On My Own Pretending He's Beside Me

Have you ever wondered what lies beyond the veil of arranged marriage? Meet Irene, a woman whose fate is sealed in the hands of a billionaire groom with a hidden identity. Despite the absence of love, can she thrive in a life where she must conceal her true self? As her story unfolds, it begs the question - is the traditional concept of arranged marriage all that it seems? Who is the real Irene behind the facade? The answers may surprise you.

I’d just wrapped up a short trip with my daughter, Elara. On the way back, I figured I’d swing by the Hale, our family’s casino, to check in on my son, Cassian. Maybe grab dinner together. I didn’t expect to be mistaken for his latest fling. Correction: not mistaken—accused. Violently. “You think you can just waltz in here like some queen?” she hissed. “I’m the woman Cassian loves! What kind of whore are you? And is this your bastard daughter with him?” She locked us in the basement. No phone. No light. Just concrete walls and the stench of mildew and madness. Then came the fists. She slapped me across the face—again and again—until my skin stung and my ears rang. When that didn’t satisfy her, she pulled a gun and aimed low. The bullet tore through my knee. I bit back a scream, shielding Elara with my body. “You need to die, whore,” she spat. One of her men hesitated, “We should at least tell Mr. Hale first. If we are going to kill these two in his casino.” Lila of course said no. But that man brought Cassian anyway. My son stepped into this dark little room like it was any other Tuesday—until he saw me. His whole body went still. The blood drained from his face. And then, in the smallest, most broken voice I’d ever heard from him, he whispered, “Mom? What are you doing in my basement?”

Three years after graduation, I was waiting tables at a restaurant when I happened to run into some of my old classmates having a private dinner there. The moment they saw me carrying trays, they burst out laughing. My old rival Elliot sneered that I was a useless nobody, then pulled out 50 bucks and tossed it in front of me, telling me to lick the food scraps off his shoe. "Clean my shoe, and that fifty's yours!" Even my ex-girlfriend joined in to humiliate me. "I can't believe this is what you've become three years after graduation, Chase. Good thing I dumped you when I did—I'd hate to be the girlfriend of some broke loser." Elliot and a few others pinned me to the floor, forcing me to kneel and even bark like a dog. My ex clapped her hands, laughing. "Chase, you really do look like a dog when you're on your knees." Then, the restaurant manager rushed in. The moment he saw me, his face went pale with shock. "M–Mr. Levine… are you all right, sir?" Blood dripping down my forehead, I pointed at everyone in that room. "No one leaves this room tonight."

In the third year after my death, the one who remained faithfully by my wife's side was still the bionic robot I had painstakingly designed. It looked exactly like me and carried within it every detail of my mannerisms, speech, and habits. The only difference was that it never lost its temper with her. Because of that, my wife never sensed anything amiss. Yet each night, she brought home a different man, deliberately testing "me," desperate to see the wild jealousy and rage I once wore so vividly. Then, one day, her childhood sweetheart and first love, shoved "me" off the balcony. It was only then, in her horror, that my wife realized… "I" didn't bleed.

“Who would have thought goody two shoes Tatiana Olivera is a nasty sl*t who fantasies about f*ck*ng her step brother?” Hasan continues his teasing. He inserts in middle finger in my mouth and I greedily s*ck on it, picturing it to be his c*ck. Hasan’s mouth parts open, his brows cresting as he watches me s*ck his middle finger like a kid sucking on a candy cane. I frowned when he pulled out his middle finger. He grabs my chin with a fierceness that sent me on edge. “Open your mouth.” He orders and I obey. He takes in a deep breath as though calming himself and before I knew it, hot liquid drops into my mouth. Did.. did he just spit in my mouth? It tastes divine. It tastes like him. And I want more. “Swallow.” I meet his gaze as I gulp down his saliva. A proud smile appears on his face. “There’s my good little sl*t.” ***** I hate Hasan Olivera. I can’t stand him. The way he walks into the room like he owns the place, the smug smirk that says he already knows what I am thinking. He’s insufferably cocky, sharp-tongued, insanely hot and fully aware of it. And those eyes? Dark, knowing, endlessly amused by the fact that, no matter how much I pretend otherwise, I’m completely drawn to him. I want him to f*ck me. I want him to claim me. I want him to be mine because I belong to him. But he's my step brother. And I hate my step brother. -------

At a class reunion, I ended up getting together with my high school crush. However, one evening, as I was scrolling through a social media platform, I was suddenly bombarded with mentions tagging me in a shocking post. The content left me seeing stars. "My girlfriend has a car, a house, a great degree, and she's stunning. Yet, somehow, she's into me! Haha!" "To be honest, she's too exceptional, and it's kind of killing my sense of masculinity. Once I manage to get my hands on her assets, I'll have her give me two kids and then live life on my own terms. She won’t be able to control me then." "You guys can stay jealous. Not like you know her anyway, so what can you even do to me?"

Warning: This book contains, violence, explicit and disturbing scenes- — My seemingly perfect marriage was torn apart on my third wedding anniversary. After getting married to Alpha Hades of the Silvermist pack, my fated mate and the man I vowed to love till eternity. I was met with thorns in my marital home. When I thought our formidable marriage would never sever, my husband's first love returned, and despite being his wife, I couldn't help but feel like a third wheel, caught between the two of them. Now, I want a divorce, but my husband is unyielding and refuses to let me go.

The first year after they finally bring me home, the impostor suggests a trip to Golden Island so we can build some brotherly rapport. For safety, my fiancee comes with us. They rack up a massive gambling debt at Golden Island's casino. To get themselves out of trouble, she leaves me behind as a hostage and disappears with him. The casino thugs pin me down, ready to take out their anger on me. I struggle to break free, and that is when I notice the leader's phone lighting up with a number for the island owner. Isn't that the number of the adoptive sister who has adored me for more than a decade?

Life Didn’t End when Diamond discovered that her sister’s new born belonged to her beloved husband. Life didn’t end when she found out they were both planning to frame her up for a crime so the traitors would have reasons to divorce her. She was supposed to be the victim of her husband’s betrayal but her own family branded her the Villain. For their own selfish gains, they willingly casted her aside forgetting every sacrifices they’d made for them. Like she meant nothing, she was divorced and casted away. Concealing her secret pregnancy for her husband, she fled to another city. She was supposed to have a fresh life with her kids but her past found her when her kids decided a bring her a husband. And it was no other than her nightmare, A man who was supposed to be dead - her Ex-husband’s mortal enemy. Right from the moment she set her eyes on him, she knew her life is about to the Jeopardized.

Liam had only one perfect moment—the day he was to wed Marcus, the love of his life. Yet, in such an irony, the wedding was disrupted by a jealous admirer, and within one terrible mistake, Marcus was killed by a bullet. Profound sadness ruled over Liam until a mysterious supernatural creature showed up, offering him a second chance. The catch? The price would be made known in the future. Hopeless and shattered, Liam agreed. But something went wrong. Rather than waking up in his past, Liam got into a different version of his world—New York, 2020. A world where Marcus was still very much alive but hadn't had the chance to meet him yet. And a world where another version of himself already existed—Daniel, a ruthless Mafia lord feared by everyone. While Liam pursues his mission to reunite with Marcus, he uncovers a shocking revelation: the same tragedy is destined to happen again. But this time, it's not only Marcus that is in jeopardy. Daniel—the cold, relentless Mafia boss—has his own plans, and they all seem to revolve around him. At this moment, with love, danger, and a man who is him but isn’t, Liam must find a way to outplay fate. Because if he fails, he won’t just lose Marcus again—he might lose himself.