Awakened Hearts A Marriage Of Convenience Novels & Stories

he said quickly, eyes scanning the room, “ please help the healers.” I hesitated, then nodded. I moved forward on shaky legs and crouched beside one of the healers who was trying to stop the bleeding on a young guard’s arm. My hands hovered uselessly for a second. I didn’t know what to do. I wasn’t a healer, but then… something shifted inside me, a strange warmth surged through my chest. It started as a pulse, then it deepened. Like something inside me had just… awakened. My heart raced. The moment I placed my hands closer to the wound, the sensation intensified… warmth spread down my arms, into my palms.

The office fell silent again. Outside, the city continued moving as if nothing unusual was happening.Cars passed.Restaurants filled with people.Somewhere across town, Everlyn and Jesse were planning their wedding day.But Adrian Locke was planning something else entirely.And if his plans succeeded…The wedding might become the moment everything fell apart.

Chapter 19: Doubts and Desire Rebecca woke up the next morning in Liam's bed. The sunlight filtered gently through the curtains. It cast a warm golden glow across the room. She felt a deep sense of happiness wash over her. For the first time in what seemed like forever, she felt truly alive and desired. But soon, doubt crept in. Was she moving too fast with Liam? Was she truly ready to leave her marriage behind? She turned her head slowly and looked at Liam sleeping peacefully beside her. His face looked relaxed and content. His strong arm rested around her waist. She smiled softly at the sight of him. Yet the questions in her mind refused to fade away.

*** Philip waited until the laughter died down before speaking more solemnly: “Being someone’s first love may be great. But to be their last is beyond perfect. It’s priceless. I’ve met thousands of people. But none of them really touched me here…” He laid a hand on his heart and then turned to face Troy. Then for the very first time since meeting his mate, the alpha let down his mind-barrier, allowing Troy into his mind. “…Until I laid eyes on you. Then my heart kinda went…‘oh there he is…I’ve been looking for you.’” The crowd laughed softly. “My life changed…forever. You awakened my soul and planted a fire in my heart that brings peace to my mind. Thank you.

Swish. Had someone left a window open, it was coming from our small library, my favourite room in the whole house well it was really reading enclave fitted with a door. Maybe my father had finally managed to fix the grandfather clock that had been sitting in the room for as long as I can remember. I decided on see the library one last time before the slaughter continued. Perhaps I’d even keep my favourite book of poems, a reminder of where I’d come from and what had been done to me by the people I thought I could trust, by the people who said they loved me.

"Conrad, you understand me." Conrad squeezed her hand and comforted her, "Don't worry. I won't let anyone wrongly accuse you or Edith." Watching their affectionate display made me sick. Conrad seemed so loving now, but in my past life, after Evelyn died, he had pretended to be heartbroken and stayed in his room. In truth, he had been on a honeymoon with his lover. When I had been pushed to the brink and found him, he had only glanced at me coldly while holding his lover in his arms. He had the servants send me away without a second thought.

And then—he was gone. The door slammed shut, leaving me alone on the floor, my heart pounding painfully in my chest. I know. I know I can never be loved by Luther Hawthorne. The ruthless mafia billionaire I got married to. This is just a loveless marriage. A game. I am nothing but a sex toy to him, a plaything, a body to use whenever he needs to quench his hunger. That's all I am. That's all I will ever be. I stood up from the floor, my naked body still aching from the rough sex. My legs felt weak, but I forced myself to move. I walked into the bathroom, turned on the shower, and stood under the water, letting it wash away everything—his touch, his scent, the shame that burned my skin.

We headed upstairs, and as I walked into the guest room—my room, for now—I turned back just as he paused at his own door across the hall. “Goodnight, Nelly,” he said, voice low. “Goodnight, Jason,” I replied, offering him a small smile. He lingered a moment before disappearing into his room. I closed the door behind me, heart still beating in that strange, fluttery rhythm. Maybe this fake marriage wasn’t as fake as we wanted it to be. Maybe, just maybe… something real was beginning to bloom.

That it was his gift to me — piece by piece, stone by stone. I stopped beside the small fountain and sat on the edge. There was a time when all I wanted was to run away from this life. Now, I couldn’t imagine one without him in it. I remembered the contract. The two-month clause. I had agreed to this marriage like someone stepping onto a trap door. But instead of falling — I’d found something solid underneath. Something I never expected. Love.

Than it hit me we had been here after each awakening and this is were they pulled us apart on the dance floor lost in the moment of reconnection. The memory slammed into me with devastating clarity not just once, but three separate times. Each awakening, we had been drawn back to this place by instincts we couldn't understand. Each time, we had found each other on that dance floor, our incomplete bond pulling us together like magnets. And each time, just as recognition dawned, just as our connection began to strengthen, the guards had torn us apart. "They knew," Costa whispered, his markings flaring with anger. "They knew we would come here. They used it as a trap."