Pretending Artinya

I knew my husband, Josh Perkins, had faked his death and taken on his younger twin brother's identity—but I never said a word. Instead, I went straight to the commander of the military district and filed an official report of my husband's death, requesting his name be permanently removed from the service rolls. In my last life, my brother-in-law died in an accident. Josh gave up his rank as regimental commander, abandoned his own name, and stepped into his brother's shoes—all to spare his fragile sister-in-law from becoming a widow. Back then, I recognized him immediately. I confronted him and demanded to know why he was pretending to be a dead man. But Josh just looked through me, cold as a winter morning. "Riley, I know you're grieving Josh. But I'm not him. Don't mistake me for my brother." He shielded that delicate sister-in-law of his behind him, then shoved me into the icy river and warned me not to harbor delusions. Later, our five-year-old daughter cried, asking why her daddy didn't want her anymore. For that, she was dragged to the cowshed for "reflection"—left there, starving, for three days and nights. My mother-in-law called me a curse, a jinx who'd killed her son, and threw my daughter and me out with nothing but the clothes on our backs. Josh made sure everyone knew I'd "gone mad"—that I was lusting after my brother-in-law before my husband was even cold in the ground. The whole town turned their backs on us. That last winter, I wandered the streets with my girl, dazed and numb, until the cold finally took us both. But when I opened my eyes again, I was back. Back to the very day Josh buried his old life and stole his brother's.

They say love at first sight is a fantasy. He turned it into an obsession…and then a contract. Drowning in debt and dodging loan sharks, Louis's only break is a one-time ad gig. He smiles for seven seconds, gets paid, and thinks that's the end of it. He's wrong. Across the world, reclusive billionaire Lorenzo Volterra sees the clip. A man who has spent his life never looking twice at another man suddenly cannot look away. In that fleeting glimpse, he finds his obsession. Within twenty-four hours, he's at Louis's door. His first words: "You are my husband now." Louis laughs. He's not for sale. But Lorenzo doesn't understand "no." Raised to believe money buys everything…including love…he's never been refused. Never been loved. He doesn't know the difference between possessing someone and caring for them. When he offers to erase Louis's debt, it isn't kindness. It's a transaction. The price? A year of Louis's life, pretending to be the husband of a man whose love language is ownership, and whose broken English hides something darker. Lorenzo has never wanted anyone like this. The gender should matter…but looking at Louis, it simply doesn't. The obsession doesn't care about labels. It only cares about him. Now Louis is swept into ruthless luxury, where every desire is anticipated and every move watched. Lorenzo surrounds him with everything money can buy…because that's the only way he knows to keep something precious. But is Louis a cherished partner, or a trophy the man on the screen simply took? Can someone never taught to love ever learn? And when Louis looks into those glacier-blue eyes…why does he feel like he's falling?

Everyone has a dark past that you can never run from it. Theresa Young goes by the name of Terry may have left her dark past, but it still haunts her. Pretending to be a man, Terry became Odin King's hitman to gain unlimited resources to find a person. She killed countless people and stained her hands with blood Terry will do anything to find the woman who had ruined her. Her mind is filled with revenge and hatred for that woman she had to leave the people she cared about. When Terry was informed about the woman's whereabouts, she packed up and left California to go on a cruise ship. Disguise as a tourist and spot the person connected to her target, she was then bumped into someone she didn't unexpectedly make her heart race the moment her eyes met his ocean blue ones. Seth Wolfe, the second eldest among the Wolfe brothers and the playboy of the family, decided to follow Terry. He left without saying goodbye to his family and friends to follow the man he cared about. Seth was angry and upset that his best friend left him without saying anything and wanted an explanation. He followed Terry on a cruise ship, and he searched for him. Little did he know his eagerness ignored the people on the boat and accidentally bumped into a woman with the same pretty boy face as his best friend. One look at this woman made his heart race, and the thing between his legs jerked. That is until he realized this woman was his best friend in woman's clothing. Although Terry is a male, seeing him in a woman's dress made Seth feel something he had never expected towards a male or confused about his sexuality.

It is the final day for the high school students to submit their university application forms, and I find out that someone has swapped out my and Ned Nicholson's application forms for Jafferton College instead. In a panic, I hurry off to find Ned to tell him about it, but I end up overhearing a conversation between him and one of his friends instead. "Ned, you promised Miranda Montez that you would both apply for Hale University together. Why did you secretly swap out both your application forms for Jafferton College instead? Aren't you worried that Miranda's going to make a huge fuss about it?" Ned sounds confident as he replies, "She won't. She'll listen to whatever I say. She'll be fine with it as long as she's still in the same college as I am." He pauses for a while before continuing in an impatient voice. "Scarlett Jordan can't get into Hale University. It's beyond her. She's going to be really scared if she has to go to Westward to study on her own, so I promised her that I'd go to the same college she was going to. "I mean, Jafferton College isn't that bad. Miranda wouldn't mind it at all." I stay silent for a long while before leaving quietly, pretending that I never heard a thing. I withdrew my application form for Jafferton College and submitted a new form for Dayward University instead. We made a promise to each other that we would start dating after getting into university. But since he's breaking his promise for someone else's sake, I decide to leave him quietly and go after my own dreams instead.

I was known as a good girl in high society, and the most rebellious thing I ever did was to refuse to marry Asher Jonas, the head of the Ace family. When I was kidnapped by enemies, I thought I would be assaulted and hurt. Unexpectedly, Asher fought against the kidnappers to protect me. When rescue arrived, Asher, covered in blood and on the verge of death, finally let out a sigh of relief, "Don't cry. I'll be sad." I fell in love with this man at that moment. After we wed, he doted on me, and I soon became pregnant. However, I overheard his conversation with his underboss. "Don Jonas, you made a bet with Mr. Anderson Payne that you would win the heart of the good girl, Elle Sachs. You deliberately set her up to make her fall for you. Now that you've been married for two years, are you still going to keep pretending?" Asher paused for a moment and muttered, "I can't be with Lucy Snow, so it doesn't matter who I marry." The underboss asked in confusion, "Didn't you always complain that Donna was too dull and uninteresting? Even though you can't be together because Ms. Snow is your stepsister, you can choose any girl you want." "Elle is very well-behaved. She won't hurt Lucy. That's why I chose her." It turned out that all the happiness I had experienced over the past two years was fake. My husband had been deeply in love with another woman all along. I wiped away my tears, silently packed my luggage, and left the fake prison that had been built for me, carrying the baby that I had only just conceived. I would disappear from Asher's world and never cross paths with him again.

“On all fours, baby. Now crawl to Daddy,” His velvety voice filled me with need as I dropped on my knees and crawled to him. "What do you want,gumdrop?" A dark look of lust settled over his face and I tried not to shiver at the sudden chill that ran through me. "I want you to f**k me." I swallowed hard as thrills of pleasure coursed through my body.My eyes flitted up to meet his grey orbs again, they were burning with hunger and a dark fire. "Fast and hard.”A soft whimper escaped my lips as he reached for me. “That's my good girl.” ** ** ** ** Zella Carmichael spent years harboring a secret crush on the ruthless billionaire, Isaiah King—her godfather and her father’s best friend—while pretending it was nothing more than a silly dream. So when his charming son swept her off her feet, it felt like fate offering her a safer version of the man she could never have. But fate had other plans. Just days before her engagement to Isaiah’s son, Isaiah steps in with a truth that wrecks her world: for the next 360 days, she is his. Zella believed her father gave her away to protect her from Isaiah’s threats, however she was far from the truth. Behind Isaiah’s cold steel eyes hides a man who has always been obsessed with her. And behind her father’s words lies secrets so dark, it will wreck her world. Zella is pulled into a world of passion, twisted secrets, power play, sizzling lust and betrayal. Trapped between the boy who once loved her and the man she was never meant to want… who will get her in the end—father or son? When dark shattering secrets come to light, will their love survive?

"I wore my sister’s diamond ring to survive. I never planned to steal her monster of a husband." ---- "You disgust me, Serena. Don’t think for a second this ring means I won’t ruin you." Those were the first words Julian Cross ever spoke to me. My twin sister, Serena, had it all—the glamour, the billion-dollar inheritance, and Julian, the ruthless, untouchable king of the city’s underworld. I was the hidden twin, a secret our family buried in the shadows to protect their perfect image. While she wore diamonds, I dealt cards in an underground casino just to survive. Until the night Serena vanishes, leaving behind no trace of her whereabout. With a fragile corporate empire on the verge of collapse, my family gives me a deadly ultimatum: step into Serena’s designer heels, wear her wedding ring, and fool her terrifying husband. Just until they find her. I thought the hardest part would be pretending to know a world of wealth I'd never touched. I was wrong. The hardest part is surviving Julian. He and Serena didn't just have a loveless marriage; they were locked in a venomous war. But when I don't flinch at his cruelty, when my street-smart instincts take over and I fight back instead of cowering, the cold hatred in Julian’s eyes shifts into something more dangerous. Obsession. "You used to beg for my attention, Serena. You used to cry when I ignored you." He said. "You used to bore me to death," he murmured, "Now? I can't figure you out. It's driving me insane." But in Julian's world, every lie has a price. The closer he gets, the closer he is to realizing I'm a fraud. And then, the phone rings. It’s Serena. And she wants her husband back.

Charlene Davis never imagined that one accidental encounter would turn her world upside down. When she meets Astrid Evans—a woman with her exact face—they both realize a truth neither of them ever knew: they're twins, separated at birth. But before Charlene can process it, Astrid makes her a shocking offer: pretend to be her for a month in exchange for a large sum of money. Needing the cash, Charlene agrees. What she doesn't know is that Astrid is married to Malik Evans, a cold, ruthless billionaire who despises his wife. Thrust into a loveless marriage filled with tension and secrets, Charlene must endure Malik's wrath—while pretending to be the woman he loathes. But something unexpected happens. Charlene begins to fall for Malik, and to her surprise, Malik begins to soften. He sees a different side of his “wife”—gentle, sincere, kind. He begins to fall in love, a feeling he thought impossible after Astrid’s past betrayal. Yet just as Malik is ready to forgive and start over, the truth unravels: Charlene isn’t Astrid—and he’s been fooled again. Heartbroken and furious, Malik pushes Charlene away. Charlene walks away with a shattered heart and a newfound secret—she’s pregnant with Malik’s child. Determined to build a better life for her baby, Charlene chooses to move forward, stronger and wiser. But fate has other plans. After divorcing Astrid, Malik realizes that his heart still belongs to the woman who showed him what real love could be. Returning to Charlene, he begs for forgiveness and proposes marriage—not out of guilt, but out of love. Now, Charlene must decide: Can she forgive the man who broke her heart... for the love they both deserve?

Parting his lips, Jordan placed the burning cigarette on his mouth and stood up from his seat before walking towards his shelves containing all his important documents related business, but soon there a light tug on his arm stopped his actions. It was her, he knew it cause no one other than her had the audacity to enter and exit his cabin without his permission. His wife, Hattiea. Or maybe the woman pretending to be his wife? Jordan's dark eyes landed on the culprit immediately with darkness but as soon as he found her behind him close to him... He got lost for a moment or so... The proximity rose slight tension between them. Raising her fingers up, Hattiea pulled the burning cigarette out from his mouth which was still resting on his lips. Her delicate fingers brushed his chin and lips softly. Following by the smoke, he released his minty breath in slight awe, her breath taking face was so close to his face. They both never came so close to one another actually. Even though it had been quite of time getting married with one another, they minded their boundaries well. As it was not any marriage of love for them but a marriage full of compromises. Hattiea's eyes soon travelled up from his lips back to his eyes, which were still staring at her ditching their shame. "It's dangerous for your health." Hattiea exclaimed hinting his smoking habit, while looking right into his eyes. Her hazel eyes were blank yet they held millions of emotions. "So are you!" Jordan's smoky breath caressed her face. The deepness of his voice solely made Hattiea's heart race million times faster. It was true... she was dangerous for him. Way too dangerous to handle.

After my best friend, Penny Hallmark, found herself a wealthy man, she suddenly became a different person. I had done nothing more than glance at her husband, Martin Rembrandt, yet she slapped me hard across the face. “I treated you as my closest friend, but you dared seduce Martin right in front of me. He’s Chris’s brother! Have you no shame at all?” Her accusation brought tears to my eyes, but Penny resorted to locking me inside a reservoir. “What are you playing at anyway? Fine. Let me give you something to really cry about!” I nearly drowned, and she uploaded photos of me soaked to the skin, claiming online that I was behaving indecently. I became the target of cyberbullying, my boyfriend, Christopher Rembrandt, proposed a breakup, and in utter despair, I decided to end my life. Yet my best friend mocked me coldly. “Do you really think I don’t know your little tricks? You’re just pretending to be pitiful to gain sympathy, aren’t you? “That won’t do at all, Rose. Let me give you a hand!” She pulled out my breathing tube, and only when my life completely slipped away did she smile in satisfaction. “Good. Now I can enjoy both Chris and Martin’s affection.” When I opened my eyes again, I had transmigrated into the body of Chris’s mother, who had just passed away. Given a second chance at life, I was determined to make Penny pay. After all, the man she loved most was nothing more than a hopeless mama’s boy.