A Love Forged In Ruins
Layla Monroe has always been the overlooked daughter in a family that treasures beauty over loyalty. Betrayed by her boyfriend and overshadowed by her stepsister, Celeste, Layla has learned to survive without the support of those who should love her most. But when her family’s business teeters on the brink of ruin, they demand a sacrifice: a loveless marriage to Damian Blackwood, a man with secrets as deep as his grudges.
Reluctantly, Layla agrees, believing Damian to be a penniless partner in her family’s plot. But her husband is hiding an empire—and a vendetta. What begins as a calculated alliance shift into something more as Layla uncovers Damian’s plans for revenge against her family and his unexpected role in her future.
When old enemies and past lovers return, threatening to destroy everything she’s fought for, Layla must choose: protect the family that betrayed her or forge her path with the man who could be her undoing—or her redemption.
In a world of lies and betrayal, can Layla find the strength to reclaim her worth and take control of her destiny?
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Chapter: Half of me Layla's pov Outside, the air was thick with summer heat, but I felt ice in my bones. I walked without knowing where I was going, just trying to outrun the storm inside me.Angelina Monroe wasn’t my mother.Vincent Monroe wasn’t my father.I didn’t belong to either of them.All this time, I was a pawn in their perfect illusion. An accessory to a legacy that was never really mine.And Alexander Blackwood…Angelina's lover and Celeste's father.I had put the journal back in my bag.My phone buzzed.A message from Damian.“I miss you. Please. Just talk to me.”I stared at his name.I didn’t even know how to respond. The only thing I knew was this:The truth may set you free.But first, it burns everything you thought you were to the ground.And I was standing in the ashes.Later that day, I texted both Celeste and Damian to meet me at a quiet café downtown. I chose a booth in the back corner, far from curious ears. I arrived first and waited, heart thumping violently.Celeste came in fi
Last Updated: 2025-05-07
Chapter: A name, not a home Layla's pov I stood outside her office door, the journal clenched in my hand like a weapon.When I burst through the doors of her private office, her assistant gasped. “Miss Monroe, you can’t just—”But I didn't pay any attention to her, I just walked into her office.My heart was pounding so hard I could hear it in my ears. Everything felt sharp—too bright, too loud. My mother sat at her desk, poised as ever, flipping through papers like the world wasn’t on fire. Like she didn’t destroy mine.She looked up when she saw me.I didn’t answer. I walked straight to her desk and dropped the journal in front of her.The moment her eyes fell on it, her face changed. The calm mask she always wore cracked.“You read it,” she said softly.I stared at her. “You lied to me my entire life.”Her hands trembled as she pushed the journal aside. “Layla, please—”“No. Don’t please me,” I snapped. “Tell me the truth. All of it. Right now.”She stood slowly, as if the air had thickened around us. “This
Last Updated: 2025-05-06
Chapter: Daughter of secrets Layla's pov Even after I left the attic with the journal clutched to my chest, the weight of it followed me. I sat curled up on the edge of my bed, the leather-bound pages resting on my lap like something sacred and cursed at the same time. The words I had read earlier swirled in my head like smoke—hints of love buried under pain, confessions soaked in regret.I thought I was ready for more. I thought I could handle anything now.I was wrong.The next morning, I made tea just to keep my hands busy. I hadn’t seen my mother since the argument yesterday—since she told me I was dead to her. I could still feel those words lodged in my chest like splinters.But it wasn’t her voice that haunted me now. It was her writing.I opened the journal again.At first, the entries were simple—day-to-day observations, dinner parties, travel plans. But as I flipped further, the handwriting became messier. More emotional. As if her carefully built mask had started to slip.Then I found it.An entry dat
Last Updated: 2025-05-04
Chapter: Not dead, not done Layla's pov I stood at the front gate of the Monroe estate, the same one I used to swing on when I was eight, pretending it was a pirate ship. But today, the wrought iron felt heavier, colder—like it knew I no longer belonged.The message from my mother still played in my mind. Just one sentence, sent late last night.“We need to talk.”No warmth. No apology. No context. Just cold, clipped words that felt more like a warning than an invitation.I buzzed the gate, and the security guard let me in without a word. I walked the long driveway alone, my heels crunching on the gravel, my heart thudding heavier with every step. The house loomed ahead—grand, perfect, and empty in all the wrong ways. A golden cage built for secrets.When I stepped inside, the silence wrapped around me like a noose. I found her in the sunroom, sitting stiffly on the white sofa, sipping tea like this was any other day. Her dark hair was pulled into a tight bun, not a strand out of place. Her eyes met mine, sharp
Last Updated: 2025-05-03
Chapter: Born Monroe, built different Layla's pov I stood in front of the mirror in my office at Eclipse, my reflection staring back at me like a stranger.The sharp black suit fit perfectly—tailored shoulders, crisp creases, not a single thread out of place. My hair was slicked into a low bun, my lips painted a bold, unflinching red. I looked like a leader. A woman in control. But the truth?Inside, I was barely holding it together.My stomach twisted like it had been caught in a vice. My heart thudded loud and uneven in my chest, echoing with all the questions I couldn’t silence.Was I doing the right thing? Would I regret it?Would she be proud of me?I turned from the mirror and crossed the room, heels clicking on the polished marble floor as I walked toward the tall windows. The city below stretched endlessly, glowing in amber and steel. It pulsed, alive and hungry. It didn’t care about my decisions. About my war.But I did.Today was the day.The day I would stop running from the weight of my family name. The day I
Last Updated: 2025-05-02
Chapter: They never said sorry Layla's pov I sat in the Eclipse boardroom, the city skyline stretched beyond the windows like a painting I couldn't touch. The chair beneath me felt too big, the room too silent. I had accepted the role. I had taken the keys to a kingdom built on secrets and war.But it didn’t feel like victory.Not when the cost was this heavy.The logo of Eclipse glowed on the wall behind me—sleek, cold, powerful. A constant reminder that my grandmother had handed me not just a company, but a loaded gun. One aimed directly at Monroe Enterprises.My family.Or whatever was left of it.I didn’t want to save them. Not after what they did. Not after how they made me feel like I was never enough. But… the people in that company, the ones who weren’t monsters, they would suffer if Monroe Enterprises fell. Employees. Families. People who had no idea what kind of poison ran through the boardroom.If I saved it, I’d be saving them too. But I’d also be helping the same people who used me like a pawn.I stoo
Last Updated: 2025-04-29
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