Elara Dawn

For seven years, Elara Thorne lived in the shadow of her own marriage. While her tech mogul husband Damien showered attention on his mistress, Elara played the perfect corporate wife—making his coffee, organizing his schedule, and watching her six-year-old daughter Cora grow closer to the other woman.

The other woman who happened to be her half-sister.

Vivienne Dubois had everything Elara didn't—Damien's heart, Cora's adoration, and the respect of everyone at Thorne Industries. When Elara flew home hoping to celebrate her birthday with her family, she found them planning a surprise party for Vivienne instead. When little Cora innocently asked if Vivienne could be her mommy, something inside Elara finally snapped.

Elara had been a brilliant AI researcher before marriage stole her ambitions. She'd co-founded YodaVision Technologies, only to abandon it all for a man who never loved her back. But now Julian Croft, her former partner, wants her to return as Chief Innovation Officer. The tech world that forgot her exists is about to remember why she was once called a visionary.

Walking away seems impossible when it means leaving Cora behind. But staying means accepting a life where she's invisible in her own home, humiliated at her own workplace, and competing with her half-sister for scraps of attention from her own family.

Damien thinks his wife will quietly accept whatever he gives her, the way she always has. He's about to discover that seven years of silence doesn't mean surrender—it means she's been planning her comeback. And when Elara Vance reclaims her name, her career, and her power, the tech world won't be the only thing shaken.

Some women bend. Others break. But the smart ones? They rebuild themselves stronger than before.

My Coldhearted Husband’s Regret

The gallery settled into a peculiar division as the evening progressed. Elara and Julian occupied one corner with Harry and Clara, while Damien, Vivienne, and their associates claimed the opposite end. The invisible line between the two groups remained uncrossed, each side maintaining their distance with practiced ease.


Elara sipped her tea, deliberately keeping her gaze away from Damien's direction. The white porcelain cup felt cool against her fingers as she listened to Clara discussing a particular Renaissance painting with Harry.


"The brushwork is distinctive," Clara explained, her elegant hand gesturing toward the canvas. "Notice how the light catches on these areas."


Harry nodded appreciatively. "You have a remarkable eye, Clara. I'd missed those details entirely."


Julian leaned closer to Elara. "The Jennings seem quite taken with both you and your grandmother."


"Clara has that effect on people," Elara replied softly. "Her knowledge of art is genuinely impressive."


An Unexpected Gambit at the Gathering