "Enough to start fresh, really fresh." His blood ran cold. The woman he had adored, trusted implicitly, was gone, replaced by a calculating stranger. All he felt was a profound, wrenching injustice, a searing bewilderment. He was a fool. But Olivia’s contempt and calculated cruelty would not go unpunished. No longer a naive, trusting fool, Ethan, armed with this terrifying future knowledge, made a quiet, chilling decision. He picked up his phone, his fingers trembling, and called his shrewd Aunt Carol in London. It was time to orchestrate his own disappearance, to rewrite his destiny.

Sure! Here’s the translation: --- I am a wolf from the north, but unexpectedly, I became a bench player who didn't make it to the Olympics. "They're crawling, why are they so slow?" Audience: "Did he install a motor? This speed is insane!" National sprint team coach: "Switch events, he's a good prospect!" After being eliminated, everyone was waiting for me to voluntarily leave the team. But in a friendly match, when I got on as a substitute, I ran like the wind and scored wildly. From then on, I soared to new heights and was promoted to team captain. Until the off-season when I was dragged into a reality show. Netizens: "Help! Please blur his voice and face, and his abs!" "Get away, hubby! I want to have your baby!" I retweeted and tagged the new TV queen, "Sorry, in our wolf clan, we practice lifelong monogamy." --- Let me know if you need anything else!

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.

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.

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.

My husband Julian celebrated our five-year anniversary by sleeping with his mistress. He thought I was a clueless trophy wife, too dim to notice the vanilla and tuberose scent on his expensive suits. He was wrong. For years, I played Mrs. Vance, hiding my brilliance while Julian claimed my patents. An anonymous email confirmed his ultimate betrayal: photos of him and Scarlett Kensington in ecstasy. My heart didn't break; it solidified into ice at five years wasted. I activated "The Protocol" for a new identity and escape countdown. Playing the doting wife, I plotted his downfall, catching him with his mistress selling my work, and publicly snapping his credit card. His betrayals and stolen work ignited a cold, calculated fury. He had no idea the monster he'd created. I was dismantling his empire. I shredded his patent papers, stripping him of his ill-gotten gains. With a final tap, I initiated "Identity Erasure." Mrs. Vance was dead. Dr. Evelyn Thorne had just begun her counterattack.

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.

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.

The rain assaulted the glass, mirroring the storm inside me. For three years, I, Vivian Sterling, played the perfect wife to Julian Kensington, draining my life. The antique clock ticked, a reminder of time lost. Then, I found it: a blonde hair on Julian's suit, reeking of Midnight Rose, and a text, ""Candy: You left your cufflinks on my nightstand. I'm already missing you."" My world shattered, revealing his betrayal. This was just the beginning. I exposed Julian's fraud and his family's violent plots, surviving assassination. But their malice stole my past. Then Alexander Vance, my protector, uncovered a terrifying truth: my birth mother was alive, held captive by a shadowy order. My life was a lie, built to shield me from my dangerous bloodline. I found strength and love with Alexander, the man who walked into fire for me. Yet, as I prepared to rescue my mother, a new life stirred within me, a secret threatening to complicate the impending war.

The acrid smell of smoke still clung to Evelyn in the ambulance, her lungs raw from the penthouse fire. She was alive, but the world around her felt utterly destroyed, a feeling deepened by the small TV flickering to life. On it, her husband, Julian Vance, thousands of miles away, publicly comforted his mistress, Serena Holloway, shielding her from paparazzi after *her* "panic attack." Julian's phone went straight to voicemail. Alone in the hospital with second-degree burns, Evelyn watched news replays, her heart rate spiking. He protected Serena from camera flashes while Evelyn burned. When he finally called, he demanded she handle insurance, dismissing the fire; Serena's voice faintly heard. The shallow family ties and pretense of marriage evaporated. A searing injustice and cold anger replaced pain; Evelyn knew Julian had chosen to let her burn. "Evelyn Vance died in that fire," she declared, ripping out her IV. Armed with a secret fortune as "The Architect," Hollywood's top ghostwriter, she walked out. She would divorce Julian, reclaim her name, and finally step into the spotlight as an actress.

For three years, I documented the slow death of my marriage in a black journal. It was my 100-point divorce plan: for every time my husband, Blake, chose his first love, Ariana, over me, I deducted points. When the score hit zero, I would leave. The final points vanished the night he left me bleeding out from a car crash. I was eight weeks pregnant with the child we had prayed for. In the ER, the nurses frantically called him-the star surgeon of the very hospital I was dying in. "Dr. Santos, we have a Jane Doe, O-negative, bleeding out. She's pregnant, and we're about to lose them both. We need you to authorize an emergency blood transfer." His voice came over the speaker, cold and impatient. "I can't. My priority is Miss Whitfield. Do what you can for the patient, but I can't divert anything right now." He hung up. He condemned his own child to death to ensure his ex-girlfriend had resources on standby after a minor procedure.