Shattered Love, A Monster's Reign

Shattered Love, A Monster's Reign

Maui

5.0
Comment(s)
27.4K
View
16
Chapters

My world shattered the moment my husband, Christian, chose the woman who killed our stillborn child over me. He didn't just abandon me in my grief. He threatened to release our intimate videos unless I dropped all charges against her. His cruelty escalated into a living nightmare. He pushed me down the stairs. He forced me to drink a cocktail he knew could kill me. Then, completely blinded by his new lover' s lies, he had me kidnapped and taken to a remote estate. Tied up and gagged, I watched as he took a whip to my back, believing I was just some nameless maid who had wronged his precious new woman. He didn't even recognize his own wife. In that moment, the man I loved was replaced by a monster. As I lay broken and bleeding, I made a vow. I would survive this. I would escape. And I would make him see the truth before I destroyed him completely.

Chapter 1

My world shattered the moment my husband, Christian, chose the woman who killed our stillborn child over me.

He didn't just abandon me in my grief. He threatened to release our intimate videos unless I dropped all charges against her.

His cruelty escalated into a living nightmare. He pushed me down the stairs. He forced me to drink a cocktail he knew could kill me.

Then, completely blinded by his new lover' s lies, he had me kidnapped and taken to a remote estate.

Tied up and gagged, I watched as he took a whip to my back, believing I was just some nameless maid who had wronged his precious new woman.

He didn't even recognize his own wife.

In that moment, the man I loved was replaced by a monster. As I lay broken and bleeding, I made a vow. I would survive this. I would escape. And I would make him see the truth before I destroyed him completely.

Chapter 1

Elena Pace's POV:

The world shattered the moment Christian Valentine chose Blair Mayo over the casket holding our stillborn child.

I watched him, my husband, walk away from the hospital room. He didn't look back. His steps were firm, too firm for a man who had just lost his first child. Too firm for a man who claimed to love me.

I gripped the cold metal railing of the bed, knuckles white. The doctors had told me to rest, to grieve. But how could I rest when my heart had been ripped from my chest? How could I grieve alone?

Hours blurred. The scent of antiseptic clung to me, a constant reminder of what I had lost. Then, Christian returned. Not to hold my hand, not to console me. He stood by the door, a silhouette against the harsh hospital lights, his face unreadable.

"You need to drop the charges against Blair," he said. His voice was flat, devoid of emotion.

My breath hitched. "What?"

"The hit-and-run," he clarified, as if I had forgotten the accident that stole my baby, that nearly stole me. "Blair. She's just a child. It was an accident."

My mind reeled. "An accident? Christian, she was drunk. She ran a red light. She took our baby from us!"

He walked closer, his shadow falling over my trembling body. "She's sorry. She cried. She said it was her first time drinking like that."

My tears, which I thought had all dried up, began to flow again. "Her first time? My baby's first breath was taken by her recklessness! And you want me to forgive her?"

He didn't answer directly. Instead, he pulled out his phone. "I have something that could make this very difficult for you, Elena."

My blood ran cold. I knew what he meant. The intimate videos, taken in moments of vulnerability, moments I thought were sacred.

"You wouldn't," I whispered, my voice barely audible.

His eyes, once filled with adoration, were now cold, calculating. "Don't test me. Drop the charges. Or everyone sees them."

He was threatening to destroy me, to publicly humiliate me. All for her. For Blair.

The room spun. My head throbbed. I had loved this man with every fiber of my being. I had believed his grand gestures, his persistent pursuit, his promises of forever. And now, he was crucifying me.

"Sign this," he pushed a document into my shaking hand. It was a formal request to withdraw the lawsuit.

My hand trembled so violently I could barely hold the pen. The words blurred on the page, but I knew what they meant. Surrender.

"Why, Christian?" I choked out, desperation lacing my voice. "Why are you doing this?"

He leaned in, his voice a low, chilling murmur. "You were always too complicated, Elena. Too much past. Blair... she's pure. Unspoiled."

The word "pure" twisted in my gut. He had always had this obsession, a dark undercurrent to his charm. I, a divorcée, had challenged it, and he had claimed to overcome it for me. It was a lie. All of it.

He kissed my forehead, a ghost of the affection he once showed. It felt like a betrayal, a final insult. "It's for the best. For everyone."

Then he was gone, leaving me alone with the silence, the antiseptic, and the crushing weight of his betrayal. My baby was gone. My husband was gone. And I, Elena Pace, was utterly, irrevocably broken.

Continue Reading

Other books by Maui

More
The Secret Butler: Capturing The Heartless Billionaire

The Secret Butler: Capturing The Heartless Billionaire

Modern

5.0

I spent a year hiding my lethal skills behind the stiff polyester uniform of a hotel butler. To the world, I’m just Betsey Madden, a "charity case" scrubbing floors at The Elysium to solve the mystery of my mother’s suspicious death. On the anniversary of her passing, my manager decided to humiliate me by assigning me to the Penthouse to serve Celestino Franklin, a billionaire known as the "Butcher of Wall Street" who supposedly eats staff for breakfast. When I stepped into the suite, I found the pristine white carpet stained with fresh blood and a wounded man lunging at me from the shadows. I didn't scream; I instinctively dropped into a combat stance I hadn't used since my days as a shadow operative in Vienna, pinning the billionaire before he could even blink. I had to choose between letting him bleed out or revealing that I was far more than a girl who folds napkins for minimum wage. I chose to save him, stitching his gunshot wound with a surgical precision that no ordinary servant should ever possess. As he gripped my wrist, the air turned cold. He didn't smell like a typical CEO; he carried the sharp scent of sandalwood and expensive scotch—the exact, intoxicating aroma of the man from the nightmares I’ve had since the night my mother died. "You have good hands," he rasped, his storm-gray eyes seeing right through my pale foundation and fake exhaustion. "You're wasting them on silver polish." I realized then that my cover wasn't just blown; it was the bait that had finally caught the monster I was looking for. I came to this hotel to find a killer, but I never expected my prime suspect to be the man now demanding I become his personal shadow. The hunt for the truth just turned into a deadly dance with a predator who knows exactly who I am, and I’m not leaving until I find out if he’s my savior or my mother's murderer.

From Wedding Wreckage To Starlight

From Wedding Wreckage To Starlight

Romance

5.0

For ten years, Olivia Hayes was my universe. As an astrophysicist, I understood the vastness of space, but she was my sun, the center of my gravity, for whom I even gave up career opportunities. Our wedding day was meant to be the culmination of our decade-long love. But the day before our wedding, searching for a photo album, I stumbled upon a shoebox filled with letters and recent photos confirming her ongoing affair with Liam, her high school ex. My meticulously built life crumbled, revealing I was nothing more than a "safety net," a "formality." The next day, a ghost at my own wedding, I watched as Liam crashed the ceremony, publicly declared his "love" for Olivia, and then shoved me, breaking my leg. Olivia, instead of rushing to my aid, accused me of making a scene and left with Liam, prioritizing his fake panic attack over my real injury. In the hospital, she ignored my calls, then chastised me for needing her, demanding I give her my grandmother's ring for Liam's "peace of mind." She stole it while I was recovering. She then audaciously invited me to a "getting back on track" family BBQ, a cruel public spectacle where Liam played the happy host. There, she threatened to ruin my reputation if I didn't play along. She chased me to my hotel, attempting a desperate seduction, but when Liam called, her true priority became clear. She rushed to his side again, leaving me heartbroken and alone. Olivia, in a twisted display, held a "makeup wedding" where Liam, not me, was the groom. He shoved me again, breaking my leg a second time, and Olivia, with icy fury, had me thrown out. The security guard, though sympathetic, delivered the final blow: a note from me, leaving her with the words: "I loved you. Goodbye." She eventually found me in Chile, begging, but faced with my calm finality and another woman by my side, her illusion shattered. She spiraled into abandonment, ultimately consumed by her own web of deceit, while I found peace under the clear Chilean stars.

The Son Who Chose A Stranger

The Son Who Chose A Stranger

Modern

5.0

Three weeks after Mark informed me his "ideal woman" Sarah was moving in, forcing me out, I returned to our house for one thing: the divorce papers his lawyer drafted. As I fumbled for keys I no longer had, heavy, uneven footsteps sounded behind me, a low, slurred muttering growing closer. I pounded on the door, screaming for Mark and our son, Ethan, but through the peephole, Ethan' s shadow moved, then his voice came, muffled and cold: "Go away. You're scaring Sarah." My blood ran cold as my own son chose a stranger' s comfort over my safety, a drunken attacker' s hand clamped down on my shoulder. I screamed, fought, and tumbled onto the lawn, only to hear Ethan tell Mark on the phone, "Mom is making a scene… she's scaring Sarah!" Mark rushed past me, shivering and disheveled, to comfort Sarah, who stood draped in my robe, her face buried in Ethan' s shoulder. He then rounded on me, disgusted: "Look at you, Ava. Making a scene in the middle of the night. You woke Sarah up. She was terrified." They stood united, demanding I apologize to the woman who replaced me, for the crime of being assaulted on my own doorstep, as I realized my phone was dead, useless to call for help. When Sarah offered me peanut butter cookies, knowing about my life-threatening allergy, and Mark merely stared, impatient, without a flicker of recognition, the quiet truth dawned: he didn't remember, or worse, he didn't care. The man who once promised to always be my protector was gone, replaced by a cold stranger, eager for me to sign away our life so he could care for his new love. In that moment of profound betrayal, something shifted inside me. I signed the papers, then looked at Ethan: "I'm going to need to make a statement to the police. I'll need to use your phone." No longer fighting for a husband who despised me or a son who saw me as an inconvenience, I spoke to the police, then blocked Mark and Ethan' s numbers, cutting the last ties.

Betrayal's Bitter Taste

Betrayal's Bitter Taste

Romance

5.0

I clutched the heavy trophy, validation for placing first at the International "Le Cordon Bleu" Grand Prix, a win that felt like the culmination of a lifelong dream. It was our fifth anniversary, and I couldn't wait to surprise Olivia with both the trophy and the Sterling Corporation contract-a multi-million dollar deal that would secure our future. But when I pushed through the restaurant doors, the festive buzz hit me first, then the sight of Olivia on a makeshift stage, her hand intertwined with Mark' s, my long-time mentor. Her amplified voice cut through the air: "…and I owe it all to one person… Mark!" The roar of applause, then Mark's lips on hers, a full, lingering kiss, right there in front of everyone. My world tilted. When Olivia finally noticed me, her smile faltered for a mere second, replaced by a cool annoyance. "Ethan," she flatly stated, "You' re back. This isn' t a good time." Mark smirked, wearing my head chef' s jacket, confirming my deepest fears. The contract I' d just secured was scoffed at, called "naive." How could she? The woman I loved, the partner I built everything with, dismissed me as "incompetent," her betrayal a physical blow. The humiliation burned, a hot, sharp thing in my throat. I stood there, reeling, the echoes of their mocking laughter ringing in my ears. But that was the moment everything changed. The pristine pages of the Sterling contract tore with a satisfying rip as I shredded it into pieces, letting them flutter to her feet like fallen snow. I walked out of that restaurant, turning my back on five years of my life, picking up the phone to call the one man who could help me reclaim my future: my father.

You'll also like

Marrying My Runaway Groom's Powerful Father

Marrying My Runaway Groom's Powerful Father

Temple Madison
5.0

I was sitting in the Presidential Suite of The Pierre, wearing a Vera Wang gown worth more than most people earn in a decade. It was supposed to be the wedding of the century, the final move to merge two of Manhattan's most powerful empires. Then my phone buzzed. It was an Instagram Story from my fiancé, Jameson. He was at Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris with a caption that read: "Fuck the chains. Chasing freedom." He hadn't just gotten cold feet; he had abandoned me at the altar to run across the world. My father didn't come in to comfort me. He burst through the door roaring about a lost acquisition deal, telling me the Holland Group would strip our family for parts if the ceremony didn't happen by noon. My stepmother wailed about us becoming the laughingstock of the Upper East Side. The Holland PR director even suggested I fake a "panic attack" to make myself look weak and sympathetic to save their stock price. Then Jameson’s sleazy cousin, Pierce, walked in with a lopsided grin, offering to "step in" and marry me just to get his hands on my assets. I looked at them and realized I wasn't a daughter or a bride to anyone in that room. I was a failed asset, a bouncing check, a girl whose own father told her to go to Paris and "beg" the man who had just publicly humiliated her. The girl who wanted to be loved died in that mirror. I realized that if I was going to be sold to save a merger, I was going to sell myself to the one who actually controlled the money. I marched past my parents and walked straight into the VIP holding room. I looked the most powerful man in the room—Jameson’s cold, ruthless uncle, Fletcher Holland—dead in the eye and threw the iPad on the table. "Jameson is gone," I said, my voice as hard as stone. "Marry me instead."

Chapters
Read Now
Download Book