Trapped in a Gilded Marriage
Joy Brown · Completed · 7.9k Words
Introduction
Until I found the heart donor report he'd been hiding in his study for three months. 98% match. He'd signed it "postpone."
That night, fireworks filled the London sky, his mistress laughing in the background. Standing over my brother's body, I finally got it—he'd been killing my brother all along.
I ripped up his check, sold every piece of jewelry he'd ever given me, and threw the divorce papers in his face.
"Murderer"—that's all I said.
Three years later, I'm getting a standing ovation at the Golden Hall. He shows up in the snow, eyes red, begging for forgiveness.
I just smiled. "Charles, you died three years ago."
Chapter 1
Joanna's POV
After my seventh "affair," I asked Charles for a divorce.
He slammed his pen down on the desk with a sharp crack.
"Joanna," he leaned back in his chair, watching me like I was putting on a cheap show, "how much this time? The new Cartier collection, or something custom from Van Cleef?"
I watched him flip open his checkbook.
"I said divorce, Charles."
He laughed. The scratching of his pen across paper sounded harsh in the study. He signed his name, tore off the check, and tossed it at my face.
"Five hundred thousand. That should buy you three months of 'heartbreak.'"
The check fluttered to the carpet. I bent down, picked it up, and tore it into pieces right in front of him.
"I'm serious."
Charles finally looked up. Those gray-blue eyes held no warmth at all.
"And then what? Leave me, and how are you going to pay Leo's eighty-thousand-dollar treatment next month?" He stood up, adjusting his cufflinks. "The charity gala starts soon. Go change."
He turned toward the door, tossing over his shoulder, "Five minutes. Don't keep the driver waiting."
An hour later, we sat in the front row of the charity gala.
I held Charles's arm, maintaining a practiced smile.
I was his perfect accessory—quiet, beautiful, and completely soulless.
Until Sienna appeared.
She wore an aggressively red gown, and as the hottest supermodel of the moment, she made no attempt to hide her intentions as she walked straight toward us.
"Charles!" She called his name with intimate familiarity, completely ignoring my presence. "Look, that's the necklace I was telling you about."
In the display case, a pink diamond necklace was up for auction.
Charles's arm slipped from mine as he naturally placed his hand behind Sienna's waist. "Like it?"
"I love it, but..." Sienna shot me a provocative glance. "Would Mrs. Thorne mind?"
I felt the stares around us like needles piercing my skin. The whispers, the mocking looks.
"She doesn't mind." Charles's voice was cold and certain. "Joanna's always been generous."
He raised his paddle.
"Five million dollars."
The entire room erupted.
I stood there feeling my blood turn to ice. Five million dollars. That was two years' worth of Leo's treatments.
He could casually throw away five million to win a smile from his mistress, but at home he'd strangle me over Leo's medication approvals, forcing me to beg and plead.
"Congratulations to Mr. Thorne for winning this treasure for Miss Brooks!" the auctioneer shouted excitedly.
Sienna publicly kissed Charles's cheek, drawing cheers from the crowd.
I watched it all, nausea churning in my stomach.
My phone buzzed. A text from the hospital: Next month's fees: $83,000.
Staring at that message, tears finally spilled down my cheeks.
This was why I couldn't leave.
This was why I had to endure it all.
"Joanna." Charles's voice came from above.
I looked up.
"Sienna and I are going to the private room to discuss some business," he took Sienna's hand. "You stay here and eat something."
He leaned close to my ear, lowering his voice. "Don't wander off. Lots of reporters around."
I stood by the champagne tower for twenty minutes.
The private room door was slightly ajar. Laughter spilled through the gap, mixed with the crisp sound of ice clinking against glass.
I walked over.
"...those dates of hers?" It was Sienna's coy voice.
"I arranged them all." Charles's voice carried the loose quality of intoxication. "Three actors, two gallery assistants, a piano teacher, and a college student. All my people."
Laughter erupted from the room.
"Aren't you worried she might actually fall for one of them?" a male voice asked.
"Joanna?" Charles laughed, the sound cold and cutting. "She's a nun at heart. She needs three days of psychological preparation just to hold hands. I know her too well—moral guilt is her prison. She can't play those games."
The sound of clinking glasses.
"And those pills you've been giving her..."
"Birth control. Every morning in her vitamin pills." Charles's tone was matter-of-fact. "She thinks having a baby will trap me. As if. Having a sick brother is trouble enough—adding a kid to the mix?"
The sound of breaking glass suddenly filled the air. I hadn't dropped anything. Someone in the room had knocked over a glass.
But I felt something shatter inside my chest.
I rushed into the bathroom and locked the door.
The woman in the mirror had red-rimmed eyes and trembling lips. I turned on the faucet and buried my entire face in the cold water.
The suffocating feeling washed over me. But the memories from three years ago were crystal clear.
Central Park in autumn, Charles wrapping a scarf around my neck, laughing as he said "you're not wearing enough"; him at Lincoln Center listening to me play cello, then walking backstage afterward with an armful of white irises; him kneeling on one knee at my father's grave, saying "Let me take care of you, Joanna. Let me take care of you for the rest of your life."
Water droplets ran down my chin into my collar.
The sound of the lock turning. I jerked my head up, frantically wiping my face with paper towels.
Sienna walked in. She caressed the five-million-dollar pink diamond necklace around her neck, its brilliance making my eyes ache.
She leaned against the sink counter, leisurely touching up her lipstick. In the mirror, her eyes slanted toward me.
"Been crying?" She capped her lipstick. "I can see why. Hearing your own husband say those things must be pretty humiliating."
I said nothing and turned to leave.
She reached out to block my path.
Last Chapters
You Might Like 😍
The Spy Who Left
"I still can't believe she actually did it. Aria Hart, filing for divorce. Who saw that coming?"
"How long do we think it'll take before she comes crawling back?" Another voice joins the conversation.
"Three days," Victoria declares. "Five at most. She has no money, no skills, no family. Where's she going to go?"
When Aria Chen divorced billionaire Leon Hart, New York's elite sneered, betting she'd crawl back within days. She never did.
Three years later, the world is rocked when Dr. Aria Vale, CEO of a revolutionary cybersecurity empire, steps into the spotlight. The mysterious genius who built a billion-dollar company from nothing is none other than Leon's discarded wife, the woman everyone thought was just a pretty ornament.
Now, every powerful man wants the queen Leon threw away a renowned scientist seeking partnership, a financial titan proposing an empire, and an actor offering devotion. Each sees the brilliance Leon ignored.
Then Leon discovers the truth: Aria's sacrifices, her secret double life, and the daughter she's been raising without him. For the first time, the man who once took her for granted must fight for her love. But can he compete with men who valued her from the beginning?
A story of love, betrayal, and power where the king must kneel before the queen who never needed saving.
Tempted By The Enemy
She escapes to Preston Island to attend the wedding without informing him only to collide with Lucas’s hot, fiery and arrogant brother, the twenty-three-year-old, Nicholas Donnelly. Sparks immediately fly between them but Alyssa refuses to acknowledge them fearing her brother's wrath.
The wedding is over and Alyssa tries hard to forget the mysterious Nicholas Donnelly but can he forget her? Can he ignore the attraction he feels for her, feelings that have resurfaced after ten years?
What will Allyssa do when she is stalked by the man who has been invading her dreams since the day she met him? What will she do when she is whisked away to a deserted island by the unpredictable Nicholas Donnelly? Can she tame her heart or surrender to sinful temptations? Read to find out!
Part of the Temptation Series. Can be read as a standalone.
Alpha VS Omega' Twin VS Twin (A Dark Werewolf Romance)
Stripped of everything, Callum is thrown into the Rookeries, where packless wolves go to die. But he survives. He builds a pack from the broken and the damned. He falls in love with Valentina, a dhampir hunted by the same vampire Parliament that destroyed his life.
In a city ruled by immortal aristocrats and controlled by ancient dragons, Callum learns the hardest truth: individual virtue cannot defeat systemic evil. But small victories matter. And some fights are worth losing everything
From Substitute To Queen
Heartbroken, Sable discovered Darrell having sex with his ex in their bed, while secretly transferring hundreds of thousands to support that woman.
Even worse was overhearing Darrell laugh to his friends: "She's useful—obedient, doesn't cause trouble, handles housework, and I can fuck her whenever I need relief. She's basically a live-in maid with benefits." He made crude thrusting gestures, sending his friends into laughter.
In despair, Sable left, reclaimed her true identity, and married her childhood neighbor—Lycan King Caelan, nine years her senior and her fated mate. Now Darrell desperately tries to win her back. How will her revenge unfold?
From substitute to queen—her revenge has just begun!
The Family Books 1-3 (A Mafia romance)
The saint to my sinner. with her innocent eyes and devilish curves.
A Madonna that was meant to be admired but never touched.
Until someone took that innocence from her.
She left.
The darkness in my heart was finally complete.
I avenged her, I killed for her, but she never came back.
Until I saw her again. An angel dancing around a pole for money.
She didn’t know I owned that club. She didn’t know I was watching.
This time I won’t let her escape.
I will make her back into the girl I knew.
Whether she likes it or not.
2/ Judge and Jury- I can’t stop watching her.
I’m not even sure I want to.
Taylor Lawson, blonde, beautiful, and totally oblivious to how much dangers she’s in.
She’s also the one juror in my upcoming murder trial that hasn’t been bought.
The one who can put me behind bars for a very long time.
I know I should execute her.
After all that’s what I do.
I am the Judge.
I eliminate threats to The Family.
And Taylor is a threat.
But I don’t want to kill her.
Possessing her, making her love me seems like a much better plan for this particular Juror.
3/ Rags and Ritches-
The Alpha's Stripper Mate
"What?" It was out of my mouth before I could stop it. I did not wait for him to answer me, I walked toward him.
"Dance on my lap."
My head screamed at me to turn around and run. But my whole body responded to his command.
"Yes, Alpha," I pulled my dress over my body, it dropped over my head and fell to the ground behind me. I was left in nothing but my matching bra and thong. My hands covered my chest on reflex.
"Let me see."
My hands dropped to my sides.
I lowered myself into his lap, facing him. His eyes peered into mine, and I could feel his hot breath fan my face. His dick responded to all my moves, hardening against my now-moist vagina. I swallowed hard, allowing my lips to part in a ragged breath. His hands trailed up to my waist.
"No touching."
At the tender age of eleven, JoJo Wyatt was forced to grow up far sooner than she should have. Born to a cruel father and a weak mother, she quickly realized she had to become the breadwinner for herself and her sister. Nothing else mattered to her, not even the hottest men. In fact, she despised them. After one horrific night, she swore never to have any contact with the male species again. That was, until she started working for him as his stripper.
Meanwhile, Alpha Lake Rush, thirty, was the most feared Alpha in the country. Burdened by his own share of life's struggles, he had learned only to be cruel and reckless, rejecting not one but two mates. But what happens when he discovers yet another mate, and she turns out to be his stripper?
HER ALPHA, HER SAVIOUR
Kane Hellboud, charm and wealth personified, wanted only me in exchange for her treatment. No cameras, isolation, or noose-like rules were part of the deal. Behind his smile? Cold, violent possessiveness that destroyed our fake marriage.
Most of all, I didn’t know the supernatural walked among us, hiding in the cracks of ordinary life. Not until Abel Stone stepped into mine—dark-eyed, sharp-tongued, and oozing dangerous promises. He’s my new boss. He shouldn’t make my skin tingle or my pulse race. I shouldn’t feel this primal pull, this illogical recognition that tugs at something deep in my bones.
Around him, lights burst, electronics fry, and something ancient in me awakens.
Kane feels it. His grip tightens, punishments turn brutal, and he hides the truth of what I am.
Trapped between two powerful men, I’m no prey, no pawn—no helpless victim.
Prisons burn. Monsters bleed. As for me? I'm the storm in skin—deadly beyond suspicion.
The Game of Claiming
A drunken bet becomes their private game: win the maid.
The rules?
Don’t let the others know you’re falling for her.
And never, ever let her leave.
But each brother plays differently—
The eldest buys her obedience.
The second steals her breath.
The third corners her in the dark.
The youngest ruins anyone who touches her.
Lila isn’t sure if she’s a player in their game… or the prize they’ll destroy each other to claim
The Shattered Moon King
Lena is a survivor. For years, she has weathered the harsh, post-apocalyptic landscape by following one rule: trust no one. But when she finds an amnesiac man near death in the wilderness—a man with kind eyes and a strength that is anything but human—she makes a choice that will unravel her solitary existence.
She calls him Cain, but the shattered-moon tattoo on his back brands him as Kaelen, the long-dead Alpha of the powerful Sky-Fall pack. His return triggers a brutal civil war with the usurper who stole his throne and his fated mate. Hunted by Lycan assassins and a fanatical human commander desperate for the secrets locked in Lena's own past, their only hope lies in embracing the very power Kaelen can't remember and Lena has always feared.
As they uncover a conspiracy that threatens not just the pack, but the future of every living thing, Kaelen must fight for a kingdom he doesn't know and Lena must confront a legacy she tried to bury. In a world of broken thrones and fated bonds, they will discover that the greatest choice is not between love and duty, but between who you are told you must be, and who you choose to become.
Falling for my boyfriend's Navy brother
"What is wrong with me?
Why does being near him make my skin feel too tight, like I’m wearing a sweater two sizes too small?
It’s just newness, I tell myself firmly.
He’s my boyfirend’s brother.
This is Tyler’s family.
I’m not going to let one cold stare undo that.
**
As a ballet dancer, My life looks perfect—scholarship, starring role, sweet boyfriend Tyler. Until Tyler shows his true colors and his older brother, Asher, comes home.
Asher is a Navy veteran with battle scars and zero patience. He calls me "princess" like it's an insult. I can't stand him.
When My ankle injury forces her to recover at the family lake house, I‘m stuck with both brothers. What starts as mutual hatred slowly turns into something forbidden.
I'm falling for my boyfriend's brother.
**
I hate girls like her.
Entitled.
Delicate.
And still—
Still.
The image of her standing in the doorway, clutching her cardigan tighter around her narrow shoulders, trying to smile through the awkwardness, won’t leave me.
Neither does the memory of Tyler. Leaving her here without a second thought.
I shouldn’t care.
I don’t care.
It’s not my problem if Tyler’s an idiot.
It’s not my business if some spoiled little princess has to walk home in the dark.
I’m not here to rescue anyone.
Especially not her.
Especially not someone like her.
She’s not my problem.
And I’ll make damn sure she never becomes one.
But when my eyes fell on her lips, I wanted her to be mine.
Bound by Fate, Freed by Choice
Her escape leads her to Alpha Rowan, the commanding leader of the Blackwood Pack, who offers shelter, protection, and an unexpected chance at a new life. But Rowan’s fierce and jealous fiancée sees Lyla as a threat, and the pack’s charming Beta is drawn to her quiet strength.
As a dangerous attraction simmers between Lyla and Rowan, they begin to unravel a dark web of secrets that implicates Kaiden and threatens both their worlds.
With her hidden power awakening, Lyla must navigate treacherous loyalties, face the alpha who shattered her, and decide: Will she follow the destiny fate forced upon her, or claim the love and strength she has chosen for herself?
Rise of the Banished She-Wolf
That roar stole my eighteenth birthday and shattered my world. My first shift should have been glory—blood turned blessing into shame. By dawn they'd branded me "cursed": cast out by my pack, abandoned by family, stripped of my nature. My father didn't defend me—he sent me to a forsaken island where wolfless outcasts were forged into weapons, forced to kill each other until only one could leave.
On that island I learned the darkest edges of humanity and how to bury terror in bone. Countless times I wanted to surrender—dive into the waves and never surface—but the accusing faces that haunted my dreams pushed me back toward something colder than survival: revenge. I escaped, and for three years I hid among humans, collecting secrets, learning to move like a shadow, sharpening patience into precision—becoming a blade.
Then, under a full moon, I touched a bleeding stranger—and my wolf returned with a violence that made me whole. Who was he? Why could he wake what I'd thought dead?
One thing I know: now is the time.
I have waited three years for this. I will make everyone who destroyed me pay—and take back everything that was stolen from me.
