

The air in the Parisian haute couture salon smelled like money and fear. I’d waited six months for my wedding dress. Now, it was draped over the shoulders of Sofia Ross—the trending influencer, and my mafia fiancé Vincent Cassio’s god-sister. The salon manager was sweating bullets, his eyes darting between me and the man lounging on the velvet sofa. Vincent Cassio stood up. He adjusted a fold of the diamond-encrusted train on Sofia with a casual flick of his wrist. “Her premiere next week needs a statement piece. She’s borrowing it. Pick something off the rack and stop making a scene.” His tone was flat, final. Under the crystal chandeliers, Sofia admired herself in the full-length mirror, a triumphant smile on her lips. I looked at my reflection in the same mirror, wearing jeans and a soaked trench coat. I looked like a lost tourist. Suddenly, the entire past year of planning felt like a sick joke. I didn’t yell. I just felt cold. Numb. I slipped the five-carat engagement ring off my finger. It hit the glass coffee table with a sharp, final click. “You’re right, Vincent. I don’t need this wedding dress. This wedding… I don’t need it either.”

During a hunting trip, I was mauled by a grizzly bear and rushed to the hospital. Seeing how panicked my boyfriend looked, a playful idea struck me, and I decided to play a little prank on him. “Who are you?” I asked. Toby froze. Just as I was about to laugh and tell him the truth, he suddenly pushed his older brother, Logan, forward. “I’m your boyfriend’s younger brother,” Toby said. The next second, he pulled my best friend, Chloe, into his arms. “And I’m also your best friend’s boyfriend.” My face stiffened. Yet, Logan stepped closer to my bedside. “That’s right. I’m your boyfriend.” I looked at him and smiled. “Okay. Then I’m going home with you.” It was just a boyfriend, after all. If he were defective, I could easily replace him.

During a hunting trip, I was mauled by a grizzly bear and rushed to the hospital. Seeing how panicked my boyfriend looked, a playful idea struck me, and I decided to play a little prank on him. “Who are you?” I asked. Toby froze. Just as I was about to laugh and tell him the truth, he suddenly pushed his older brother, Logan, forward. “I’m your boyfriend’s younger brother,” Toby said. The next second, he pulled my best friend, Chloe, into his arms. “And I’m also your best friend’s boyfriend.” My face stiffened. Yet, Logan stepped closer to my bedside. “That’s right. I’m your boyfriend.” I looked at him and smiled. “Okay. Then I’m going home with you.” It was just a boyfriend, after all. If he were defective, I could easily replace him.

For five years, Gideon—my brother's Beta—and I had a secret.We were supposed to announce our mating at the pack's Winter Solstice festival.Instead, he breathed hot against my ear."Babe, we've been sleeping together for five years. I'm bored with you. Find someone else for the marking ceremony, alright?"I didn't cry. I just gave a calm, simple nod. "Alright."Only because in my last life, I had begged him through tears to complete the bond.After he finally marked me, he grew cold.He never again woke me by rubbing his stubbled chin against my forehead.Even when we made love, he kept his eyes shut, as if he were wit for my life, he left me.He was going to comfort his savior, Aveline. The old wound she suffered saving him had relapsed, sending her into a mental spiral. In that moment, I finally understood.A mark I had to beg for was nothing but a curse, a wound that would never heal.This time, I pulled away with a smile, removing his hand from my waist. "You're right. I'm tired of it, too. We're done."h someone else, just using my body.When I was in agony giving birth to our pup, fighting

On the first day of our marriage, Abyron, the Snake King, and I formed an empathic bond. It was thus impossible for me to doubt his love for me. However, on the seventh day, he slept with two rabbit girls. I collapsed completely. It felt worse than death. He sighed and said, “Yoelle, snakes are naturally lustful. It’s not that I don’t love you. You simply can’t satisfy me. You may deal with the women around me however you wish, but I won’t divorce you.” At first, I killed the women he favored out of jealousy. Later, I stopped caring at all. Then he dismissed his entire harem for a human woman named Xena Lane. That was when I asked for a divorce. It was not because of jealousy. It was because my little lover was demanding his place.

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.

I’ve always felt like Travis Chancer was forced to marry me. Every time we were intimate at night, he’d rather use his hand to get me off than actually have sex with me. I got more and more disappointed and decided to divorce him. But the night before I printed the papers, I heard him on the balcony talking to his buddies. “Bro, I’m not trying to be nosy, but you’re obviously dying for it. Why won’t you touch her? The perfect woman is right there. It must feel amazing.” “Women can’t stand being ignored. If you keep bottling it up, she’ll eventually run off with another man, and you’ll regret it.” He took a quiet sip of whiskey. “But her skin is so delicate, and her waist is so slim… she’s so sensitive. What if I lose control and scare her? “She’s my woman. I have to be careful. If she wants to find comfort elsewhere, she can. As long as she’s still willing to come home, I’ll keep spoiling her.” They snorted. “Don’t act like a saint, man. If you’ve got the guts, stop secretly posting on Reddit.” Late that night, I quietly opened Travis’s browser history. A full hundred entries. The pinned post read: “I finally married the girl I’ve loved for years, but I have a very high sex drive. How can I make her enjoy it without leaving psychological scars?”…

In the past, Zelma Sanders was hit by Eve Salazar's car and became disabled. Five years after marrying Zack Moore, Zelma accidentally discovered that he had been holding Eve captive.During his prolonged torture of Eve, they had developed a twisted relationship. Then, Zelma saw Zack cheating on her with Eve. After an accident, Zelma was taken in by Luke Jensen, the son of the Jensen Group's CEO.

On Mia Larson’s birthday, her mother, who had been her anchor, passed away. Her husband, Nick Ford, did not celebrate her birthday, nor did he attend her mother’s funeral. Instead, he was at the airport, picking up his one true love.

After seven years of marriage, Kelly Jones’s husband, Eric Brown, remains cold and distant.Still, Kelly faces everything with a smile because she loves him deeply. On her birthday, she flies abroad to be with Eric and their daughter, Sophia Brown.To her devastation, she discovers that Eric has taken Sophia to meet her stepsister, Bella Jones—and Sophia even asks Bella to replace Kelly as her mother.Utterly heartbroken, Kelly finally gives up on him.