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 6
Morning came too quickly.
Mila barely slept. Every time she closed her eyes, she heard that voice again. Calm. Certain. Like it knew exactly how afraid she was trying not to be. When sunlight finally crept through the curtains of Adrian's apartment, she sat up slowly, pressing her palms into the mattress as if grounding herself.
She was in his guest room. Safe. But nothing felt settled.
She dressed quietly and stepped into the living room. Adrian was already awake, leaning against the counter with a mug in his hand. He looked tired, his eyes shadowed, his posture tense.
Good morning he said softly.
Morning.
For a moment, neither of them spoke. The silence wasn't awkward. It was heavy, filled with things neither of them knew how to say.
I'll take you to school Adrian finally said. Everything will seem normal there.
Normal felt like a strange word now.
The drive was quiet. As the school building came into view, Mila's chest tightened. Students gathered at the gate laughing, talking, living their ordinary lives. It felt unreal that danger could exist so close to something so normal.
Adrian parked and turned to her. Listen to me Mila. Stay around people today. Don't go anywhere alone. If you feel anything is off, you call me immediately.
She nodded. You're coming to school too.
He hesitated. I'll be around.
That wasn't reassuring.
Before she could ask more, a familiar voice called her name.
Mila.
She turned to see Ethan walking toward her. Ethan was in her literature class, quiet but kind, the type who noticed when someone was struggling even if they didn't say it out loud.
Hey he said smiling. I heard you missed rehearsal yesterday.
She forced a smile back. Yeah. Something came up.
Adrian watched them from a short distance, his jaw tightening in a way Mila didn't miss.
We should get inside Ethan said. The bell's about to ring.
As Mila walked away, she felt Adrian's gaze linger on her. Protective. Worried. Something else too. Something unresolved.
The day moved slowly.
In class, Mila struggled to focus. Notes blurred. Words slipped past her without meaning. She felt eyes on her constantly, but whenever she looked up, no one seemed out of place.
At lunch, she sat with Mara and Ethan under the large tree near the sports field. Laughter surrounded them, but Mila barely tasted her food.
You've been quiet Mara said. You sure you're okay.
Mila hesitated then nodded. Just tired.
Ethan leaned closer lowering his voice. If you ever need someone to walk you home or just talk, I'm around.
She smiled softly. Thank you.
Across the yard, Adrian stood with a group of seniors. He wasn't part of the conversation. His attention was on her.
Their eyes met.
For a moment, the world narrowed to just them. The noise faded. The space between them felt charged with things unsaid. Mila's heart beat faster, not with fear this time, but with something familiar. Something she tried to ignore.
She looked away first.
After school, drama club rehearsal ran late. The halls emptied as the sun dipped lower. Mila packed her bag slowly, suddenly aware of how quiet everything had become.
Ethan slung his backpack over his shoulder. Want me to walk you out.
Before she could answer, Adrian appeared at the doorway.
I'm taking her he said simply.
Ethan hesitated, then nodded. See you tomorrow Mila.
She followed Adrian down the hallway. Their footsteps echoed.
You didn't tell me he said quietly.
Tell you what.
That rehearsal ran late.
I didn't know I had to report my schedule to you she replied, sharper than she meant.
He stopped walking. Mila.
She turned to face him. What Adrian.
His voice softened. I worry because I care. Not because I want to control you.
The words hit her harder than she expected.
I didn't ask you to protect me all the time she said. I need to breathe too.
He looked hurt but nodded. I know. I'm trying.
They walked outside together. The sky was painted in soft orange and pink. For a moment, it almost felt like things used to be. Before secrets. Before fear.
They sat on the steps near the gym.
Mila hugged her knees. Do you ever wish we could go back to before everything got complicated.
Adrian didn't answer immediately. Then quietly, every day.
She looked at him. His expression was open. Honest.
Why didn't you trust me enough to tell me the truth sooner she asked.
Because I was afraid he admitted. Afraid you'd look at me differently.
She swallowed. I already am.
He nodded slowly. I know. And I deserve that.
Silence fell between them again, but this time it wasn't heavy. It was fragile.
Adrian reached out hesitantly, his fingers brushing hers. He paused, waiting for her to pull away.
She didn't.
Their hands intertwined naturally, like they remembered each other. Mila's heart softened despite herself.
I don't hate you she said quietly.
That's more than I deserve he replied.
They sat like that for a moment, warmth passing between them, the past brushing against the present.
Then a shadow crossed the ground.
Adrian's head snapped up.
Mila followed his gaze.
Across the parking lot, near the fence, someone stood watching them. Not hiding. Not moving.
Just watching.
Mila's grip tightened around Adrian's hand.
Who is that she whispered.
Adrian's expression hardened. I don't know.
The figure lifted a phone, took a picture, then turned and disappeared behind the building.
Mila's breath shook. They saw us.
Adrian stood quickly pulling her up with him. Come on.
As they hurried toward the car, Mila glanced back one last time.
On the ground near where the person had stood was a folded piece of paper, weighted by a stone.
Adrian stopped and picked it up.
He unfolded it slowly.
Mila leaned closer.
Three words were written neatly across the page.
High school memories hurt most.
Her stomach dropped.
This wasn't over.
It was just beginning.
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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.