Isabella's world crumbled when her marriage to Liam took a heartbreaking turn during their second anniversary. She was further hurt when she discovered that he was having an affair with his ex-lover. Soon, she discovered she was pregnant and decided to pack up and leave for another state. Five years later, as a single mother of twins, the past resurfaced when Liam unexpectedly reappeared. Would Isabella be drawn into a whirlwind of emotions as she confronts the man who shattered her heart or would she be hellbent on her revenge of making him pay dearly for his crimes?
Isabella's p.o.v
I stared at myself in the mirror, loving the way the maroon-colored dress accentuated my figure. Today was I and Liam's second wedding anniversary and his grandfather had organized a big party.
A sigh escaped my lips and my heart became heavy as I remembered the look of anger that crossed Liam's face when his grandfather mentioned the party.
Ever since his parents died, he changed the way he acted towards me. It was like the love he had for me had vanished completely.
A lone tear escaped my eyes and I wiped it off hastily, in a bid not to ruin my makeup.
A knock jolted me out of my thoughts and my friends, Bianca and Ava sauntered in with a bright smile on their faces.
"Congratulations on your anniversary darling. Your grandfather-in-law sure does know how to throw a party," Ava squealed, pulling me into a hug.
I chuckled, patting her back lightly. "He's still a party freak despite his age."
"You are one lucky woman, Isa. Not only did you marry one of the best men out there, but you also got one of the best in-laws. I wish my life was more like yours," Bianca chimed in, pouting.
I shook my head at her words. "Don't say that Bianca. Peter is a very nice man."
She scoffed, folding her arms under her breast. "You can have him then since you think he's so nice."
I rolled my eyes and made my way to my dressing table to pick up my purse.
"Now ladies, let's head downstairs."
As I got to the end of the stairs, Cynthia, the wife of Christian, the CEO of the Miller group of companies sauntered towards me, tucking a few strands of hair that fell out of place behind her ear.
Her eyes fell on my fingers and she let out a gasp, her hands flying over her mouth as she approached me. Pointing to my diamond ring, she shook her head and let out a soft chuckle. "I didn't know Isabella to be one who wears cheap things. Are you already going broke?"
I rolled my eyes in anger. Cynthia has always been in an imaginary competition with me. She was someone who always wanted to be in the spotlight but not tonight, I won't let her have her way this time.
A wry chuckle escaped my lips as I closed the distance between us. "My ring costs a fortune Cynthia and I'm sure it cost more than all your pieces of jewelry combined together. It isn't about how fancy it looks dear Cynthia," I whispered into her ears and watched as her face contorted into a frown.
Before she could argue, I patted her on the back and left her side.
My eyes darted through the hall frantically searching for Liam as I fiddled with my fingers anxiously.
I felt a tap on my back and turned my head to see who it was.
"Who are you searching for so intently? Is something wrong?" Bianca said with a sly smile on her lips.
I tried to speak but a thick lump formed in my throat and all I could do was shake my head.
Different thoughts raced through my mind causing my heart to palpitate in fear. "I was sure that I reminded him of the anniversary yesterday. How could he not be here? I never complained when he forgot my birthday and other events in my life but this, this is too much. God! What do I do now?
How did things go from bad to worst between us in a span of a few months?
Ava reached out and took hold of my arm. "Isa, are you okay? You are shaking."
I took deep breaths trying to control my emotions. "I'm... I'm fine," I managed to voice out.
My eyes fell on the glass of wine in Ava's hand and I snatched it from her, gulping it at a go.
Wiping the corners of my lips, I handed her back the glass. "Excuse me, girls. I need to make a phone call."
"Isn't your husband going to come? I haven't seen him yet," I heard Bianca yell as I hurried out of the hall.
With shaky hands, I removed my phone from my purse and dialed Liam's number but I was left with a message that said his number wasn't available.
Tears stung the back of my eyelids as I swirled my wedding ring around my finger. "Does he hate me this much not to even grace our anniversary with his presence?"
I decided to head to his office to see if he left a clue as to where he could be right now.
As I climbed each stair, my breathing became shallow as though the air around me was closing in on me. I held the rails and dragged each foot clumsily onto the next step.
I soon reached the top of the stairs and made my way to his office. On getting to his office door, I could see fragments of light seeping through the door, which assured me that he was either inside or forgot to turn off the lights.
Placing my hand on the doorknob, I slowly turned it and pushed the door open.
For a second, I thought I was having a problem with my eyesight. I squeezed my eyes shut, hoping it was all just a fragment of my imagination and the sight before me would disappear.
But as I opened my eyes, the harsh reality remained- there he was holding another woman as they both stared into each other's eyes, giggling.
My insides churned as I took in the sight before me. Slowly, he turned to look at me and when his eyes met mine, my heart shattered into a million pieces.
His face was devoid of any emotions as he stared at me with clenched jaw.
Without taking his hands off the waist of the woman who buried her face in his chest, his voice echoed through the whole room causing me to shudder.
"Why are you here?"
A wave of dizziness washed over me and I staggered backward, trying hard to find my balance.
"Oh God, this can't be happening. Please let this be a dream." I muttered as I shook my head.
"Are you deaf?" he asked, with disgust evident in his voice.
My eyes traveled over the face of the woman whose hands were wrapped around him. When my eyes met hers, it felt like I had been hit.
"Li... Lilly?"
A sinister smile crept onto her lips. "Thank you for taking care of my man these past few years."
With my heart thudding in fear and anger, I glanced at Liam who was staring at me with a stoic expression.
"Why is she here? Why is she in your arms? What's happening here?" I yelled with so much anger.
With her arm still wrapped around him, she responded. "Nothing is happening here. He is just back where he belongs."
Tears pricked the back of my eyelids as my lower lips began to wobble. Every part of me wanted to crumble and burst into tears but I would never give Lilly the satisfaction of her knowing she's the cause of my pain.
I sniffled in my tears and turned to Liam. "You are a clown Liam, a very big one. Of all the women to cheat on me with, you decide to cheat with the very woman that left you at your lowest? The woman who ruined you and left you to suffer?"
Liam raised a brow and the blank expression on his face made every part of me crumble to pieces.
"Answer me, Liam! Answer me!" I yelled.
Slowly, Lilly released her arms around Liam and strutted towards me with her hips swaying side by side.
"Stop yelling, you are frightening my baby," she said, rubbing her belly.
Aria's world falls apart when her pack is destroyed by Alpha Sebastian. Forced to serve him, she faces pain and rejection. Accused of a crime she didn't commit, she tries to run away-only to end up with Xander, the powerful Lycan King. Xander seeks revenge and is hell-bent on ending her life. As danger grows and secrets are revealed, Aria must fight for her freedom. Can they trust each other, or will betrayal tear them apart?
"Carroll Brown is dead! But you have to marry him in your sister's name." My mother said to me in a cold tone. My sister was engaged to the hottest billionaire. It should have been a perfect marriage. Unexpectedly, Carroll was dead in an accident. My sister didn't want to become a widow, so she forced me to marry her dead fiance. And I had no right to refuse her. Actually, I was the biological daughter of the Smith family. My sister was an adoptive one. My sister and I had been swapped at the hospital when we were just born. My parents had already had a deep relationship with her. So they chose to sacrifice me. On the wedding day, I was taken to the mourning hall. "Ma'am, please keep Master company and let him feel warm." The housekeeper said with a cold expression. I couldn't help but look up at the portrait above the coffin, and my heart skipped a beat at this glance. The man in the portrait was more handsome than the superstars in Hollywood. Carroll Brown? My dead husband? Wow, he was really handsome! I didn't know how long had passed when my stomach began to rebel. After one glance at the coffin, I swallowed my saliva and then begged with my fingers crossed. "Mr. Carroll, I'm starving! May I eat your pastries? You don't mind, do you?" "I do." "Ah!" Scared, I broke out in a cold sweat. My legs went limp, and I fell to the ground. I shouted, "Ghost!" Carroll curled his lips, leaned over, and touched the black coffin. "Mr. Carroll has risen from the dead. What do you think of this headline tomorrow?"
After two years of marriage, Sadie was finally pregnant. Filled with hope and joy, she was blindsided when Noah asked for a divorce. During a failed attempt on her life, Sadie found herself lying in a pool of blood, desperately calling Noah to ask him to save her and the baby. But her calls went unanswered. Shattered by his betrayal, she left the country. Time passed, and Sadie was about to be wed for a second time. Noah appeared in a frenzy and fell to his knees. "How dare you marry someone else after bearing my child?"
Ethan always viewed Nyla as a compulsive liar, while she saw him as aloof and insensitive. Nyla had cherished the notion that she was dear to Ethan, yet she felt coldly rejected when she realized her place in his heart was insignificant. No longer trying to break through his coldness, she stepped back, only for him to alter his approach unexpectedly. She challenged him, "If you trust me so little, why keep me around?" Ethan, who had once carried himself with pride, now stood before her with a humble plea. "Nyla, I've made mistakes. Please don't walk away from me."
"You're a creepy bastard." His eyes smolder me and his answering grin is nothing short of beautiful. Deadly. "Yet you hunger for me. Tell me, this appetite of yours, does it always tend toward 'creepy bastards'?" **** Widower and ex-boss to the Mafia, Zefiro Della Rocca, has an unhealthy fixation on the woman nextdoor. It began as a coincidence, growing into mere curiosity, and soon, it was an itch he couldn't ignore, like a quick fix of crack for an addict. He didn't know her name, but he knew every inch of her skin, how it flushed when she climaxed, her favourite novel and that every night she contemplated suicide. He didn't want to care, despising his rapt fascination of the woman. She was in love with her abusive husband. She was married, bound by a contract to the Bratva's hitman. She was off-limits. But when Zefiro wanted something, it was with an intensity that bordered on madness. He obsessed, possessed, owned. There'd be bloodshed if he touched her, but the sight of blood always did fascinate him. * When Susanna flees from her husband, she stumbles right into the arms of her devilishly handsome neighbour with a brooding glare. He couldn't stand her, but she needed him, if she was ever going to escape her husband who now wanted her dead. Better the devil you know than the angel you don't. She should have recalled that before hopping into Zefiro's car and letting him whisk her away to Italy. Maybe then, she wouldn't have started an affair with him. He was the only man who touched her right, and the crazy man took no small pains in ensuring he would be the last.
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?
The dream of everyone with regards to marriage is to be able to find that special someone and settle down with them. Even arranged marriages grant you an opportunity to meet your partner briefly before the wedding. How will you feel about waking up in the morning with someone sleeping next to you who is not just anyone but your legally married partner yet with no memory of how that had happened in just a few hours of going out the previous day? This is the story of Jason Haward and Julia Harrison, two strangers trapped in a marriage they never planned. The quest to find out why led to the unfolding of a mystery which made them realize they are both living a lie. To find out more, read this amazing story of love, betrayal, revenge and murder.