The Path Less Traveled

His Secret Son, Her Public Shame

I was Aliana Donovan, a resident physician, finally reunited with the wealthy family I' d been lost from as a child. I had loving parents and a handsome, successful fiancé. I was safe. I was loved. It was a perfect, fragile lie. The lie shattered on a Tuesday when I discovered my fiancé, Ivan, wasn't at a board meeting but at a sprawling mansion with Kiera Reese, the woman I was told had a mental breakdown five years ago after trying to frame me. She wasn' t disgraced; she was radiant, holding a little boy, Leo, who giggled in Ivan' s arms. I overheard their conversation: Leo was their son, and I was merely a "placeholder," a means to an end until Ivan no longer needed my family's connections. My parents, the Donovans, were in on it, funding Kiera' s lavish life and their secret family. My entire reality-the loving parents, the devoted fiancé, the security I thought I' d found-was a carefully constructed stage, and I was the fool playing the lead role. The casual lie Ivan texted me, "Just got out of the meeting. So exhausting. I miss you. See you at home," while he stood beside his real family, was the final blow. They thought I was pathetic. They thought I was a fool. They were about to find out just how wrong they were.

His Deceit, My Vengeance

I stood at the awards ceremony, basking in the success of my firm, Miller Thompson, and eagerly anticipating my fiancé David Chen' s arrival. He' d texted that he was in a last-minute investor meeting, brimming with pride for me. Then I saw the ring. On another woman' s hand. The Möbius strip engagement ring I had designed for David, the one he claimed he' d lost six months ago in Singapore. And then I heard her on the phone, cooing to "David" about their child, Leo, and him laughing in the background. My world shattered. David, my loving fiancé who talked about our future, was secretly a husband and father living a parallel life-a life I was unknowingly funding. All those late nights, "tech conferences," and tearful stories about "lost" rings were elaborate lies designed to extract my money and trust. My heart pounded with the sickening realization: I was his chief investor, not his partner in love. How could I have been so blind? He was the architect of my dreams, or so he said. He was everyone' s favorite, my parents adored him. All the while, he was building another life with someone else, using my money, my network, and my love as his foundation. Every memory we shared, every promise he made, turned into a grotesque parody of the truth. The fury that replaced my shock solidified my resolve. I dropped the phone on his name and typed two words: "Call me." This was no longer about heartbroken despair; it was about cold, calculating vengeance. He had stolen my future, my money, and my trust. Now, I would make him pay.

Love Forged in Flames of Hate

The fire consumed everything. It wasn' t an accident. I lit it myself, watching the flames devour the apartment where I' d cried for so many nights, wiping away the misery. Across the room, Tiffany Chen, my former roommate and so-called friend, was tied to a chair, her eyes wide with terror, her expensive clothes torn and dirty. She was the one who lured me, a naive college kid struggling with tuition and rent, into her family' s predatory online loan scheme. She promised quick cash, easy approval, a solution to all my problems. Instead, the money never materialized, the interest rates ballooned to illegal levels, and the "online loan" turned into a hundred-thousand-dollar nightmare. When I couldn't pay, she forced me into her family' s "club" -a hellhole where rich men paid to do whatever they wanted, and I was just another girl forced to endure their hands. But that wasn't enough. She released photos and videos of me online, sending them to my university and my quiet hometown. The shame broke my parents; my father died of a heart attack, and my mother drowned herself a week later. With nothing left to lose, I found Tiffany, doused her apartment in gasoline, and watched her scream as the flames reached her. Then, a blinding light, a jolt, and I gasped awake, not in a burning apartment, but in my old dorm room. Tiffany Chen sat at her desk, putting on makeup, looking young, happy, and completely innocent. "Bad dream?" she asked, with the same smile that started my nightmare. The date on her digital clock confirmed it: I was back at the very beginning. This time, I was ready to play a different game.

The Man She Had To Hide

Today was my 18th birthday, the day I was supposed to inherit a fortune and officially become the man my family expected. But all I wanted was to be the woman I truly was, especially for Chris, my best friend. Then, at my birthday party, I suddenly heard it – Chris' s thoughts, loud and clear. He loved me. Not as his male best friend, Alex, but with a fierce, forbidden passion that surprised even him. He was willing to throw away his wealthy fiancée, his family' s expectations, and his entire future, all for "Alex." It was the most incredible, terrifying revelation. How could I possibly tell him the truth – that the "man" he loved was actually Alexandra, a woman forced to pretend for 18 years? My carefully laid plans to confess shattered, replaced by the terrifying realization that my truth might break the man who loved me more than anything. I knew then: I had to secure my family' s future, then, and only then, could I reveal the real me, and pray his love was as strong as his thoughts proclaimed.

The Twin They Tried To Erase: My Mother's Million-Dollar Lie

My final ballet scholarship audition was supposed to be my destiny. Instead, I found myself in a police interrogation room, accused of stealing from a sick girl. My own mother sat beside me, dabbing fake tears, whispering for me to confess to a "moment of weakness" while orchestrating my ruin. They showed me a security photo of a girl who looked exactly like me stuffing cash from a donation box. I denied it, but the overwhelming evidence, coupled with my mother' s performance, painted me as a desperate thief, shattering my ballet dreams and reputation. I couldn' t understand why my mother, the one person who should have supported me, was so determined to destroy my life. For years, she had subtly sabotaged my auditions-a slippery substance on my pointe shoes causing a career-ending injury, a powerful laxative in my "power smoothie" making me miss another crucial tryout. Now, she was pushing me to confess to a crime I didn't commit, driving me to the brink of suicide. Lying in a hospital bed after a desperate overdose, a chilling truth clicked into place: my grandmother' s multi-million dollar trust fund, accessible at 21 or upon "significant professional success," would go to my mother if I died or was deemed incompetent. It was never about my ballet; it was about the inheritance, and every "accident" was a calculated attempt to break me. In that moment, I knew I had to fight back, not as a victim, but with every fiber of my being.

The Silent Liberator

The Hugheses' estate shimmered with white roses and sunlight, a picture-perfect setting for Caleb' s wedding. I stood at the edge of the manicured lawn, a single dark spot in a sea of pastel suits. He was marrying a kind schoolteacher named Nicole, a carefully chosen part of the gilded cage his adoptive parents had built around him. I just looked past them, toward the white tent where Caleb stood, a stranger in his expensive tuxedo. He looked like the town' s beloved veterinarian, the perfect son. But I knew the real Caleb, the boy who hid under flimsy beds in the foster home, the one who dreamed of the ocean. As he cut the cake, I slipped through the guests, a quiet shadow. I leaned in close, lips beside his ear. "It' s okay to be you." For a terrifying second, nothing happened. Then, his entire body went rigid. The polite smile shattered like porcelain. He snatched the cake knife and lunged, stabbing Nicole repeatedly. Blood bloomed across her white dress, turning the perfect wedding into a scene of horror. They took Caleb, catatonic, and me, silent. Detective Stevens looked at me, weary and cynical. "You whispered something in his ear, and he butchered his new bride. What did you say?" I stayed silent. They called me a witch, a puppet master, a monster. I watched Nicole' s parents weep on TV, calling for my arrest, and felt a deep, hollow ache for them, for her. No one understood. Five years later, the Hugheses announced Caleb' s "recovery" and a grand welcome-home party, on the anniversary of the wedding. They were putting him back in his cage, this time with reinforced bars. I knew it was time. I pulled out the navy dress.

Beg For My Love, Cold-Hearted CEO

Since she was ten, Noreen had been by Caiden's side, watching him rise from a young boy into a respected CEO. After two years of marriage, though, his visits home grew rare. Gossip among the wealthy said he despised her. Even his beloved mocked her hopes, and his circle treated her with scorn. People forgot about her decade of loyalty. She clung to memories and became a figure of ridicule, worn out from trying. They thought he'd won his freedom, but he dropped to his knees and begged, "Noreen, you're the only one I love." Leaving behind the divorce papers, she walked away.

Pregnant and Divorced: I Hid His Heir

Vivian clutched her Hermès bag, her doctor's words echoing: "Extremely high-risk pregnancy." She hoped the baby would save her cold marriage, but Julian wasn't in London as his schedule claimed. Instead, a paparazzi photo revealed his early return-with a blonde woman, not his wife, at the private airport exit. The next morning, Julian served divorce papers, callously ending their "duty" marriage for his ex, Serena. A horrifying contract clause gave him the right to terminate her pregnancy or seize their child. Humiliated, demoted, and forced to fake an ulcer, Vivian watched him parade his affair, openly discarding her while celebrating Serena. This was a calculated erasure, not heartbreak. He cared only for his image, confirming he would "handle" the baby himself. A primal rage ignited her. "Just us," she whispered to her stomach, vowing to sign the divorce on her terms, keep her secret safe, and walk away from Sterling Corp for good, ready to protect her child alone.

Mafia Queen to First Lady: A Reborn Pact with the President

Leland, the world's most eligible bachelor and powerful President, was rumored to be in love-with Valerie, the nation's favorite punchline. Once rejected by his nephew and scorned for her looks, Valerie faced public outrage for "leeching" off Leland's status and entering government circles. Elite society mocked, rivals sneered. But the tables turned: the mafia king was spotted carrying her bags, scientists begged for her help, and Valerie saved the nation. As chaos erupted, Leland posted on the presidential account. "My wife wants to dump me-how do I win her back? Urgent advice needed!"

The Unwanted Heiress And The Cold-Hearted CEO

"You don't belong here. Get out!" Hanna, the rightful Wheeler daughter, came back only to be expelled by her family. Her fiancé cheated on her with the fake daughter, her brothers looked down on her, and her father ignored her. Then, she crossed paths with Chris, the formidable leader of the Willis family and her fiancé's uncle. "Let's pretend it never happened." Despite Hanna's hope to part ways, Chris insisted she be responsible. He threatened to reveal Hanna's true talents as an outstanding doctor, a brilliant screenwriter, and the brains behind a famous design studio, forcing her into marriage. Chris was once asked to protect someone. Destiny reunited them in tricky circumstances. He had planned to keep his promise and provide a safe haven, only to find Hanna was far from the delicate woman she seemed. She was witty and cunning...

That Prince Is A Girl: The Vicious King's Captive Slave Mate.

They don't know I'm a girl. They all look at me and see a boy. A prince. Their kind purchase humans like me for their lustful desires. And, when they stormed into our kingdom to buy my sister, I intervened to protect her. I made them take me too. The plan was to escape with my sister whenever we found a chance. How was I to know our prison would be the most fortified place in their kingdom? I was supposed to be on the sidelines. The one they had no real use for. The one they never meant to buy. But then, the most important person in their savage land-their ruthless beast king-took an interest in the "pretty little prince." How do we survive in this brutal kingdom, where everyone hates our kind and shows us no mercy? And how does someone, with a secret like mine, become a lust slave? . AUTHOR'S NOTE. This is a dark romance-dark, mature content. Highly rated 18+ Expect triggers, expect hardcore. If you're a seasoned reader of this genre, looking for something different, prepared to go in blindly not knowing what to expect at every turn, but eager to know more anyway, then dive in! . From the author of the international bestselling book: "The Alpha King's Hated Slave."

The Priceless Diva Who Left His World In Ruins

Her ex-husband declared, "The person I admired most was that legendary racer." She smiled thinly. "Hate to break it to you-that was me." He said, "Jealous I blew a fortune on a world-famous jeweler for Violet?" She let out a cool laugh. "Funny, that designer trained under me." He scoffed, "Buying a dying firm won't put you in my league. Snap out of it." She shrugged. "Weird-I just steered your company off a cliff." Stunned, he blurted out, "Baby, come back. I'll love you forever." She wrinkled her nose. "Hard pass. Keep your cheap love." Then she took a mogul's arm and never looked back.