Thank you for being here once, even if you were just a passerby, I can't let go. You can no longer hear anything I say; scenes from our memories keep flashing before my eyes. I have no regrets about having loved, cried, and felt pain; it was all worth it. Thank you for being here once, even if you were just a passerby...our story began just like this.
The sound of water splashing came from the bathroom. Through the door, the silhouette of the man inside could be vaguely seen. That was my husband, Jack Clarke. I sat in the living room, tidying up my clothes.
Every time he came home from work, he would take a shower first. Perhaps it was a doctor's habit to be overly concerned with hygiene. Even after more than two years of marriage, he hadn't changed this habit.
The phone on the coffee table rang with a "ding ding ding," and a message appeared on the screen. I couldn't help but glance at it.
"I'll meet you at the usual place tomorrow."
Looking at the message, I felt a pang of guilt, but I was also puzzled. Who could it be? I couldn't shake the feeling it was from a woman.
Just then, the sound of water stopped abruptly. I quickly put the phone back as if nothing had happened, trying to calm my unease.
He walked out, already dressed neatly.
He said in a flat tone, "I'm leaving."
We had an unspoken rule not to stay over, even though we were married, we both adhered to the rules.
"Could you... not leave tonight?" My voice trembled, my anxiety evident.
For the past two years, my love felt like walking on thin ice, afraid of the slightest disturbance.
"Is there something you need?" he asked, expressionless.
"I have..." Just then, his phone rang, interrupting what I wanted to say. He answered the call and left as he spoke.
That night felt especially long.
The next day, I went to work with dark circles under my eyes. As a hospital front desk clerk, my job was to greet patients and guide them on where to go and what procedures to follow.
My phone rang, it was Josh Blake, the thoracic surgeon.
"Come to the office quickly, your medical exam results are out."
My heart raced as I hurried to the office.
Josh handed me a thick stack of medical reports.
"I told you to get your check-ups on time every year, but you didn't listen. Now it's stage four breast cancer, it's advanced..."
Holding the report, my face turned pale, and I stood there speechless, dumbfounded.
"While the cancer cells haven't spread, you should have a mastectomy as soon as possible. There's a better chance that way."
"Surgery... will it completely cure me?"
"We're doctors, who can guarantee anything one hundred percent?"
"Then I won't do it. I don't want to be incomplete."
I walked to the hospital garden and sat down, looking up at a window on the right. It was Jack's office. I wanted to go to him, but I couldn't.
My phone rang; it was him calling. I felt a flicker of happiness.
"What's up?" I tried to speak in a calm tone.
"Let's get a divorce."
A buzzing sound filled my ears, and I couldn't hear anything else.
"What did you say...?" I couldn't believe my ears and wanted to confirm.
he didn't repeat what he had just said, "I will pack up my things from home and take them when I have time."
"Why? You owe me an explanation," my voice trembled.
"I just don't think we're right for each other anymore. I don't feel anything." He hung up impatiently.
Just those few words, "we're not right for each other," dismissed the years of our relationship. Looking at the report in my hand, I chuckled softly. When it rained, it poured, didn't it?
I muddled through the afternoon at work, unable to focus. To prevent any mistakes, I took leave from the hospital and went home. I needed to calm down as this wasn't a small matter.
Back home, I collapsed onto the sofa, looking at his belongings around the room, reminiscing about our past. He was a highly regarded neurosurgeon, while I was just a humble hospital front desk staff. In this relationship, I always put myself second, but I never complained.
After much thought, I decided to call him. After all those years, why should he be the one to decide on divorce?
“Drive this woman out!” "Throw this woman into the sea!” When he doesn’t know Debbie Nelson’s true identity, Carlos Hilton cold-shoulders her. “Mr. Hilton, she is your wife,” Carlos’ secretary reminded him. Hearing that, Carlos gives him a cold stare and complained, “why didn’t you tell me earlier?” From then on, Carlos spoils her rotten. Little did everyone expect that they would get a divorce.
Three years ago, Cecilia was left battered and alone by the man she loved most, Alston, yet she bravely completed the wedding ceremony while pregnant. Three years later, although they were married, they grew apart over time. Cecilia focused on her career, no longer foolishly believing in love. But her transformation instantly threw Alston into a panic... And what is the secret from 11 years ago that Cecilia has always been reluctant to reveal? *** "She went to a law firm, met with a lawyer..." A lawyer? Is Cecilia suing someone? Who? Is there any recent litigation against the company? Alston suddenly chuckled coldly, "Who could she sue? I'm the CEO of this company. How come such a matter doesn't come to me first?" The assistant swallowed nervously, speaking softly, "Sir, there's no litigation against the company. She met with... a divorce lawyer."
Elodie took a deep breath and knocked, the sound echoing in the quiet corridor. A moment of silence passed, broken only by the pounding of her heart. Finally, the door snicked open, revealing a surprised Dashiell. 'Can't you see the Do Not Disturb sign? We don't want-' His initial frown quickly morphed into confusion at the sight of his wife. 'What are you doing here?' he demanded. 'Your girlfriend invited me,' Elodie replied, her voice laced with icy calm. She tried to peer past him, but his broad frame blocked the view. A saccharine voice chimed in from within the room. 'Elodie? Oh dear, we didn't mean for you to find out this way. It's just that-' Elodie cut her short. 'Oh please, Selene. Spare me the fake apologies. You wouldn't have sent me all those texts if you didn't want me to know.' Dashiell shifted uncomfortably, his face a mask of annoyance. 'What texts?' Elodie stepped past him, taking in the luxurious suite with a sardonic smile. The king-sized bed, the scattered rose petals, the lingering scent of sex – it all painted a vivid picture of their betrayal. She looked up at Dashiell, her gaze unwavering. 'I want a divorce.' ****** Dashiell lived a life of luxury, surrounded by the best things money could buy. But when a car accident left him vulnerable, he met Elodie, a seemingly ordinary woman who nursed him back to health. Mistaking her for just another employee, Dashiell entered into a loveless marriage with her solely for convenience. However, fate had a different script in store. Elodie, the 'ordinary nurse,' held a secret more precious than any diamond: she was the sole heiress to Northstar, a vast and powerful enterprise. Unaware of her true identity, Dashiell cast her aside when his ex-girlfriend returned, leaving Elodie humiliated. But Elodie was not one to be easily broken. She shed the facade of the meek nurse, reclaiming her rightful inheritance and stepping into the role of Northstar's CEO. Now, the woman Dashiell discarded was the one holding the reins of power. As Elodie thrives in her new role, Dashiell is consumed by regret. He finally sees Elodie for the extraordinary woman she truly is, realising the depth of his mistake. But will his remorse be enough to win back the heart he so carelessly discarded?
"I stood at the edge of my heart and watched him choose her. In the end, I was not the one he needed. I was simply the one he settled for." - Noelle ~~~~~~~ I thought I was the one he loved. But a few days before our wedding, I saw him in a way I never had before. His eyes softened as he spoke to her. His first love, and the very woman who had left him in pieces. Heartbreak was something I knew too well. And as I watched the love he still held for her in his eyes, I realized what I had to do. I couldn't marry a man who wasn't truly mine. With no means to cancel the wedding and lacking the courage to confront him, I made a desperate choice to leave. I painfully gave his first love my treasured engagement ring thinking it was for the best and the only way to free myself. But when he saw that ring on her finger, the fragile world I had tried to escape began to shatter. His obsession to find me and bring me back ignited a dangerous game of cat and mouse.
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."
Corinne devoted three years of her life to her boyfriend, only for it to all go to waste. He saw her as nothing more than a country bumpkin and left her at the altar to be with his true love. After getting jilted, Corinne reclaimed her identity as the granddaughter of the town’s richest man, inherited a billion-dollar fortune, and ultimately rose to the top. But her success attracted the envy of others, and people constantly tried to bring her down. As she dealt with these troublemakers one by one, Mr. Hopkins, notorious for his ruthlessness, stood by and cheered her on. “Way to go, honey!”