The Reborn Duchess's Ruthless Revenge

I stood in the Royal Hall, clutching a glass of warm champagne while watching Senator Levine laugh. To the crowd, he was a pillar of the community; to me, he was the parasite who had already destroyed my life once. In my past life, this gala was the night the monarchy began to bleed. Levine successfully planted his cameras, the Vance empire funded a coup, and the kingdom I loved was sold off to the highest bidder. I lived through the consequences of my silence. I watched my sister, Seraphina, die in childbirth because the medical supplies were intercepted by traitors. I watched the man I loved, Duke Elliot, stripped of his titles and branded a criminal. I spent my final days in a damp, freezing cell, listening to the executioner sharpen his blade while the people cheered for our demise. The injustice burned in my throat like lye. I died wondering how I could have been so naive, how I could have let these monsters walk among us while I played the part of a perfect, quiet wife. Why did the gods let the wicked prosper while my family’s blood watered the palace gardens? What would I have given for just one chance to strike first? Then, the world shifted. I opened my eyes to find myself back at the gala, the scent of sandalwood and rain surrounding me as Elliot rested a possessive hand on my back. I wasn't just a Duchess anymore; I was a ghost from a future that would never happen, and I was ready to erase every name on my list.

Chapters

Chapter 8

The mansion was quiet now. The guests had gone, the doctors had left.

In the master bathroom, General Stone stood in front of the mirror. He had finally taken off his jacket.

He hissed as he peeled his undershirt off. The fabric was stuck to his back.

He hadn't told anyone. When the mortar hit the depot, a piece of shrapnel had grazed his back. It wasn't deep, but it was ugly. A long, jagged tear across his latissimus dorsi.

He grabbed a bottle of rubbing alcohol and a towel. He bit down on the towel and poured the alcohol over his shoulder.

The burn was blinding. He groaned, bracing his hands against the sink, his knuckles turning white.

"Marcus?"

Stone froze. He spun around, trying to hide his back.

Seraphina was standing in the doorway. She was wearing a silk nightgown, holding onto the doorframe for support. She looked weak, but alive.

"What are you doing?" she asked softly.

"Nothing," Stone said quickly. "Just... cleaning up."

Seraphina walked into the room. She moved slowly, wincing with each step. She walked around him.

She gasped when she saw his back. The angry red line, the dried blood.

"You're hurt," she whispered. Her fingers hovered over the wound, afraid to touch.

"It's a scratch," Stone lied. "Julian took the real hit."

"You idiot," Seraphina said, but there was no heat in it. Her eyes filled with tears. "You came home like this... you held me... and you didn't say a word?"

"You were busy," Stone tried to joke, but his voice cracked. "You were pushing a human out of your body."

Seraphina took the towel from his hand. "Sit down."

"Sera, you should be in bed..."

"Sit. Down."

Stone sat on the edge of the tub. He was a General who commanded thousands of men, but he didn't dare disobey his wife.

Seraphina gently cleaned the wound. Her touch was light, reverent. She kissed his shoulder, right above the cut.

"I thought you weren't coming," she confessed softly. "When the pain started... I thought I was going to die alone."

Stone turned and pulled her into his lap. He buried his face in her neck, inhaling the scent of milk and baby powder.

"Never," he swore. "I will burn the world down before I let you go alone."

They sat there for a long time, holding each other in the silence of the bathroom.

"Have you named him?" Stone asked.

"Victor," Seraphina said. "For victory."

"Victor Stone," Marcus tested the name. "Sounds like a tank commander."

"He will be a poet," Seraphina argued with a smile.

A knock at the door interrupted them. It was Isolde.

"Sorry to interrupt the love fest," Isolde said, leaning against the doorframe, holding a thick envelope. "But a royal courier just dropped this off."

Stone took the envelope. It was heavy cream paper, embossed with the Royal Crest in gold leaf.

He opened it.

INVITATION TO THE VICTORY GALA

In Honor of General Marcus Stone and the Heroes of the Border War.

"It's next week," Stone said, tossing the invitation on the counter. "I hate galas."

"You have to go," Isolde said. Her eyes were sharp. "Julian is getting a commendation. And... I think he's planning something."

Seraphina raised an eyebrow. "Planning what?"

Isolde smiled, a secretive, knowing smile. "Let's just say Imogen better get a manicure."

Continue to next part

Seven years ago, Ella's heart was shattered when the man she loved disappeared without a trace. Now he's back-older, dangerous, and holding secrets that could destroy them both. Drawn into a world of betrayal, lies, and enemies lurking in every shadow, Ella must decide... Can she trust Jerry again, when loving him might cost her everything? Passion ignites, hearts collide, and danger closes in with every step. Their love is tested by revenge, deception, and a past that refuses to stay buried. In a game of love and survival, every choice could be their last. 💔 A gripping, heart-stopping romance full of suspense, twists, and a love that refuses to die.

Action Mystery Romance

9.1

Finishing the Puzzle of My Corpse

9.1

Abducted from her mother’s grave, a young woman is brutally tortured by drug dealers targeting her brother, Zack Smith. Despite her desperate plea for help, the forensic pathologist rejects her, blaming her for their mother's death. After her captors discard her remains in a trash can, Zack is tasked with reassembling the unidentified body. He meticulously pieces her back together, unaware the victim is the sister he despised until the truth shatters his sanity.

Action Horror Modern Mystery

9.2

He Saved His Mistress, Not His Wife

9.2

I was trapped under a massive oak bookcase, my leg shattered, dust filling my lungs. My husband, Dante, the Underboss of the Chicago Outfit, finally found me. But just as he lifted the heavy beam to free me, his earpiece crackled. It was news about Sofia, his childhood friend and the woman he truly loved. "She scratched her arm on the car door, Boss. She's hyperventilating. She won't board the jet without you." Dante froze. He looked at me, bleeding on the floor, secretly ten weeks pregnant with his child. Then he looked at the door. "It's just a broken leg, Elena," he said coldly, slowly lowering the crushing weight back onto me. "You are a doctor. You know it's not fatal. Sofia needs me." He ran to comfort a woman with a papercut, leaving his wife and unborn child to be buried alive in the rubble. I miscarried alone in the dark, tracing the number of a divorce lawyer on the floorboards in my own blood. Three days later, while he was peeling grapes for Sofia in a VIP hospital suite, I packed my medical degree and a single gym bag. I didn't go to a hotel. I boarded a military cargo plane to a war zone in South Sudan. By the time the Ice Prince realized his castle was empty, I was already thousands of miles away, and I wasn't coming back.

Action Modern Romance

7.1

Her Vicious Art, His Dark Obsession

7.1

For ten years, my family kept me locked away, forcing me to play the part of a broken, mentally unstable girl. They controlled me with sedatives and treated me like a ghost in my own home, a prisoner in a gilded cage. But I had a secret. I was a world-famous anonymous artist with a hidden fortune, and I had an escape plan. On the day of my cousin's wedding, my rebellion was accidentally witnessed by a dangerous stranger who saw the predator beneath my fragile mask. To silence him, I dragged him into a dark closet. The encounter turned raw and reckless, a violent collision I used as the perfect cover for my escape. I vanished with a new name and a one-way ticket to a new life, leaving him with nothing but a bloodstain and the bitter taste of betrayal. I thought I was free, that I had successfully buried the girl I was forced to be and the man I was forced to use. Three months later, on a superyacht in Monaco, he found me. He wasn't just some wealthy guest; he was the ruthless head of a powerful crime syndicate, and I was trapped in his private penthouse. He locked the door, his eyes black with possessive rage. "The game is over," he whispered. "This time, you're not running."

Action Billionaire Mystery

9.2

I will never be yours

9.2

Rejected by Alpha Kian and forced into exile, Selena abandoned her pack to forge a solitary life in the wilderness. However, fate takes a dark turn when the King’s guards capture her as a perceived enemy, throwing her into the royal dungeons. As she faces the threat of torture, Selena must keep her identity as Kian's second chance mate hidden. With the lives of her loved ones at stake, she wonders if the cold-hearted ruler has changed or remains the same man who once cast her out.

Action Adventure Fantasy Romance Werewolf

8.3

Revenge Is A Daughter's Sweetest Dish

8.3

The first time I died, it was from a cancer my mother couldn' t afford. My father, who had left us for his wealthy mistress, refused to pay for my treatment. In a desperate attempt to save me, my mother tried to sell her kidney on the black market. She was scammed and left to die in an alley. She died of an infection a week before I finally succumbed to the cancer, alone in a hospital bed. I' ll never forget him telling my begging mother that his new family had expenses, handing her a few hundred dollars as if she were trash. Then, I opened my eyes. I was fourteen again, healthy, watching the divorce happen all over again. My father looked at me, expecting me to choose my mother. "Blake," he said, "you' ll have to choose who you want to live with." I remembered the hunger, the cold, and my mother' s broken body. I met her tear-filled eyes, my own heart shattering. "I choose Dad."

Action Modern Mystery

The Reborn Duchess's Ruthless Revenge

Chapter 8

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