Illusion

At twenty-eight, I held the dubious honor of being the last unmarried socialite on New York's Upper East Side. Everyone around me was growing increasingly anxious about my single status. In my previous life, my mother arranged a matchmaking cocktail party, where I was told to choose a husband from ten handpicked elite bachelors. I bribed the event planner to place Mark West's profile at the very top—and as I had hoped, I chose him. After we married, Mark treated me with what seemed like tender affection. He even bought me an oceanfront villa in the Hamptons, making me believe I had finally found true love. But that illusion shattered the day I was nine months pregnant, just hours away from giving birth. Mark drove a scalpel straight into my abdomen—then, right in front of me, hurled our newborn onto the floor. "If you hadn't forced me into this marriage with your family's power, Sofia wouldn't have been heartbroken enough to go drinking and get drugged and assaulted. This… this is what you owe her!" He tossed the scalpel aside, then calmly let his private doctor pin down my blood-soaked body. I fought through excruciating pain for six agonizing hours, until I finally bled to death. Afterward, Mark dumped my corpse into the Hudson River. But for Sofia, he hosted a grand funeral—funded with my money, under my name—and paraded himself to the world as a grieving, devoted widower. Given a second chance at life, I refused to step foot in that cursed matchmaking event. Instead, I went straight to my mother with a demand: marry me to Robert Black—the most ruthless, cold-blooded titan of Wall Street, whose scarred face was feared by all. In the end, stripped of my financial backing, Mark's hedge fund collapsed. He became a disgraced fraudster, spat on by everyone on Wall Street.

I was the daughter of the Azurez Sect’s leader and its next heir. Unfortunately, on the eve of my succession ceremony, an accident occurred while I was descending the mountain to eliminate vengeful spirits. At a critical moment, my powers spiraled out of control, and I succumbed to demonic backlash. The spirits wounded me, and in an instant, all my cultivation was destroyed. My fiancé, Julian Zackman, ventured alone into the spirits’ lair to save me. He battled them for three days and three nights before finally bringing me back. However, in doing so, he lost an arm and a thousand years’ worth of cultivation. From that day on, he could no longer wield a sword. I was consumed with guilt. I even convinced myself that I would leave everything behind and live in seclusion with him, living a simple life together. However, by chance, I overheard a conversation between him and my father. “I know what I did to Queenie was wrong, but she was too powerful. I had no choice but to slip some of the delusional powder into her sachet to make her go astray. I needed to make sure Wendy could become Sect Leader.” My father looked at Julian’s empty sleeve with regret. “I understand your intentions, but you didn’t have to sacrifice your arm. You are my most gifted disciple. Without it, how will you ever wield a sword again?” “Master, don’t worry. It was only an illusion to deceive her. Once Wendy takes over the sect, I’ll arrange a place for Queenie at the foot of the mountain. Without cultivation, she’s worth nothing to Azurez Sect. She might as well live down there, farming, raising chickens, and living as a peasant woman. At least she’ll have a stable life that way.” My heart sank. Everything he did had been a lie. It was all to force me to give up my place. If the world had turned its back on me, I would tear it down in return.

"What you loved, my fair lady. wasn't me, but an illusion, a lie you were so eager to believe". his smile didn't reach his ears as he looked at her, noticing the amount of pain and betrayal her face carried."Can you say that you still love me now? The real me, with all my ugliness? can you still look over everything I've done to you and say that you love me?". He searched her eyes, hoping to find even a shred of love left in them. But just as he expected, there was none for he had destroyed it all with his own cruel hands."And now what?" "Now, It is Goodbye...", He said as he placed her on the ground, "Go back to your life, the one you had before me. Forget the the beautiful lies, forget the monstrous truths, forget me and live." Taking few steps away, she watched him carefully, afraid of the fact it might be but another trap, seeing he didn't make any moves towards her, she turned around, ready to leave but she felt his iron grip back on her arm before she was pulled into a desperate, bittersweet .*********Born as an illegitimate daughter of the King, sent away to live among the priests, Sara had a dull and meaningless life, believing she was a hidden disgrace, a black page in her father's honorable history, but her life was turned upside down when she decides to look for some answers about her true identity, and she finds herself in a journey of love, survival, secrets and heartbreaks, especially when she falls into the clutches of a demon lord who tells her she is the quill that would write the rest of their world's history...Disclaimer : I don't own the cover

Lena Moretti was raised to be obedient. Her family's decades-old blood debt to the Crane dynasty means she's always been a transaction waiting to happen. On the eve of her arranged wedding to Julian Crane, the golden heir of the most powerful family in the country, he reveals his true nature in a brutal act of violence that shatters every illusion she had about her future. She tries to flee. Instead she collides with Ezra Crane, Julian's younger brother, the disowned black sheep who built a shadow empire from nothing and has returned with one purpose: to annihilate his family from the inside. Ezra offers her a devil's bargain. Marry him instead. He'll shield her from Julian. He'll hand her the tools to destroy the people who sold her like property. In return, she plays his devoted wife while he wages a secret war against the Crane dynasty. What starts as a cold alliance of mutual destruction becomes something neither of them can control. His obsession with her isn't strategic. It's visceral, possessive, all-consuming. And her feelings for the man the world calls a monster aren't part of any deal she agreed to. But they're both hiding things. Lena carries information that could accelerate Ezra's revenge. Ezra knew about the blood debt before he ever touched her and married her partly to weaponize it. When these secrets detonate, the fallout is catastrophic. Lena disappears, pregnant with his child, and uncovers a twenty-year-old secret her mother took to the grave, a truth that reframes the entire war between the Moretti and Crane families. She returns not as anyone's wife, weapon, or pawn. She returns as the woman who holds the only truth that matters. And every powerful person in both dynasties will kneel before she's done.

Beverly Sinclair and Evan Gray have loved each other for ten years, and they've been married for six. To everyone else, Evan seems madly in love with Beverly. He's devoted, gentle, and basically the perfect husband. But it's only when his mistress shows up at her door that Beverly realizes it was all a cruel joke. He's been cheating for five years, and he even has an illegitimate child. He keeps the other woman right under Beverly's nose, all while wearing the mask of a loving husband. He says he loves her—even more than life itself. But how is this love? Evan hides behind layers of fake affection, dragging everyone around him into the charade, all so he can build the illusion of a perfect marriage. Even Beverly's son has been lying to her. It's a double betrayal from father and son, especially when they act like the mistress is the one who completes the family. Utterly devastated, Beverly decides she's done with this. She returns to her classified team and leaves behind the absurd, hollow life that never truly belonged to her. When the one-month notice period ends, she disappears completely, vanishing from the world without a trace. From that moment on, Evan never sees Beverly again. ... Evan loves Beverly to his core. He was just too afraid to lose her, yet that fear turned their marriage into a tragedy. He thought he hid it well. He thought their marriage was still blissful and that the woman he loved so deeply would never discover the truth. But it's only after Beverly vanishes from his world that he realizes just how wrong he was. Evan breaks down, losing his sanity. He gives up everything. He jumps through hoops and kneels before every god he can find, begging for just one more glance from her. With red eyes and shaking hands, he pleads, "Can you please... love me once more?" However, the truth is that a late apology is worth less than nothing. Beverly already has someone new in her life. There's no place left for Evan or their son.

After my brother, Don Matteo Sabella, finds out I have a crush on our family Consigliere, Lorenzo Gallo, for years, he spikes Lorenzo's wine and has him delivered to my bed. That night, he pushes deep into me, and we lose ourselves in each other. When the sky begins to lighten, Lorenzo stays, kisses my temple, and asks me to marry him. Now that we are married, he is all those things—gentle, perfect, and fiercely possessive—handing me almost everything I desire. I truly believe I've landed the kind of love every woman in our world dreams about. That illusion lasts until the day Matteo gets taken out in an assassination. After that, Lorenzo steps up as the Sabellas' new Don. It isn't long before he says he has family business to handle and disappears overseas for three years. Even on the day I deliver our daughter, Luna Gallo, he can't come home because of some emergency. Then I hear a recording that's blowing up on the family's internal network. His Consigliere chuckles and asks, "Don, what do you think has changed the most since you took over the family?" Lorenzo answers in this offhand tone, "It's definitely the fact that I can finally give those I care about most a home. But it also means I'm even more worried that Eliana and Sofia will be targeted because of me…" My blood runs cold. Eliana Rossi is his adopted sister, and Sofia is her daughter. Turns out every business trip, every absence, every so-called emergency Lorenzo has is about them. He has another home out there. That night, with my hands shaking, I dial the encrypted line. "Matteo, we've found the traitor. Isn't it time you stopped pretending to be dead and came to take Luna and me away?"

Cancer took away her first love and Regina view on life changed. She wants to fulfil her dead boyfriend wishes as that was his last wish. On her flight to Greek, to attend the wedding of her cousin, she met Alex Pierce a billionaire who was named as a most promising young entrepreneur. In additional to that he was popular, having his article written on magazine with a printed photo of his. An fate decides, Regina met Alex Pierce through an unfortunate event that lead to hate relationship between them. Appointed as the bridesmaid and groom's best men, lead them to a different path. Where does this adventure to fulfil the dead boyfriend lead them? excerpt "How dare you," I raised my hand, but he got hold of it and shoved it down. Frustrated, I punch his chest as hard I can. After few punches, he grabbed both my hand and push me away. Thinking that finally he freed me, I turned my heel away from him. "I'm saying this again, you're delusional if you think you are living your live. It is not. You're living in his dream. His wishes," he seethed. "I love your free spirit, but you are so caught in your past that you don't see your future," he continued as his grip on my hand on body loosened. "I don't know how many wishes left, but I'm ready to fulfill it with you," he roared behind me as I walked away from him. Stunned, I stopped walking. Turning my head, I can see his shadow from the corner of my eyes, "Why? I'm delusional right then why are you joining this delusional woman?" I asked sarcastically. "Because, that's the only way to be with you and maybe I can break your illusion,"

Synopsis: Shattered Vows: The Hidden Heiress's Coldest Return "I gave you four years of my life, my genius, and my heart. You gave me a divorce settlement and a motel room. Now, I’m taking back the throne you didn't even know I owned." For four years, Elena was the perfect "charity bride" to Grant Thorne. She lived in the shadows, wore shapeless sweaters, and secretly saved his failing company from bankruptcy using her hidden genius. She endured his coldness and his mother’s cruelty, believing she was an orphan who owed him her life. But on their anniversary, the illusion shatters. Grant serves her divorce papers to marry a "high-society" mistress, mocking Elena for being "small" and "statusless." Little does he know, Elena isn't a beggar she is the long-lost heiress of the Valerius Empire, the most powerful conglomerate in the city. The car accident that "orphaned" her wasn't an accident at all; it was a lethal trap set by those she trusted most. Stepping back into the world as the Ice Queen of Valerius, Elena sheds her mousey persona for 30-inch silk hair, designer armor, and a heart made of diamond. She isn't just coming for her crown; she’s coming to erase every person who stepped on her. Standing in her way or perhaps beside her is Dante Blackwood, the "King of the North" and her family’s greatest rival. He’s a man who has been watching her from the shadows for years, holding a secret contract that claims her as his own. In a world of high-stakes auctions, corporate massacres, and blood-stained legacies, Elena must decide: Will she destroy the man who broke her heart, or will she burn the whole world down with the wolf who’s been waiting for her to wake up?