Longing Beneath the Ashes

The day she learned Benjamin had been in a car accident, Laura rushed to the hospital to donate blood for him. When she reached his room, she found Benjamin—who was supposed to be unconscious—locked in a passionate kiss with his widowed sister-in-law. "Jessica," he murmured against her lips, his voice thick. "I've waited ten years. I *will* make you mine, openly and without shame." Laura stood frozen in the doorway, staring in disbelief. The man in the hospital bed showed no sign of injury. A string of prayer beads slid through his fingers, a stark contrast to the scene before her. Beside the bed, Jessica stood with flushed cheeks, her lips swollen and glistening. "Let her come in," Benjamin said, his voice low. "I'll tell her I've lost my memory. That you were the one who cared for me, that I owe you. I'll take care of you both. I'll make sure you're both provided for." Jessica nodded, her blush deepening. From the hallway, Laura felt as if she'd been plunged into an icy lake. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Benjamin—the man everyone saw as an ascetic, serene, with brows like ink strokes and eyes like deep pools, seemingly untouched by worldly desire. This man had been harboring such a filthy secret for his own brother's wife. All of it—his devotion to Buddhist practice, his renunciation, his strict discipline, even his marriage to *her*—had been nothing but a smokescreen to hide his forbidden longing. Inside the room, the two were leaning in for another kiss when the door swung open. Silence fell. Benjamin's face instantly smoothed into its usual detached mask. Jessica, however, still wore a telltale flush as she stood coyly by the bedside.

Chapters

Chapter 3

Laura’s head still spun, heavy and dizzy from blood loss. Before she could react, Benjamin had already scooped her up and deposited her into the car.

Jessica slid in after them, her expression faintly dissatisfied.

At the exhibition hall, Benjamin called his assistant to arrange a change of clothes. None of the gowns presented to Laura fit. In the end, she chose a sleek red evening dress—simple, without elaborate designs or diamond embellishments, yet it accentuated her fair skin with a unique, understated elegance.

Benjamin hated when she wore bright, eye-catching colors, but he’d also forgotten her size. So why wear ill-fitting clothes for someone who no longer mattered?

Once changed, Laura emerged just in time to see Jessica clinging affectionately to Benjamin’s arm—a picture-perfect couple.

"All of these were custom-made for you, Jessica," he said. "This is your first event like this with me. I’ll make sure all eyes are on you."

Jessica wore a handcrafted, midnight-blue gown studded with shimmering gemstones, instantly drawing every gaze in the room. Benjamin moved through the crowd with her, chatting and laughing with the social elite, his wife completely forgotten.

Watching their retreating backs, a wave of bleak despair washed over Laura. Already weakened from blood loss, every step required immense effort just to keep upright.

The auction began. For any lot that held Jessica’s gaze a moment too long, Benjamin immediately raised his paddle.

"Jessica, I’ll buy you anything you like," he announced. "Consider it an engagement present—to make up for not giving you a proper wedding."

Jessica looked genuinely moved. "Benjamin, just being with you is enough."

Even Laura, her heart long turned to ash, felt a wave of nausea at the sight.

This was the man she’d been married to for a decade. The man she’d loved for over ten years.

She shook her head. Benjamin hadn’t brought her here for compensation. He’d brought her to announce to the world that he intended to keep both women.

The aloof gentleman had shown his true colors—vulgar through and through.

"Wow, Benjamin's been sweeping the auction floor for her," someone murmured. "Nothing compares to the lady on his arm, does it?"

Whispers filled the room. Jessica’s cheeks flushed a coy pink at the comments, and Benjamin leaned in to tease her softly.

During the intermission, old family friends and gathered socialites toasted Jessica, their flattery a public slap in the face to the real Mrs. Benjamin.

Laura retreated from the noise. She hadn’t eaten since the hospital, and after having blood drawn far beyond her limit, she was desperate. All she wanted was to find the dessert display, to get some food and replenish her energy.

Noticing this, Jessica extricated herself from her circle and drifted toward the pastry table.

"Hungry, dear?" she asked sweetly. "One doesn't usually graze at events like this."

Laura ignored the deliberate provocation and tried to move away, but Jessica suddenly seized her wrist in a vice-like grip.

*Crash—* The plate in Laura’s hands hit the floor. Every eye in the room snapped toward them.

Tears welled in Jessica’s eyes, a picture of wounded innocence, while Benjamin frowned, his displeasure fixed on the shattered plate as he strode over.

"Benjamin, I was just trying to check on her, and she—"

He shot Laura a dark look, then suddenly increased the pressure on her shoulder—a silent warning not to make trouble.

But Laura, already struggling to stand, couldn’t brace against the sudden force. She stumbled backward.

She fell hard, her body crashing into the champagne and dessert display behind her. Bottles toppled, liquor splashed, pastries scattered, and Laura went down amidst the chaos. The red silk of her gown tore from the brutal friction against the floor.

Worst of all, shards from a broken bottle sliced into her exposed skin. Blood mingled with spilled alcohol and debris—a picture of utter wretchedness.

Benjamin had pulled Jessica clear the moment the display began to fall. Now, he was murmuring soft comforts to his ‘frightened’ lover.

All eyes were on Laura, disgraced and sprawled on the floor. Their gazes held mockery, disdain, and a flicker of concern. The whispers erupted.

"Domestic troubles for the Benjamins, it seems."

"She's still from a good family. How did she end up such a pathetic mess?"

"Oh my god—she's bleeding so much. Is she going to die?"

Continue to next part

The dinner I made is cold by the time Ryder walks through the door. I hear his key in the lock at nine-forty-seven — I know because I've been watching the microwave clock the way you watch a wound, waiting to see if it stops bleeding. The pasta has gone stiff in the pot. The candles I lit two hours ago have burned down to waxy stumps, and I've already blown them out and moved them to the counter so he won't see that I bothered. He looks like he's been in a car accident. That's the first thing I notice — not the lateness, not the fact that he didn't call. His face has that particular blankness that comes after shock, the kind where the features are all present but nothing behind them is working right. He's still in his coat. "Greta." He says my name like it's a question. "Sit down," I say.

Modern Romance

8.7

Choosing The Forgotten, Finding My King

8.7

For five years, I was blindly devoted to my fiancé, Austen Griffin. My family's power was the only reason he was about to be named heir to the entire Griffin fortune. But on the night of the announcement, he arrived late with my sister, Dennie, a fresh hickey on his neck. He cornered me, demanding a prenuptial agreement. "No shared accounts. No shared bedroom. And no questions about my life," he whispered. "You get the name, I get my freedom." In my past life, their public betrayal broke me. He used my love to secure his power, then cast me aside, leaving me to die alone while he and my sister enjoyed the fortune I handed them. But when I opened my eyes, I was back at the gala, moments before the decision. This time, when the family patriarch asked me to name my choice, I looked past Austen' s triumphant smirk and smiled. "I choose Kolton Griffin," I announced, my voice clear and cold, selecting the crippled, forgotten cousin he despised most.

Billionaire Modern Romance

7.9

Contract Marriage: The CEO's Silent Shield

7.9

Aunt Lydia told me that if I didn't secure the loan shark Mr. Jareth tonight, I’d be sleeping on the street. I stood outside the brass doors of the restaurant, my lungs refusing to expand, my hands shaking so violently that my gray wool skirt blurred in my vision. I was supposed to sell my soul to a monster to pay off my family’s debts. But when I sat down at Table 12, I didn't find a man in a leather jacket smelling of stale beer. Instead, I found a man in a bespoke suit who smelled of cedarwood and cold winter air, a man who looked at me like a specimen under a microscope. "Sit down," he commanded, his voice a deep rumble that vibrated in my chest. Before I could realize I was at the wrong table, he had already signaled the staff to throw the real loan shark out into the street. Then, he slid a blank black card across the table and offered me a deal: a marriage of convenience to satisfy his board of directors in exchange for my total protection. I signed the contract and moved into a penthouse he claimed belonged to his "boss," trying to play the part of the quiet, broken wife. But the lies were too loud to ignore. He called a half-million-dollar bottle of wine a "Costco blend" and claimed his $4 million Patek Philippe watch was a cheap replica. He thought he was protecting a helpless, mute girl, but he had no idea who I really was. I didn't understand why this "manager" had the police commissioner on speed dial or why he was tracking my every move with hidden cameras. While he was busy playing the savior, I was secretly logging onto the dark web as "The Surgeon," the only medical genius capable of treating the chronic, agonizing migraines he kept hidden from the world. The truth finally exploded when the loan shark cornered us at my aunt’s estate. As I held a corkscrew to a killer’s throat with surgical precision, I saw the mask slip from my husband’s face. I realized then that I hadn't just married a businessman—I had married the most dangerous man in New York, and he was currently wiring thousands of dollars to me to save his life.

Billionaire Modern Romance

9.1

His Betrayed Mate Is A Famous Healer

9.1

What if the mate you waited for two years chooses your sister as his luna instead of you? Would you agree to be his mistress like he wanted? This was Annette's fate. Being the unloved daughter of the family, mistreated and bullied wasn't enough. Now her mate called her 'useless' and wasted her two years of hope. Be the alpha's mistress or the prime minister's seventh wife... Annette chose none and escaped from the pack. When she becomes the famous healer in the lycan clan and all over the world, then crosses paths with the mate who betrayed her, what would be her fate? Will she accept back the mate who had searched for her for over a year, or finally end their matebond?

Modern Romance Werewolf

9.5

Husband's Affair & Hidden Daughter

9.5

The September sun bathed Seattle in golden light as I checked my watch and quickened my pace. I had just enough time to grab coffee before my afternoon meeting with the Richardson Enterprises marketing team. My husband Darius had been unusually busy this week, claiming a series of emergency client meetings that kept him working late. I'd learned to accept his demanding schedule—it was part of being married to one of Seattle's most promising business executives. The downtown streets hummed with midday energy as I approached The Daily Grind, my favorite coffee shop. Its large windows offered a perfect view of the park across the street, where Little Sunshine Daycare had set up what appeared to be a birthday celebration in their outdoor play area. Children's laughter carried through the air, bringing an involuntary smile to my face. I ordered my usual latte and found a seat by the window, absently watching the colorful party. A little girl in a pink princess dress stood at the center of attention, her dark curls bouncing as she jumped with excitement. Something about her seemed oddly familiar, though I couldn't place why.

Billionaire Modern Romance

9.1

I Never Should Have Let My Ex Walk Away

9.1

Emma had spent five years trying to forget the one man who broke her heart-David. She thought she had moved on, built her life, and healed. But fate had other plans. One unexpected afternoon, he appeared at her doorstep, claiming he had changed, claiming he never stopped loving her. Furious, betrayed, and confused, Emma had no idea if she should slam the door... or let him in. Everyone warned her: David had walked away once-why trust him again? But when he looked at her with the same intensity she remembered, every doubt melted... and every buried feeling surged back. Just when Emma thought she could resist, secrets from their past resurfaced, a mysterious warning threatened her safety, and David's return stirred more than just old memories. Could she give love a second chance... or would trusting him again be the biggest mistake of her life?

Modern Mystery Romance

Longing Beneath the Ashes

Chapter 3

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