LOGINCONTENT WARNING This story contains graphic sexual content and explicit scenarios intended for mature audiences 18 years and older. Reader discretion is strongly advised. Veronica Harper devoted five years of her life to a man who never loved her—because she was never more than a bet. Her devotion, vulnerability, and virginity were handed over… all for entertainment. She walked into her bedroom—and saw her best friend screaming her name from another man’s mouth. Her boyfriend’s mouth. Betrayed in her own bed, humiliated in public, and framed for a crime she didn’t commit. Then two lines on a pregnancy test changed everything. Pregnant, disowned, and hunted by lies she didn’t create, Veronica fled, carrying two secrets no one could ever touch—her unborn twins. Five years later, she returns for a funeral, keeping her children hidden and her heart locked away. She believes the past is buried. She’s wrong. Forced back into the orbit of the man she once gave herself to—and still loves—Veronica must protect the quiet life she built alone. But grief and betrayal are cruel guides, and the woman who destroyed her life now threatens everything she holds dear. The worst betrayal isn’t in the past. It’s happening now.
View MoreVERONICA POV
“Why don’t you put these glasses on?” I stood in my hot-red lingerie, waiting for my boyfriend of five years to get off work on the night of our fifth anniversary. The first thing he said to me after walking into our bedroom was that. “W-what?” I’ve known for a long time that things haven’t been the best in our sex life. Jason always seems like he’d rather be anywhere but with me whenever we’re in bed. But seeing the look of disinterest as he scans my body breaks my heart more than just a little. I can’t help but cover my body even more in shame. He’s holding up a pair of glasses, and it’s not just that — in his arms are clothes: a revealing tank top and an extremely short tennis skirt. “Jason, what is this?” “It’s just something to spice up the bedroom, Veronica. Don’t think too much about it, c’mon… come try it on.” “But this isn’t even my style. It seems like… something Moni, my best friend, would wear.” When I trail off, his face contorts and I know instantly I’ve messed up. He’s angry now, throwing the clothes on the floor and cursing. I flinch back instinctively, scared he might raise his hands on me as usual. “So, we can’t even try something new?! I’m sick and tired of your bullshit, Veronica! This is why you’re not attractive anymore!” His words rip me apart and my eyes burn with unshed tears. “Jaso—” “Veronica! Earth to Veronica!” My best friend, Moni, singsongs, snapping me out of my thoughts. We’re catching up in a café. She just got back in town after three years last month, and we’ve barely been able to see each other since. I wince. “I’m sorry, I was just thinking about last night…” “Oh, fuck that loser!” Moni snaps. I have no idea why she hates Jason so much. It makes no sense. “You deserve way better, babe. Don’t stress over that shithead… okay?” I nod slowly, forcing a small smile even though the word stings. “But don’t call him shithead. He’s still my sweetheart. It was just a little misunderstanding. She rolls her eyes. “Oh please… you keep—” Her phone rings. “Babe…” flashes on the screen with a red heart emoji. “I have to take this. I’ll be right back,” she says, already standing and walking toward the entrance. Babe? Moni never told me she had a boyfriend… She’s one of the biggest men-haters I know ever since the incident that happened back in high school with her ex. Is she hiding things from me now? “Hey, waiter,” I call, waving him over. “Two lattes and two croissants, please.” “Five minutes,” he says. I nod. Moni bounces back to the table, face glowing. “Veronica, my boss at the art gallery just called. I have to go now. When would you be heading home? I need to know what time to come over later.” I raise an eyebrow. “Are you dating your boss or having some dirty secret affair?” She laughs, but I could tell, for a fact, it was halfhearted. “What do you mean by that, Veronica? My boss? Oh please, that man is a jerk.” “You’re hiding something from me now?” “Girl, please. I’m not Jason,” she snaps. “Just tell me when you’ll be home.” I swallow hard. “I’m not sure yet. I haven’t heard anything from the medical department. But probably in about four hours.” Her smile flashes. “Perfect. Love you—bye!” She’s already halfway to the door. “Wait—the extra croissant—” Damn it. She’s gone. The waiter arrives with the tray. “Can you pack one latte and one croissant to go instead?” “Yeah sure, ma’am,” he says with the standard customer-service smile. My phone buzzes; it’s a message notification from Diana, my sister. I set a special notification tone so I could know when her text came through. Diana: The medical defense class got shifted today. There is no information yet on when it’s supposed to hold. “Yesss!” I whisper-shout, my elbow banging the table a little too hard from excitement. I wasn’t even mentally prepared for that defense. This Medical school is, honestly, just a way to go insane while pretending I’m learning to save lives. I spill a little latte but savor the croissant. I booked an Uber while eating. About forty-five minutes later, the driver arrived. I grab my bags and head out. The ride is quiet at first, but the driver keeps trying to make small talk. I give short answers; I’m not in the mood. I should have noticed his bio earlier— “extremely fun talkative ride.” I roll my eyes, staring out the window. My mind drifts back to Jason, to the horrible things he said last night. I glance at my watch. He won’t be home yet. Maybe I should surprise him with a quick romantic dinner. Good thing Moni’s coming over later. It’d be more fun since she’s great with people, just that she hates Jason for reasons I don’t fully understand. She’s disliked him before I ever told her how badly he treats me, which has always felt a little strange. But she could pretend… just for one night. I pay the driver and step out. I unlock the door, set my bag on the couch, and head toward the kitchen. “I should start right away.” Just as I’m about entering the kitchen, a sudden noise from upstairs causes me to halt in my tracks. My heart slams against my ribs. Is someone else in the house? Did I just walk in on a burglar? No one ever comes over—it’s just Jason and me. And Jason won’t be home until seven. However, at that moment, I realized something. Earlier last week, Jason had mentioned that his hired mom — the woman his adoptive father had hired to stand in as his mother… would be coming to stay with us for a little while for aftercare following her chemotherapy. But what if it isn’t her? I scan the room for anything I could use to defend myself, just in case, but there’s literally nothing. I tiptoe into the kitchen, grab a frying pan, and weigh it in my hands. “I’m not ready to hurt anyone, but what choice do I have?” I pause at the bottom of the stairs, testing each step to make sure none creaks. They seem fine. I climb slowly, heart pounding so loud I’m sure whoever’s up there can hear it. Veronica, you have to be strong, I tell myself, then whisper a quick childhood-habit prayer. “Please be Mom… please be Mom…” I whisper, biting the inside of my cheeks. I follow the sounds—familiar giggling, too familiar—and it’s coming from… I swallow hard… Jason’s bedroom. A wave of relief flickers across my face. That doesn’t sound like a burglar. So if it isn’t a burglar, then who? But I’ve never met Jason’s mom, let alone heard her voice. So it’s certain it isn’t her. I creep closer. A low male groan follows the giggling. “Moni… you’re so fucking wet,” Jason’s voice drifts through the door. My eyes widen. No. This can’t be happening…it just can’t. I stand outside Jason’s bedroom, praying this was some sort of misunderstanding. With my trembling hands, I push the door open just enough to see. The sight greets me like a punch to my gut. I stagger back a step, one hand flying to my mouth to stifle the gasp. My knees feel weak, like they might give out. In the middle of the bed, Jason lies flat. My very own childhood best friend straddles him, completely naked, riding him. His cock slides in and out of her as she moans loudly, her head thrown back. “Mmhm… yes, right there, daddy… you fuck me so good.” Tears sting my eyes instantly. I press the sleeve of my hoodie to my face to wipe them away before they fall. His grip tightens on Moni’s ass, spreading her cheeks wider. Th… those glasses… that was the exact pair he tried to make me wear last night. This is why. He’s wanted her all along. He’s been trying to turn me into her because I wasn’t enough. “Bet my pussy is way juicier than Veronica’s, right?” Moni gasps. “It does… fuck, it does,” he groans, spanking her ass hard. How long has this been going on? Was it because of her that Jason lost interest in me? For a split second, I imagine swinging the pan at both of them, making them pay. But that’s not me. I set the pan down quietly on the floor, just incase I change my mind. I don’t trust myself right now. My chest tightens. The tears burn, rising fast, threatening to spill. But I hold them back. I can’t let them see me broken. I straighten my spine, cross my arms tight over my chest, and clear my throat, trying to sound steady, firm, anything but broken. “Should I bring you two some water? Cheating must be so exhausting.”Xavier stood in the hallway outside the suite, both hands wrapped around the children’s smaller ones. Natasha stepped ahead of them, reaching for the door handle.Just as she pushed it open, his phone rang.Xavier released one of the children, pulling his phone from his pocket and glancing at the screen with a quiet sigh.It was his father, Ronan. The call was about an urgent board meeting that had supposedly already started. Xavier turned back without entering the suite and spoke gently to the children.“I’m sorry, kids. Something important came up at work. I won’t be able to come in with you today.”The happy smiles on Adrian and Agatha’s faces faded instantly. Their shoulders dropped, and they looked at him with wide, disappointed eyes. Xavier felt a sharp tug in his chest. He crouched down to their level and offered a reassuring smile.“I promise I’ll come visit another time, okay?”Adrian nodded slowly, still looking sad. Agatha gave a small wave. “Okay… bye, birdie man.”Xavier
THIRD PERSON POVZane groaned and leaned forward in the leather booth, rubbing his face with both hands. “We have to act fast. He dares not send those divorce papers through.”Kade let out a low laugh, shaking his head. “You know how your brother can be. He has taken this whole thing personally because of that Veronica girl.”Zane gritted his teeth, jaw tight. “I need to do something about that lady. Xavier must not find out she already has children for him.”He turned to Camila, his brows furrowed deeply. “It’s all your fault. If you had listened to me, we wouldn’t be in this mess right now.”Camila frowned, her perfectly shaped eyebrows pulling together. “What do you mean by ‘if I didn’t listen to you’?”“I told you to drop the damn modeling career and go back to Xavier,” Zane said, his voice low and sharp. “If you had been with him all these years, we would have had the property signed over a long time ago. But no. You insisted on finishing your modeling thing first before I could
VERONICA POVBack at the hotel, I was in daze as I stumbled into the suite. My legs felt heavy, my mind even heavier. I was relieved when I saw that Natasha and the kids weren’t here. Meaning, Natasha must have taken the kids to the Grand City Park like we planned. I glanced at the clock on the wall. It was already three hours past noon. They should be walking through that door any minute now.I dropped my bag on the couch and kicked off my shoes. I needed to think. I needed a plan. How was I supposed to untangle myself from this mess without everything exploding?“How did this even happen?” I whispered to the empty room, rubbing my temples.How did the stranger from five years ago turn out to be Xavier Cross? What kind of cruel coincidence was this? And what in the world was I supposed to do now? He had flat-out refused to let me out of the contract. Leaving the city and heading straight back to Atlanta crossed my mind. But that was pointless. I had already submitted every detail
XAVIER POV Last night, as soon as I stepped into the meeting hall to greet the old business acquaintances Kade had told me were waiting, people closed in around me. My former investor partners had all shifted into trading now, and they were trying to persuade me to merge my company with their operations since I had more than enough capital to make it happen. Even though the conversation with them, along with the board members and brand owners present, was genuinely productive, my eyes kept drifting back toward the door. Then I saw her. Veronica slipped into the crowd with Jason trailing right behind her. Panic surged through me like ice water. I cut every conversation short and pushed my way through the bodies until I reached the corridor. By the time I burst out the exit, she was already gone. I took the private elevator straight down to the ground floor, slid into my car, and told Luca, my driver, to follow the taxi she had hailed. I knew that boy Jason had angered my Veronica,
VERONICA POV“Drive,” the stranger orders the driver.The car glides smoothly away from the curb. I twist in the seat, pressing my palm to the tinted glass. Outside, Jason is shrinking in the distance, face flushed with confusion, hands shoved deep in his pockets as the space between us widens.I
JASON POVNo… this has to be some kind of mistake. He can’t be my adoptive father. No.I know I wouldn’t recognize him on sight. Most definitely not. He isn’t. He can’t be.A frustrated groan leaves my throat as I drag a hand down my face, palm pressing hard against my forehead like I could push th
VERONICA POV“Zane! What are you doing?” My voice came out louder than I meant, sharp with panic as I tried to twist free.He didn’t answer right away. Just held my gaze, steady and unblinking.“What does it look like I’m doing, kitten?”I rolled my eyes, mostly to hide how fast my pulse was racing
VERONICA POV Five years had passed since I walked out of my father’s house with nothing but a small suitcase and five thousand dollars in cash. It hadn’t been easy. Not even close. But I’d survived. More than that—I’d built something real. With the little money I had, I started small. I opened












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