MasukShare
You Were Never My Choice
Tanggal publikasi:
2026-02-23 04:49:39
Ava did not sleep.
She lay awake the whole night, staring at the ceiling of the large guest room.
Every time she closed her eyes, she saw the contract.
One year.
No love.
No pregnancy.
Separate lives.
The words felt like chains.
When morning light slowly entered the room, she finally sat up.
Today was her first morning as Mrs. Cole.
She touched her wedding ring.
It felt heavy.
Beautiful.
Cold.
Downstairs, the mansion was already awake.
Maids moved quietly.
The smell of fresh coffee filled the air.
Ava walked carefully down the stairs.
She wore a simple white dress. She did not want to look too bright.
She did not want to draw attention.
But attention found her anyway.
At the end of the long dining table sat Adrian.
He was already dressed in a dark suit. His hair was neat. His face calm.
He looked like a king at the head of his palace.
He glanced at her once.
Then looked away.
“Good morning,” she said softly.
“Morning,” he replied without emotion.
She sat two chairs away from him.
The distance felt larger than the table.
A maid placed breakfast in front of her.
Ava tried to eat, but her stomach felt tight.
Just as silence began to settle, the front door opened.
A woman walked in confidently.
Tall.
Beautiful.
Elegant.
Her heels clicked sharply against the marble floor.
She did not look like a guest.
She looked like someone who belonged.
Ava froze.
The woman’s eyes went straight to Adrian.
She smiled.
“Adrian.”
Her voice was smooth and familiar.
Adrian’s hand paused slightly over his coffee cup.
Then he stood up.
“Clara.”
The name felt like a blade in Ava’s chest.
Clara.
The woman stepped closer.
“You didn’t tell me you got married,” Clara said with a soft laugh.
“I found out from the news. Congratulations.”
Her eyes finally moved to Ava.
They scanned her slowly.
From head to toe.
Judging.
Measuring.
Then she smiled politely.
“You must be the bride.”
Ava forced herself to stand.
“Yes. I’m Ava.”
Clara extended her hand.
“I’m Clara Hayes. An old friend of Adrian.”
Old friend.
The words felt deeper than they sounded.
Ava shook her hand.
Clara’s grip was firm.
Confident.
Too confident.
“Have breakfast with us,” Adrian said calmly.
Ava’s heart sank.
He invited her.
Without hesitation.
Clara sat beside Adrian.
Close.
Too close.
They began talking about business projects.
Trips.
Old memories.
Laughing softly.
Ava sat quietly, feeling invisible.
Then Clara said something that made her heart stop.
“Remember Paris?” Clara said gently. “You said you would never marry anyone else.”
Silence.
The air grew heavy.
Ava looked at Adrian.
His face did not change.
“That was a long time ago,” he said.
Clara tilted her head.
“But some promises don’t fade.”
Ava’s fingers tightened around her fork.
Was she hearing this on her second morning as his wife?
She finally spoke.
“I’m sure my husband knows what he’s doing.”
Her voice was calm.
But inside, she was shaking.
Clara looked at her and smiled slightly.
“Of course,” she said softly.
“But sometimes choices are not made by the heart.”
Her eyes moved back to Adrian.
“And you never follow your heart.”
Ava felt her chest ache.
Adrian stood suddenly.
“I have a meeting,” he said coldly.
He looked at Ava.
“You will attend the Cole family dinner tonight.”
It was not a request.
It was an order.
Then he looked at Clara.
“We’ll talk later.”
He walked away without another word.
Clara watched him leave.
Then she leaned closer to Ava.
“You’re very brave,” Clara said quietly.
“For marrying a man who doesn’t love you.”
Ava’s heart pounded.
“You don’t know that,” Ava replied softly.
Clara smiled.
“Oh, I do.”
She stood up.
“You see, I was the woman he loved.”
The world felt like it stopped.
“But his grandfather didn’t approve,” Clara continued calmly. “And Adrian always chooses power over feelings.”
Ava’s throat felt dry.
“Why are you telling me this?” she asked.
Clara’s smile did not fade.
“Because I’m back.”
She leaned closer.
“And I don’t lose.”
Then she walked away.
Her perfume lingered in the air.
Ava stood there alone.
The mansion felt colder than yesterday.
Later that afternoon, Ava stood in front of the mirror in her room.
Cole family dinner.
Her first public appearance as Mrs. Cole.
She chose a simple blue dress.
She did not want to compete.
She did not want to shine.
But when she entered the large family hall that evening, all eyes turned to her.
The Cole family was powerful.
Proud.
Sharp-eyed.
At the center sat Adrian’s grandfather.
A strong old man with cold wisdom in his gaze.
“So,” he said slowly, looking at Ava, “this is the girl.”
Ava bowed her head politely.
“Yes, sir.”
“Do you love my grandson?” he asked directly.
The question shocked her.
She glanced at Adrian.
His face remained unreadable.
“Yes,” she answered honestly.
A quiet murmur moved through the room.
The grandfather nodded slowly.
“And you, Adrian?” he asked.
Silence.
Ava’s heart beat loudly.
Adrian’s voice was calm.
“This marriage is beneficial.”
The room grew silent.
Beneficial.
Not loving.
Not happy.
Beneficial.
Ava felt heat rise to her cheeks.
One of Adrian’s cousins laughed softly.
“So it’s just business?”
Adrian did not respond.
The grandfather’s eyes narrowed slightly.
“Marriage is not only business,” the old man said firmly.
Adrian looked at him calmly.
“It works for us.”
Ava felt small.
Like a decoration.
Not a wife.
Dinner continued.
Whispers moved around the table.
Ava heard small comments.
“She looks too innocent.”
“She won’t survive here.”
“She’s just temporary.”
Temporary.
The word echoed painfully.
After dinner, Ava stepped outside to breathe.
The night air felt cool.
She tried to calm her heart.
Suddenly, she heard voices from the side garden.
She did not mean to listen.
But she recognized Adrian’s voice.
And Clara’s.
“I didn’t expect you to move on so quickly,” Clara said softly.
“It’s not what you think,” Adrian replied.
Ava froze.
“What is it then?” Clara asked.
Silence.
Then Adrian spoke in a low voice.
“You know why I married her.”
“And that reason isn’t love?”
“No.”
The word was sharp.
Clear.
Final.
Ava’s heart cracked quietly.
She stepped back slowly.
But her heel hit a small stone.
The sound was loud in the quiet night.
The voices stopped.
Adrian turned his head.
Their eyes met.
For a second, no one moved.
Ava felt exposed.
Like she had been caught stealing something.
She walked toward them slowly.
“You forgot your phone,” she said, handing it to Adrian.
Her hands were steady.
But inside, she felt empty.
Clara looked between them.
Interesting tension filled the air.
Adrian took the phone.
“Go inside,” he told Ava calmly.
Not gently.
Not warmly.
Just calm.
She nodded and walked away.
But every step felt heavier than the last.
Behind her, Clara’s voice floated softly in the air.
“She heard you.”
Silence followed.
Then Adrian’s cold reply.
“It doesn’t matter.”
In her room, Ava finally allowed her tears to fall again.
Not loud.
Not dramatic.
Just quiet tears.
She sat on the bed and hugged herself.
She had known this marriage was not built on love.
But hearing it so clearly hurt more than she expected.
She looked at her reflection in the mirror.
“You can survive this,” she whispered.
“One year.”
Just one year.
But deep down, she wondered—
Could her heart survive that long?
Across the hall, Adrian stood alone again.
He loosened his tie slowly.
His phone buzzed.
A message from Clara.
“We need to talk about us.”
He stared at the screen.
Then deleted the message.
His jaw tightened.
This marriage was necessary.
Controlled.
Planned.
But something about Ava’s eyes tonight disturbed him.
She had looked hurt.
But she had not complained.
She had not fought.
That silence felt heavier than anger.
He shook the thought away.
Emotion was weakness.
And he did not allow weakness.
Meanwhile, in her bathroom, Ava suddenly felt dizzy.
She grabbed the sink.
The room spun slightly.
Her stomach felt strange.
She thought it was just stress.
Too much emotion.
Too much pressure.
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
“It’s nothing,” she whispered.
But she did not know…
That inside her body…
Something had already begun to change.
And soon—
The one rule written clearly in black ink…
Would be broken.
Bab terbaru
Pregnant After Signing the Billionaire’s One-Year Contract. The Promise of Forever
“Move!”Adrian’s voice echoed through the hospital hallway like a command.Doctors and nurses rushed around Aurora as they pushed her bed toward the delivery room.Everything happened too fast.Too loud.Too suddenly.Three weeks after the war ended…And now their child was coming early.Aurora gripped Adrian’s hand tightly as another contraction hit.Pain shot through her body sharply.Adrian immediately tightened his hold on her.“I’m here,” he said quickly.A pause.“I’m right here.”For once—The powerful Adrian Cole looked completely terrified.His expensive suit was wrinkled.His usually perfect hair was a mess.And his face had lost all color.Ethan watched from the hallway with Marcus beside him.Both unusually silent.“I’ve never se
Pregnant After Signing the Billionaire’s One-Year Contract. No More Contract
Three weeks later.For the first time in months—The world was quiet.Not perfectly.Not completely.But enough to breathe again.The network that had hidden behind power and fear was gone.The released files from the Cole estate had destroyed everything.Executives were arrested.Hidden accounts frozen.Secret partnerships exposed publicly across the country.Every major news channel spoke about the scandal daily.And at the center of it all—Was Aurora Gray.The woman they once tried to silence.Now she sat inside the top floor office of Aurora Industries, staring out through the large glass windows at the city below.The company was finally hers completely.No more board interference.No more hidden control.No more war.Marcus entered quietly, holding a tablet.“You should see this.”Aurora
Pregnant After Signing the Billionaire’s One-Year Contract. Choose Love or Revenge
The hidden passage slammed shut behind the leader.And Adrian was gone.The silence that followed felt unbearable.Heavy.Sharp.Wrong.Aurora stood frozen for only a second.Then she moved.Fast.“Marcus!” she shouted.Her voice echoed through the hidden room.“I need the estate layout now!”Marcus answered instantly through the communication system.“There are underground tunnels beneath the east wing.”A pause.“I’m sending directions.”Aurora grabbed the files from the desk quickly.Every document.Every recording.Every piece of proof her father left behind.Outside, sirens screamed closer.Authorities were surrounding the estate.The network was collapsing publicly.But none of that mattered right now.Only Adrian mattered.Ethan burst in
Pregnant After Signing the Billionaire’s One-Year Contract. The Hidden Truth
The hidden door slowly opened inside the old Cole estate.Outside the room, chaos exploded through the mansion.Gunfire.Shouting.Footsteps.The sound of a war finally collapsing.But Aurora stood completely still.Her eyes locked on the darkness beyond the doorway.Because somehow—She knew this was where everything ended.“Aurora!”Adrian’s voice echoed from somewhere behind the mansion halls.Closer now.Fighting his way toward her.But Aurora stepped through the hidden doorway anyway.Alone.The room inside was cold and quiet.Unlike the mansion, nothing here looked abandoned.
Pregnant After Signing the Billionaire’s One-Year Contract. The Signal She Left Behind
The doors of the old Cole estate slammed shut behind Aurora.The sound echoed through the mansion like a final warning.Locked.Controlled.Trapped.But Aurora did not panic.She stood in the center of the grand hall, calm beneath the cold lights hanging from the ceiling.Around her, men watched silently.Not nervous.Not careless.Prepared.And directly in front of her stood the man leading them.Calm.Patient.Dangerous.“You walked in willingly,” he said.Aurora held his gaze.“Yes.”A pause.“So did you.”The man smiled slightly at that.But his eyes remained cold.He stepped closer.“You still believe you control this situation.”Aurora’s voice stayed steady.“I know I do.”Silence.The men around her shifted slig
Pregnant After Signing the Billionaire’s One-Year Contract. The Place It All Began
The old Cole estate stood under a gray sky.Silent.Forgotten.But not empty.Aurora stepped out of the car alone.No guards.No Marcus.No Ethan.No Adrian.Just her.Behind her, the vehicle pulled away slowly, disappearing into the distance as planned.This was the condition.No interference.No backup that could be detected.No visible protection.Only silence.Only risk.Only control.Aurora adjusted her coat slightly, her hand brushing over her stomach for a brief second.A grounding habit now.Not fear.Preparation.She walked forward.The gates were already open.Too open.As if they had been waiting.“This is it,” she said softly to herself.The estate was the same place her life had been shaped.The same place her father built power…And wher
Pregnant After Signing the Billionaire’s One-Year Contract. The Cracks in the Empire
Morning came with tension in the air.The financial markets opened earlier than usual in Adrian’s mind. He had barely slept, but his mind was clear. Wars—corporate or personal—were never won by rest alone. They were won by timing.Adrian stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window in his
Pregnant After Signing the Billionaire’s One-Year Contract. The Letter in the Drawer
Ava did not sleep that night.The word custody echoed in her mind again and again.He was preparing documents.Preparing to fight her.Preparing to take her child.She lay in bed staring at the dark ceiling.Her heart was not just hurt anymore.It was afraid.But under th
Pregnant After Signing the Billionaire’s One-Year Contract. Then Divorce Me
“You are not keeping this child.”Adrian’s voice was calm.Too calm.As if he was discussing business.Not a life.Not their child.Ava sat very still on the edge of the bed.Her hands rested on her lap.Her face was pale.But her eyes were steady.For a moment, the
Pregnant After Signing the Billionaire’s One-Year Contract. Two Red Lines
Ava did not tell anyone about the dizziness.She told herself it was only stress.Too much pressure.Too many emotions.Too little sleep.The next morning, she woke up with a strange feeling in her stomach.Not pain.Not exactly.Just uncomfortable.She sat up slowly in
Anda juga akan menyukai
The 5-time Rejected Gamma & the Lycan King
Stina’s Pen1.6M DibacaIridian
Jane Doe909.6K DibacaThe Broken Warrior's Daughter
Cooper2.0M DibacaThe Heartless Alpha’s Beloved Luna
Jane Above Story2.4M DibacaWOLFLESS: The Last Moon Born Wolf
Ava James145 DibacaSpellbound Luna: 100 Days To Be Claimed
Mira divah444 DibacaPrescription For A Mate
Alwyn Wynter159 DibacaMarked In the Dark,Married In Disguise
Mercy Beauty75 Dibaca
