Novels by Babyblue

“Wait! Priest, you said the wrong name!”The sharp click of leather shoes against the floor shattered the sacred silence surrounding the outdoor wedding altar. Aaron Wellington strode forward, breathing heavily, his face flushed with barely contained fury.With his free hand, he roughly grabbed the wrist of the elegantly dressed woman standing to his left, her face hidden beneath a bridal veil, and yanked her closer.“The woman standing beside me is Irina Crawford, not Lilian!” Aaron shouted, his voice ringing across the venue and immediately sparking a wave of hushed whispers among the guests.The reverend conducting the ceremony stopped mid-sentence, looking confused for a moment before glancing down at the documents in his hands.“I’m sorry, Mr. Aaron. According to the official civil registry documents and the agreement approved by both families…”“Then the documents are fake, or your administration is incompetent!” Aaron snapped furiously, refusing to listen.He lowered his head a

Irina walked away toward her bedroom, leaving Lilian and Aaron alone.Seeing Aaron’s face no longer brought her heartbreak. It only made her feel sick—with disgust born not from lingering pain, but from memories of every cruelty and every moment of neglect she had endured because of him in her previous life.I was never worth anything in your eyes, Aaron, Irina thought calmly as she climbed the stairs.A few hours later, the boutique staff arrived to deliver the luxurious wedding gown that had been ordered earlier.Once the mannequin, elegantly dressed in the beautiful gown, had been placed in her bedroom, Irina gave the maid a cold instruction.“Take all of this to Lilian’s room, including the jewelry box on the table.”The next morning, Irina stood before the large mirror, gazing at her reflection.She was not wearing the diamond-encrusted wedding gown from the boutique.Nor was she wearing the dress Lilian had chosen.After leaving the boutique two days earlier, Irina had opened th

Lilian did not return home for two days, and Irina could easily guess where her cousin had been.In her previous life, Lilian had shamelessly whispered to her that she had spent a passionate night with Aaron, then mocked Irina because Aaron had never touched her.Both then and now, Irina was actually grateful that she had remained untouched.When Lilian finally returned, she walked over to Irina and sat down in front of her as though Irina had been waiting for her all along.Without hesitation, Lilian reached for the cup of coffee in front of Irina and took a sip without asking.“Sis, do you know where I’ve been these past two days?” she asked, a blatantly smug smile spreading across her face.“I don’t think I need to know,” Irina replied flatly. “Go see Daddy. He wants to speak with you privately.”She quickly cut off the sweet yet barbed words Lilian had undoubtedly been rehearsing throughout her journey home—the same words that had once been meant to hurt Irina, but now left no mar

“Lilly…” Aaron stopped her.“You know what Elijah is like. You were the one who said he was cold and heartless. His two wives died without any clear explanation. What if… what if he was violent toward them? Then I’ll be his next victim!”Lilian broke down in soft sobs against Aaron’s chest.“That will never happen! I’ll protect you,” Aaron reassured her, wrapping his arms tightly around her.“But how will you protect me? Are you going to follow me all the way into my bridal chamber? That’s impossible, isn’t it?” Lilian looked up at Aaron, her face filled with deliberately feigned despair.“The only way you can save me is by calling off the wedding. But that won’t happen either. You can’t marry me because I’m not as wealthy as Irina, and I can’t escape Elijah because that would only make my uncle furious.”Lilian glanced at Aaron’s tightly clenched fists at his sides.A faint, satisfied smile curved her lips, unnoticed by the man in front of her.Then she looked back at Aaron with hope

“Aaron, don’t say things like that,” Lilian said as she reached for Aaron’s clenched fist and gently stroked it. Slowly, she coaxed his fingers open before reverently pressing a kiss to his palm.“You know how stubborn Irina is. What if she actually calls off your wedding?” she asked, her face filled with deliberately feigned guilt.Aaron scoffed. “She would never call off our wedding. She loves me too much. There’s no way she’d be willing to let me go.”“Yes, you’re right. She loves you very much, and she has power and influence too. That’s why your mother would rather have Irina as her daughter-in-law than me, a mere orphan,” Lilian replied, her voice trembling with feigned dejection.“Don’t say that, Lilly,” Aaron coaxed gently. “My mother just hasn’t realized yet that she threw away a diamond for a cheap imitation like Irina. Sooner or later, when she sees you in the Wellington main residence, she’ll realize that her precious daughter-in-law is nothing compared to you.”“Even so,

“What did you say?!” Landon Crawford’s voice came through the phone, filled with shock. “Do you realize what you’re saying, sweetheart?”“I know exactly what I’m saying, Daddy. I’ve thought it through, and I believe this is the best path for me,” Irina replied calmly.“But you love Aaron so much! How can you just let him go? You two are supposed to get married.”I did once. I loved him.But now, Irina realized that she had been the only one fighting for their relationship all along, while Aaron had never truly loved her. Rather than going through with a marriage where their feelings were so painfully one-sided, it was better for her to marry a man she didn’t love—and who didn’t love her either.At least that would be fair to both of them.“I can, Daddy. I can let him go willingly. You know he loves Lilian.”“Sweetheart, Aaron doesn’t realize that what he feels isn’t love. It’s just—”“Whatever he feels, I don’t want to know anymore, Daddy,” Irina interrupted coldly. “Let me marry Elij