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 12
Mila did not reply.
She stared at the last message on her phone until the screen dimmed, then went dark. Trust or walk away. The words echoed in her head like a dare. Lena knew exactly what she was doing. She wasn't just attacking Mila's safety anymore. She was attacking her heart.
The next morning, Mila woke up with a strange calm.
Not peace. Resolve.
If Lena wanted a choice, Mila would give her one. But not the ending she expected.
At school, Mila felt eyes on her everywhere. Not curious eyes. Judging ones. People whispered freely now, no longer bothering to lower their voices.
She ignored them.
In the hallway, Ethan tried to stop her.
Mila wait.
She kept walking.
Please he said. I need to tell you something.
She stopped but didn't turn around. You've told me enough already.
This is different Ethan said urgently. It's about Lena. And Adrian.
That made her face him.
What.
Ethan swallowed hard. Lena contacted me again last night.
Mila's heart tightened. Why would you answer.
Because she said she was scared. And because I wanted proof.
He pulled out his phone and showed her a voice recording.
Lena's voice filled the air, calm but sharp.
He promised he wouldn't tell you.
He said he could keep things quiet until I was ready.
He always chooses you over the truth.
Mila felt like the ground dropped beneath her.
Is this real she whispered.
Ethan nodded. I didn't edit it. I swear.
Mila's chest burned. So Adrian really did hide things. Not just from the police. From her.
That afternoon, Mila skipped her last class.
She went somewhere she hadn't been in a long time. The old football field bleachers. The place where she and Adrian used to talk for hours, dreaming about futures that felt far away but possible.
She sat there alone until she heard footsteps.
Adrian stopped a few feet away.
You're avoiding me he said quietly.
She didn't look at him. I needed time.
He nodded slowly. I figured.
Silence stretched between them.
Ethan showed me a recording Mila said.
Adrian stiffened.
You talked to her behind my back.
Adrian exhaled. I talked to her because she wouldn't stop. Because I thought I could handle it.
You thought wrong Mila said, finally turning to him. You don't get to decide what I can handle.
His voice cracked. I was trying to protect you.
You keep saying that like it excuses lying.
He stepped closer. I was scared.
That stopped her.
Scared of what.
Of losing you he admitted. Of you seeing me as part of the mess.
Tears burned in Mila's eyes. You became part of it the moment you hid the truth.
Adrian looked broken. I love you. That's never been a lie.
Mila stood up, heart pounding. Love without honesty is just another kind of control.
That hurt him more than anger would have.
Then Mila's phone buzzed.
A new message.
I see you made your choice.
Meet me tonight.
Alone.
Mila's breath caught.
Adrian saw her face change. What is it.
She slipped her phone into her pocket. Nothing.
But she already knew.
This was it.
That evening, Mila told no one where she was going.
She left her house just as the sun dipped below the horizon. The address Lena sent led her to an abandoned community center on the edge of town. The place looked empty, windows dark, doors peeling with age.
Her heart pounded as she stepped inside.
The air smelled of dust and rust.
Lena stood near the center of the room, arms crossed, smiling like she'd been waiting forever.
You came Lena said softly.
Mila straightened. You wanted me alone. Here I am.
Lena tilted her head. Brave. Or stupid. I haven't decided.
Mila took a step forward. You said I had a choice.
I did Lena replied. And you chose truth over comfort.
Mila clenched her fists. You manipulated everyone around me.
Lena's smile faded. I exposed what was already there.
You hurt people.
Lena laughed bitterly. People hurt me first.
Mila's voice shook. I never meant to hurt you.
But you did Lena snapped. You left. You replaced me. And when I broke, no one stayed.
Mila swallowed. That doesn't give you the right to terrorize me.
Lena stepped closer. No. But it explains why I won't stop.
Suddenly, footsteps echoed outside.
Lena's eyes widened. You lied.
Mila's heart raced.
Adrian rushed in.
I knew you wouldn't come alone he said, breathless.
Lena's face twisted with rage. You always ruin everything.
Police sirens wailed in the distance.
Ethan appeared behind Adrian, guilt etched across his face.
Lena laughed, backing away. You think this is over.
Mila stepped forward. It is.
Lena met her eyes one last time. This story doesn't end here.
Then she ran.
Chaos erupted.
Police flooded the building.
Lena escaped through a side exit.
Later, Mila sat on the curb wrapped in a blanket, shaking. Adrian sat beside her, silent.
You followed me she said.
He nodded. I couldn't lose you.
She looked at him. I need honesty. Always. Or this ends.
He met her gaze. You have it. No more secrets.
Mila leaned her head against his shoulder, exhausted.
Somewhere in the darkness, Lena was still free.
And Mila knew the danger wasn't over.
But neither was she.
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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.