After Dumping Him, I Found Myself

Seven years. Seven long years since I'd last set foot in New York City. The skyline stretched before me, a glittering canvas of ambition and betrayal. I stood on the balcony of our Manhattan penthouse, the cool evening air caressing my skin. My fingers absently traced the platinum band on my left hand—a habit I'd developed whenever the past threatened to overwhelm me. "You're thinking about them, aren't you?" I didn't need to turn to know Leonardo had joined me. His presence was like a physical force, powerful and reassuring. The mate bond between us hummed with his concern. "They're just ghosts, Violet," he said, his arms encircling me from behind. His chin rested on my shoulder, his breath warm against my neck.

Denny parades as the Alpha bully...strong, untouchable, feared by all. But beneath the fists and fury, he's hiding a dangerous secret: he is an Omega. A lonely, horny one. When Jay, heir to a rival clan, the true definition of a ruthless Alpha, crashes into his life and challenges his dominance, Denny's carefully built facade begins to crack. Now, it's war...between a real Alpha and a pretender. Except Jay soon saw through Denny...and wanted more than sovereignty. Wanted his muscles and strength in his bed.

Chapter 1 It was their seventh wedding anniversary. Carolyn found the divorce agreement in Roger’s nightstand. The pages were covered in scribbles and corrections, as if he’d agonized over them for years. *"If, during the marriage, I fall in love with another person, I voluntarily relinquish all assets and leave with nothing. Asset details as follows…"* His first impulse had been to walk away empty-handed. But the asset section told a different story—a mess of revisions. First, he’d crossed out the property he intended to give her. Then, the fifty million earmarked for her was scratched out and replaced with five hundred thousand. Finally, as if in penance, he had written a single line. *"Better to have Carolyn leave with nothing. No choice, Catherine is pregnant."* … Carolyn sank onto the bed, disbelief washing over her. On the agreement, Roger’s signature was clean and decisive, without a hint of hesitation. And the document had been drafted seven years ago—the very year they married. That year, Roger had been willing to give up everything for her. Yet every year after, he had crossed out another piece of their shared life. Now, seven years later, the one leaving with nothing would be her. Her phone buzzed abruptly. A message from Roger. *"Urgent business. Won't be back."* She called, only to find his phone already switched off. Another notification flashed—a screenshot from a friend. Catherine, the student she sponsored, had posted on social media. *"Wow, got praised! To commemorate my first period without a leak, the big boss said we should celebrate properly!"* In a nine-photo collage, Roger gazed at her, eyes crinkling with affection as he fastened a dazzling gemstone necklace around her neck. The post was tagged at a couples-themed hotel. Carolyn’s breath caught. He couldn’t remember seven years of marriage, of weathering storms together—but he could find the energy to celebrate Catherine’s… leak-free period. And that pendant… she’d seen it at an auction just last week. It was her mother’s lost heirloom. She’d been ready to bid when her bank card was frozen. She’d asked Roger why. A long time later, he finally texted back, telling her not to waste money on such impractical things. Clutching her bidding paddle, she’d sat helplessly in the auction hall. In the end, she resolved to sell one of her own designs to raise the funds. But someone on the phone swooped in with an unbeatable offer and took it. For weeks afterward, Carolyn hated herself—hated that she couldn’t protect her mother’s last keepsake. She never imagined the one who snatched it away was Roger. He knew exactly how much that pendant meant to her. Yet he gave it to Catherine. Even on their seventh anniversary, Roger had lied about being busy with work, while wining and dining the girl she’d sponsored. The anniversary gift he left her was a divorce agreement demanding she leave with nothing. Seven years of marriage. Seven years of infidelity. And Carolyn had known nothing. She’d even introduced the other woman to him herself. Catherine was the impoverished student Carolyn sponsored. The first time Catherine came to their home to give thanks, Roger found her intrusive and disliked her on sight. *"That girl has no manners. Tracked mud all over my cashmere rug."* *"If her grades aren’t up to par, cut the sponsorship."* Back then, Carolyn had teased him, saying not to be jealous—it was good the girl had a grateful heart. She never once suspected Roger and Catherine. For seven years, everyone in their circle believed Roger never played around. That he loved only Carolyn. But by their next meeting, Catherine had become Roger’s personal assistant. Roger explained, *"The girl’s had it tough. You’ve sponsored her for years. Giving her a job is just helping you out."* Carolyn had laughed it off. Now, hands trembling, she opened Catherine’s social media feed. Catherine had always hidden her posts from Carolyn. Now, she seemed desperate to flaunt everything. While Carolyn drank until her stomach bled to secure a deal for Roger, Catherine was using Roger’s card to buy her first Louis Vuitton. While Carolyn changed bedpans for Roger’s bedridden grandmother, Roger was taking Catherine to a perfume atelier for a blending class—calling it a business trip. Catherine had even complained online. *"Your wife is such a pampered princess. Can't handle the tiniest thing without you running back. Can she not live without a man?"* And Roger had replied beneath it. *"If she were half as independent as you, I’d have an easier life."* But that day… Carolyn’s mother had lost her battle with cancer. She’d cried until her heart felt shredded, scrambling to handle the arrangements. All the while, Roger kept checking his phone impatiently, eager to leave. Not for work, she realized now—but because he was desperate to get back to Catherine.

"I've tried to not want you, but everytime I'm near you, my whole being craves for you. It's not supposed to be that way, Lola," I held in an excited scream. Even though I was happy, I still had a mission to accomplish. "Then let's play a game. Let's get rid of all these sexual tension between us. I'm sure one night will be enough to clear it away," "One night," He growled. "One night is all there will be," In one quick movement, my towel dropped to the floor with his lips devouring mine. ~~~~ Lola thought her life had come to an end when she lost her father, but it was only an invitation to a new phase when she accidentally meets her late father's best friend in a club. A myriad of sparks flicker at first sight, but he never pays any attention to her until one rainy evening, followed by a passionate steamy night, Rowan falls twice harder for the lady he's supposed to protect. Now he's ready to fight the world and even his son to keep the woman he's hopelessly in love with by his side.

Aileen transmigrated into a dark, unfinished novel as the villainous, abusive wife of a powerful billionaire. The moment she opened her eyes, her husband's calloused hand was crushing her throat, and her six-year-old stepson was pointing a box cutter at her face, screaming for her to die. A cold system voice suddenly exploded in her brain, forcing a mandatory mission: save the villainous father and son, or face immediate death. To survive the system's strict Out-Of-Character warnings, Aileen had to keep playing the role of the deranged, hateful wife. She was despised by everyone. Her husband threatened to drag her to an asylum, and her terrified stepson scrubbed the floor with his own pajamas just to avoid her wrath. Things escalated when the novel's original female lead publicly framed Aileen in Central Park, throwing herself onto the grass and clutching her pregnant belly. "She pushed me. She tried to hurt the baby!" Archer rushed over, shoved Aileen aside with absolute disgust, and looked at her with the eyes of a murderer. Aileen felt a bitter wave of exhaustion. She had discovered the original owner's hidden antipsychotic pills; the woman wasn't just evil, she was severely mentally ill and completely broken by this loveless marriage. Yet, no one cared, and her husband would always choose to believe his childhood sweetheart's fake tears. Since everyone in this world was convinced she was an unpredictable lunatic, she decided to give them exactly what they expected. Aileen turned her back on the ridiculous scene, a cold smile forming on her lips. She was going to stage a massive, undeniable psychological breakdown, using her "insanity" as the perfect shield to play the system and rewrite her fate.

Gwendolyn just wanted to forget her cheating ex, not accidentally sleep with the most powerful billionaire in New York. She tries to run, terrified of the consequences. But the Wall Street tyrant has already claimed her as his ultimate obsession. He spoils her with limitless black cards, multi-million dollar custom Porsches, and a level of absolute devotion she never experienced in her toxic family. Jordi thought he was climbing the social ladder by abandoning her? Colette thought she could bully a "poor girl"? Think again. With the Wall Street King backing her every move, Gwendolyn is about to show them what real power looks like. Jordi wanted wealth and status? Great. Now, he has to bow down and call his ex-girlfriend "Mom".