Ex Husband, Prepare To Burn
Five years ago, I lost everything.
My marriage. My brother. My dignity.
All because of the man I loved - Ian Vance.
He betrayed me with my best friend and left me to drown in the chaos he created. But I didn't die, and I sure as hell didn't forget.
Now I'm back - stronger, colder, and not the same naive woman he once broke.
He thinks the past is buried, that I've disappeared for good.
But I'm here to remind him that ghosts don't rest until they're avenged.
"You once said I was a nuisance in your life, Ian. Let me show you what a nightmare truly looks like."
Every secret will surface. Every wound will reopen.
And by the time I'm done, he'll wish he never met me.Dive into a world where betrayal wears designer heels and revenge tastes like champagne.In this world of glittering wealth and hidden sins, love and revenge are just two sides of the same coin - and I'm ready to flip it.
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Chapter 4
Elara's POV
"What are you thinking about, Mum?" Noah's small voice pulled me from my thoughts.
"Nothing much, dear," I said softly, smiling at him. "I was just remembering the day I gave birth to my lovely triplets. I love you, my children."
"Mum," Emily said, her eyes sparkling with mischief, "we know you're going back to California, so we made some rules for you."
"Rules?" I raised a brow, laughing lightly as she handed me a folded piece of paper.
"Yes," Claire chimed in proudly. "These are the three golden rules - one from each of us. And don't break any of them!"
I smiled as I unfolded the paper. Their tiny handwriting made my heart swell.
"The first rule," I began, "says that I shouldn't look at any other babies when I go to California."
They all giggled.
"The second rule says... never give up on my job and keep working hard, as always."
Then I paused. My breath caught as I read the last line.
"Why did you stop, Mum?" Noah urged.
I swallowed hard and forced the words out. "The third rule says... do not fall in love with that man again - our father."
My voice trembled. The silence that followed was heavy.
I looked at their innocent faces, my heart tightening. They were too young to understand the full story, yet they knew enough. I had told them about their father - not to plant hatred, but to keep confusion or pain from finding them later.
"I understand," I said quietly. "But Noah, Emily, Claire - Mummy told you this so you wouldn't hear it from someone else. You can't let hate fill your hearts. It's not good for children to carry that kind of feeling, okay?"
Claire nodded, her voice soft. "We understand, Mum."
"Me too," Noah and Emily echoed together.
A small smile touched my lips. I reached out and ruffled their hair gently. "Good. That's my strong little team."
Just then, a servant appeared by the door. "Madam, Mr. Sullivan is asking for you."
Mr. Sullivan - the man who had saved my life five years ago. The chairman of Spectra Minds Group. My mentor... and the only man who had treated me like a daughter since the tragedy.
I walked to the balcony where he sat in his wheelchair, the morning light spilling across his white hair. Despite being sixty-five, his eyes still held the sharpness time couldn't dim.
"Please, sit down," he said warmly. "Are your things packed? You're leaving for California this afternoon, right?"
"Yes," I replied. "Everything's ready."
He nodded and picked up his iPad, handing it to me. "I want to show you something."
The image on the screen froze me.
"Do you recognize this?" he asked.
I blinked, my lips parting. "This... this is-"
"Yes," he said, his gaze steady. "The upcoming World Fashion Show in California. Major companies from all over the world have been invited, including ours. I want you to represent Spectra Minds Group as our ambassador."
My heart skipped a beat.
He leaned closer, his voice calm but firm. "You've spent five years chasing revenge, Elara. Consider this my gift to you - a chance to get justice for Finn. You can do whatever you need to... just don't mess this up."
His words sank deep. This wasn't just an opportunity - it was fate giving me one final push.
"What about the kids?" I asked softly. "People might recognize them... especially Noah. He's a mirror image of Ian. I don't want Ian to find out about them."
"Don't worry," Mr. Sullivan said reassuringly. "They're my family now - my grandchildren. I took you in as my daughter, and you'll always be mine."
I couldn't help the tears that pricked my eyes.
By two o'clock that afternoon, it was time to leave. The triplets came to see me off at the airport, their little faces full of reluctance.
"Mummy, think of us often," Emily said, gripping my hand tightly.
"And don't forget about us," Noah added.
I smiled through the ache in my chest and kissed each of their foreheads. "I'll never forget you, my loves. Be good and listen to Grandpa Sullivan."
After giving the bodyguards instructions, I waved goodbye and boarded the plane.
As the aircraft lifted, I pressed my forehead to the window, watching the land shrink beneath me.
Ian... after five long years, I'm finally back. Let's see what kind of surprise you'll have when you see me again.
*******
IN CALIFORNIA
Years had crawled by - years painted with darkness, pain, and silent strength. But I survived. I rebuilt myself piece by piece, rising from the ashes of betrayal.
Now I was back with a mission - to conquer my past and push Spectra Minds Group to global dominance in the fashion world.
As I sat in the car, a glass of red wine in hand, I gazed out at the glowing skyline of California. "Five years," I murmured to myself. "Just five years, and look how everything's changed..."
*******
THE FASHION EVENT
The venue buzzed with energy. Designers, reporters, and celebrities filled the grand hall. Tonight's show wasn't just a launch - it was the event of the season.
Camila Vale - Ian's secretary - strutted through the crowd, her lips painted crimson, her heels clicking like a ticking clock. She had been with Ian for five years. Or should I say... far longer than I ever expected.
Everyone whispered about her - not as his secretary, but as his girlfriend.
"There are so many domestic and international media outlets here tonight," Camila said sweetly as she guided Ian around. "The publicity will be huge. I think sales for the new season are already secured. After all, we're a luxury brand, and our target audience is-"
Ian barely nodded, his expression unreadable.
Before she could finish, her assistant, Laura, rushed over. "Ms. Camila, Mr. Vance, it's almost time to let the guests in."
Camila glanced at her wristwatch. "Alright. Go inform them."
As Laura hurried off, Camila turned back to Ian - but his phone rang sharply. His brows furrowed.
"I need to take this," he said curtly, already walking away.
"But the event-"
He didn't even look back.
Laura soon returned, a playful grin on her face. "Ms. Camila, you're amazing. How did you manage to get Mr. Vance so easily? You're like a real girlfriend!"
Camila smirked, brushing an invisible speck of dust from her dress. "What are you still doing here?" she snapped. "Get back to work before I fire you instantly."
Laura flinched and scurried off.
Camila straightened her dress, forcing a smile. She might have everyone fooled - but deep down, she knew something had changed.
Because tonight... Elara was back.
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8.1
Racheal Angelo never wanted a new life, a new house, or a new family. She just wanted the life she was used to, but when her mother marries the cold, manipulative, powerful attorney Simon Adams to escape financial ruin, Racheal is forced into a mansion she wants no part of.
What she didn't expect was the nightmare waiting at the top of the stairs- Thane Adams, her new stepbrother. The same sinfully irresistible stranger she had a reckless, heartbreak-fueled hookup with the night she caught her boyfriend, Raymond cheating.
What begins as tension and denial soon becomes a desire neither of them can control. But in a house full of secrets, lies, hidden agendas, and a father who will ruin anyone who threatens his legacy and reputation... falling for each other isn't just forbidden. It's dangerous. A love born in the dark may cost them everything, even their family, their future, and each other.
9.2
In LA's Business world, Zane Calloway, thirty, turns cartel king after his father's gruesome murder, ruling The Atlas Group with a bloody fist. He learned how betrayal could ruin even the biggest empire and was hell bent on keeping Atlas Group. However when Sienna Carter, his new assistant got in the picture, he threw caution to the wind. To become the only one controlling the cartel, he would use Sienna who was a supposedly ghost from a dead cartel as bait for his enemies. Sienna Carter made his mission become even more complicated as she ignites a dangerous sparks in him. Twenty-five year old Sienna Carter just wanted to stay alive, running away from danger had been the only thing she was capable of since her family were murdered. All she had as a semblance of her old life was the locket her dying father had given her and when a new job pops up in Los Angeles, she gambled for it, hoping for her sake that it wouldn't lead her straight to the same hell she was running from.
However, she would soon realize that the Atlas Groups was going to be more than just a survival decision but the key to everything.
8.5
"Oh. God, Eli, please! I'm not on the pills," I gasped, my fingers clawing at his shoulders.
"With a pussy as sweet as that?" he growled against my neck. "Jett was the loser. I'm not. I'm gonna fuck this pussy till the end. Afraid you're gonna have my child?"
My head dropped as a shudder ripped through me. "You're crazy!"
His voice dropped to a whisper. "You're mine now. My woman. And I'm gonna fuck you until this pretty body of yours only knows me."
---
Rowanne Steele thought she had it all. A perfect marriage to Jett Carter, heir to the Carter empire, and a future filled with love. But when Jett dies in a tragic car crash, her world shatters. Her mourning days aren't over, still clinging to his memory, drowning in grief and loyalty to the man she thought she knew.
Until one night, a hidden truth rises from his belongings and everything Rowanne believed about her husband was a lie.
Lost and heartbroken, she runs into the only arms that feel safe, Eli Carter, Jett's younger brother.
What begins as a moment of comfort in the rain turns into a mistake neither of them can forget. A mistake that feels far too much like fate.
Rowanne swears it can't happen again. Eli refuses to let go. Whether forbidden or not, he's determined to claim her. And this time, he won't lose.
8.8
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?
8.3
He wants to save her. She wants to hide.
She's damaged. He's determined.
Fate brought them together. Love binds them.
Johnny Kavanagh is the definition of popular. He is an all-star rugby player with loads of friends, which means he should be enjoying the many perks of his life. But what people don't know is that he has been dealing with a painful injury that could halt the magnificent trajectory of his career. This means he has no time for distractions or mistakes. Especially not a girlfriend.
Shannon Lynch has been bullied all her life. She is shy and would rather hide herself away to make it through school. But when she arrives at Tommen College for a fresh start, she meets the notorious Johnny Kavanagh on her first day in a not-so-romantic way. What follows is a complicated friendship that turns into undeniable chemistry. It seems that Shannon won't be able to hold onto the anonymous status she once hoped for. But maybe that's alright?
Johnny won't give up on Shannon. No matter what it might cost them both.
7.5
I spent five years laundering my family's wealth and buying military-grade weapons to crown my husband, Alistair, the Don of the Chicago Mafia.
But the night before his coronation, he drove an Italian stiletto into my stomach.
He sneered that a Don needed a true Mafia Queen, and that was always meant to be his "fragile" friend, Kylie.
As I bled out on the Persian rug, he revealed the sickening truth.
The night I was found in a rival Irish boss's bed two years ago wasn't a setup by our enemies. Alistair had ordered his own mother and sister to drug and frame me.
He just needed me terrified enough to sign over my merchant trust fund to prove my loyalty.
My entire marriage, my sacrifices, and my stolen wealth were just stepping stones for him and his mistress.
I had bled for him and won him the city, only to be slaughtered like a sacrificial lamb so he could hand my empire to another woman.
Before the flames I started consumed us both, I swore I'd drag his entire family to hell.
Opening my eyes again, the suffocating smoke was gone, replaced by the scent of lavender and the bitter taste of chloral hydrate.
I was back on the exact night of the frame-up two years ago.
Outside the door, my sister-in-law was whispering, waiting for the Irish boss to arrive so they could ruin me.
This time, I was going to make sure she was the one in that bed.