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 7
The note stayed in Mila's mind all night.
High school memories hurt most.
She read the words again and again until they lost meaning, then gained it back in sharper ways. Whoever wrote it knew where to strike. They knew this place mattered. They knew she cared.
By morning, the whole school buzzed with excitement.
The Fall Formal Dance was that Friday night.
Posters lined the hallways, bright and cheerful, promising music, lights, and memories. Everyone talked about dresses, dates, and playlists. Mila walked through it all feeling like she existed in a different world, one where danger hid behind smiles.
Mara rushed toward her at her locker. Mila you have to come dress shopping with me after school. This dance is everything.
Mila smiled weakly. I don't even know if I'm going.
What do you mean you don't know Mara gasped. Everyone is going.
Before Mila could answer, Ethan appeared beside them. I was actually hoping to ask Mila if she wanted to go with me.
Mara's eyes widened. Ooo.
Mila froze.
Ethan looked nervous but hopeful. Just as friends if you want. Or more. No pressure.
She opened her mouth to respond but stopped when she felt it.
That familiar presence.
She turned.
Adrian stood at the end of the hallway watching them. His expression was unreadable, but something dark flickered in his eyes.
Mila's heart tightened.
Ethan followed her gaze and straightened. I didn't know you two were still talking.
We're not together Mila said quickly.
But Adrian had already walked away.
Ethan looked back at her. You don't have to answer now. Think about it.
She nodded, grateful.
The rest of the day passed in a blur. Every time Mila thought about the dance, her chest filled with both excitement and fear. A normal night. That was all she wanted. One night where she could pretend nothing was wrong.
After school, Adrian waited by his car.
You're going to the dance he said.
It wasn't a question.
Mila crossed her arms. Why does it matter to you.
Because if you go, I need to make sure you're safe.
She sighed. I don't want you hovering all the time.
I won't hover he said quietly. I'll just be there.
She studied his face. The tension between them felt different now. Less angry. More dangerous.
Ethan asked me she admitted.
Adrian's jaw tightened. Of course he did.
You don't get to be jealous Mila said softly. You lost that right.
He nodded. I know.
That hurt more than anger would have.
The night of the dance arrived wrapped in golden lights and music drifting from the gym. Mila stood in front of her mirror adjusting her dress. It was simple, soft blue, nothing dramatic. She wanted to feel like herself again.
When she stepped outside, Ethan was waiting.
You look amazing he said smiling.
Thank you she replied.
Inside the gym, everything glowed. Strings of lights hung from the ceiling. Laughter echoed. For a while, Mila let herself enjoy it. She danced with Ethan, laughed with Mara, and almost forgot the knot in her stomach.
Almost.
Then the lights dimmed.
A slow song filled the room.
Ethan offered his hand. Dance with me.
She hesitated, then nodded.
As they swayed, Mila's eyes drifted across the room.
Adrian stood near the wall watching her.
Their eyes met.
The world narrowed again.
Memories flooded her. Late night talks. Shared secrets. The way he used to hold her like she was something precious. Her chest ached.
She looked away, guilt twisting inside her.
Suddenly, the music stopped.
The lights flickered.
A murmur spread through the crowd.
Then a screen behind the DJ lit up.
At first, it showed photos from past school events. Smiling faces. Cheerful moments.
Then the images changed.
Photos of Mila.
Walking with Adrian. Sitting on the gym steps. Holding hands.
Whispers erupted.
Then a final image appeared.
The note.
High school memories hurt most.
The gym exploded with noise.
What is this someone shouted.
Mila felt frozen. Her hands shook.
Adrian pushed through the crowd toward her.
This wasn't supposed to happen he muttered.
Ethan stared at the screen then at Mila. Did you know about this.
Before she could answer, the screen went black.
The lights snapped back on.
Silence followed.
The principal's voice came over the speaker asking everyone to remain calm.
Mila's vision blurred.
Adrian took her hand. We're leaving.
Outside, the night air felt cold.
This person is getting closer Mila whispered. They're playing with us.
Adrian nodded grimly. And they know exactly where to hit.
She turned to him, tears shining. Why us.
He looked at her like the answer hurt. Because we're connected.
A sound behind them made them both turn.
A student stood near the exit, watching them with a smile that didn't reach their eyes.
Then they turned and disappeared into the crowd.
Mila's breath caught.
Did you see that she asked.
Adrian nodded slowly.
I think I know who it might be.
Her heart raced. Who.
He didn't answer right away.
Someone who remembers everything we tried to forget.
Mila swallowed hard.
The dance lights flickered again behind them.
And Mila knew one thing for certain.
This wasn't just about love anymore.
It was about the past coming back to claim its place.
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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.