Gallant Ve Schwab

Jasper Oakley's first love, Pauline Simmons, is about to get married. In order to make her regret her decision, Jasper volunteers to guard the border. In doing so, he chooses to abandon the General's Manor and me, his wife. I've written 99 letters to him, yet I've never received a response from him. On the third year, I don't write any letters anymore. One day, I'm sitting on a chaise lounge while drinking supplements delivered from the palace when Jasper suddenly returns to the manor. As he stares at my pregnancy bump of six months, he gnashes his teeth together angrily. "You never came to the border to visit me in the past three years of our marriage. Whose spawn are you pregnant with?" I remain nonchalant. "Since you refuse to treat your own wife nicely, someone else needs to pick up the slack, right?"

I'm the Moonlight pack's Luna. Today is my tenth wedding anniversary with my Alpha, Aaron Renfield. To my surprise, I find out he has a pair of twin pups. He says to me matter-of-factly, "Don't overthink this, Ruth. I'm an Alpha, so I need an heir. With this, the elders won't keep complaining about you failing to give birth to an Alpha heir. You'll still be my Luna forever." I can't believe my ears. As the pack's Luna, I've given it my all for the past decade. My uterus was permanently damaged by a knife covered in wolfsbane when trying to save Aaron, and the healer diagnosed that I would never be able to have my own pups. Yet now, the elders are using that to reprimand me. I turn to leave this wolf I've loved for years—I reject our mate bond. But later, Aaron begs me not to go.

"Forget it, I'll marry him!" The moment Margot Johanson said those words, she suddenly felt a sense of relief. She could hear her parents' voices full of smiles in her ears. "Gigi, we’re glad you’ve made up your mind. Your fiancé may be in a coma, but he’s quite handsome.  “Although he’s been out for years, what if he wakes up? After all, he’s the one set to inherit the family business..." Her parents, trying to persuade their own daughter to marry a comatose man, actually thought she was getting the better deal.  They seemed convinced that no one else in the world would be foolish enough to take on such a situation.  Margot smiled bitterly. "Don’t worry. Since I’ve made up my mind to marry, I won’t back out. I won’t let your precious Maisie take my place."

My sister abruptly returns to the country on the day of my wedding. My parents, brother, and fiancé abandon me to pick her up at the airport. She shares a photo of them on her social media, bragging about how she's so loved. Meanwhile, all the calls I make are rejected. My fiancé is the only one who answers, but all he tells me is not to kick up a fuss. We can always have our wedding some other day. They turn me into a laughingstock on the day I've looked forward to all my life. Everyone points at me and laughs in my face. I calmly deal with everything before writing a new number in my journal—99. This is their 99th time disappointing me; I won't wish for them to love me anymore. I fill in a request to study abroad and pack my luggage. They think I've learned to be obedient, but I'm actually about to leave forever.

I've painstakingly prepared a nice feast for my son's fifth birthday. My wife, Cheryl Bennett, looks a little impatient. She complains, "You really love making things hard for yourself, huh? How are we supposed to finish everything with just the three of us?" I just smile at her. Then, I whip out a birthday cake and get my son, Jasper Ford, to make a birthday wish. After the candles are lit, I close my eyes as well and make a sincere wish in my mind. When I open my eyes again, I hear Cheryl's system exclaiming in surprise, "Congratulations, Cheryl! You've completed the quest! You and Jasper can now leave this world!" Yes, both Cheryl and Jasper have already made up their minds to abandon me so that they can return to their original world. That's great news. After all, I no longer want them by my side either.

“You have been promised to the grandson of a business partner. There’s no need for college. You’ve already wasted enough time fooling around at school” My brother's face pulled into a twisted grin. “You are part of the business deal. You wouldn’t want all of the employees who depend on us for their jobs to suffer would you?” That was it, the day my life changed. I couldn’t be selfish, I had to take care of these people, my family, in every way possible. My brother has seen fit to run our late parents' company into the ground, living a lifestyle he didn’t earn. Now I have to marry a complete stranger as part of some twisted business contract. I’m only 18. I just graduated high school. I’ve only had one semi-serious relationship that went up in flames. How was I supposed to be the wife of a very publicized, womanizing billionaire?

She was a forbidden fruit and he loved to claim forbidden things. He knew she is off limit but he couldn't let go of the attraction that emerald orbs ignitted on him, a burning passion, that only her writhing body can subside. "I don't let people go that easily after messing with me, flower. I don't fucking care who that person is as long as they get on my bad side. And you've been messing with me from the time we have met and don't expect an ounce of mercy from me, Jasmine." his words were like venom and she felt like dying just by hearing it. What has she gotten herself into? Is there any way out of here? Can she make it out of here alive? There are no possibilities and that scares her, completely. "You've awakened the monster inside me, Jasmine. Now deals with it!

As we make our way to the city hall, Paisley Doyle is struck by regret once again. After seven years together, this is the 11th time we've found ourselves at this crossroads. Every time we reach the city hall, she claims she needs more time to care for her sick first love and can't bring herself to marry me. Unable to hold back any longer, I finally decide to confront her. "If his condition never improves, does that mean you'll never marry me? Tell me, what do I even mean to you?" Paisley's temper ignites, and she snaps back at me without a second thought. "I promised to take care of him for the rest of my life! Can't you stop being so selfish? "Besides, we've been together for seven years. What does it matter if we're not legally married?"

I never would've imagined I would be the one to deliver protection product to Edgar Graham and his female subordinate. I get to witness him cheating on me. I even politely tell the mistress, "Here's your order. Please give me a good rating."

Blurb: Nicolas Pov: I’ve built my life on control, power, and ruthless decisions. I never wanted to rely on anyone—especially not her. Isabella is young, full of hope, and entirely too naive for this world. I didn’t expect her to become someone I couldn’t ignore. But here she is, stepping into my life, challenging everything I’ve worked for. She doesn’t belong in my world, yet she makes it harder to push her away. I’ve lived in shadows long enough to know better, but something about her light makes me question everything. Still, the world I live in is too dangerous, and trust is a luxury I can’t afford. Isabella Pov: I never imagined this life. Married to a man who is more scarred than I could have ever known, his world of darkness and danger closing in every day. I didn’t sign up for this, yet here I am, holding my ground. Nicolas might think I’m naive, but I see the man behind the mask. He doesn’t know how to love, but I refuse to let that stop me. I won’t run, even if I’m constantly surrounded by threats and lies. This world doesn’t scare me, but what Nicolas won’t let me see—his pain, his demons—that’s what I’m fighting to understand. I didn’t come into this to save him, but maybe it’s time he lets me in.