From The Background Wife To His Unreachable Memory
For ten quiet years, Verena carried feelings for Brayden that she never revealed, while everyone knew his heart belonged to another woman.
Three years ago, a financial crisis forced her into an arranged marriage with him to save her family's business.
During those years, his cold distance slowly wore down her devotion until nothing remained.
When news came that the woman he truly loved had returned, Verena chose to end the marriage. She walked away and cut him out of her life.
Only then did regret consume him. "Verena, come back to me."
Unfortunately, it was too late.
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Chapter 4
Verena headed back to the Jones family estate.
She had thought her parents and her brother would be home, yet when she stepped inside, only her brother, Vince Jones, remained.
Looking around, she frowned and called out, "Vince, why are you the only one here?"
The moment he heard her voice, Vince went still. Once he recognized it, he hurried over to her. "Rena, you're back? Why didn't you tell me ahead of time? I would've gone to pick you up," he said.
Even though she had tried to keep herself composed on the way here, the redness in her eyes gave her away.
As he recalled what he had learned earlier that day, a trace of sympathy crossed his gaze. Without saying much, he reached out and pulled her into his arms. "Rena, what happened? Just tell me. I'll take care of it."
Those words hit Verena harder than she expected, and the calm she had been forcing slipped away in an instant.
Her body gave in as she leaned into Vince, and tears kept streaming down without pause.
"Vince..."
The sound of her voice tightened something in him, and a shadow settled over his eyes.
All these years, he had known exactly what she had gone through.
Guilt sat heavy on Vince, and it only grew stronger when he thought about how the Jones family had needed that marriage with the Hughes family to get through their crisis.
"I've already made up my mind. I'm filing for divorce from Brayden."
For a brief moment, Vince just stood there. Then something bright flickered in his eyes, and he leaned forward slightly. "You're serious about this? You're really going through with it?"
Verena gave a firm nod in response.
A smile broke across his face before he could stop it. Lifting his hand, he wiped away the tears on her cheeks, and his voice carried a quiet sense of relief. "No matter what you choose, I'm on your side."
The tension that had been weighing on Verena finally eased. Her shoulders relaxed, and a small smile followed.
Right when she started to speak again, the sharp sound of Vince's phone cut in.
After a few words from the other end, his expression shifted, and the lightness on his face disappeared.
She caught the change at once. Before he could say anything, she spoke first. "If something came up, then go take care of it. I just need some time to rest."
Once he left, the silence in the house felt unbearable to her.
Instead of staying, she walked over to her closet and pulled out a fitted mini dress. After putting it on, she finished with bold makeup, and then headed straight out into the night, leaving the Jones family estate behind.
About thirty minutes later, Verena arrived at a club for drinks.
During all those years of marriage, she had never stepped into a place like this because of Brayden.
Now, she figured it was time to let everything out.
With a slight curl of her lips, she walked inside without hesitation.
Inside the club, lights flashed while people danced wildly to the music.
Curiosity pulled Verena's gaze from one corner to another. The bartender guided her to a quieter spot, and she settled into the seat without hesitation.
One drink turned into several before long. Glass after glass disappeared into her hand, and she kept going as if the alcohol could wash everything away.
Unseen by her, someone stood above on the second floor, watching every move she made.
That person was Brayden.
Shock flickered in his eyes as he stared down at her.
He knew it was his wife, yet the woman downstairs looked nothing like the calm and composed Verena he remembered.
His gaze stayed locked on her, and he did not look away even for a moment.
Only when he noticed how much she had already drunk did his expression tighten. Without another thought, he got to his feet and headed downstairs.
Back at her table, the weight on Verena's chest mixed with the alcohol, and it hit her fast. She had drunk too quickly, and now the dizziness was starting to take over.
In her hand, the glass tilted slightly as she gave it a slow shake.
Amber liquid rolled along the sides, and the ice knocked against the glass with a soft, crisp sound.
Each sip burned on the way down, yet all she could feel was sorrow. It reminded her of every time Brayden had walked away from her without looking back.
People nearby had already taken notice of her. Among them, one man stepped forward while the others kept their distance.
The seat beside her dipped as he sat down.
Confusion crossed her face, and Verena turned toward the man with unfocused eyes. A faint shine lingered on her lips, catching the shifting lights around them.
"Who... who are you?" she asked, her voice unsteady.
Timothy Fuller did not look away. He kept his eyes on her, and then spoke after a short pause. "It's me, Verena."
Something about his voice and the shape of his face tugged at her memory.
Her head felt heavy, so Verena shook it slowly.
Her hand rose on its own, and her finger touched Timothy's cheek. She looked at him for a second, and then let out a quiet laugh. "You look pretty good. But why do you look like that idiot Timothy Fuller?"
Timothy had grown up in privilege, and his childhood had been tied closely with both her and Brayden.
Back then, the three of them had always been together. After she married Brayden, Timothy had vanished from her life, and she barely saw him again.
Because of that, his face had faded from her memory over time.
A quiet breath left Timothy as he looked at her in that state, yet he chose not to say anything.
Not far away, Brayden had just reached the lower floor when he caught sight of them.
A strange mix of emotions rose in him all at once, unfamiliar and hard to name.
He had no idea Timothy was back.
Seeing Timothy there stirred something in Brayden, and memories from their childhood came back to him.
For a brief moment, his face relaxed.
Right when Brayden started moving toward them, he stopped in his tracks. Verena had already wrapped her arms around Timothy.
Anyone could see how close they were, and it didn't look right at all. But she didn't seem to notice anything.
Her eyes looked unfocused, and she reached up again, tapping his cheek like she was testing if he was real.
"Come home with me. I... I can take care of you," Verena said, her words dragging.
That caught Timothy off guard. His eyes widened, and his face turned red right away.
He kept one arm around her to steady her so she wouldn't fall, and then lowered his voice. "Verena, you're drunk."
She didn't seem sure herself. Blinking a few times didn't help. Everything still looked unclear.
"I'm not drunk," she said, trying hard to sound serious.
Seeing her act like that made Timothy sigh quietly. "Alright, fine. You're not drunk. Just sit down first, okay?"
Timothy tried to ease her back into her seat, but before he could get her settled, Brayden had already walked over.
His expression didn't hide his annoyance at all, and his eyes locked onto Verena.
"What do you think you're doing, Verena?" he said.
Timothy didn't expect to run into him here.
He froze for a second, something complicated flashing in his eyes, and then finally spoke. "Didn't think I'd see you here, Brayden."
Brayden gave a small nod, but his gaze stayed on her the whole time.
When she heard her name, Verena slowly looked up.
The moment she saw Brayden, she pulled her eyes away like she didn't recognize him at all.
"Verena!" Brayden said, clearly caught off guard. His face turned cold right after. He reached out, grabbed her wrist, and forced her to face him.
"Brayden, take it easy. She's drunk," Timothy said as he stepped in when he saw her frown, his tone carrying a hint of irritation.
Brayden didn't care.
Standing closer now, he finally noticed what Verena was wearing.
The dress hugged her body closely.
His eyes moved lower for a second, and his expression darkened.
Without saying anything else, he took off his coat and wrapped it around her. "You're coming home with me."
A sudden lift caught Verena off guard, and she instinctively looped her arms around Brayden's neck.
Their eyes locked.
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7.3
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.
8.3
In the fifth year of Irene Shaw's marriage to Ethan Hart, he was involved in a car accident and lost his memory.
No matter how she tried to prove that they had once loved each other, Ethan still insisted on a divorce.
His reasoning was hard to refute. "If I really loved you as much as you claim, how could I forget you?"
The childhood sweetheart who had once cut him off without hesitation had now become his sole emotional anchor.
He looked at Irene coldly. "Since you know this is a mistake, why not end it cleanly?"
The hands that had once refused to let her go now recoiled from even her lightest touch.
Disheartened and exhausted, Irene signed her name and pushed him completely out of her life.
Not long after, Ethan stopped her in the rain, his eyes red from crying.
"Irene, don't leave me. You said I'd never lose you."
As the car window slid shut, the arm around her waist tightened instinctively, and someone spoke before she could. "Drive on. Irene said she doesn't know him."
She lowered her gaze, feeling a serene detachment, "I really don't know him."
9.2
I died as the "Queen," an elite assassin who leveled criminal syndicates, only to wake up in a damp trailer smelling of rot and stale tobacco. My new body belonged to Arleen Brewer, a malnourished teenager with a failing heart and a life defined by systemic poverty.
A flickering blue light in my mind identified itself as a System, offering a devil's bargain: survive this life, and I could resurrect my dead brother, Dusty. To earn his return, I had to endure my alcoholic stepfather’s rage and a body so weak it struggled to even stand.
At my elite prep school, the rich kids treated me like a walking corpse, covering my desk in trash and mocking my heart condition. Even my fiancé, Shen Wenyu, publicly branded me as "unstable" and stood by while the school's golden boy tried to humiliate me.
They expected me to wither away, but they didn't realize a wolf was now wearing the sheep's skin. I shattered the bully’s nose with a metal tray and tore up my engagement contract in front of a stunned auditorium, only to be met with immediate threats of lawsuits and expulsion.
I didn't understand how the original Arleen survived this suffocating injustice without breaking, but as the Queen, I was ready to turn this school into a war zone.
Then Hale Clemons, the most dangerous man in the city, cornered me outside the principal's office. He saw through my mask, realizing his very presence was the only thing keeping my failing heart from stopping.
"I’m not buying your loyalty," he said, handing me a gold-embossed card. "I’m investing in a weapon."
I took the deal, ready to use his power to bring my brother back and bury everyone who ever looked down on Arleen Brewer.
8.6
I found the instruction manual for my own abandonment on a dark web forum while my husband scrubbed the scent of another woman from his skin in the bathroom.
The thread was titled "Burden Disposal Strategies."
The user, RatKing88, asked a simple question:
"How do I dump a loyal wife without triggering a war with the old guard? My parents love her more than me."
The replies were brutal. They suggested faking a dangerous mission, forcing a paper divorce for 'asset protection,' and then disappearing with the cash.
Moments later, Luca walked out of the bathroom smelling of cheap vanilla perfume and panic.
He grabbed my hands, his palms sweating, and spun a clumsy lie about a "Code Red" mission in Sicily.
"It is going to be a bloodbath, Sienna," he whispered, his eyes wide with manic energy. "We need to divorce on paper. It is the only way to protect you from the vendettas."
I felt a cold rage settle in my gut.
He wasn't a soldier going to war. He was a rat running off with his mistress and the family savings, leaving his stroke-ridden father and our daughter with nothing.
He planned to wait for his parents to die so he could return for the inheritance.
He thought I was just a naive, caged canary who would wait forever.
But he forgot that canaries are the first to smell poison in the air.
I didn't scream. I didn't expose him.
Instead, I looked him in the eye with carefully manufactured sorrow and signed the papers.
He thought he was escaping to freedom with a bag full of stolen cash.
He didn't realize he had just voluntarily abdicated his throne.
And I was going to take it.
9.4
Vera thought her life was over the moment she caught her fiancee cheating with his ex.
Broken and filled with pain, she is approached by a billionaire who presents a simple contract to her. Let's get married.
Sylas Gold is the man admired by the entire world. He is untouchable, powerful and incredibly controlled. Their marriage was supposed to be a contract. A performance. It was a way for both of them to win.
When Vera is kidnapped by a man who looks at her like she's already his, she learns the truth Sylas never told her, about his mafia empire, the blood, and the brother who was supposed to be gone.
Cassian Gold is the man who wants everything his brother has, including Vera.
Now caught between two brothers bound by hatred, power, and obsession, Vera must decide who to trust in a world where love is dangerous, loyalty is fragile, and desire might just be her downfall.
8.4
She was the daughter they lost. Now she's the daughter they're willing to sell.
Emma spent eighteen years as a forgotten girl in a forgotten village, until the day her wealthy biological family came to claim her. But her homecoming is no fairytale. Her place has already been taken by Fiona, the perfect adopted sister who sees Emma as nothing but a threat. And her parents? They didn't bring her back out of love. They brought her back to sign a contract.
Alex Hawthorne is the billionaire heir to the most powerful empire in the city, a genius reduced to a wheelchair after a mysterious accident. The world sees him as broken. His family sees him as a bargaining chip. When the Hawthornes demand a bride from the Williams family, Emma is offered up as the sacrifice.
The contract is simple: one year of marriage, and she walks away with enough money to disappear forever.
But no one knows who they're really dealing with.
They see a quiet country girl who doesn't belong. They don't know she's the secret protégé of a world-famous jewelry designer. They don't know she's the anonymous street racer who conquered every mountain road before she ever saw a city street. They don't know she entered an elite academy with the lowest score and rose to the top in a single semester because Emma never forgets anything.
And Alex? He knows none of this.
To him, she's just the contract bride. The quiet stand-in who agreed to a business transaction. He makes her a deal: play the part, and he'll sign the divorce papers when the year is up.
Until their wedding night, when he leans close with a teasing smirk and says, "If you want to give me a child in ten months, you will have to be on top."
She looks him straight in the eye, her lips curving into the faintest smile.
"Fine. But keep still, or I might accidentally tell everyone your legs work just fine."
He says nothing.
Three months later, the billionaire who once pitied his quiet bride cannot go a single day without her. Because every time he thinks he has figured her out, she surprises him all over again.
But in a world of gilded cages and hidden daggers, their marriage is built on a contract and the biggest clause hasn't been revealed yet.
He thinks he bought a pawn.
She's about to show him she's the queen.
And when the contract ends, one of them will break.