A Memory Called Empire

After coming home from buying fresh produce at the farmer's market, I began prepping the ingredients and making lunch. As soon as I was done with my tasks, my husband, Jeremy Tate, came home. "A pipe in Chloe's home has burst. Hurry up and help her out. It's difficult enough for a single mother like her to handle such problems." I took off my apron and went to Chloe's place to unclog her pipes. Then, I mopped up the stagnant water before proceeding to comfort her frightened child. Once I finally dragged my exhausted body home, I saw Jeremy handing over my daughter's sweater to Chloe. "Don't stress yourself out, Chloe. It's not like Eliza can still wear this anyway. This sweater is perfect for Lily." As I stared at the sweater, I suddenly spoke up. "Let's get a divorce, Jeremy." He looked at me in disbelief. "You want a divorce over an old sweater?" "Yeah. Precisely."

She was a prostitute, she needed money, and she had to be a substitute to get the money she needed. But, why should she become a substitute for someone else who ran away from her fate? Why should she marry a man she didn't love? Her mother prayed that she would find a man who loved her and give her happiness, but she ended up marrying a man who only knew to torture her and gave her sadness. After all, that was the price she should pay for her mother's life.

Clara Black, a wealthy heiress from Glenford, openly declares that she only dates men for a month at a time and never gets emotionally involved. Men eager to climb the social ladder line up across the city, hoping for a chance. After all, when she is in a good mood, she rewards them with a villa. When she isn't, she still gives them millions of dollars when the relationship ends. People in Glenford laugh at me, calling me the most humiliated live-in husband they've ever seen. They're convinced that I'll endure it for the rest of my life. That is until Clara brings home a college student named Leonard Frost. Leonard looks ordinary, yet he becomes the first man to break her one-month dating rule. Clara then gives me two options. One option is to accept an open marriage and let Leonard have equal footing with me. The other is divorce, with half of her assets given to me and a clean break afterward. Her close friends watch from the sidelines, certain that I'll keep enduring everything for the sake of money. Yet I choose the second option without hesitation. In my previous life, I chose to endure, only to have Leonard take advantage of me even more. He forbade Clara from touching me and refused to let her bear my child. In my old age, I could only look on with envy as Leonard enjoyed a household full of descendants. Even after Clara passed away, she didn't mention me in her will at all. Every part of her estate fell into Leonard's control. I kept the title of Clara's husband, yet I lived my entire life completely alone. Now that I have been reborn, everything is clear to me. I will take the money and walk away, severing all ties with her for good.

At nineteen, what does a girl expect? A supportive family, a lively college life, and moments of joy. But none of that happened to Edith. She was forced into a marriage with a man she had barely met once. The struggle was no longer just the marriage—it was the life trapped within it. Her husband did not love her. Her mother-in-law tried everything to get rid of her. And then came the worst of all—her husband slept with another woman. When Edith found out, she tried to divorce him, only to discover that she was pregnant. ★☆☆☆☆ “You slept with another woman… so I slept with another man. That makes us equal,” Edith hissed. “Mind your tongue, woman. You are my wife,” he snapped. “Don’t make me do something you’ll regret. If you tell anyone, I’ll bring disaster to your family. And maybe I’ll chain you to this bed and fuck you day and night.” “You dare, Mr. Anderson!”

By the time I return home from a business trip, it is past midnight. However, my wife, Celeste Beaumont, isn't home. A man's shirt that isn't mine is lying on the couch. When I call her, she tells me that she's working late at the office. "Whose shirt is it on the couch?" I ask, cutting straight to the point. She playfully scolds, "Who else would it be? It's a gift for you, so hurry up and try it on." I skeptically put it on and immediately feel how tight and uncomfortable it is across my shoulders. "This is an L, babe. I've always worn XL." Celeste runs a clothing company. She's the one who handles all my clothes and even uses my body measurements for her menswear line. There's no way she doesn't know my size. The line goes quiet for half a second before she thoughtfully says, "It's from my new menswear collection. "I had pieces custom-made for you and Felix, so I must've grabbed the wrong piece. I'll swap it tomorrow." A beat later, her voice carries a little sob as she continues, "Babe, I've been so exhausted without you these past few days. I've missed you so much…" It's past midnight. As I listen to the undeniable weariness beneath her affectionate, playful words, my heart aches in distress. I can't help chiding myself for overthinking. However, after hanging up, realization hits me. Her brother, Felix Beaumont, and I are about the same build. He's always worn XL.

Chloe finds out she has been betrothed to the eldest son of the Benjamin’s family, a very influential family in America since she was a child, and it made her extremely angry. She has always been an obedient and dutiful daughter who always put her parents’ wishes before hers since she could remember, and feeling rebellious in her own way, she decides to do something for herself for once. And so, Chloe ends up in a club, which led to her having a one night stand with a hot, dark stranger. Chloe was happy to pretend that night never happened, if she hadn’t realized she was pregnant – a week to the date of her scheduled wedding. Nothing was more shocking for Chloe when fate leads her to her dark stranger once again, and he turns out to be the younger brother of whom she was supposed to be getting married to. That leads to Chloe being forced into a marriage with the father of her child, Nathan– who detests the thought of marriage to begin with. Would the contract marriage and a baby be enough to hold them together?

The day I find out I only have three days left to live, my mate comes home with a mate termination contract. He wants to break up with me and form a new bond with another she-wolf who's pretending to be dying—just to fulfill her so-called final wish. "Sweetheart, I don't have a choice," Caleb Lowe says, holding me in his arms. "Ruby's been poisoned with silver. She's got about a week left. Her dying wish is to marry me. But don't worry. You're the only one I love," he adds, looking at me with those sincere eyes. "Once the bonding ceremony is over and she's gone, we'll get back together—just like before." I look down and give a small laugh, then sign the termination contract. Forget it. I'm dying anyway. Who he ends up with doesn't matter anymore. I might as well let him have what he wants.

I'm eight months pregnant, and I suddenly go into early labor. But my husband, Aldrich Lohan, locks me up in the basement and gives me a tocolytic injection to stop my labor instead. He does all these just to ensure that his sister-in-law's baby is born before mine, so that my child won't fight for the inheritance rights. "Anton saved my life," Aldrich says, referring to his elder brother. "But now, he's gone, succeeded only by the baby in Chrissy's womb. I must let her baby inherit all the rights. Chrissy lost everything, but you're still here, enjoying everything I'm giving you like you're entitled to them. So what if you compromise a little bit for her sake?" The contractions in my lower body are hurting more than I can bear. I'm on the verge of passing out as I grab on to the hem of his pants and beg, "I swear that I won't let my child claim his inheritance rights! Please, just send me to the hospital. My child will die otherwise!" However, Aldrich just kicks me aside. "Chrissy has been pregnant for nine months. How can you be giving birth in just eight months? How would I know whether or not you're just inducing birth on purpose? I don't care. I won't let anyone steal the inheritance rights from Chrissy's baby, even if there's just a minuscule percentage of it happening." In the end, Chrissy successfully gives birth to her child, and it's only after that that Aldrich finally remembers me in the basement. "Bring Kelsey to the hospital and make them bring out the best medical equipment to ensure the safe birth of my child." His personal assistant, Edgar Salome, shivers as he says, "But Mr. Lohan… Mrs. Lohan and her child have both died…"

We have many perspectives on life. One thing here is about marriage. Throughout Matteo's life he believed in his vision that we should no longer marry or be married, because he had a bad experience with his own parents as well as with his other aquaintances. But, Calix is the opposite of Matteo's view. She is hundred and one percent sure that the married life is happy and genuine, also she sees and witnessed those married couples lead to their 'happily ever after'.

"My plan was reckless but simple: find a pure-blooded werewolf, seduce him, and let him mark me. TONIGHT." Flora Graham is cursed—a hybrid without a wolf, doomed to die before her eighteenth birthday unless she’s marked. For five years, she believed her boyfriend, Donovan, would be the one to save her. But on their anniversary, he shattered her heart, choosing his fated mate over her. With time slipping away, Flora makes a desperate choice. One night. One stranger. One bite to break the curse for good. But the werewolf she seduces isn’t just anyone—he’s Alaric Blackwood, the powerful Alpha of Moonvalley Pack. When he marks her, the curse vanishes… only to return three days later, stronger than before. The Moon Goddess has punished her, but for what? Now, with her life hanging by a thread, Flora must uncover the dark truth behind her curse before it’s too late. But as she searches for answers, Alaric refuses to let her go. Why does he act like she’s his? And what if the one destined to save her… is the one she’s trying to escape?