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Aria, a simple and caring young woman, suddenly finds herself caught in a secret marriage with Dorian Calderon, a widower known for his cold and possessive nature. It all started with an accident involving her younger sister, Mira, who ran over Dorian's twin sister, Lina, who was pregnant at the time. As a result of the accident, Lina lost the child she was carrying and also her ability to have children. In an attempt to protect his sister's reputation, Dorian mistakenly believes Aria was the one responsible for the accident, even though she wasn't the one at fault. In the confusion, Dorian feels the need to "fix" things by forcing Aria to bear him a child, believing it will make up for Lina's loss. However, the truth is that this decision was orchestrated by Dorian's parents, who intentionally sacrificed Aria to protect Mira's career, which was at risk. Now, Aria is forced to live a life in a marriage built on lies and manipulation, with a man who is not only arrogant but also full of secrets and oppressive power. In this forced union, Aria struggles to find her own path while being trapped in a relationship full of tension, deceit, and unspoken feelings.
Aria could still remember the smell of antiseptic lingering in the hospital hallway. Cold. Sterile. Unforgiving-just like the man who now stood before her, arms crossed, eyes unreadable.
"You will marry me," Dorian Calderon said without a trace of emotion, as if the words meant nothing, as if her life wasn't about to be torn apart by them.
She stared at him in disbelief, her lips parting to protest, but no sound came out. How could she respond to such a sentence? Marriage? To him?
Dorian was the last person she ever imagined being tied to. Cold, ruthless, and far too powerful for someone like her to ever defy. The Calderon family name was one that made even the most influential people in the city pause. And Dorian? He was the shadow behind the throne, the one whose words carried consequences that could ruin lives.
And now he wanted hers.
"W-What are you talking about?" she finally managed, voice trembling.
"You heard me." He stepped closer, his towering frame casting a shadow over her smaller one. "You'll marry me. No negotiations, no arguments."
Aria shook her head, heart pounding. "This doesn't make any sense. Why would I-"
"You know why," he cut in sharply. "You hit Lina."
"I didn't!" Her voice cracked, eyes widening. "I wasn't even driving. It was Mira-"
"I don't care," he snapped. "You're the one who took the blame, aren't you? That makes you responsible. And someone will pay for what happened to my sister."
Aria's knees weakened, but she forced herself to stand tall. She had taken the blame. No one had asked her to-but the moment Mira had shown up at their apartment, blood on her hands and tears streaking her cheeks, Aria had known what she had to do. Their parents hadn't hesitated. They had looked at her with cold eyes and a single command: "Fix this."
It was always Aria. Always the one to clean up the messes, to sacrifice.
Dorian's voice lowered, becoming more dangerous. "Lina lost her child. Her womb. Her future. And she won't get justice unless you give me what I want."
"And what exactly do you want from me?" she whispered.
"A child," he said bluntly. "You will marry me and give me an heir."
The words struck her like a slap. Her breath caught, her stomach turned.
"You're insane," she whispered.
He didn't blink. "No. I'm desperate."
She wanted to laugh, to scream, to run. But she couldn't. Because he held the power. He knew she had taken the fall for a crime she didn't commit. And if she refused?
He would drag Mira into the fire instead.
"What happens if I say no?" she asked, her voice like glass on the verge of breaking.
Dorian's gaze hardened. "Then I go to the police and give them evidence that your sister was behind the wheel that night. The hospital cameras, the parking lot footage-yes, I have it. I've always had it. I was waiting to see how far you'd go."
She froze, horror crawling through her veins.
He had known.
All this time, he had known the truth-and let her believe otherwise. Let her believe she was shielding Mira from justice. But in truth, he had only been testing her. Playing her like a pawn in his carefully crafted revenge.
"You're a monster," she whispered, voice thick with fury.
"Perhaps," he said with a shrug. "But monsters don't lose. Make your choice, Aria. Either you marry me and your sister walks free... or you refuse and watch her go to prison for vehicular manslaughter."
She looked down at her hands. They were shaking. Her world had always been small-work, home, Mira. She didn't ask for much. She had dreams once. Of opening her own flower shop. Of falling in love the way people did in books-with soft kisses and warm hands and whispered promises.
But that was no longer her life.
"I'll do it," she said finally, the words tasting like blood. "I'll marry you."
Dorian's expression didn't change. No satisfaction. No victory. Only steel.
"Good," he said. "We'll keep it quiet. No one needs to know. Not yet."
"Why?" she asked bitterly. "Ashamed to be seen with me?"
He tilted his head, eyes narrowing. "Ashamed? No. I just don't want anyone asking why the woman who ruined my sister's life is now sharing my bed."
She flinched. The cruelty in his words pierced deeper than she expected.
Dorian turned to leave but stopped at the door. Without looking back, he said, "Be ready by Friday. We marry in private. No ceremony. No guests."
And then he was gone.
Aria stood in the silence, her body shaking as tears blurred her vision. She pressed her hands to her mouth to stop herself from sobbing. Her life had just been sold for a lie. And the worst part?
No one had even bothered to ask if she wanted to be saved.
As the door shut behind Dorian, Aria's phone buzzed. A new message.
Mira: Don't hate me for this. Please. I didn't know they'd do this to you.
Her blood ran cold.
They?
Her fingers hovered above the screen as her mind raced.
Just how deep did this betrayal go?
A tiny, innocent baby girl was found curled up near a dumpster behind the city hospital. Her cries pierced the night, but no one cared. Wrapped in a threadbare blanket-her only witness to a betrayal no one saw. Elsewhere in the city, another baby girl slept peacefully in the arms of an elegant woman, in a bed adorned with gold. Her name was Celestine Avarelle, daughter of the wealthiest and most powerful family in the country. She grew up with love, the best education, and all the luxuries money could buy. They were twins. But only one was acknowledged by the world. While Celestine learned to play piano and dance ballet, her twin-Seraphina Vale-clung to life with bloodied hands. She was raised in the dark alleys of orphanages and the streets of the city. Poverty was her mother. Humiliation and loneliness were her family. But Seraphina never gave up. Behind her cold gaze burned a fire that never faded-a fire that demanded answers. Who was she? Why was she discarded? And most of all... who was to blame? As fragments of the past began to surface, Seraphina's world changed forever. A misplaced medical record, an old letter, and a reopened scar-all led to one truth: she was the daughter who was switched, discarded on purpose to protect the Avarelle family's name. Now, Seraphina stands between two choices: take back the life that should have been hers... or exact revenge in a way that will change their world forever. Because not everything that is thrown away stays lost. Some return to burn everything down.
Rachel used to think that her devotion would win Brian over one day, but she was proven wrong when his true love returned. Rachel had endured it all—from standing alone at the altar to dragging herself to the hospital for an emergency treatment. Everyone thought she was crazy to give up so much of herself for someone who didn’t return her feelings. But when Brian received news of Rachel’s terminal illness and realized she didn’t have long to live, he completely broke down. "I forbid you to die!" Rachel just smiled. She no longer needed him. "I will finally be free."
Janice, the long-forgotten legitimate heiress, made her way back to her family, pouring her heart into winning their hearts. Yet, she had to relinquish her very identity, her academic credentials, and her creative works to her foster sister. In return for her sacrifices, she found no warmth, only deeper neglect. Resolute, Janice vowed to cut off all emotional bonds. Transformed, she now stood as a master of martial arts, adept in eight languages, an esteemed medical expert, and a celebrated designer. With newfound resolve, she declared, "From this day forward, no one in this family shall cross me."
After two years of marriage, Kristian dropped a bombshell. "She's back. Let's get divorced. Name your price." Freya didn't argue. She just smiled and made her demands. "I want your most expensive supercar." "Okay." "The villa on the outskirts." "Sure." "And half of the billions we made together." Kristian froze. "Come again?" He thought she was ordinary—but Freya was the genius behind their fortune. And now that she'd gone, he'd do anything to win her back.
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."
Lucia Balstone thought she had chosen the right man to spend the rest of her life with, but he was the one who ended her life. Their ten-year marriage seemed like a joke when her husband stabbed her with a dagger. Fortunately, God is never blind to people's tears. Lucia got a second chance. She was reborn at the age of 22, before all the terrible things had happened. This time, she was determined to avenge herself and let those who hurt her pay! She made an elaborate list of her goals, and the first thing on her list was to marry her ex-husband's enemy, Alonso Callen!
Sawyer, the world's top arms dealer, stunned everyone by falling for Maren—the worthless girl no one respected. People scoffed. Why chase a useless pretty face? But when powerful elites began gathering around her, jaws dropped. "She's not even married to him yet—already cashing in on his power?" they assumed. Curious eyes dug into Maren's past... only to find she was a scientific genius, a world-renowned medical expert, and heiress to a mafia empire. Later, Sawyer posted online. "My wife treats me like the enemy. Any advice?"