Empty Nesters

The Draghi Brothers Feared, Revered. Monsters. Those were the words papa had always used to describe them. Worthless, useless, good for nothing-those had been reserved for me. After my little stunt at 16, my papa had made sure I was under lock and key. He knew how to manipulate me, spin his lies and I had no say in whatever he did. When he informed me about my marriage to the second son of the Donovan Family, I knew I had no choice. After all, he was my father. Most girls in our family including my sisters had already been married. I stood at the aisle, looking into the eyes of my husband to be, my mind detached. Just before I could say I do, brain matter splattered on my face, his empty eyes staring at me. The culprits— The brothers I had heard so much about. The brothers that marked me when I was 16. In the heat of the struggle, I found myself tied and captured by them—a price for my family's survival. I knew my father would come save me. Yet, I couldn't help but surrender to the sin they showed me daily. I have a choice to make. A captured bride or a willing slave.

I used to think my husband was the angel who saved me from the depths of hell. Five years ago, I would have died for my ex-fiance, Marco Lombardi, but his carelessness caused Mom's kidneys to fail. He ignored 99 of my calls, and with an empty bank account, I couldn't even afford the surgery to donate my kidney to her. Only later did I discover that during that time, he was having romantic getaways with my stepsister, Penny Rossi. When I hit rock bottom, mafia Don Leon Costa showed up. He got me the best doctors, handled everything when Mom died, and even proposed to me when I was a complete mess. In our five years of marriage, he has spoiled me rotten. I've almost forgotten how much Marco and Penny hurt me. Then, today, I overhear his phone call with Penny. "Leon, thank you for giving my sister's kidney to my mother back then." My beloved husband just brushes it off. "Don't worry about it. I'll look after your sister. She won't ever know." He laughs quietly, and his voice is full of warmth. "You know I hate seeing you cry."

It was my twentieth birthday. My father presented me with the photos of many rich heiresses across the nation. He wanted me to pick the one to have a political marriage with. I told him I wanted to leave that in the hands of fate. Why? In my previous life, I picked Rachel Osborne, an heiress from Shampton. And I did that without hesitation. After we got married, I found out her true love, Zacharias Newman, had gotten himself drunk at a bar. The reason? He was heartbroken that we got married. And while he was drunk, a robber mugged him and cut off his hand's tendons. He tried to kill himself three times, and who did my wife blame? Me. She extracted my family's assets and gave them all to her beloved. My family was left as an empty husk. And she let him cut our brake lines. Thanks to him, my family and I died in a horrifying car crash. This was my second life. This time, I chose Seraphina Oliviera, an heiress from Fortunopolis. She was someone who couldn't care less about worldly matters and was a God-fearing woman. Eventually, I showed up at the engagement with Seraphina, but that apparently drove Rachel mad.

He wasn’t supposed to be anything more than a favor. A protector. A shadow while my father was gone. But now he’s everything I shouldn’t want—and the only thing I can’t stop craving. My father’s a powerful man—military, respected, constantly away. After the divorce, it was just me. No mother. No softness. Just silence and an empty house that echoed louder with every year. Then came Roman Cross. My dad’s best friend. His war brother. Older. Stricter. And always watching. He moved into the guesthouse when I turned eighteen, “just to keep an eye on things,” he said. A promise made man-to-man, sealed with loyalty. But Roman doesn’t treat me like a child. Not anymore. Not since the night I saw what he really is—what he really wants. He runs something dark behind closed doors. A secret club, built on control and submission. And once I got too curious, there was no going back. Now every look is a warning. Every touch, a mistake. Every whispered good girl... a promise. My father thinks I’m safe. But I fell in love with the one man he trusted to protect me. “Guardian of Ruin” is a dark, forbidden romance full of secrets, age-gap tension, and the dangerous kind of love that can never stay hidden.

Three days before the wedding, the church called to inform me that my fiancé had changed the date. When I went to ask him why, I walked in on him throwing a bachelor party with his friends. "Samuel, this was the day Claire personally chose. Why would you suddenly change it?" someone asked. Samuel Gordon stubbed out his cigarette, looking utterly nonchalant. "Because that day happens to be Janet's birthday," he said. "I need to celebrate it with her." The room fell silent in shock. "Aren't you afraid Claire will find out and kill you? Have you forgotten what she did before?" At the mention of my name, Samuel gave an icy snort. "That was all in the past. Claire loves me to death now. She even took three bullets for me once, so how could she ever bring herself to hurt me?" I stood at the doorway, watching the snow fall behind me, and let out a long sigh. Five days later, he stood in an empty church, frantically calling my phone. "Did you forget? It's our wedding day!" "I didn't forget," I said. In another church, wearing a wedding gown, I was saying "I do" to another man.

"Where will you hide, doll?" His deep raspy voice resonated in an empty, dark classroom. Her heart thudded in her ears. Her feet involuntarily moved back, shoulders shrinking in fear as he took threatening steps towards her like a predator. "N-no..." She stuttered, chin-wobbling, lips trembling. The certainty of her being alone in the presence of this beast-like man had her legs going jello. Emma was scared. So damn scared. "You can't deny me, Belle. I'm your mate. You're fucking mine!" He growled. * Emma Belle Richardson is a 17-year-old nerd who dedicates herself to schoolwork and books rather than socializing. She doesn't have any friends and is an outcast. She has more to her than anyone can imagine. She prefers to stay under the radar, but what happens when she'll catch the eyes of the man who will cause catastrophe in her peaceful life. Xander Colt is a 27-year-old mysterious man with extremely good looks. There was nothing known about him. The Greek God-like man with sharp green eyes, and dark tattoos, who could easily be considered a top-notch model or a beast-like warrior came as a mathematics teacher in the middle of a semester. Strange wasn't it! Naive girl Alpha male Erotica Hot Romance Student and Teacher Werewolf Warning ️ 18+

I came back to life the day Cedric Gramont got drugged. This time? I didn't offer my body to him. I called his so-called soulmate instead. In my last life, I stupidly fell for the uncle who wasn't blood-related. When I found out he'd been hit with something strong, I ignored his plea to call Elyna Humbert—and "helped" him myself. A month later, I was pregnant. He had to marry me. On our wedding day, Elyna, who'd gone abroad to "clear her head," got kidnapped and killed. Before she died, she called Cedric 199 times, begging for help. He didn't pick up once. Too busy sealing the deal with me. Later, he just stared at those missed calls, not saying a word. Then the day I went into labor, he locked me in the basement. I begged him to take me to the hospital. He just smiled, cold and empty, and watched me die screaming, the baby still inside me. Last thing I heard? "If you hadn't gotten pregnant, I wouldn't have married you. I wouldn't have missed Elyna's calls. You deserved to die." When I opened my eyes again, it was that same day—Cedric was drugged, but this time, I knew better.

Alexis thought she had it all: a thriving career, a charming husband, and a Pinterest-worthy life. That was before she walked in on Kevin and Stephanie, her cousin sleeping together. Without an ounce of shame, Kevin files for divorce from her and takes her company as his draining all her accounts. Left with nothing but a broken heart and empty savings, she’s forced to start from scratch. Desperate to pay a loan shark and too broke , she lands a cleaning job at the Carter Penthouse. It’s not ideal—but it’s a paycheck. And the perfect place to plot her revenge. There she meets Pierce Carter a cold billionaire and devilishly handsome—and unfortunately, her new boss. He’s arrogant. She’s petty. He’s got issues. She’s got bills. When Pierce makes a ridiculous bet with his best friend that he can last a week without firing her, Alexis sees an opportunity: get fired, walk away with a small fortune. But just when they think they’ve rid themselves of each other, fate has other plans. Pierce needs a wife to claim his inheritance from his late father, and Alexis needs the ultimate revenge: showing up married to a billionaire hotter than Kevin could ever dream of. It’s the perfect solution… until real feelings start to get in the way. A fake marriage is born. The rule is simple: You can look but you can't touch. No love. But who will break it first?

By fate or miracle, Lyria was alive and breathing on the cold December night of her assassination day. Though she could open her eyes, she couldn't see clearly the point of being alive and to exist wandering on the streets of some unknown village. It may seem like an angel's whisper; a stranger stood by her side when she was meters away from death. His words were striking light, and a spectrum of color flourished in her dark world. She found hope in a hopeless stranger who jumped ahead of her with the certainty he would die. As she jumped back unknowingly, the poor and miserable girl saved the life of the youngest billionaire in town, Zion Hudson. Just as when she thought their relationship would be connected professionally, things went awry when her name was linked as his love interest. Although she hated the people's attention and eyes, she loved challenges. "Make me fall for you, then." The arrogant billionaire officially challenged the ferocious independent woman, Lyria, his servant, in a fight for love. They agreed she would not disappoint him with her hidden charm and talent as she accepted the challenge a few days later. "I will make you forget your name the same thing I forgot mine years ago." A period of madness is sure to begin for hearts that have been left empty for too long, prompting them to remember everything at once and forget it without a moment's hesitation.

I loved Adriano Ferraro—yeah, that Don—for five freaking years. He wasn't just my fiancé; he was my anchor in a world where loyalty got tested, and weakness got you killed. We had it all mapped out—dreams, plans, a future we actually thought we owned. Until I lost our baby. I reached for him, shaking, desperate for anything. But comfort never came. Instead, it was her. His stepsister, propped up. "Don't buy her act. She's just fishing for attention—again." That snake smiled like she just won a prize for emotional torture, dripping venom while fanning the flames. And Adriano? He bought it. He turned away. In that moment, it hit me—I wasn't just grieving. I was completely alone. The kid I carried, the future I built in my head? Gone. And so was I. I walked out. On him. On the Ferraro Family I was stupid enough to think I could belong to. All I left behind was silence. Empty space where we used to be. Now Adriano's drowning in regret, but it's too damn late. The life we should've had, the love we should've built? Dust. And her? The stepsister who ruined it all? She's paying for every lie.