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Three years of marriage. Three miscarriages. The day Stella Rowan lost her baby for the third time, Evan Wright was at the hospital with his sister-in-law, waiting for her to give birth to twins. When Stella walked out of the hospital, she finally made her decision. She handed her soon-to-be ex-husband a divorce agreement. “Let’s divorce. It’s for your own good.” “Divorce?” Evan scoffed. “You really think you can let go? And if you’re trying to hold on to me, don’t dress it up as doing me a favor. That fake concern is pathetic.” Stella just smiled. She didn’t argue. She turned and walked away. She really was doing it for his sake. After all, she’d found a new backer. Even though Evan sits atop Harbor City’s financial empire, he’s about to meet someone he can’t afford to cross. Once she cut ties with the past, Stella stopped pretending. One by one, her new identities came to light, leaving the Wright family completely stunned. Wasn’t she supposed to be the girl with no family backing, the easy target everyone bullied? A multinational CEO said, “Stella, get divorced already. I’ve waited long enough.” A financial tycoon declared, “Divorce. If you don’t, I’ll take the Wright family down.” An international lawyer smiled and said, “The divorce itself is easy. Stella, if you’d just look at me once, I’d have everything I need.” Evan had always believed Stella would never leave him. Not until the day he realized she had become someone far beyond his reach. In that moment, every assumption he’d ever made about her collapsed.

Avery watched her boyfriend Ryan cheating with her half sister Zara right in front of her eyes on the Mating Day, the day she was meant to be claimed by Ryan as his chosen mate. The worse thing is that Ryan and Zara had the right to do so, because they just found out they were fated mates. Heartbroken, Avery fleed into the forest, only to fell into the arms of a dangerous stranger whose scent triggered her mating heat. Avery believed he was a rogue, so she just wanted one night of forbidden passion in the dark and ran away the next morning without even knowing what he looked like exactly. However, after she got home, she panicked as she found out she was marked by that stranger... Avery's father threatened to kill her if she couldn't secure a husband who could accept her. Just when Avery thought no one would want a marked girl, Alpha Gideon choose her as his bride, and something about him just seemed familiar....

Nineteen-year-old Hannah Jones has always been the unwanted daughter—overlooked, undervalued, and sacrificed for her family's sake. When her father's company faces bankruptcy, she's forced to marry billionaire Elijah Martinez in place of her spoiled younger sister, Janet. Framed by her own family as a jealous schemer, Hannah endures cold indifference from Elijah and cruelty from his family. Broken and alone, she finally escapes, leaving the country, her toxic family, and her loveless marriage behind. Seven years later, Hannah returns as a successful writer and designer with twin children and a fortune of her own. She's ready to divorce Elijah and close that painful chapter forever. But Elijah, who spent years searching for her after uncovering the truth, refuses to let her go. He's determined to win the heart of the woman he once ignored even if she no longer needs him. "You're still my wife, Hannah. You're not going anywhere." "Your wife? I have more money than your entire family now, Elijah. I don't need you or your name anymore."

Celeste Rodriguez and Trevor Fleming have been married for seven years. He treats her coldly throughout the marriage, but she faces it with a smile because she loves him deeply. She also believes she can melt his heart one day. However, all she gets is the news of him falling for another woman at first sight. He gives her all his care and concern, but Celeste stands strong. On her birthday, she flies abroad to be with Trevor and their daughter, Jordyn Fleming. To her devastation, Trevor brings Jordyn to meet his true love. They leave Celeste to spend the day alone. She finally gives up on him. She's also no longer hurt when Jordyn wants the woman to replace her as her mother. Celeste prepares a divorce agreement and gives up her custody rights. She leaves without another look back, cutting Trevor and Jordyn out of her life. All she needs to do now is wait for the divorce to be finalized. After giving up on her family and returning to the workplace, she easily makes a fortune. She shows the people who once looked down on her that she's better than they think. Celeste waits for her divorce certificate to arrive, but it never comes. She also notices that Trevor starts coming home more often when he's always refused in the past. He clings to her, too. When he learns that she wants a divorce, he drops his usual aloofness and pins her to the wall. "A divorce? That's not happening."

An apocalypse driven by natural disasters. Survival of the fittest. Typhoons, floods, deadly cold, scorching heat, earthquakes, tsunamis, insect plagues, acid rain… After struggling through three years of the apocalypse, Nicole Floyd met a brutal death. Miraculously, she woke up and found herself three days before it all began. Nicole seized the advantage to reclaim her storage space, flipping the switch on full-on stockpiling mode. She shopped until she ran out of money, and her storage was packed tight. She also looked for the dog that had saved her life once before. She sharpened her knives, stacked her supplies, and took care of unfinished business. She paid back every debt, whether owed in blood or in kindness. And then, disaster struck. Her right hand gripping a knife and her left stroking the dog, Nicole pressed on through the ruins of a world without order or morals.

On their third wedding anniversary, Clark Summer gifted his wife a diamond necklace named "Love Nyla," broadcasting his devotion to the world. But while the public swooned, Nyla sat alone in their empty home, staring at a photo sent by a stranger: her husband’s new secretary, Jordyn, wearing that same necklace, tangled in Clark’s arms. For three years, Nyla had been the perfect, submissive wife. In return, she received betrayal, humiliation from her mother-in-law, and Clark’s sickening justification that his affair was merely a "physical necessity" while he still loved her. He believed Nyla was trapped, tethered to him by her father’s astronomical medical bills. He thought she would swallow the insults and raise his mistress's child. He was wrong. Selling their mansion, gathering evidence, and delivering irrefutable proof of her infidelity… Nera turned and left, donning a white lab coat instead of an apron, transforming overnight into a top-tier pharmaceutical researcher who had astonished the industry. When Clark, with belated repentance and red-eyed pleading for her return, saw his icy ex-wife being gently embraced by his uncle Damon, he saw the aloof man before him. The superior man coldly glanced at his nephew, his voice low and dangerous: "What are you calling 'wife'? Call her 'auntie'."
My husband was sleeping with my best friend behind my back for six months. Six months of roses. Six months of 'you are my everything' while he was making her moan his name. I trusted him with my whole heart. He handed it to her like a cheap gift. So when Dominic Ford showed up with rage in his eyes and proof in his hands, something in me snapped. And in that broken, dangerous place, a sinful idea was born. "An affair," I told him, meeting his gaze. "Real. Raw. Dirty. No strings. No limits. We give them exactly what they deserve." He studied me for a long, slow moment. Then he pulled me close as he whispered. "When do we start?" Dominic Ford touched me like he was trying to ruin me for every other man. He succeeded. He took me apart, piece by piece, night after night, until I was shaking and screaming and begging for more... and when morning came I was crawling back for everything he gave me the night before. This was supposed to hurt them. It was never supposed to feel this good. It was never supposed to feel like home. Now our cheating spouses are on their knees, right where we wanted them. But Dominic is looking at me like the plan just changed. And God help me, I don't want to walk away either. We agreed. No strings. No feelings. Just revenge. That was the deal. We lied. --- WARNING: This story contains explicit scenes and two broken people who find each other in the most sinful way possible.
On the fifth anniversary of Rebecca Perry's marriage to Vance Bradford, his first love returned to the country. That night, she caught him in the bathroom, murmuring Catherine's name as he pleasured himself. That was why, for five years, he had never touched her. "Catherine is back; she's all alone. I'm just helping her as a friend." "I understand." "I promised her I'd accompany her to the island for her birthday. I'm just fulfilling it." "Okay." "This banquet requires a capable companion, and Catherine is more suitable than you." "Okay, go ahead." When she stopped getting angry, stopped shedding tears, and stopped making a fuss, he grew puzzled. "Rebecca, why aren't you angry?" Of course, she wasn't angry anymore—because she was preparing to leave. Weary of this stagnant marriage, she had secretly learned a foreign language, taken the proficiency exam, and applied to study abroad. The day her visa was approved, she presented him with the divorce agreement. Vance froze. "No joke. How are you gonna survive without me?" Rebecca turned away, bought a plane ticket, and flew to the European continent, vanishing without a trace. The next time he saw news of her was in a viral video. Dressed in a flowing red gown, she danced against a foreign sky, igniting the internet with her performance. He gritted his teeth. "Rebecca, no matter where you hide, I will find you and bring you back!"
This is Currently an Omnibus! Featuring: Book 1: The Unwanted Luna - Kennedy and Ryker's Story Book 2: The Warrior's Mate - Finn and Greta's Story Book 3: Taming the Alpha's Heir - Ben and Elara's Story Book 1: Kennedy is a human thrown into the unbelievable world of the supernatural when her parents die in a freak car accident and her mother’s best friend steps in to become her guardian. Her mother’s best friend, Beth, is the Luna of the Silver Crescent Pack. Kennedy has known Beth and her husband James and their son Jeremiah her whole life, but thought pack life would be something she would only hear about. The Alpha and Luna keep no secrets about the dangers of their world for a human like Kennedy. Jeremiah takes an interest in keeping Kennedy safe and helps her through the trauma of moving on from the accident. Kennedy is taught pack ways and for the most part is loved by all the pack members, learning the values of the pack bond, the ways of the warriors and respect for the hierarchy of the wolf culture. She becomes a very proficient warrior even with only human strength and senses. Follow Kennedy on her journey of mates, love, friendship and fighting a mate bond she doesn’t want holding her back from her own goals and dreams. __ Ryker is a young, well-known, and feared Alpha of Dark Moon pack. He cares for his pack members through tough love and an iron fist. He's seen what happens when Alphas take their mate. It makes them weak and lose focus. Many have been corrupted by terrible mates. He would rather stay alone than be controlled.

[MATURE CONTENT 21+] I'm not sure if I'm here, at the moment, I don't know if I'm screaming or begging him to stop as the weight of his hands on my back feels more apparent. Maybe I'm just helplessly drowning in my despair with only silent tears running down my face. Nothing matters because even my mind could not wander off and protect me for long enough to silently surrender to a horrific situation. "You lied to me, You lied to me! You said you wouldn't do this if I " The words slip away as I sob and cry out in pain. "Hm..”" Alejandro lets out a breathless chuckle, "I did?"One of his hands leaves my hip, reaching down to wrap around my throat, forcing my back into an arch so I'm faced with the reflection of myself in the mirror. It is so I can watch the deranged, lustful look in his eyes as he roughly thrusts himself in and out of me while choking me against his hand at my throat.This is cruel. This is disgusting. This is shameful. But it makes Alejandro smile in pleasure, in pride, that he's able to break me and bend me into his will. "I believe I said that I was fine if you wanted to wait, " he admits. "However, I never said how long. "The reflection of myself in the mirror is someone unrecognisable; she's broken, and angry. I can see my eyes darken in misery, in hatred. The mirror also provides me with Alejandro's expression, filled with contentment and satisfaction. "I HATE YOU," I spit out with every inch of dignity that I may have left. The statement left no mark on Alejandro, instead, he thrusts into me harder, making me cry out but I didn't care, not anymore.

UNDER HEAVY EDITING. ***** He chuckled at her desperate attempt to make the lie believable. "Pretty little liar, your face betrays a lot, sadly" he placed his hand on her cheeks, his face dark "you can't run from me, Maya; no matter how hard you try to, I'll always find you. Even in the deepest part of hell, And when I find you, you get punished according to how long you were away from me, understand?" His tone was so soft and gentle it could have fooled anybody but not her. She could see through him, and She trembled under his touch. "Y-yes, maestro" **** Though her sister commits the crime, Maya Alfredo is turned in by her parents to be punished by the Ruthless Don Damon Xavier for selling information about the Costa Nostra to the police. Her world is overturned and shattered; she is taken to the Don's Manor, where she is owned by him and treated like his plaything, meanwhile knowing his intentions to destroy her. But then things get dark in the Don's Manor, with the presence of Derinem Xavier. Maya doesn't stand a chance in Damon's furnace. Will he destroy her and everything she loves for the sins he thinks she committed? Or does luck have other plans for her? Note— This is a dark romance. Not all lovey-dovey. ML is a psychopath. Trigger warnings!!! **** TO READ THE EDITED VERSION, PLEASE LOG OUT AND LOG IN AGAIN.

Vivian Kane is a ghost in the digital underworld, slipping into Alessandro Costello’s world like she’s always been there. She lifts his wallet with a swipe of her fingers, and just like that, she’s not only hacked his systems—she’s hacked his life. Alessandro Costello doesn’t do forgiveness. She’s made it personal, and now he’s out for blood. He’s ready to turn her life into a living nightmare, using every dirty trick he knows to make her regret ever crossing him. What starts as a simple theft quickly spirals into something far darker. They’re trapped in a high-stakes game of cat and mouse, where every touch and taunt turns up the heat until it’s a steamy, no-holds-barred battle of lust and dirty games. In this twisted mind-fuck, trust is a luxury neither can afford.

Elena Rossi has spent ten years hating Dante Moretti. She believes he killed her father and tore her family apart. Now she cleans his penthouse under a fake name, hiding her face and who she really is. Her plan is simple: get close, find his weakness, make him pay. Around her neck she wears a silver locket she doesn't understand — inside, a faded photo of a young man she doesn't recognize. Dante Moretti runs New York with cold precision. Ten years ago he lost the only woman he ever loved, and buried his heart along with her. Then Elena walks into his penthouse. He catches her trying to steal from him. He should kill her. Instead, he keeps her close. Something about her won't leave him alone — her scent, her voice, the fire in her eyes when she fights him. His heart remembers what his mind can't. Forced together, Elena's hate starts to crack. Her body remembers his touch. Her nightmares fill with a man with sad eyes, whispering her name. When she opens the hidden compartment in her locket, she finds a note: "If you find this, it means I am gone. But my love is not. Come back to me, Elena. I am waiting." Her world shatters. Her uncle Victor erased her memory. He killed her father — and framed Dante for it. Elena and Dante join forces to bring Victor down. In the end, her memories return in full. She chooses love over revenge. Together, they build a new future, ruling both families with strength and mercy. Six months later, Elena stands in the yellow nursery, pregnant with Dante's child. He wraps his arms around her. "We were enemies. We were strangers. We fell in love twice. And we lived."

"Then come," he ordered. "Come on my cock." It hit me like a wave. Like a freight train. My orgasm ripped through me, violent and overwhelming, my body spasmed, my hands twitched and I screamed against his palm. My cunt clenched around him, milking him, pulling him deeper. "Fuckkkk," I screamed louder. "That's it," he growled. "That's it. Fuck, Seraphina—" He moved inside and out faster now, harder. Slamming into me without abandon His groan became louder. I felt his cock get warmer in my soaking pussy. "Sera—" ___ Seraphina Blackwood spent four years as the invisible punching bag of Blackthorn Academy. Bullied for her braces, her shyness, and her refusal to act like the powerful heiress she was born to be, she clung to the only person who paid her attention—Marcus Ashford, the boy from the weakest family. He promised her forever. Their first time. And then she caught him in a hallway with Vivian Voss, the mean girl who'd made her life a living hell. On graduation day, Seraphina broke. She stepped onto the school's iconic statue, screamed at the world, and ripped off her bra in front of everyone exposing her bare breast to the world. And Damian Blackthorn, the heir of Family No. 1, wrapped his jacket around her trembling body. She raised her middle finger and walked away. That was three years ago. Now Seraphina is back—a famous actress with a black eye she hides behind sunglasses, a career she built from nothing, and a secret: she's been in love with Damian Blackthorn and She just didn't know it. But Damian knows. He's been obsessed , watched and waited fifteen years for her to see him. Now she's back. And he wants more, more than an intense hallway sex. He's not waiting anymore. This time, he's branding her.

Ameena, a plus-size widow, is forced to leave her baby behind to work as a wet nurse at an elite residence. Little does she know that the baby she cares for belongs to Damien Leonardo—the ruthless Mafia King and a widower whose wife was murdered. Previously, Ameena accidentally found Damien dying of thirst in the forest after a shootout. She managed to save the Mafia King’s life by directly breastfeeding him. As the two begin to fall in love at the mansion, a cunning woman suddenly appears and claims to be the mysterious savior. Will Damien discover the identity of the angel-hearted woman who has truly stolen his heart?

A typical teenage romance novel. Where the girl falls in love with the jock. But the only difference in this one is that the girl falls in love with her brother. "Why does what I do matter so much to you?" I asked curiously. He slammed his hand against the car behind me as he caged me in. He looked down at me with a scowl on his face, his tall frame hovering over me. "Because I care about you." He said loudly and his minty breath hit my nostrils causing me to gulp. I've never been this close to him before. Since the first day that he met her, he was attracted to her. But he had to keep his feelings a secret, for the sake of their family. She can't fall in love with him. So he needs to show her the worst parts of himself, because maybe then she'll hate him. BOOKS 1 & 2.

Well, who said a Nerd couldn't be a fierce, stubborn, cold-hearted, arrogant and a lover of baggy trousers and crop tops... All these attributed to Jade, a newly transferred student in Crimson Heights high school, to complete her finals. Being a Nerdy bookworm gave no one their right to tamper and dare mess with her, this got her into many fights in her previous school before she got transferred to this new school. She tried as much to be ignorant to everyone who crosses her path to avoid trouble, but that was quite difficult when she was pushed to the wall most times. Meet, Kayden, the popular cocky, arrogant billionaire son whose father owns the largest multi-billionaire corporation in Canada. He is handsome and tall, making all girls in school desire him. Guess what happens when two arrogant people collide... Chaos right? What happens when Jade decided to go for a house night party organized by her mates after being dragged in school by the crazy cheerleader, Athena, and Jade was dared to KISS Kayden? Aissh! That's when the whole trouble even started. Warning: Contains Violence, triggering emotions and Matured Scenes.

"And the sweet little angel couldn't keep her eyes off the devil."Sophia Watson is a normal teenager, who has a good relationship with her parents. She just moved to a new town and on the first day of school she runs into Axel Jarvis, an unlikable character, with whom she gets off on the wrong foot straight from the beginning.Axel also doesn't like Sophie. He lives a simple life in which there are many girls, but no commitments. He likes it that way, especially because he has a secret he can't have anyone knowing about. Things work great, until suddenly they can't stay away from each other.brokenheartedgirl69: i literally got tingles in my bellyRecklessDemon: ily 4 starting this bookreilly_styles: OMG this is so amazing and I love it so much please please please write more

One unforgettable summer. One goodbye that never came. As children, Kayla and Cole found something that felt too big for their age to understand. Then summer ended. Kayla went home, disappeared without a goodbye, and broke the heart of the only boy who believed she'd come back. Years later, after losing her mother, Kayla returns to the city of that unforgettable summer and transfers to an elite private school where old money families rule, hockey is everything, and Cole has become the untouchable team captain everyone admires. He's the boy she never stopped loving. He acts as if she's a complete stranger. But Cole remembers everything. He recognized her the second he saw her. He just can't forgive the girl who walked away without a word. When Cole's stepbrother asks Kayla to be his fake girlfriend for an important family event, just one weekend, no strings attached, she agrees, hoping pretending to move forward will help her finally let go of the past. Cole has no intention of standing by while his stepbrother parades the only girl he's ever loved on his arm. Now Kayla is caught between two brothers, one fake relationship, and feelings that never truly disappeared. She'll have to decide whether first love deserves a second chance, or if some goodbyes can never be undone.

"Who did you piss off this time, Princess?" "You." Kian Lawley smiled. "Good. I'd hate to think you were obsessed with someone else." *******************:* Getting framed by the most powerful boy in college was bad enough. Finding out he was about to become my stepbrother was worse. Kian Lawley is arrogant, cruel, and impossible to avoid. He makes me question everything I know about him... and everything I know about my own family. Because the deeper I fall for my bully stepbrother, the more secrets begin to surface. Secrets someone is willing to kill to protect. And when the truth finally comes out... Will Kian be the one who protects my heart... ...or the one who gets me killed?

Synopsis Siena Blue thought saving her future alpha’s life would earn her a lifetime of love. Instead, on their anniversary, she catches Chris cheating with her best friend, Kelani, who is carrying his child. Heartbroken, Siena turns to the last man she should trust—Jeremy Blackwood, Chris’s ruthless rival. After one reckless night together, Jeremy proposes a ten-month fake relationship designed to destroy Chris’s pride. But as their revenge unfolds, their attraction becomes real, and Siena discovers dark secrets behind the rivalry between their packs. When their contract is exposed and trust shatters, Siena must choose between returning to the life she knew or risking everything for the rival who taught her what love should be.

My mother marries into the Patterson family with me after her divorce. She marries Thomas Patterson, the dean of a veterinary hospital. Meanwhile, I marry Walter Patterson, a firefighter captain and Thomas' son. On this day, there's a huge storm. I'm almost due for labor, but I still head to the hospital to pick my mother up after an operation. We head to the subway, but it ends up being flooded. I endure the labor contractions and call Walter with trembling hands, wanting to ask for help. He finally answers after hanging up on me 18 times. "What the hell do you want? How stupid can you be, calling me in such a huge storm? "I'm saving lives here! Tracy's foot was cut by glass while being saved, and I've just bandaged her wound. Now, I have to take her dog to Dad's hospital so he can save it. The dog is hanging by a thread; if you need help, get some other firefighter to do it! Don't pester me!" Later, the rescue team arrives. My mother and I are pushed to the back of the crowd, and people won't stop shoving us around. The floodwater rises, and I have no choice but to carry her on my back while trudging along the corridor. This continues for three hours. When we're finally rescued, my mother is already unconscious, and I end up losing my child, who's almost to term. My mother and I look at each other tearfully in the ward we share. I say, "Mom, I'm getting a divorce." She says, "It's not a big deal, sweetheart. I'll do it with you. I've done it once before—I know how this goes."

My childhood sweetheart who promised to marry me the moment I graduated proposed to Camille Willow, my sister, during my graduation ceremony. At that moment, Dennis Malcolm, the most eligible and admired bachelor in Blington City's elite circle, stepped forward and confessed his love for me immediately after my childhood sweetheart's proposal was accepted. For five years after our marriage, Dennis showered me with devotion, treating me with such tenderness that it felt as though I were the center of his world. But everything shattered the day I overheard a conversation between him and his close friend. "Dennis, now that Camille's on top, are you really going to keep pretending with Tracy?" "It doesn't matter. I'll never have Camille. Besides, as long as I'm here, she'll never disrupt Camille's happiness," he answered. The paper notes he held dear, each one carefully preserved, revealed a harsh truth. Each one carried her name, accompanied by heartfelt wishes: "May Camille be released from her burdens. May she find peace within herself." "May Camille achieve all she dreams of, and may her heart love freely." "Camille, we were never meant to be together in this life. I can only hope that in another, we will walk side by side." … Five years of devotion shattered in a single moment of clarity. I crafted a false identity and planned an elaborate drowning to vanish without a trace. From this day forward, in this life and all others, we shall never cross paths again.

My girlfriend suddenly told me she had six small beads implanted inside her, blushing as she said it was meant to please me. The next day, I made soup and brought it to her office. To my surprise, I saw her in the arms of my good friend, Henry Somerset. Henry wrapped his arm around her waist, his voice deep. "Baby, you're such a good girl. You really did the implantation as I told. My dumb friend even thought you did it for him. Do you reckon he'll lose his mind if he finds out you and I are getting married soon?" My girlfriend's voice turned cold. "This is nothing more than a marriage of convenience. I'm warning you not to let Chris find out." Henry chuckled and moved his hand downward. "Don't worry. As long as you keep me happy, I won't get Chris into trouble." After hearing all this behind the door, my entire body went cold. Clutching my phone tightly, I recalled my boss saying he would transfer me to a subsidiary company a few days ago. I no longer hesitated and sent him a text. [Boss, I'd like to be transferred to the subsidiary company in Hailborough City in three days.]

I had always been the one who kept my husband, Julian Whitmore, in line. After the car accident, I finally stopped. Julian threw a party with his friends to celebrate. "Elena's finally off my back. Now I can mess around like the rest of you." He even brought Chloe Marsh, his pregnant secretary, back to our home. Chloe was gorgeous and she knew it. But around Julian, she turned sweet and helpless. She'd stroke her flat stomach and talk to me like we were best friends. Julian pulled her close and dropped another bombshell. "Once Chloe gives birth, you'll adopt the baby. He'll be your son." "You can't have children anyway. I'm willing to let her baby call you Mom. That's more than fair to you." He didn't know I had found out I was pregnant after the accident. He also had no idea that while I was unconscious, I'd seen exactly how my life with him would end. In the dream, I lost my baby. I got my parents and my best friend killed. And in the end, I couldn't even find a place to bury my child. When I woke up, I made one choice. Leave Julian and take my child home.

I have a fortune worth more than ten billion dollars, and I showed up to my high school reunion in an old hoodie. Someone asked how I'd been doing. I gave them a pained smile. "Bad investments. I owe seven million." The words were barely out when the prom queen on my right quietly slid her chair away from me. The class president on my left clapped me on the shoulder, then turned around and went off to toast somebody else. I took in every expression in that room and played my part to the end. After it broke up, a transfer notice popped up on my phone. $100,000 received. Underneath it was a note. [This is all I have right now. Use it for the emergency. There's no rush to pay me back.] The sender was Grace Quinn, the girl who confessed to me at graduation and got turned down in front of everyone.

Borevia City's golden-boy heir crashed his car and ended up paralyzed from the waist down. Just like that, his shot at taking over Alwyn Corp was on the line. The second the news hit the Twyford mansion, Rory—the girl my parents had raised instead of me—came to me in tears, begging me to take her place and marry Axel. I tightened my grip on my water glass and laughed. "Seriously? You used to act like I was embarrassing because I grew up in a small town. You said I wasn't classy enough for your crowd, so you handed my engagement to Rory. "Now Axel's paralyzed and might lose everything, you want me to switch back and deal with it? Yeah, no." The door flew open. Jared Pritchard—my boyfriend—walked in, pulled Rory against him, and shot me a glare. "Thea, you were supposed to marry Axel in the first place. We're just fixing it. "We're done. Rory and I are getting engaged tomorrow. Once it's official, you're marrying Axel whether you like it or not." I froze, staring at the guy I'd grown up with. "The Alwyns asked for the daughter you've always shown off in public. You barely admit I'm family. You really think they won't notice if you suddenly swap me in for Rory?" Right then, my biological parents, Richard and Diane Twyford, came downstairs with icy expressions and tossed an amended birth certificate in front of me. "Starting tomorrow, we'll tell everyone you're our biological daughter. Rory's been spoiled her whole life. She can't handle being married to a man who can't walk. "It's time you did your part. Marry Axel Alwyn and accept your new life as Mrs. Alwyn." I laughed bitterly. Any hope I still had for them died right there. "Fine. I'll marry him. Just don't come begging me to come back someday."