Reborn: I Delayed the Marriage License Till the Mistress Arrived
Ryu · Completed · 9.7k Words
Introduction
I looked at the prenuptial agreement, what flashed through my mind was not a sweet future, but the tragic ending of my past life—prison bars, fabricated evidence, and my wife Selena's cold face in court.
me to hell without hesitation .
Having been reborn, this time I will not be anyone's stepping stone again.
The real game only began the moment the agreement was torn up.
Chapter 1
In the VIP waiting room of Manhattan City Hall, the air conditioner hummed like a swarm of bees.
I sat in the leather chair, my fingers lightly tapping the table, staring at the prenuptial agreement. What flashed through my mind wasn't the upcoming wedding, but the tragic ending of my past life—
The iron bars of the prison, the cold handcuffs, and Selena's hypocritical face in court. She accused me of embezzlement with fabricated financial evidence, personally sending me to prison. And all of this stemmed from the fact that I successfully married her, leaving her first love, Oliver, heartbroken.
Reborn ten minutes before I was to get my marriage certificate, I knew clearly that if I followed the same path as in my previous life, death would still be the only outcome.
10:07.
Three minutes left.
"Arthur, what are you dawdling about?" Selena's voice carried its usual impatience, the silk of her haute couture wedding dress rustling softly as she turned. "It's just signing a document, how long is this going to take?"
I didn't look up, but continued flipping through the clauses I already knew by heart. In my past life, I had memorized these words line by line; every word was a shackle, every clause a trap.
"We have to see it clearly, don't we?" I said in a flat tone, as if I were discussing the weather today.
Selena walked up to me in her high heels, her long fingers tapping the watch face. "Our appointment was at 10:00 sharp, and it's almost 10:10 now. What new tricks have you come up with this time? Stop messing around, okay?"
Her tone was clearly impatient, as if I were an unreasonable child.
Was it intentional? Or just a tantrum?
My heart remained completely unmoved. In my past life, I would have knelt down to sign this agreement for this woman. But in this life, I knew exactly what was about to happen—
It was exactly 10:10.
The door was pushed open roughly.
Oliver staggered in, his face ashen, his chest heaving as if he were about to suffocate. He gripped the doorframe tightly, his pupils dilated, and his whole body trembled.
"Selena—I...I can't breathe—"
A classic claustrophobia performance. In my past life, I was completely fooled by his tricks, but in this life, I just find it laughable.
"Oliver!" Selena instantly dropped the agreement, rushed to Oliver's side, and placed her hands on his shoulders. "What happened? How did you get here?"
"I... I thought you were getting married, so... I wanted to come and congratulate you both—" Oliver's voice was as weak as a feather, but a hint of smugness flashed in his eyes, "but it's too stuffy in here, and my illness has flared up again—"
Blessings? I believed that nonsense in my past life too. Would a man who deeply loves his bride really show up on his wedding day to offer "blessings"?
Selena's eyes instantly filled with heartache, a tenderness I had never seen before. She gently stroked Oliver's back, her voice as soft as a feather: "It's okay, I'm here. Why were you so foolish to come, knowing you'd have a relapse?"
"Because, because I want to see you happy—" Oliver smiled weakly, but his eyes were secretly observing my reaction.
The green tea flavor was so strong it was almost overflowing.
I sat there, coldly observing this melodramatic spectacle. In my past life, I would have felt guilty, blamed myself, and offered to postpone the wedding to consider Oliver's feelings.
But in this life, I only want to watch the show.
"Arthur." Selena turned her head, the tenderness in her eyes vanishing instantly, replaced by a matter-of-fact command. "We're not getting our marriage certificate today. We'll have a much grander wedding another day. You go back to the company right now; there's a huge mess to clean up in that Asia-Pacific acquisition deal."
"You see, I knew Arthur would understand," she smiled gently at Oliver. "He's the most understanding person."
Her tone was condescending, as if postponing the wedding was a favor she bestowed upon me, and allowing me to continue cleaning up her messes was an honor.
In my past life, if I heard this, I would have agreed with tears in my eyes, and then worked overtime until 3 a.m. to save that merger and acquisition deal from the brink of collapse.
"Okay." I nodded calmly.
Selena was taken aback, clearly not expecting me to agree so readily. She thought I would be jealous, argue, and haggle humbly like in her past life.
But I simply stood up, walked to the table, and picked up the prenuptial agreement.
Then, to her astonishment, he tore it to pieces.
"Splash—"
The scraps of paper drifted into the trash can like snowflakes.
"What are you doing?!" Selena's voice shrieked.
"You're right. Since we're not getting a marriage certificate, it's useless now." I flicked the scraps of paper off my hands, my tone as casual as if I were tossing away a piece of trash. "The engagement is off. From now on, we have absolutely no relationship."
The air froze for three seconds.
A flicker of ecstasy crossed Oliver's eyes, but he immediately feigned shock: "Arthur, what... what are you doing?"
Selena stared at the scraps of paper in the trash can, her face turning from pale to ashen. "Arthur, are you crazy? I only said postponed, not canceled! Stop messing around!"
"Postponement is cancellation." I straightened my cuffs, looking at her as if she were a bag of stinking garbage. "Selena, thank you for helping me face reality. Goodbye."
I turned and walked toward the door, each step taken without a second thought.
"Arthur! You stop right there!" Selena's voice roared from behind. "What trick are you playing now? You think I'll beg you like this? You're dreaming!"
I didn't turn around.
The moment I pushed open the doors of City Hall, the Manhattan sun shone on my face, and I took a deep breath of the air of freedom.
I took the encrypted phone out of my pocket and pressed the reply button.
"I accept the offer from Blackstone Group."
A deep laugh came from the other end of the phone: "Welcome, Mr. Arthur. In two weeks, Wall Street will have a new king."
I hung up the phone and looked at the cluster of skyscrapers in the distance.
Two weeks of background checks and handover time was enough for Selena and Oliver to slowly experience the despair of losing me.
This time, I will no longer provide any emotional support, and I will no longer be anyone's puppet.
Let the game begin.
In the waiting room, Selena looked at the closed door and a mocking smile curled at the corner of her mouth.
"Pretending." She stroked Oliver's hair, her voice filled with the arrogance of a victor. "You're quite adept at playing hard to get. Tonight he'll come back with tears in his eyes, apologizing."
Oliver nodded weakly, his smugness disguised as guilt: "It's all...it's all my fault, I ruined your relationship. Selena, why don't you go after him? I'm fine—"
"Chase him?" Selena laughed dismissively. "Just a lowly son-in-law. Without me, he's nothing."
From an angle she couldn't see, Oliver's lips curled into a satisfied smile.
At 11 p.m. that night, Selena, wearing high heels, pushed open the door to the penthouse apartment, ready to accept my apology.
However, what awaited her was a cold, empty room stripped of all traces of the man's life.
The wardrobe is empty, the desk is empty, even the toothbrush has disappeared.
It was as if a man named Arthur had never lived here.
Last Chapters
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He was supposed to be off-limits. Untouchable. The kind of man you only fantasize about when you’re alone in the dark with your hand between your thighs.
But the night I caught him eating another woman alive by the pool, I couldn’t look away.
And he knew it.
The moment his dark eyes locked on mine through the glass, I became prey. His filthy smirk promised one thing—he saw me touching myself to him, and he wasn’t about to let me forget it.
Now, every time I’m in his house, I can’t breathe without thinking of his mouth between my legs.
I left my cheating boyfriend behind, only to fall into something even more dangerous:
a man who could ruin me, break me, and make me beg for his cock while his own daughter sleeps in the next room.
He’s too old. Too powerful. Too forbidden.
But Gianni doesn’t ask—he takes.
And I don’t want him to stop.
Tango 2 the Alpha's Heart
My gaze snapped to his. He was smiling, causing my heart to skip a painful beat. Before I could respond, the music began, and my body instinctively reacted to the sweet melody.
I found myself molded to Lex's will, my feet irresistibly following the dance steps.
The crowd gasped as Lex pulled me into a more intimate position, his hands roaming over my body in a seductive manner.
The experience was both terrifying and magical, allowing me to feel every longing emotion through the dance.
I soon found myself lost in his arms.
When the music finally stopped, my arms were wrapped around his neck, his hands resting on my back, our noses almost touching. He gazed deeply into my eyes.
The ballroom fell silent.
Was he about to kiss me?
Lilly’s life was never easy; she lost her memory and family in a blazing fire. Angelica found and took her in—only to make her a slave to the household.
Years of torment and abuse left Lilly weak, vulnerable, and believing she was without a wolf, but that didn't mean that all hope was lost.
At night, in her dreams, he would patiently wait for her—the man who brought sunshine into her darkest moments.
They would dance the night away, but as dawn approached, he would vanish into the morning sun.
Lilly had given up hope of finding a mate, having a family, and leading a normal life.
But things are about to drastically change for her...
Secrets, lies, betrayal... and a baby on the way.
What if Lilly wasn't wolf-less? What if it was all a lie?
What if she had a living family? Would she stay and bond with them or make a run for freedom?
MOONLIT CHASE
But no, I had to walk through the park at midnight like an idiot. Now I've seen something I can't unsee—a massive black wolf tearing apart three men, then shifting into the hottest guy I've ever laid eyes on.
Kieran Vaughn. Wealthy lawyer, werewolf, and apparently, he thinks I'm his mate.
Here's the problem: I don't do relationships. I definitely don't do supernatural things. I absolutely don't do rich guys who think they can control my life just because their inner wolf has decided I smell like home.
When hunters start targeting me to get to him, Kieran drags me into his pristine penthouse for "protection." Now I'm living with a man who looks at me like I'm his last meal, whose touch sets my skin on fire, and who's barely holding onto his control.
He says everyone he loves dies. I say that's not my problem except it is because I'm falling for this broken, dangerous man and his beast.
And in his world? Love will get you killed.
BROKEN TRUST
Neither of them knew she was carrying his child.
Emily’s affair didn’t just end her marriage—it erased the life she thought was guaranteed. Ryan left without looking back, carrying his anger like armor and leaving Emily alone with regret she would never outrun. Three years later, fate drags them back into each other’s world, along with a little girl who has Ryan’s eyes and a truth that shatters everything he thought he knew.
Old wounds reopen, grief masquerades as rage, and love refuses to stay buried. As parenthood binds them together and the past demands accountability, Emily and Ryan must face the question neither of them is ready to answer: is broken trust the end of their story… or the beginning of a love forged through loss, forgiveness, and brutal honesty?
Faking It With My Worst Enemy On Ice
But on his birthday, everything falls apart when his girlfriend exposes Clare's most humiliating secret in front of the entire team.
Just when Clare is ready to disappear, Rhys Calloway, her worst enemy and the team's arrogant captain, pulls her into his arms and tells everyone she is his girlfriend.
She should have pushed him away, but she kissed him back instead.
Now Clare is locked into a two-month fake relationship with the most infuriating man she has ever met, trying to get over a stepbrother who never cared and survive a captain who makes her forget why she was supposed to hate him.
The problem is that Rhys kisses like he means every single second of it, and just when Clare starts to move on, Zane decides he wants her back.
One girl, two hockey players, and a heart that was never supposed to feel this much. Will she choose the stepbrother who broke her or the enemy who caught her when she fell?
The CEO Above My Desk
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“She will,” I say, my voice lowering slightly. “Because she needs a man who can give her the world.”
“And if the world burns?”
My hand tightens subtly at Violet’s waist.
“Then I’ll build her a new one,” I reply. “Even if I have to burn the old one down myself.”
I don’t work for Rowan Ashcroft.
I work beneath him.
From my desk, I decide who gets access to the most ruthless CEO in the city, and who never makes it past the lobby. I manage his time, his silence, his enemies. I keep his world running while my own quietly collapses under unpaid bills, a mother locked in rehab, and a brother who vanished without a goodbye.
Rowan Ashcroft is power wrapped in a tailored suit.
Cold. Untouchable. Merciless.
He doesn’t flirt. He doesn’t smile. He doesn’t see people, only usefulness.
And for a long time, I was just useful.
Until he started watching.
A shift in his attention is subtle at first. A pause too long. A look that lingers. Orders that pull me closer instead of pushing me away. The man who stands above my desk begins to control more than my schedule, and I realize too late that being noticed by Rowan Ashcroft is far more dangerous than being ignored.
Because men like him don’t crave affection.
They crave possession.
This was supposed to be a job.
Not a test of my limits.
Not a slow, deliberate descent into his authority.
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Where The Ice Gives Way
Blake Atlas scents his mate the moment Charlotte arrives. The bond hits hard and unmistakable, but Charlotte doesn’t recognise it. She doesn’t know why her chest keeps pulling toward the one boy she absolutely cannot afford to want. Blake is Charlie’s new hockey captain. Charlie’s chance at making something good. Charlie makes it clear; his sister is off-limits and Blake tries to do the right thing, but secrets don’t stay buried forever. Rogues prowl the edges of town. The ice cracks. The bond tightens. Then Charlotte’s rare white wolf awakens, the very thing that makes her powerful, also makes her a target.
Shanti needs Shakti. (Peace needs strength.)
Where the Ice Gives Way is a slow-burn YA paranormal romance filled with fated mates, protective alpha energy, fierce sibling loyalty, found family pack bonds, hurt/comfort, and quiet, aching tension. It’s a story about first belonging, learning to be cared for, and what happens when the girl who has always held everyone else up finally falls, and someone catches her.
Ex-Wife, Current Wife
For three years, she lived in the shadow of a loveless marriage. She was the woman everyone loved to hate, the one who supposedly "stole" him from his first love. She endured his cold indifference, raised their son—who struggles with a speech impediment—in silence, and traded her own brilliant career for the thankless role of a trophy wife.
But when his long-lost love returns, she is unceremoniously pushed aside to make room for the "real" family.
Enough was enough.
After he publicly humiliates her and chooses the mistress’s daughter over his own son during a birthday party, something inside her finally snaps. She doesn't just want out of the marriage; she wants her life back. With a secret talent for design and a newfound resolve, she walks away from the gilded cage of his estate.
But as she rises from the ashes of her failed marriage to reclaim her status as a top-tier designer, he realizes the woman he treated as a disposable pawn was the only one who truly held his world together.
Now, the woman who once begged for his attention is no longer looking back. Will he be able to earn her forgiveness, or is he finally too late?
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Moonfire: Betrayed By The Alpha
Alpha Caden Blackwell believed those words would break me. That after three years of marriage marked by silence, humiliation, and quiet rejection, I would fear a life without him.
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That belief shattered the night Caden welcomed his former lover back into our home, along with a child he claimed as his heir. It ended the moment his choices nearly cost me my life and the life of one of my unborn pups. Leaving was no longer a matter of pride. It was survival.
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Rejected By My Family, Desired By The Mafia
While the real heiress struggled to survive, the nanny’s daughter, Talia, was raised in luxury as the beloved jewel of the Laurent family, pampered by Camille’s parents, adored by her three brothers, and even promised to the prestigious Matteo Devereux through a childhood engagement arranged by their grandparents.
Then the truth came out.
Six months ago, Camille was finally brought back to the Laurent family. To protect the family reputation and prove their devotion to their bloodline, the Laurent patriarch transferred 35% of his personal shares into Camille’s name overnight, instantly making her one of the wealthiest heiresses in the country.
It brought anxiety to all the Laurent family. But what they don’t know…is that Camille never needed them.
Behind her elegant smile lies a woman filled with secrets powerful enough to shake the whole family. She's a miraculous healer capable of curing the incurable poisons.
Yet despite everything, her family still chooses Talia.
Every accusation against Talia is forgiven. Every scheme against Camille is brushed aside. Even Matteo, the man who was supposed to be Camille’s fiancé—cannot let go of the woman he always believed belonged by his side.
But while the Laurent family underestimates Camille, another man begins to see exactly who she is.
Dante Moretti.
The ruthless heir of an old-money dynasty. A billionaire CEO worshipped by the public…and the merciless king of a criminal empire hidden beneath the city’s glittering surface. When Dante is poisoned by a rival syndicate with a deadly toxin no doctor can cure, he offers a fortune for anyone who can save him.
Only Camille can. Their deal is simple: she becomes his personal physician, and he gives her anything she wants.
