Novel & Cerita When His Perfect Mask Shattered, I Awoke

Just as my wealthy boyfriend and I were talking about getting married, his mother dismissed me as an unrefined girl and demanded I attend a finishing school to learn how to be a proper wife. Looking at Zach’s pleading gaze, I gave in. I endured relentless psychological and physical torment for three months. However, on the day I was discharged, I overheard a phone call between Zach and his friend. “Zach, if you don’t want to marry Cathy, why didn’t you just tell her? Why did you have to send her to that hellhole to suffer? That finishing school your family runs is a freaking torture chamber. Constant beatings, electric shocks, forced kneeling for hours… No one comes out of there the same.” “You don’t get it. Jen is about to get engaged, and I can’t risk Cathy ruining it. As long as Jen is happy, I don’t care who I marry. Cathy grew up poor, so she can endure a little hardship. Three months of hardship for a lifetime of Stein money is a fair trade.” My vision blurred with tears when I heard those cruel words from his mouth. I thought. “Zach, since you loved Jenna so much, why did you have to toy with my feelings?”

“You’re a wolf who loves an interesting bet. I see you don’t want me. Let’s make this interesting.” She could hear his annoyed growl, but she pressed on. “I dare you, Alpha Jones. Catch me in twenty-four hours. If you don’t, I’ll volunteer to become a rogue. If you catch me, you can do as you like with me.” Raven Miller poked the sleeping bear in Alpha Dominic Jones. She knows he's her unapologetic gambler and criminal mate. Raven's had enough gamblers in her life. She doesn't want another. Nor does she want more humiliation from a rejection. What will happen when Dom discovers how he's insulted his mate by making her his pet? Dom saved Raven from her brother Liam selling her to Alpha Klyne of the Red River Pack in a poker game. Liam's a rogue now because he went against Alpha Jones and his wish to keep Raven in his pack. Now he wants to play with her while he teaches her some manners. What will happen when Alpha Klyne discovers what he sold to Alpha Jones? There's already unrest between the two packs. With politics, a bed of hot coals with the humans of Toronto. The supernaturals are walking on shards of glass. Inside the pack, ambitious wolves are searching for a way to gain an advantage. Never mind Alpha Jones and his numbers racket. Can Raven keep her head above water and not die from humiliation? Will Alpha Jones teach her some manners and redeem himself from his mistake? How much fun will they have as they maneuver through every twist and turn set against them?

Ivy loved Ryder with all her heart, she left her life aside just to be with him. But when his ex returned, he discarded her without hesitation. Going out with her and taking care of her need as though she was the wife he had always wanted. Angered and betrayed, Ivy decided she'd give them the space they craved. She came into his life to be loved by him, and if he couldn't give her that love, then goodbye to him. Years later, Ivy returned happier, elegant, richer and even more confident than the ex he chose over her. Now he wanted her back but Ivy already had a new life and wasn't interested in revisiting her past.. 'Sorry but you're now a thing of the past.'

Seven years into our marriage, Zane Grimes and I remained childless. He once held me close, his voice tender and earnest. "Don't overthink it. I've never cared for children. You're all I want in this life." But on the day his company went public, as the ceremonial bell echoed through the hall, the doors burst open. My sister stormed in, cradling a wailing infant. "Zane, this is your son! How can you abandon us?" Zane's face paled as he turned to me, his eyes brimming with panic and a silent plea. Unbeknownst to him, I had long known about his betrayal and the child.

After getting laid off, I come across a post when I'm looking for a new job. "What sort of job is the most lucrative these days?" There's a comment with the most likes in the comment section. "Find yourself a sugar daddy, duh! My sugar daddy is already the CEO of a company even though he's only in his 30s! He gives me 100 thousand dollars every month. Not only is he handsome and caring, but he's also amazing in bed! Hoo boy, we can keep going around seven times every night!" Someone asks the commentor, "How did you find such an amazing daddy?" "Last May, he was at a bar drinking his sorrows away after an argument with his girlfriend. I consoled him for a bit. That's how we ended up being together. "He kept complaining that his girlfriend was like dead fish in bed, so he was already sick of her a long time ago. You know what men are like, always going for excitement in life." My fingers curled around my phone slightly. Last May, I did get into a huge argument with my boyfriend, Brian Dicht. He never came home that night. The next morning, he returned while reeking of alcohol. I continue scrolling down the comment section, only to see the commentor posting a photo. "See? I was acting all cute and whiny to him just now by telling him that I cut my finger when I was preparing a meal for myself. He agreed to drop by my place to keep me company tonight." In the photo, there's a diamond ring adorning the ring finger that has a plaster wrapped around it. That ring looks exactly the same as the set of engagement rings Brian and I have. At the same time, my phone starts ringing. Soon, Brian's voice drifts from the other end of the line. "Bella, something came up in the company at the last minute. I'm not coming home tonight."

Scarlet’s world shattered the night she discovered her husband in her bed with her own sister. The betrayal was brutal. The humiliation, unforgivable. And what hurt the most? Neither of them felt a single ounce of remorse. Within months, her husband divorced her and married the very woman who helped destroy her life, her sister. They thought she would break. They thought she would disappear quietly. They were wrong. Ryan Marchetti—cold, calculating, and dangerously powerful, has spent years waiting for the perfect chance to destroy his business rival. Marrying that rival’s ex-wife is the ultimate move. Strategic. For Scarlet, marrying Ryan isn’t about love. It’s about revenge. A calculated alliance. A public statement. A promise that she will rise from the ashes they left her in. Together, they become the scandal that shakes empires. But revenge is never simple. Because behind Ryan’s icy control lies a secret, one tied to her past, to her ex-husband, to the very marriage that ruined her life. A truth so explosive it could unravel everything she thought she knew. Was she just a pawn in Ryan’s war from the very beginning? Or is the man she’s slowly falling for capable of betraying her too? In a game fueled by vengeance, power, and buried truths, Scarlet must decide: Will she let betrayal destroy her again… Or will she risk her heart for the one man who might truly love her?

(Trigger warning: this book has some elements of dark romance with an unhinged ML) "Would you give me your surname or better take mine then? Will you be the lucky man?" I blurted out having no idea of what I was saying. My head was already in the clouds and blinded by his smile. It calmed the storm in my mind. He laughed. Those dark abysses were truly alluring when they sparkled. His fingers grazed my cheeks, wiping off my tears, before cupping them in his callous palms. "If you love my surname so much." A foolish smile graced my lips, oblivious of the fact that he wasn't joking. "You can't back down now, hubby. You just got a wife." I thought I lost everything when I walked away from Sinclair. I never imagined I’d end up as Alaric Von Duvall’s wife. ******* Her life was written in stone. A perfect life one she always dreamt of. Everything Cassandra wanted was within reach until one night revealed the love she'd trusted was a lie. Betrayal and deceit from those she trusted the most made every belief she had crash down. What she didn’t expect was to stumble into a stranger's arms, into his bed and wake up married. Alaric gave her what she thought she wanted; now she can't take it back. One reckless mistake became a wedding vow. Now she’s trapped inside Alaric’s empire of lies. Married to a stranger who knows more than he’s letting on He’s dangerous. He’s charming. And in front of everyone, he claimed her as his . Caught between Sinclair’s obsession, Alaric’s shadowy intentions, and her family’s betrayal, Cassandra doesn’t know if this marriage will be her downfall… or her salvation.

To everyone else, I'm the wife of Stefano Pace, the man who runs this city's underworld. To others, I am living the kind of luxury every woman in town envies. But what no one knows is that in three days, I'm leaving my husband for good. It started when I took Stefano's car to wash and spotted a black stocking that wasn't mine wedged in the passenger seat cushions. It was balled up and still reeked of sickly sweet perfume. The sight of it was like a knife to the heart. I knew that perfume. It is Isla Torelli's. She's Stefano's underboss, the only woman besides me who's ever taken the passenger seat. My hand trembled as I gripped the stocking, but I kept my cool. I thought back to our wedding seven years ago, when Stefano stood in front of the whole family and vowed, "If I ever betray you, then betray me a hundredfold!" He probably did not think those words would come true.

I accidentally hit my head in the shower. To my surprise, I find that I can hear my aloof housemate's thoughts. "Damn, he's got perky buns." I think of him as a regular housemate, but he wants to sleep with me?

I gave my husband everything—my love, my loyalty, and even my health—only to be tossed aside like garbage. The night I handed him the contract that would make him a millionaire, he gave me divorce papers and introduced his new fiancée, the daughter of his company’s director. Just when I thought my world had collapsed, he appeared. Leon Castello. The cold, ruthless billionaire my husband had spent years trying to impress. He made me an offer I couldn’t refuse: “Marry me, and I’ll make your ex regret ever leaving you.” At first, it was just a deal. A marriage on paper. But Leon knew things about me no stranger should. He protected me, cherished me, and whispered my name in his sleep like a long-lost memory. And then I discovered the truth. Leon Castello wasn’t just my husband’s enemy. He had been waiting for me all along.