Love Lost to Illness and Lies
When I was nineteen, during a scorching summer, I left everything behind to run away with Armani. Through tears, young Armani promised he'd never let me down. Seven years later, in the heart of winter, I was diagnosed with cancer while Armani celebrated his childhood friend's birthday. Leaving the hospital, I stepped into the season’s first snowfall, clutching the thin paper with my stomach cancer diagnosis in one hand and my phone in the other, debating whether to call Armani. Our last conversation was still on the screen, dated a week ago. After his childhood friend, Vienna, returned from abroad, we had a big argument and had been giving each other the silent treatment. He barely came home anymore. Staring at my empty contact list, I realized I had no one to turn to. The doctor's words echoed in my mind—I had only a few months left to live. After a long pause, I dialed Armani’s number.
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Chapter 3
When Armani came home that evening, he brought me a necklace. It was the latest design from a high-end brand, very pricey and elegant. Still, it wasn't my style. There was a lingering, sickly-sweet scent of spiced honey cake clinging to him.
"Don't be upset, Mikayla," he said, "I've only ever thought of Vienna as a sister."
Armani grew up in a foster home, and Vienna’s mother ran the place. They grew up together until they were separated when Vienna’s father took her abroad at fifteen.
"Mikayla, you're the one I love the most. Please, believe me, won't you?"
He hugged me from behind, his warm chest radiating a comforting heat. So many times, I had believed him without hesitation. Yet now, I paused.
I took the necklace from him and went to wash up, saying nothing. When I came back, I found Armani lounging on the couch, looking at ease as he chatted on the phone.
"You women just get each other, Vienna. Mikayla really didn't get upset."
"Yeah, Mikayla is amazing in every way, just a bit prone to jealousy. Go easy on her."
I listened quietly to their conversation, clenching my hands until they went pale. When had things between Armani and me changed like this? When did our relationship become a game of deception?
I didn’t know the answer. I glanced at the necklace resting on the vanity and walked over, tossing it into the trash without a second thought.
Stomach pain kept me awake late into the night. I could hear Armani's steady breathing behind me as I tried to stifle my groans. From the corner of my eye, I saw something gleaming. The necklace lay in the trash, casting a faint silver light. Just like my silent tears.
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8.7
I stared at the divorce papers sliding across my mahogany desk, watching them come to rest before me like a death sentence. Except this time, I felt nothing but cold clarity washing through me. This was the sixth time Ryan had demanded a divorce, but today would be different. Today, I wouldn't beg. Across from me sat Lawrence Pritchard, Ryan's attorney, his expression a practiced blend of professional detachment and subtle condescension. The afternoon light filtered through the floor-to-ceiling windows of our Nob Hill penthouse office, casting long shadows across the polished surfaces. Outside, San Francisco continued its bustling pace, unaware that my decade-long marriage was ending in this sterile exchange. "Mrs. Sterling," Lawrence began, his voice carrying the rehearsed sympathy I'd grown to despise, "Mr. Sterling believes this is the best path forward for both parties.
7.9
The Manhattan night air bit at my skin as I patrolled the territory boundary, my boots crunching softly against the frost-covered earth. This was supposed to be a routine check before tomorrow's mate ceremony—the day I would finally become Luna of the Silverfang Pack, Lucca's official mate after years of waiting. But something felt wrong tonight. Lucca had insisted on handling the northern border himself, claiming he needed to 'sort some pack business.' I'd nodded, accepting his explanation as I always did, but something in his voice had been off. Now, as I inhaled deeply, letting the cold air fill my lungs, my enhanced senses caught something that made my blood freeze. Floral. Musk. A scent that didn't belong here—not in our territory, not mingled with the commanding silver-wolf aura that could only be Lucca's. I stopped walking, my hand instinctively pressing my thumb against my wrist where his mark would soon be permanent. The scent was intimate, entwined with his in a way that spoke of proximity, of shared breath, of a connection that went beyond mere presence.
9.7
I'd been married to Ezra for eight years, but we never had a wedding ceremony. Initially, he said weddings were too much hassle and unnecessary. Later, he claimed we were an old married couple and didn't need all the pretense. Yet on our eighth anniversary, he threw a grand coastal wedding for his childhood sweetheart. I watched the video of my husband in a sharp black suit, gently holding his first love. The guests were laughing and celebrating, full of joy and carefree. I glanced at the dinner table in front of me, with food that had been reheated ten times. With a self-deprecating smile, I left a comment under the video: "Wishing you a lifetime of happiness and lots of kids." Then, I called my lawyer. When Ezra returned, I had just finished the call. He looked exhausted, still wearing the suit from the wedding.
8.2
I used to think betrayal would break me quietly. I was wrong. It shattered my world in the most humiliating way possible—finding my husband, Vincent Miller, half-naked in a Paris hotel suite with another woman while I was preparing for the biggest ballet performance of my career.
Then fate delivered an even crueler twist.
The morning after discovering his affair, I learned I was pregnant with the child doctors once told me I could never have. But before I could tell Vincent, he asked me for something unforgivable—to donate my blood to save his pregnant mistress and the baby he claimed was his heir.
That was the moment I realized my marriage had always been a lie.
I signed the divorce papers, buried my heartbreak, and lost my baby in the most devastating way imaginable. Just when I thought I had nothing left, the last person I expected appeared to pull me from the ruins—Joseph Miller, Vincent’s cold, dangerous cousin. The man who had secretly watched me from the shadows for years.
He offered me revenge. Protection. A second chance at the life I lost.
But Joseph has secrets of his own, and the closer I get to him, the more I realize I may have escaped one monster only to fall into the arms of another.
This time, if I give my heart away, there may be nothing left of me to save.
8.3
As the heiress of a prominent family, I fell in love with Kyle Ford, a man from modest beginnings. My parents proposed a challenge: if I hid my true identity and Kyle proposed before my 25th birthday, they would bless our marriage; otherwise, I had to agree to their arranged dates. On the last day of our agreement, I eagerly waited for Kyle's proposal. "Hattie, will you marry me?"
Tears filled my eyes as I was about to extend my hand, only for him to place the ring on another woman’s finger, sparking laughter all around us. With a sneer, he jeered, “How could someone as broke as you think you could land me? It's a pipe dream! Unlike my Ayra, who's classy and sophisticated—we’re a perfect fit.”
What he didn't know was that Ayra Castro, who pretended to be the Griffin heiress, was nothing more than a fraud. I was the real heiress. Pointing to the enormous billboard of superstar Alistair White outside the window, I declared, “Sorry, I'm already engaged to him.”
At my words, everyone froze in disbelief. They only saw me as the clueless girl hopelessly chasing after Kyle Ford.
9.4
Benedykta Rebel, known as Ben to her friends, never imagined that her position as the oldest daughter of a wealthy family in New York would come with such a heavy burden. When her grandfather unexpectedly names her as the CEO of New Way Group, Ben is shocked to learn that there is a catch - she must marry a man of her grandfather's choosing in order to inherit the company.
Furious at the idea of being forced into a loveless marriage, Ben confronts her grandfather, only to be met with indifference. With her family's company on the brink of bankruptcy, Ben realizes that she has no choice but to comply with her grandfather's demands.
Seeking solace and escape from her troubles, Ben finds herself at a night club, where she crosses paths with a mysterious and handsome stranger. Drawn to him in a way she never thought possible, Ben succumbs to a passionate one-night stand, unaware of the consequences that will follow.
But when Ben discovers that the man she shared a fleeting connection with is none other than her future father-in-law, her world is turned upside down. Caught between duty and desire, Ben must navigate the treacherous waters of love and loyalty as she comes face to face with the man who unknowingly stole her heart in a single night.
Family obligations and forbidden love collide.
Will she choose duty and save her family's legacy, or will she risk it all for a chance at true happiness?