If He Had Been With Me Characters Novels & Stories

I messed up—big time. Blurting out at a family dinner that my boss, neighbor, and best friend’s brother, Arnold, asked me to be his wedding date was not my finest moment. Mortified, I’m ready to apologize and smooth things over with his family, but Arnold? He’s not having it. Instead, he doubles down, proposing a wild plan: a fake relationship that suits us both.The deal? Three months of playing the perfect couple while my toddler and I live in his house, rent-free. In return, Arnold shields me from my toxic ex, and I help him dodge the town’s relentless matchmaking efforts. It’s the perfect arrangement—until the lines between fake and real start to blur.Arnold’s not just playing a role. He’s reading bedtime stories to my son, cooking us meals, and kissing me like the world might end if he stops. With every tender touch and stolen glance, he makes me feel seen, desired, in a way I’ve never known. The guestroom feels colder each night when his strong, tattooed arms are just down the hall, calling to me.As our forbidden kisses deepen, so does the risk. Are we crafting a love that could break us? Or are we building something breathtakingly real?

When I was 18, I was abducted and assaulted. Leonardo Ferrante stormed into the hideout with explosives strapped to his body and saved me. As a result, he lost a leg. After getting a prosthetic, he gently wiped away my tears and comforted me. "Don't be silly, Camilla Marino. It's just one leg. Why are you crying over this? I said I will protect you for a lifetime. I won't break my promise." After that, he even risked his life to take revenge for me. No one in the whole wide world dared to provoke me. I once thought I would stay happy like this forever... until his mistress, Vittoria Greco, hands me an invitation to their engagement banquet. "Do you really think he will marry an assaulted woman like you? Leonardo says you're rotten inside and out. Only I deserve to marry him. We're getting engaged next week. Make sure you come join us for the celebration." I stare at the fancy font on the invitation. Then I swing it backhand and slap her across the face 100 times until she bleeds. After that, I have my men call Leonardo. "I will make a bet with you. If you win, you can take your mistress away. But if you lose, I will claim her life!"

Alice Markston once loved Vincent with all her heart — until that love became her greatest mistake. Framed, humiliated, and abandoned by the man she called husband, Alice walked away from the Markston family, vowing never to return. Years later, she’s no longer the fragile woman he broke. She’s stronger, wiser — and utterly unreachable. But fate has a cruel sense of irony. When Vincent’s world begins to crumble, the only person who can save him is the woman he betrayed. Now, the once-arrogant heir kneels before her, begging for forgiveness, for love, for a second chance. But some wounds run too deep… And this time, Alice might be the one to turn her back.

After the tragic death of her four-year-old son, Amelia Carter’s perfect life begins to unravel. Once adored by her husband, Amelia became the target of his quiet disgust after childbirth changed her body in ways she could not control. The man who once called her beautiful now barely looks at her without judgment. Every cruel comment, every cold stare, every reminder of the weight she failed to lose slowly destroys her confidence piece by piece. Then grief shatters what remains of their marriage. Humiliated, body-shamed, and blamed for a tragedy she can no longer separate from her own guilt, Amelia is left with nothing. Until Nathaniel Vaughn enters her life. Powerful. Dangerous. Infuriatingly unreadable. A man with his own reasons for hating her husband. But unlike everyone else, Nathaniel does not look at Amelia with pity or disgust. And when he offers her a deal that could destroy the man who ruined her life, Amelia is pulled into a world of revenge, scandal, ruthless power plays… and a dangerously unexpected attraction. Because the more Amelia begins reclaiming herself, the more her ex-husband realizes the woman he discarded was never weak at all. And by the time he understands that, it may already be too late.

“I have never felt this way about anyone," the hunk, pulling me flush against his chest. I could feel my cock twitch. I knew this was wrong. I had a girlfriend. But yet, the thought of the college King so close to me affected me in ways I couldn't dare admit. “Please," I breathed, feeling his beards tickle my chin as his lips closed over my neck, soft and possessive. He grabbed my head and his lips locked on mine. “Mate!" He growled and I felt his teeth sink into my flesh. Dante Kamen had just moved to a new town with her mother and enrolled into Dowell University. But little did he know his life would change forever. The college king, Asked Lowel, a ruthless rogue wolf with a dark past hates his guts. But underneath all that hate and rivalry is a secret chemistry and passion that even he can't fight. Dante’s life is in danger because of Asher’s bond with him. Mateo, the academy's enigmatic rich kid, has eyes on their affair and seeks to uncover Asher's supernatural nature. Never did Asher think he'll find his mate. But fate has different plans and Asher must choose a life of misery or go down a path of the unconventional. Two men. A dark past. And a future none of them ever imagined.

Ten years. Ten years I gave Viktor Volkov everything; my hands, my loyalty, my designs, my silence. When his father stepped in front of a moving truck to save my life and died on that pavement, I became his son's by debt. By duty. And somewhere along the way, by something far more dangerous than either. Love. Foolish, one-sided, ruinous love. Now the doors of the Volkov estate are closing behind me with the quiet finality of a verdict. No argument. No goodbye worth remembering. Just the click of a latch and the ghost of a matching tattoo Viktor had lasered off his wrist before she arrived Elara Conti, all silk and Italian marble, the woman he chose in the time it took me to stop pretending he ever saw me. He gutted my studio. Erased my name from every wall. Turned ten years into a footnote. What Viktor doesn't know is that I'm walking out of those gates carrying the one thing he can never erase. His. And I will burn this entire life to the ground before I let him find out.

I used to be treated like a princess in Lumenclaw Pack. But the first day after my eighteenth birthday, my Alpha dad brought home a charity case—Callie from the welfare center. Everything flipped. Ryell, my own brother, ditched me for her. Jovan, my future mate? Shielded her. Even Dad called her sweet, kind—"a thousand times better than you." Graduation Day. Strike 101. They picked her. Again. "Aren't I your real family?" Dad hesitated—but only to hide Callie behind him like some precious thing. Her fake tears. His real slap. "Such a petty wolf. I wish I'd never had you." Ryell sneered, "Having a sister like you makes me sick. Get out!" I didn't scream. Didn't cry. Just packed and walked. They thought I'd break like always—cry, forgive, crawl back. But not this time. I called my mom. Took her offer. Moved to her distant pack. If they wanted me gone, wish granted. So why the hell did they come begging when they realized I meant it?

When I arrived, I saw my husband sitting at a table with Nalani by his side. Was this supposed to be a meeting? Was he seriously introducing me to his mistress? I sat down quietly, my heart heavy. “Eden,” Liam began, his voice calm. “I hope you know why we’re here.” Nalani cut him off with a sharp tone. “Oh, just tell her already.” She looked straight at me, her words cold and deliberate. “I’m carrying Liam’s child, and we’re getting married as soon as possible.” The words hit me hard, but I refused to show how much it hurt. I glanced at Liam, hoping for some sign of remorse, but he just stared at the table. I stood slowly, clutching my purse. “You win,” I said softly. “I’ll sign the papers.”

"I would go through you so hard that the only thing you would remember is my name." He rasped near her ear as heat crawled down her core that was in his hold. He was playing with her folds possessively. *** "DON'T TAKE MY NAME WITH THIS F**KING MOUTH OF YOURS." He roared. "Y-you want to k-kill me?" She asked with fear of abandonment and tears in her eyes that started pouring down. "F***k!" He cursed as he released her."THAT'S THE F***ING PROBLEM! I CAN'T EVEN KILL YOU! I CAN'T EVEN LEAVE YOU! I F***ING LOVE YOU SO MUCH!"

"No, this is a mistake! A wolfless, overweight werewolf can't be my mate." His words hit me hard. Whispers erupt from the crowd, murmurs of disbelief and judgment that swirl around me like a storm. But I won't let them see how much it hurts. I won't give him the satisfaction. I square my shoulders, forcing a smile that feels like it's going to crack my face. "Well, Bran, I guess the Moon Goddess has a sense of humour after all," I say, despite the pain running through me. "Too bad she didn't give you one." Everywhere is silent now, shocked by my words. Bran's eyes turn red with anger. But I hold my ground, refusing to let him see how much I'm breaking inside. "Talia," he begins, but I cut him off before he can say more. He is going to reject me anyway. "Don't worry, Bran," I say sarcastically. "I'm sure there's some loophole you can find to get out of this. After all, you can't have someone like me ruining your perfect reputation, right?" He turns away. "This conversation is over, Talia. You should leave." I feel the sting of his rejection like a physical blow, but I don't let it show. I won't give him or anyone the satisfaction of seeing me break. Instead, I nod, keeping my head high as I turn on my heel and walk away. Talia, a wolfless wolf in her pack, has been a subject of mockery in her pack just because she's fat, wolfless, and eats like a glutton. Her situation turns worse when the Moon Goddess decides to give her Alpha Bran, the pack's Alpha, as a mate. He rejects her on the spot. What will be Talia's fate after the rejection? Let's see.