I refuse to divorce

Astrid waited for Joshua all night as she usually did... And the first thing she received, instead of a cold greeting, was the divorce papers. "Why?" were her only words when she saw the agreement. Joshua looked at her indifferently. "It's enough. It's a waste of time to continue this marriage. In the first place, if it weren't for my grandfather, I wouldn't have married you... Sign it!" he shouted. Astrid, her eyes filled with tears, hurriedly took the divorce agreement and put it in her mouth. "I don't want a divorce!" Astrid cried. Joshua didn't respond, he just looked at her and walked away. After all, it was difficult to get into the heart of someone like Joshua. She stood firm in her decision. She had married to take care of her mother's health... Until she lost her too, leaving her with nothing left to hold on to. "He doesn't feel anything for me," she said, wiping her teary eyes. "In the future, I will never appear in front of him again." She took her luggage and, accompanied by a heavy snowfall, disappeared along with her footprints in the snow. She left behind only her signature on the divorce agreement. With a trembling body, she escaped. Five years later, a little boy reminded her of the person she tried to forget.

Chapters

Chapter 5

“Mari?” Seeing the look of loss on Marilyn's face, Joshua cursed Astrid a million times in his heart. Damn it.

“It's okay, my hand is a little cold; it might freeze you.” Marilyn also didn't expect him to unconsciously avoid her; her heart was filled with regret. What was wrong with her? How could she suspect him? He must have some reason for not telling her now. When the matter was resolved, he would definitely tell her.

“Silly girl, what silly words. It's all my fault for keeping you here for so long.” This time, Joshua took Marilyn's hand directly. And when his warm fingertips touched Marilyn's cold hand, Joshua's heart seemed to be grabbed by someone. Holding her hand a little tightly, he couldn't wait to hold it tighter to keep it warm.

The night was getting colder, and the room was gradually getting darker. The lavender light was a little dim, and Marilyn couldn't see the room clearly. Suddenly, the room lit up, only to see the yellowish light filling the entire room, dotted with stars from pure white to golden yellow, reflected in the yellowish light, as if it were the starry sky of the day.

Indescribable emotions rushed to her heart, and Marilyn's eyes were slightly red. Joshua, the man who had touched her countless times, decided that today was the day he would give himself to her. On this first day of their reunion after three years, she would take the initiative to tell Joshua how important he was in her heart, and today, she would make him her man. She would forgive him for his untimely departure three years ago. His departure was not because he felt nothing for Joshua, but because he cared too much.

Marilyn's vermilion lips parted slightly; she was about to let Joshua, the man she had loved for years, know her true feelings.

Before the words could leave her mouth, the sudden sound of her cell phone broke her thoughts.

Damn it, who the hell was calling at this hour?

Her impulse to confess was interrupted, and she had to put the matter aside for now and find another opportunity to tell Joshua since she would be staying with him today anyway.

Joshua opened the door and asked, “Was it your uncle who called?” As soon as he got off the plane today, Marilyn had been picked up by him, so perhaps he hadn't had time to tell his uncle that he was back.

“I don't know.” There was little emotion in Marilyn's response. Could it be her father? But how could that be? He hadn't called her once in the three years she had been abroad, and it certainly wouldn't be him now.

As expected, there was a string of numbers on the screen that she had never seen before. Marilyn didn't think much of it and pressed the answer button.

“Hello?” Marilyn's face was filled with confusion. Who the hell was calling at this hour? She hoped it wasn't a junk sales call, or she would curse it to death.

Only to see the confusion on Marilyn's face suddenly freeze.

The next second, her face was filled with disbelief, followed by her hand beginning to shake, breaking the phone that had just fallen to the floor.

“Mari, what's going on?” Seeing this, Joshua rushed to hold Marilyn, suddenly having a bad feeling that this call might be related to him. “Who called?”

Marilyn looked at Joshua with empty eyes, her voice trembling as she asked in a voice that only the two of them could hear, “Joshua, did you get married...?”

“What!” Joshua's eyes widened as a feeling of weakness suddenly filled his heart, and along with this feeling, anger suddenly burned as if he couldn't control it. How did he know? Who the hell was on the phone? What kind of beast was calling? Better not tell him who it really was, or he'll kill him for sure!

Joshua picked up the phone from the floor and held back his anger: “Hello?” He wanted to see who was so bold.

A familiar voice sounded from the other end, “Joshua?” Astrid's voice was very weak, but Joshua didn't notice its abnormality. Hearing this voice he had heard for three years and was already sick of, Joshua finally couldn't contain his anger and exploded, “Astrid White? You really have the guts to call this place.”

“No, Joshua, I... I can't talk to you.” Hearing the disgust in Joshua's tone, Astrid covered her heart. It hurt, it really hurt.

Had he done something wrong again? Would Joshua hate him even more? Tears gently rolled down his cheeks. No, if Joshua knew he was crying right now, he would definitely get even angrier. Joshua unconsciously touched his pants pocket. His cell phone was gone. Right, just now Astrid called him and asked him to hang up. To avoid upsetting Astrid again, Joshua simply put his cell phone on the sofa upstairs. He never thought this kind of thing would happen.

There was no doubt about it. When he heard it was Astrid's voice, Joshua hung up the phone directly and added her to his blacklist. That idiot even bragged about disrupting his date, ridiculous. There was no time to deal with him now. He just had to seize this opportunity. He had to explain everything to Marilyn properly.

“Marilyn, listen to my explanation...” He paused only to see Marilyn's shoulders shake, leaving only a helpless figure with her back to him. Damn it, he made Marilyn cry! He couldn't hold back anymore. Today he was going to tell her everything. He was going to hug Marilyn and tell her he didn't want any of that.

Unfortunately, the phone rang again, and Joshua took a deep breath.

Suppressing the urge to hug her, he said patiently, “I'll explain it to you properly later; wait for me.” Joshua pressed the answer button and was about to speak when a hurried voice sounded from the other end.

“Mr. Joshua, it's not good; the lady has fainted!” Hearing this, Joshua's anger subsided slightly, but his voice was still impatient. “She fainted? Why don't you take her to the hospital? Do you have to call me for such a small matter? Whose orders are you following? If you don't understand, get out.”

After hanging up the phone, Joshua's mood was completely ruined, and he was arguably in a bad mood.

It was really too annoying. How could he faint when he was obviously fine this morning?

Just as he wanted to go upstairs to get his phone, his own body was suddenly embraced by a soft touch. “Joshua!” Marilyn's face pressed against Joshua's, and he could feel Marilyn's tears slowly soaking his shirt.

Damn it, she made him cry. Joshua could imagine her eyes red from crying, and he couldn't help but feel his heart tighten. It was all because of that trash! It was all because of that trash that made his Marilyn so sad!

“I'm sorry, Mari, I can't stay with you today, but I'll definitely be with you tomorrow, okay?” Joshua had just been hugged by Marilyn. At that moment, he wanted to hug Marilyn back tightly, but he didn't dare to look at her face. Just remembering her tearful gaze made his heart ache so much that he couldn't breathe. He would definitely not let Astrid White go!

Continue to next part

For four years, Ember traced the bullet scar on Chace's chest, believing it proved his unwavering protection. Their anniversary gala was supposed to be the night he finally proposed, a symbol of their future. Instead, she stood frozen, watching him slide his mother's sapphire onto Karyn Warren's finger—the daughter of a rival family. His voice, amplified by the silent ballroom, declared, "Karyn is for power. Ember is for pleasure. Don't confuse the assets." Her heart incinerated. Publicly humiliated, she was ordered to remain his mistress, threatened with her dead mother's grave. Chace, confident her father's debts trapped her, forced her from their shared penthouse. He then used a fake "Help. Sick." text to lure Ember to a club, only to humiliate her further, calling her "loyal like a dog." Karyn ordered a soldier to "touch" Ember while Chace watched, indifferent. With no other choice, Ember drank a punishment cup containing wine she was severely allergic to. She collapsed, suffocating on the club floor, as Chace and Karyn watched, annoyed. Waking in a sterile hospital room, her throat raw, she faced Chace's cold relief and Karyn's dismissive cruelty. The betrayal was absolute, the injustice sickening. But moments before, in her despair, Ember had invoked a Blood Oath. She texted Keith Mosley, the ruthless Don, accepting his price for her father's debt: marriage. She would become his, and she was ready to pay.

Mafia Modern Romance

7.5

Betrayed, Then Claimed by the Mafia King (18+)

7.5

"I'm going to fuck all of Vincent's memory out of you," he murmurs. "You're Carter's woman now." ★★★★★ At just 21, Lyla Rose thought she had it all; a loving husband, a powerful mafia family, and a future she believed was secure. But everything comes crashing down when a medical report reveals she's infertile. Vincent Ricci, her ruthless mafia husband, can't tolerate that one imperfection. In a brutal, heartless move, he divorces her and replaces her with Maria, the fertile woman who can give him the heir Lyla never could. But that's just the beginning. Refusing to be discarded so easily, Lyla struggles to let go. But when Vincent plans to lock her away in a basement, everything changes. Carter Ricci, Vincent's cold, calculating uncle, steps in. He takes her to his penthouse, promising to protect her, cherish her, and vowing he's nothing like his nephew. But Carter has his own dark secrets. And once they're revealed, everything Lyla thought she knew about him will be shattered. When Vincent realizes the mistake he's made, regret consumes him and he comes to take her back. But Carter has no intention of letting her go. He's claimed her, body and soul. Now Lyla must choose: Will she return to the man who shattered her, or stay with the one who trapped her in a web of lies and manipulation? And can Carter really hold onto the woman he took through deceit, or will his dark past destroy everything they've built? ★★★★★ TROPES YOU'LL LOVE ✔️ Ex-husband's uncle ✔️ Mafia x secrets ✔️ Betrayal & forbidden love ✔️ Innocent x ruthless ✔️ Age gap ✔️ Dominant x submissive ✔️ Dark obsession ✔️ Lies & twisted romance

Mafia Modern Romance

7.8

Escaping The Cheater For My Hitman Stepbrother

7.8

After catching her fiancé in the act of betrayal, a devastated woman turns to the one person she was always told to avoid: her dangerous stepbrother. As a lethal hitman for the mafia, he offers her a dark sanctuary from her heartbreak. Their reunion ignites a forbidden attraction that blurs the lines of family and loyalty. Trapped between a cheating ex and a cold-blooded killer, she must navigate a world of violence to find true devotion.

Action Mafia Romance

8.6

He Chose First Love, I Chose the Alpha King

8.6

I gave him three years of silent devotion behind a mask I never wanted to wear. I made a wager for our bond-he paid me off like a mistress. "Chloe's back," Zane said coldly. "It's over." I laughed, poured wine on his face, and walked away from the only love I'd ever known. "What now?" my best friend asked. I smiled. "The real me returns." But fate wasn't finished yet. That same night, Caesar Conrad-the Alpha every wolf feared-opened his car door and whispered, "Get in." Our gazes collided. The bond awakened. No games. No pretending. Just raw, unstoppable power. "Don't regret this," he warned, lips brushing mine. But I didn't. Because the mate I'd been chasing never saw me. And the one who did? He's ready to burn the world for me.

Mafia Romance Werewolf

8.5

His Obsession, My Revenge: A Mafia Second Life

8.5

I woke up in the tangled black silk sheets of the Mafia Don's bed, my skin still burning from his ruthless touch in the dark. The heavy door burst open, and his pristine wife, Bianca, looked at my bruised collarbones with visceral hatred. Instead of having me killed for soiling her husband's bed, she offered a devil's bargain. "You will take my place in his bed. You will be a shadow in the dark." In my past life, I foolishly accepted, thinking her money would pay for my dying mother's hospital bills. I didn't realize the untouchable Mafia Queen was barren and just needed a disposable incubator. After I endured the Don's violent possession and birthed the Moretti heir, they cut off my mother's medicine. Then, they dragged me to a remote warehouse and suffocated me with a wet mattress to bury their dirty secret forever. Until my last agonizing breath, I didn't understand why my absolute submission and suffering were rewarded with such a brutal, meaningless death. Opening my eyes again, I was back on the morning after the Don first claimed me. I knelt on the Persian rug, weeping tears of fake gratitude as Bianca handed me the cash. But the moment my escort looked away, I didn't take her fertility herbs. I bought a bitter root from an alley witch to keep my womb empty. This time, I won't give the Don a child. I'll become his darkest obsession, and use his lethal power to burn this entire family to the ground.

Action Mafia Modern

8.2

I Left The Jester For The King

8.2

"Little Siren: I miss your hands on me." That message lit up the screen of a burner phone I found in my fiancé's jacket pocket while he was in the shower. Franco Moretti, the rising star of the Vitiello crime family, treated me like a fragile glass doll. He claimed he was "saving himself" for our wedding night out of respect. But the phone told a different story. I unlocked it and found three years of betrayal. It wasn't just a fling. It was Camilla, a girl from high school I had befriended out of pity. I watched their history unfold. He complained that I was cold. He called me a statue. Then I saw the invoice. He had bought two identical pink diamond engagement rings. One for me, and one for her. Worse, he had stolen my grandmother' s heirloom jade bracelet-a piece of history meant for his bride-and given it to his mistress. "I need her name to get the chair," he texted her. "You are my true Queen." I didn't cry. I didn't scream. I realized I wasn't a person to him; I was a ladder. Leaving him would be too easy. Leaving is what victims do. I walked to my laptop and opened a new document. I wasn't just going to cancel the wedding. I was going to broadcast his ruin to the entire underworld, and our wedding would be my stage. Then, I picked up the phone and dialed the one number my father forbade me to call. "I accept," I told the deep voice on the other end. "You understand what you are agreeing to, Gianna?" Enzo Falcone asked. "I understand," I said, looking at the New York skyline. "You want an alliance. I want a weapon."

Mafia Modern Romance

I refuse to divorce

Chapter 5

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