After The Rain

県内の進学校に通う一年生、鳴海漓音は小学校の頃から勉強はできるが、人と関わることを好まず、自分の世界へと閉じこもりがちだった。 このまま学生らしいことをすることもなく、そこそこの良い大学に進学し、できるだけ人と関わらない仕事に就くのだろう。 自分の将来は、こんなものだと達観する漓音は雨の中、一人で最寄り駅の桜の木を眺めていた。 そんな彼の前に一人の不思議な女性が現れ……。

After three years of marriage, William Harris’s first love, the woman he broke up with six years ago, returned from abroad. And she brought back a five-year-old son with her. Charlotte handed him the divorce papers with both hands. “Let’s end this. It’s better for you, for me, and for her.” William glanced at her and said dismissively, “Divorce? Can you afford to leave me?” Charlotte threw down the divorce papers and cut him out of her life for good. She severed every tie to the past and poured all her energy into her career, quickly rising to become an internationally renowned sleep disorder specialist. Powerful figures across the globe owed her favors and respected her work. The youngest heir of a foreign financial empire said, “Charlotte, just divorce him already. I can’t wait any longer.” The CEO of a multinational corporation said, “Charlotte, I’ll go with you when you file for divorce.” A world-famous attorney told her, “Charlotte, I’ll handle your divorce case myself.” Charlotte rubbed her temples. It wasn’t that she didn’t want the divorce. He was the one who refused to divorce her no matter what. Left with no other option, she made a public announcement. “Whoever can actually get this divorce finalized gets VIP seating at my divorce party.” Not long after, William received a divorce notice from her lawyer right in the middle of a shareholders meeting. Soon after that, a multi-billion-dollar project of his fell through. That same afternoon, he was nearly hit by a car right outside his own company. Later, Charlotte arrived at the hospital carrying a bouquet of flowers. “Let’s end this,” she said softly. “It’s better for everyone.” The cold and dignified William pulled her tightly into his arms, his eyes reddening. “You want a divorce? That’ll happen over my dead body.”

In my fourth year as a substitute bride for my runaway sister, married to King Alpha Kieran Ashworth, I became pregnant with his child. When I sought the High Priestess at the sacred temple to perform the "Protective Blessing Ritual" for our unborn pup, I was devastated to learn: "You and Alpha Kieran have never established a true mate bond. I cannot perform the blessing ritual." The soul truly connected to him was my half-sister, Isabella Morgrave. Isabella suddenly returned, claiming to suffer from "Luna's Eclipse",a werewolf affliction spoken of in whispered terror, with only three full moons remaining. To fulfill Isabella's dying wish, Kieran held a mating ceremony with her. At Isabella's birthday banquet, a blood curse appeared, and everyone believed it was cast by my jealousy. They imprisoned me in an obsidian cage that absorbed moonlight energy and purified me with "demon-breaking blood," causing me to miscarry and lose our child. When I discovered Isabella's illness was fabricated and all the framing was her elaborate scheme, I decided to leave. However, when the truth came to light, Kieran went completely mad...

On New Year's Eve, my daughter was critically ill. As she took her last breath, she said she just wanted to see her father one last time. But I couldn't bear to tell her the truth that her father was with someone else's child, lighting fireworks and celebrating New Year's Eve together. Beside me, calls continued being made, but none of them went through. My daughter passed away with regret in her heart, and I followed her into despair, jumping to end it all. Now that I've been given a second chance to live again, I looked at the man in front of me whose eyes were full of guilt and helplessness. However, my heart remained calm. "Just this once, Mariah. Tonya is sick, and she really needs me—" I cut him off and went to pick up my daughter. "Get out of my sight."

When the Jensens reunite with their long-lost biological daughter, Lyra Jensen, they kick out my girlfriend, Lorraine Jensen, the daughter they'd mistakenly raised in her place. Not wanting to see Lorraine fall into destitution, I go crazy spending all my money on luxury goods for her so that she can still hold her head up high in public. For Lorraine's sake, I openly refuse to marry Lyra. Moved to tears, Lorraine swears she'll love me forever. Yet, when she eventually becomes the top female CEO in Jannington, the first thing she does is bring my family to ruin and destroy my life. She drives my father to jump off a building and gives my mother a heart attack. I beg her to save my mother, but she locks me in a cage and lets her assistant, Evan Scott, torture me as he pleases. When I confront her, she sneers and says to me, "I've had enough of you acting all high and mighty in front of me, Cyrus. Your so-called attempt to support me was just you using your money to humiliate me! "To me, your money is worth less than a bowl of soup Evan makes for me." Even until my last breath, resentment is all I can feel. … My eyes open once more. I've been reborn back in time, during my first attempt to back Lorraine up in public. She throws aside the sapphire necklace I gave her and declares with a cold, haughty gaze, "I don't need your pity, Cyrus. Don't even try to act all superior to my face."

My Alpha mate, Dominic, rules the entire Stormfang Pack, but in our ten years together, he has never once given me a gift. Even our bonding tokens—a pair of rare healing crystals that cost me an entire year's savings—were taken by him without hesitation. He claimed that as Alpha he needed to appear frugal and understated, which is why he marked me in secret without hosting a proper mating ceremony. Because of this, most pack members don't even know I'm his mate. Yet when Sylvia, his childhood sweetheart, returned to Stormfang territory, he publicly announced their mating plans. He even dipped into the pack's long-term savings to throw her an extravagant celebration. When my mother was attacked by rogue wolves and left critically wounded, I begged Dominic to return my healing crystals—the only things that could save her life. Instead of helping, he denied knowing me in front of the entire pack and ordered his guards to drive me away with burning torches. Later, my mother died during the Blood Moon Festival. I lost my only family during what should have been our most sacred celebration. I renounced my Stormfang membership that same night and accepted the Northern Shadow Pack's Chief Healer position. While packing my belongings, Dominic returned from his honeymoon with Sylvia. He found me and assumed I was merely sulking. For the first time ever, he made a generous offer: "Come on, what could possibly happen to your mother? At worst, I'll give you that fancy mating ceremony you've always wanted. That should satisfy her desire to be an Alpha's mother-in-law." What he didn't realize was that from the moment my mother died, I had already sworn to the Moon Goddess that our mate bond would be broken forever.

As I head to see my boyfriend, Howard Schultz, who is working late, I get into a car accident. I call him dozens of times for help, but he doesn't answer a single one. Staring at his brightly lit office building not far away, I sink into despair. When I wake up in the hospital, I see a post from his subordinate. It's a picture showing the reflection of the two of them in the glass door, standing far closer than they should, with the caption, "What do I do when my boss is scolding me late at night?" Unwilling to believe it, I call him again. This time, he finally answers. My voice trembles. "Howard, I got into a car accident…" "Celine, I'm still working. I'll send my assistant to take care of it, okay? Be good. I'll see you after I come back from my business trip." I try to say more, but his angry shout suddenly cuts through the line. "Crystal Jennings! You're only allowed to bring one suitcase for this trip. Why do you have three? Do you think we're going on vacation?" Crystal Jennings—the new intern Howard just hired. I stare at the disconnected call, tears drying on my cheeks. I then call my parents instead. "I agree to the engagement you arranged."

The day I went to try on my wedding suit, a stranger stormed into the VIP fitting room and drove a knife into my gut. "Sleeping with my woman, and you dare wear a suit this expensive?" He ripped my shirt into ribbons with a wild grin and threw sulfuric acid straight at me. The knife was buried deep in my abdomen. Pain ripped through me as I collapsed. He yanked my hair, forcing my head up. "Susan Lefebvre is my wife. What the hell are you? Just some filthy side piece hiding in the shadows!" Blood dripped from my fingertips as the truth sank in. The fiancée I'd loved for seven years had been cheating on me all along. "What are you staring at?" He sneered. "Even if I kill you, no one can touch me. My wife runs this city!" Watching that arrogant face twist in triumph, I took out my phone with a trembling, blood-soaked hand and dialed my sister. "Allison," I said, my voice cold and calm. "Come pick me up at the bridal salon. And tell the Lefebvres that the engagement is off."

On the day I was kidnapped, my husband was looking after his sick sweetheart. I called him, asking him for help. Yet, he merely replied coldly, "Danica, you are a bad liar." After that, he heartlessly hung up the phone call on me, causing me to get brutally murdered by the kidnappers. I failed to show up as scheduled on the day we agreed to finalize our divorce. He called me in exasperation, only for the phone call to be answered by the police. "Mr. Ferguson, are you a family member of the deceased Danica Reed?"

“What's done is done! Let's just forget it!” He said and acted nonchalantly, even though he was cowering in fear because something was telling him that the stranger in front of him didn't intend to let go. The man's frown increases and Hayden swears that the temperature in the room increases multiple times. After winning over his heart and stealing his first, this boy wanted to avoid responsibility, which made Zenos annoyed. “You want to run away from me?” He asked in annoyance, and suddenly Hayden found himself under the man without even knowing how. “I'm just…” Hayden wasn't able to finish his words before he was domineeringly kissed by the stranger. Zenos used his left hand to pin Hayden's hand on top of Hayden's head effortlessly. Hayden tried to struggle and blocked the stranger's tongue from dominating his mouth by pressing his lips against each other stubbornly, but the man unexpectedly bit Hayden's bottom lips, making Hayden yelp in pain. The man used that chance to clean all the taste of strawberries in Hayden's mouth, while his right hand continued to stroke Hayden's body wantonly. When Hayden was starting to go dizzy due to shortness of breath, he was released by the man's assault. He breathed in and out rapidly and thanked heaven for the chance to live again. “You can't run away from me… You are mine” Zenos growled into Hayden's neck possessively. Hayden felt a shiver run through his spine after hearing the stranger's words. His breath hitched as the man licked his earlobe and kissed his neck with extreme familiarity, domineeringly. “Mine,” the stranger proclaimed again. Cover isn't mine, found online