Ashes Of His Regret
She was the wife he discarded like yesterday's deal, she's brilliant, devoted, broken by his cold abandonment during her darkest hour. The miscarriage that stole their child. The sabotage that crushed her family. The "upgrade" heiress his mother handpicked to replace her.
Esmeralda Voss swore she'd never beg again.
A chance one-night stand with his ruthless rival, Damian Hale, ignites an unlikely alliance: pretend to be his wife to soothe his dying mother's final wish, and in return, he'll arm her with everything needed to dismantle the man who ruined her.
But revenge is a dangerous game when desire burns hotter than hate. As Esmeralda lures her ex back with teasing touches and whispered memories, making him ache with regret and hope... Damian's possessive jealousy awakens something deeper. What started as a calculated deal spirals into raw, consuming passion, nights of dominance and surrender that heal her scars and shatter his control.
He was supposed to be a tool. She was supposed to walk away alone.
In a world of billion-dollar betrayals and bedroom power plays, Esmeralda will burn his empire to the ground... but can she resist the man who makes her feel truly chosen?
A sizzling dark billionaire romance of revenge, fake marriage, and forbidden love that refuses to stay pretend.
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Chapter: CHAPTER 17 ESMERALDA'S POVI don't know what day it is anymore.The weeks blur together sleeping, waking, staring at the ceiling, sleeping again. Lila's couch has a permanent dent where my body curls up every night. Every day. All the time."Esme." Lila's voice sounds far away. "Esme, you need to get up.""I am up." My eyes are open. That counts."You need to shower. Eat something. Move.""I'm fine.""You're not fine." She sits on the edge of the couch, and I can feel her worry like a physical weight. "You haven't left this apartment in ten days."Has it been ten days? Could be five. Could be twenty. Time doesn't work right anymore."I went to the bathroom," I offer weakly."That doesn't count." She pulls the blanket off me. "Come on. Up. Now.""Lila, please—""No. I've been patient. I've let you grieve. But this isn't grieving anymore. This is disappearing." Her voice cracks. "And I'm not going to watch you disappear."I finally look at her. Really look at her. She has dark circles under her e
Last Updated: 2026-01-25
Chapter: Chapter 16JULIAN'S POV"Mr. Voss, we need to discuss the document requests from your ex-wife's attorney."Richard Patterson, my lead counsel, sits across from my desk looking far too serious for what should be a non-issue."What about them?" I don't look up from the contract I'm reviewing. The Singapore expansion is taking all my attention. Esmeralda's desperate flailing is barely a blip on my radar."She's requesting access to business communications between Voss Industries and Morrison & Associates from three years ago. Specifically relating to client transfers and—""Denied." I sign the contract with a flourish. "Motion to quash or whatever you need to do. She's on a fishing expedition.""Yes, but the request is quite specific. She seems to have some preliminary evidence—""She has nothing." Now I look up, irritated. "David Morrison ran a failing company into the ground through his own incompetence. If his bitter daughter wants to blame me for his business failures, that's her problem, not m
Last Updated: 2026-01-25
Chapter: Chapter 15CELESTE'S POVI'm having tea at the club when Margaret Pierce slides into the chair across from me, her face alight with gossip."Celeste, darling. I heard about Julian and that Laurent girl. How exciting!"I smile, the practiced expression of a woman who's perfected social graces over sixty-two years. "Yes. Vivienne is lovely. Perfect for him.""And the baby! How wonderful. You must be thrilled.""Thrilled" doesn't begin to cover it. Finally—FINALLY—the Voss name will continue with proper lineage. A child from good stock, raised with appropriate values.Not like the disaster Julian's first marriage could have produced."It's a blessing," I say smoothly. "Julian deserves this happiness.""And what about... well, the first wife?" Margaret leans in, voice dropping. "I heard she took the divorce rather hard."Esmeralda. The name leaves a sour taste."These things are always difficult. But Julian made the right choice. Sometimes marriages simply don't work out."What I don't say: Thank Go
Last Updated: 2026-01-23
Chapter: Chapter 14DAMIEN'S POVI'm late for a meeting when I almost kill her.The car tears around the corner I'm going too fast, I know, but the investor presentation starts in ten minutes and I can't afford to be late—when she steps off the curb without looking.No warning. Just suddenly there, directly in my path.I slam the brakes. The car screams, tires screeching against asphalt. I swerve hard, missing her by inches.My heart hammers against my ribs."Jesus Christ," I breathe.She's frozen in the middle of the street, eyes wide, pale as death. Like she doesn't even realize she almost died.Someone's screaming a woman on the sidewalk, probably the friend who was calling to her.I should drive on. Should get to my meeting. This isn't my problem.But something makes me stop. Makes me roll down the passenger window and lean across the seat.She's still standing there, trembling. Lost.And then I see her face.Really see it.Those eyes. That bone structure. The way she holds herself even in shock.My
Last Updated: 2026-01-23
Chapter: Chapter 13 ESMERALDA'S POVI wake up to Lila sitting beside the couch, watching me with worried eyes."Morning," she says softly."What time is it?""Almost noon. You slept for sixteen hours."I don't remember falling asleep. Don't remember anything after the crying stopped.The divorce papers are on the coffee table. Julian must have had them delivered while I was asleep.There's a note attached in his assistant's handwriting: Mr. Voss requests that these be signed and returned by end of business today. If you have questions, please direct them to his attorney.End of business today. Not even a personal message. Just instructions from his assistant."Are you going to sign them?" Lila asks.I stare at the papers. At the space where my signature should go."I don't have a choice, do I?""There's always a choice.""Not really." I sit up slowly. Everything hurts. "Patricia said the prenup is ironclad. I have no money to fight it. Julian's already moved on. He's living with Vivienne, raising her ch
Last Updated: 2026-01-23
Chapter: CHAPTER 12ESMERALDA'S POV I can't leave. I know I should. Know I'm only torturing myself by staying. But my feet won't move from this spot on the sidewalk across the street from the building. I watch as more furniture is carried out. The dining table where we hosted our first dinner party. The couch where Julian proposed. The bookshelf I spent weeks organizing. All of it disappearing into trucks. My phone rings. Lila. "Where are you? I thought you were just grabbing clothes." "I'm still at the penthouse. Julian's here. With Vivienne. They're moving her in." "What? Esme, you need to leave—" "I can't." My voice cracks. "I can't leave, Lila. This is my home." "It's not your home anymore. Come back here. Please." "I will. Soon. I just..." I trail off, watching as a new delivery arrives. A crib. White and expensive and perfect. For Vivienne's baby. "I have to go," I whisper. "Esme, don't do anything—" I hang up. The sky is darkening. Hours have passed. The movers are finishing up, tru
Last Updated: 2026-01-19
Chapter: CHAPTER 136Chapter 136FREYA'S POVTen years after completing our bond, I wake to Adrian watching me.Not unusual. We've developed a habit over the years of stealing quiet moments before the chaos of children and pack responsibilities intrudes. But something about the way he's looking at me this morning feels different."What?" I ask, voice rough with sleep."Just thinking.""About?""About how different my life would be if I'd never met you. If I'd stayed the cold, distant Alpha who kept everyone at arm's length." His hand finds mine beneath the covers. "I wouldn't have this. Any of this. The family, the happiness, the purpose.""You'd have found someone eventually.""Maybe. But not you. Not this bond. Not this life." He pulls me closer. "I wouldn't trade this for anything. Not safety, not tradition, not anything the old way promised."Through the bond, his love washes over me, steady as a heartbeat."I wouldn't trade it either," I whisper. "Even knowing everything we'd face, I'd choose you aga
Last Updated: 2026-01-13
Chapter: Chapter 135ADRIAN'S POVAurora is seven when she asks the question that changes everything.We're in my office, her doing homework at the small desk we set up for her, me reviewing territorial agreements. It's become our routine, these quiet afternoons where she works beside me, content in companionable silence."Daddy?" She looks up from her math worksheet. "When I grow up, will I be Alpha like you and Mama?"I set down my pen, giving her my full attention. "Do you want to be Alpha?"She considers this seriously, as she considers everything. "I don't know. Maybe. But what if Kai wants to be Alpha? Or Ember? Do we fight for it?""No fighting," I assure her. "Being Alpha isn't about bloodline or birth order. It's about capability, desire, and the pack's needs.""So any of us could be Alpha?""Any of you. Or none of you. You might choose different paths entirely." I move to sit beside her. "Why are you asking?""Tommy at school said I have to be Alpha because you and Mama are. He said it's my job
Last Updated: 2026-01-13
Chapter: Chapter 134 FREYA'S POVThe invitation arrives on a Tuesday morning, completely unexpected.I'm reviewing pack supply requests when Clara brings in the mail, setting a formal envelope on my desk with raised eyebrows."This looks important," she says.The return address makes my heart skip. The North American Pack Leadership Summit. An annual gathering where Alphas share knowledge, younger wolves learn leadership, and new ideas are debated.I open it carefully, unfolding thick paper embossed with an official seal.*Dear Alpha Freya Reed-Metcalfe,**The North American Pack Leadership Summit cordially invites you to serve as keynote speaker for our workshop on Modern Pack Dynamics and Equal Alpha Partnerships. We believe your unique perspective would provide invaluable insight to the next generation of pack leaders.**The summit will be held at the Eastern Territories Conference Center in six weeks. We hope you'll consider sharing your story and expertise.*I read it twice, emotions tangling. This
Last Updated: 2026-01-13
Chapter: Chapter 133ADRIAN'S POVSix years.Six years since Freya marked me and completed our bond. Six years since we rewrote pack law and changed everything. Six years of marriage, partnership, and building a life that still amazes me every morning I wake up beside her.Our anniversary falls on a Saturday this year, which means the kids are home, demanding, and completely unaware that today is supposed to be about us."Daddy! Aurora took my toy again!" Kai's voice carries from the playroom."Did not! It's MY toy!" Aurora counters.Ember, not to be left out, starts crying in sympathy with whoever she thinks is wronged.Freya groans beside me, burrowing deeper under the covers. "Make them stop.""They're your children too.""Not before coffee they're not."I laugh, pressing a kiss to her shoulder. "Happy anniversary.""Is it happy? Because it sounds chaotic.""Chaotically happy." I slide out of bed, pulling on sleep pants. "I'll handle the children. You sleep.""You're my favorite husband.""I'm your onl
Last Updated: 2026-01-13
Chapter: Chapter 132FREYA'S POVAurora's first day of pack school arrives with more drama than I anticipated.She's been excited for weeks, talking nonstop about learning with other kids, making friends, showing off her shifting abilities. But this morning, standing in her new clothes with her backpack almost as big as she is, my brave daughter is terrified."What if they don't like me?" she whispers, gripping my hand.I kneel to her level, brushing dark hair from her face. "They'll love you. You're smart, kind, and interesting. What's not to like?""But I'm different. I shift faster than other kids. Dr. Chen says I'm advanced." Her golden eyes, so like Adrian's wolf form, shimmer with unshed tears. "What if different means weird?"My heart breaks a little. Five years old and already worried about fitting in, about being too much or not enough. I recognize this fear intimately. I lived it for years before Adrian."Different means special," I tell her firmly. "It means you have gifts other kids don't. And
Last Updated: 2026-01-13
Chapter: Chapter 131Five Years LaterFREYA'S POV"Mama! Kai took my toy!"I look up from the lesson plans I'm reviewing to see Aurora standing in the doorway, hands on hips, indignation radiating from every inch of her five-year-old frame. Behind her, I can hear her younger brother's laughter echoing from the playroom."Did he ask first?" I inquire."No! He just grabbed it!""Then go tell him he needs to ask permission before taking your things. Use your words, not your claws."Aurora huffs but heads back down the hall, her voice rising in bossy instruction. "Kai! Mama says you have to ASK!"I smile, returning to my work. Aurora has her father's sense of justice and my stubborn streak, a combination that makes her formidable even at five. Kai, our three-year-old son, is quieter but mischievous, always finding creative ways to push boundaries.And then there's Ember, our youngest at eighteen months, currently napping upstairs but likely to wake soon demanding attention and snacks.Three children in five y
Last Updated: 2026-01-12
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