Once my Wife
She was once his wife. Now she’s his biggest secret and maybe his only chance at redemption.
Five years ago, Bella Quinn walked away from a toxic marriage and a powerful man, broken but resolute. She found solace in Boston, raising their daughter alone, shielding her from the world and the painful truths of the past. But when fate, in the guise of an anonymous commission, throws her back into Jason Reed’s orbit, the carefully constructed walls around her heart begin to crumble. Buried secrets erupt, and the unfinished love that once burned so brightly smolders hotter than ever.
Jason, a cold and formidable CEO, unknowingly haunted by the love he lost, now wants answers, a closure he never received. Bella, fierce and independent, desperately wants to protect her secret and finally lay the past to rest. But the past has teeth, a venomous history of lies and betrayals and someone far more dangerous is out to destroy them both.
As their lives irrevocably intertwine again, amidst corporate scandals, hidden agendas, and shocking revelations, can a love scarred by deceit survive the truth that will change everything they thought they knew?
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Chapter: Chapter 85: The Aftermath and a New GhostThe city had changed.In the week since Jason’s defiant broadcast, New York felt alive with a new energy, a fever, a belief. The Phoenix Foundation had risen from the ashes like its namesake, not just restored but transformed. Support poured in from every corner of the globe: messages, funding, partnerships. They weren’t just surviving anymore; they were leading.Jason and Bella’s story had been painted in headlines as a modern fairy tale. Love against betrayal. Courage against manipulation. Light against shadow. The world couldn’t get enough.But behind the bright lights, behind the applause and admiration, the wounds still bled quietly.At night, Bella would sometimes wake with a start, her heart pounding, certain she had heard Seraphina’s voice whispering through the dark. Sometimes, she would flinch when Jason touched her shoulder unexpectedly, the memory of isolation and fear still fresh in her skin.Jason bore his scars differently. He was always watching now. Watching doors, wa
Last Updated: 2025-09-02
Chapter: Chapter 84: The Defiant ReturnThe doors slammed open.For one terrifying heartbeat, Bella thought it would be Dean’s shadows, Seraphina’s agents, or worse…Ryan himself come to finish the betrayal. But then she saw David Cole, his face pale, his chest heaving as if he had sprinted the whole way here.“Jason!” David’s voice cracked with relief. “Bella! You’re safe.”Behind him, the team flooded the penthouse, weapons ready, eyes scanning every corner. They secured the perimeter with a speed and precision that left no doubt that they had been waiting for this moment.Jason rose from his chair, still gripping Bella’s hand. His eyes met David’s.“You’re late,” Jason said quietly.David winced, his shoulders heavy with guilt. “I know. I should have been here sooner. I should’ve stopped Ryan before it got this far.” He swallowed hard, shame thick in his voice. “I let my own brother slip past me. I…”Jason cut him off. “You came back.”For a second, David looked at him, stunned. Then he nodded, his voice breaking. “I’ll m
Last Updated: 2025-09-02
Chapter: Chapter 83: The Phoenix from the AshesBella could still feel the warmth of Jason’s touch, the closeness that had drawn them back together. For the first time in what felt like years, her heart wasn’t weighed down by grief or despair. But her mind? It wouldn’t stop racing.Seraphina’s voice haunted her like a ghost. Dean’s final masterpiece.A masterpiece. Bella knew enough about men like Dean Carter to understand one thing; every masterpiece carried its flaw. No matter how clever the plan, there was always a tell. Always.She sat hunched over Jason’s laptop, the glow of the screen casting sharp shadows across her face. The files exposing Ryan’s betrayal were still open. The timelines. The leaks. The careful staging of the Foundation’s collapse. Every word made her stomach tighten.Jason leaned against the table, silent, his jaw clenched.Then Bella’s eyes narrowed. She spotted something. A tiny detail, almost hidden, like a whisper at the edge of the code.“Wait,” she muttered, pressing her finger to the screen. “This lin
Last Updated: 2025-09-02
Chapter: Chapter 82: Rekindling the FireEvening came much early. Jason and Bella stayed the whole day at home with Lila recovering from the events of the previous day.Lila was fast asleep after running around the penthouse.The rain was falling heavy outside as they looked through the window. Bella stood in the living room, her hands clenched at her sides, refusing to let herself be distracted. Jason sat slumped on the sofa, eyes hollow, the weight of defeat pressing down on him. Dean Carter had laid his trap with precision, planting doubt and betrayal like a venomous seed, and Jason had almost swallowed it whole.Bella took a step forward, heart hammering. Not today. Not him. Not us.“Jason,” she said softly, then firmer, her voice cutting through the storm outside, “look at me.”He blinked, slowly raising his gaze, red-rimmed eyes swimming with pain. She could see the guilt, the anger, the fear but beneath it, buried and bruised, was the love that had tethered them through everything.“I…Bella…” His voice cracked. “I fai
Last Updated: 2025-08-31
Chapter: Chapter 81: Through Shadows and FireJason’s fingers dug into the edge of the desk, knuckles white. Bella’s nails scraped against the marble, her heart pounding in rhythm with his.“Lila…” Jason’s voice cracked, low and jagged. “Where is she?”The screen flickered again, static hissing, and for a heart-stopping moment, a shadow passed across Lila’s empty crib. Bella’s stomach twisted.“She’s… she’s gone,” she whispered, though part of her refused to believe it. “He couldn’t… he wouldn’t…”Jason slammed his palm against the desk. “He would. He’s done this before. He’s always three steps ahead. And now… now he’s taken her to make us…” His voice faltered, choked by rage. “…to make us crumble.”Bella stepped closer, placing a hand on his arm. “No,” she said firmly. “Not us. Not ever. Dean thinks he can manipulate you, Jason. Twist your mind, break your heart… But he doesn’t know everything. He doesn’t know us.”“Don’t try to reason with him,” Jason muttered, pacing again, each step sharp, deliberate. “Every second I think, e
Last Updated: 2025-08-30
Chapter: Chapter 80: The Pressure CookerThe hours dragged like chains.Every second inside the penthouse felt heavier, tighter, like the walls themselves were closing in. The place had always been Jason’s fortress, a sanctuary built to withstand anything. But tonight, it was nothing more than a cage lined with glass and steel.Jason prowled the rooms like a lion cut off from the wild, every step echoing his frustration. Bella kept stealing glances toward the hallway, toward Lila’s door, her chest aching with fear. The little girl slept on, untouched by the storm gathering around them. For how long, though? That was the question that gnawed at Bella’s heart.Every attempt Jason made to break through the lockdown failed. His sharp fingers flew across control panels, tore wires free, tried override after override, but the systems stayed dead, stubborn, untouchable. Dean had locked them tighter than a vault.Bella whispered into the silence, her voice hoarse with dread. “It’s airtight. He thought of everything.”Jason spun towa
Last Updated: 2025-08-29
Chapter: Chapter 97: A New GuardianThe night after the wedding, Jason barely slept.He kept hearing the violin’s last notes in his dreams, the sound bending and breaking into the steady beep, beep, beep of a machine keeping someone alive. Each time he woke, he saw Leah’s face in the shadows, watching him, her hand resting over his heart like she could keep it from racing.By morning, the celebration felt like a dream slipping away. Reality pressed back in.The guests were leaving one by one. Maya hugged Leah tightly at the car, whispering something only she could hear that made Leah wipe her eyes. Ben gave Jason a firm handshake that had none of the shaky nerves he once carried, only quiet respect. Amelia kissed Leah’s forehead before stepping back, her voice calm but final:Amelia: “Enjoy the peace while you can. The world doesn’t hand out days like yesterday often.”Leah: softly “We know.”And then they were gone, the vineyard suddenly too quiet. Just Jason and Leah left with the silence and the truth they’d been avo
Last Updated: 2025-09-02
Chapter: Chapter 96: A Wedding ReclaimedThe vineyard was too quiet.It wasn’t the silence of peace, but the silence of a world holding its breath. The valley was wrapped in late-afternoon sunlight, warm and golden, with vines swaying lazily in the soft wind. It should have felt safe. It should have felt like home. But to Jason, every shadow seemed to lean too close, every flutter of leaves sounded too much like footsteps.And yet…Leah was walking toward him.The world could collapse tomorrow and he wouldn’t care, not with this vision coming down the narrow aisle: Leah in the same ivory silk dress she had once tried to wear in a wedding that had ended in disaster. The dress didn’t look haunted anymore. It looked claimed. Redeemed.Jason’s throat tightened. This time is ours.The guests; just a handful of people who had truly mattered sat in rows of wooden chairs lined with wildflowers. Amelia’s lips curved into something rare, something unguarded: a smile. Ben stood taller than Jason remembered, more confident, no trace of t
Last Updated: 2025-09-02
Chapter: Chapter 95: The Quiet New World“Do you ever think they’ll know?” Leah asked one evening, her voice low as she set two steaming mugs of tea on the kitchen table.Jason looked up from his laptop, the glow from the screen throwing faint shadows across his tired face. “Who? The world?”She slid into the chair across from him, tucking her legs under the table. “Yeah. Everyone out there; people laughing on the streets, arguing about bills, scrolling their phones. Do you think they’ll ever realize just how close they came to losing it all?”Jason gave a faint, tired smile, closing the laptop and pushing it aside. “No. And that’s how it should be. They don’t need to know. We carried that weight so they don’t have to.”Leah studied him for a long moment. The man who once looked like an untouchable CEO now wore the quiet look of someone who had been broken and remade. “Sometimes I hate that answer,” she murmured.His gaze softened. “I know.”The world outside their walls healed in slow motion. Headlines shifted to politics,
Last Updated: 2025-08-29
Chapter: Chapter 94: The RebuildingThe next few weeks brought a lot of calmness that overshadowed the red alert from the laptop."You really think this will work, Jason?"Leah leaned against the kitchen counter, arms folded. Her eyes followed him as he sat at the dining table, surrounded by stacks of papers, glowing screens, and half-drained cups of coffee.Jason didn’t look up. His pen scratched across a document. “It has to.”"That’s not an answer," Leah said. She pushed away from the counter and walked toward him. “You’ve been buried in this mess for weeks. You barely eat. You don’t sleep. Tell me straight. Can you actually pull this off?”Jason finally stopped writing. He lifted his eyes to hers. They were tired eyes, but steady. “Leah, I don’t have the luxury of wondering if I can. This isn’t just a company anymore. It’s a wall. A firebreak. If we don’t build it now, someone else will try what Andrew did. And next time… next time we might not be fast enough.”Leah sighed. She sat down across from him, dragging one
Last Updated: 2025-08-29
Chapter: Chapter 93: The Vow in the Darkness"You know what’s funny, Leah?"Jason’s voice came from the window. He didn’t move, didn’t look at her. He just stood there, staring at the city lights below. His arm was in a sling. His shoulders looked heavy, like he was holding up the whole world."We saved everyone," he said. “But it feels like no one even knows. Like we don’t matter.”Leah lifted her head from the couch. She had been sitting there in silence, hugging her knees. The apartment was too quiet. No alarms, no gunfire, no missions. Just the hum of the fridge and cars outside."Jason," she said softly. “Don’t start tonight. Please.”He gave a short, bitter laugh. “Tonight? Leah, this is every night. Ghost is in a coma because of me. My brother is dead or worse, he died as something I made him. And us? What do we have left? No home. No wedding. No normal life.” He turned his head finally, and his eyes looked hollow. “Andrew won. That’s the truth. He won.”Leah stood. Her chest hurt at the sound of his voice. She walked to
Last Updated: 2025-08-29
Chapter: Chapter 92: The Silence After the StormThe world ended in silence.No roar, no deafening crash, no fiery explosion ripping the earth apart. Just a blinding flash. The Neural Nexus Core collapsed inward on itself, a star dying in miniature. The chamber lit up as though heaven itself had descended, and then, just as suddenly, everything went black.When the light receded, there was only quiet.Not peaceful quiet, this was different. Heavy. Absolute. The kind of silence that pressed against your ears and made your own heartbeat sound like thunder.Leah blinked, struggling to adjust. Dust hung thick in the air, glowing faintly in the dying embers of electrical sparks. Somewhere in the distance, the ruined factory groaned as its metal beams settled under new weight.And then…breathing. Ragged, desperate, human. Her own lungs screamed as though they’d forgotten how to work. She coughed, clutching her chest, then forced herself to move.“Jason.”The name came out broken, more a gasp than a word. She scrambled across the shattered
Last Updated: 2025-08-25
Chapter: Chapter 76: A Glimmer of SanityThe world outside slowly began to breathe again.The cities that had gone dark flickered back to life one by one. Streetlights blinked on, then steadied. Car horns returned to their usual rhythm, and screens across continents lit up with news anchors trying to explain the inexplicable calm that had replaced the chaos. For the first time in weeks, the pulse of Earth felt normal.Inside Thorne Tower, the quiet was fragile. The relief that washed through the halls was layered with tension, because victory had a cost. Evelyn Thorne lay in a secluded wing of the building, her body unharmed but her mind… erased.Julian approached her room slowly, the familiar sound of his boots echoing in the hall. He paused at the doorway, hand on the frame, and studied her. Evelyn’s chest rose and fell steadily, but her eyes once so full of fire were now blank, vacant, staring at nothing and everything at once.“Hey,” he said softly, stepping closer. “Can you hear me?”No response.He swallowed. The word
Last Updated: 2025-08-29
Chapter: Chapter 75: The Price of SacrificeThe Ghost Cell in Lagos had finally tracked their mission to an old factory on the city’s outskirts. The building looked abandoned from a distance with high walls, rusted gates, razor wire curling across the top but the air around it buzzed faintly, as though it carried a secret. From inside, a steady hum of energy leaked out, quiet yet heavy enough to make the skin prickle.That night, the sky above Lagos was in chaos. A quantum storm tore through the clouds, lightning flashing green instead of white. Each strike sent tremors through the city’s weak power grid, plunging neighborhoods into darkness before sparking back to life. It was no accident; Aethelgard had done this deliberately, twisting the storm as a shield.Inside the factory, the Ghost Cell found the source: the emitter. It was no ordinary machine. Its tall frame of glowing pipes and veins of crystal pulsed like a living thing. The light around it bent and warped as though the air itself were cracking. The power coming from
Last Updated: 2025-08-29
Chapter: Chapter 74: The Global StrikeIzzy stared at the glowing map on the war room screen, her hands trembling slightly. Whole regions of the world flickered in and out of signal, like a heartbeat faltering. The Architects’ network was tightening, pulling the Earth closer to fracture. She whispered, almost to herself:“We’re running out of time.”Dr. Thorne, standing beside her, adjusted his glasses and kept his voice steady, though his eyes betrayed the storm inside.“Then we strike now. No hesitation. Every second we wait, they pull another thread loose from reality.”Admiral Hayes leaned over the table, maps and coded dossiers scattered in front of him. His voice carried the calm authority of someone who had stared into chaos too many times to flinch anymore.“We’ve identified their secondary resonance emitters. Hidden in plain sight. They’re buried in businesses, labs, even old buildings people stopped caring about. If we take enough of them down, their link to Aethelgard will crack.”Izzy looked up sharply.“And if
Last Updated: 2025-08-25
Chapter: Chapter 73: The Prodigal’s BurdenJulian never thought life would land him here. He had been the carefree Thorne, the one who drank too much at galas, who flirted shamelessly, who laughed when others worried about numbers and deals. Responsibility had always rolled off him like rain on glass. But now… now every headline, every panicked phone call, every desperate glance from Ari reminded him that the world no longer allowed him that luxury.Lucian was gone. And with his brother’s absence came the weight of an empire, a family, and perhaps even the survival of nations.Julian wore confidence like a mask. He answered investors with a steady voice, calmed government officials with smooth reassurances, and stood before cameras looking every bit the steady leader. But when the lights were off, and the city outside fell into its uneasy silence, the mask slipped. He often sat alone, shoulders hunched, chest tight, fighting the feeling that he was drowning in someone else’s life.And then there was Ari.Most nights he found h
Last Updated: 2025-08-23
Chapter: Chapter 72: A World on the BrinkThe world was breaking.Not slowly. Not with warning. But like glass dropped on concrete.Screens everywhere went black. Radios turned to static. Governments begged their people for calm, but no one was listening anymore. The Architects; those who called themselves the Resonants had unleashed their “global reset,” and it was spreading like a sickness no one could see but everyone could feel.Power grids shut down without notice. Cell towers died one after another. At first, there was an eerie and suffocating silence. Then came the chaos.Markets that once rang with voices and laughter turned into battlefields for rice and bread. Families ran through the streets clutching what little food they had. Shops closed their gates, but mobs tore them down. Darkness spread, not just in light, but in spirit. People realized that this was no faraway crisis. It was here. It was now.And inside Thorne Tower, a war no less desperate was being fought.Julian stood before the boardroom table, his face
Last Updated: 2025-08-21
Chapter: Chapter 71: A World UndoneThe lab went dead silent the second Lucian disappeared.The humming of the quantum inter-locator cut off, leaving only the faint crackle of ozone in the air. The vortex snapped shut like a door slamming in their faces. Izzy stood frozen, her chest heaving, her hands trembling at her sides. Dr. Thorne braced himself on the console, his white hair damp with sweat. Both of them were staring at the empty space where Lucian had been just seconds earlier.“He’s gone,” Izzy whispered, her voice almost too small to hear.Dr. Thorne didn’t answer right away. His sharp eyes scanned the screens as if there might be some trace left of Lucian, some echo that could be pulled back. But the monitors showed only static and wild data spikes from the Aethelgard anomaly.“No signal,” he muttered, his tone heavy. “No tether, no feedback. He’s cut off.”Izzy swallowed hard. “So he’s really… alone?”“Yes,” Dr. Thorne said quietly. “Completely.”The words hit her harder than she expected. Lucian had stepped
Last Updated: 2025-08-17
Goal! The Manchester United Captains
Maya Davies is the midfield maestro of Manchester United City's women's team, a rising national star obsessed with proving her team's worth in a world dominated by men's football. Leo Sterling, the dazzling captain of the men's squad, is the club's golden boy, charismatic and undeniably talented, living under the intense spotlight. Their first encounter is a clash of competitive spirits and fierce personalities, fueling a rivalry both on and off the pitch.
As training sessions, club events, and a shared passion for the beautiful game force them into constant proximity, the initial sparks of antagonism begin to morph into something undeniably alluring. But in the high-stakes world of professional football, where every move is scrutinized, can two fiercely independent leaders find common ground and a love that defies public expectation, club politics, and their own competitive hearts? Their greatest game might just be the one they play for each other.
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Chapter: Chapter 60: A Quiet ConfessionThe locker room was empty. The smell of sweat and leather lingered in the air, faint but sharp enough to make Maya’s stomach twist. She paused at the doorway, her eyes settling on Amelia slumped over a bench, her head in her hands. The girl looked smaller than usual, fragile like glass, the weight of something unseen pressing her down.Maya’s chest tightened. She couldn’t watch this anymore. Two days until the European match that could decide their season and Amelia’s focus was shattered. Every practice misstep, every distracted glance at her phone told Maya the truth: Amelia was a liability. A ticking time bomb. And if she didn’t act now, someone was going to get hurt.“Amelia?” Maya’s voice was soft, cautious, gentle, like she didn’t want to startle a frightened animal.Amelia’s head jerked up. Her eyes were wide, wet with tears she hadn’t yet allowed to fall. “Maya… I…” Her voice faltered, trembling.Maya stepped closer and lowered herself onto the bench beside her. Not as a captai
Last Updated: 2025-08-29
Chapter: Chapter 59: The Double AgentThe rain hadn’t stopped all night. It hammered the streets like a warning, like the city itself wanted to remind them that nothing good could come from the meeting they were walking into.Leo felt the weight in his chest as he pushed open the café door and Ben followed behind. Inside, the café smelled of burnt coffee and damp coats. A radio hummed low in the background, almost drowned out by the patter of rain on the windows. At the corner table, under the dim light of a flickering lamp, sat Alex Thorne.The man looked younger than Leo expected, but older in the eyes. Haunted eyes. They didn’t shine; they carried weight, as if every second of his life was borrowed from someone else’s script.Alex lifted his head just enough to acknowledge them. His fingers tapped against his coffee cup, restless, nervous, like he was trying to beat out a signal only he understood.Leo slid into the chair across from him. Ben sat at his side, silent, watchful. “You shouldn’t be here. You shouldn’t ev
Last Updated: 2025-08-25
Chapter: Chapter 58: The First MeetingThe chandeliers glowed like frozen fire above the ballroom, scattering light across a sea of tuxedos and glittering gowns. The hum of laughter, clinking glasses, and whispered deals filled the air. On the surface, it was just another charity gala with rich people showing off their money, pretending their greed had a heart.But for Leo, this was not about champagne or photographs.He wasn’t here to celebrate. He wasn’t here to charm. He was hunting.And tonight, his prey had a name: Damien Thorne.“Remember,” Marcus’s voice echoed in his mind from their earlier call, “he’s dangerous. He’ll smile at you, flatter you, and before you realize it, you’ll be standing on the edge of a cliff with him holding the rope. Don’t let him get inside your head.”Leo adjusted the cuff of his tuxedo, his face set in the easy grin that the cameras loved. David Hayes, his agent, was already schmoozing with some reporters near the bar, his voice carrying above the chatter.“Leo Sterling!” one guest shouted
Last Updated: 2025-08-23
Chapter: Chapter 57: The Temptation of AmeliaMaya could feel that the game she was playing now wasn’t on the field. It was hidden in the spaces between training drills, in the late-night conversations, in the small glances she caught when no one was paying attention.Football had rules. Life didn’t.And right now, Maya was fighting a game that could cost someone their soul.Her soul once upon a time.“Come on, Captain, you look like you’re carrying the whole team on your shoulders,” Amelia teased one morning as they walked off the pitch together. Sweat was dripping down her forehead, but her grin was sharp, cocky even.Maya forced a laugh. “That’s because I am, kid.”But inside, her stomach twisted. Amelia wasn’t just joking. There was a restless energy buzzing around her, like a phone on vibrate that never stopped. She was hungry. Not just for the game, but for more. For money, power, escape.The same hunger Maya had once carried before it almost destroyed her.Later that afternoon, Maya invited Amelia for coffee. She made it c
Last Updated: 2025-08-21
Chapter: Chapter 56: The Long GameThe storm outside the pub was loud, but it was nothing compared to the storm inside.Waves crashed against the rocks by the shore, and the wind shook the windows of the old wooden building. Hours ago, all the locals had already gone home. The pub was empty now except for four people sitting around a scratched, wooden table. The smell of beer and sea salt filled the air. But this wasn’t about drinks, or laughter, or small talk. Tonight, the pub was something else. It was a war room.Marcus Thorne sat at the head of the table. His face looked like it had been carved from stone. It was hard with sharp lines and eyes that carried years of regret. Once, he had been a rising star, a player with a bright future. But that dream had been crushed, buried in the shadow of his brother, Damien.And now, it was Damien who had to be stopped.Marcus’s voice was low, almost like a growl.“You need to understand what we’re really fighting,” he said, staring at each of them; Leo, Maya, and Ben.“Damien
Last Updated: 2025-08-17
Chapter: Chapter 55: The Ghost of the PastIf fear had a sound, it would have been the quiet between Leo and Maya lately, the way their voices dipped when they spoke, the way they both glanced over their shoulders even in crowded rooms.The threats hadn’t just shaken them. They’d rewired something inside them.And now, every choice felt like stepping into a minefield.They were in way over their heads.The syndicate wasn’t just a few shady gamblers trying to mess with football results, it was a monster with long arms and sharp claws. A web of rich, untouchable people who smiled for cameras while ruining lives in secret.And the worst part? They couldn’t trust anyone inside the system.But they needed someone.Someone strong.Someone untouchable in their own way.Someone with a reason to fight back.Ben was the one who found him though “found” might be the wrong word. It felt more like dragging a ghost back into the light.Marcus Thorne.Once, he’d been a name chanted by tens of thousands every Saturday. Former captain of Manch
Last Updated: 2025-08-15
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