Thirty Years Of Adonis

“Jayden! For heaven’s sake, we can’t make love. I’m way above your age!!” “We both know we want this,” he whispered against my earlobes, his fingers crawling under my skin. He doesn't want to take no for an answer. “You’ve been my secret crush right from when I met you, up until now.” ——— I was supposed to marry the man I’d loved since I was a child. But one brutal truth destroyed everything and I walked away from the altar — humiliated, broken, and alone. That night, my world fell apart again. But when I opened my eyes in the hospital, the first thing I saw was Jayden Sterlings. A twenty-five-year-old. Intelligent. Insufferably arrogant and far too young for me. Yet— somehow, he’s dangerously charming for my mental health. He offered me protection when I needed it most. “A secret marriage with no emotions and no strings attached. Just my own safety.” But living under the same roof with Jayden is dangerous in a different way. The kind that tempts you to forget every rule you’d sworn you’d follow. His touch burns through every wall I’ve built around myself. His voice makes my heart race too fast. And the way he looks at me makes me completely forget my own name. But when a terrifying secret about Jayden comes to the surface, I'm left with a difficult choice. Walking away from everything again… Or falling for the man I was never supposed to want.

Eight years after I married that award-winning actor, he publicly declared he was dating the top starlet, Celine James. He even posted a picture of the two of them celebrating their adopted “baby’s” birthday. I did not call him to interrogate him as usual. Instead, he hurriedly explained, “It’s just a pet we adopted. As its ‘dad’, I have to be there for its birthday.” I said calmly, “Rather than adopting a furbaby, why don’t we get a divorce? Then you can have an actual baby with her.”

The night before my fiancé, Soren, and I were supposed to leave for Northern Europe to start our new life, the sounds of a lively discussion drifted from his private club. "Christ, Boss, are you insane? Why the sudden marriage alliance with the Rosetti family to make a play for Italy? Didn't you say you were getting out of the life with Abby and heading north?" Soren leaned back into a leather sofa, his voice nonchalant and muffled by a cloud of smoke. "Plans change. Besides, remember, I'm the one who made her who she is." "Once she sees the new empire I'm building, that little canary will come flying right back to my cage. The woman can't live without me." I stood in the shadows of the club, a wine glass in my hand, a dull ache blooming in my chest. The anniversary gift I had so carefully chosen for Soren was still in my purse, waiting for me to give it to him. I slipped out of the smoke-filled club, tossed the gift into the nearest trash can, and booked a one-way ticket to Northern Europe. But what he didn't know was that just as he could betray our future for Monica, I could abandon him for mine. All those years we spent dancing with death were never just for his sake.

On our third wedding anniversary, I received a cake from my husband. It had the names Clarisse Burke and Antonio Carey written on it, along with Happy Third Anniversary. But I felt like I'd been plunged into ice. That wasn't my name. Clarisse was his secretary. Sure enough, I saw my cake in Clarisse Burke's latest post, labeled Iva Grant and Antonio Carey. [Three years, and someone's already treating me like his wife.] Below, there was a comment. [Delete that post! The cakes got mixed up. Don't let Iva find out.] That was when I realized he had planned every romantic surprise in pairs. Holding my phone, I laughed at his pathetic attempt to cover it up. But I was done. I started planning my exit.

In my tenth year of marriage, my old childhood friend, Joshua Sears, posts a photo on social media. Both Joshua and my wife, Sabrina Lawson, are hugging his son, Andy Sears, and my daughter, Tiana Jenkins, in it. The four of them look very close to each other. The caption accompanying the post says, "Blessed to have the perfect son and daughter." I leave a comment below the post, saying, "Looking good together." A few seconds later, the post is deleted. The next morning, Sabrina rushes home and yells at me. "Ashton Jenkins! Joshua was finally feeling better for once. Why did you have to trigger him again?" Tiana shoves me hard and snaps in an accusatory tone, "It's all your fault that Andy's crying now!" I take out a copy of the divorce agreement and slam it down before them. "Yes, it's all my fault. That's why I'm stepping out of the picture now. Then, the four of you can form the wholesome family you've always wanted."

At the Mercer family's annual dinner, I accidentally wore a couture gown that belonged to Lucian's late wife. The eight-year-old boy I had raised myself, in front of every key member of the Family, threw a glass of expensive red wine all over my pure white dress. He just stood there, his cold, condescending expression a mirror of his father's. "Don't think you can become the mistress of this house just by dressing like my Mamma." "I swear, when I'm old enough to take over the family business, I'll make you disappear for good!" The cold liquid soaked through the fabric, clinging to my skin. But I felt nothing. My heart had frozen solid the moment I signed my life away eight years ago. I looked at the child I had raised as my own for eight years. There was no anger. The faintest smile touched my lips. I leaned down and whispered in his ear, "You won't have to wait that long, my little lion. I'm leaving, and it will be very soon."

Octavia, a beautiful and strong werewolf, was born into the family of Zaid, an Omega type of werewolves, the lowest ranking werewolves in Dark Moon Pack. For the fear of going through brutal pains of being an Omega, her parents decided to keep her birth a secret from the outside world, as the only who knew about the poor girl's existence, is Lia, the Alpha's surrogate mom. She was locked inside the house for twenty years, not seeing the outside world. No friends, no other families, just she and her poor parents. She always sneaked out in the night to explore the woods, but always made sure to not stay out long, to avoid being caught, as it'll end the poor parents in trouble. On this fateful day, her whole life turned into a misery, as she sneaked out in broad daylight for the first time, but got caught by a stranger, who turned out to be their Alpha, whom she had seen a couple of times, but never got to see his face. To punish her and the parents, the Alpha decided that her parents should be killed, to justify their crimes, but what happens, when the little Octavia, got consumed by her powers, and her demon took over her right in front of the Alpha, which is something that never happened in history?

When my husband learns of his first love's death, he jumps from the cruise ship where we are spending our honeymoon, ending his life. Only then do I realize he has never gotten over Clara Levine. Reborn back to his teenage years, he resolutely lets go of my hand and walks toward his first love. I watch them leave together, then turn and walk away. From that moment on, our lives become nothing more than two parallel lines that will never meet. Ten years later, we run into each other at a banquet in Oceanus City. He has become a rising star among the elite, with Clara appearing on his arm, intimately holding onto him. When he sees me accidentally wander into the banquet, he can't help but give me advice. "Stop obsessing over me. Even if you wait for me for ten years, I still won't fall in love with you." I ignore him and pull my son out from the corner where he's sneaking cake. His eyes suddenly turn bloodshot as he grabs my hand tightly. "How dare you try to make me jealous on purpose? Didn't you say you would only love me for your entire life?" he says.

Her life is a mess. Her father died from a car accident and her mother went away with another man. She was left in her exploitative and abusive relatives, her aunt and cousin. She is very poor and carries the world. They looked at her like a rag not until she was rescued by the forty-five years old Zillionaire. But little did she know, a rollercoaster twist of a life is waiting for her after she was rescued.

All her life, Nicole was told that a woman isn’t supposed to have a voice or speak up for herself. She was raised to obey and to say yes to everything they wanted, and she did just that. She said yes to them taking everything from her and agreed to marry the man her family chose because he was deemed the right match to help the family business. They told her he was the best man for her, and she believed them. She gave in back then, but no more. All they said were lies. He wasn’t the right one for her, nor would he ever love her as much as she loved him. Or was she mistaken? In a maze of deceit and manipulation, she decided to take control of her life and end it all. They think she’s powerless, but she’s not. As Nicole embarked on her new journey, she faced several unexpected challenges. Hidden truths from her past came to light, alongside dramas and plots from those who wished her harm. Could Nicole put her past behind her and embrace the future, or could she get the love she had wasted for so many years?