Chapter: Chapter 4: The Reveal I slipped out of his hold, careful not to make a sound. My dress hung on the back of the chair, rumpled and impossibly wrinkled. I winced as I slid it back over my bare skin, the fabric brushing against all the places he’d kissed, touched, claimed. The library was quiet now, sunlight cutting through the high windows in thin beams. I glanced back at him, sprawled on the leather couch, still asleep. His shirt was discarded on the floor, and the blanket I’d haphazardly thrown over him barely covered the his chest. God, what had I done? My stomach twisted with shame. Did I just sleep with a stranger? I should regret last night. I should feel guilty. But the truth? I didn’t. I slipped my shoes on and crept toward the door, biting back the ridiculous urge to wake him, to say something, anything, before I left. But I didn’t. This wasn’t supposed to be anything but a mistake. A mistake I’d make again in a heartbeat. I shook the thought away, pushing it deep down where it couldn’t haun
Last Updated: 2024-12-11
Chapter: Chapter 3: Raw and Hungry “Oh my God.” I gripped his broad shoulders. His lips followed the descent of my underwear, kissing each new spot of my flesh he revealed. I was going to explode. Burst into a million pieces and flutter to the ground like burnt confetti. His mouth inched along the top of my slit, and something like panic gurgled in my system. I wasn’t supposed to do this, but dear God, how I craved the slippery slide of his tongue, desperate for him to go lower. I moaned and arched off the desk as I got my wish. The tip of his tongue brushed over me. Cautious. Curious. My reaction must have left no doubt in his mind what I wanted, because his second pass wasn’t hesitant. The full sensation of his tongue against my clit tore a gasp from my lungs. He looked incredible hunched over me, delivering his wicked, intimate kiss. The sharp angles of his face and the dark fall of his hair framed his expression—focused, hungry, like he was devouring me in the best way. Pleasure was so sharp and overwhelmin
Last Updated: 2024-12-10
Chapter: Chapter 2: A Reckless ChaseI shoved through the heavy glass doors. My breath came hard and fast, the pounding in my ears drowning out everything else. The garden stretched below the balcony, but I didn’t see it. My vision blurred, focused only on the humiliation burning under my skin. Damian. On his knee. With her. I gripped the iron railing, my nails biting into the cold metal.Five years of my life wasted. Five years of believing we were building a future, of giving him everything—my heart, my body, my innocence—only for him to toss me aside like I was nothing. I hated him. God, I hated him. I hated the way he still controlled me, the way I cared despite everything. And deep down, I hated myself for staying. My shoulders shook. “Do you always leave when the party gets interesting?” I spun around, startled. It was him—the man from earlier. The one I’d bumped into, the one I’d danced with. He leaned against the doorframe, hands tucked casually into the pockets of his dark suit. His mask was gone now, reve
Last Updated: 2024-12-10
Chapter: Chapter 1: The Gala of MasksThree Months Later I didn’t belong here. The glittering chandeliers, the clinking of crystal glasses, the hum of polished conversations—it all felt like a cruel joke. Sophie swore this gala would “pull me out of my funk,” but I knew better. This wasn’t about distracting me. This was about proving I was fine. Which, for the record, I wasn’t. Damian and I had been together for five years. Five. And in the blink of an eye—or rather, over the course of one cold, heartless conversation—he was gone. No warning, no closure. Just, gone. And then silence. It had been three months, and I was still choking on the ashes of what we’d built. Sophie hated seeing me like this, I got it. But dragging me here—where he could show up, where his world overlapped with hers and, by extension, mine—felt like punishment, not therapy. “Will you stop fidgeting?” Sophie hissed as she tugged me through the entrance hall. “I’m not fidgeting,” I snapped, pulling at the sleek black mask digging into my te
Last Updated: 2024-12-10
Chapter: Prologue: The Last Straw“Elle! Get your fat ass to table seven. Now.” The words hit me like a slap, but I keep my expression blank, refusing to let Damien see the sting. He loves that—loves tearing me down, loves watching me squirm. I know I should walk away, tell him to go to hell, but after five years, it’s a habit I haven’t broken. I still hear the voice of the girl I was at sixteen, the one who believed she was lucky to have him. I adjust my apron, my fingers trembling slightly, and force myself to move. Damien has always hated the way I look. Said I was too fat. He takes every chance he gets to make me feel bad about my body. He doesn’t even bother to hide it anymore. He’s spent the last years making sure I know I’m not enough—not pretty enough, not thin enough, not worthy enough of him. But I stayed, didn’t I? I stayed because every cruel word was wrapped in just enough sweetness to keep me hooked. I stop in front of table seven, and my stomach drops. He’s sitting there, of all places, like t
Last Updated: 2024-12-10
Till Betrayal Do Us Part: Ex-Husband, Ex-Heartbreak
“Sign the papers, Estella.” Marco’s voice dripped with cold indifference as he slid the divorce papers across the table, his gaze locked on Claudia standing smugly by his side. “Did you really think a nobody like you could keep me?”
Estella swallowed her pride, forcing herself to meet his eyes despite the burning humiliation. The family she had fought to belong to had become her greatest enemy.
Claudia smirked, leaning closer. “You should be grateful. Letting you go is the kindest thing we’ve done for you.”
****
When Estella married into the powerful Valdez family, she believed in a love strong enough to conquer any storm. But after years of enduring Marco’s cruelty and twisted schemes, she’s cast aside, humiliated, and left with a shattered heart.
Yet, when Estella crosses paths with Alejandro, Marco’s ruthless rival. With Alejandro’s guidance, she reclaims her life, finding strength she never knew existed. Together, they plot to dismantle the very family that tore her apart. But revenge is a dangerous game, and as her quest unfolds, she faces betrayal, tragedy, and a conspiracy far deeper than she imagined.
In a world of deceit and broken promises, Estella will discover that survival means more than escaping her past. It means learning to wield her pain as power—and showing those who wronged her that the quietest heart can hide the fiercest storm. But as she edges closer to revenge, a final tragedy strikes, threatening to strip her of everything. Can she rise from the ashes, or will she become a pawn in a game more twisted than love itself?
Will Estella’s journey be one of redemption or destruction? Only time will tell in this gripping saga of betrayal, vengeance, and forbidden love
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Chapter: 55 – Claudia’s DesperationThe courthouse was full.Cameras flashed, reporters shouted over each other, and a crowd of onlookers craned their necks to catch a glimpse of Marco Valdez, the fallen prince of the Valdez empire. Marco was dragged out of the courthouse by two officers, his wrists cuffed, his shirt wrinkled, and his hair disheveled. He looked nothing like the smug, polished man he once was. His scarred cheek was flushed red, his limp more pronounced as he stumbled under the officers’ grip. He looked like a man dangling at the edge of a cliff, holding on with one hand—and it was satisfying as hell to watch.This was supposed to be a simple transport—either back to jail or to another hearing, depending on how today went. The court had been swarmed with reporters, some leaning so close they practically tripped over the officers’ feet“Mr. Valdez, do you have a statement?” one reporter shouted.“Marco, how do you feel about your mother’s arrest and charges? Did you really abuse those women?” screamed ano
Last Updated: 2024-12-17
Chapter: 54 – Breaking Chains I think I like Alejandro.No. I know I like him.It hit me as we walked back from the lake. He didn’t say much, but he didn’t have to. It was the way he stayed close without smothering me, the way his hand would brush mine, just enough to remind me he was there.And when he kissed my hair and told me he was proud of me—God, it broke something inside me.I didn’t realize how starved I was for those words. For someone to look at me and see more than my past, more than the mess Marco had made of my life.But I couldn’t let myself feel this way.It wasn’t real.This wasn’t a love story. This was a business transaction—a marriage of convenience designed for just revenge.I glanced at the sleek gold ring on my finger, the symbol of our contract. A contract that didn’t specify how long the marriage would last, but the implication was clear: once the Valdez family was destroyed, we’d go our separate ways.That was the plan.I wasn’t supposed to care.I wasn’t supposed to notice the way his ja
Last Updated: 2024-12-16
Chapter: 53 – Cracks in the WallsEstella When we reached the edge of the lake, I pulled the small urn from my bag.Ruth’s ashesAlejandro stayed back as I approached the water, my hands trembling as I unscrewed the lid.“Thank you for being my mother,” I whispered. “For loving me when I didn’t deserve it. For being the only light in my life.”The ache in my chest was unbearable, but I tilted the urn, letting the ashes scatter over the water. The wind caught them, carrying them out over the lake, the gray disappearing into the golden hues of the setting sun.“I’m sorry,” I choked out, the tears spilling over. “I’m so sorry I couldn’t save you.Tears slipped down my cheeks, but they didn’t feel heavy.Alejandro stepped closer, his hand brushing against my back.“She’d be proud of you,” he said quietly.I turned to him, my heart full and broken all at once. “Thank you. For everything.”His hand slid to my cheek wiping a tear, his touch gentle but firm. He pulled me closer, his eyes searching mine before his lips met mi
Last Updated: 2024-12-16
Chapter: 52 – Public EnemyIt’s finally happening. The Valdez empire was crumbling faster than I expected.The world turned against Helena Valdez in record time.By the time we returned home, the storm we unleashed had reached every corner of the world. Social media exploded with clips of the bloodbath—both figurative and literal. News outlets ran breaking updates every hour, replayed the footage on a loop.The headlines weren’t kind.“Helena Valdez Exposed: Adulteress and Murderer.”“Corporate Queen or Cold-Blooded Killer?”“Blood on the Valdez Throne: Justice for Mark Parker.”Within hours, the public was demanding blood—Helena’s blood.“Hang her!” someone screamed during a live broadcast. Protesters chanted for justice, their signs held high with phrases like Murderer and Blood Money Empire outside every Valdez headquarters.Helena had fallen from grace in spectacular fashion, and honestly, it was beautiful to watch.But what really turned the tide was Parker.It didn’t take long for the world to connect the
Last Updated: 2024-12-15
Chapter: 51 – The FallEstella The room was packed. Every seat in the grand auditorium was filled. Rows of finely dressed elites, journalists, and business executives filled the seats, all there to watch Helena Valdez’s grand announcement. The new chairman of Valdez Enterprises, ascending to her throne after Marco’s “step down.” Marco had been officially stepped down—spineless as ever, letting her take the reins while he hid in her shadow It was laughable. Helena, glowing under the stage lights, stood behind the podium, her sleek white dress screaming power and perfection. Marco lingered beside her, like a battered shadow. His limp was noticeable now, and the burn scar on his cheek was impossible to miss even under the heavy makeup he’d tried to cover it with. I couldn’t stop the flicker of satisfaction in my chest as I leaned back in my seat. “So why are we here, exactly?” I asked Alejandro, keeping my voice low. “Patience, mi estrella.” His tone was smooth, calm, almost bored as he popped a
Last Updated: 2024-12-15
Chapter: 50 – Vows in Silence Three days.That’s how long it had been since the explosion, since my mother’s lifeless body had been carried out of the flames. Three days since I’d spoken, eaten, or done anything but stare at the same patch of wall.My mind replayed everything on a loop—the stretcher, the white sheet, the sound of the blast, Marco’s smug, bloodied face.I hated everyone. I blamed everyone.Alejandro, for holding me back. The hospital, for being so careless that she got kidnapped under their watch. Marco, for being the monster that destroyed my life.But most of all, I hated myself.For being weak. For falling for Marco’s lies. For letting him control me like I was some pathetic, naive puppet. A mistake that had ruined my life the moment I said yesI blamed myself for being adopted by in the first place. For not having real parents. The knock at the door came again. I ignored it, as I had every time before.This time, it opened anyway.I didn’t need to look to know it was himHe sat down beside me,
Last Updated: 2024-12-14
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