Independent Widow

Independent Widow

Vera Okta Yana

5.0
Comment(s)
59
View
42
Chapters

Until finally, she decided to leave everything behind, exhausted from being betrayed by the people she trusted the most. Hurt and disappointed, she transformed into a woman who was independent and unshakable. Kendra Solene, who was forced into a marriage through an arranged union, lived with a husband who never even acknowledged her. Their relationship crumbled, and her husband openly betrayed her. Despite now being a widow, often mocked and looked down upon, Kendra never faltered. She chose to move forward, indifferent to the harsh judgments of others.

Chapter 1 The Betrayal

Kendra Solene stood by the window of her apartment, gazing out at the sprawling city below. The world outside seemed so alive, so full of opportunities, yet in this moment, it felt like an endless sea of memories that refused to fade. She had built walls around herself over the years, walls designed to protect her from the hurt and the lies, yet they were never enough to shield her from the betrayals that had pierced her heart time and time again.

The soft hum of the city was a constant reminder of everything she had lost. Her past life had been one of privilege, comfort, and security. She had once been the daughter of a powerful family, surrounded by people who loved her-or so she thought. But all of that had changed the moment she was forced into a marriage that was never meant to be.

Kendra had been young when her parents arranged the union with a man they considered suitable for their family's legacy. She had no say in the matter, her voice drowned out by their expectations and societal pressures. Her future, her happiness, was nothing more than a pawn in a game of power and wealth. At the time, she had been naive, eager to please her family, and desperate to believe that love could blossom from obligation.

But love had never been a part of the equation. Her husband, Lucas Devereux, was a man of status, a man whose wealth and influence had made him one of the most sought-after bachelors in the country. Yet, to Kendra, he was a stranger. From the moment they had been wed, there had been no warmth, no affection-only a cold, calculated partnership. He was always distant, always preoccupied with his own affairs, and whenever he did come home, it was as though she were nothing more than a shadow in the background.

She had tried, in vain, to make the best of their situation. She had tried to be the perfect wife, to fulfill her duties and expectations. She had dressed in fine clothes, smiled at the right moments, and hosted lavish events in their home. But all of it felt empty. Lucas had never once shown any genuine affection for her, and as the years went by, Kendra had slowly come to terms with the fact that their marriage was nothing more than a business arrangement-one that neither of them had ever wanted, yet both had been forced to endure.

And then came the betrayal.

Kendra had always known that Lucas was ambitious, driven by the need for power and control. But she had never imagined that he would go so far as to betray her in the most public and humiliating way. It had happened a year ago-an affair with one of his colleagues, a woman who was everything Kendra was not. Young, vibrant, and full of the life that Kendra had once hoped to have. It had been the last straw.

Kendra had confronted him in their grand, empty home, her voice shaking with a mix of anger and disbelief. Lucas had been unapologetic, his cold eyes not even bothering to meet hers as he casually admitted to his infidelity. He didn't care. He had never cared. The words she had heard from his lips that night had shattered the fragile remnants of the woman she had once been. She had begged him to love her, to show her even the slightest sign of affection. But his answer had been simple: "You were never meant to be more than a trophy on my arm, Kendra."

The betrayal had broken her, but it had also changed her. For the first time in her life, Kendra realized that she had been living someone else's dream, not her own. She had spent years trying to mold herself into the perfect wife, the perfect woman to fit into the world her parents had envisioned for her. But the reality was, no matter how hard she tried, she would never be enough for someone like Lucas.

It was in that moment of pain, that moment of realization, that Kendra made the decision that would alter the course of her life forever. She would no longer be a pawn in anyone's game. She would not let herself be defined by the mistakes of others or by the expectations that had been placed upon her. It was time to break free.

She packed her things in the dead of night, leaving behind the opulent mansion that had once been her prison. She took only what she could carry-her pride, her independence, and the determination to never be anyone's victim again. Kendra didn't need Lucas. She didn't need anyone. She was a woman who could stand on her own, no longer shackled by the expectations of others.

The first few days had been the hardest. Kendra had wandered the city, feeling lost and unsure of where to go or what to do next. She was no longer the young woman who had once dreamed of a perfect life. She was someone else now-a woman who had tasted the bitter sting of betrayal and come out the other side stronger for it. But even as the days turned into weeks, Kendra's heart still ached with the scars of the past.

There were moments when the weight of loneliness threatened to crush her. She would see couples walking hand in hand, families laughing together, and the emptiness inside her would grow. She had been a part of that world once, but now, she was an outsider, left to pick up the pieces of her broken dreams. Yet, in those moments of vulnerability, Kendra reminded herself that she was no longer the same woman who had married Lucas. She was someone new, someone who would no longer settle for a life of lies and unfulfilled promises.

The city became her refuge, the streets her sanctuary. She found a small apartment in a quiet neighborhood, away from the shadows of her past. She enrolled in a few courses, focusing on things she had once been passionate about before her life had been consumed by the suffocating expectations of others. Slowly but surely, Kendra began to rebuild her life, brick by brick. The woman who had once been a shadow in her own life was now stepping into the light, ready to face whatever the world had in store for her.

Kendra Solene was no longer the woman who had been betrayed. She was no longer defined by her past. She was a woman of her own making, and no one-no one-could take that away from her.

As the days passed, Kendra's resolve only grew stronger. She would not be broken. Not now, not ever. The world was hers to conquer, and she was ready to take it on, one step at a time. The pain of betrayal had turned into fuel, igniting a fire within her that she had never known before. And now, she was ready to face whatever came next.

Her journey had only just begun.

Continue Reading

Other books by Vera Okta Yana

More

You'll also like

The $300 Husband Is A Zillionaire

The $300 Husband Is A Zillionaire

Nap Regazzini
5.0

I woke up in a blindingly white hotel penthouse with a throbbing headache and the taste of betrayal in my mouth. The last thing I remembered was my stepsister, Cathie, handing me a flute of champagne at the charity gala with a smile that didn't reach her eyes. Now, a tall, dangerously handsome man walked out of the bathroom with a towel around his hips. On the nightstand sat a stack of hundred-dollar bills. My stepmother had finally done it—she drugged me and staged a scandal with a hired escort to destroy my reputation and my future. "Aisha! Is it true you spent the night with a gigolo?" The shouts of a dozen reporters echoed through the heavy oak door as camera flashes exploded through the peephole. My phone lit up with messages showing my bank accounts were already frozen. My father was invoking the 'morality clause' in my mother’s trust fund, and my fiancé had already released a statement dumping me to marry my stepsister instead. I was trapped, penniless, and being hunted by the press for a scandal I hadn't even participated in. My own family had sold me out for a payday, and the man standing in front of me was the only witness who could prove I was innocent—or finish me off for good. I didn't have time to cry. According to the fine print of the trust, I had thirty days to prove my "rehabilitation" through a legal marriage or I would lose everything. I tracked the man down to a coffee shop the next morning, watching him take a thick envelope of cash from a wealthy older woman. I sat across from him and slid a napkin with a $50,000 figure written on it. "I need a husband. Legal, paper-signed, and convincing." He looked at the number, then at me, a slow, crooked smile spreading across his face. I thought I was hiring a desperate gigolo to save my inheritance. I had no idea I was actually proposing to Dominic Fields, the reclusive billionaire shark who was currently planning a hostile takeover of my father’s entire empire.

The Mute Heiress's Fake Marriage Pact

The Mute Heiress's Fake Marriage Pact

Alma
5.0

I was finally brought back to the billionaire Vance estate after years in the grimy foster system, but the luxury Lincoln felt more like a funeral procession. My biological family didn't welcome me with open arms; they looked at me like a stain on a silk shirt. They thought I was a "defective" mute with cognitive delays, a spare part to be traded away. Within hours of my arrival, my father decided to sell me to Julian Thorne, a bitter, paralyzed heir, just to secure a corporate merger. My sister Tiffany treated me like trash, whispering for me to "go back to the gutter" before pouring red wine over my dress in front of Manhattan's elite. When a drunk cousin tried to lay hands on me at the engagement gala, my grandmother didn't protect me-she raised her silver-topped cane to strike my face for "embarrassing the family." They called me a sacrificial lamb, laughing as they signed the prenuptial agreement that stripped me of my freedom. They had no idea I was E-11, the underground hacker-artist the world was obsessed with, or that I had already breached their private servers. I found the hidden medical records-blood types A, A, and B-a biological impossibility that proved my "parents" were harboring a scandal that could ruin them. Why bring me back just to discard me again? And why was Julian Thorne, the man supposedly bound to a wheelchair, secretly running miles at dawn on his private estate? Standing in the middle of the ballroom, I didn't plead for mercy. I used a text-to-speech app to broadcast a cold, synthetic threat: "I have the records, Richard. Do you want me to explain genetics to the press, or should we leave quietly?" With the "paralyzed" billionaire as my unexpected accomplice, I walked out of the Vance house and into a much more dangerous game.

The Sterling Scandal: Married To The Uncle

The Sterling Scandal: Married To The Uncle

C.D
5.0

I was at my own engagement party at the Sterling estate when the world started tilting. Victoria Sterling, my future mother-in-law, smiled coldly as she watched me struggle with a cup of tea that had been drugged to ruin me. Before I could find my fiancé, Ryan, a waiter dragged me into the forbidden West Wing and locked me in a room with Julian Sterling, the family’s "fallen titan" who had been confined to a wheelchair for years. The door burst open to a frenzy of camera flashes and theatrical screams. Victoria framed me as a seductress caught in the act, and Ryan didn't even try to listen to my pleas, calling me "cheap leftovers" before walking away with his pregnant mistress. When I turned to my own family for help, my father signed a document severing our relationship for a five-million-dollar payout from Julian. They traded me like a commodity without a second thought. I didn't understand why my own parents were so eager to sell me, or how Ryan could look at me with such disgust after promising me forever. I was a sacrifice, a pawn used to protect the family's offshore accounts, and I couldn't fathom how every person I loved had a price tag for my destruction. With nowhere left to go, I married Julian in a bleak ceremony at City Hall. He slid a heavy diamond onto my finger and whispered, "We have a war to start." That night, inside his secret penthouse, I watched the paralyzed man stand up from his wheelchair and activate a screen filled with the Sterling family's darkest secrets. The execution had officially begun.

HIS DOE, HIS DAMNATION(An Erotic Billionaire Romance)

HIS DOE, HIS DAMNATION(An Erotic Billionaire Romance)

Viviene
4.9

Trigger/Content Warning: This story contains mature themes and explicit content intended for adult audiences(18+). Reader discretion is advised. It includes elements such as BDSM dynamics, explicit sexual content, toxic family relationships, occasional violence and strong language. This is not a fluffy romance. It is intense, raw and messy, and explores the darker side of desire. ***** "Take off your dress, Meadow." "Why?" "Because your ex is watching," he said, leaning back into his seat. "And I want him to see what he lost." ••••*••••*••••* Meadow Russell was supposed to get married to the love of her life in Vegas. Instead, she walked in on her twin sister riding her fiance. One drink at the bar turned to ten. One drunken mistake turned into reality. And one stranger's offer turned into a contract that she signed with shaking hands and a diamond ring. Alaric Ashford is the devil in a tailored Tom Ford suit. Billionaire CEO, brutal, possessive. A man born into an empire of blood and steel. He also suffers from a neurological condition-he can't feel. Not objects, not pain, not even human touch. Until Meadow touches him, and he feels everything. And now he owns her. On paper and in his bed. She wants him to ruin her. Take what no one else could have. He wants control, obedience... revenge. But what starts as a transaction slowly turns into something Meadow never saw coming. Obsession, secrets that were never meant to surface, and a pain from the past that threatens to break everything. Alaric doesn't share what's his. Not his company. Not his wife. And definitely not his vengeance.

Chapters
Read Now
Download Book
Independent Widow
1

Chapter 1 The Betrayal

21/04/2025

2

Chapter 2 The sun had risen

21/04/2025

3

Chapter 3 Kendra sat back in her chair

21/04/2025

4

Chapter 4 casting long shadows across the street

21/04/2025

5

Chapter 5 of truly embracing the future

21/04/2025

6

Chapter 6 As much as Noah made her feel seen

21/04/2025

7

Chapter 7 A silent promise

21/04/2025

8

Chapter 8 The dinner with Noah

21/04/2025

9

Chapter 9 How could you keep this from me

21/04/2025

10

Chapter 10 It wasn't supposed to be like this

21/04/2025

11

Chapter 11 its cold stone facade a stark contrast

21/04/2025

12

Chapter 12 Let her walk into a trap

21/04/2025

13

Chapter 13 When the Past Knocks

21/04/2025

14

Chapter 14 The jet touched down with a soft jolt

21/04/2025

15

Chapter 15 the morning light splashing gold across the tarmac

21/04/2025

16

Chapter 16 Kendra sat at the edge of the bed

21/04/2025

17

Chapter 17 They were fighting for something bigger

21/04/2025

18

Chapter 18 nothing would stop her from seeing it through

21/04/2025

19

Chapter 19 Kendra knew that she had already won

21/04/2025

20

Chapter 20 no one would be able to control her ever again

21/04/2025

21

Chapter 21 Her gaze was fixed out the window of her penthouse

21/04/2025

22

Chapter 22 The real fight had only just begun

21/04/2025

23

Chapter 23 As the sleek

21/04/2025

24

Chapter 24 Kendra's grip tightened around the phone

21/04/2025

25

Chapter 25 They're closer than you think

21/04/2025

26

Chapter 26 You think you can just walk in here

21/04/2025

27

Chapter 27 The room felt smaller now

21/04/2025

28

Chapter 28 We just need to keep pushing forward

21/04/2025

29

Chapter 29 The media was relentless

21/04/2025

30

Chapter 30 forced to lead from the front

21/04/2025

31

Chapter 31 his voice dripping with menace

21/04/2025

32

Chapter 32 She was stronger

21/04/2025

33

Chapter 33 Kendra could almost taste

21/04/2025

34

Chapter 34 she could never go back

21/04/2025

35

Chapter 35 The silence in the penthouse was deafening

21/04/2025

36

Chapter 36 The boardroom had never felt colder

21/04/2025

37

Chapter 37 What Remains After Fire

21/04/2025

38

Chapter 38 But the war inside her

21/04/2025

39

Chapter 39 was returning to rewrite its ending

21/04/2025

40

Chapter 40 a challenge she couldn't ignore

21/04/2025