She realized she was done waiting for a love that had never been real. She refused to be the woman who begged for affection. For years, she had kept her true identity hidden, but now, she stepped into her rightful place as the heiress to the Sterling fortune. This time, she walked away-not as a heartbroken wife, but as a woman who had finally chosen herself.
Lena Carter stared at the stack of divorce papers resting on the table. Kieran Holt had already signed them, his name etched in ink as if sealing their fate.
Her gaze drifted toward the window, where golden sunlight poured in, casting long shadows across the room. There he stood, his tall frame illuminated by the warm glow of the afternoon. Yet, despite the golden light surrounding him, Kieran remained as cold and unyielding as a marble statue. His presence filled the room with an unbearable sense of detachment.
"I've signed them," he said flatly, his voice devoid of emotion. "You should do the same. The sooner, the better. I want everything finalized before Juliette returns."
With his hands clasped behind his back, he spoke without sparing her even a glance. "The prenuptial agreement ensures there won't be any disputes over assets. However, as compensation, I'll transfer an additional twenty million dollars to your account, along with the villa in the western suburbs. It would be difficult to explain to my grandfather if you walked away with nothing."
Lena's fingers trembled as she clutched the edge of the table. His words barely registered, drowned out by the hammering of her heart.
"Does your grandfather even know you're divorcing me?" she asked, her voice quivering.
Kieran exhaled impatiently. "His opinion doesn't change my decision."
A deep shudder ran through her, forcing her to steady herself against the table. Tears blurred her vision, yet she refused to let them fall.
"Kieran..." She swallowed hard before continuing, her voice thick with emotion. "Can we not do this? Can we stay together?"
At last, Kieran turned to face her. His dark eyes, sharp and piercing, locked onto hers with a look of mild surprise.
"Why?" he asked, his tone laced with skepticism.
"Because I love you."
The words left her lips in a desperate whisper. Her eyes glistened with unshed tears as she pleaded, "Kieran, I love you. Even if you don't love me, I still want to be your wife."
A flicker of irritation crossed his face before he averted his gaze. "Enough, Lena. This marriage has been nothing but a burden." His tone was sharp, cutting through the fragile hope she had clung to.
With a dismissive wave of his hand, he continued, "You knew from the beginning that this was never real. I only married you to defy my grandfather. You were aware of my feelings for Juliette, and you knew why I couldn't be with her back then. Now that she's returning, I won't wait any longer. Our three-year contract is over. It's time for you to leave."
Lena lowered her head as silent tears slipped down her cheeks, splattering onto the table. She wiped them away quickly, but Kieran had already noticed. He saw the pain in her expression, but he chose to ignore it.
Just then, his phone rang. The second he glanced at the screen, his entire demeanor shifted. The coldness in his eyes melted into something softer-something Lena had never been able to evoke.
"Juliette," he answered, his voice suddenly warm and tender. "Are you at the airport?"
On the other end of the call, a cheerful voice responded, "Kieran! Yes, I just landed."
His brows lifted in surprise. "I thought you were arriving tonight?"
"I wanted to surprise you!"
A rare smile graced his lips. "Wait there. I'm coming to pick you up."
Without another word, Kieran grabbed his coat and strode toward the door. He didn't look back. Not once.
The door slammed shut behind him, leaving Lena in suffocating silence. Her fingers traced the divorce papers absently, her mind a whirl of emotions.
She had given everything-her love, her time, her unwavering devotion-to Kieran. And yet, to him, their decade-long history and three years of marriage amounted to nothing more than an inconvenience. A mistake. A contractual obligation he was finally free from.
He had walked away without hesitation, eager to reunite with the woman he had always loved. And in that moment, Lena realized she had never truly belonged in his world.
She had only ever been a temporary placeholder for someone else.
Lena felt a deep ache in her chest, realizing that no matter what she did, she could never win over Kieran Holt's heart.
Taking a slow, shaky breath, she forced a bitter smile and wiped away the tears that had smudged his elegant signature on the divorce papers. The ink, once bold and decisive, now blurred under the weight of her sorrow.
That evening, Kieran returned to Tideview Manor with Juliette Mercer in his arms. As the second son of the wealthy and powerful Holt family, his presence alone was enough to command attention, but carrying a delicate woman in bridal style only intensified the spectacle.
"Kieran, we shouldn't be this close," Juliette murmured, pressing a gentle hand against his chest as she spoke. "You're still married. If Lena sees us like this, she might resent me."
His expression remained cold and unyielding. "It doesn't matter. She means nothing to me," he stated flatly. "She's just my wife in name only. She should know her place."
As the Whitmores gathered around to welcome Juliette with open arms, Lena remained in the dining room, quietly setting the table. She moved through the motions as if nothing was amiss, but Kieran caught sight of her figure from across the room.
He scoffed inwardly. 'Does she think serving my family will change my decision? How pathetic.'
Moments later, the butler rushed over, slightly out of breath. "Young Master Kieran! Young Madam just left!"
Kieran's expression darkened. "She left? When?"
"Just now, sir. She didn't take anything with her-no luggage, no belongings. She simply removed her apron and walked out through the back entrance. A black car picked her up."
Without hesitation, Kieran strode up the stairs to their bedroom. It was as pristine as ever, almost as if Lena had never lived there. On the bedside table, the signed divorce agreement sat in silent finality, stained with the remnants of her tears.
Frowning, he walked to the window just in time to see a sleek black Rolls-Royce disappearing into the night. Its taillights flickered briefly before vanishing completely.
A sharp irritation twisted in his chest. 'Wasn't she so unwilling to leave just this afternoon? And now she couldn't wait to run away?'
Feeling a surge of frustration, he pulled out his phone and dialed his secretary. "Find out who owns the car with license plate SA9999."
"Right away, sir."
Five minutes later, his secretary returned with an answer. "Mr. Holt, the car belongs to Dominic Vale, CEO of Sterling Corporation."
In a town controlled by fear, Indianna is trying to find a way to survive. The only goal is to take down Rogue, but with him growing stronger every day it seems impossible. How can Indianna deal with new people, new challenges, the loss of a mate and a pregnancy, as well as a brother who wants to control the werewolf world and hurt everyone she cares about? In the end, who will be defeated, her or Rogue? (SHY BOOK #2)
Brooklyn Fox's parents are going through an ugly divorce. They decide to ship Brooklyn off to a small town to live with her cousin. A new face is a rare occurrence in this town and Brooklyn's confident and bubbly personality doesn't go amiss. She catches the attention of a dark, brooding bad boy and with this new found attention comes secrets. From both him and her.
Daisy wasn't your average girl. She was a trained killer. Give her a target and she could come up with multiple ways to end the target's life. After a failed escape attempt from the world she grew up in she has to get used to being back to the world of training, guns and death. Throw in a boy or two that both drive Daisy mental, a sarcastic attitude, lots of drama and a mission that may turn Daisy back into the assassin she used to be and you've got a pretty hectic story.
"She's shy," Brooke shrugged, glancing at Indianna who looked like she wanted to be anywhere but in the classroom. "Well, come on, I don't bite," Greyson urged and Indianna stiffened, just like before. "Don't talk about that," Indianna said, her voice was still quiet but it was firm. "Struck a nerve have I?" Greyson wondered and smirked. "Somebody likes it kinky." * Indianna Hughs had always been the quiet one, the shy one. She was always the one that stayed in the background. She blended in, never got noticed. She liked it like that. So when she's forced to move schools, she is not happy. Everyone notices a new kid, she didn't want that attention. Especially not from Mr Bad Boy who seemed to be very interested in her. COMPLETE !
There was only one man in Raegan's heart, and it was Mitchel. In the second year of her marriage to him, she got pregnant. Raegan's joy knew no bounds. But before she could break the news to her husband, he served her divorce papers because he wanted to marry his first love. After an accident, Raegan lay in the pool of her own blood and called out to Mitchel for help. Unfortunately, he left with his first love in his arms. Raegan escaped death by the whiskers. Afterward, she decided to get her life back on track. Her name was everywhere years later. Mitchel became very uncomfortable. For some reason, he began to miss her. His heart ached when he saw her all smiles with another man. He crashed her wedding and fell to his knees while she was at the altar. With bloodshot eyes, he queried, "I thought you said your love for me is unbreakable? How come you are getting married to someone else? Come back to me!"
On the day of their wedding anniversary, Joshua's mistress drugged Alicia, and she ended up in a stranger's bed. In one night, Alicia lost her innocence, while Joshua's mistress carried his child in her womb. Heartbroken and humiliated, Alicia demanded a divorce, but Joshua saw it as yet another tantrum. When they finally parted ways, she went on to become a renowned artist, sought out and admired by everyone. Consumed by regret, Joshua darkened her doorstep in hopes of reconciliation, only to find her in the arms of a powerful tycoon. "Say hello to your sister-in-law."
In order to fulfill her grandfather's last wish, Stella entered into a hasty marriage with an ordinary man she had never met before. However, even after becoming husband and wife on paper, they each led separate lives, barely crossing paths. A year later, Stella returned to Seamarsh City, hoping to finally meet her mysterious husband. To her astonishment, he sent her a text message, unexpectedly pleading for a divorce without ever having met her in person. Gritting her teeth, Stella replied, "So be it. Let’s get a divorce!" Following that, Stella made a bold move and joined the Prosperity Group, where she became a public relations officer that worked directly for the company’s CEO, Matthew. The handsome and enigmatic CEO was already bound in matrimony, and was known to be unwaveringly devoted to his wife in private. Unbeknownst to Stella, her mysterious husband was actually her boss, in his alternate identity! Determined to focus on her career, Stella deliberately kept her distance from the CEO, although she couldn't help but notice his deliberate attempts to get close to her. As time went on, her elusive husband had a change of heart. He suddenly refused to proceed with the divorce. When would his alternate identity be uncovered? Amidst a tumultuous blend of deception and profound love, what destiny awaited them?
They don't know I'm a girl. They all look at me and see a boy. A prince. Their kind purchase humans like me for their lustful desires. And, when they stormed into our kingdom to buy my sister, I intervened to protect her. I made them take me too. The plan was to escape with my sister whenever we found a chance. How was I to know our prison would be the most fortified place in their kingdom? I was supposed to be on the sidelines. The one they had no real use for. The one they never meant to buy. But then, the most important person in their savage land-their ruthless beast king-took an interest in the "pretty little prince." How do we survive in this brutal kingdom, where everyone hates our kind and shows us no mercy? And how does someone, with a secret like mine, become a lust slave? . AUTHOR'S NOTE. This is a dark romance-dark, mature content. Highly rated 18+ Expect triggers, expect hardcore. If you're a seasoned reader of this genre, looking for something different, prepared to go in blindly not knowing what to expect at every turn, but eager to know more anyway, then dive in! . From the author of the international bestselling book: "The Alpha King's Hated Slave."
Yelena discovered that she wasn't her parents' biological child. After seeing through their ploy to trade her as a pawn in a business deal, she was sent away to her barren birthplace. There, she stumbled upon her true origins—a lineage of historic opulence. Her real family showered her with love and adoration. In the face of her so-called sister's envy, Yelena conquered every adversity and took her revenge, all while showcasing her talents. She soon caught the attention of the city's most eligible bachelor. He cornered Yelena and pinned her against the wall. “It's time to reveal your true identity, darling.”
To the public, she was the CEO's executive secretary. Behind closed doors, she was the wife he never officially acknowledged. Jenessa was elated when she learned that she was pregnant. But that joy was replaced with dread as her husband, Ryan, showered his affections on his first love. With a heavy heart, she chose to set him free and leave. When they met again, Ryan's attention was caught by Jenessa's protruding belly. "Whose child are you carrying?!" he demanded. But she only scoffed. "It's none of your business, my dear ex-husband!"