

After our eighty-eighth canceled wedding, I called my business partner. "I'm taking the Haviana market project." There was a beat of stunned silence. "Seriously? That's ten years overseas. You just got married—well, weren't you? Does your husband even know? What about your parents? You always said staying close to them was everything." I glanced around the empty church and let out a sharp laugh. "There was no wedding. No husband. And my parents? They've got Cindy. That's all they need." Another pause. "Alright. Pack your bags. You leave tomorrow." After the call, I ran a hand down my wedding dress. One last tear slipped out, quiet and pointless. Cindy had another "episode" today. Claimed she'd off herself. Andrew canceled—again. I'd looked at him, drained. "It's the eighty-eighth time." He dropped his head, guilt all over him. "Just a little more time, Viv. She's been off since the accident. I'm scared she'll actually do it. I swear, I'll talk to her. For real this time. Then we'll get married. Promise." My parents didn't hesitate. "Vivian, let Andrew go. If Cindy hadn't gotten kidnapped trying to save you, she wouldn't have these breakdowns. Are you really putting a wedding over your sister's life?" "How could you be so selfish?" I'd heard it all before. Used to fight it. Not this time. If neither my fiancé nor my parents wanted me around, then fine. I'd leave.

At 18, Nadia Wolfe fell in love and began a secret ten-year affair with her father’s subordinate, Jack Mayer.When her brother died and her father became gravely ill, she begged him to marry her—only to be rejected again in favor of his childhood friend, Bree Ewing. This time, Nadia didn’t cry. She knelt before the gods, offered a prayer, and chose the fierce mercenary Lucian Wyler, setting the fastest possible wedding date.

After our eighty-eighth canceled wedding, I called my business partner. "I'm taking the Haviana market project." There was a beat of stunned silence. "Seriously? That's ten years overseas. You just got married—well, weren't you? Does your husband even know? What about your parents? You always said staying close to them was everything." I glanced around the empty church and let out a sharp laugh. "There was no wedding. No husband. And my parents? They've got Cindy. That's all they need." Another pause. "Alright. Pack your bags. You leave tomorrow." After the call, I ran a hand down my wedding dress. One last tear slipped out, quiet and pointless. Cindy had another "episode" today. Claimed she'd off herself. Andrew canceled—again. I'd looked at him, drained. "It's the eighty-eighth time." He dropped his head, guilt all over him. "Just a little more time, Viv. She's been off since the accident. I'm scared she'll actually do it. I swear, I'll talk to her. For real this time. Then we'll get married. Promise." My parents didn't hesitate. "Vivian, let Andrew go. If Cindy hadn't gotten kidnapped trying to save you, she wouldn't have these breakdowns. Are you really putting a wedding over your sister's life?" "How could you be so selfish?" I'd heard it all before. Used to fight it. Not this time. If neither my fiancé nor my parents wanted me around, then fine. I'd leave.

"Nina Bale, once a proud and battle-hardened general, is forced to retire from the military after suffering a serious injury. Her father, Ian Bale, resigns from his post to care for her. Seizing the opportunity, his other wife, Leah Lowe, schemes to marry Nina off to a frail, sickly man—while planning for her own daughter, Tara Bale, to wed the esteemed Prince Neil.But on the day of the double wedding, everything goes wrong.In a twist of fate, Nina and Tara end up in the wrong bridal sedans. When the veils are lifted, it's already too late—Tara is married to the sickly man, and Nina becomes Prince Neil's consort."

On my 10th wedding anniversary, my former best friend posted a photo of her daughter, my son, her and my husband, with the caption "The perfect pair." I replied "Perfect indeed." The next day, my husband and son blamed me for upsetting her. I threw the divorce papers at them: "If it’s all my fault, I quit your perfect family of four."

I married Don Matteo in secret. Every time he fucked his childhood sweetheart, he promised me a real wedding,in front of the Five Families. For five years, Matteo promised me ninety-nine times. And ninety-nine times, he left me at the altar. The first time, Cecilia’s prize-winning show cat died. To comfort her, he postponed the wedding for three months. I stood at the altar alone, eyes red, trying to calm down the family elders. The second time, Cecilia threw a tantrum at a casino and shattered a hundred-million-dollar antique vase. He diverted the private jet meant for their wedding and rushed through the night to clean up her mess. And every time, right before our wedding, his childhood sweetheart would have some kind of emergency. I cried. I screamed. I even held a gun to his head. But Matteo would just pin me against the wall and shut me up with a cold, hard kiss. “She’s just a fuck. You are Mrs. Falcone. Have some goddamn class.” After the ninety-ninth time, I was finally done. I slid the papers across the table. The ink was still wet, the Falcone family seal stamped at the bottom. “Our marriage, our alliance—it’s over.”

ClaireBennett,agiftedrace-cardriver,hadbeeninlovewithDr.EthanCarterfortenyears.Theyheldaweddingandlivedashusbandandwifeforfiveyears,andshealwaysbelievedshewastheloveofhislife—thewomanhehadfoughtdesperatelytowinback.ItwasnotuntilshediscoveredthatthevitaminsEthanhadpreparedforherhadbeenreplacedwithmedicationthatwouldleaveherinfertilethatshelearnedLillianReedwasnoordinarychildhoodfriend,butthewomanEthanhadbeenbetrothedtosincechildhood.EthanandLillianhadlongsinceregisteredtheirmarriageandevenhadasontogether,whilethemarriagecertificateinClaire’spossessionwascompletelyfake.ClairedecidedtotakeupawagerAdrianFosterhadproposedyearsearlierandleaveforgoodintwoweeks.YetEthancontinuedtodeceiveandhurtherwhileimprisoningherinthenameoflove,andLilliandeliberatelycausedacaraccidentthatnearlydestroyedClaire’schanceofeverracingagain.

Elena Shaw, an orphan once humiliated in the East Hall, is reborn at her imperial marriage banquet. This time, she chooses the gravely wounded yet unparalleled Prince Alex Spencer. After marriage, he miraculously awakens,giving her love, respect, and protection. As their bond grows, Crown Prince Jason Spencer begins to recall memories of their past life.

A week before Easter, Adrian gave me seven days off and had a ticket to Stockholm slipped into my bag. I thought he was finally learning how to care. Then I heard him talking to our son on the staircase. “Dad, are you really going to marry Aunt Bianca? What about Mom?” Noah was holding his model car, trying to sound brave. Adrian was quiet for a moment. “It’s only a legal marriage. Matteo is gone. Bianca and Sophia are exposed, and I can’t leave them that way. They need the DeLuca name for protection.” “Does Mom know?” “She can’t know.” His voice softened. “Keep this from her, Noah. On your birthday, I’ll buy you that Aston Martin model you want.” So the ticket was never a gift. It was a way to move me out of the picture. If he could put his family name on another woman, even for show, then I could take back the pride and ambition I had buried in this marriage. This time, when I left for the north, I would not come back.