APKDock Logo
Chapters
share
Stepping into Hardship in Lavish Attire Novel Cover

Stepping into Hardship in Lavish Attire

For ten years, Zara Clare tolerated her husband Jonathan Richards' endless infidelity. But her endurance ends in tragedy when his latest mistress runs her down during her eighth month of pregnancy. Bleeding and desperate, Zara begs Jonathan for help, only for him to mock her pain and drive away. The abandonment costs Zara her unborn baby and her mother, who dies of shock. Waking up to a shattered life, a numb Zara faces Jonathan's grieving grandfather with a final demand: her freedom.
Chapters
share

Chapter 1

After ten years of marriage, Jonathan Richards had slept with nearly every colleague and friend I had.

I pretended not to see, choosing instead to focus on maternity checkups as usual with my eight-month-old belly. Until one time, I was on my way to a routine checkup when his latest fling drove me down.

I bled uncontrollably and begged him to take me to the hospital.

Jonathan looked at me with a face full of disgust.

"Zara Clare, when did you become so good at faking accidents?" His voice dripped with contempt. "If you think putting on an act will make me care about you, you are wrong. Even if you died in front of me, I wouldn’t spare you a glance."

After saying that, he took his new fling and drove away, leaving me there to bleed out alone.

By the time someone got me to the hospital, the baby in my womb had already suffocated and died.

My mom, unable to bear the shock, died from a fatal heart attack.

When I regained consciousness, my heart was already numb.

Sitting beside me was Jonathan’s grandfather, his face lined with sorrow.

"Let me go," I said flatly. "Whatever I owed the Richards Family, I have paid with my life."

——

My phone buzzed incessantly with incoming messages. I glanced down to find my screen flooded with photos—Jonathan and his mistress, Lily Patricia, tangled in each other’s arms.

While I had been fighting for my life, they had been celebrating in a five-star hotel, their bodies covered in love bites.

In one of the pictures, Lily rested against his chest, her smile full of provocation.

Unaware of the full extent of his grandson’s cruelty, this old man still wanted to make a last-ditch effort. He placed a stack of documents in front of me—ownership shares of the Richards Corporation.

"Zara, Richards is not a bad person at heart. You have loved him for so many years—can’t you give him another chance?" He pleaded. "As long as I'm here, no one will take your position as Mrs. Richards."

I didn’t respond. Instead, I played the video Lily had just sent me.

The sound of two people lingering immediately spread through the hospital room.

Su Shanshan gasped and asked:

‘Richards, do you really not feel bad about leaving Zara on the road like that?’ Lily’s voice was laced with amusement.

Jonathan, his lips pressed against her neck, let out a low chuckle. ‘Why would I? You are the only one I love. Even if she gave birth to my child, she’d never compare to you.’

The crude betrayal made the old man’s face turn ghostly pale. His body trembled, veins bulging in rage.

After a long, heavy sigh, he finally relented.

"The Richards Family has wronged you," he said. "I will handle the divorce. In seven days, you will be free."

His voice softened as he continued, "As for your mom and child’s burial arrangements…"

A nurse walked in, cradling a small, lifeless bundle.

Even fate seemed unwilling to let me continue suffering in this marriage.

My baby had never even taken a breath.

I turned my head away, struggling to steady my breath.

"Bury the child with the Richards Family. My mom's ashes… I will take them with me."

You may also like

Captivated by his fragile bride Novel Cover
8.6
When her family's empire crumbles, a refined heiress must enter a strategic marriage with a distant, influential billionaire. Initially a cold transaction meant to safeguard her survival, the union shifts as the stoic mogul becomes captivated by his wife’s hidden strength. Amidst elite scandals and treacherous schemes, their mutual defenses crumble. What started as a forced arrangement soon ignites into a profound and irresistible passion.
My Fiancé Stole From Me to Buy Her Lingerie Novel Cover
8.8
Tuesday nights were reserved for spreadsheets and a glass of pinot, a comforting routine she maintained even after Connor moved in. But while her fiancé is supposedly at the gym, a routine check of their joint Costco account shatters her quiet world. What was meant to be a boring chore uncovers a devastating secret of theft and betrayal, transforming her predictable life into a high-stakes mystery of forbidden deceit.
Puck’s Secret: Claimed by the Ruthless Captain Novel Cover
8.1
To save her mother from debt, Mazikeen Thorne disguises herself as her twin brother at an elite, all-male hockey academy. Her icy captain, Atlas Vanderbilt, is resolved to break the fresh recruit, yet her secret feminine scent continuously triggers his fierce, possessive instincts. When a rival Lycan Alpha uncovers her disguise, Maze is trapped in a dangerous game. An unexpected pregnancy raises the stakes, forcing her to navigate two dominant predators determined to claim her.
Reborn as the Fake Heiress Novel Cover
9.2
After a death she believed was a mercy, a young woman wakes four years in the past with a single purpose: locate the Hart family's genuine heiress, restore the stolen birthright, and erase herself from their lives entirely. But the Harts refuse to let her go, and her former fiancé—a man who shouldn't recognize her—looks at her with the intensity of someone who's been searching for her across lifetimes. In a modern romance woven with mystery, identity becomes a cage, and the bonds she tried to sever tighten around her. Can she rewrite a fate that refuses to release her?
Rejected Luna Finds Freedom Novel Cover
8.2
Elara, a marginalized omega, suffers through a bleak existence as her pack's pariah. Her world brightens when she identifies the future Alpha, Killian, as her destined mate, only for him to cruelly reject her for a high-ranking wolf. Shattered by his betrayal, Elara escapes to build a life on her own terms. As she discovers latent abilities and a supportive new pack, she faces a choice: can she forgive the man who once destroyed her dreams?
The Mafia's Celebrity Novel Cover
9.1
Pop star Elena's life is shattered when she sees a horrific mob hit. Now targeted by a deadly syndicate, her survival depends on Julian, a merciless mafia enforcer assigned to her shadow. As they navigate a treacherous landscape of violence and betrayal, an unexpected and forbidden attraction begins to burn between the singer and her lethal protector. In a world where every step could be their last, they must survive the crossfire together.