MasukShe signed the divorce papers. He never signed away his obsession. Veronica Stanford was the perfect wife—devoted, patient, and hopelessly in love. But when her billionaire husband, Jason Harper, trades her in for her treacherous best friend, Rhea, Veronica’s world shatters. Broken and betrayed, she drowns her sorrows in a bar, only to be saved by a dangerously alluring stranger with emerald-green eyes and a lethal reputation: Monte "Four" Zagcanni, the ruthless heir to a mafia empire. And neither plays nice. Four is everything Jason isn’t—dark, dangerous, and devastatingly protective. When Veronica discovers she’s pregnant with Jason’s child, she strikes a deal with Four: a fake marriage to shield her from scandal. But what starts as a cold arrangement ignites into a passion neither can resist. Jason, realizing his mistake too late, wants Veronica back—along with the son he never knew existed. But Four isn’t a man who surrenders what’s his. And Veronica? She’s done being the meek wife. Betrayal runs deep. Revenge burns hotter. As secrets unravel—her father’s bloody past, Rhea’s twisted obsession, and Jason’s deadly lies—Veronica must decide: trust the man who destroyed her once, or surrender to the devil who might destroy her forever. One wants her back. The other wants her forever.
Lihat lebih banyak“You’re Home”
I said to my husband who barely glanced at me as he took off his suit, he just headed for the stairs and of course I followed.
Like the fool I was.
“How was it Jason, was work stressful today?” I tried again but still no response. I shouldn’t be surprised, this wasn’t the first time, or even the second, or the third time he’d done this. We used to be a happy couple back when our parents had practically arranged our marriage.
Our marriage had started off slow and boring but soon we had come to love each other, we couldn’t spend a day without calling, talking or touching each other. Jason suddenly became the love of my life, I had given myself to him. But things started to go sour when no child was coming, he didn’t say anything at first but he grew distant but soon enough he let me know; with large outbursts and yelling, even going as far to beat the crap out of me once for yelling back.
I still loved him, maybe I would forever which was while I tried to make amends. I had made dinner in the diner room, wanting a fresh start and to apologize when logically I didn’t need to.
I watched as he took off his shirt and licked my lips, he was still perfect; perfect tan body, rock hard abs and tall. Jason slipped into a simple loose shirt and pants then turned to plop on the bed.
“I made dinner……for you” I blurted out and he stared at me, I could see the anger in his eyes, as if he was ready to shun me then he nodded.
“Thank you” he said and stood, “Lead the way” came his deep voice. I smiled and happily got up and lead the way downstairs—maybe tonight could be the night where we smooth things over, maybe tonight we could go back to what we used to be.
We sat down and he sat across staring at me and I blushed. Why was he staring at me like that? Was he still angry or maybe he was starting to let all the fighting go, maybe he was still in love with me. No one stared at someone like that without having feelings, I looked down avoiding his green gaze but smiled underneath—tonight is that night.
We dug into the food and I watched as he ate, still nervous. He mostly did the eating while I just took small bites, still eager to see where this leads.
“This is good” he said, eyes roaming over my face and I smiled trying so hard not to blush.
What was wrong with me? He is my husband.
“You like it?” I asked and he nodded, I grinned wanting to push further.
“How was work today?” I asked and he stopped, for a moment I thought I had fumbled everything. My heart pounded harder then he smiled, though it looked forced but it was better than his rage the last few weeks.
“Good, more investors today. Stocks are rising and the market is blooming, couldn’t be anymore better” he stopped and stared at me.
“What about you? You good?” He asked and my heart did a frog jump, did he just ask how I was? The corner of my lips lifted in a small smile.
“Yes I am” I answered and he dug into his food again without reply. I followed suit, still brimming with excitement, maybe this night wasn’t going to be bad after all—maybe I could get him to realize that he used to love me….and maybe we could make love. I smiled at the thought. It's been a long time since we did it for affection not breeding like rabbits.
Jason stood and pushed his chair back, I didn’t realize that he had finished his food, he nodded to me suddenly looking cold.
“Thanks for the meal, I’ll head upstairs now” he said and pivoted on his heels. I stood abruptly and blocked his path.
“Jason I…..I…..have ummm….ermmm….something to say to you” I said and his eyes lit up.
“You’re…….”
“I love you” I blurted out. That’s when I knew everything was gonna fall apart. I watched as his blue eyes darkened, filling with rage. He stepped closer and I backed away, I have never seen him look so angry, like he wanted so bad to kill me.
“You love me?” He said dangerously then he laughed, a short one then without warning he backhanded me. I stood there in shock, not expecting.
“Jason what did I…..”
“SHUT YOUR GODDAMN MOUTH!!!!!” He yelled so loud that I flinched. “You must be stupid, to even think you did all this to tell me you are pregnant. I don’t care if you love me, give me a child, for fuck’s sake one child is all I ask, you whore” he yanked my hair and started to drag me up the stairs.
“Jason stop what are you doing, Jason no” he kicked me right in the face and I closed my mouth, tears streamed down my cheeks as he dragged me up the stairs he stopped at the bedroom door and kicked it open. I watched in horror as his fist came for my face hard, not even one ounce of holding back.
I suddenly felt dizzy, and the room spun around me. Jason picked me up and toss me right at the far side of the tiled floor. I lay there weakly as he tore my clothes off my body and he started to take off his belt, he raised it high then his phone rang.
He stopped and pointed a finger at me then picked up the phone.
“Hello babe” I heard someone say across the phone and my heart stopped.
Babe? And why did that voice sound so familiar
Jason grinned and sat on the bed, “Yes baby, anything I can do for you”
“You said you were gonna marry me soon, can’t stop thinking about it, you said you were gonna leave her” came the voice.
“Yes, I do” Jason said, chuckling. “I have the divorce papers ready”
Manuel's POVI sat in Four's security office staring at the phone number Margaret had given me. Unknown caller. Professional tone. Questions designed to extract information about Four's daily routines.This was reconnaissance. Someone was planning something.My shoulder still ached from the gunshot wound but my mind was sharp. I had spent twenty years protecting Four and I knew threat assessment better than most people knew their own names. This call was not random. It was deliberate and calculated.I called a contact at the phone company. Alex owed me favours from years back when I helped his sister disappear from an abusive ex-husband. He pulled records within an hour."The number belongs to a burner phone. Purchased with cash three days ago at a convenience store in Newark. No surveillance footage that far back. Dead end."I tha
Margaret's POVThe physical therapist pushed my shoulder back and I bit down hard to keep from crying out. Three months since that Moretti nurse shot me and my body still screamed in protest at every movement."You are doing great, Mrs Chen. Another week and we can increase the weight training."Great felt like an exaggeration. I could barely lift my arm above my head. But I smiled and nodded because complaining never fixed anything.Four visited that afternoon like he did every Tuesday and Thursday. He brought flowers, which made me uncomfortable because I was staff, not family. But he insisted."How are you feeling?""Better. The therapist says I am progressing well."Four sat in the chair beside my hospital bed. He looked tired. The trial had taken everything out of him. "Margaret, I need to say something. Y
Detective Rivera's POVI walked into the federal courthouse carrying three boxes of evidence and a determination to end this nightmare once and for all. The case against Vincent Carver and Gregory St. James was the most important of my career. Not because it was high-profile, though media vans lined the street outside. But it would finally give Four Winter and his family the peace they deserved.The courtroom was packed. Reporters filled the gallery. Sketch artists positioned themselves for the best angles. I spotted Veronica sitting in the front row behind the prosecution table. She wore a simple navy dress and held Four's hand. He looked better than he had in weeks. Manuel's recovery had given him hope.The judge entered and we all stood. Judge Patricia Chen, no relation to the suspended prosecutor, had a reputation for running tight courtrooms and handing down harsh sentences. Perfect for w
Veronica's POVI found Four asleep in the chair beside Manuel's hospital bed at three in the morning. His head was tilted at an angle that would leave his neck aching. Dark stubble covered his jaw. The expensive suit he wore three days ago was wrinkled and stained with coffee.My heart twisted. For months this man had carried everything. Protected Monte and me from Jason's violence. Survived Mia's attempts to destroy us. Faced down prosecutors and blackmailers and his father's vengeful associates. He had been my rock through every storm.Now he was breaking. And it was my turn to be strong.I touched his shoulder gently. His eyes opened, unfocused and red."Hey. You need to go home.""I cannot leave him.""Manuel is stable. The nurses are monitoring him every hour. You need a real bed and actual sleep." I brush
Manuel's POVI watched St. James reach into his jacket and knew exactly what was coming. Twenty years of protecting Four had honed my instincts to razor sharpness. The way St. James smiled. The angle of his shoulder. The deliberate slowness of his
Four's POVI stood at the window of my study watching Monte play in the garden below. Veronica sat beside him on the grass laughing at something he said. The sunlight caught her hair and made it shine like copper.This was ever
Detective Rivera's POVI sat in the interrogation room reviewing Linda Martinez's confession for the third time. The mysterious M kept circling in my mind like a vulture waiting to strike.Mia Castellano was already in custody.
Thomas's POVI stood outside Veronica's therapy office and heard enough through the barely closed door to understand what she had uncovered. Someone close had betrayed her to Jason. Someone who knew her routines and schedule and life.






Welcome to GoodNovel world of fiction. If you like this novel, or you are an idealist hoping to explore a perfect world, and also want to become an original novel author online to increase income, you can join our family to read or create various types of books, such as romance novel, epic reading, werewolf novel, fantasy novel, history novel and so on. If you are a reader, high quality novels can be selected here. If you are an author, you can obtain more inspiration from others to create more brilliant works, what's more, your works on our platform will catch more attention and win more admiration from readers.
Ulasan-ulasan