"You never know what you have until you lose it!" This was the case for Samuel who despised his wife throughout their marriage. Tessa gave her all to Samuel. But what did he do? He treated her like a useless rag. In his eyes, she was selfish, unscrupulous, and disgusting. He wanted to be away from her at all times. He was happy to divorce her. However, his happiness didn't last. He soon realized that he had let go of a jewel of inestimable value. By this time, Tessa was already doing well for herself. "Tessa love, I know I was such a jerk, but I have learned my lessons. Give me another chance," Samuel begged with teary eyes. "Ha-ha! You are a comedian, Samuel. Weren't you always disgusted with me? What changed now?" Tessa sneered, eyeing him. "I changed, my love. I became a better man. Please take me back. I won't stop until you agree." With her eyes shooting lasers, Tessa yelled, "Get the hell out of my sight! I don't want to ever see you again!"
The thud of paper landing on a hard surface echoed in the room.
A divorce agreement was thrown in front of Tessa Lopez.
"Your cousin has woken up, and I've promised her that she'll be my only wife for as long as she lives. Sign it, Tessa, so that we can finally end this marriage."
Tessa's expression did not show the slightest sign of surprise. She already knew this would happen the moment she heard that her cousin had woken up.
She looked at the man and asked bitterly, "You still don't believe me, do you?"
Samuel Pearson sneered. "Why should I believe in a greedy and vain woman like you? Anyway, don't make me repeat myself. Sign it, and this villa will be yours. That should be enough for you, right? I'm being generous already."
Tessa smiled mockingly.
He genuinely believed that he was being generous to her just because he was giving her a house.
She picked up the document and read it. His signature was already on it.
Tessa felt a lump in her throat and a strong desire to cry.
However, she forced herself to calm down.
She turned her gaze back to Samuel and questioned, "Did Grandma agree to this?"
"You can't always rely on Grandma whenever the odds are stacked against you. She won't help you every time." In a cold tone, Samuel added, "You know damn well why I married you. Now, stop being greedy, or I'll hate you even more."
Tessa rolled her eyes. "You already despise me. What difference will it make if you hate me even more?"
"Tessa!" Samuel called impatiently.
"Okay, I'll sign it," Tessa said as she grabbed the pen.
Following her cousin's awakening, she received a deluge of intimate photos of her and Samuel. They were obviously in love, so there was no point in Tessa staying married to him.
With that in mind, she crossed off the name of the villa on the divorce agreement before finally signing it.
Just like that, their marriage of three years had come to an end.
She was free at last.
Tessa gave Samuel the divorce papers and said, "Give me an hour. I'll be on my way as soon as I finish packing."
Samuel furrowed his brows. He gave her a hard look and replied, "This villa is yours. You don't have to leave."
"I don't need it. For me, every place you've been to..." After a chuckle, she continued, "They're all filthy."
"Tessa!"
Ignoring Samuel's outburst of rage, she pushed him out of the room, no longer as submissive as she used to be.
An hour later, Tessa discovered that Samuel was gone when she went downstairs. She looked down at the Casio men's watch in her hand.
It was a gift she had prepared for his upcoming birthday. But now it was useless since she had cut off any expectation of him. In fact, just looking at it stung like hell.
Without hesitation, she dumped the million-dollar watch in the bin.
She sighed deeply, lamenting that the past three years had been for naught.
It was all over now, though. From now on, she would live for herself.
Tessa rode in a taxi to get to her own private residence.
She had purchased her villa years ago, but she never returned to it because she had moved to live with Samuel instead.
The servants were all shocked to see her. A moment later, they were standing in a row, their voices raised in a reverent chorus: "Welcome home, Mrs. Pearson!"
Setting her luggage down, Tessa flopped onto the sofa and massaged the skin above her brows. She corrected, "I'm not Mrs. Pearson anymore. Call me Miss Lopez from now on."
She once took pride in being known as Mrs. Pearson, but now, she found the title ironic.
Despite their curiosity, the servants left without asking any questions.
Once she was in her room, Tessa called her assistant, Monica Herbert. "Hey, how are you doing?"
"You called me first. This is new," Monica remarked, with surprise evident in her tone. "Did something happen?"
"As of today, I'm officially single again. From now on, I'm going to do nothing other than focus on my career."
"What? Really?" Monica exclaimed in disbelief.
"Oh my god! Did I hear it wrong? You've been so devoted to your husband over the past three years that you even quit your job to become a full-time housewife. Why did you two split up? You're not kidding me, are you?"
Monica was her assistant. She was one of the few people who knew that Tessa had another identity.
Unbeknownst to others, Tessa was a top-notch lawyer who went by the name Iris.
And she was not just an ordinary lawyer. In fact, the mere mention of her name was enough to strike fear into the hearts of many lawyers.
"Has anyone asked for me recently?" Tessa asked Monica, who had yet to recover from the shock. "Are there any interesting cases?"
Monica recalled a recent event and sighed. "Yes, there is, and the client is offering an extremely high reward to anyone who can help them win the case. However, no one is brave enough to accept it. Also, you absolutely can't accept it."
"Tell me more about it." Tessa was intrigued now.
Kallie, a mute who had been ignored by her husband for five years since their wedding, also suffered the loss of her pregnancy due to her cruel mother-in-law. After the divorce, she learned that her ex-husband had quickly gotten engaged to the woman he truly loved. Holding her slightly rounded belly, she realized that he had never really cared for her. Determined, she left him behind, treating him as a stranger. Yet, after she left, he scoured the globe in search of her. When their paths crossed once more, Kallie had already found new happiness. For the first time, he pleaded humbly, "Please don't leave me..." But Kallie's response was firm and dismissive, cutting through any lingering ties. "Get lost!"
They don't know I'm a girl. They all look at me and see a boy. A prince. Their kind purchase humans like me for their lustful desires. And, when they stormed into our kingdom to buy my sister, I intervened to protect her. I made them take me too. The plan was to escape with my sister whenever we found a chance. How was I to know our prison would be the most fortified place in their kingdom? I was supposed to be on the sidelines. The one they had no real use for. The one they never meant to buy. But then, the most important person in their savage land-their ruthless beast king-took an interest in the "pretty little prince." How do we survive in this brutal kingdom, where everyone hates our kind and shows us no mercy? And how does someone, with a secret like mine, become a lust slave? . AUTHOR'S NOTE. This is a dark romance-dark, mature content. Highly rated 18+ Expect triggers, expect hardcore. If you're a seasoned reader of this genre, looking for something different, prepared to go in blindly not knowing what to expect at every turn, but eager to know more anyway, then dive in! . From the author of the international bestselling book: "The Alpha King's Hated Slave."
Linsey was stood up by her groom to run off with another woman. Furious, she grabbed a random stranger and declared, "Let's get married!" She had acted on impulse, realizing too late that her new husband was the notorious rascal, Collin. The public laughed at her, and even her runaway ex offered to reconcile. But Linsey scoffed at him. "My husband and I are very much in love!" Everyone thought she was delusional. Then Collin was revealed to be the richest man in the world. In front of everyone, he got down on one knee and held up a stunning diamond ring. "I look forward to our forever, honey."
Janice, the long-forgotten legitimate heiress, made her way back to her family, pouring her heart into winning their hearts. Yet, she had to relinquish her very identity, her academic credentials, and her creative works to her foster sister. In return for her sacrifices, she found no warmth, only deeper neglect. Resolute, Janice vowed to cut off all emotional bonds. Transformed, she now stood as a master of martial arts, adept in eight languages, an esteemed medical expert, and a celebrated designer. With newfound resolve, she declared, "From this day forward, no one in this family shall cross me."
Allison fell in love with Ethan Iversen, the soon-to-be Alpha of the Moonlight Crown pack. She always wanted him to notice her. Meanwhile, Ethan was an arrogant Alpha who thought a weak Omega could not be his companion. Ethan's cousin, Ryan Iversen, who came back from abroad and was the actual heir of the pack, never tried to get the position nor did he show any interest in it. He was a popular playboy Alpha but when he came back to the pack, one thing captured his eyes and that was Allison.
"There will be no falling in love, we will only act as a loving couple when we are in public, we will share a room to make it believable, but no intimacy, touching is off-limits. We'll only have sex once a month, and that's solely to produce an heir. You won't interfere in my business, and I won't interfere in yours. You will be my wife in every sense and you will not be involved with any other man," he said, arrogance seeping from every word. I watch his mouth move, I'm not ready to fall in love with any man, especially not one as arrogant and egoistic as him. I can handle acting as a loving couple, and as for intimacy once a month. I can agree to that just to satisfy my sexual cravings with no strings attached. "Where can I sign?" I asked since I had nothing to lose. *** Nadine's wedding dreams turned to nightmares when she caught her sister and fiancé cheating! With a secret recording, she's ready for revenge. But then mysterious billionaire Logan West offers a deal: A Contract Marriage to take down her ex's empire. But what Nadine doesn't know is her life is getting complicated as she takes her chance to get revenge or risks everything for a chance at love?"