/0/70929/coverbig.jpg?v=e8c70b39eee1f99701fb38e05e567ac6)
My boyfriend called, "Baby!" as he jumped out of bed and scrambled to pull his pants off the ground. "Please, I can explain my love." Shutting my eyes, I inhaled deeply and tried not to cry when I realized that my dream of the man not being my boyfriend had been dashed. "What?" I asked, "What do you want to explain?" How did you lie about having a business meeting while you were in bed enjoying yourself with my best friend, even though I told you I was in serious pain, is that it?" I stood there, my heart pounding, and tears streaming down my face...
Ariana Cole stepped out of her car, her body aching from exhaustion. The dull throb in her abdomen reminded her of the pain she had been enduring all day, a sharp contrast to the warmth and comfort she had hoped to find in Liam's arms. She had called him earlier, her voice weak as she told him about her worsening condition. He had sounded rushed, dismissive even, as he claimed he was in a "business meeting" that couldn't be interrupted.
Now, standing in front of his penthouse door, something felt... off.
She reached for the handle, the key in her grip slick with sweat. She hesitated. The air was eerily silent, except for the faint hum of the city beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows. Then-
A muffled giggle.
Ariana's heart clenched. She knew that sound. Knew it intimately. It was a laugh she had heard a thousand times over late-night cocktails, whispered secrets, and inside jokes.
Sienna.
Ariana's breathing shallowed. She swallowed the lump in her throat and forced herself to turn the key. The lock clicked open, the sound slicing through the silence like a warning shot.
She stepped inside.
The penthouse smelled of lavender and musk-a scent she didn't recognize. The living room was dim, only the glow from the city lights illuminating the sleek furniture. Her pulse thundered in her ears as she took slow, deliberate steps toward the bedroom.
A quiet moan. A breathless whisper. Sheets rustling.
Her vision blurred at the edges, her stomach churning. Still, she moved forward, the pull of truth stronger than her dread.
The bedroom door was slightly ajar. Through the narrow gap, she saw movement-bare skin against silk sheets, limbs entwined. A low, intimate chuckle. Liam's chuckle.
The room tilted. Ariana gripped the doorframe, her fingers digging into the wood. Her breath came in uneven gasps, a storm raging inside her, but she refused to crumble. Not yet. Not before she saw.
With a final surge of determination, she pushed the door open.
Time slowed.
There, tangled in the bed she had once considered her sanctuary, were Liam and Sienna.
Sienna's head was thrown back, her golden hair fanned out on the pillows like a mockery of innocence. Liam hovered over her, his bare back shifting as he pressed kisses along her collarbone. The sheets were a mess of tangled limbs, silk against sweat-slicked skin.
For a split second, neither of them noticed her. And for that split second, Ariana's world crumbled.
The man she had loved for years. The best friend she had trusted with everything. Together. Like this.
Then Sienna's eyes fluttered open.
Ariana saw it-the moment realization struck, the split-second widening of her pupils, the flicker of horror before she scrambled away, clutching the sheets to her chest.
"Liam!" Sienna gasped, shoving at his shoulder.
Liam turned, confusion morphing into panic when he saw Ariana standing there. His mouth opened, closed, then opened again, as if scrambling for an explanation.
"Ariana-"
She laughed. A sharp, humorless sound that burned in her throat.
"Wow," she whispered, stepping further into the room. "This is... unbelievable."
Liam shot out of bed, yanking the sheet around his waist. "Baby, this-this isn't what it looks like."
Ariana arched a brow, arms crossing over her chest to keep from shaking. "Oh? Because it looks like my boyfriend is screwing my best friend while I was out dealing with excruciating pain and thought I could count on him."
Sienna flinched. "Ari, please-"
"Shut up," Ariana snapped, her voice shaking. "Just... shut up."
She turned to Liam. "What do you want to explain? How you lied about your 'business meeting' while you were busy with her? Or how, when I called you earlier, barely able to stand from pain, you barely pretended to care?" Her voice cracked, but she refused to cry.
Liam raked a hand through his hair, his movements frantic. "I-I made a mistake."
Ariana laughed again, but this time, there was venom laced in every syllable. "A mistake?"
Liam took a step toward her, his eyes desperate. "Baby, listen, I swear to you, this meant nothing. It was-"
"Meaningless?" she interrupted, shaking her head. "You expect me to believe that? My best friend? In our bed?"
Sienna whimpered, still clinging to the sheets. "Ariana, please, you have to understand-"
"Oh, I understand perfectly," Ariana said, her voice calm now. Too calm.
Sienna's lip trembled. "I never wanted to hurt you."
Ariana's gaze locked onto hers, cold and unforgiving. "But you did. You both did."
Silence hung between them, heavy and suffocating. Liam's face was twisted in guilt, but there was something else lurking beneath the surface-fear.
Good.
Ariana took a step closer instead of leaving. She wanted to see them squirm. Wanted them to feel even a fraction of the humiliation and pain that clawed at her chest.
She tilted her head, studying Liam. "How long?"
His lips parted, hesitation flickering in his eyes.
"Don't lie," she warned, voice razor-sharp.
Liam swallowed hard. "Ariana, please-"
"How long?" she demanded, her voice rising.
Sienna let out a quiet sob. "It just happened-"
"Liar," Ariana spat, her gaze snapping to her. "How long, Sienna?"
Sienna shrank under her glare, her fingers tightening around the sheets. "A few months..."
Ariana sucked in a sharp breath, her hands clenching into fists. Months. Not days. Not weeks. Months.
She felt something inside her snap. The last fragile thread holding her together burned away into nothing.
A slow, eerie smile curled her lips. "You know what? I should be grateful."
Liam's brows knitted. "What are you talking about?"
Ariana let out a small, humorless chuckle. "I was blind. So, so blind. And now? You've both given me clarity."
She walked over to the nightstand, grabbing Liam's expensive Rolex-the one she had bought for his last birthday. She held it up, inspecting it as if it were some foreign object, then with a flick of her wrist, she hurled it across the room.
It smashed against the wall.
Sienna yelped. Liam flinched.
Ariana stepped forward, her gaze burning. "You don't get to explain. You don't get to beg. You had your chance, Liam. You too, Sienna."
Her voice dipped lower, chilling. "I want you both to remember this moment. Because I will. And when you least expect it... I'll remind you what betrayal feels like."
Sienna trembled. Liam opened his mouth, but for once, he had no words.
Good.
Ariana turned away, but this time, she wasn't retreating. No, she was planning.
She wasn't leaving yet.
Not until she had all the information she needed to destroy them both.
Betrayed. Humiliated. Left with nothing but a shattered reputation. When Serena Lancaster, once the darling of high society, is publicly cast aside by her ex-fiancé, she swears never to let another man have power over her. Desperate to rebuild her life, she takes a job at Weston Sinclair's empire-the one man who has every reason to despise her ex. Cold. Ruthless. Untouchable. Weston built his billion-dollar legacy on control, and falling for his reckless nephew's ex is the last thing he should do. But from the moment Serena steps into his world, she becomes his obsession-one he refuses to deny. He should keep his distance. He should let her go. But when Serena's past threatens to destroy her, Weston makes a choice. She's his now. And he'll never let her go.
"Miss, the second miss doesn't want to Marry the husband that was chosen for her" "It's alright let her do as she wishes" So the first miss married into the Duke mansion while the second miss married into the Lu family. The first miss: older sister you will suffer in the Duke's Mansion *Evil smile*
"Where am I?" She whispered desperately " If I am reborn...I won't have mercy on those evil scums" Then a flash of bright light......
Elena, once a pampered heiress, suddenly lost everything when the real daughter framed her, her fiancé ridiculed her, and her adoptive parents threw her out. They all wanted to see her fall. But Elena unveiled her true identity: the heiress of a massive fortune, famed hacker, top jewelry designer, secret author, and gifted doctor. Horrified by her glorious comeback, her adoptive parents demanded half her newfound wealth. Elena exposed their cruelty and refused. Her ex pleaded for a second chance, but she scoffed, “Do you think you deserve it?” Then a powerful magnate gently proposed, “Marry me?”
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!”
"We are divorced, Adams." She sighed and wanted to walk away, but he held her. "It doesn't matter." He answered, his voice laced with determination. "I don't love you anymore." "That doesn't matter either. What matters is that I want you, and there's nothing you or anyone can do about it." ***** Alicia's life has been a series of ups and downs. She suffered abuse from her husband and his family because she couldn't give him a child. She thought she had seen it all, but not until the day she returned home only to receive the divorce papers from her husband's parents. She pleaded with them, but was met with deaf ears, and so she signed the documents and left. Little did anyone know that she was pregnant. She returned six years later with her baby girl only to find her Ex-husband craving her once more. How will she take this, and what other surprises does fate have in stock for her?
To the public, she was the CEO's executive secretary. Behind closed doors, she was the wife he never officially acknowledged. Jenessa was elated when she learned that she was pregnant. But that joy was replaced with dread as her husband, Ryan, showered his affections on his first love. With a heavy heart, she chose to set him free and leave. When they met again, Ryan's attention was caught by Jenessa's protruding belly. "Whose child are you carrying?!" he demanded. But she only scoffed. "It's none of your business, my dear ex-husband!"
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..."Â But Kallie's response was firm and dismissive, cutting through any lingering ties. "Get lost!"
Rachel used to think that her devotion would win Brian over one day, but she was proven wrong when his true love returned. Rachel had endured it all—from standing alone at the altar to dragging herself to the hospital for an emergency treatment. Everyone thought she was crazy to give up so much of herself for someone who didn’t return her feelings. But when Brian received news of Rachel’s terminal illness and realized she didn’t have long to live, he completely broke down. "I forbid you to die!" Rachel just smiled. She no longer needed him. "I will finally be free."