Trapped in the shackles of a lonely marriage. A never ending void of monotony. Charles had her by his side but one thing he didn't have was her heart. Yet, he wasn't bothered. As long as he had her around, he convinced himself that he would one day win her over. Life doesn't always work out though. He never wanted to see his wife's crush come back into her life but it seemed that it was meant to be. Jealousy engulfed him, Charles completely lost all control. Lies, doubt, and desperation gradually filled their marriage. This life was not one to live anymore, she finally divorced him and left. However, her life didn't reset as she expected. Charles came back and he was a man on a mission.
The strong aroma of caffeine pervaded the air. Louie Ling was sitting by the window, drinking coffee with Amelia Fang when she saw the man. He walked towards their table.
She exclaimed, "Nelson! Is it really you?"
The man was dressed in casual clothes. He smiled at them and said,
"Louie, Amelia. Haven't seen you two in three years. You ladies have become more beautiful than ever."
'Beautiful, huh?' Louie Ling thought.
She waved to the waiter not far away from them, and then turned to look at Nelson Ning with a playful smile. "If I remember correctly, that's the word you use to praise every woman you pass by!"
"Oh, yes! I remember it too! He used it once on the old lady in charge of dormitory, and was almost driven out with a broom!"
Amelia Fang recalled with a frown. Seeing the serious look on her, Louie Ling smiled more brightly.
Nelson Ning kept in toe with the two beauties' teasing, and the topic naturally shifted to their past.
It was late autumn and the night was extraordinarily cold; the air around smelled of loneliness.
It was not until dark that Louie Ling returned home. The luxurious, high-end villa was her exquisite prison, where she was kept imprisoned willingly.
Imprisoned in a lonely marriage...
Auntie Zhang was on leave that night, and she was the only one left in the dreary prison. After taking a shower, she climbed into her bed.
The loud ring of the doorbell cut through the silence in the villa. With a frown, Louie Ling reached out for her phone to check the time.
After hesitating for a moment, she got out of bed and walked out of the bedroom. She slowly climbed down the stairs. Looking through the living room's mirrored door, she saw the familiar face.
She opened the door and heard the sharp voice. "Took you long enough! Were you trying to freeze me to death?"
Charles Liang's eyes were full of anger, and the pungent smell of alcohol filled the air between them.
Louie Ling frowned without looking into his angry eyes. She covered her mouth and nose with one hand and said coldly,
"Why do you have to always come in the middle of the night?"
Saying so, she turned around to leave.
"Stop!"
the man growled and reached out to grab Louie Ling's thin shoulder. Since she had been in bed earlier, she was only wearing a silk pajama. She struggled, trying to get out of the rude man's grasp. She cursed,
"Are you crazy? You are hurting me!"
Instead of letting go, he exerted more strength on her shoulder and dug his nails into her frail skin. A sharp pain shot through her shoulder and Louie Ling let out an involuntary groan before tightening her lips shut.
He forcefully pulled down her hand that was covering her mouth and nose. Charles Liang asked in a cold, hoarse voice, "Do I make you sick, Louie?"
The poor woman trembled and looked up into his mad eyes. His dark orbs made her feel inexplicably cold. But with a sneer on her lips, she said in an indifferent, ethereal tone,
"Please, could you find something new to do? This drunken madness is getting too old, okay?"
A gust of cold wind blew through the open door. A flicker of unidentifiable emotion flashed across the man's eyes, and his condescending gaze was fixed on Louie Ling. Her cold eyes stared back at him in defiance, but this cold woman had been smiling at another man this afternoon. It was exceedingly fascinating.
A surge of pure anger rose from the bottom of his heart and instantly pumped through every cell in his body. Taken over by this whopping feelings of hatred and anger, he pulled the woman into his arms. With a sneer, he lowered his head and kissed her lips.
"Hmm!"
There was nothing but muffled protests. The strong smell of alcohol invaded her nose, and her stomach churned as bile rose up her throat. Louie Ling pushed the drunken man away from her with all the strength she could muster and ran towards the living room.
Charles Liang staggered backwards, losing his balance-powerful push from such a frail woman. He grabbed on to the iron door quickly before falling to the ground.
Looking up, he realized that Louie Ling had already disappeared from his sight. In the dim light, his shadow seemed long and lonely.
When Charles Liang walked into the living room, he heard the vomiting sounds from the bathroom, followed by the sound of running water. The anger in his eyes did not fade at all.
This was the third time. Every time he kissed her while he was drunk, she would throw up rudely to show her disgust. She was a weak woman, but somehow her strength greatly increase during times like these. Tonight, he was prepared for it, but she still managed to shove him.
Exhausted, Charles Liang dropped onto the sofa. Squinting slightly, he counted to three in his mind. The bathroom door opened. Wiping her mouth, Louie Ling walked towards the sofa. Her expression was different, a little better. She looked at him and asked indifferently, "Did you have dinner yet? I'll cook some noodles for you. Auntie Zhang is not home."
Charles Liang slowly opened his eyes; a faint fragrance emanated from her. His deep eyes turned sharp once again. He looked around the house and asked in a low growl, "Did you go out today?"
A hint of doubt flashed across her eyes. Louie remembered the feeling she had had while she was in the cafe that afternoon-the sharp chill she had felt from behind her... 'It was not an illusion after all. Is he spying on me now, or was it really just a coincidence?' she wondered.
"Yes. I was bored at home, so I went to have some coffee. I bought some scented tea from the supermarket. If you want some, you can make it yourself."
Charles Liang frowned and changed the topic. "I don't want instant noodles. I want fried rice with eggs! Put some tomatoes in it. No carrots." After a pause, he continued,
"Prepare some hot water and get me some fresh clothes. I need to take a shower first. I don't want you vomiting in the kitchen."
Biting her lip, she turned around and went upstairs to find his pajamas, ignoring his mockery.
By the time Charles came out of the bathroom, Louie had made the fried rice, just as he had asked.
Under the soft light, he saw that her usual cold face was a little softer. Her plain pajamas didn't reveal anything; it was a size bigger and she fit in comfortably.
He looked around and saw that she was watching TV intently.
Charles whispered to himself, "Stupid woman."
Recently, Louie had been infatuated with the TV play, "I love you". Wallace Chung perfectly performed the overbearing and infatuated Master Murray, and their love was touching, yet distressing.
She had already watched it several times and had cried as many times. Every time she thought of the play, she felt sad and sentimental. There really were so many things in life which were just too late to do, and people too late to love!
"Get me the hair dryer," Charles ordered, languidly walking towards the sofa. He unwrapped the towel to wipe his hair, which was wet and messy. Several strands of short hair fell over his forehead, which gave him an evil, attractive look.
After two years of marriage, Sadie was finally pregnant. Filled with hope and joy, she was blindsided when Noah asked for a divorce. During a failed attempt on her life, Sadie found herself lying in a pool of blood, desperately calling Noah to ask him to save her and the baby. But her calls went unanswered. Shattered by his betrayal, she left the country. Time passed, and Sadie was about to be wed for a second time. Noah appeared in a frenzy and fell to his knees. "How dare you marry someone else after bearing my child?"
"I want a divorce!" Ryan demanded, despite the fact that he had cheated on her with his ex. ~ Serena is no longer the quiet, romantic lady Ryan Winters married and divorced five years ago. Now the CEO of Rocky's Designs, she is bright, unwavering, and unapologetic about her independence-a far cry from the woman Ryan remembers. When fate brings them back into one another's lives, Ryan is forced to confront the truth about their past, their newfound hot chemistry, and a surprising revelation; Serena has a daughter who may be his. But Ryan's girlfriend, Kate, isn't prepared to lose him again. She will do whatever it takes to keep Ryan in her grasp-even if it means destroying Serena's life and the corporate empire she has built. What happens when Serena's now peaceful life is being disrupted? Will Serena lose once again or will she seize this billionaire's heart?
Trigger warning!!! Intended for mature readers who enjoy morally complex, slow-burn, poseesive, forbidden, dark romance that pushes boundaries. ***EXCERPT*** Blood everywhere. Trembling hands. "No!" My eyes blurred. His lifeless eyes stared back at me, his blood pooling at my feet. The man I loved-dead. Killed by the one person I could never escape - my stepbrother. *** Kasmine's life was never hers to begin with. Kester, her stepbrother, controlled and monitored her every move. At first, it was all sweet and brotherly until it began to turn into an obsession. Kester was the Alpha, and his word was law. No close friends. No boyfriends. No freedom. The only consolation Kasmine had was her twenty-first birthday, which was supposed to change everything. She dreamt of finding her mate, escaping the sickening control of Kester, and finally claiming her own life. But fate had other plans for her. On the night of her birthday, not only was she disappointed that she wasn't mated to the love of her life, but she found out that her mate was none other than him - Her tormentor. Her stepbrother. She'd rather die than be mated to a man whom she had known as her big brother all her life. A man who would do just anything to make sure she was his. But when love turns to obsession, and obsession turns to blood, how far can one girl run before she realizes there is nowhere else to run to?
What hurts more than falling in love with a person who could never love you back? Eloise Rivers, being in dire need of money for her brother's hospital fees, agrees to marry multi-millionaire Vaughn Ryder and become his surrogate. The catch? Vaughn gets to stay with his long-term girlfriend and divorce Eloise after she gives them the baby. However, in the worst circumstances, Eloise falls in love with Vaughn when Vaughn could never love her back. And now that she is pregnant, Vaughn suddenly wants to call off their deal? "I'm pregn-" "Let's get a divorce," Vaughn coldly said. "What?" Eloise looked at him with wide eyes. "Let's call off the deal while you're still not pregnant. Alina already said that she's willing to start a family with me." 'But I already am,' she wanted to say. But in the end, Vaughn had already made his decision. He didn't want the baby.
A man like Travis Sinclair wants nothing more than a woman who matches his sexual prowess and is used to getting everything he wants. A cold-hearted billionaire ,he lives by one rule - no love, no commitment. Ayanna Davies isn't looking for a relationship. She's focused on her work and the financial security it brings. As a high end escort, her client is full of filthy rich men who are willing to pay handsomely for her services. But when Travis Sinclair becomes one of her clients, she begins twice about mixing work with pleasure. Not knowing that he is an old acquaintance whom she despises.
On her wedding day, Khloe’s sister connived with her groom, framing her for a crime she didn’t commit. She was sentenced to three years in prison, where she endured much suffering. When Khloe was finally released, her evil sister used their mother to coerce Khloe into an indecent liaison with an elderly man. As fate would have it, Khloe crossed paths with Henrik, the dashing yet ruthless mobster who sought to alter the course of her life. Despite Henrik’s cold exterior, he cherished Khloe like no other. He helped her take retribution from her tormentors and kept her from being bullied again.