Thirty-Six Hours To Save Her

Ten years. That' s how long I' d spent in Ironwood, a frozen hell disguised as a "rehabilitation" facility, stripped bare. Finally, I was home, a woman I barely recognized, clinging to Marcus and Leo' s hollow promises of normalcy. I just wanted peace, to be safe. The recycled air inside felt foreign after the clean Alaskan crispness. But peace was a cruel illusion. I overheard them talking, my husband and my son, their voices low and urgent. "She took the fall," Marcus confessed, "It was convenient." My blood ran cold. The "Aegis data breach" that stole a decade of my life was no accident of negligence, but a calculated frame-up by my own family to protect Vivian. Their "sympathy" was a meticulously constructed performance. My husband, the man who comforted me, was having an affair with my adoptive sister, Vivian, who now held my former title. She paraded in front of me wearing the gown Marcus had commissioned for my anniversary. My son, Leo, defended her, then burned my cherished journals for him, making space for "Aunt Viv's" things. This house was not a home, but a gilded cage built on lies. My own father lauded Vivian as a family "asset," subtly shaming me. The trust that had flickered within me was extinguished, replaced by a cold, burning fury. They had conveniently buried me for ten years in a brutal Alaskan prison, then expected me to play along. My heart hammered with an overwhelming sense of injustice and betrayal. They thought I was still broken. They were wrong. Amidst the ashes of my old life, my mother's cryptic words from years ago echoed: "The Seraphina Protocol. My escape hatch." A meticulous archivist, a planner, was reawakening. The gala would be their stage, yes. But soon, it would be mine.

I'd built my catering business from scratch, pouring every dollar into my daughter Emily's future, envisioning a modest, joyful wedding. But then Kevin's mother, Brenda, dropped a bombshell: Emily was pregnant, and they demanded a $50,000 wedding plus another $50,000 for a house – my "responsibility." My own daughter, manipulated by Brenda, sided against me, echoing their absurd demands and cutting me off. They married without me, then Emily even tried to set me up with a strange man, and Brenda openly demanded my house. How could my sweet, cherished Emily become so unrecognizable, so deeply brainwashed by this monstrous greed? The absolute betrayal tore my heart apart, leaving me shattered and utterly bewildered. Desperate, I listed my house, planning to escape to Oregon. But Emily's final call, a plea for reconciliation over dinner, was a trap. Drugged and helpless, I overheard Brenda order Kevin to murder me and inherit everything. This wasn't just about money anymore; it was about survival.

For 15 years, Lena and I were Apex and Viper, Sentinel Group's best. We moved like ghosts, always got the job done. I thought our bond was iron, that nothing could break what we had. A lifetime together, quiet, away from it all – that was the future I saw. Then Julian Thorne, a tech billionaire's son, walked into our lives. I saw the shift in Lena's eyes, a flicker I hadn't wanted to acknowledge. Her laughter grew too loud, too often with him, and her subtle jabs at me turned sharper, more dismissive. She started calling him Julian, shared operational details she shouldn't have, and openly mocked my ruggedness, insisting Julian preferred 'polish.' My gut twisted when he tossed our custom-made challenge coin in the air – the symbol of our unbroken partnership, given to him like trash. But nothing hit harder than her cold laugh, "A future? With you? Don't be ridiculous, Alex. You think I' d ever be with someone like you?" Twenty years of belief, shattered in an instant. The woman I loved, my partner for fifteen years, saw me as nothing but a grunt, a relic, beneath her ambition. The pain was a physical blow, a cold, hard truth: this wasn't a partnership. To her, it was just a job, and Julian Thorne, a shiny, disposable perk. Watching her laugh with him, the knot in my gut tightened, then snapped. I pulled out my burner phone, the one I hadn't touched in years. "Grandfather," I said, my voice rough, "It's Alex. About that arrangement… is it still on the table?" It was time to leave everything behind, to find a peace she could never offer.

Seven years ago, I, Elara Vance, keeper of an ancient family spirit known as The Watcher, saved Marcus Thorne's life. He made a binding promise: betrayal would come at a terrible cost. I believed it was love, a future built on a miraculous second chance. But love turned to ash. Marcus, now a ruthless city mogul, discarded me for a cunning socialite, Seraphina. He publicly shamed my heritage, then, with her connivance, ripped the silver locket - my only control over The Watcher - from my neck. The devastation was swift and brutal. My ancestral home was bulldozed. My beloved Mama Willow, murdered in the process. I was trapped, forced to sacrifice my blood for Seraphina's supposed healing, and then, in a cruel confrontation, Marcus's shove caused me to lose our child. Then Seraphina' s cruel confession shattered everything. She gleefully revealed Marcus faked his near-death seven years ago, a calculated lie to exploit my family' s healing powers. And Mama Willow? She didn' t "fall"; she was pushed, at Marcus' s command. The man I saved, the man I loved, was a monster from the start. In a final act of spite, Seraphina tossed my sacred locket into a roaring fire. As it melted, I felt it: The Watcher, unleashed, roaring free from its chains for the first time in centuries. It chose its target, the one who broke the bonds. And now, they would pay the terrible price.

Ellie Vance stood on the edge of the manicured lawn, an outsider in the sprawling Texas kingdom of the Harrison family. Her adoptive mother, Maria Sanchez, had been the trusted fixer for the patriarch, Charles Harrison Sr. But now Maria was gone, her absence a gaping hole, lost to a suspicious "accident" shrouded in unspoken truths. Whispers hinted at Brenda Harrison, the patriarch's ruthless second wife, orchestrating Maria' s demise. Ellie, stripped of Maria' s protection, was now simply "Ellie," an insignificant shadow dismissed by the Harrison heiresses. They openly mocked her quietness, always mistaking her keen observation for dullness, pushing her further to the fringes. Brenda' s calculated triumph, aimed at erasing Maria' s influence, seemed complete and unchallenged. How could a girl, still reeling from the devastating loss of her only family, confront a powerful dynasty that saw her as nothing? How could she, lacking their "Harrison touch" for business or their ruthlessness, find justice when everyone dismissed the uncomfortable truth about Maria's death? What hidden secrets lay beneath the surface of this seemingly unshakeable empire? Beneath Ellie' s unassuming facade, however, burned a cold, calculated fury fueled by grief and a promise. Armed with Maria' s forgotten network and her own meticulous planning, Ellie would now pose as a quiet "intuition advisor" to systematically unravel the Harrison legacy. She would expose their corruption, destroy their power, and ensure that Maria' s memory was not just avenged, but redefined.

For love, I walked away from ancient power, trading immortality for a quiet life with my wife, Seraphina, and our daughter, Willow. We lived simply, off the grid, far from the world I once protected. Then came the nightmare. A chilling premonition: Willow in agony, Julian Thorne's smirk in the shadows, and Seraphina, my wife, turning away. I knew I had to go back to the world I'd abandoned – to Seraphina' s opulent Sterling Order, to reclaim my lost power, my Heartwood Staff. But instead of understanding, I found a stranger. Seraphina, cold and distant, dismissed my warnings, believed Julian's lies, and allowed him to frame me. My daughter and I were thrown into a desolate prison, starving, defenseless. My wife, the woman I sacrificed everything for, watched, indifferent. I thought my heart was broken then. But nothing, absolutely nothing, prepared me for the moment Seraphina, my own wife, raised an arcane device and aimed it at our daughter. Willow' s scream still echoes in my soul. Her eyes… blinded by her own mother' s hand. In that instant, lying broken and helpless, something awakened within me. Not the man I tried to be, but the ancient Guardian I was always meant to be. The Solstice Gala is tomorrow. I' m coming back for my reckoning. And this time, she won' t turn away.

A twist of fate bound Allison to Derek in marriage-she, a powerful heiress with countless hidden identities; he, the city's most admired man, now lying silent in a coma. For three years, Allison used her unmatched medical skills to heal him, all while quietly falling in love. But when Derek's long-lost love returned from abroad, he handed Allison divorce papers without a second thought. Resolved to stop chasing shadows, Allison signed the papers and turned her back on love-rising to fame as a dazzling force in business, medicine, and more. Only when she stood high above the world did Derek finally see her worth. He knelt before her, eyes brimming with regret. "Will you take me back?" he whispered.

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.

Five years ago, Alessia La Rosa's life took a drastic turn when, suffering from memory loss, she wed to Dominic Carter under her grandfather's mysterious arrangement. But their marriage was a facade, bringing her only humiliation and heartache as Dominic showed no love, and she couldn't conceive. Upon discovering Dominic's infidelity, Alessia sought liberation through divorce. Yet, fate had more in store for her. Five years later, spurred by an anonymous email hinting at her lost child's whereabouts, she returns to the city with her twin babies in tow, determined to uncover the truth. As she navigates the tangled web of her past, a surprising twist awaits. Dominic, upon meeting her again, finds himself drawn to the woman she has become, unaware of her true identity as his former wife. Little does he know, the woman he's falling for is not only his ex-wife but also a powerful Doctor and Master Hacker.

Darya spent three years loving Micah, worshipping the ground he walked on. Until his neglect and his family's abuse finally woke her up to the ugly truth-he doesn't love her. Never did, never will. To her, he is a hero, her knight in shining armour. To him, she is an opportunist, a gold digger who schemed her way into his life. Darya accepts the harsh reality, gathers the shattered pieces of her dignity, divorces him, takes back her real name, reclaims her title as the country's youngest billionaire heiress. Their paths cross again at a party. Micah watches his ex-wife sing like an angel, tear up the dance floor, then thwart a lecher with a roundhouse kick. He realises, belatedly, that she's exactly the kind of woman he'd want to marry, if only he had taken the trouble to get to know her. Micah acts promptly to win her back, but discovers she's now surrounded by eligible bachelors: high-powered CEO, genius biochemist, award-winning singer, reformed playboy. Worse, she makes it pretty clear that she's done with him. Micah gears up for an uphill battle. He must prove to her he's still worthy of her love before she falls for someone else. And time is running out.

Forced out of a mental hospital by her family, Nicole was made to marry Aidan-reputed to be disabled-in her sister's place. The public ridiculed their union: a so-called lunatic and a cripple. What they didn't know was that Nicole had a sharp mind, countless talents, and secret identities. High society sneered at her unruly behavior, but Aidan always took her side. "My wife is too fragile to hurt anyone," he'd say. But soon- "Sir, your wife destroyed someone's house!" "Let her." "Sir, your wife ran away!" He arrived at the airport with two adorable kids in tow, pleading, "Sweetheart, come back. You can punish me however you want." Nicole froze. Wait-where did these two adorable little troublemakers come from?

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."