The 48th Lie

Today is my sixth wedding anniversary. It's also the day my husband, Liam, brought up divorce for the 47th time. He does this for Seraphina, his childhood friend. The woman who orchestrated a car crash on our wedding day, a tragedy that left her unable to have children and left him shackled by a debt of guilt. For six years, I have been the price of his repayment. I endured the relentless cycle. But this time was different. This time, after Seraphina pushed me down a spiral staircase, Liam promised me justice. He swore he would make her pay. Instead, he ensured the smart home security system "mysteriously" erased all evidence. That night, from the supposed safety of a house he had arranged, Seraphina had me kidnapped. As her hired thugs tore at my clothes in the back of a cold, dark van, I managed to make one desperate emergency call to Liam through my smartwatch. He saw my plea. And he hung up. I leaped from that moving van, not onto asphalt, but into the cold, unforgiving sea. As I fought for my life in the icy water, swallowed by the darkness, I made a vow. This time, there would be no 48th remarriage. This time, I would simply cease to exist.

Chapters

Chapter 7

My first instinct was to fight. To rush the stage, to grab the microphone, to show them the proof of Sera’s lies that was burning a hole in my clutch. I had to scream the truth.

But Liam intercepted me at the museum's grand, marble-floored entrance, his grip on my upper arm like a vise of cold steel. "Don't you dare," he hissed, his voice a low, menacing growl that was more terrifying than any shout. "Don't you dare ruin her night. She has been through enough."

Just then, Seraphina, with the perfect dramatic timing of a seasoned actress, let out a heart-wrenching, theatrical cry. "I can't take it! I can't be here!" She broke away from the crowd of sympathizers and ran from the building, her crimson dress a slash of color against the cool grey stone of the plaza, heading straight for the busy, traffic-filled street.

"Sera!" Liam shouted, releasing me so forcefully I stumbled backward. He sprinted after her, a knight rushing to save his damsel in distress.

He caught her at the very edge of the curb, pulling her back from the path of an oncoming city bus just as its horn blared. He held her tight, a hero saving her from herself, from the cruel world, from me.

And he did it all for an audience.

The flashes of media cameras, alerted by an anonymous tip, and the blue-white glow of dozens of cell phones held aloft by curious onlookers illuminated the scene. They captured the perfect tableau: Liam, the valiant, selfless protector, holding a sobbing, fragile Seraphina in his arms.

He cupped her face in his hands, his expression a mask of profound tenderness and sorrow. And then, in front of everyone, in front of the flashing cameras and the watching world, he leaned down and pressed a long, tender, and deeply protective kiss to her forehead. It wasn't a kiss of passion; it was a public declaration of allegiance. A final, irrefutable verdict.

He was the hero. She was the victim.

And I, standing alone in the cold, unforgiving shadows of the museum doors, was the villain. The video, stripped of all context, was already going viral before I even made it to the curb to hail a cab. I had been tried and convicted in the court of public opinion, and my husband had been the star witness for the prosecution.

Continue to next part

After losing her parents, Lyra is forced to serve the pack that killed them. Her life takes a sharp turn when she becomes the nanny for Alpha Conan’s motherless daughter. The cold Alpha soon discovers Lyra is his fated mate, yet he rejects her to protect his power and status. Amidst pack betrayals and rising threats, Lyra must navigate her heartbreak while protecting the child she loves, forcing Conan to choose between duty and his true heart.

Action Romance Werewolf

8.7

Bloodhoundhearts

8.7

Aiden is the Bloodhound the Council's most feared assassin, a vampire prince whose soul has been hollowed out by centuries of shadow and state-sanctioned slaughter. Elena is a Seer of the Vance line a woman of the mountain whose silver flame was meant to heal, not to spark a revolution. When their paths collide in the high spires of a corrupt capital, they don't just find love; they ignite a war that spans from the depths of the Sunken Vaults to the spectral currents of the Forbidden Coast. Now, fleeing the ruins of a broken empire, they carry the ultimate secret: Caelum, a child of the Harmony. Born during a solar eclipse, he is the Third Way a hybrid heir with the power to either unite the warring forces of light and dark or become a beacon of chaos that levels the continent. With the mechanical genius of a mad inventor, the iron will of a blacksmith's son, and the cryptic guidance of a five-hundred-year-old Oracle, Aiden and Elena must protect their son from enemies both ancient and new. From the obsidian breach-engines of the Council to the void-stained magic of Lyra, the first fallen Seer, the hunt is on. In a realm where blood defines destiny, can a monster become a father? Can a healer survive the abyss? And when the choice comes to sacrifice half of his soul, will the Child of the Harmony have the strength to forge a new dawn?

Action Fantasy Vampire

7.7

Brotherzoned

7.7

"My brother is off-limits. And you're really not the type to break promises." Those were the words Sienna gave me the day I moved in. But she didn't know how hard it would be when I walked into the house to find her older brother, Zayne Bellandi, dark, dangerous, and annoyingly attractive, waiting for me. Not just in my new home... but in every corner of my life. And let's not forget how my last relationship ended: watching the guy I thought I loved marry someone else. But here I am, falling into the one thing I promised I'd never touch.

Action Modern Romance

7.7

From Pit to Palace: Charlie Emerged

7.7

"I want to end this relationship for good," Megan said coldly. Charlie's heart sank. "Why?" He stammered to ask, trying to disbelieve what he had just heard. "You want to know why?" Megan glared at him. "That's because you're a trash picker! My bright future can't shine with someone like you. So from now on, don't trouble me!" Despite everything Charlie had done for her, Megan felt that they weren't enough. She wanted more, but Charlie couldn't meet her high expectations. So she walked out of their three-year relationship to be with the rich, campus guy, calling Charlie a thorn in her flesh. But then.... Something happened. A mysterious call. Charlie's life changed. He's no longer the trash picker everyone knew on the campus. He now dines in the palace with dignitaries. To you, what do you think will be his next move? Revenge or what? Read to find out.

Action Mafia Young Adult

8.6

Mated To The Ruthless Blood Moon Alpha

8.6

Today was my father's grand second wedding, but for me, it was the anniversary of my mother's death. My new stepmother, Marley, who was only four years older than me, cornered me. To establish her dominance as the new Luna, she ordered her servants to force me to my knees and violently ripped my late mother's necklace from my neck. It was the only memento my mother had left me. Marley sneered, threw it to the ground, and shattered the gems. When I scrambled to pick up the broken pieces, she dug her high-heeled shoe into the back of my hand, mocking me as dirty trash. No one stepped in to help. My father was too busy celebrating his new marriage under the dazzling lights, completely erasing my mother's memory and leaving me to be abused in my own pack. My heart was full of grievance and despair. Why did my mother's lifelong devotion end with her grave desolate and her daughter humiliated? I swore I would never become a weak, discarded she-wolf whose life depended on a man. Desperate to escape the suffocating wedding, I ran outside and stumbled right into the chest of a terrifying stranger. "No one should ever touch what is precious to you." His golden eyes blazed with fury as sparks instantly shot through my veins. He was Kade Blackwood, the ruthless Alpha of the feared Blood Moon Pack—and my fated mate.

Action Romance Werewolf

9.5

My Mate Lied About My Death to Steal My Pack

9.5

Betrayed by the man she loved, an Alpha's daughter is left for dead while her mate spreads lies of her demise to seize control of her pack. Stripped of her birthright and left with nothing, she must survive the shadows to reclaim her stolen throne. Driven by a thirst for justice and the need to expose his treachery, she prepares to return. The once-loyal mate will soon face the wrath of the wolf he thought he had successfully destroyed.

Action Fantasy Werewolf

The 48th Lie

Chapter 7

You may also like