No Me Dejes, Mi Pareja

Fedora Smith was done with love. Finished. Buried. Betrayal had ripped out her heart and torched it—her boyfriend of four years and her best friend of twenty-five caught pants down on the very anniversary sheets she gifted him. And their excuses? “You’re not attractive anymore.” “You took too long to marry him.” Fine. If love was a game, she was rewriting the rules. Now, she runs The Bridal Fix, an elite agency providing fake marriages for a steep price—rent-a-bride services for men needing to fool their families, secure an inheritance, or stage the perfect breakup. Fifteen weddings, fifteen divorces—no strings, no mess. Just business. Until Judah Carlstone. He hires her like the rest—one contract, one wedding, one payday. But Judah asks too many questions. Looks at her too long. And when he smirks and says— "Tell me, Fedora… how does it feel to say ‘I do’ and not mean it?" For the first time in years, she has no answer. Because this was never supposed to feel real.

I was reborn back to 1975, when the child in my womb was three months old. I did not tell anyone and quietly had an abortion. However, I still wrapped cotton around my belly every day, pretending the baby was still there. In my past life, my husband Declan Huxley's childhood sweetheart Jane Patton and I gave birth on the same day. She had a healthy, ordinary baby boy. But my child looked nothing like us—he was mixed-race, with features of the Valorian people. Declan and I were both locals, so there was no way our son could look like this. Enraged, Declan scolded me in front of everyone, accusing me of cheating on him and having a disgraceful affair with a Valorian. No matter how many times I explained, no one believed me, and I became the shameful woman everyone pointed at. Worse still, Declan reported me and handed in some foreign letters he found at home, which led to me being taken by federal agents and sentenced as a spy. I spent ten years in prison, and when I finally walked out, I was nothing but skin and bones. Meanwhile, Declan had climbed the ranks for his so-called loyalty to the country. He held Jane's hand and brought along my real son, Seth Huxley, then threw 500 dollars at me like it was charity. He said, "Back then, Jane was accidentally deceived by someone else and gave birth to that brat. Unlike you, she has a gentle nature and couldn't endure hardship, so I had no choice but to switch your children. "This money is payment for your ten years and your reputation. You have a criminal record, and I already filed for divorce long ago to be with Jane. Seth also thinks you're not worthy of me, so you better take care of yourself." Seth also looked at me with disgust. "Mommy Jane treats me very well, and she's not like you; she's never been to prison. I don't want a mother like you!" When I learned the truth, the fury was so overwhelming that I had a stroke and died in despair. In this new life, I want to see how they plan to scheme against me when the child is already gone.

After a car accident, my wife loses her memory. She throws herself into her first love's arms and frantically aborts our child. When I confront her in despair, she looks at me with nothing but contempt. "Why would I keep some child when I don't even know who the father is? You're really shameless, pulling this stunt just to avoid splitting the assets." What she doesn't know is that I have made a deal with the system to bring her back to life. By the time she remembers everything, she's already searching desperately for me all over the world. But I can never return.

Two years after we marry, my husband moves his sister and her family into our marital home. The four of them settle down and refuse to leave. So, I quit both my jobs. I laze around at home all day and splurge on various things. I have so many parcels delivered that they pile up by the door. Occasionally, I ask my husband and his sister for allowance. When the management office sends someone to chase for our maintenance fee, my husband breaks down so loudly that everyone in the building can hear him. He asks me whether I've lost my mind—who will support the family if I don't work? How will we survive without money? Am I going to allow our family to starve? So, it turns out he does know that we'll starve without anyone generating income. Why does he and his sister stay at home and plot to take away all my money, then?

El día que papá asistió a una fiesta con su ex y se volvió tendencia, todos se burlaban de mi mamá. Decían que había dejado atrás una gran carrera para entrar en una familia rica, pero después de treinta años seguía sin nombre ni lugar, sin siquiera el valor de reclamarle a la amante. Después de tanto llorar, mamá me miró cansada. —Él me falló primero, así que yo tampoco lo quiero. —Amanda, ¿te vas conmigo? Justo entonces sonó mi celular. Era un mensaje de mi novio de siete años: "Amanda, solo es un acta de matrimonio. ¿No podemos seguir como novios?" Guardé silencio unos segundos antes de asentir. Así fue que, el mismo día de su boda, mamá y yo desaparecimos entre las llamas de la mansión.

El hotel me llamó para recordarme de forma sutil que anoche olvidé pagar los condones que usé, y que ya habían descontado el importe de mi tarjeta de membresía. Yo estaba algo confundida; ayer trabajé horas extras hasta muy tarde, ni siquiera estuve en un hotel. Pregunté a mi esposo, el único que sabía el número de mi tarjeta, sobre qué demonios había pasado. Él me miró con cara de total desconcierto. —Cariño, esa habitación cuesta más de diez mil la noche, ¿cómo iba yo a gastar eso? Seguro que fue un error del sistema. —Habrá sido alguien que ingresó mal el número de la membresía. Mañana iré a poner una queja. Ya no perdí el tiempo hablando con él. La inversora de ese hotel es Ángela, mi mejor amiga. Le llamé directamente. —Querida, ayúdame a revisar con quién demonios se registró Víctor Soto anoche. ¡Voy a pillarlo en la infidelidad!

"You were just a tool, Imogene." Her heart stopped. "And I was foolish enough to believe you cared." *** Imogene Scott had always known her place—by Damien Shaw’s side, even when his love was a distant dream. Marrying her only because of an unexpected pregnancy, Damien’s affection never blossomed. Instead, her devotion turned him from a mere sales manager into the billionaire CEO of IMU, one of Europe’s most powerful tech empires. But her sacrifices weren’t enough. After losing their baby, Damien’s coldness deepened, sealing their marriage with an unspoken “no meddling” rule. Imogene’s reward? Watching Damien parade countless mistresses, all while she buried her own dreams to fuel his. She believed, naively, that one day he’d see her worth. But when he fell in love with her stepsister and served her with divorce papers, Imogene’s world shattered. Realizing she was nothing more than a pawn in Damien’s game, she vanished—pregnant and determined to protect her unborn child. Three years later, Imogene returns, not as the broken woman who fled but as a renowned artist and mother to their two-year-old daughter. Now, Damien realizes what he’s lost and wants her back. But this time, Imogene is ready to fight, and she’s not making the same mistake twice.

My husband, Jacob Morris, wrongly believed that I had pushed the woman he loved down the stairs. So, he locked me in the basement to make me reflect on my actions. He hired people to punish me, trying to break my spirit. I suffered inhumane torture. My tendons were cut, and my face was disfigured. Four years later, he finally remembered me and let me out. But by then, I was too broken to love him anymore.

Durante cinco años, Marco Falcone fue el hombre perfecto. O al menos eso creía. La ilusión se rompió en la noche de nuestra fiesta de compromiso, cuando su amante irrumpió, acompañada de un niño de cinco años. El niño corrió directamente hacia Marco, llorando: —¡Papá! ¡Papá, finalmente te encontré! Tenía que ser algún tipo de cruel broma. Pero entonces Marco se volvió hacia mí, con la voz despojada de toda calidez: —Este es mi hijo, Leo. Un… error que Sofia y yo cometimos hace cinco años. —Leo es el heredero de los Falcone. Tengo que legitimarlo. Eso significa que primero me comprometeré con Sofia. —Pero Lydia, créeme, todavía te amo. Podemos celebrar nuestra fiesta de compromiso en seis meses. Vas a ser la Donna de la familia Falcone. Espero que seas generosa y comprensiva. Esto no es negociable. Reí, un sonido frío y cortante, y deslicé el anillo de compromiso de mi dedo. Mis ojos recorrieron la sala y se fijaron en el hombre en la esquina: Lorenzo Moretti, el Don más poderoso de Nueva York. Tenía otro título, uno que solo yo conocía: el hombre que había estado tratando de hacerme suya. —Don Moretti, —llamé, con la voz clara y firme—. Me encuentro en necesidad de un nuevo prometido. ¿Está interesado?

He slid the divorce papers across the table like I was nothing. Three years of marriage, three years of me thinking he loved me, gone because his first love was back. I walked away pregnant, alone, disappearing from his life without a trace. Years later, I raised my son, I've built my life from scratch, away from him, Until my estranged father dies. Sudden, I'm the heiress to a multi- billion-dollar empire. He learns about it, and now he's sorry, wants me back, and our son, realizing too late what he lost. But I didn't owe him. Not my heart. Not my son. Not my life. Then Maxwell Kingston appears with a deal I can't refuse: a contract to protect my son, secure my empire, and put a claim on me in ways I've never expected. Every look, every word, every touch sets me on fire. Now I'm stuck between the man begging for redemption and the one who already owns me. So who do I choose before everything I've fought so hard for burns to ashes?