~000~ PROLOGUE

EVERMONT UNIVERSITY, OFF-CAMPUS 30TH OF JUNE, 2022 08:45PM. ~~~~~ NORA I can't believe I'm making out with my mortal enemy three days after breaking up with my boyfriend. Marcellus Gregory has me pinned against the wall of his off-campus apartment, his mouth devouring mine. His hands are everywhere, sliding under my top until his thumbs find my nipples. "Always so fucking mouthy," he growls, his voice so deep that it makes my toes curl. He pinches one nipple hard, making me hiss. "Yet here you are. Dripping for the guy you claim to hate." "Shut up." I shove his shirt off his shoulders, my nails raking down his chest. "This doesn't mean anything." "Mm, keep telling yourself that, little Wolf." He spins me around, bending me over the table. My palms slap against the wood as he yanks my denim skirt up, shoving my panties down. Then his dick slides between my folds, teasing my entrance. Shit, I knew he was big. But this feels— "Tell me you want it," he growls agai

Last Updated : 2026-05-28

~001~ A FACE FROM THE PAST

EVERMONT UNIVERSITY GRAND HALL 30TH OF JUNE, 2025 08:25 PM. NORA “Tell me you didn’t,” I say to my boyfriend, trembling from the shock of what I just discovered.His brows pull together. “What are you talking about?”“The Taste of Tomorrow deal.”He just stares at me in silence, and suddenly, I feel faint.“Oh my God. You did it,” I gasp, tears welling up in my eyes.I spent three months perfecting every recipe, every shot, every damn word. That show was going to be the moment I stopped being ‘Sebastian’s girlfriend’ and became Nora Wolfe, the woman who actually made something of herself.He exhales slowly. “I was doing the right thing.”For a second, I genuinely wonder if I’m hallucinating.“You turned down my dream job,” my voice quivers.“It was a cooking show.”I stare at him. “It was my cooking show.”He clenches his jaw. “It wasn’t even a serious career opportunity.”My vision blurs, rage exploding in my chest.“How dare you say that to me? You know how hard I work

Last Updated : 2026-05-29

~002~ AN IMPROMPTU DATE

NORA His scent hits me first. How is that possible? It's been three years. Yet, I still recognize it.Woodsy scent, mixed with that perfect amber. A scent so expensive and masculine that I spent entirely too much time pretending I didn't notice back then.My heart starts racing as he takes another step closer to me. I should probably call an exorcist. Instead, I stand there, my legs on the verge of giving out."You're crying." His voice is much deeper than I remember. Rougher too, in a way that makes me shiver.A calloused thumb brushes beneath my eye, and I flinch. He catches a tear before it can fall and studies it for a second. Then those dark blue eyes lift back to mine."Bad breakup, little wolf?"For a moment, I can't speak. I just stare. Then, like an idiot, I nod.The corner of his mouth twitches. And suddenly my shock evaporates."How the hell are you alive?" I demand. "I went to your funeral, Marcellus. I watched them lower a casket with your name on it."He snorts,

Last Updated : 2026-05-30

~003~ MY PERSONAL APOCALYPSE

NORA My skull is hosting a full-on rave with bass, strobe lights, and the works. I groan and crack one eye open, only to get assaulted by aggressive sunlight and the mother of all hangovers. This is not the Evermont ballroom. This is... a hotel suite? Oh God. Where the hell am I? Ugh, my head. The sound of running water reaches me, my brows knitting into a frown. That’s… odd. There’s someone in here with me? Wait, Sebastian? We absolutely did not get back together and have crazy sex last night, did we?! I sit up too fast, and the room does a violent spin. That's when I feel it. Something heavy and cold on my left hand. I lift it like it's a live grenade. A diamond the size of a goddamn golf ball winks back at me. "What in the—" The bathroom door swings open. Steam billows out, and there he is. My personal apocalypse. Marcellus freaking Gregory. He's wearing nothing but a towel hanging dangerously low on his hips and that signature smug expression. Water traces eve

Last Updated : 2026-06-03

~004~ FACE-OFF

NORA I stare at him, my pulse roaring in my ears. I feel sick to my stomach. But I curl my fists, refusing to show it."Start from the beginning. Tell me everything," I spit, my voice unsteady."We're married, Nora," he says flatly. "That's all you need to know."A wild laugh bubbles out of me. I stumble up from the floor on shaky legs, the silk slip riding up my thighs, and march straight into his personal space. I jab my finger right up in his face, inches from that annoying perfect nose."Married?" I hiss, my voice cracking with disbelief. "Dream on! I'd rather lick a toilet seat clean than be married to you."God, I sound like a childish brat even to my own ears, but the words keep tumbling out. I can't stop them. "I refuse to be married to a freak like you!"Marcellus's smirk deepens, those dark blue eyes glinting with an eerie shimmer that makes my stomach flip. "Freak?""Yes, freak!" I'm on a roll now, years of buried resentment exploding like cheap champagne."You u

Last Updated : 2026-06-04

~005~ TRICK OR TREATS

NORA I finally collapse onto my bed, the familiar scent of my childhood room doing nothing to calm the storm in my head. Two Tylenol and a glass of water later, and my skull is still spinning like a broken carousel. I refuse to think about the fact that I might or might not be legally married to the bastard who might or might not be my uncle.I pull the covers up to my chin, praying for oblivion, when a knock sounds on the door.I groan loudly. "Go away, Jordan."He knocks again. Persistent little shit.With all the grace of a hungover zombie, I drag myself out of bed and yank the door open. My brother stands there, holding a massive white box tied with a silky ribbon."Delivery came for you," he says, his eyebrows raised. "It's heavy as hell. Some fancy courier dropped it off. Mum's already asking questions."I take the box without a word and shut the door in his face. My hands tremble as I carry it to the bed and tear it open.Inside lies the most beautiful wedding dress I'