When the moon sinks and the shadows are scattered horizontally and diagonally

Chapter 1 : Shadows Cast at Moonset** Seven years into their marriage, Kathleen knew her place in David’s world. To him, she was less a wife and more a convenient outlet—a bedmate for whenever the urge struck. After yet another passionless encounter, he absently nuzzled the top of her head. “If I haven’t found her by the time I turn thirty, I’ll settle down with you for good.” Kathleen knew exactly who occupied his heart: the little girl who had pulled him from the sea over twenty years before. He’d once confessed promising her, even then, that he would marry her when he grew up. For seven years, Kathleen had asked the same question—what if you never find her? For seven years, David had never answered. But tonight, she finally had the answer she’d longed for. A fragile hope fluttered in her chest, because after midnight, David would be thirty. She had thrown a lavish party at his estate on the outskirts of town. Now, in the castle’s top-floor suite, the frantic energy of their encounter had dissipated. In one hour, they would stand before that same castle, hand in hand, ready to face the future. Wincing at the soreness in her lower back, Kathleen leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to his Adam’s apple, her gaze hazy with lingering desire. “Wait for me.” An hour later, she stood in a shimmering fishtail gown, a pair of matching wedding bands clutched in her palm. *After tonight*, she thought, *we can finally leave the past behind and truly begin.* But when she turned, she saw David embracing another woman. The man who was usually so aloof he rarely smiled now held a look of wild, disbelieving joy, his voice trembling. “I finally found you!” The woman wore a simple white dress, her face a portrait of innocent alarm. Kathleen stood frozen, the warmth draining from her fingertips in an instant. It was Emily, the daughter of the Jiang family’s former housekeeper. She had lived in the household with her mother since childhood. Kathleen’s father had always treated her kindly, even sponsoring her overseas studies seven years ago. Their personalities had never meshed, resulting in a relationship of consistent, cool politeness. “Mr. David,” Emily stammered, shrinking back slightly, “you… you must have the wrong person.” David released her, his fingers gently tracing the jade pendant hanging from her neck. His voice softened, as if handling a priceless treasure. “This is the token I gave you when you saved me. Why did you never come find me?” Emily looked bewildered. “I… I had a high fever after nearly drowning as a child. I lost some memories. I don’t remember who gave me this pendant.” “It was me,” David said, his eyes blazing. “I told you back then, you would be my only bride in this lifetime.” The words were a knife, plunging straight into Kathleen’s heart. Emily’s gaze, however, drifted over David’s shoulder, locking onto Kathleen. “But Mr. David, you’re already married to Ms. Kathleen.” David turned. The tenderness in his eyes vanished, replaced by the detached coolness reserved for a stranger. “I told her before we married that my heart belonged to someone else. She made her choice.” A suffocating pain seized her chest, stealing her breath. She remembered seven years ago, when the Shen and Jiang families first broached the alliance. The first time she saw David, she’d fallen for those cool, distant eyes. Even then, he had stated plainly: he was waiting for someone. He would never love her. But she, stubborn and proud, had assured him, “I can wait. If you truly find her, I’ll step aside willingly.” She’d been too young, too confident, convinced that time and closeness would work in her favor. Just last night, he had held her and murmured, “Kathleen, let’s have a proper wedding.” Cradled in his arms, her heart had raced, believing she had finally grasped the moon. Now, he was saying his heart belonged only to Emily.

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Chapter 4

David approached, his gaze lingering on Kathleen with a complexity she couldn’t decipher. He was silent for a moment before speaking. “Are you… okay?”

That hint of concern in his voice sent a treacherous tremor through her heart, a lump rising in her throat. Her reply, however, came out flat. “I’m fine.”

She paused, lifting her eyes to meet his. “I’ll have my lawyer draft the divorce papers later. Let’s get this over with as soon as possible.”

David studied her—eyes swollen and red, face pale, yet still holding herself together with that stubborn strength. An unexpected softness stirred inside him.

He frowned. “We don’t have to get a divorce.”

Kathleen’s head snapped up, surprise widening her eyes.

But his next words snapped her back to reality instantly.

He stated it plainly, as if it were the most reasonable thing in the world. “You can keep the title of Mrs. David. But my love belongs to Emily. You understand that, don’t you?”

Kathleen stared at him, at that utterly unapologetic expression, and suddenly laughed—a low, bitter sound laced with mockery. “No, thank you.”

“I may not be extraordinary, David, but I have enough self-respect not to fight over another woman’s man. And I certainly don’t want a marriage without love. I’ll step aside. May you and Emily have a long and happy life together.”

Her blunt refusal caught him off guard. His expression stiffened before his face darkened. “Fine! Divorce it is. Just don’t come crying and begging me to take you back like you did before!”

Kathleen didn’t bother responding. She simply lowered her head and continued organizing the documents on her desk.

Just then, Emily walked in. “Kathleen, I’m here to go over the project handover with you. Is now a good time?”

Before Kathleen could answer, her assistant rushed in, breathless. “Vice President Kathleen! There’s a problem with the steel reinforcement at the East District site! The crew has stopped work!”

Kathleen’s heart clenched. This project had been her focus for over half a year. A problem with the steel reinforcement was no minor issue.

Even though she’d already decided to resign and leave the country, this was a project she’d personally shepherded. It was about the safety of future residents. She couldn’t let anything go wrong.

She stood up immediately, grabbing her jacket. “I’m heading to the site.”

“I’ll come too!” Emily chimed in, her eyes flicking toward David with a hopeful gleam. “It’ll be a good chance to learn from Kathleen how to handle emergencies.”

Without hesitation, David said, “I’ll go with you. Construction sites are chaotic. It’s not safe.”

Kathleen’s steps faltered for a second. Her fingers tightened around her jacket before she strode out quickly.

At the site, the midday sun beat down, baking the ground.

David held an umbrella the entire time, most of its shade angled over Emily. He kept leaning in, asking her in a low voice, “Are you hot?” “Do you want to wait in the shade?” He even warned her about the mud, telling her to watch her trousers.

Watching them, Kathleen felt a sharp, needle-like pain behind her eyes.

She remembered her own early days at the company, running projects on sites like this. One summer, her back had peeled from sunburn, and she’d gone to David that night, crying. He’d just given her a dismissive glance. “If you can’t handle a little hardship, how do you expect to make it in this business?”

Back then, she’d thought she just wasn’t tough enough. Now she understood. It wasn’t about her strength. It was simply that he didn’t love her. Even a word of concern felt like a waste to him.

After finally working out a replacement plan for the steel with the contractors, the group prepared to leave.

As they passed beneath a newly finished floor of the structure, a sharp, groaning crack echoed from above. Chunks of concrete began to rain down.

Before Kathleen could react, a slab of cement half her height slammed into her back.

Agony exploded through her body. Pinned face-down, the crushing weight made it impossible to move. Every breath felt like tearing.

She struggled to lift her head. Through the dust, she saw David shielding Emily tightly with his body, pulling her toward the exit.

Summoning every ounce of strength, Kathleen screamed, “David! Help me!”

David whipped his head around. Seeing her covered in blood and debris, his heart lurched violently. Instinctively, he took two frantic steps toward her.

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The phone buzzed at 11:47 p.m. I was in bed with a book I hadn't been reading. The screen lit up the dark room. Motion alert. Anderson Tech, Floor 47. Corey's office. I almost ignored it. He worked late. He always worked late. But something in me, some small cold thing, made me tap the notification.

Billionaire Modern Romance

8.8

Betrayed by My Cheating Husband

8.8

I'd always believed that seven years of marriage meant something. Seven years of shared dreams, morning coffees, and whispered promises in the dark. Seven years of building a life with Vicente Montgomery—my husband, my partner, my future. How naive I'd been. It started as an ordinary Tuesday evening. Vicente was in the shower, and I was tidying up our bedroom when his phone buzzed on the nightstand. A text notification flashed across the screen: "Missing you already...last night was incredible." Something cold settled in my stomach. I'd never been the type to snoop, but something about those words—their intimacy, their certainty—made my fingers move of their own accord. I picked up his phone, surprised to find it unlocked. One swipe revealed everything.

Billionaire Modern Romance

8.1

Bought by the Billionaire: The Debt's Price

8.1

I was the "fallen princess" of New York, living in a charcoal silk cage while paying off my father’s millions in debt with my own body. My owner was Braxton Kensington, a man who looked at me with the same cold interest he gave a fluctuating stock graph. One morning, a New York Times alert shattered the silence: Braxton was getting engaged to a billionaire socialite in the merger of the decade. When I demanded my freedom and the five-million-dollar severance promised in our contract, he just smirked and pointed to the fine print. "In a court of law, an engagement is just an intention," he whispered, gripping my chin until it bruised. "Until I sign that marriage license, you belong to me." He flicked a black AmEx at my feet like I was a tragic charity case, ordering me to buy a dress for his engagement gala. To save my dying mother from eviction, I took a secret translation job, only to realize my client was his new fiancée, Caroline. She dragged me to Braxton’s office to humiliate me, and after he hid me in a secret room to avoid a scandal, he branded me a "security risk" and froze every cent I had. I stood in a CVS with my last sixty dollars, swallowing a Plan B pill dry while watching a news report about Braxton demolishing my family’s last legacy. He didn't just want my body; he wanted to erase my entire existence and leave me with nothing. The cruelty was breathtaking, but Braxton forgot that a woman with nothing left to lose is the most dangerous player in the game. I reached out to the only man he truly feared—his billionaire half-brother and the boy whose heart I broke years ago, Ansel Neal. "Coffee isn't enough," Ansel replied to my message in seconds. "Dinner. Our old spot. 8 PM." As I walked into the club to meet Braxton's greatest rival, I knew the game wasn't over. I was just changing the rules.

Billionaire Modern Romance

7.9

Divorcing My Cheating Husband

7.9

Ivy gave up her soul to save Kade. In return, he humiliated her, parading his mistresses and treating her like a gold-digging parasite. On their fifth anniversary, when he strips her of her dignity in front of an elite crowd, Ivy finally drops the divorce papers and walks away. Kade laughs, threatening to cut off her dying mother's medical funds. He doesn't know her mother is already dead. He doesn't know his estranged, terrifyingly powerful older brother, Rowan, has been waiting in the shadows for years. When Kade finally realizes what he's lost, he goes insane to get her back—only to find Rowan's ring on her finger and his hands all over her body.

Billionaire Modern Romance

8.6

Love Beyond Deception's Veil

8.6

My relationship with Otis Moore began after his divorce, yet I constantly felt like the other woman. I loved him for eight years, and we were together for three, but he never mentioned marriage, nor did he want to hold my hand in public. Until that day, when I saw him laughing brightly at the amusement park with his ex-wife and their child. "Otis, when are you going to break it off with her?" He frowned, irritation flickering in his voice. "Just focus on taking care of the kid, and don’t worry about anything else." Later, at what was supposed to be our renewal of vows ceremony, Otis never showed up. Instead, he spent the day sitting in silence in our shared apartment. Little did he know, by the time he returned, the plane I was on had already taken off. The man who once claimed he couldn't live without me ultimately lost me completely. --- The moment I entered the office, Zuri Sanchez, the vice president, called me into her office. She tossed a stack of papers onto the desk in front of me with a disdainful look.

Billionaire Modern Romance

9.6

Mistress of Seduction: Titterington Empire

9.6

SYNOPSIS: DARANA One heist ,Three women, one jewel. My job was simple. Get into the fucking party, distract the old lady while Adrika got the damn jewel. It was going well until the grandson appeared. All gray eyed and clad in a suit so tight, my eyes were immediately glued to his sculpted body. This was going to be a problem because not only did I have to distract the old lady,I'd have to seduce her grandson too!. Her handsome grandson, who hadn't taken his eyes off me since he walked into the room. It shouldn't be difficult, After all… I wasn't called the mistress of deception for nothing. *************** Darana belongs to the Twilight Rose trio. Being the mistress of seduction and deception, she walks into the Titterington Empire with her head held high. But what happens when the grandson,Niklaus Titterington sees through her games, or worse still, offers her a deal she can't refuse?

Action Billionaire Romance

When the moon sinks and the shadows are scattered horizontally and diagonally

Chapter 4

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