LOVE PAINTED IN LIES
Prologue
Some stories begin with love.
Some begin with war.
But theirs began with a promise, one whispered under the fading glow of a streetlamp, sealed with youthful dreams and a future full of light. Neither of them knew how quickly love could twist into something darker... or how far a wounded heart could go just to feel whole again.
This is not a tale
Chapters
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Chapter 11
Mila barely slept.
Every time she closed her eyes, she saw Adrian sitting alone in that small room, his voice breaking as he spoke her name. The thought that he had carried so much alone made her chest ache in a way fear never could.
By morning, she knew one thing.
She had to see him.
School felt distant, unreal. Teachers spoke, bells rang, but Mila moved through it all like a ghost. When the final bell rang, she didn't hesitate. She went straight to the station.
The waiting room smelled like metal and old paper. Mila sat with her hands folded tightly in her lap, rehearsing what she would say, though no words felt strong enough.
When Adrian finally appeared, her breath caught.
He looked tired. Dark circles framed his eyes. But when he saw her, something softened in his expression.
You shouldn't be here he said quietly.
She stood. I'm not leaving.
They were allowed only a few minutes.
They sat across from each other, the space between them filled with things unsaid.
Why didn't you tell me Mila asked.
Adrian looked down. Because I knew you'd blame yourself.
She swallowed. I already do.
He shook his head. This isn't your fault.
Then why does it feel like everything keeps breaking around me.
Because someone wants it that way he replied.
She leaned forward. What were you hiding Adrian.
He hesitated, then spoke.
Lena didn't just blame you. She blamed me. She thought I made you pull away from her. She thought I stole you.
Mila's heart tightened. You didn't steal me.
I know he said softly. But obsession doesn't need truth.
She reached for his hand, ignoring the rules. The moment their fingers touched, it felt like coming home.
I love you Mila whispered.
Adrian froze.
Then he closed his eyes.
I love you too.
The words were quiet but heavy. Honest. Terrifying.
A guard cleared his throat, reminding them time was almost up.
Adrian squeezed her hand. Promise me something.
What.
No matter what comes out, no matter what you hear, don't doubt what we are.
Mila nodded, tears threatening. I promise.
That evening, everything unraveled.
Mila returned home to find her mother waiting, worry etched deep into her face.
We need to talk she said.
Mila's stomach dropped.
The police were here earlier.
About Adrian.
Mila sat slowly. What did they say.
Her mother hesitated. They believe he's been protecting someone.
Mila's heart raced. Protecting who.
They think he knew Lena better than he admitted.
The room felt too small.
That can't be true Mila said. He wouldn't lie to me.
Her mother sighed. I hope you're right.
Later that night, Mila's phone buzzed again.
This time, it was a link.
A post from an anonymous account.
Screenshots.
Messages between Lena and someone saved as A.
The words blurred as Mila read.
You don't need to scare her yet
Let her breathe
She'll come back to me eventually
Her chest tightened.
The timestamps were months old.
Her phone slipped from her hand.
A tear slid down her cheek.
Was it possible.
Had Adrian known more than he'd said.
Another message followed.
Do you still trust him
Or does love make you blind
Mila pressed her palms to her face.
This was Lena's game. She knew exactly how to twist doubt into pain.
But doubt was powerful.
At school the next day, the rumors exploded.
People whispered openly now.
They say Adrian helped her
They say he lied to the police
They say Mila knew everything
Mila walked through it all with her head high, but inside she was unraveling.
Ethan approached her again, hesitant.
You saw the messages didn't you.
Mila nodded slowly.
I don't know what to believe anymore she said.
Ethan swallowed. I think Lena manipulated him. The way she did me.
Mila looked at him sharply. You still think that excuses betrayal.
No he said. I think it explains it.
That afternoon, Mila was called into the principal's office.
The air felt heavy.
We need to ask you a few questions the officer said calmly.
About Adrian.
Mila answered carefully, truthfully. But each question felt like a crack in her chest.
When she left, she felt hollow.
That night, Mila sat on her bed staring at her phone.
Adrian hadn't replied all day.
She typed slowly.
Did you talk to Lena before everything happened.
Minutes passed.
Then the reply came.
Yes.
Her breath caught.
Why didn't you tell me.
Because I thought I could control it.
I thought if I stayed calm, she'd let go.
Mila closed her eyes.
You lied.
I protected you he replied. Or at least I tried.
Tears slipped down her face.
Love doesn't get to decide what the truth is she typed.
A pause.
Then.
I know.
And I'm sorry.
Outside, rain began to fall.
Mila hugged her knees to her chest.
She loved him.
But love was no longer safe.
Her phone buzzed one last time.
A message from an unknown number.
He chose to lie.
Now you get to choose too.
Mila stared at the screen, heart racing.
Trust.
Or walk away.
And for the first time, she didn't know which choice would hurt more.
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7.7
The Cameron family clinic smelled like lemon polish and impending death. For three years, I'd been a vessel in a cold, forced marriage to Underboss Kade Cameron. But today, the doctor's words would shatter everything.
"No heartbeat," Dr. Finch declared, then, "Stage IV gastric cancer. Terminal." A double death sentence. As the world tilted, a news alert flashed: Kade, my husband, parading his mistress, Carla Shaw, across Europe-"a love that defies family lines."
Dying and carrying his dead child, I overheard nurses gossip Kade wanted me gone for his "true love." I chose to feel the D&C agony, cleansing him from my soul. Stumbling out, Kade accused me of killing his child, then rushed Carla, feigning illness, to OB/GYN, ignoring my bleeding and dying state.
Back at the mansion, I vomited blood, my body failing. Kade watched with disgust, dismissing my terminal diagnosis as a "performance." He called me "collateral," a "debt payment," then left me for his mistress. The last shred of loyalty shattered, replaced by chilling clarity.
I signed the divorce papers he dismissed as a "tantrum," leaving his ring. No longer a Cameron, no longer his possession. With Fluffy, I made one call, choosing to die on my own terms, finally free.
8.4
"How can you smile like that when neither of your fathers are here at your own wedding reception?" Pond asked, eyeing Dunk, who stood in the gallery, smiling towards his newly-wedded husband.
Dunk's smile didn't waver, but his eyes darkened. He turned to Pond, voice sharp, "Do you think I don't care? That I'd go against them on purpose?"
Pond responded without hesitation, "Aren't you doing exactly that?"
"No, I'm not," Dunk snapped. His voice dropped lower, colder. "I'm standing here for my pride-the same pride he crushed. I'm not a child who goes crying to his parents. He destroyed me, P'Pond. Now it's my turn. I'm going to destroy his life-completely."
Pond looked shaken. "You can't marry someone for revenge, Dunk. I told you-I'm here for you. I'll never let anyone from the Guthithanan family hurt you again."
Dunk's voice cracked as he exploded, "But he crossed the line that night!" He scanned the room and quickly pulled Pond into a quieter corner.
His voice was low and furious. "He shattered everything I had. And now, with this marriage, I'm going to make him live with the consequences. He's trapped with me now-forever. I won't let him walk away so easily."
His gaze flicked across the room-directly to Joong, who stood beside Sarawat, calmly speaking to a business partner. Joong caught Dunk's stare and instinctively looked his way.
Dunk raised his champagne glass with a mocking smile. A toast to war.
Joong clenched his jaw, returning the gesture coolly-but his burning eyes slid to Pond, full of rage and warning.
7.1
"You broke the first rule, Princess. That means I get to take something from you. I'll start with this," he said, tugging at my panties and a needy throb ran straight through my core.
"Kyren, don't," I tried but it was to no avail.
He roughly pulled at the flimsy material, covering my most intimate part. The sound of lace ripping, filled the room. And the cool air from the AC bit into my exposed skin.
His hands slid up my back. He unclasped my bra with ease and it soundlessly dropped to the floor. His gaze raked over my trembling form with a satisfied hunger.
"You're not a cheerleader tonight. You're just mine. And I'm going to spend the next few hours showing you exactly what happens when you break my rules," he stated, before pushing my legs wide open with his knee.
××
Hailey thought she could handle the "Ice King." She thought she could seduce him, win the bet, and walk away with her heart intact. But Kyren sees right through her games. He doesn't want her seduction, he wants her submission.
As the lines between a dare and reality blur, Hailey finds herself trapped between her father's expectations and a man who wants to claim every inch of her. In a game where the rules keep changing, Hailey is about to learn that the Ice King doesn't just freeze people out... he burns them down.
9.3
They call Dante Moretti the ruthless and heartless mafia boss. Seven years ago, he made a
deal with Elara Vance. But he used her, broke her, and planned to send her to a medical facility
after she produces an heir.
Scared for her life, Elara ran away. Now, an entirely different person has returned to New York.
She doesn't want his money, and she certainly doesn't want his heart, unless it's on her
operating table.
The girl he destroyed is dead. The woman who replaced her is the only one who can keep him
alive. He's dying for a second chance, but he's just waiting for the first cut.
7.7
Five years of war, three peace summits. One rule that never changed. Ray Carter and Levi Morgan stay on opposite sides, until the night fate decides otherwise. Ray feels nothing, rules everything and answers to no one. He built his empire on control and his reputation on fear, and he has never once lost either.
Then Levi walks into the room. His enemy, his rival. The heir of the pack that took everything from him, his mate. One bond, two men on opposite sides of a war neither of them started. Laws older than their bloodlines demand they reject each other, walk away, and pretend it never happened. But the bond doesn't care about laws and neither, it turns out, does Ray. Someone already knows their secret and someone who has been waiting for exactly this moment.
The question isn't whether Ray and Levi can survive each other. It's whether either of them will survive what's coming and who exactly wants them to find out the hard way?
9.4
I was the daughter of a defeated Alpha, kneeling as a broken war spoil before the ruthless Lycan King, Kaelen Varg.
Through a twisted misunderstanding with a spiked drink, the tyrant lost control. But when he attacked me, an impossible spark ignited between us. His inner wolf roared in triumph, recognizing me as his fated Mate, and he claimed me in the heat of the night.
But the next morning, he woke up with another woman's name on his lips. Realizing he had surrendered to a lowly tribute, his eyes filled with absolute, violent loathing. To erase the humiliation of our bond, he shoved me to the floor like garbage.
"Take her to the Barrens. Leave her there. Make sure she never comes back."
His Beta dragged me to a sealed, sun-baked wasteland crawling with mutated beasts. They clamped silver cuffs onto my wrists, searing my flesh and suppressing my wolf, leaving me to die a slow, agonizing death.
I lay in the scorching dirt, the silver burning into my bones. I couldn't understand how a fated Mate could be so merciless. Why was my life worth less than his twisted pride? Why did I have to be fed to monsters just so he could keep his throne spotless?
The cold rage in my core solidified into a diamond-hard resolve. I forced my bleeding body to stand in the desolate wasteland. I will not die here. I will survive, and I will live to see his kingdom burn.