April Avery Books

Le soir de notre neuvième anniversaire de mariage, mon mari Rémy, l'homme qui dirigeait la famille mafieuse le jour et faisait palpiter mon cœur la nuit, ne m'a pas offert de roses. Il les a données à Lise, son assistante personnelle. Sous le lustre où nous avions dansé en tant que jeunes mariés, il s'est tourné vers moi avec le charme qu'il avait autrefois lorsqu'il me murmurait son amour à l'oreille, la voix glacée. « Elle est enceinte », a-t-il dit, comme si cela expliquait tout, « et elle est difficile en ce qui concerne la nourriture. A partir de maintenant, tu devras lui préparer trois repas, sans répétition. » « Elle est sensible et n'aime pas dormir seule, alors tu devras mettre tes affaires dans la chambre d'amis. » La pièce était silencieuse. Je n'ai pas crié, je n'ai pas pleuré, j'ai juste pris ma valise et je me suis dirigée vers la porte. Le majordome a essayé de m'arrêter, et Rémy n'a même pas sourcillé. « Elle reviendra », a-t-il dit en secouant paresseusement son verre de vin rouge, « et dans trois jours, elle pleurera tout en me suppliant. » Les invités ont éclaté de rire. Ils ont parié un million d'euros devant moi. Ils pariaient pour savoir si j'allais supplier Rémy de me laisser entrer avant demain matin, comme un chien errant sans dignité. Mais ils ne savaient pas que j'avais déjà reçu le jeton de famille de mon vrai père et que j'avais réservé mon vol de départ. Cette fois, je partirais vraiment.

The day my sister slipped away from her engagement party, she was certain Marshall Patton could never truly fall in love with me. Confident in her belief, she left the country without hesitation, leaving me behind to hold her place and secure the title of Mrs. Patton in her stead. I didn't cry or make a fuss. Instead, I played the part of the obedient stand-in, giving everyone the courtesy of maintaining appearances while I quietly bided my time. Then, I poured every ounce of effort into making Marshall fall for me, bit by bit. And when my sister finally returned, I made sure to walk away.

On the night of our ninth wedding anniversary, my husband—Damian Grant, the man who ruled the mafia by day and once ruled my heart by night—did not bring me roses. He gave the bouquet that should have been mine to Serena Lane, his personal assistant. Beneath the chandelier where we once danced on our wedding night, he turned to me with that same cold charm he once used to whisper sweet nothings in my ear. “She's pregnant.” Finally, everything fell into place. “She's a picky eater. From today onward, you’ll cook three meals a day for her. And no repeats. “She’s sensitive and hates sleeping alone, so you’ll need to move your things into the guest room.” The room fell silent. I did not raise my voice, nor did I shed a single tear. I simply picked up my packed suitcase and walked to the door. The butler tried to stop me, but Damian did not even blink. “She’ll come back.” He lazily swirled the wine in his glass. “She’ll come back crying and begging within three days.” Our guests burst out laughing. They placed a million-dollar bet right in front of me. They were betting on whether I would be back before the night was over, begging Damian to let me back in like a pathetic stray dog with my tail between my legs. However, they did not know I had already received the family heirloom from my real father. I booked my flight to get far, far away from everyone I used to know. This time, I really left.

El día que íbamos a casarnos, mi novio, Damián Cruz, envió a unos hombres para que me echaran del registro civil y entró del brazo de Luna Mendoza. Al verme sentada en el suelo, paralizada por la incredulidad, ni siquiera pestañeó y dijo: —El hijo de Luna necesita un apellido presentable para el futuro, para que pueda acceder a los círculos de élite y los mejores colegios. Es solo un trámite. Una vez que solucionemos esto, me caso contigo. Todo el mundo pensó que yo, la siempre devota, aceptaría esperarle obedientemente otro mes más. Después de todo, ya lo había esperado durante siete años. Pero esa noche, hice algo impensable: Acepté el matrimonio que habían arreglado mis padres y me fui del país directamente. Tres años después, regresé a visitar a mis padres. Mi marido, Vicente del Toro, era ahora el presidente de una corporación multinacional. Como tenía una reunión urgente de última hora, envió a un empleado de la sucursal local a recogerme al aeropuerto. Y para mi sorpresa, ese subordinado era nada más y nada menos que Damián, a quien no veía desde hacía tres años. Sus ojos se clavaron al instante en la deslumbrante pulsera de mi muñeca: —¿Esta es la copia barata de la pulsera por la que el señor del Toro pagó cinco millones para su esposa? Nunca pensé que te volverías tan superficial estos años. —Ya basta de rabietas. Vuelve. El hijo de Luna ya está en edad escolar, serás perfecta para llevarlo y traerlo. No dije nada, solo acaricié la pulsera. Él no sabía que esta era la más barata de todas las que Vicente me había regalado.

I train so hard that even in my sleep, I recite medical formulas. At long last, victory is mine! I am the champion of the Healers' Competition. But just as they place the trophy in my hands, my twin sister, Sasha Flanders, strides onto the stage and snatches it away. With brazen conviction, she declares, "I'm the true champion! My sister swapped the competitor's information to steal this honor from me!" The audience gasps in an uproar. Before my stunned eyes, the judges revoke my title on the spot. I don't yet realize that this competition is no ordinary contest—it is the Alpha King Leonard Muller's secret trial, one that is meant to select his future Luna Queen. Rumor paints him as monstrous—hideous of face, bloodthirsty in nature, and treats women as nothing more than breeding machines. It is said this is why he has never taken a mate. His summons arrived this very night, commanding Sasha to attend the coronation ceremony as Luna Queen. My Beta fiance, Timothy Newsom, turns ashen with rage. The next day, Sasha comes to flaunt herself before me, her neck freshly marked, carrying Timothy's scent. "Oh, my poor sister. Your precious fiance marked me. What will you do now? You're turning 25 in three days. By our pack's law, if no one claims you, you'll be thrown to the impotent, deranged, and broken wolves no one else will have. You'll be worse than trash." Her shrill laughter cracks in my ears, squeezing the breath from my chest. But I will not let that break me. I went straight to my parents. "If Sasha dares not to be Luna Queen… then let me take her place."

Di malam peringatan sembilan tahun pernikahan kami, suamiku yang bernama Felix Tosa, pria yang di siang hari menguasai keluarga mafia dan di malam hari menguasai hatiku, tidak memberiku setangkai mawar pun. Dia malah memberikannya pada Celine, asisten pribadinya. Di bawah lampu gantung tempat kami pernah berdansa saat baru menikah, dia menoleh padaku dengan pesona dingin yang dulu pernah membisikkan kata cinta di telingaku. “Dia hamil,” katanya, seolah itu sudah cukup sebagai penjelasan. “Dan dia sangat pilih-pilih soal makanan. Mulai sekarang, kamu yang harus menyiapkan makanan tiga kali sehari untuknya, nggak boleh ada menu yang berulang.” “Dia juga sensitif, nggak suka tidur sendirian. Jadi, kamu harus pindah ke kamar tamu.” Ruangan itu sunyi senyap. Aku tidak berteriak, tidak juga menangis. Aku hanya mengambil koper yang sudah kubereskan, lalu berjalan menuju pintu. Kepala pelayan mencoba menahanku, tapi Felix bahkan tak berkedip sedikit pun. “Dia pasti balik lagi,” katanya malas, sambil menggoyangkan gelas anggur. “Dalam waktu tiga hari, dia akan menangis dan memohon padaku.” Tamu-tamu pun tertawa terbahak-bahak. Mereka bertaruh satu juta dolar di depan mataku. Bertaruh bahwa aku bahkan tak akan sanggup melewati malam ini dan akan kembali memohon seperti anjing jalanan yang kehilangan harga diri, memohon agar Felix membiarkanku masuk ke rumah. Namun, mereka tidak tahu bahwa aku sudah menerima lambang keluarga dari ayah kandungku yang sebenarnya dan tiket pesawat pun sudah kupesan. Kali ini, aku benar-benar akan pergi.

On our sixth wedding anniversary, my cheeks burn as I dodge my husband, Ethan Grant, leaning in for a hungry kiss. I push him toward the nightstand for a rubber. What he doesn't know is that I've tucked a surprise in there, a positive pregnancy test. I can already see it, the way his whole face will light up the second he finds it. But the moment his hand goes for the drawer, his phone goes off. His best friend, Henry Miller, comes on the line in Danish. "Mr. Grant, how was last night? That new love couch our company rolled out is treating you okay?" Ethan lets out a low laugh and answers in Danish, "The massage feature's great. Saves me from having to rub Sandy's back myself." He still has me pulled tight against him, but his eyes look straight through me, like he's seeing someone else. "This stays between us. If my wife ever finds out I slept with her sister, I'm done." It feels like someone just put a knife through my chest. What they don't know is that I minored in Danish in college, so I catch every single word. I force myself to stay calm, but the arms I have looped around Ethan's neck won't stop shaking. At that moment, I stop hesitating and decide I'll take the offer from that international research project. Three days from now, I'll be gone from Ethan's world for good.

He sees her as nothing more than a gold digger. She regards him as a callous brute. She shouldn't fall for him... ____ Isa lang ang pangarap ni Charity de la Vega at iyon ay maiahon ang sarili at ang may-sakit na ama sa hirap. Hindi man nakapagtapos, masipag at determinado naman siya. Kaya nga lang ay kulang iyon para maging matagumpay siya. Hanggang sa dumating ang isang oportunidad sa kaniya... oportunidad na yumaman. Ang kailangan lang gawin ng dalaga ay pakasalan si Ien Carreon: gwapo, mayaman, arogante at walang kasing lamig. Makakaya ba ni Charity na palagpasin ang once in a lifetime opportunity na ito? Pero ano kaya ang sikreto sa kabila ng kanilang pagpapakasal?

She wanted to be free, but did that mean surrendering everything to Damien and his whims? Tired of her domineering husband, Valerie Tanner decides it's time to start a new life somewhere else. However, when she moves to Live Oak, her brother's friends show her a life of total abandon where someone else calls the shots, and she has no choice but to obey. Once she gives in, Valerie descends into a dark morass of exploits that leaves her reeling and craving more, even though she fights each order she's given. Her mind screams at her that it's wrong, but her body pleads for her to continue. The question now is: how far will she fall before she loses herself? Or, is this the path to show her who she truly is?

Selene Quinn Six years ago, I walked away from Lucien Ashbourne. No goodbyes. No confrontation. Just silence… and two unborn children he never knew about. They said I was lucky to marry into power — even though he was half-dead man. They didn’t see the contract, the coma, or the cold man who treated me like a threat. Even after I saved him. Now I’m back. Different name. Bigger title. And the first face I see on a Manhattan billboard? His. He doesn’t know I’m here. He doesn’t know we’re about to become competitors. And he has no idea what I’ve built while he was busy forgetting me. Lucien Ashbourne She left without a word. Good. She was a mistake forced into my life while I was too broken to stop it. But I never signed those divorce papers. And now… she’s back. New name. Same eyes. Running the company threatening my biggest deal. She’s hiding something. She always was. But this time, I won’t let her vanish. Not until I know why she left. Not until I remember what we did that night. Not until she realizes... she was mine all along.