Betrayed, I Married the Feared Cripple

Three days after my fiancé publicly dumped me for my stepsister, the Supreme Don issued a command that silenced the entire estate. I wasn't being cast aside. I was being sold to Damien Russo. The "Broken Don." A crippled, scarred monster rumored to have murdered his last two wives. My adoptive mother, Elena, didn't cry for me. She smirked. To her, I was finally being disposed of. She was so confident I was walking to my death that she decided to loot my corpse before I even left. She forged documents to steal my entire inheritance—my biological mother’s trust fund—to pay for my stepsister’s lavish wedding to my ex. "She won't need money where she's going," my stepsister laughed, wearing a dress bought with my stolen funds. They thought they were sending a lamb to the slaughter. They thought I was too weak, too stupid, and too afraid of the monster to fight back. But they made a fatal mistake. With my aunt’s help, I didn't just find the proof of their embezzlement; I found a weapon. I’m not running from the monster. I’m going to marry him. And when I hand him the evidence that the Herrera family stole from his bride, he won't be my executioner. He will be my vengeance.

Chapters

Chapter 4

The preparation I spoke of to Clara was tested the very next morning.

A Herrera Family Soldier stood in the foyer of the Herrera estate. He was a mountain of a man in an impeccable black suit, his eyes devoid of anything resembling warmth. He didn't bring a polite request; he brought a summons from Elder Maria Herrera.

Elena Herrera, my step mother, masked her displeasure behind a tight, Botox-stiffened smile. But the moment we were sealed inside the back of her chauffeur-driven Rolls-Royce, her true colors bled through the suffocating cloud of her French perfume.

"Listen to me, you ungrateful little bitch," Elena hissed, her manicured fingers digging into my forearm. "Sophia's wedding to Leo is the priority. It secures our alliance with the Contreras family. You will keep your mouth shut today and let me handle the dowry negotiations. Our family's interests come first. Understand?"

"Perfectly," I replied, my voice flat, gently but firmly pulling my arm from her grip.

The Herrera Ancestral Wing was a fortress of old-world power, entirely devoid of the flashy, gilded desperation of the main house. We were escorted deep into the heart of the manor, into Maria Herrera's private study. The room was a cavern of dark mahogany, with floor-to-ceiling bookshelves lined with leather-bound volumes. The air was thick with the scent of aged brandy, Cuban cigars, and lemon polish—the unmistakable perfume of ruthless authority.

Behind a massive carved desk sat Maria Herrera. As the Family Elder, she wielded a terrifying amount of influence. She was a woman who had survived decades of mafia blood feuds, burying a Don husband, only to fiercely guard the throne for her son, Giovanni. Her silver hair was pulled back into a severe knot, and her obsidian eyes missed nothing.

"Sit," Maria commanded. It wasn't an invitation.

We sat. Maria didn't waste time with pleasantries. "The wedding is to happen swiftly. We must finalize Isabella's dowry and the transfer of her mother's trust fund."

Elena immediately adopted a look of weary martyrdom. She sighed, pressing a hand to her chest. "Signora Maria, you must understand the immense pressure the Herrera family is under. Preparing for Sophia's grand union with Leo Contreras has been our focus. To suddenly prepare a second bride, especially on such short notice... it is a severe strain on our finances."

I kept my face perfectly blank, though my pulse quickened. Elena was playing a dangerous game, attempting to frame my marriage to a Don as an inconvenient burden.

Maria's expression didn't shift. She merely nodded slowly, a predator watching its prey wander into the open. "I see. And how do you propose we resolve this... strain?"

Emboldened by the Elder's calm tone, Elena leaned forward, her greed completely overriding her survival instincts. "The Russo family has offered a very generous bridal settlement. I believe the most elegant solution is to use that settlement to form the bulk of Isabella's dowry, supplemented by two of our vineyards in the valley. It is the most respectable arrangement under the circumstances."

Silence fell over the study. It was a heavy, suffocating quiet that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.

Elena had just suggested that the Russo family pay for their own bride, effectively allowing the Herreras to pocket my mother's trust fund. In our world, it was an insult of catastrophic proportions.

When Maria Herrera finally spoke, her voice was a razor blade wrapped in silk. "Let me be absolutely clear, Elena. You are suggesting that Don Damien Russo buys his own wife with our money?"

Elena's smugness vanished instantly. The blood drained from her face. "No, Signora, I merely meant—"

"You meant to insult our allies," Maria interrupted, leaning forward, the aura of a predator fully unleashed. "You meant to imply that we should finance your biological daughter's wedding to an Underboss, while sending a beggar to a Don. The Herrera honor is written in respect. Any slight against the Russos is answered with a thorough Vendetta. Do you want to bring a war to my doorstep?"

Elena trembled, her mouth opening and closing like a suffocating fish. "Please, I meant no disrespect. I was only thinking of the families—"

"Save your breath," Maria snapped, her eyes cutting toward the heavy mahogany doors. "I will not discuss this further with a greedy fool. Send for your husband. We will see if Giovanni Herrera shares his wife's suicidal audacity."

Continue to next part

I spent a decade as Ashton Maxwell' s shadow, building his empire and warming his bed, only for him to announce his engagement to a senator's daughter right in front of me. When assassins struck that night, he didn't just choose her; he used my body as a human shield against a grenade and then shot me himself to prove his loyalty to her family. I survived, reinvented myself as Grecia Munoz, and returned to burn his world to the ground, eventually forcing him to hand over his entire empire in a desperate plea for forgiveness. He promised to disappear so I could find peace with a kind doctor named Garrick. But Ashton' s definition of love was a sickness. To "protect" me from what he called a weakness, he secretly destroyed Garrick' s career and reputation, driving the only innocent man I ever loved to jump off a bridge. He thought this would drive me back into his arms, into the safety of the monster he created. Instead, I drove to the Hamptons, to the pristine dream home he had built for our future. He knelt before me, begging for understanding, claiming he did it all for us. I didn't offer forgiveness. I raised the pistol he had once given me, aimed at the heart I had already broken, and ended the nightmare once and for all.

Action Modern Mystery

8.2

BLOODBOUND FATE

8.2

The prophecy didn't save me, it claimed me. Death was not her ending...... it was her rebirth. Awakened into a world of gods, bloodlines, and ancient curses, she learns that her second life is bound to a prophecy written long before she existed. Marked by divine blood and hunted by fate, she becomes the one Olympus never wanted to rise again. As secrets unfold and forbidden bonds form, she must decide whether to obey the destiny forced upon her or defy the gods who control her future. But prophecies always demand a price, and some rebirths are meant to destroy the world that created them. Because being reborn under a cursed prophecy means there is no escape, only fate.

Action Fantasy Mystery

9.3

Luciano's Forbidden Desire

9.3

She's sin wrapped in a nun habit. He is the devil who makes her want to confess. Luciano Moretti, the mafia's most feared enforcer, kills without hesitation, prays to no god, and bleeds for the Cosa Nostra. Sister Elizabeth has spent her life behind church walls, burying her desires under layers of penance and prayer. She is supposed to be untouchable-a quiet, secluded nun devoted to faith. But when she finds him bleeding on the altar one night, their worlds collide in a sin neither heaven nor hell can cleanse. He's meant to marry her sister to seal a deal between two mafia empires. She's meant to keep her vows and distance. But temptation has a cruel sense of humour... Because he's the last man she should want. She's the only woman he can't have. But one touch, one look, and everything sacred begins to crumble. Luciano does not seek salvation. Instead, he lures her into a dangerous path, one that includes everything she is meant to avoid, and everytime she whispers "forgive me, Father," her soul sinks deeper into him. As bloodlines clash and loyalty turns to betrayal, Elizabeth learns that the war outside the chapel isn't the only one she must survive. Because Luciano's world is built on violence and secrets, one of which binds her fate to his in ways neither of them saw coming. Desire clashes with devotion. Duty turns to betrayal. And when they're both drowning in a love so forbidden, not even God can save them.

Action Mafia Romance

8.1

My Alpha Chose His Mistress Over Our Pup

8.1

Ivy thought her life was complete until her Alpha husband, Silas, betrayed their bond for a mistress. When their young pup falls gravely ill, Silas abandons his family duties to remain with his lover, leaving Ivy to face the tragedy alone. Pushed to her breaking point by his cold neglect, she decides to sever ties with the pack. Now, Ivy must find the strength to save her child and reclaim her dignity, even if it means defying the man she once loved.

Action Romance Werewolf

7.9

Protecting Son from Alpha's Secret

7.9

After a night of passion with Alpha Kaelen, Elara flees to hide her pregnancy, knowing his status makes their bond dangerous. Years later, she lives quietly with her son, Leo, who possesses burgeoning powers he cannot control. When Kaelen discovers their existence, he demands they return to the pack. Elara must navigate lethal pack politics and external threats to protect Leo, while her buried feelings for the Alpha resurface.

Action Romance Werewolf

7.9

Rejected Woman's Ascent

7.9

After being cruelly discarded by her wealthy husband, a once-submissive woman decides to reclaim her dignity and forge a new path. No longer trapped by heartbreak, she transforms into a powerful figure, navigating high-stakes danger and complex modern conspiracies. As she rises through the ranks of society, her former life fades, replaced by newfound strength and lethal skills. This is a journey of ultimate survival, fierce ambition, and a woman's unstoppable ascent.

Action Modern Romance

Betrayed, I Married the Feared Cripple

Chapter 4

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