Rubbing Back When Hugging Novels & Stories

I trusted her. I trusted him. Big mistake. When I caught my husband and my best friend tangled in betrayal, my world shattered. And my daughter? She chose her as her new mom. Me? Just a housewife. Just the ‘overbearing mom’ who cared too much. Done. I walked away, leaving their apologies and tears in the dust. My husband dropped to his knees, begging, “Please, come back. We can fix this.”My daughter clung to me, crying, “Mom, don’t leave me.” I laughed: “Fix it? Don’t leave? Too late. You had your chance. I don’t need either of you anymore.”

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'm Alessia Moretti, the most arrogant principessa in the entire underworld of Nuvak. All the mafia heirs hope to take my hand in marriage, and yet I can't be bothered to even spare them a glance. Everyone claims that Vito Luca is the only man who can tame my wild streak. After all, the youngest and most cold-blooded Don in Nuvak always deals with the aftermath of the chaos I've caused as well as shields me from all the bullets that are shot in my direction. I thought my passionate love for Vito had melted the icy defenses of his heart. That is, until I overhear him speaking with his subordinate. It turns out that the biggest lie Vito has ever told is the one he had told me in my face—that he doesn't have a loved one whom he can't be with. Only then do I realize that the marriage alliance between our families is nothing but a transaction from the very start. I'm just a tool meant for Vito to get his hands on life-saving medicine. But ultimately, I'm the obstacle that stands between Vito and his first love. Everyone thinks that I'll beg Vito to return to my side while wailing at the top of my lungs. But what they don't know is that I, Alessia Moretti, have always viewed romance as a piece of pretty but unnecessary accessory. Since Vito has chosen his first love, I shall choose freedom. That's when I turn on my heel and leave without casting him another glance. But after I leave Vito's life, the latter, known for his overwhelming influence in the underworld, has gone completely crazy.

Bianca Barley spent six years believing that love was worth every sacrifice. To support her husband, Dominic Brown, she hid her identity as the heiress of the powerful Barley Group and endured the constant disdain of his family. No matter how often she was overlooked, she convinced herself that her marriage was strong enough to survive it. Everything changes at Brown Holdings' annual charity gala when Dominic publicly prioritizes his first love, Selena Whitmore, over his wife. The humiliation that follows forces Bianca to confront a painful truth: the Brown family never respected her, and Dominic never valued the sacrifices she made for him. After a public scandal shatters her remaining faith in the marriage, Bianca signs the divorce papers and walks away. This time, she refuses to beg for love or acceptance. Returning to the Barley Group, Bianca reclaims the identity she abandoned years ago. Her sudden return sends shockwaves through Manhattan's elite circles and attracts the attention of Enzo Davenport, Dominic's powerful rival. What begins as a strategic alliance soon grows into something deeper as Bianca rebuilds her life and discovers her own worth. But when Dominic realizes exactly what he has lost, he is determined to win her back, even if it is already too late.

Arranged to marry Eddie Quinn, Adrienne Hanson endured years of indifference, humiliation, and a mistress who never stopped reminding her she was unwanted. When she finally stopped begging for his attention, she sought help from a man powerful enough to protect her. That man… was the mistress’ father. What began as cooperation turned into desire. What should have been forbidden became inevitable. And when her ex finally realized he was losing her, it was already too late. But when jealousy drives him to force a marriage registration, a truth detonates the room. Adrienne was already married. So how did the mistress’s father become Adrienne’s husband? And how did a supposed contract turn into a tale of love and lust? And what happens when my ex discovers he was never who he thought he was to begin with?

All of Italy knew Kayson Moretti was obsessed with me. He was the untouchable Don of the Moretti family, a man who never lost control in public, yet he broke every rule for me. He declared his love at a gathering of the most powerful mafia families in the country, then bought an entire private island just to build me a glass-domed garden when he proposed. For years, he laid the world at my feet—power, jewels, territory, status. If I wanted something, Kayson didn’t promise it. He made it mine. That was why everyone believed I was the luckiest woman in Italy. They were wrong. Because the same man who swore he would die for me was sleeping with his private secretary behind my back. Worse, he got her pregnant. The day she sent me her ultrasound, their bed photos, and every intimate secret she thought would destroy me, I didn’t cry. I didn’t beg. I didn’t confront him. Instead, I erased every trace I had ever left in his world. My name. My accounts. My records. My past. I staged my death. I let the world believe I had died in a private jet crash.

I should step back. But I don’t. His hand slides to my waist, firm, deliberate. Not asking. Claiming. My stomach tightens, heat curling low, and I feel every inch of him before I even see him. He’s behind me, close enough that I can feel his breath at my neck. My pulse stutters as his fingers trace slow, unhurried circles up my back, and I know I should pull away… but I can’t. His lips brush my neck. Not a kiss yet, just the promise of it. My head tilts back before I can stop myself, back arching like my body is betraying me. Then he speaks. Low, calm, in control “Don’t make a sound.” A shiver runs through me. Not from fear. Not exactly. From… him. He’s in control. I can’t fight it. I don’t want to. And somewhere deep inside, I realize the terrifying truth: I’m letting him have me.

Marietta thought she had it all figured out, not until everything came crashing down. Accused of doing something she didn't do, and betrayed by those she trusted, she's left to pick up her pieces. But when she finds out she’s pregnant, things get a lot more complicated. Now, she’s fighting to figure out her future—alone, hurt, and ready to take back control. Can she start over, or will her past keep dragging her down?

After her first love died, Sophia Hayes hated me for ten years. I tried to win back her favor every day, but she only responded with cold sneers. "If you really want to make me happy, why don't you just die?" Her words were like daggers to my heart. It was a shock when she died in a pool of blood while trying to save me from an oncoming truck. With her final gaze fixed on me, she whispered, "If only I had never met you." Her mother was inconsolable with grief at the funeral. "I should have let Sophia be with Ethan Brooks. I never should have forced her to marry you!" Her father also looked at me with hatred in his eyes. "Sophia saved your life three times. She was such a wonderful person. Why couldn't it have been you who died instead?" Everyone regretted that Sophia had married me—myself included. I was driven away from the funeral, completely devastated. Three years later, I traveled back to the past after a time machine was invented. This time, I chose to sever all connections with Sophia, giving everyone the version of history they truly desired.

After Chester Caldwell loses his vision, I donate my corneas to him without hesitation. He vows that he'll never let me down, yet he delays our wedding time and time again after his true love suddenly returns to the country. On the day of my birthday, his gift arrives, albeit late. I accept it expectantly only to find that they're two movie tickets. I question him about it, but he answers impatiently, "Who said anything about the blind being unable to watch movies? "You willingly gave up your vision back then—I didn't force you into anything! Stop thinking you can hold that against me forever!" His true love makes it sound like she's being charitable. "Sorry, Riley. The movie wasn't to my liking. You can throw the tickets away if you're not going to watch it, either!" I rip the tickets in half and leave. Later, I hear that Chester goes mad when he can no longer find his bride.