A Father's Betrayal: The Marrow

After years of marriage, Adrian Foster still only spoke to me in bed. The moment he got out of it, the warmth vanished, replaced by cold indifference. I, Nora Bennett, had endured it all in silence, hoping that if I stayed obedient, he might show our daughter, Nina Foster, a little more care. Yet in his eyes, Sophia Graham was his one and only-the woman he put on a pedestal, shielding and indulging her at every turn. For her child, he had even taken my daughter's bone marrow. In that moment, I finally understood. I was nothing more than a pawn in his battle with the woman he truly loved. So I stopped holding on. I took my daughter and left without hesitation.

Chapters

Chapter 6

The car wound its way along the mountain road, surrounded by lush greenery, and I couldn't help but relax.

In front of the luxurious mansion, staff were already waiting at the entrance.

"Long time no see, Julian."

Not long after getting out of the car, Adrian called out to the man approaching from a distance.

I followed his gaze.

The man had a sharp, composed face, his dark eyes deep and unreadable. Even in casual sportswear, he carried an unmistakable air of quiet luxury.

Julian Lane was Adrian's childhood friend—and the owner of this hot spring resort. He had gone abroad for further studies in his youth and had only recently returned.

So this was, in fact, my first time meeting him.

"Must've been ten years. Adrian, you finally brought your family here. Make yourselves at home."

Julian stepped forward. After a brief exchange with Adrian, he gave me a polite nod.

As he lifted his gaze, he gave me a brief once-over, a trace of amusement flickering in his eyes.

Even though he had been abroad all these years, there was little about home that he didn't know.

Julian had often heard that his best friend's wife was nothing remarkable. Seeing me now, he seemed to think I was, at best, an "eye candy."

I led Nina into the mansion, and she was instantly captivated by the room filled with plush toys.

"Nina, do you like it? I had people set this up just for you. That giant one over there? It's a limited edition."

Adrian was good at this—at coaxing children. Nina spent the entire day happily playing under his attention.

When I grew tired from working on design drafts, I glanced out the window and saw Nina smiling—and I couldn't help but waver.

If he could always treat her like this… maybe continuing like this wouldn't be impossible.

That night, after putting Nina to sleep, Adrian ran into me as I stepped out of the bathroom in a bathrobe.

The moment our eyes met, desire darkened his gaze.

I tried to pull away, but Adrian had already pinned me against the dining table, his kiss coming down hard and urgent.

"Nora." His voice was low and rough. "It's your ovulation period today, isn't it? Let's not waste the chance."

Ever since I saw his feelings for what they truly were, I no longer wanted anything intimate with him.

As for a second child, I wanted to tell him we could consider IVF instead—but I couldn't break free.

Sophia's ringtone rang out. On the third time, Adrian finally answered.

"Adrian, Mia is having a severe rejection reaction after the surgery. They're trying to save her now… I'm so scared." Her voice trembled with sobs as she continued, "Do you think Mia just isn't meant to survive? You went through so much to arrange that bone marrow, and now she still might…"

Adrian hung up and turned to leave immediately.

As he passed Nina's room, he paused for a moment and glanced at me.

After a brief hesitation, he left anyway.

I stood frozen in place, suddenly realizing just how utterly foolish I had been.

So the so-called "priority" of bone marrow allocation had all along been based on how much Adrian cared.

Outside, the rain began to fall harder—just like the collapse inside my chest.

"Mom, my nose is bleeding… it won't stop."

Nina ran over, clutching her nose, her cool little hand wrapping tightly around my fingers.

My heart lurched. I scooped her up at once, trying every way I knew to stop the bleeding—but nothing worked.

Bright red blood kept dripping down from beneath her nose onto the floor, her little face turning ashen.

"Mom… am I going to die?"

"No, you won't. You're going to stay with me, always." I wiped the blood from her cheeks while frantically calling the doctor.

The heavy rain had disrupted the network. The signal was terrible.

After several attempts, I finally got through to Adrian.

But the call lasted only a second before it was coldly cut off.

"Where did Dad go? Why is he gone again? Did I do something wrong today… something he didn't like?"

Her voice trembled with tears. I pulled her close. "Be good, Nina. Go wait in Mommy's room. I'm going to find a car—I'll be right back. We're going to the hospital!"

I didn't care about anything else. After settling her down, I grabbed an umbrella and ran out.

The wind flipped my umbrella inside out, drenching me in seconds.

There were barely any cars on the road, and not a single one stopped for me. I couldn't even tell anymore whether the wetness on my face was rain or tears.

At last, an SUV burst through the storm and came to a stop in front of me.

The window rolled down—it was Julian.

I rushed forward, gripping the window, forcing my trembling voice steady despite the cold.

"Julian, my daughter's leukemia has flared up—she won't stop bleeding. Can you take her to the hospital? I'm begging you."

Julian immediately understood—Adrian had abandoned them again.

Even he found his friend's behavior irresponsible. How had this woman endured a marriage like that?

Julian glanced at me, said nothing, and got out of the car, heading straight toward the mansion.

Gratitude filled me, my attention fixed entirely on Nina. I didn't notice that when Julian picked her up, his eyes briefly fell on the design drafts on the table—surprise and admiration flashing through his gaze.

Only after watching my daughter being rushed into the emergency room did the tight knot in my chest loosen, just a little.

A figure approached from beside me, and a coat was draped over my shoulders.

I looked up in surprise at Julian. He averted his gaze and said quietly, "Don't catch a cold."

Only then did I realize how my soaked clothes clung tightly to my body, outlining every curve. My face flushed as I quickly pulled the coat closer and murmured my thanks.

"What are you doing?"

A low voice sounded from behind us.

Julian and I turned at the same time, only to meet the eyes of Sophia and Adrian standing not far away.

Continue to next part

Six years ago, my adoptive family framed me for commercial espionage, stripped me of my identity, and threw me out. Now, I finally returned to the Solis estate as a commercial pilot to take back what was mine. But the first thing my adoptive mother did was threaten me with that forged evidence again. She demanded I take my sister Kiana's place in a marriage contract with a disabled man, simply because Kiana refused to marry him. When I refused, Kiana ambushed me at the airport with a mob of reporters. She cried for the cameras, publicly accusing me of causing our father's and brother's deaths. She painted me as a ruthless monster who bankrupted the company and ruined the family. The crowd instantly turned on me, screaming that I was a murderer and a gold-digger. Kiana wanted to completely destroy my reputation so I would have no choice but to submit to her arrangement. I looked at her fake tears, feeling a cold, absolute fury. How dare she use the tragic deaths of the only family members who actually loved me as a prop for her sick show? They had ruined my life once, and now they wanted to bury me alive. I didn't hesitate. I slapped her hard across the face right in front of the flashing cameras. "That was for my father and brother." Then, my real fiancé, a decorated Delta Force commander, rolled through the crowd in his wheelchair. He tossed a classified Pentagon file to the reporters, completely clearing my name and exposing Kiana's lies. I married him to start my revenge, but as I stepped into his heavily secured penthouse that night, I realized my powerful new husband had been preparing for me for a very long time.

Action Modern Romance

8.4

Rising From Ashes: The Architect's Comeback

8.4

I woke up in a sterile hospital room with no memory of the lethal-looking man pacing outside the glass. My friend told me he was Dante Moretti, the Underboss of Chicago, and the fiancé I had supposedly worshipped for seven years. But the truth shattered me faster than the crash did. When our convoy was ambushed and the car caught fire, Dante didn't pull me out. He chose to save Valeria—the widow of a soldier he felt guilty about—leaving me to burn in the backseat. He called it a "tactical decision." I called it a death sentence. I thought losing my memory was a curse, but it was a gift. It stripped away the delusion of love. I saw a man who treated me like a useful piece of furniture. I saw a rival in Valeria who smirked while taking my job and my place. When she set a room on fire to frame me, Dante saved her again, leaving me to choke on the smoke. He even branded me a thief in front of the entire Commission to protect her lies. He thought I would always be there, the obedient statue waiting for his scraps. He was wrong. I fled to New York and walked straight into the arms of his sworn enemy, Enzo Falcone. A man who didn't just promise to protect me, but walked through fire to do it. Months later, when Dante finally realized the truth and crawled back to me in the rain, begging for a second chance, I looked him dead in the eye. "Forgetting you was the only peace I ever knew." I took Enzo’s hand, letting Dante see exactly what he had lost. "Remembering you just confirmed that you are a mistake I will never make again."

Action Modern Romance

9.6

Tamed by my Ruthless Biker

9.6

Chloe Decker has spent her whole life trying to stay out of trouble especially the kind that rides a motorcycle, wears a leather jacket, and smirks like the world belongs to him. Unfortunately, that trouble has a name: Alfie. They go to the same school, live in the same town, and hate each other with a passion that could burn down the world. He's the arrogant son of the Black Fangs MC President, while she's the quiet girl who wants nothing to do with the club or its reckless members. But when a cruel prank, a dangerous secret, and one unexpected night throw them together, Chloe's world begins to unravel. Alfie isn't just the ruthless biker everyone fears he's also the boy who can't stop looking at her like she's the only thing keeping him alive. Every fight between them feels like a spark. Every touch feels like a threat. And soon, their hate turns into something much darker and much harder to control. In a world filled with roaring engines, loyalty, and betrayal, love was never supposed to happen especially not between enemies. But fate has other plans, and Chloe will soon discover that sometimes, the most dangerous hearts are the ones that were meant for you all along.

Action Modern Romance

8.1

The Blood of The Hollow Moon

8.1

In a fractured world where emotion fuels magic and silence seals fate, Seren-Threadless and unclaimed-awakens a power long forgotten. When the Crimson Court attacks and the Maw begins to stir, she must navigate dominions ruled by wolves, witches, vampires, and Keepers, each bound by ancient threads of memory and grief. But Seren is no ordinary girl. She carries a crystal of bound silence, survives the Trial of the Moonbound, and becomes Driftbound-able to weave emotion itself. As war looms and Umbros, the sealed god of silence, begins to awaken, Seren must choose: destroy what remains of the world, or become the thread that binds it. Epic, lyrical, and haunting, Blood of the Hollow Moon is a tale of fractured magic, forgotten memory, and the courage to become more than fate intended.

Action Fantasy Vampire

8.7

The Ghost Heiress: My Dangerous Double Life

8.7

I spent ten years living in a rusted trailer in Upstate New York, enduring the stench of stale cigarettes and the Millers' constant abuse. They called me a useless leech and a parasite, never realizing I was simply a top-tier operative known as "Ghost" waiting for the signal to return to my real life. The breaking point came when the Millers threw my muddy duffel bag into the dirt and shrieked at me to get out. As I walked away, a massive explosion leveled their home behind me, and a black Rolls-Royce Phantom pulled up to the curb. A man in white gloves opened the door and addressed me as "Miss Vance," announcing that my billionaire parents were finally waiting for me. But my homecoming was far from a fairytale. My biological mother was dying of heart failure, and my cousin Victoria publicly humiliated me, calling me "trailer trash" and mocking my lack of education. To make matters worse, I was forced into an engagement with Julian Sterling, a ruthless CEO who despised the idea of marrying a "charity case" like me. No one knew that the "meek" girl they pitied was leading a double life. While Victoria tried to shame me at dinner parties, I was busy infiltrating elite clubs in tactical bodysuits and stealing encrypted drives from Russian arms dealers. I had to play the role of the helpless, boring daughter while my own fiancé hunted the mysterious thief who had pinned him against a wall and kissed him breathless in the shadows. I thought my cover was perfect until Julian's grandmother collapsed on Fifth Avenue in full cardiac arrest. While the crowd stood paralyzed, I broke protocol and used a forbidden "Ghost Needle" technique to bring her back from the dead before vanishing into the crowd. That evening, Julian watched the viral footage of the miracle rescue, his eyes narrowing as he recognized the "uneducated" girl he was forced to marry. He realized the boring woman sitting across from him at dinner was the same dangerous operative who had outsmarted him at the club, and the hunt for the truth had finally hit home.

Action Billionaire Horror

9.6

The Oracle's Revenge: My Purchased Marriage

9.6

I’m the girl from the trailer park who married the coldest billionaire on Wall Street. To the world, I’m a lucky gold-digger. To Gustavus English, I’m just a $2 million "service fee" and a human shield to keep his board of directors from tearing him apart. The morning after he treated our intimacy like a cold business transaction, he threw a check at my face and called me a mistake. He didn't know that behind my "frightened doe" act, I was a finance genius at Columbia secretly shorting his company’s stock to destroy him from the inside. The humiliation was relentless. He forced me into expensive suits that made me look like a pathetic doll and paraded me in front of paparazzi to boost his stock price. Then his brother, Caspian, arrived—the man who laughed while bulldozing the orphanage of my childhood. Caspian recognized me, whispering threats of exposure while his eyes stripped me bare. "Don't method act with me, hillbilly. You aren't my wife," Gustavus hissed, pinning me against a marble wall. I felt the burning injustice of being a bought asset, trapped between a husband who despised me and a brother-in-law who wanted to break me. I was a victim playing a dangerous game, waiting for the right moment to strike. But at a high-stakes family dinner, the power struggle turned lethal. To stop his family from seizing his billions, Gustavus dropped a bomb that shattered my plans. "We are already working on an heir," he announced, activating a legal clause that froze the entire family trust. He dragged me into the shadows, his voice a dark command. "Now you have no choice. You get pregnant, or we lose everything. Don't make me regret this." He wanted a legacy to save his empire, but I was about to give him the most expensive mistake of his life.

Action Modern Romance

A Father's Betrayal: The Marrow

Chapter 6

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