MARRIED BY MISTAKE

She never meant to become his wife. Aria Hale had only stepped into the marriage registry to deliver her sister's documents. Yet somehow, she walked out as the legal wife of Leon Mercer-the city's most ruthless billionaire. One signature. One mistake. One furious husband determined to make her regret it. "You trapped me," he growls, ice lacing every word. "You'll pay for this." But Aria isn't who he thinks she is. She carries secrets he could never imagine-an identity carefully hidden, a fortune he never suspected, and a strength that refuses to break under his cruelty. He assumes she's a gold-digger. She lets him believe it. When he insists she stay until the divorce is finalized, she agrees-but only because she has her own plans. And then he notices. The way she never begs. The subtle power in her laughter. The way other men glance at her... and how his chest tightens in ways he can't explain. By the time the truth comes crashing down-when he finally discovers who she really is-it's too late. Aria is gone. Now the hunter becomes the hunted. The billionaire married the wrong woman by mistake. And losing her will be his greatest regret.

Chapters

Chapter 1

It never occurred to Aria Hale that her sister's wedding day would end with her own marriage license. Pushing through the glass doors of the New York City Marriage Bureau, she held the manila envelope to her chest. Immediately, chaos erupted: clerks yelling names, couples yelling over paperwork, and phones ringing nonstop. A bride in a discolored white gown was yelling at her groom about his mother while a baby cried close to the fountain.

Aria wanted to disappear-one job. Deliver the documents. Leave. Invisible, like always. "Next!" a clerk barked, waving impatiently from behind the scratched plexiglass. Aria stepped forward. "Hi, I'm here to-" "Name?" "I'm not-" "NAME?" "Aria Hale. I'm just delivering-"Ariana Hale!" Her stomach dropped.

"No, that's my sister. I'm Aria, not-" "You responded to the name. Good enough." The clerk shoved a clipboard through the slot. "Fill this out. Your groom's already twenty minutes late. If he doesn't show in ten, you forfeit your slot."

"But I'm not getting married!" Aria's voice cracked. The clerk finally glanced up, expression neutral. "Everyone's nervous, honey. Just breathe and sign when he arrives." Aria checked her phone. Nothing. No texts. No calls. Just a curt message from her sister: ARIANA: Emergency. Can't make it. Leave the papers. Thanks! No apology. No explanation. Just an order.

She typed and erased responses she would never send while her fingers lingered over the screen. After twenty-four years of being forgotten, invisible, and cleaning up other people's messes, she was rewarded with a room full of strangers who couldn't even pronounce her name correctly. The doors burst open.

Every head turned. A man walked in like a storm given human form. Broad shoulders, dark hair, grey eyes, sharp enough to pierce steel. Leon Mercer. Billionaire. CEO. The man her sister was supposed to marry.

He stopped in front of her. "You're late." Aria opened her mouth. Closed it. Wrong person. Wrong sister. Wrong everything. "Save it. Let's get this over with." He grabbed her elbow. Warm. Firm. Unyielding. Trapped. "Wait, you don't-" "Ariana Hale and Leon Mercer!" The clerk slid the papers across. "Sign now." Her hand shook. She looked down at the certificate. Aria Hale. Not Ariana. Not her sister. Her own name.

She froze. Her heart pounded in her chest. "Sir, I think-" "Think later. Sign now."

His Patek Philippe gleamed in the overhead light as he checked his watch. Aria's mind raced. Run? Scream? Call her parents? But who would believe her? Who would take her side when she had just signed the papers herself? Her hand moved on its own. Aria Hale.

The pen scratched across the page. The clerk stamped it with a heavy thump. "Congratulations. You're married." Time slowed. Every sound dulled. Leon's grey eyes lifted to hers. Cold. Furious. Ice. "You're not Ariana." "I tried to tell you-" "You signed." He held up the certificate. "Aria Hale."

With a low voice that cut like a knife through the chaos, he said, "You trapped me.". "You will regret this every day until I am free of you. Aria had a burning throat. She was on the verge of tears, but she held back.

Not here. Not now. "I didn't trap you. You didn't even look at what you were signing." He ignored her. Shoved the certificate into his jacket. His other hand gripped her wrist-not cruel, not gentle, just possessive. "You're coming with me," he said, phone pressed to his ear. "Lawyer. Meet me now." Outside, a black Mercedes waited.

The driver already held the door. Aria's mind raced. She could run. She could scream. She could call her family-but who would listen? Who would believe her? She looked at Leon. The fury simmered beneath his controlled exterior. The man hated her. And legally, she was now his wife. The door closed.

She felt the smooth, cold leather against her back. She took a sharp breath. "Go. The harsh, blinding sunlight hit her face. She caught a glimpse of herself in the window's tint. Aria Hale. Not Ariana. Nobody's second choice. She had recently unintentionally wed a billionaire who hated her. She also didn't know how she would survive what was about to happen.

Continue to next part

After enduring the crushing weight of her ex-partner's betrayal, a woman finds her life taking an unexpected turn when she captures the attention of a powerful billionaire. What starts as a chance encounter quickly spirals into an intense, all-consuming obsession. As she navigates the complexities of her newfound reality, she must balance her lingering emotional scars with the overwhelming advances of a man who refuses to let her go.

Billionaire Modern Romance

9.3

Divorce After Wife's Deceit

9.3

For three years, Nathan lived as a devoted, stay-at-home husband, only to be met with his wife Penelope’s cold demand for divorce. Her betrayal runs deep as she prepares to wed her supposed childhood sweetheart, dismissing Nathan as a worthless burden. However, Penelope is unaware of his true identity. Nathan is actually the prestigious heir to the elite Cross family. Now, he is reclaiming his immense power to make her regret her arrogance.

Billionaire Modern Romance

9.3

Divorce My Best Friend, Carrying His Baby

9.3

Kelly’s three-year marriage to her billionaire best friend, Pierce, was a dream until his old flame, Lexi Gilbert, returned. Despite carrying his child, Kelly agrees to a divorce to escape their stagnant relationship. However, as she tries to move on, Pierce unexpectedly refuses to let go. The situation becomes more volatile when Kelly’s domineering stepbrother intervenes, demanding she belong to him. Kelly must now navigate a complex battle of love and obsession to protect her heart.

Billionaire Modern Romance

8.6

Ex - Wife's Revenge

8.6

Betrayed by her billionaire husband and left for dead, a once-naive woman survives a calculated murder attempt. Driven by a cold desire for justice, she assumes a new identity to dismantle his empire from within. As she infiltrates his elite social circle, her former spouse becomes obsessed with this mysterious stranger. This high-stakes game of cat and mouse forces her to choose between her thirst for vengeance and a chance at a new life.

Billionaire Modern Romance

7.9

The Billionaire's Captive Golden Blood Bride

7.9

Karley thought marrying billionaire architect Kevon Mcconnell was a fairy tale come true. But at their wedding reception, a heavy crystal chandelier collapsed. Kevon abandoned her in the falling glass to shield his sister, Devora. At the hospital, he dropped to his knees, begging Karley to save Devora's life with a direct blood transfusion. That was when Karley discovered the horrifying truth. Kevon hadn't married her for love. He had meticulously selected her because she possessed the exact same rare Rh-null golden blood as his chronically ill sister. Drained and feverish from the massive transfusion, Karley was locked inside his remote, high-tech mansion. Kevon's mother slapped her and forced foul medicine down her throat to replenish her blood supply. Even Devora called to mock her. "You're just a temporary solution. A medical resource until something better comes along." Karley lay bruised and infected on the floor of her gilded cage. The realization crushed her: the whirlwind romance, the pre-marital medical checks, even the secret GPS tracker he used to stop her from running away—it was all a calculated trap. She had lost her job, her friends, and her freedom to a man who only saw her as a walking blood bank. When Kevon finally returned, he cut off her contact with the outside world and locked the bedroom door with a cold, perfect smile. "Don't try to leave. You're my wife, and I always know where you are." But as the smart home dimmed the lights to keep her docile, Karley closed her eyes in the dark and began to plan her escape.

Billionaire Modern Romance

7.9

The CEO's Runaway Pregnant Architect

7.9

For five years, I was the invisible force behind my charismatic architect boyfriend's empire, painstakingly designing the dream home we built together. But for the eighteenth time, Jayson canceled adding my name to the deed, rushing out on our candlelit dinner for yet another "critical emergency" with his young, attractive mentee, Ciera. He left me alone at our custom dining table, blindly prioritizing her manufactured crises over our future. Hours later, Ciera posted a photo on Instagram. She was sitting in his executive chair, wearing his unbuttoned dress shirt, with two empty wine glasses on the desk. When I finally confronted him the next morning, he didn't apologize. Instead, he looked at me with arrogant amusement. "Where are you going to go, Allison? Without me? Without this firm? Don't forget, I made you!" My love didn't die in a sudden explosion; it bled out drop by drop over eighteen broken promises. I had poured my soul into his success, only to be treated like a disposable asset in my own home. To make the irony even more suffocating, a plastic stick in my bathroom soon revealed two stark red lines. I was pregnant with his child. I didn't cry, and I certainly didn't use the baby to beg for his love. Instead, I packed a single suitcase, accepted a senior role at his biggest rival firm in London, and left a resignation letter on his desk. This time, I am building an empire of my own.

Billionaire Modern Romance

MARRIED BY MISTAKE

Chapter 1

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