BROKEN VOWS:- FALLING FOR MY MARRIAGE COUNSELOR

"This is wrong. You're supposed to help me fix my marriage" "And yet here you are, squirming under my hands like you're begging me to break it" "You're too close... I can't think straight when you're this close" "Then stop thinking. Just feel." He leans in, his breath brushing against my lips. "Tell me to stop Lillian-and I will. But if you don't, I'm going to kiss and claim your body like I've imagined a thousand times on that chair" *~*~*~*~*~*~*~* When Lillian Calloway walks into marriage counseling, she's desperate-not just to save her crumbling relationship with her emotionally distant husband, but to hold together the image of a perfect life. Then she meets Dr Ronan Carter. Calm, devastatingly handsome and far too familiar for her comfort. Each session unravels more than just the crack in her marriage-it exposes desires she's locked away for years. Ronan makes her feel alive. And when the professional lines begin to blur, Lillian finds herself stepping on the edge of something forbidden. He's her counselor. She's his client. Falling for each other will cost them everything. But what if the biggest lie was the marriage they were trying to save?

Chapters

Chapter 5

LILLIAN

TWO WEEKS LATER

"You and Mr Blackwell looked good at your parents estate on Saturday," the interviewer said with a bright, cheerful voice. "Can you tell us what always keeps you smiling?"

I smiled. Or at least I tried to.

"Absolutely," I said, folding my hands in my lap, like the proper, composed woman I was always taught to be. "Joe is my best friend. We support each other in everything we do and that alone strengthens our relationship."

The interviewer hummed, pleased as she scribbled what I had just said, like she knew she was about to make a great deal out of this interview. My publicist exhaled behind her, relieved. Everyone always wanted the fairytale.

They just never bother to know if the princess ever forgot who the hell she was.

I was just about to head into my office when the interviewer's voice stopped me.

"You don't mind us uploading the photos with your article, right?"

I turned to look at her with a tight smile. "Yeah, no problem. Go ahead."

Not waiting for anymore questions, I quickly headed back to my office to get ready for my counseling session with Joe, when I got a text from Vivian wishing me good luck with my interview and also my first session.

I still remember her reaction when I told her about Saturday night dinner.

"I saw him," I announced.

Her coffee cup froze midair, hovering just below her lips. Her eyes grew wide before she went completely still, like my words had just knocked the air out of her.

"At dinner," I continued, "the one my father hosted on Saturday evening? He walked in like a man who had everyone's lives in the palm of his hands."

She blinked and sat up straight in her seat. Who?"

I looked up. My face must've said everything-every name I didn't want to say, every memory I hadn't touched in years. She saw it. I knew she did.

She blinked. Once. Twice.

"No," she whispered. "You're kidding."

"I wish.

Her voice dropped. "But your dad and Joe... they still don't have a clue, right? About you two?"

"No one knows and it will stay like that," I muttered.

"But he disappeared without a word. Why now?" She said, rolling her eyes. "Lily, I have a bad feeling about this and I don't like it."

To be honest, she was saying things I hadn't dared myself to say out loud-thoughts that had been circling my head for weeks. And now, hearing them spoken back to me without a single beat... it rattled me. Like she reached in and pulled the truth out of my chest, and held it up to the light. It scared the hell out of me.

I told her everything. How it started, what he said, and the look he had in his eyes.

She didn't take it well... she lost it. Not just mad, furious. Pacing, swearing, nearly throwing her coffee across the cafè. "You've got to be kidding me." She hissed. "He said that? To you?"

Now she won't leave me alone. My phone hasn't stopped buzzing ever since. She's worried. I can feel it in the way she keeps checking up on me.

I checked my watch-shit. It's almost 2:00 pm.

The session starts in thirty minutes.

I shoved back my chair and sprinted out of my office, heels thudding against the floor, not wasting another second.

*~*~*~*~*~*

Of course, there's traffic. The car in front of mine barely moved, boxed in as the streets of New York were filled with the bleating noise of horns and angry drivers. My fingers drum against the steering wheel, faster with every passing second.

My phone buzzes. I glanced down.

Joe:- Hurry. Our session starts soon.

No "Are you okay?" No "where are you?" Just orders, like I'm his goddamn assistant running late. I exhaled hard through my nose, resisting the urge to throw my phone into the passenger seat.

I swerved into a side street the moment the traffic loosened. The tires screech. A horn blares. I don't care.

By the time I reached the building, I was halfway jogging from the parking lot, heels clicking hard against concrete, hair sticking to the back of my neck. Breath caught in my throat, jaw clenched as I yanked the door open and rushed through the lobby, straight to the front desk.

"Couples counseling?" I asked, breath short.

The receptionist didn't bother looking up."Fifteenth floor. That's the top."

I nodded once, already heading to the elevator, and hit the button to the fifteenth floor. The elevator moved slowly like it knew I was in a hurry.

Finally,

The elevator door slid open with a low hiss. I stepped out, barely two steps into the hallway, when Joe stepped in front of me, blocking my path.

He stood there, motionless, but everything about him was tight. His shoulders were rigid. Jaw clenched. Eyes locked on me, unblinking. The silence between us stretched, heavier by the second, until he finally spoke.

"You're late," he said under his breath.

"I told you last night I had an interview."

"You didn't say you'd be late."

"I would have arrived earlier than this, but I was stuck in traffic."

He gave me a look. "You should have mentioned that."

"I'm not doing this right now." I snapped.

"You're being a little-"

Before anything could erupt, a voice broke through the tension. A woman who I hadn't noticed when I arrived sat near the counselor's office, likely his assistant.

"Mr and Mrs Blackwell? Dr. Carter will see you now."

I blinked.

"Carter?"

"Yes, ma'am," she said, smiling. "He's waiting."

My stomach clenched, threatening to bring out everything I've eaten in the past few days. There's no way. No. This can't be happening.

I drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly, trying to settle my nerves. I'm just being ridiculous and overdramatic over nothing. A lot of people are named Cater-it's a common name.

Joe didn't wait. He pushed the door open and walked into the office, leaving me behind with my spiraling thoughts.

I wiped my sweaty palm on my jeans and followed, heart pounding against my rib like it was composing its horror song.

And then... I saw him.

Seated behind a dark mahogany desk. Dark suit that matches his surroundings. Leaning back in his chair like he'd been waiting all day for me to arrive.

Ronan Carter.

My throat closed.

He rose slowly, a smile tugging at his mouth, shadows catching on the sharp lines of his face. Then he walked over and held out his hand.

"And hello," he said, voice calm, but laced with danger, "Mrs Blackwell."

Continue to next part

I found out my husband of three years had cheated on me and his mistress is the one who told me-because he didn't have the balls to do it himself. I move out and get a new apartment, a job as a bartender, and try to move on with a broken heart. I wonder where it all went wrong, if I hadn't been enough for him, if I'd been stupid for marrying him in the first place. I'm at work one night when he walks inside-the most beautiful man I've ever seen. He sits at the bar and a forest fire burns between us. I was depressed the moment before he entered, but the second I look at his blue eyes, I forget the dumpster fire that my life has become. I invite him back to my place and it's the most passionate night of my life. I expect to never see him again. I just want him as an anti-depressant-but he wants me all to himself. I just got my heart ripped out of my chest so I want something easy and no-strings-attached, but he wants all the strings because he's hooked. I don't get much of a say in the matter, and that's not surprising when I learn why-because he's the Butcher. The crime lord of all crime lords, the boss that overshadows all of Paris, that makes everyone abide by his rules-or pay. And now I'm his.

Billionaire Mafia Modern

9.0

A Life Left Behind

9.0

On her 40th anniversary, a woman discovers her husband, Derrick, forged their marriage and spent decades with his foster sister, Jasmine. The son she raised to lead her father's mafia empire is actually Jasmine's child, swapped at birth. Her own biological infant died years ago due to neglect. Crushed by this ultimate betrayal, she collapses and wakes up decades in the past on the day she gave birth, determined to rewrite her tragic fate.

Action Fantasy Mafia Modern Romance

8.5

Apex Bloom

8.5

Apex Bloom This is the definitive "Rags to Riches" journey of a woman who was treated as disposable, only to return and conquer the most dangerous man in the underworld. Apex Bloom isn't just a title; it is Franco's survival game-a lethal, high-stakes gauntlet designed to chew up the weak and spit out the broken. Lolita wasn't supposed to survive it; she was supposed to be another casualty. Instead, she broke the game and took the man who created it. The Disposal Lolita begins as a woman discarded. Betrayed by her husband, Lyle, she is stripped of everything and thrown into the gutters of London. She is left with nothing but her wits in a world designed to erase her. Lyle didn't just leave her; he disposed of her like a spent asset, assuming she would quietly disappear. He was wrong. Entering the Game: Franco Rossi In the wreckage of her life, Lolita is forced into the Apex Bloom-the brutal survival game orchestrated by Franco Rossi. Franco is the underworld's apex predator, a man who believes in a world of absolute Darwinian ruthlessness. His game is designed to test the limits of human endurance, and he expects Lolita to be a pawn, a victim, or a fleeting distraction. Breaking the Architect Lolita doesn't just play Franco's game; she dismantles it. Using her brilliant mind and a newfound, weaponised confidence, she turns the Bloom into her own instrument of ascent. But her most calculated victory is over Franco himself. Through an intoxicating display of dominant power and erotic prowess, Lolita targets the man behind the machine. She doesn't just win; she breaks Franco's stoic, masculine code, forcing a full surrender of his will. She seduces the power away from the enforcer, turning the architect of the game into her most devoted subject. She proves that her dominance isn't just about force-it's about a total, soul-deep conquest that leaves the city's most dangerous man kneeling at her feet. The Rags to Riches Ascent The journey from a discarded wife to the Queen of the Apex Bloom is paved with the ruin of those who underestimated her. Lolita uses her sexuality and her intellect as twin blades, seizing the wealth and the territories of the men who thought they were players. By the time the dust settles, she has achieved unimaginable riches and undisputed authority, standing at the head of an empire built on the shattered remains of Franco's former life. The Final Sovereignty The book concludes with Lolita standing at the absolute summit. Her marriage to Franco in the Cotswolds is the ultimate victory lap-a coronation where the man who once ran the game now serves its new Queen. They are bound by blood and law, but it is Lolita who holds the reins. The story ends with The Syndicate, the global masters of the underworld, watching in shock. They thought they were dealing with another street-level syndicate; instead, they have found a woman who took the most lethal survival game in existence and made it her own.

Adventure Mafia Romance

9.3

I Resign: The Mafia Boss's Unwanted Wife

9.3

I was gasping for air on the cold marble floor of the Syndicate Ball, my lungs seizing in a familiar, lethal rhythm. My inhaler was just five feet away, but it might as well have been miles. Dante Moretti, the man who bought my life with his blood eight years ago, looked right at me. He saw my panic. He saw the weakness he despised. Then, he turned his back on me to continue waltzing with his mistress. That betrayal was just the beginning. When the elevator trapped us days later, the lights flickering and the air growing thin, Dante didn't hesitate. He pried the doors open and carried Sofia out like a fragile bride. He left me—his wife with a diagnosed respiratory condition—alone in the suffocating dark to die. He missed my birthday dinner to comfort her on a Ferris Wheel, leaving me to celebrate with a single candle on a slice of toast. I finally realized that to him, I wasn't a wife to be cherished. I was just property to be owned. Something inside me didn't just break; it clicked into place. I stopped waiting for him to come home. I left my wedding ring on the table, blocked his number, and walked out into the night. Now, Dante is tearing the city apart to find me, claiming he realizes his mistake. But he's too late. Because the man standing beside me now isn't offering me a diamond ring or empty promises. He just handed me a loaded Glock and asked if I wanted to be his Queen.

Mafia Modern Romance

9.3

MY CHOICE OF JEWEL

9.3

Molly was once the most feared underworld princess, a ruthless hacker who could burn empires with a few keystrokes. But betrayal claimed her life in flames, until fate gave her a second chance. She wakes up in the fragile body of another Molly, this one a disgraced pop idol, mocked by the media and abandoned by fans. With sharp instincts, a predator's patience, and her past life's cunning, Molly vows to rebuild this new life on her own terms. No more weakness. No more humiliation. But walking this path means crossing Kelvin Brass, the cold, calculating CEO who never believed in her, and who now finds himself intrigued by her sudden transformation. The world expects the same washed-up starlet. Instead, they see a woman reborn, sharper than before, deadlier than they could ever imagine. As Molly steps back into the entertainment world, every move shocks those around her. With a mind built for war and survival, she turns stages into battlegrounds, scandals into weapons, and rivals into stepping stones. But even she can't deny the pull of Kelvin Brass, whether as an enemy, an ally, or something dangerously in between. In a city of lights and lies, Molly must master her double life: an idol rising from ashes by day, and a shadow of her old underworld self by night. One thing is certain, anyone who underestimates her will regret it.

Action Mafia Modern

7.9

The Don's Captive

7.9

Don Fiorenzo Ricci rescued her and provided a home for seven years, playing the role of a refined father by day while claiming her completely at night. Trapped in a twisted romance, she believed she was his only love until he married another woman and named her the mafia's Madre. Forced to witness their union, she attempts to flee his grasp. After two failed escapes ended in bloodshed for those who helped her, she chooses a final, desperate leap into the ocean to find freedom.

Action Mafia Mystery Romance

BROKEN VOWS:- FALLING FOR MY MARRIAGE COUNSELOR

Chapter 5

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