"Why do you think this ugly woman is my queen, Annalise?" he blurted out, his tone indifferent. Instantly, a pang of regret coursed through him, but he refused to retract his words. His petty side took over, and he couldn't bring himself to admit how her beauty enchanted him. Marilyn remained silent, her hazel eyes revealing the hurt he had inflicted. "No! Natalí would never choose such an unworthy queen for me. She looks so old," he scoffed, casting Marilyn another disgusted look. Only the goddess chooses the true queen, and only chosen can wield the power of her tears. But an Oath to the goddess must be fulfilled no matter what. After being in a loveless and a childless marriage for eight years, Marilyn suddenly found out that her husband wasn't her true husband and she must marry the King of Nayak if she wants a child of her own. Will she follow her path as the goddess chosen? Or will she stay in an abusive marriage and continue to endure insult because she is barren?
Prologue:
"All you do is eat, sleep, and laze around the house. I am tired of that, you barren woman!" My husband, Lord Patrick Gattar, shouted as he forcefully grabbed my hair. Pain shot through every inch of my scalp, and my eyes welled up with tears. He dragged me across the room, pinning me against the wall. I couldn't plead; I tried to speak, but no words emerged. Pleading would only lead to more beatings, worse than before.
I could feel my pale skin reddening as he tightened his grip on my hair. Tears streamed down my face, and I bit my lip to stifle my cries of pain. He released me briefly and then-
Smack.
His palm struck my face, and I couldn't hold back the sobs any longer. Servants watched with pity or smirks, and I couldn't blame them. The lady of the proud House of Gattar was being humiliated by her husband in the most degrading way possible. I didn't blame them for their expressions.
"Useless wench! Why are you dolled up? Hoping to entice me to waste my seed inside you again, huh?" He taunted, pouring salt on my wounds. He breathed heavily as he ruthlessly removed the silver hairpin from my bun, surely taking countless strands of hair with it. My hair fell, and he ripped away other accessories.
"I don't want to see this on you ever again! No rouge! No accessories! No jewelry. I want to see the ugly ogre I married. The ogre who won't give me an heir!" He shoved me away, and I crashed hard onto the unforgiving floor. The fancy rug and multiple layers of my dress did nothing to cushion the fall. Every part of my body ached as my sobs grew louder.
I sobbed, not only from the physical pain but from the emotional torment inflicted by the man I had fallen in love with a decade ago. The man who once cherished me and promised me the world had transformed into a monster because I couldn't bear him a child. My eight-year-long marriage remained childless.
Miss Marilyn Rusé, once renowned as the golden maiden of Ruqgu. That was my nickname when I was sixteen-the most beautiful maiden in the entire city. Marrying into a powerful family like Gattar was expected, given my background.
The House of Rusé ranked among Ruqgu's five most prestigious families, and I was their beloved daughter, pampered and spoiled to excess. Abuse was a foreign concept during my upbringing, and I was too noble to mistreat anyone, even servants. While my friends bullied their servants and slave girls, I befriended them, raised by a maid myself. I lost my mother at a tender age, and servants became my family. When I turned ten, Eria, my handmaid, became my best friend.
At sixteen, I was betrothed to Lord Patrick of the House of Gattar. We were childhood friends, and love blossomed, hastening our marriage. Recollections of his former kindness fueled my hope amidst the torment.
Initially, he stood by me in the face of our childless years, defending me against the branch families who bullied me. However, as our marriage reached its fifth year without a child, he resorted to desperate measures. He filled me with fertility herbs, hired countless doctors, and forced me to ingest endless concoctions that practically became my daily sustenance.
Now, he had reached his breaking point, morphing into a hateful stranger. I wondered at times if he ever truly loved me. He drank excessively, abused me, and frequented brothels, leaving me untouched for months. When he did desire me, it was a violent, unwanted act. He taunted me mercilessly about my barrenness, weaving the word 'barren' into every sentence.
If his younger brothers welcomed a child, he'd get drunk, lash out at me, and take me forcefully throughout the night. I couldn't leave the Gattar Manor; news of my barrenness and his actions had spread throughout Ruqgu. I accepted my fate, trusting Eria to manage my businesses. She went to the market and tended to the cosmetics shop I had established with my dowry. If I couldn't bear a child, at least my finances thrived.
Eria offered me a sympathetic look as my husband stormed out of the room. The two servants hesitantly opened the door and left, fearing becoming his next targets. He paid them no heed; his primary victim was me.
Eria moved closer, dismissing the servants with a stern glare. She couldn't do that earlier; my husband delighted in having them witness his cruelty. He chased them away only when he wanted me against my will.
As for me, I no longer knew how to cry. Eria ran her fingers through my hair in a soothing gesture while I stared blankly ahead.
"It won't always be like this, Lina. I promise," she assured me, enfolding me in her comforting embrace.
"This is my destiny, Eria. I have nowhere to turn. The House of Rusé has forsaken me. You don't understand; I'm alone," I replied, my voice void of emotion. I had become a hollow shell, devoid of feeling.
"Before Lord Patrick arrived earlier, I had a message for you," she said in a hushed tone, her eyes scanning for any prying ears.
"A message? What kind of message could possibly change my barrenness? I'm exhausted. Keep your message, Eria," I said, rising slowly with her assistance. She guided me to my vanity table, where I gazed at my reflection in the mirror.
"She claims to have the solution to your problems," Eria revealed, leaving me bewildered as she massaged my temples.
"Who is she?"
Eria's words hung in the air, shrouding the room in suspense. My curiosity overcame my despair, if only for a moment."Who is she, Eria?" I asked again, my voice steadier this time.
Eria hesitated for a second before replying, her voice barely above a whisper. "I met her on my way to the market this morning, She is from Nayak and she claims to know your mother"
" She knows my mother? she is From Nayak? How did she know about my predicament?" I murmured confused about the entire situation. Why would a total stranger be interested in me?
Eria's gaze bore into mine with unwavering determination. "She has heard of your plight, Lina. She believes she can help you, offer you a chance to break free from this torment."
I almost laughed but I didn't, I trust Eria but this? I'm not so sure.
"Eria, what if this is some kind of trick or deception?" I voiced my fears, unable to fully silence the nagging doubts.Eria's gaze bore into mine, unwavering in its sincerity. "I believe in her, Lina. And if there's even a chance that she can change your fate, isn't it worth the risk?"
" How can I meet her" I asked.
Eria's lips curled into a sly smile. "She gave me this," she whispered, revealing a small, ornate envelope concealed within the folds of her dress. The envelope bore an intricate seal, unlike anything I had ever seen.
" We are to meet her before midnight. my lady"
I never expected that this mysterious stranger would alter the course of my life. But will I truly find a solution, or will my situation worsen?
-
“ I don't see the reason why you won't sign the fucking divorce papers!” He said after taking a deep breath, he placed the papers on the table. She only shrugged her shoulders in response. His mind was everything but stable. “ Oh I will” She said with a cheeky smile and he sighed in relief. “ Really?” His eyes lit up. “ One one condition” She raised a finger at him with a shit eating grin. “ I'll do anything to go back to being a bachelor” He said almost desperately. “ Sleep with me” Marriage has always being a bad news to the number one playboy billionaire, Daniel Smith He hated the idea of commitment, what will happen when his father signs a deal to get a bride for him? A crazy one at that.
"Who are you? You don't even know me. Why are you helping me?" I asked, and he just went back to his straight, expressionless face. "I'm D..... You are?" he asked, and suddenly, I felt a chill run down my spine. It must be because he looked like a cold-hearted person; maybe the chills were coming from him. Or maybe because I couldn't even get past the first letter of his name. Why won't I remember his name? What happened to me? What did my brother do? Why won't I remember the name of my mate?! Mated to the Beta of her pack, Diana struggles with sleepless nights as a Stranger visits her dreams every night showing her proofs that her life in the pack might be a lie and her mate may not be her true mate.
“ What do you want us to be? Sophie your friends pointed it out clearly that I'm obviously too old for you” He ran his hand through his hair. Frustrated, he took a deep breath so he won't scare the only piece of sanity in his life. “ But do you want to be more than my sugar daddy?” she asked again. After being thrown to debt by her father, Sophie was forced to look for a way out for herself which lead her to finding a sugar daddy. But what do you think will happen when an inexperienced virgin cross paths with a recently divorced billionaire in her city?
After hiding her true identity throughout her three-year marriage to Colton, Allison had committed wholeheartedly, only to find herself neglected and pushed toward divorce. Disheartened, she set out to rediscover her true self-a talented perfumer, the mastermind of a famous intelligence agency, and the heir to a secret hacker network. Realizing his mistakes, Colton expressed his regret. "I know I messed up. Please, give me another chance." Yet, Kellan, a once-disabled tycoon, stood up from his wheelchair, took Allison's hand, and scoffed dismissively, "You think she'll take you back? Dream on."
"Please trust me, I didn't do anything." "I don't believe you. I am rejecting you as my Queen and giving you the punishment of death." Alina was living outside her pack for five years. Her parents didn't try to contact her and always ignored her. Her best friend convinced her to go back to their pack and she agreed. But she had never imagined what was waiting there for her. She never thought she would meet her mate and had to face betrayal from everywhere. She had to pay for the crime which she never committed. Aaron Robertson is the king of Lycans. He is a very dominant and powerful King who not only rules Lycans but also rules other ranks of werewolves. Everyone is afraid of Lycans and he is the king of them. But who knew that he would get a mate who was just a simple Omega with no powers and strengths? He called her weak all the time but little did he know that his weak Omega would give him the biggest betrayal of his life for which he had to give her the sentence of death.
Madisyn was stunned to discover that she was not her parents' biological child. Due to the real daughter's scheming, she was kicked out and became a laughingstock. Thought to be born to peasants, Madisyn was shocked to find that her real father was the richest man in the city, and her brothers were renowned figures in their respective fields. They showered her with love, only to learn that Madisyn had a thriving business of her own. "Stop pestering me!" said her ex-boyfriend. "My heart only belongs to Jenna." "How dare you think that my woman has feelings for you?" claimed a mysterious bigwig.
"You're the moon wolf, Lola. You're the wolf with the power of the Moon goddess", Serena said and collective gasps were heard in the room. After being rejected by her mate in Moonlit pack, Lola escaped on a full moon only to enter the territory of the next Alpha King who also happened to be her second chance mate. Adrian is the next Alpha King but he hasn't been able to assume his role because he needed a Luna by his side. A rogue that trespassed on his territory, whom he ordered be killed turned out to be his mate leaving him in a dilemma. Will Adrian reject Lola because she came into his territory as a rogue? Will he overcome what happened to him in the past and give Lola a chance or reject her and go ahead with Fay as his chosen Luna? What will happen when everyone finds out just how much power Lola wields and how she's supposed to protect her kind in an oncoming war? Find out in Lola - The Moon Wolf!
Lindsey's fiancé was the devil's first son. Not only did he lie to her but he also slept with her stepmother, conspired to take away her family fortune, and then set her up to have sex with a total stranger. To get her lick back, Lindsey decided to find a man to disrupt her engagement party and humiliate the cheating bastard. Never did she imagine that she would bump into a strikingly handsome stranger who was all that she was currently looking for. At the engagement party, he boldly declared that she was his woman. Lindsey thought he was just a broke man who wanted to leech off her. But once they began their fake relationship, she realized that good luck kept coming her way. She thought they would part ways after the engagement party, but this man kept to her side. "We gotta stick together, Lindsey. Remember, I'm now your fiancé. " "Domenic, you're with me because of my money, aren't you?" Lindsey asked, narrowing her eyes at him. Domenic was taken aback by that accusation. How could he, the heir of the Walsh family and CEO of Vitality Group, be with her for money? He controlled more than half of the city's economy. Money wasn't a problem for him! The two got closer and closer. One day, Lindsey finally realized that Domenic was actually the stranger she had slept with months ago. Would this realization change things between them? For the better or worse?
For three years, Shane and Yvonne were wed, sharing heated nights, while his devotion clung to his ex. Yvonne strove to be a dutiful wife, yet their marriage felt hollow, built on desire rather than real warmth. All changed when she became pregnant, only for Shane to thrust her onto the operating table, warning, “Either you or the baby survives!” Broken by his cruelty, she vanished in grief and later returned, radiantly accomplished, leaving everyone awestruck. Haunted by remorse, Shane begged for another chance, but Yvonne only smiled and replied, “I’m sorry, men no longer interest me.”