The Marriage Trap Novels & Stories

His gaze landed on our clasped hands, and his face fell. Erik assessed them briefly. "Weren't you two planning to get married? Here's your chance. Do that, and I'll stop acquiring your shares." They looked at each other and saw mutual disgust in one another's eyes, but Erik's offer left them no room to refuse. Soon enough, they went to City Hall and obtained their marriage certificate. Erik turned to his bodyguards. "Don't let them separate. Make sure they stay together forever." They nodded, escorting Alain and Mabel home.

"You look radiant for someone standing on the edge of a federal investigation." Eleanor’s smirk faltered for a fraction of a second, but she quickly recovered, tossing her head back with a sharp laugh. "Investigations? Oh, please. The only thing being investigated tonight is the validity of your so-called marriage license. Everyone in this room knows about your prior wedding in Zurich. Chloe isn't a wife, Alexander. She's a placeholder while you wait for the courts to sort out your legal mess." "Is that right?" Alexander asked quietly. Without breaking eye contact with Eleanor, Alexander raised his left hand and snapped his fingers twice.

The scandal, the treaty, the match that put a vampire and a mage in the same private room fifteen minutes into a marriage neither of us chose. If I'd been aimed at him, he'd been set out like bait for me. Two people maneuvered into the same trap from opposite ends of the world, and every real thing that had grown between us since, the trust, the wanting, the explosive orgasms, the nights I'd stopped being able to regret, had grown up inside a cage somebody else built. I did not know which frightened me more: that our whole marriage had been engineered, or that I no longer wanted out of it.

I'd been married to Dante Vitale, the Don of the Sicilian Mafia, for three years. Everyone knew it. I was the woman he'd carefully protected and cherished since we were young. When I was fifteen, a group of thugs cornered me. Dante stepped in to protect me and ended up with several broken ribs. Three years ago, in front of the entire Mafia, he swore before my late father's portrait that he would love me and take care of me for the rest of our lives. Then I accidentally spilled coffee on our marriage certificate. When I took our marriage certificate to get it reissued, the clerk told me it was fake. Isabella was his real wife. And Dante didn't even seem to think it was a big deal. "Dante

It is the ninth time I bring up marriage with Shane Yardley, my boyfriend, and he finally gives in. "You know I don't believe in marriage. Do you really need a marriage certificate just to have peace of mind? Haven't I treated you well enough over the years to prove my sincerity, Jasmine?" Shane is truly wonderful. He is gentle, caring, and wealthy. He has never once complained even though I can't bear him any children. Those around envy how lucky I am to have such a great partner. He seems ready to give me everything aside from a marriage certificate. Shane wraps his arms around me after noticing my silence and tries to sweet-talk me. "If it means that much to you, I'll go with you to re

My wife, Isabel Wilson, had slept with more than a thousand men, yet she still refused to divorce me. Her family called me a useless freeloader who did nothing but live off his wife. The first time I asked Isabel for a divorce was five years ago. She didn't say a word. She simply had me locked inside the house for an entire month. A month later, she threw a positive pregnancy test in my face. Three years ago, I asked for a divorce a second time. Isabel went straight back to her family's home that very night. Right after that, I was reduced to seeing my child once a week. Today was the third time. This time, I could finally be free because I realized that my child didn't love me, and my

Tonight the room belonged entirely to Geoffrey and Vivienne. Crystal chandeliers blazed. White roses and blood-red orchids cascaded from every surface. A string quartet played something soft and triumphant while three hundred of the city’s most important faces raised glasses to the newly married couple. Cameras flashed beyond the velvet ropes. The official story had already been written and accepted: the brave widower who survived a tragic, dangerous first marriage had found true love at last. Eleanor Smith stood near the center of the room in champagne silk, radiant with victory. She accepted congratulations with the serene smile of a woman whose long game had finally paid off.

The fight drained out of me, replaced by a cold, heavy rage. I turned sharply and marched down the hallway, my footsteps echoing. In the master bedroom, I yanked open drawers with sharp jerks, clothes spilling out as I stuffed them into a large bag. Each item I grabbed felt heavier than the last — a silk blouse we’d bought on our honeymoon, a framed photo of us smiling on the beach. My throat tightened painfully. This marriage had become a trap I couldn’t escape, no matter how much it hurt. I dragged the bag down the hall to the small guest room, slammed the door, and collapsed onto the edge of the bed. The mattress felt stiff and unfamiliar. I stared at the plain walls, my mind drifting des

The only catch was that I had to make it a mission to register our marriage within the next five years. If we failed to get married by the deadline, I would pay with my life. At the time, I had a very close, intimate relationship with Dylan, and I thought my mission sounded simple enough. I couldn't possibly say no to free money and such an easy trade in my opinion, so I signed the contract with the system without any hesitation. However, I never thought Dylan would frown when I proposed to him and brought up marriage. "I have a marriage phobia. Please don't force me into doing this and give me some more time to think."

Before I could even plan, he already shackled me in his arms. After that… I tried my best to run away, or to even hide. Yet he always managed to track me down and brought me back to our villa. There was no news, no leaks, no nothing of my attempts to escape! He was scrapping everything clean! When the day of the marriage finally came, the whole world was watching. It was only me who was uninterested in all the expensive jewelry, venue, and decorations around. I was sitting on a leather chair while getting my makeup done, tuning out the sounds around.