from substitute bride to beloved wife

On the day I signed the divorce papers, I was ordered to leave with nothing. When I walked out of the Crane estate, I had twenty-six dollars in my wallet and nowhere safe to go. My phone was nearly dead when a message from an old classmate appeared on the screen, linking to a discreet placement notice. 【Seeking a live-in maternal figure for three children. Room, board, salary, and protection provided.】 I stopped at the word protection. A roof, a meal, and a place the Cranes could not reach me were already more than I had that night. The address led me to the iron gates of an old mansion on Chicago’s Gold Coast. Only after the butler opened the door did I learn who had placed the notice. Dante Bellandi. The Don of Chicago’s oldest Italian crime family. I had only wanted a place to stay. Somehow, I became the legal mother of the three Bellandi children and the contract wife of Dante Bellandi himself. Later, my ex-husband, Sebastian Crane, stood before me with the same careless arrogance and asked, “Do you realize you were wrong now?” Before I could answer, the triplets stepped in front of me. Little Livia clung to my leg, her eyes red. “My mom wasn’t wrong!” Her two brothers stood on either side of her, staring Sebastian down. Dante placed one hand at my waist, his voice calm enough to make the air turn cold. “Mr. Crane, my wife owes no explanation to a man who lost the right to speak to her.”

The Ruskin family's adopted daughter was born a fool.Reduced to a pawn, she was forced to marry in another's place. She married the city's blind business tycoon.Bound by a single contract, the two staged a charade. She played the idiot to survive; he feigned blindness to lie low. Sharing a bed on their wedding night, they probed each other's secrets.Unbeknownst to all, she was the mysterious overlord controlling the lifeblood of commerce; while he, enduring in silence for five years, advanced step by step, all to stir up a storm of revenge.

"In my previous life, I gave everything I had to marry him, only to receive fifty years of cold indifference, betrayal, and my son kneeling by my bedside on my deathbed, begging me to ""let Father go."" Reborn on the very day we were to register our marriage, Sebastian was still the same impatient man, tapping his fingers on the table. This time, I picked up the pen and slowly wrote my sister’s name in the applicant column. Since she was the one you’ve always longed for, I’ll grant your wish. I personally helped her try on wedding dresses, slipped the ring onto her finger, and watched him take her away to the capital. Then I turned around and left for the prestigious finishing school for ladies in Southport, starting from zero, determined to live for myself. I thought the story would end there. But when he discovered that the name on the marriage certificate wasn’t mine, he went mad and came chasing after me."

When my mind-link request had been ignored by my parents for the twentieth time, I went to the Werewolf Council, clutching the report on silver dust corrosion in my hand. “Hello. I’d like to renounce my pack identity—effective immediately.” Ten minutes later, my parents burst in, dragging my adoptive younger sister, Elsa, with them, panic written all over their faces. The door burst open with a bang, and my Beta father charged in like a storm. His fangs bared, claws twitching. “You’re nothing but a spoiled brat craving attention! Stop this pathetic act. You’re an embarrassment to a Beta’s name!” My mother, a forensic specialist for the pack, immediately snatched the report from my hand. After a brief glance, she let out a cold sneer. “You faked this report just to get our attention? You’ve been a liar since you were a pup.” Elsa clung to both of them, tears in her eyes as she sobbed, “I’m sorry, Jenifer. It’s my fault for holding the shifting ritual. But please... don’t lie to our parents just to make them feel guilty!” Blood was still pouring from my nose, but I wiped it away calmly and stood tall before the werewolf councilors once more. “I haven’t had a real family for a long time. Please—remove all my personal records from the pack. I just don’t want my funeral—scheduled for three days from now—to be delayed.”

The apocalypse has come, and humanity enters the Age of Sailing, where everyone awakens a fishing system. Liam Ward becomes known as a useless nobody, even by his girlfriend Quinn Johnson. He spends a month at sea catching fish just to buy her a gift—only to discover she is cheating on him with a wealthy heir, Devin Shaw. Humiliated and heartbroken, he quits the relationship. But during a voyage, he hauls up a thousand-year-old female corpse… who wakes and calls him her honey.

"In my previous life, I gave everything I had to marry him, only to receive fifty years of cold indifference, betrayal, and my son kneeling by my bedside on my deathbed, begging me to ""let Father go."" Reborn on the very day we were to register our marriage, Sebastian was still the same impatient man, tapping his fingers on the table. This time, I picked up the pen and slowly wrote my sister’s name in the applicant column. Since she was the one you’ve always longed for, I’ll grant your wish. I personally helped her try on wedding dresses, slipped the ring onto her finger, and watched him take her away to the capital. Then I turned around and left for the prestigious finishing school for ladies in Southport, starting from zero, determined to live for myself. I thought the story would end there. But when he discovered that the name on the marriage certificate wasn’t mine, he went mad and came chasing after me."

Subjected to humiliation by her mother-in-law and abuse from her husband, Alicia Reed endures in silence, all for the sake of preserving her family. Despite everyone's perception of Alicia as a country bumpkin, her husband's infidelity becomes a turning point. In a surprising twist, Alicia confronts him with a divorce agreement, unveiling her immense wealth. The unexpected resilience of this seemingly underestimated woman reshapes the narrative, leaving her unfaithful husband in a state of panic.

I wheel myself into the birthday celebration that Wales Price has thrown for me. The atmosphere is originally lively, but a brief silence descends when everyone sees me. The guests are there for different purposes, but celebrating my birthday is not one of them. "Is that Mr. Price's crippled fiancée, Joey Hertza?" "Yeah, but the one he really loves is Anna Giovanni. I saw them kissing in a corner earlier." They use their wine glasses to block their mouths as they speak loudly. They think I'm still the crippled deaf I used to be. They don't know that I regained my hearing last week. I can hear every mocking comment they make. Meanwhile, Wales stands there and allows it to happen. He doesn't stop the guests from talking about me. He seems to have forgotten that I only ended up like this while protecting him. I shoved him away when the accident happened and got trapped underneath the car myself. When I was rescued, Wales swore to stay with me and care for me for life. It's only been three short years since then, but he's already changed. I receive a message on my phone. "Ms. Hertza, the lifelike corpse that you've ordered is now complete. Reply to this message with your confirmation, and your death-faking service will be immediately effective. We will send the corpse to your and Mr. Price's wedding in five days." I don't even hesitate as I reply with my confirmation. Enjoy your wedding, Wales.

Three years ago, Jenny's mother passed away after a serious illness. On her deathbed, she entrusted Jenny to her best friend Mia, who was the richest person. Under Mia's arrangement, Jenny entered into a flash marriage with Mia's son Charles. Right after the marriage, Charles went abroad for work. Three years later, Charles returned home. He mistook Jenny for someone else and accused her of infidelity. Jenny, having waited for her husband in vain for a long time, also felt resentful towards him. Charles hired a detective to investigate Jenny, and by a strange twist of fate, Jenny herself was the one who took on the investigation assignment. During their work interactions, the two developed admiration for each other. Persuaded by Mia, Jenny also rekindled her hope for her husband. However, they missed the chance to clear up misunderstandings at a family gathering. Charles mistakenly thought Jenny was late, left in a fit of pique, and insisted on getting a divorce. Later, Jenny was framed by Jennifer and Johnson. At the critical moment, Charles arrived and rescued her. In an attempt to bring the two together, Mia arranged a bidding conference. At the conference, Charles made a high-profile bid to humiliate Jenny's ex-boyfriend. But due to another misunderstanding, the two missed the opportunity to recognize each other once again...

The "supreme" who controls half of the world's economic lifelines was willing to stay anonymous and be a kept man for three years, only to be ruthlessly dumped by his gold-digging wife on their wedding anniversary. When the useless ex-husband puts the crown of a trillion-dollar empire back on his head, a global power struggle and deadly revenge begin.

Five years ago, Christina accidentally spent a night with Ethan at a hotel, which resulted in the birth of quadruplets. Now, five years later, Christina took her four children and left the mountain where they had been living. Meanwhile, Ethan had been searching for her ever since she left her mark on him five years ago. Fate brought them together once again, leading to an unexpected reunion.

"I was the daughter no one wanted. Then the Dark Blood Duke claimed me in front of the entire court. Edwin declared I was his fated bloodbound mate — the one his ancient blood had longed for across centuries — and carried me away to his castle deep in the Eternal Forest. He filled a night garden with roses that bloomed only under the blood moon and gave me a wedding that made every woman in the kingdom envy me. For the first time in my life, I believed I was chosen. Loved. Safe. Seven months pregnant with his heir, I attended my father’s birthday feast. That night silver fire erupted. My father and brother only screamed for Kelsey. They dragged her to safety while I choked on smoke and called their names until my voice broke. Edwin was the one who carried me out of the flames. In the Blood Healing Tower I finally overheard the truth they never meant for me to hear. Kelsey was not dying. She had faked the blood core degeneration all along. And the childhood savior Edwin had worshipped for centuries… the one whose piano melody still lived in his blood… had never been her. It had always been me."

When Evelyn was five, her mother died tragically, leaving her alone in a distant village. Many years passed, and now she finds herself back in the city, poised to marry Athoria's wealthiest man, Graham Britton, as a replacement for another. While Graham is rumored to have a cold-blooded nature and fiery temper, Evelyn is taken aback by the handsome figure he cuts as she stands before him. When Graham assumes Evelyn is playing hard to get, she swiftly proves him wrong, and when he belittles her as just a village girl, she reveals herself as a skilled practitioner of medicine, design, piano, and technology. It's only then that Graham realizes he's married a true gem.

Sold into marriage by her parents, Mara Huber is forced to become the bride of the mentally impaired heir of the powerful Laurent family. But on her wedding night, a twist of fate leads her into the bridal chamber of her husband's crippled uncle, Julien Laurent, instead. She is a substitute bride desperate to escape a lifetime of exploitation, while he is a powerful mastermind hiding behind the facade of a disabled man as he plots his revenge. What begins as an accidental marriage is meant to be undone, but neither can deny the growing attraction between them. As Mara finds the courage to fight back and Julien reveals his true identity, their mistaken marriage blossoms into the love they never expected.

Hilary is the heroine born into the Royston family, a fallen lineage of White Wolves. As a child, her mother sealed her power and hid her in the Blade tribe, where she grew up suffering humiliation, servitude, and abuse for being seen as ""wolf-less."" Though outwardly timid and restrained, she is inwardly resilient, kind, and deeply compassionate, never losing her sense of mercy or duty even in despair. Forced into a substitute marriage, she meets Aldric in the Shadow tribe, and their relationship slowly develops from misunderstanding and distrust into mutual salvation. As her memories return, she learns the truth about her mother's death and her family's destruction, while also awakening the power of the White Wolf. In the end, Hilary is no longer the "useless girl" others trampled on, but the heir to the White Wolf King—someone who carries deep pain, yet still chooses to protect the ones she loves.

At eight years old, Xavier Godwin met a lost girl named Cheryl at a sanatorium. Gentle and kind, she possessed the power to heal. Like a beam of light, she brightened his lonely world, and miraculously restored his crippled legs.Sixteen years later,Xavier becomes the CEO of Godwin Group, vowing to find Cheryl and make her his wife. Yet no matter where he searches, she is nowhere to be found. Until Ms. Holly Saul,who forced into a substitute marriage, crashes into his life.What begins as a contract marriage becomes a long-delayed reunion, unraveling a truth fate had buried for sixteen years.

My husband and I were the two people who hated each other most in this world. He hated me for tearing him away from the woman he loved. And I hated him because that his heart remained occupied by another woman. For eight years of marriage, the words we spoke to each other most often were not love, nor duty, but curses. Yet on the day the city fell, everything changed, the enemy banners were already visible beyond the inner gate. He rode ahead and took the road, putting his body between the enemy and my escape. “Live,” he said quietly. Then he raised his blade and did not look back. Arrows came like rain. As they tore into him, he turned his head once—only once— After that, his body held the road,and nothing passed. “If there is another life…may Your Highness grant me the mercy to belong to her.” That night, with the city in ruins and the people either dead or fleeing, I climbed the highest tower of the palace. I leapt. When I opened my eyes again, I went to the king. “The northern kingdoms require a royal bride,” I said. “I will go.” This lifetime, I will be the one to cross the border. In my previous life, he died believing he had failed her. This time, I will not allow that regret to exist. I will take the marriage meant for her. I will carry the crown meant to exile her. I will walk into a future she should never have to endure. Let her stay. Let him protect her. Let him live his life believing he has finally kept his promise.

Luna Snow, once a cherished heiress, is bartered away by her mother to Yves Raven, a possessive powerhouse, all so she can keep living in luxury.On the day she is meant to marry Yves, Luna runs, only to stumble into the domain of Perry Hall, a notorious underground racer. Unbeknownst to all, behind this seemingly ruthless man lies another hidden identity. And so begins a love story that is equal parts thrilling and dangerous.