A Marriage Built on Deception

A Marriage Built on Deception

Xiao Ziyi

5.0
Comment(s)
8.7K
View
10
Chapters

In the fifth year of my marriage, at a cattle auction, I saw my husband with my cousin-a woman everyone believed had been dead for five years. She was holding their son. I quickly learned my entire marriage was a lie, a cover-up orchestrated by my husband and my own grandmother to protect the woman who had tried to murder me. I wasn't a wife. I was an alibi. On the day they planned to drug me so they could celebrate their son's birthday, I signed away every penny of the family fortune, filed for divorce, and disappeared.

A Marriage Built on Deception Chapter 1

In the fifth year of my marriage, at a cattle auction, I saw my husband with my cousin-a woman everyone believed had been dead for five years.

She was holding their son.

I quickly learned my entire marriage was a lie, a cover-up orchestrated by my husband and my own grandmother to protect the woman who had tried to murder me.

I wasn't a wife. I was an alibi.

On the day they planned to drug me so they could celebrate their son's birthday, I signed away every penny of the family fortune, filed for divorce, and disappeared.

Chapter 1

GRACE'S POV:

In the fifth year of my marriage, at a cattle auction of all places, I saw my husband's mistress-a woman everyone believed had been dead for five years.

She was standing just on the other side of the auction pen, a little blond boy in her arms, her other hand linked intimately with my husband's, Caleb.

Her name was Madison. My cousin. Five years ago, she'd tried to kill me by orchestrating a cattle stampede. When her plan failed, she'd supposedly killed herself out of guilt.

At least, that's what they told me.

The auctioneer's drone, the lowing of cattle, the murmur of the crowd-it all faded as if a switch had been flipped. My world compressed to that one, searing image: the three of them, looking for all the world like a normal, happy family, bathed in the blistering afternoon sun of the Texas plains.

I shrank behind a massive wooden support pillar, a cold dread snaking its way up my spine.

Madison's syrupy voice drifted over, laced with a smugness she didn't bother to hide. "Honey, I really can't thank you enough. You and Loretta. If it weren't for you two, I'd probably be rotting in a cell right now."

Loretta... my grandmother. The matriarch of Blackwood Ranch.

An icy hand clamped around my heart, squeezing until I couldn't breathe.

Caleb's low, gentle voice followed-the voice I used to love. "Don't be silly. The way things were back then, Grandma had to destroy the evidence. It was the only way. Why do you think she bought you the neighboring ranch? So we could see each other."

"I still feel bad for Grace, though," Madison said, her tone dripping with false sympathy. "Making you stay married to her for five years. You've suffered so much."

"It's nothing, as long as I have you and Wyatt," Caleb's voice was thick with adoration. "Think of it as my penance. My way of making things right. As long as you two are okay, I can handle anything."

He leaned down and pressed a kiss to the little boy's forehead. Wyatt giggled, wrapping his small arms around Caleb's neck and chirping, "Daddy."

Daddy...

My world didn't just crack; it imploded. My five-year marriage, the home I'd poured my soul into, the husband I had so carefully, so completely loved-all of it was a lie. A tool to cover up a crime. I wasn't his wife. I was his alibi. His living, breathing penance.

They chatted for a few more moments, making plans for a few days from now-on the anniversary of Madison's "death." Caleb and my grandmother would use the pretense of "visiting her grave" to attend Wyatt's birthday party at Madison's ranch.

My legs gave out. I slid down the rough wood of the pillar, landing with a soft thud. A violent tremor wracked my body, my stomach churning. The life I thought was mine was a joke, and I was the punchline.

Just then, my phone buzzed. The caller ID read: "Grandma."

I answered, my hand shaking. Loretta's familiar, imperious voice came through the line. "Grace, where are you? It's crowded here, don't wander off."

Her voice was laced with concern, but I heard it for what it was now: fear. She wasn't worried about me getting lost. She was terrified I'd run into Madison. Terrified her perfect, monstrous lie would be exposed.

I took a ragged breath, forcing my voice into a mask of normalcy. "I'm fine, Grandma. Just over by the bull pens. They're magnificent this year."

The line went dead silent. Then, Loretta's voice returned, sharp with panic. "Stay right where you are! I'm sending Caleb to get you right now!"

The call ended abruptly.

Less than two minutes later, Caleb's tall frame appeared before me. His handsome face was tight with a poorly concealed panic, his voice a mixture of feigned concern and reprimand. "What are you doing over here? I've been looking everywhere. Did you... did you run into anyone you know?"

I looked up at him, into the eyes I once thought held the world. I choked back the scream that was clawing at my throat and forced a smile so brittle it felt like it might shatter my face.

"No one. I just... I missed you."

He visibly relaxed, the tension draining from his shoulders as he pulled me into his arms.

I let him. I leaned against his chest, a silent, cold ruin, and let him lead me home.

Continue Reading

Other books by Xiao Ziyi

More
The Fiancée's Grand Design

The Fiancée's Grand Design

Billionaires

5.0

It was my wedding day, a dream come true with the man who had pursued me for seven years, the heir to a vast fortune. Our private jet was whisking us to a Caribbean island, my gown a cascade of silk, a secret flutter in my belly signaling new life. Then, masked hijackers stormed the cabin, and in a heart-stopping moment, my fiancé, Mark, shoved me directly into a hijacker' s brutal grasp to protect his childhood friend, Chloe. The force of his betrayal shattered everything, leaving me exposed and humiliated as my exquisite wedding gown was torn. As I bled, losing our child, I overheard Mark' s chilling conversation: the hijacking was a setup, designed to get rid of me. He wanted no trace of our life. After being discarded like trash, I awoke in a hospital, only to hear him bribe a doctor to perform a D&C to erase any proof of the pregnancy, claiming it was for my health. He played the grieving fiancé, but when I confronted him about pushing me, he concocted a flawless lie. He then summoned burly nurses to hold me down for the procedure against my will, his eyes cold chips of ice. His parents brazenly supported his actions, proud he chose social standing over me. Days later, Chloe, his true love, visited my hospital room to gloat, revealing Mark' s plan to leave me after the wedding and sending me a vile picture of them together in my bed. The ultimate humiliation came when he slapped me and threw me out of the penthouse, accusing me of attacking Chloe, a scene she masterfully orchestrated and secretly recorded to mock me further. Left distraught and homeless on a cold New York street, with his betrayal etched deep into my soul, I was consumed by a bitter, cold fury. How could he have been so cruel, so calculated? How could I have been so blind? But what they thought was my end was just my beginning. I received a hidden security camera footage of the jet incident and a clear understanding of their despicable lies. I would survive this. I would make him pay. They unleashed a monster, and I would dismantle his empire, leaving nothing but ruin in my wake.

His Revenge, My Unwanted Fortune

His Revenge, My Unwanted Fortune

Billionaires

5.0

My perfectly curated life, built on seven-figure deals and an untouchable career, shattered with a single phone notification. It was a photo of my husband, Mark Johnson, on a boat with another woman, her finger adorned with a diamond that wasn't mine, a smile on his face I hadn' t seen in years. The caption: "My future." The world spun. I walked out of a multi-million-dollar meeting and drove, aimless, until an unknown number rang. It was Ethan Hayes, my college sweetheart, a billionaire now. His invitation- "Come have a drink with me. For old times' sake"-felt like a desperate lifeline. I clung to him, fueled by betrayal, mistaking newfound passion for a fresh start. We divorced Mark quickly, publicly, brazenly, thinking it revenge. I was a fool. The nightmare began a month later. Explicit photos, private messages, my address-all leaked online. Chloe Miller, the marketing executive, became a public spectacle, a cautionary tale. My company fired me; clients vanished. Ethan' s number was disconnected. He was gone. Then the call came: my parents were dead, their hearts giving out under the weight of the scandal he created. He had orchestrated every single step. This wasn't love; it was meticulously planned, cold-blooded revenge. He ruined my life, my reputation, my family. And now, he wanted to buy my silence. I would rather starve than take a single dollar from the man who murdered my parents. And standing in my ravaged apartment, I finally understood the full, brutal truth: I was pregnant with his child.

A Wife's Vengeance, Two Lives

A Wife's Vengeance, Two Lives

Modern

5.0

The sterile air of the lawyer's office hung heavy, reeking of a marriage ending and a family dividing. My twin brother, Liam, and I sat between our polished, successful parents, feeling like assets on a ledger. My father, Dr. Richard Miller, the celebrated surgeon, offered a brilliant, practiced smile. "We're going to let you choose who you want to live with." Liam' s chest puffed out, eyes already on our wealthy father. But a cold, bitter knot twisted inside me. I had lived this "choice" before. I had made the wrong one. I looked at my ten-year-old reflection in my mother's sympathetic eyes. "So we can really choose? Freely?" My father's gaze was fixed on Liam, dismissing me. He thought I'd follow like a lost puppy. He was wrong. "I choose Mom." The words sliced through the silence, shattering his charming facade. His voice, smooth a moment ago, turned sharp, like a scalpel. "Chloe, what? Don't be silly. You'll come with me, with your brother. You'll have the best of everything." He promised horses, schools, a life shimmering with gold. I looked at the man who had been my world, the man who had destroyed me with that same persuasive voice. "You said I could choose freely. Were you lying, Dad?" Then to my esteemed principal mother: "Are you going to tell me my choice is wrong because my brother wants something different?" She flinched. My father' s face darkened, the mask gone. He stood abruptly, chair scraping. "Fine. Let's go, son." He grabbed Liam, not looking at me as they left. In my last life, I chose him. He saw a tool, a test subject. He performed unethical experiments on me, documenting my pain, calling it "pushing boundaries." I endured, craving his approval, only to hear him declare me "compromised," my purpose "served." I died, a lab rat. Liam knew. He saw my sickness, my scars, but he said nothing, enjoying the spoils of my suffering. "Dad's just trying to make you better," he'd said, not looking up from his phone. When I opened my eyes in that lawyer' s office again, ten years old, there was no hesitation. Only a vow. I would not be their victim. I would be the architect of their ruin. Richard, Sarah, Liam. They would all pay. This new life wasn't a gift. It was a chance for revenge.

You'll also like

Inferno Heiress: Freed From Hell To Reclaim My Empire

Inferno Heiress: Freed From Hell To Reclaim My Empire

Clara Voss

Hayley was betrayed by those who should have loved her most. To save their precious adopted daughter from a punishment she deserved, her own parents sent Hayley straight into a living hell—an infamous prison where survival demanded cruelty, and weakness meant death. Four years later, the girl who had entered those iron gates no longer existed. She emerged with a single, unbreakable rule carved into her soul: Every betrayal would be repaid tenfold. The day she walked free, the world trembled. A convoy of luxury cars lined the road. A legion of loyal followers awaited her triumphant return. Her father tried to buy her silence with money. But money had long lost its power over her. Her adopted sister hid behind sweet words and false kindness. But empty smiles no longer fooled her. Everything that had once been stolen would be reclaimed—piece by piece. When her parents attempted to tie themselves to the city's most feared man by offering their adopted daughter, Hayley's lips curved into a cold smirk. "Not on my watch." Backed by a legendary hacker, shadowy allies, and an entire prison willing to burn the world for her, Hayley dismantled her enemies with terrifying precision. Then the tyrant noticed her. "You're interesting," he said. "Be my woman, and the city is yours." Hayley raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. "You want to own me? Survive me first." High society became their battlefield. Power collided with desire. Ambition clashed with obsession. In this ruthless game of dominance and temptation, only one would kneel first. The girl once abandoned in hell rose from its ashes, crowned by fire and vengeance—And in the end, even the most feared ruler in the city would bow, offering his empire to the woman who had conquered both hell… and him.

No Longer Mrs. Cooley: The Architect's Return

No Longer Mrs. Cooley: The Architect's Return

Xiao Xiaosu

I went to the City Clerk’s office for a routine copy of my marriage license to finalize a trust fund audit. I expected a simple piece of paper, but the clerk’s pitying look told me my entire life was a lie. "The license was never finalized, Ms. Oliver. In the eyes of the state, you are single." The three-hundred-guest wedding at the Plaza and the Vogue features meant nothing. My husband, Gray Cooley, had intentionally filed the documents with a "procedural defect" so he could discard me without a legal divorce. Moments later, an iCloud invite titled "Our Little Secret" popped up on my screen. It was a photo of my best friend, Brylee, holding a positive pregnancy test at our Hamptons estate. Gray’s text to her was the final blow: "Happy anniversary, babe. This baby is the best gift. Once the trust unlocks today, we’re done with the charade." I soon discovered they were even stealing my career, reassigning my architectural masterpiece to Brylee while preparing my eviction notice. Gray's mother called me a "barren mule" in a leaked recording, mocking the infertility I suffered after saving Gray’s life in a construction accident. I wasn't a wife; I was a three-year placeholder used to secure his inheritance. How could the man I bled for treat me like a disposable prop? How could my best friend carry his child while pretending to comfort me through my darkest moments? The betrayal burned until it turned into a cold, hard stone of fury. I didn't cry. Instead, I walked into the penthouse of the Barretts, the Cooleys' most powerful rivals. I signed a marriage contract with Kane Barrett, the man the tabloids called the "Beast of Wall Street." "I want a wedding," I told his father, my voice steady and lethal. "Bigger than the one I had with Gray." If they wanted me gone, they would have to watch me become the woman who owns their world.

The Ghost Wife's Billion Dollar Tech Comeback

The Ghost Wife's Billion Dollar Tech Comeback

Huo Wuer

Today is October 14th, my birthday. I returned to New York after months away, dragging my suitcase through the biting wind, but the VIP pickup zone where my husband's Maybach usually idled was empty. When I finally let myself into our Upper East Side penthouse, I didn't find a cake or a "welcome home" banner. Instead, I found my husband, Caden, kneeling on the floor, helping our five-year-old daughter wrap a massive gift for my half-sister, Adalynn. Caden didn't even look up when I walked in; he was too busy laughing with the girl who had already stolen my father's legacy and was now moving in on my family. "Auntie Addie is a million times better than Mommy," my daughter Elara chirped, clutching a plush toy Caden had once forbidden me from buying for her. "Mommy is mean," she whispered loudly, while Caden just smirked, calling me a "drill sergeant" before whisking her off to Adalynn's party without a second glance. Later that night, I saw a video Adalynn posted online where my husband and child laughed while mocking my "sensitive" nature, treating me like an inconvenient ghost in my own home. I had spent five years researching nutrition for Elara's health and managing every detail of Caden's empire, only to be discarded the moment I wasn't in the room. How could the man who set his safe combination to my birthday completely forget I even existed? The realization didn't break me; it turned me into ice. I didn't scream or beg for an explanation. I simply walked into the study, pulled out the divorce papers I'd drafted months ago, and took a black marker to the terms. I crossed out the alimony, the mansion, and even the custody clause-if they wanted a life without me, I would give them exactly what they asked for. I left my four-carat diamond ring on the console table and walked out into the rain with nothing but a heavily encrypted hard drive. The submissive Mrs. Holloway was gone, and "Ghost," the most lethal architect in the tech world, was finally back online to take back everything they thought I'd forgotten.

Chapters
Read Now
Download Book
A Marriage Built on Deception A Marriage Built on Deception Xiao Ziyi Modern
“In the fifth year of my marriage, at a cattle auction, I saw my husband with my cousin-a woman everyone believed had been dead for five years. She was holding their son. I quickly learned my entire marriage was a lie, a cover-up orchestrated by my husband and my own grandmother to protect the woman who had tried to murder me. I wasn't a wife. I was an alibi. On the day they planned to drug me so they could celebrate their son's birthday, I signed away every penny of the family fortune, filed for divorce, and disappeared.”
1

Chapter 1

17/09/2025

2

Chapter 2

17/09/2025

3

Chapter 3

17/09/2025

4

Chapter 4

17/09/2025

5

Chapter 5

17/09/2025

6

Chapter 6

17/09/2025

7

Chapter 7

17/09/2025

8

Chapter 8

17/09/2025

9

Chapter 9

17/09/2025

10

Chapter 10

17/09/2025