Akimov Chernobyl Face

To take care of my mother after she fell and injured herself, I turned down a promotion and took a week off work to stay by her side. On the day she was discharged from the hospital, she smiled and handed me a small envelope. “Suzy, you’ve worked hard these past few days. This is just a little something from me. Go treat yourself to something good.” I wiped my hands, a quiet warmth spreading through my chest. When I opened the envelope, I froze for a moment. Inside was $2. Still, I told myself it didn’t matter. The amount wasn’t important. What mattered was the thought behind it. But the very next day, while scrolling through social media, I came across a post from my younger brother, the one who hadn’t shown his face at the hospital even once. Nine photos filled the post, all of them showing off a sprawling luxury mansion. In the center was a photo of the purchase contract. The caption read: “Officially the owner of a $2 million riverfront house. Big thanks to Mom for the support!”

My mother-in-law and I were traveling together. We'd just checked into the Solenne Hotel in Rivera City and decided to hit the pool. Then this woman—dressed like money and attitude—pinched her nose like we stank. "This is a luxury hotel. How did you people even get in? Sneak in just for the pool? Ugh, I need a test after this." Buzzkill. I snapped, "It's a hotel pool. Guests swim. If that's a problem, go build your own." Her face twisted. "Excuse me? Do you even know who I am? My husband owns this place. We always stay in the top suite. So get out. You reek of broke. You're contaminating the water." Georgina and I traded a look. Ice cold. This was her son's hotel. My husband's. Since when did he come with a second wife?

When His Majesty King Dominic Thornfield was attacked, my husband, Roland Wentworth, Commander of the Royal Guard, was busy placating his first love, Vivian Sinclair, who had stormed off in a fit of anger. I did not light the signal flare in my hand. Instead, I used my heavily pregnant body as a human shield to protect the King and help him escape. In my past life, I had lit that flare. Roland abandoned Vivian to rush back and save the King. He was rewarded for his loyal service by being made a Duke Protector. However, Vivian fell into a trap and died on the spot. On the surface, Roland said nothing. Yet, on the very day I went into labor, he threw me into the Beast Dungeon. My face twisted in agony as I demanded to know why. Roland merely glanced at me coldly and said, "His Majesty had plenty of guards around him, so why did it have to be me who came back? You must have done it on purpose, only caring about power and wealth. If you hadn't lit that flare, Vivian wouldn't have died. Whatever suffering Vivian endured, I'll make you pay it back tenfold!" In the end, I was torn apart and devoured by the beasts. Even the child in my womb was consumed completely. When I opened my eyes again, I had returned to the day the King was attacked.

Five years ago, Isla Wilde Montgomery was the perfect wife, elegant, loyal, and madly in love with her husband, billionaire tycoon Lucian Blackwell. But when tragedy struck and she miscarried their child, Lucian’s silence and his family's cold betrayal broke her. Branded a disgrace, Isla vanished from his life without a trace. Now, she’s back, not as his wife, but as the icy CEO of a global fashion empire. Stronger, colder, and untouchable, Isla returns to the elite business world with one mission: to reclaim her name and make those who destroyed her pay, including Lucian, the man she once loved. Lucian never stopped wondering why Isla left. But the woman who’s returned is no longer the warm girl he married. She’s a storm in heels, and she’s forcing him to face the truth he buried deep inside him. In a world where love is a dangerous game, can two broken hearts survive the wreckage of their dark past? Or will their love story end exactly the way it began… in flames?

The day before our wedding, Luke Murray got wasted. On the ride home, he looked right at me and slurred, "Cassie, don't bring the kid to the ceremony. Arya can't know I'm the dad." I hit the brakes. Hard. He smacked into the seatback, halfway sobering up. When he finally realized it was me, he just... froze. Then he said real slow, "Guess you heard. Wedding's off—for now. Cassie doesn't want marriage, but the kid's mine, so I gotta step up. She's your bestie, right? You probably feel bad she's doing this alone. So once he's in school, I'll come back and marry you." I let out a sharp, bitter laugh. "...That's fine. I don't mind." He didn't say a word when we got home—just grabbed his suitcase and left. I wiped the last tear off my face, sat on the bed, and just stared at nothing. Then my phone lit up. My childhood friend's voice cracked on the other end. "Arya, don't marry him. Please." I didn't say anything for a sec. "Okay."

I'm the top salesperson at a tutoring center. Payday comes, and my commission is 50 cents. I'm so furious that I march straight to my boss to demand answers, but his secretary, Sasha Watson, steps in front of me. She digs through her pocket, pulls out 50 cents, and flicks it straight at my face in front of everyone. "Here's your 50 cents!" My ears ring. Heat crawls up my neck and into my skull. "Ms. Watson, this has to be a mistake. I closed 1.5 million dollars on my own last month. My team pulls in over three million dollars. My commission should be at least 200 grand." Sasha rolls her eyes. She reaches into her wallet, pulls out a dollar bill, and slaps it against my cheek. "Stop barking! Fine, I'll throw you a dollar. Keep the change!" I'm about to lose it. "My mom is still waiting on that 200 grand for her surgery. Without it, she could die." The coworkers around us start whispering. "50 cents? For the top salesperson? That's insane!" "Lower your voice. She's the boss's niece! What she says goes. Unless you want to get fired, pretend you didn't hear anything." I turn away, pull out my phone, and dial our biggest competitor. "I'm in. Five million dollars a year."

For a decade, my world had been measured in laundry cycles, grocery lists, and the ever-growing pile of dishes in the sink. I was elbow-deep in soapy water, scrubbing the remnants of another family meal, when it happened. A sudden, silent cascade of text flickered at the edge of my vision, like subtitles for a movie only I could see: [Gosh, the heroine is so tragic. Her husband's entire family has been feeding on her luck like parasites!] [Her husband stole her graduate school admission and her career!] [The in-laws are literally siphoning her health away. No wonder she's always sick.] [And the sister-in-law took her "romance" stat! No wonder her love life is a desert.] [Heads up! Her husband's about to give her another "gift." Let's see how much more he takes from her this time.] My hands, clutching a greasy plate, froze. Right on cue, my husband, Tristan, sauntered into the kitchen. A smug, self-satisfied smile was plastered on his face as he took my wet hand. He slid a flimsy, garishly colored plastic bracelet onto my wrist. "Look what I got for you, sweetheart," he announced, his voice dripping with pride. "I made a special trip after work. Found it at the dollar store. It's romantic and economical, just like you always say you want. You love it, don't you?"

“Please… please don’t kill me,” Lily begged with blood and tears streaming from her face as the big wolf hovered over her. “I’ll give you anything you want… money… anything!” she sobbed. The big wolf studied her for a few seconds and then in one haul, he pulled her car from the ditch where it was upturned and set it on the road. But as soon as it set the car on the road, Lily pumped the ignition as fast as she could and sped off leaving a wake of dust in her trail. As she drove, her eyes darted between the road ahead and the rearview mirror nothing with fear that the Big Wolf was chasing her. He was gaining in on her… it was only a matter of seconds before he’ll get her and tear her apart. She drove as fast as she could, crying and begging on the universe to save her. Suddenly the path curved, surprising Lily who wasn’t expecting the path to take such turn. With full speed, she veered of the road and drove right into a tree. She could hear the pounding paws of the Big Wolf… even in her dying state, he didn’t want to relent. “Moon goddess, please!” she murmured in her head, tasting her blood which was flowed from her face to her mouth. Just before the darkness enclosed her… she saw it rush towards her, was this really her end?

Derek, my mate, and I were patrolling the borders of our territory when we triggered a deadly wolfsbane trap. When I opened my eyes again, we were sent back three years earlier, before the marking ceremony had ever taken place. In my previous life, we had lived in the same den for seven years. Yet the entire time, we were like two strangers forced to share the same space. He never marked me, not once, and he certainly never allowed me to breed his pups. Only later did I learn that, from the very beginning, the wolf spirit inside him had recognized only one mate—his delicate, fated partner, Aria. So this time, after being reborn, I decided to give him what he wanted. I severed our mind link on my own and then left his territory without looking back. From that moment on, we went our separate ways. Seven years later, Derek had become the most talked-about Gamma Commander in the Werewolf Alliance. That night, at the pack’s Full Moon banquet, he wrapped an arm around Aria and proudly announced their upcoming mating bond in front of everyone. Seeing me standing alone in a quiet corner, Derek let out a mocking laugh. “Selena, I know that in both lifetimes, you’ve only ever loved me. But you don’t have to keep waiting around for me like some stray dog. Aria and I are destined for each other.” I didn’t even bother looking up. Instead, I casually reached out and took the hand of the blond, blue-eyed pureblood pup standing beside me. The color drained from Derek’s face instantly. He glared at me and questioned, “You swore to the Moon Goddess! You said in this life you’d only ever be my she-wolf and only ever breed my pups!”

Nadin has sworn for revenge, as her husband of three years had betrayed her and had a thing with her stepsister. Then, before her eyes, her stepmother murdered her dad. Afterwards, she used acid on Nadin to kill her but only succeeded in damaging her face and body, which demanded plastic surgery. Fast forward to the present time, a year after she got out of a coma as a result of the acid poured on her. “I want revenge. I want all of them to go to hell.” This was Nadin trying to kill herself after she got out of being in a coma for a year, and she had been reflecting on how she had been betrayed and hurt by people that used to matter to her the most. “If you must do that, then you need at least to stay alive. Besides, the doctor didn't save you just for you to harm yourself.” Luciano, her adoptive guardian, tried to give her reasons to live. Nadin is back with a new face and identity to his ex-husband’s life with her little game of revenge, as she remembered every pain, betrayal, and heartbreak they caused her. Meanwhile, her ex-husband was desperate to do everything for her to turn heads over heels with her, as he had attained the height he wanted but lacked just one thing, which was true love. The woman he failed to cherish and love before now, currently he wants to love her unmeasurably in another face, as she reminds him of his ex-wife a lot. When revenge meets desperation for love, could Nadin's ulterior motives change along the line and her ex-husband get her love back?