Chapter: Chapter 149: The FallThe noise beside the pool did not disappear. It changed direction.The announcer continued introducing medalists at the far end, music still played through the arena speakers, and spectators still moved along the upper concourse. Around the equipment gate, however, every camera turned toward Sophia.Security had not reached her yet.Caroline stopped walking but kept her arm linked through Romy’s. The grip tightened once, instinctively or deliberately, before her face settled into concern.“Sophia, you are distressed,” she said. “You should speak to your lawyer and the anti-doping officials before you make accusations in front of the press.”“You promised it was safe.” Sophia took another step. Her whole body shook, but her voice carried. “You said it was the newest technology and the Sheffield tests would never find it. You said your people would protect me if anything appeared.”Romy looked at Caroline.No surprise reached her eyes.But Romy found her brows wrinkling involuntarily. C
Last Updated: 2026-10-14
Chapter: Chapter 148: The Woman Who Defended HerThe shortest route to the broadcaster’s interview bay did not pass the competition pool.Romy knew that because the press officer pointed toward a closed corridor behind the medal podium. Caroline looked at the security rope across it and shook her head.“They have closed that route for the next ceremony,” she said. “We can enter through the mixed zone. It will take less than a minute.”Devon glanced at the sign above the alternative corridor. He did not challenge her in front of the cameras already turning toward them, but he moved closer to Romy’s uninjured side.The mixed zone was brighter and louder than Romy expected. The planned broadcast position stood beneath a blue sponsor wall near the pool, yet the open press barrier beside it held far more than two reporters. At least twelve microphones appeared when Romy entered. A camera operator stepped backward to keep the sling in frame.The press officer looked at Caroline. “This was supposed to be the host broadcaster only.”“The ot
Last Updated: 2026-10-14
Chapter: Chapter 147: The Fifth Place And The CostThe applause continued after the medical-room door closed.Romy could hear the announcer congratulating Anny on Great Britain’s first women’s medal of the meet. The sound should have made her happy. Instead, it sharpened the contrast between the result board outside and the support sling being fastened around her arm.Miller waited until the doctor finished.Then he pulled a chair away from the wall and sat directly in front of Romy. He did not shout. His anger had passed beyond volume.“You felt the arm weaken after the heat,” he said. “You concealed it. The doctor gave you one condition for racing, and you broke it before the final wall.”Romy stared at the black strap crossing her chest. “If I had told you, you would have withdrawn me.”“Yes.” Miller leaned forward, both forearms on his knees. “That was the purpose of the instruction. You did not return to this team so you could destroy your shoulder for fifth place.”Romy’s fingers curled against the edge of the table. “It was my
Last Updated: 2026-10-14
Chapter: Chapter 146: The Price of ReturningThe signal released them.Elise and Freja established the race early. Anny stayed close enough to keep the bronze medal within reach. Romy entered behind the center lanes, but her start was cleaner than it had been that morning. The first thirty meters passed without pain.At the turn, she reached the wall exactly where she expected it.Her feet struck tile. She pushed into the final fifty.The pain began before she surfaced.It spread from the front of the shoulder down the outside of her arm, hot and deep. Her right hand still entered the water, but each pull returned less than the one before it.Romy remembered the promise she had made less than two minutes earlier.If I lose strength, I stop.She shortened the next stroke. For one breath, she considered rolling onto her back and raising her left arm for an official.Then she saw Harriet half a body length ahead and the final wall beyond her.The crowd rose during the last fifteen meters. Its sound reached Romy through the water as
Last Updated: 2026-10-14
Chapter: Chapter 145: Fifty-Nine Seconds“Are you injured?” Devon asked.Romy lowered her hand, but the movement did not erase what he had seen. The call-room marshal was already waving the finalists forward, and the space around the barrier had begun to clear.“The physiotherapist examined me after the heat,” she said. “There was no sign of a tear. It is sore, but I still have movement.”Devon kept his voice low. “That was not my question. Does the shoulder feel worse now?”Romy glanced toward Miller. If she mentioned the few seconds of weakness in the changing room, Devon would tell him. Miller would withdraw her before she reached the call room.The thought came with immediate shame. Devon was asking because he was frightened, not because he wanted control. Hiding the truth from him did not become harmless simply because she disliked the consequence.“The pain settled while I was icing it,” she said. “The doctor is checking me again before the final.”Devon heard the careful wording. “Is the arm weak?”Romy lifted it to s
Last Updated: 2026-10-14
Chapter: Chapter 144: The Captain’s RaceBy the time the evening finals began, the arena had changed character.The empty seats visible in the morning were filled. Music struck the water between races, television lights burned above the center lanes, and every medal ceremony sent a fresh wave of noise through the stands. The Sheffield International was not an Olympic final, but from the athlete corridor it was large enough to make mistakes feel public.Romy sat near the team rail with an ice wrap hidden beneath her jacket. After two hours of rest, she could lift her right arm again. The movement was stiff but possible, and she had convinced herself that the brief weakness in the changing room belonged to the same fatigue the physiotherapist had already seen.Miller stopped in front of her before leaving for the men’s call room. “Shoulder.”Romy raised the arm to eye level. She did it slowly enough to control the tremor at the top. “Aches, but no sharp pain.”Miller watched the arm instead of her face. “And no weakness?”The
Last Updated: 2026-10-14
My Husband's Unwanted Wife
She married him because of a contract.
He married her because she was convenient.
To the world, Alice Neighley is the perfect wife—graceful, obedient, invisible. Married to a powerful heir, she lives in a luxurious cage built on indifference and silence. Her husband never touches her heart, never defends her position, and never hides the truth: she was never the woman he wanted.
When his first love returns, Alice becomes a placeholder—easy to replace, easier to discard. Even worse, the betrayal doesn’t come only from her husband, but from the people she once called family.
But Alice is done begging for love.
As the contract nears its end, secrets surface, loyalties shatter, and the woman everyone underestimated begins to wake up. She will walk away from the marriage they thought defined her—and from the man who believed she would never leave.
What they don’t know is this:
Alice is no longer the wife he never wanted.
She is the one he will never get back.
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Chapter: Chapter 107Emily’s POVThe house was quiet except for the soft sounds of a newborn breathing.Emily sat in the wide armchair near the window, sunlight pouring across the wooden floor and warming the pale blanket wrapped around the tiny bundle in her arms. The countryside outside their home stretched in gentle hills and trees just beginning to turn gold with autumn. It was peaceful in a way the city had never been.She looked down at the baby and smiled.Hope’s tiny hand curled around her finger with surprising strength.“Well,” Emily whispered softly, “you certainly made quite an entrance into the world.”Hope made a small sleepy sound but didn’t wake.Emily laughed quietly.“I promise your life will be calmer than the one I had before you arrived.”Footsteps sounded in the hallway and Sam appeared in the doorway, holding two mugs of tea. His hair was slightly messy and his shirt sleeves were rolled up, looking far more like a new father than the intimidating figure many people still associated
Last Updated: 2026-03-06
Chapter: Chapter 106Emily’s POVEmily had never expected happiness to feel this calm.For so long, love had meant tension. It meant wondering what mood David would be in when he walked through the door. It meant carefully choosing words so she wouldn’t provoke a cold silence or a cutting remark. It meant pretending not to notice the way his attention always drifted toward Lily.But with Arlington—Sam, though she still kept that name locked safely in her thoughts—everything felt different.It felt easy.That morning the apartment was quiet except for the sound of coffee brewing. Emily sat at the kitchen table with a notebook open in front of her, though she hadn’t written anything yet. She was staring at the window, lost in thought.“Planning the future?” Sam’s voice asked.She turned to see him leaning against the doorway, sleeves rolled up, tie loosened, hair still slightly damp from the shower.“Maybe,” she said with a small smile.He poured himself coffee and joined her at the table. “Should I be conc
Last Updated: 2026-03-06
Chapter: Chapter 105David’s POVThe Neighley mansion had always been impressive, but that evening it felt warm in a way David hadn’t noticed in years. The lights in the main hall glowed softly and the scent of something savory drifted from the dining room. When he stepped through the doorway after a long day at the office, he loosened his tie and exhaled slowly, already feeling the weight of the day begin to lift.“Lily?” he called out.“In here,” her voice replied.David followed the sound and stopped in the dining room doorway. The long formal table that normally seated twenty people had been abandoned in favor of a small table near the windows overlooking the garden. Candles flickered softly between two plates, and a bottle of wine rested in a silver bucket. Lily stood beside the table adjusting the flowers in a small vase, her hair falling in soft waves over a pale blue dress that made her look almost ethereal in the candlelight.He leaned against the doorframe and smiled. “What is all this?”She loo
Last Updated: 2026-03-06
Chapter: Chapter 104Emily’s POVEmily stood in front of the bedroom mirror longer than she wanted to admit.The soft lamp light cast warm shadows across the room, but her eyes kept drifting downward to the curve of her stomach. It was still small, still easy to hide under the right clothes, but it was no longer something she could pretend didn’t exist. The fabric of her dress hugged her a little differently now.She turned sideways, studying herself.“Okay,” she muttered quietly. “You’re still cute.”Her reflection looked back skeptically.She had chosen a deep green wrap dress that adjusted gently around her waist. It flowed rather than clung, flattering without trying too hard. The neckline framed her collarbone, and she’d left her hair down in soft waves that brushed her shoulders. Simple gold earrings completed the look.Emily ran her hands down the sides of the dress.“I want to look beautiful tonight,” she whispered to herself.Not perfect. Not flawless. Just beautiful.A knock came from the living
Last Updated: 2026-03-06
Chapter: Chapter 103Arlington’s POVThe apartment was quiet when Sam pushed the door open.He paused just inside the entryway, listening to the soft hum of the refrigerator and the faint city noise leaking through the windows. The place smelled like coffee and the citrus cleaner Adam liked to use on the counters. It felt strangely domestic for three people who had been thrown together by circumstance more than planning.Adam was at the hospital, working the late shift.That meant Emily was here alone.Sam loosened his tie as he walked further inside, shrugging off his jacket and hanging it by the door. The tension from the meeting with Lily still lingered in his shoulders like a storm he hadn’t fully shaken.He hated trusting her.But if she actually stepped back the way she promised, it might give Emily the breathing room she needed.And if she didn’t… well, that was a problem Sam knew how to solve.He heard movement in the kitchen.Emily stood by the counter, one hand resting on the small of her back,
Last Updated: 2026-03-06
Chapter: Chapter 102Arlington’s POVThe café smelled like burnt sugar and coffee grounds.Sam Black arrived twenty minutes early.He always did.The place looked like any other quiet neighborhood café, brick walls, soft music, mismatched tables that suggested charming authenticity. To anyone else it was forgettable. To Sam it was infrastructure.His family owned the building, the neighboring laundromat, and the storage warehouse across the alley. The café itself barely turned a profit. That wasn’t the point.It was safe.He took the corner table facing the door and watched the street through the reflection in the window.Lily McCutchen arrived precisely on time.She walked in like she belonged everywhere she stepped, sunglasses still on even though the café lighting was dim. Her gaze found him immediately. She slid into the seat across from him without greeting.“You look different when someone calls you Sam Black,” she said lightly.Sam didn’t smile.“You’re early,” he said instead.“Curious,” Lily repl
Last Updated: 2026-03-06
After Divorce, Billionaires Competed Over Me
After five years of marriage, Melody finally realized—she had never truly married anyone.
The marriage certificate was forged. Her husband, Adam, was legally wed to her best friend, Lily. And Melody? She had been the most innocent pawn in a meticulously crafted deception.
The betrayals didn’t stop there. Her supposed infertility was a lie, and the child she had poured her love into raising was, in fact, Adam and Lily’s biological son. Five years of devotion—through their eyes, she had served only three purposes: a free housekeeper, a cheap business partner, and a disposable pawn.
She had believed in love. That, above all, was her greatest folly.
Yet Melody didn’t break. She didn’t cry, and she didn’t beg. Instead, she turned her gaze to the man who struck fear into the entire business world—Kiel Summers. Rumor had it he was ruthless, even deadly, and that any woman who became his companion ended up either dead or insane.
Still, she walked into his office—and struck a deal.
She offered him dignity; he offered her protection. Each got what they needed, with no promises of love.
A cold, enigmatic man in a world full of danger. A clear-eyed, independent woman, scarred by betrayal yet still capable of kindness.
Two broken souls, sharing the same fortress, bound by a single contract.
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Chapter: Chapter 77: The ‘D’ WordKeal’s POVMy heart dropped. My blood froze. I stared at Melody in utter disbelief.Divorce?That’s why she was here? To tell me to start the divorce papers? To say I was stunned was an understatement.I slowly sunk into my chair. Melody’s eyes remained fixed on mine, her face stoic.I
Last Updated: 2026-05-28
Chapter: Chapter 76: An Unlikely ApologyMelody‘s POVKeal’s receptionist buzzed me in. My high heels clicked across the floor as I made my way to his office, his lunch bag in my hand.The maid said he hadn’t returned home the night before. I found that odd, since he’d left the bar with Celeste. I wondered where he had gone. But then I shook my head.Keal’s personal life was no longer any of my business.When I entered Keal’s office, I was surprised to see C
Last Updated: 2026-05-27
Chapter: Chapter 75: Tarnished ReputationsMelody’s POVI came to my senses. Snapping back to the present, I pushed Keal away from me. My hands flew up to my lips. I couldn’t believe what he’d just done. Why had he kissed me like that, in the middle of the bar.Glancing around, I saw people holding their phones, their cameras pointed at us. For a moment, I’d lost myself in his kiss. But the moment was short-lived.Keal Summers had no right to kiss me.Glaring at him, I wi
Last Updated: 2026-05-26
Chapter: Chapter 74: Leaving AdamAdam‘s POVMy eyes were glued to the television screen. Without even looking at the bottle, I poured myself another drink and swigged it back.Stunned, I watched Keal grab her in the middle of that crowded bar and kiss her. My stomach turned. The scene was all over social media and the news. I couldn’t escape the headlines.Every time I turned on my phone, there they were, lip-locked. Every channel kept playing different versions of the same story. Their kiss had become a media sensation. Everyone was fixated with the ‘Kea
Last Updated: 2026-05-25
Chapter: Chapter 73: Public ScandalMelody‘s POVI felt someone wrap their arms around my waist. It caught me off-guard. He pulled me in close. I recognized his voice immediately.Keal hissed a threat at the man I’d been dancing with. The man immediately backed off.“No harm, no foul,” the man said, holding up his hands defensively. “I didn’t know she was married.”“Leave. Now,” Keal said, his voice laced with anger. Stunne
Last Updated: 2026-05-24
Chapter: Chapter 72: Back Off, She’s MineKeal‘s POVMy friends had insisted I come out to some opening of some new bar. I really hadn’t felt up to it, but eventually I’d relented. Celeste’s surprise return had thrown me for a loop and it was weighing heavily on me.I still wasn’t sure what to do about it. I’d asked my butler to let the maids know that no one was supposed to agitate Celeste. She’d burned down an entire hospital. Who knew what she would do if we upset her. It was a delicate situation, and I had to approach it as such.I had no intentions of l
Last Updated: 2026-05-23
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