My Husband, My Hero, My Baby

My Husband, My Hero, My Baby

Gavin

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The holographic face of Ms. Albright shimmered, echoing a prediction: at twenty, I' d face a heartbreak, a betrayal that would shatter my world. It was my father' s solution – a high-tech "blind date" app with ninety-nine vetted bachelors – that changed everything. The catch wasn't just my hand in marriage; it was Miller Tech, his entire empire. A cold dread seeped in, a memory so sharp it felt real. In my past life, this was where my destruction began. I remembered choosing Brandon Hayes, the charismatic CEO, who promised the world then systematically destroyed me. He stripped me of everything – my inheritance, my dignity, my name – framing me for corporate espionage. I died alone, my reputation shattered, watching him praised as a visionary. But now, I was back. Twenty again, standing in my father' s office, the app open on the tablet. "Chloe, honey? Are you alright? You look pale." I looked at my father, his face etched with genuine concern, and a fierce, protective love surged through me. This time, I would not let that monster destroy him, or me. My finger hovered over Brandon's profile, a perfect trap. With a deliberate, steady hand, I swiped his profile to the digital trash bin. "I don' t like him," I said, my voice flat. I closed my eyes and let my finger fall randomly on one of the ninety-eight remaining profiles. A new screen loaded. The picture was grainy, a low-quality headshot: Jake "Bulldog" Riley. Former Navy SEAL. Honorably discharged after a career-ending injury. "Him?" my father' s voice was laced with disbelief. "He' s... a nobody." "I' m sure, Dad," I said, My voice unwavering. This was my choice. Anyone but Brandon Hayes. I had a feeling about him. A lie and the truest thing I' d ever said. The news of my choice rippled through the city' s elite, painting me as a naive fool or rebellious brat. Brandon must have heard. He couldn't understand it. He couldn't possibly know that I was choosing a stranger not out of foolishness, but out of the bitter, hard-won wisdom of a ghost. A fragmented memory surfaced – a charity gala years ago, a fire. Brandon had claimed credit for getting me out, but now, another image fought its way forward. Someone strong, silent, moving with purpose through the chaos. He had pulled me through a service exit, away from the stampeding crowd, before melting back into the shadows. I never saw his face clearly – until now. What if my random choice wasn' t so random after all?

Introduction

The holographic face of Ms. Albright shimmered, echoing a prediction: at twenty, I' d face a heartbreak, a betrayal that would shatter my world.

It was my father' s solution – a high-tech "blind date" app with ninety-nine vetted bachelors – that changed everything.

The catch wasn't just my hand in marriage; it was Miller Tech, his entire empire.

A cold dread seeped in, a memory so sharp it felt real.

In my past life, this was where my destruction began.

I remembered choosing Brandon Hayes, the charismatic CEO, who promised the world then systematically destroyed me.

He stripped me of everything – my inheritance, my dignity, my name – framing me for corporate espionage.

I died alone, my reputation shattered, watching him praised as a visionary.

But now, I was back.

Twenty again, standing in my father' s office, the app open on the tablet.

"Chloe, honey? Are you alright? You look pale."

I looked at my father, his face etched with genuine concern, and a fierce, protective love surged through me.

This time, I would not let that monster destroy him, or me.

My finger hovered over Brandon's profile, a perfect trap.

With a deliberate, steady hand, I swiped his profile to the digital trash bin.

"I don' t like him," I said, my voice flat.

I closed my eyes and let my finger fall randomly on one of the ninety-eight remaining profiles.

A new screen loaded.

The picture was grainy, a low-quality headshot: Jake "Bulldog" Riley.

Former Navy SEAL.

Honorably discharged after a career-ending injury.

"Him?" my father' s voice was laced with disbelief.

"He' s... a nobody."

"I' m sure, Dad," I said, My voice unwavering.

This was my choice.

Anyone but Brandon Hayes.

I had a feeling about him.

A lie and the truest thing I' d ever said.

The news of my choice rippled through the city' s elite, painting me as a naive fool or rebellious brat.

Brandon must have heard.

He couldn't understand it.

He couldn't possibly know that I was choosing a stranger not out of foolishness, but out of the bitter, hard-won wisdom of a ghost.

A fragmented memory surfaced – a charity gala years ago, a fire.

Brandon had claimed credit for getting me out, but now, another image fought its way forward.

Someone strong, silent, moving with purpose through the chaos.

He had pulled me through a service exit, away from the stampeding crowd, before melting back into the shadows.

I never saw his face clearly – until now.

What if my random choice wasn' t so random after all?

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When Love Turns to Ash

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4.7

My world revolved around Jax Harding, my older brother's captivating rockstar friend. From sixteen, I adored him; at eighteen, I clung to his casual promise: "When you're 22, maybe I'll settle down." That offhand comment became my life's beacon, guiding every choice, meticulously planning my twenty-second birthday as our destiny. But on that pivotal day in a Lower East Side bar, clutching my gift, my dream exploded. I overheard Jax' s cold voice: "Can't believe Savvy's showing up. She' s still hung up on that stupid thing I said." Then the crushing plot: "We' re gonna tell Savvy I' m engaged to Chloe, maybe even hint she' s pregnant. That should scare her off." My gift, my future, slipped from my numb fingers. I fled into the cold New York rain, devastated by betrayal. Later, Jax introduced Chloe as his "fiancée" while his bandmates mocked my "adorable crush"-he did nothing. As an art installation fell, he saved Chloe, abandoning me to severe injury. In the hospital, he came for "damage control," then shockingly shoved me into a fountain, leaving me to bleed, calling me a "jealous psycho." How could the man I loved, who once saved me, become this cruel and publicly humiliate me? Why was my devotion seen as an annoyance to be brutally extinguished with lies and assault? Was I just a problem, my loyalty met with hatred? I would not be his victim. Injured and betrayed, I made an unshakeable vow: I was done. I blocked his number and everyone connected to him, severing ties. This was not an escape; this was my rebirth. Florence awaited, a new life on my terms, unburdened by broken promises.

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