I Was Only Nineteen

I returned home after studying abroad for three years, only to find that my brother’s girlfriend had brought her entire family to live in my mansion. The moment they saw me, they pinned me against the floor. "How dare you! Call him your sweetheart, spend his money, and now you're here to take my mansion? " When I saw the girlfriend’s crazed antics, I was shocked. “Who did you say owns the mansion?” “It’s my boyfriend’s, but it’ll be mine sooner or later. It has nothing to do with you.” With her parents, she yanked off the ancient pendant on my neck and crushed my heirloom bracelet. They even tied up my limbs, put me on the table, and positioned me in a humiliating pose to post online. Her brother pinned my legs down and reached under my shirt…

I was born just one minute after Tiara, but the world treated that one minute as if it lasted a lifetime. She was the star. I was the shadow. She was flawless. I was the afterthought. She was loved. I was forgotten. Even by Reagan de Russo, heir to the wealthiest family in the country and the man I had secretly loved for the past ten years. But to him, there was only Tiara. And when he proposed to her, I knew my quiet little dream had finally died. Until that day came. The day Tiara left him at the altar. The day the world stopped turning for just a second. The day the man who had never even glanced my way, turned to me and asked me to take her place. I knew what I was. An escape. A damage control. A backup plan. And I... I was too tired of being strong. So I said yes. We married. Without love. Without a future. Just a one-year contract and a life of make-believe in front of flashing cameras and watching eyes. But the longer I stayed by his side, the harder it became to tell what was real and what was just part of the performance. Because for the first time... Reagan saw me. But can love truly grow from the ruins of lies, old wounds, and the shadow of a woman who’s always been his first choice? Or will I always be… only the second best?

They said I was beautiful — but not real. That my smile was perfect — but my past made me broken. I spent years trying to prove I was more than the girl who changed her face to survive the world’s cruelty. I married Julian Vale, believing love would finally see me. I called Serena Blake my sister, trusting her more than my own reflection. And when my world collapsed under secrets, silence, and the weight of never being enough — I disappeared. Then I opened my eyes… Ten years earlier. Before the surgery. Before the vows. Before I forgot who I was beneath the makeup and the mask of confidence. This time, I don’t need to be fixed. This time, I don’t need to be forgiven. I remember every lie. Every betrayal. Every time I silenced my voice to keep the peace. So I’m not here to win back love. I’m not here to punish the past. I’m here to become the woman I was always meant to be — unedited, unafraid, and finally, completely seen. I was more than pretty. This time, I’ll live like I believe it.

Before my boyfriend, August Cadwell, marked me, we went to register our mate bond at the Pack Affairs Department. Without a word of explanation, he unexpectedly had someone throw me out of the office. Then he walked in with his childhood sweetheart. He didn’t even blink when he saw me sitting there on the ground, shaking with disbelief. "Hailey's pup needs to be part of the Aurelis pack. The best and quickest method is for her to register a mate bond with a werewolf from the Aurelis pack. As soon as we sever the mate bond, I'll form a mate bond with you." Everyone assumed the lovesick version of me would wait just one more month for him. After all, I'd already waited seven long years. But that night, I did something unexpected too. I accepted my parents' arranged mate bond and quietly left for the Lymerian pack, disappearing from his life entirely. Three years later, I returned to my original pack to visit my family. My mate, Ryder Weyland, was now the lycan chairman. Because of an urgent council meeting, he arranged for someone to collect me from the airport. I never imagined that “someone” would be August. The moment he spotted me, his eyes immediately landed on the sparkling bracelet on my wrist. "Isn't this a knockoff of the bracelet Ryder Weyland, the lycan chairman, spent two million dollars on for his mate? Didn't expect you to turn this vain after just a few years. "You've caused enough chaos, haven't you? It's time to return. Hailey's pup is now of school age. You can take on the responsibility of pick-ups and drop-offs." I gently ran my fingers over the bracelet on my wrist. Little did he know that this was the cheapest one Ryder had ever given me.

Ava Reynolds is broke, desperate, and watching her little sister die slowly in a hospital bed. She’s out of options, until a cold, powerful billionaire offers her a lifeline: marry him for one year, and he’ll pay for everything. No love. No intimacy. Just a contract. Damian Kingsley needs a wife to save his empire. Ava is a nobody, and that’s exactly what he wants. What he doesn’t expect is the fire behind her quiet eyes or the way she makes his cold world start to crack. But Ava isn’t walking into this marriage blind. She knows she’s just a tool to him. And she swears she’ll never fall for a man who treats love like a business deal. Until one mistake rips her life apart. Betrayed. Humiliated. Thrown out like trash. She leaves, broken, but not defeated. And when Damian finally realizes the truth, it’s too late. The girl he once used is gone. In her place stands a woman he can’t control. A woman he can’t live without. Now he wants her back. But Ava doesn’t want an apology. She wants him to burn

I'd been "married" to Zachary for two years—until I tried applying for a loan and the bank's system flagged someone else as his legal wife. Our wedding? Just a private show. The real marriage license had his name next to hers. So yeah. I wasn't the wife. I was the other woman. Crushed, I went home—only to hear Zachary talking to his friend, Ethan, by the door. "Man, watching you stress is exhausting," Ethan said. "You clearly love Sierra. So why marry Cathryn?" Zachary looked torn. "At first, she was just a stand-in. But when she left, I couldn't stop thinking about her. So I brought her back—as my assistant." He paused, then muttered, "I can't live without Sierra. But I can't let go of Cathryn either. So I gave Sierra my love in public and kept Cathryn hidden with the title. That's fair, right?" I stood frozen, heart splitting open. He loved us both. Me—his childhood sweetheart. Her—the hidden wife. I thought I was the one. Turns out, I was just the game. He didn't break my heart. He shattered my whole world. But I didn't cry. I didn't scream. I walked away. And started planning two things.

On our wedding night, my wife led my younger brother onto our marital bed. He was wearing nothing but his underwear. She expected him to consummate our marriage in my place. "Sweetheart, I feel awful about your legs and what the doctors said about your infertility," she said softly. "Elliot will just have to help us for one night." My face hardened as I stepped forward. I was ready to throw Elliot Charlton out of the bedroom. However, my parents immediately sided against me. "You're the one who can't fulfill your role as a husband," they said sharply. "Elliot is willing to sacrifice himself so that you can have a child. What's wrong with that?" Even my brother laughed at me. He said I was not a real man and told me to accept things while I still could. According to him, I should be thankful to gain a son without doing anything. They even suggested that I stay and watch, claiming it would prove the two were only trying to conceive a child and nothing else. I clenched my teeth until my jaw ached, then turned and called my wife's greatest rival. "You win," I said quietly. "The Wallace family's investment will be transferred to your account tomorrow." After ending the call, I raised my eyes and looked at Janet Wallace. "You share his bed tonight," I said. "Tomorrow, we get divorced."

WARNING MATURE CONTENT After being heartlessly dumped by her ex-boyfriend, who cruelly claimed she was undeserving of love, SOFIYA is determined to prove him wrong. Her plan? Find someone more handsome and wealthier than him. Michael Stone is a cold-hearted billionaire who runs multiple organizations, from the outside world, he is just like any other businessman but what they don’t know is that he is the Alpha of the most powerful pack in the country. Cursed by the moon goddess to be mateless, Michael has lost hope in finding genuine love as women only seem interested in his wealth. Sofiya and Michael enter into a contract, to fulfill their personal goals. Will Sofiya be able to handle the truth of him being a werewolf? And will she be able to melt his cold heart and redeem him from the curse?

On the day of my wedding gown fitting, a stranger burst into the VIP suite and stabbed me with a knife. “You think you deserve a dress this expensive after stealing someone else’s man?” She tore at the delicate fabric of my skirt. Then, with a twisted smile, she hurled a bottle of acid at me. The blade was buried in my lower abdomen. The pain drove me to my knees. She grabbed my hair and yanked my head up. “Gerald’s my husband! What are you? You’re nothing but a mistress who can’t even be seen with him in public!” Blood dripped down my fingers. That was when it finally sank in. The man I had been with for seven years had been keeping another woman by his side. “What’re you staring at? Even if I kill you, with my husband’s influence, no one will dare touch me!” Staring at her smug face, I pulled out my phone with hands slicked in blood and called my brother. “Matt…” My voice was unnervingly calm. “Come pick me up at the bridal shop. And please inform the Hoover family that the engagement is off.”

Ayra Clarissa Prasetya, gadis berusia 26 tahun yang disegani oleh rekan kerja di kantornya serta dikenal sebagai pribadi yang lembut pada atasan juga orang yang lebih tua darinya. Namun, ia akan mengeluarkan tanduknya pada orang yang dianggapnya tidak sopan dan tidak menyukainya. "Apa sih mau mu by ? kenapa kau selalu membuatku menangis dan juga sakit hati ?" Tangis Rissa pecah ketika berdua dengan seorang pria dewasa berusia 30 tahun yang tak lain adalah kekasih sekaligus atasannya di kantor. Ken, ya pria itu hanya menatap gadis disebelahnya dengan pandangan datar dan tidak mengatakan sepatah kata untuk sekedar menenangkan dan menghibur kekasihnya yang masih menangis. Ia hanya membuang nafasnya kasar dan beralih pada kemudi didepannya dan menjalankan mobilnya keluar area halaman resto. "Sudah ku katakan berulang kali bukan,jangan cemburu pada hal - hal yang tidak penting seperti itu. Percaya dirilah jika hanya kau wanita yang akan aku nikahi." jawab Ken datar tanpa mengalihkan pandangannya pada jalanan. Sedangkan Rissa tidak menjawab perkataan Ken dan hanya membuang muka enggan melihat wajah sang kekasih yang dianggapnya tidak memiliki hati itu. Suasana dalam mobil hening hanya terdengar tangis yang ditahan dari bibir gadis cantik berbalut dress sifon peach selutut itu. "Cih.. dasar sialan, dia selalu saja membuatku cemburu dan menangisinya tanpa menenangkan ku. Lihat saja kau Ken sialan, akan ku balas kau.." batin Rissa yang merutuki sikap Ken yang tidak pernah mengatakan maaf padanya. Mampukan Rissa bertahan dalam hubungan yang mengesalkan bersama Ken si angkuh dan ingin menangnya sendiri ?