Best Friend Marriage Short Stories & Novels

I had just won the Hawthorne Scientific Laureate on the international stage when my father called me back home. "Bring the betrothal gifts to the Hayes family. That childhood engagement should finally be fulfilled." Afraid of getting stuck in traffic, I took my modified motorcycle, carried the national heritage porcelain obtained through generations of the Keane family's military merits, and headed toward their house. Just as I arrived at the community gate, a Porsche suddenly cut across the lane, nearly knocking me over. A heavily made-up woman, Zoey Mercer, stepped out of the car, raised one sharp high heel, and kicked the top box off my motorcycle. "You rode this junk motorcycle yet dared block my way? If you dent my car, your whole family won't be able to afford the compensation!" My heart sank. I quickly opened the case, only to see the entire box of celadon porcelain shattered. "So you’re just some delivery guy. Think this pile of trash is worth even one of my shoes? "You even know whose neighborhood this is? It belongs to Kingshore's Hayes family! My best friend’s family developed this place! Believe it or not, I can have you thrown out right now!" Right then, my fiancee, Lauren Hayes, called me. "Where are you? My friend just messaged me saying there’s a delivery guy causing trouble at the entrance."

The night before I was due to marry my wealthy fiancé at the courthouse, my best friend, who studied criminal psychology, asked me a strange question. "Molly, your future mother-in-law never had children. So whose son is your fiancé?" Perhaps she thought I wouldn’t believe her. She showed me footage from twenty years ago, when my future mother-in-law spoke firmly to the press. "Even if this family line ends, I will never have a child or adopt one." I stared at her. My fiancé was already four years old twenty years ago. If he wasn’t her son, could he be my future father-in-law’s child from an affair? Then my friend slapped a medical report on the table. It showed my future father-in-law was infertile. "I checked. Your fiancé wasn’t adopted, and he isn’t the child of a relative or family friend. Something’s wrong with that family. Think carefully before you marry him." My friend had barely finished speaking when a message from my fiancé appeared. [Honey, I know we’re getting married tomorrow, but I still can’t settle down. Can I pick you up? Will you stay with me tonight?]

My best friend, Yara Campbell, got reborn back to the day she was to reunite with the richest family in town, the Waltons. She didn't want to relive her fate as the Waltons' marionette that was trapped in a gilded cage, so she refused to go home with them. That was why she didn't hesitate to push me out instead. As I gazed at Grace Robinson, whose fingers were adorned with diamond rings, and Raymond Walton, who looked like he was made of money, I instantly rushed toward them. There was no way I'd let this golden opportunity slip through my fingers, after all! Five years later, Yara shows up on the Walters' doorstep with a paternity test report in her hands. She then demands that I be cast out of the family. But she's too late. In the past five years, I'm no longer the replacement she had used on a whim back then. Now, I'm the second-in-command in Walton Group. No one in this family can possibly usurp my position from me now.

My boyfriend, Wendell Lowe, has been complaining about my best friend, Carissa Chapman, for three years. He hates the fact that she's loud, uploads too many selfies on her social media feed, and doesn't bother looking at the price whenever she's ordering food at a restaurant. Every time a gathering is over, Wendell feels the need to talk smack about Carissa. "Don't invite her to the next gathering in the future. She's so annoying." I keep thinking that Wendell really dislikes Carissa. So when Carissa gets a new boyfriend, I quickly tell him the good news. "Carissa has a boyfriend now. She won't be bothering us anymore." But Wendell gets mad instead. "Who's the guy? Is it the IT guy from her social circle? Isn't he the one who pulls OT every day? Can he even spend time with her?" One week later, Carissa brings her new boyfriend, Gavin Ferguson, over to our gathering. Gavin keeps putting food on Carissa's plate, pouring her water, and dabbing the corner of her mouth for her. Wendell, on the other hand, looks extremely stormy the whole time. After the gathering is over, I comment, "Gavin is pretty decent. He's pretty caring toward Carissa." Suddenly, Wendell stops in his tracks. "He's just putting on an act. Carissa is the type who gets touched far too easily. She shouldn't be with a guy like him. "If anything, she needs to find someone who really understands her. Someone who knows that she's terrified of the dark, doesn't eat cilantro, and often smiles and says that she's fine whenever she's sad." The more Wendell speaks, the softer and shakier his voice becomes. Under the streetlight, I notice how damp his lashes are. A tear soon slides down his nose bridge. For the past three years, Wendell has been admonishing Carissa relentlessly. It turns out it isn't because he hates her. I turn on my heel and walk in the other direction. "You should seek her out. Don't take the detour this time."

On our eighteenth attempt to get married, Miles Corbett stopped the ceremony again because I began my vow a fraction too late. He looked completely disappointed in me. "You know I'm a perfectionist. Why can't you follow the wedding schedule exactly? "If you miss the timing again, maybe you should let your best friend take your place." My best friend, Audrey Sloan, was famous for always being perfectly on time, so Miles used her as the standard I was expected to match. If I reached the curb one minute after Audrey at the end of the workday, he drove away with her and left me behind. If I entered the restaurant half a step later than she did on Valentine's Day, he gave her the candlelit dinner that was supposed to be mine. If I reached the airport twenty seconds after her before our annual vacation, he canceled my ticket and traveled with Audrey instead. Even at our wedding, he had stopped the ceremony seventeen times and used Audrey to rehearse my role seventeen times. To make the eighteenth attempt succeed, I filled the venue with more than a hundred synchronized countdown clocks and practiced every cue for over two hundred nights. But ten seconds before my vow was due, Audrey jumped the cue and said "I do" first. Miles ignored both me and the synchronized clocks and canceled the wedding for the eighteenth time. The problem had never been my timing; the problem was that the bride was not her. So I finally decided to give his perfectionism what it wanted. Miles took Audrey's hand again. "Watch carefully. We'll demonstrate it one more time." I smiled and slid the wedding rings onto their fingers. "No demonstration needed. I wish you both a lifetime of happiness."

My boyfriend, Yves Warren, had a memory disorder. No matter what I told him, he could only hold on to it for half an hour. Once those thirty minutes were up, everything was wiped clean. Then, at a party, he drew a challenge that required him to tell everyone everything he knew about my best friend. Worried he'd be embarrassed, I quickly tried to bail him out with a laugh. "Let him draw another one. He won't remem..." Before I could finish, Yves spoke. "Xenia Quade. Twenty-three years old. Five foot five. Weighs ninety-four and a half pounds. "Allergic to mangoes. Laughs a lot. Loves the water. Doesn't like sleeping alone at night..." The words rolled off his tongue as if he'd rehearsed them in his head a thousand times. I froze, swallowing the rest of my sentence. One of our friends laughed and teased him. "Look at you. You've gotten way better." "What about your girlfriend? You must know her inside and out by now, right?" My heart gave a jolt. Slowly, I looked up. Yves stared at me, his brow furrowing deeper and deeper. "Sarah Cole." That was all he managed. I waited, still hoping he would say something else, but he only gave me an apologetic look and nodded. "Sorry. I don't remember." Everyone else was busy praising how much he'd improved. I was the only one who felt exhaustion seep into every part of me. Yves and I had known each other for twenty-three years. We'd been together for seven, and our wedding was next week. Yet he couldn't even get my name right. This time, I wasn't going to correct him.

For the ninth time, my best friend was left at the altar. And for the ninth time, my fiance was dragged in to play the part of her pretend groom. I was holding two cups of coffee. Before I could knock on the dressing room's door, I heard my best friend purring at someone. "You're the best, Anton. You knew this was an act, but you played along anyway." My breath caught. Through the half-open door, I stole a glance inside. My fiance, who had always been cold and unreadable, was looking at my best friend as if she were the most precious thing in his world. "Getting left at the altar must've traumatized you. If I don't help you get over it, Emilia's going to be worried even if she marries me." My best friend tugged lightly at the hem of his shirt. "But this is going to affect your relationship with her." "Not like it's the first time. She's still with me. We're still a couple." My fiance took out a diamond ring and held it against my best friend's finger. "We've been together for ten years. She has no other choice, anyway." The summer heat was scorching, yet part of me felt frozen solid. Slowly, I took my phone out and dialed a certain number. "Hey, I'd like to show you what I look like in that wedding gown."

My best friend, Mia Sullivan, had gone abroad for three years. When she finally came back, she was in tears. She said she had been dumped by a scumbag, was pregnant, and had nowhere to go. I felt terrible for her, so I not only let her move into my house but also asked my husband, Hudson Darby, to take extra care of her. That was until I found a prenatal checkup receipt in the study. The patient was Mia, and the family member who had signed was Hudson. I worried I was jumping to conclusions, so I shoved it back and rushed out the door. After I got downstairs, I realized I had forgotten the files I needed for my meeting, so I headed back up. That was when I saw Hudson and Mia in each other's arms. "What if Charlotte finds out the baby I'm carrying is actually yours?" Mia asked. "Don't worry. Charlotte trusts us so much, there's no way she'll figure it out," Hudson replied. In that moment, the seven years of love I had given him instantly turned into a cruel joke.

On the day Hugh Jameson and I are supposed to get married, I make sure we get ticket number one at city hall. I want us to be the first couple to make it official. Hugh shows up an hour late. I'm about to let him have it when my best friend, Zoey Conway, leans out from the passenger seat of his car. "Sorry, Lynette! Hugh went out of his way to pick me up, so we got held up. You two are getting married today. I have to be here to see it!" I clench my jaw and somehow keep my temper in check. I have no choice but to take another number and wait. When they finally call us, I slip my arm through Hugh's and get to my feet. Zoey suddenly calls out, "Wait! My stomach hurts. I need to use the bathroom. Just take another number and wait for me!" I keep walking, but Hugh sits right back down and smiles at her. "Go ahead. I'll wait for you." I turn back to him, my expression hardening. "Hugh, we don't have time. City hall closes at 11:30 am, and we only have an hour left. We're supposed to be at my wedding dress fitting at noon." He doesn't even look up from his phone. He just keeps scrolling, clearly annoyed. "What's the rush? It only takes three minutes to get the paperwork done." His screen is still lit, and I can see exactly what he's looking at. He's buying Zoey a limited-edition necklace, the same one I'd asked him for more than once. Every time, he told me he couldn't get one. I almost laugh. I stop trying to rush him and call my sworn rival instead. "Didn't you say you were crazy about me? City hall closes at 11:30 am. If you can get here in time, I'll marry you."

In order to coerce me into getting married, my grandpa dials my number 20 times in a row so that he can annoy me into flying back to the country. "There's a curse running in our family. If a family member doesn't get married by the time they turn 25, they will definitely suffer from a fate worse than death!" I can hear how anxious Grandpa is. Although it's another one of those excuses that I'm so sick of hearing, I still choose to yield to his wishes. I complete my master's thesis defense a month in advance just so I can surprise Grandpa with my presence. One week later, I fly back to my home country. Shockingly enough, a stranger stops me from entering my own home. "Unauthorized people aren't allowed entry. People like you have no right to meet Mr. Gardner Senior. Leave now, or else don't blame me for being rough with you!" I take off my sunglasses to make out the man's features. He turns out to be Jake Ferrell, Grandpa's bodyguard. The thing is, Jake should be loyal to me, so why is he threatening violence against me right now? Then, I watch as Jake opens the door of a limousine, which is parked outside the manor. He holds an umbrella with one hand as he bows slightly to the owner. "Please get out of the car, miss," he says respectfully. Through the car window, I can make out the features of the young woman sitting inside the car. She happens to be Rosalie Gardner, my best friend—the very same woman who has gotten expelled from college because of her laziness and has managed to land a job in Gardner Corporation thanks to my recommendation.

Three years after we broke up, I finally crossed paths with my ex-boyfriend, Leo Davis. It was during a high-stakes police raid. He was the star lead detective. I was the fugitive wanted for four murders across eight states. When our eyes met, Leo froze. “Clara… what are you doing here?” I turned to run, but a bullet caught me in the leg. In the interrogation room, Leo slammed his hands on the table with his eyes bloodshot. “Four innocent people, Clara! How could you do this?! “Tell me it’s a mistake,” he begged, his voice breaking. “Just say the word. Please!” I looked at his broken expression and smiled. “You’re right. It is a mistake. It’s not four bodies, Leo. It’s five.” I leaned in closer. “You care so much about your darling wife and my former best friend, Maya Davis. Didn't you notice she was missing?”

As the roller coaster reaches the top, I open my eyes just enough to reach for my boyfriend's hand. But Ethan Calloway already has his fingers intertwined with my best friend, Tessa Morgan. He gently rubs his thumb over the back of her hand, trying to comfort her. "Ethan, I'm scared," I whisper. He doesn't answer. He just holds Tessa's hand a little tighter. Ethan is hard of hearing in his left ear. But whenever the three of us go out, he always makes sure Tessa is on his right. Leaning in to hear her, he never let a word of hers go unanswered. I'm always the one stuck on his left, feeling like we're worlds apart. As the roller coaster plunges, I close my eyes, my heart dropping with it. Ethan's heart belongs to someone else now. It's time I take mine back and find someone who'll love me the way I deserve.

The day before our wedding, I spot a red mark on Alvin Lane's neck, right above his suit collar. Right then and there, I shred my wedding gown, press the scissors to my neck, and demand to know who the other woman is. Alvin tries to calm me down as he swears, "Daph, I swear I didn't cheat on you. Can you please put the scissors down first?" I don't believe him. When my best friend, Esther Ford, finds out, she's even angrier than I am. She helps me check hotel records, comb through credit card statements, and even sits with me outside Alvin's office until the middle of the night. However, we still don't find anything. Esther hugs me and says, "Daph, don't be scared. If there really is another woman, I promise I'll help you find her. And if there isn't, then you can marry him without any doubts." Later, Alvin swears I'm the only woman he'll ever love. He says the wedding invitations have already gone out and begs me not to throw away our five-year relationship on a suspicion without proof. Esther tries to persuade me, too. "I helped you look into it. There really isn't anyone else in his life. Daph, it's your turn to be happy." Even I start to think I really have misunderstood Alvin, so I go ahead and marry him. Then, on my birthday, I find out I'm pregnant. I go home, excited to tell Alvin the good news. However, before I can go inside, I hear his strained voice from behind the door. "Esther, I don't wanna keep hiding this. I'm gonna tell Daphne I want a divorce, and then I'll marry you." The next second, Esther cuts him off, crying. "You can't! Do you wanna ruin us? I'm the person she's trusted most her entire life. If she finds out that the woman she spent all that time looking for was me, what is she supposed to do? What am I supposed to do?" Alvin goes rigid. After a long silence, he quietly pulls her into his arms. I stand outside the door, feeling every drop of blood in my veins turn cold. It turns out the two people I trust most have betrayed me from the very beginning. I look down at the pregnancy test results in my hand. Suddenly, I start laughing until tears stream down my face. This time, I want to let go.

My sister Isolde and I used to be human. The twin vampire princes, Caelum and Dorian, turned us and married us. The entire vampire world celebrated. Two human sisters, personally turned by the Crown Princes? It was the highest honor a mortal could receive. We believed we were loved. We were fools. Five months into my pregnancy, I was attacked by a group of exiled vampires in the forest beyond our territory. I called Caelum nine times. He didn’t pick up. The exiles circled me, cutting into my arms and legs with blades that burned. Pain tore through my body. I called a tenth time. This time, Caelum’s cold voice came through: “Haven’t you had enough? Vivienne is being tracked by hunters. Stop bothering me.” Vivienne was the human girl that both princes truly loved. The one who had refused to be turned. With nothing to stop them now, the exiles closed in. Their leader drove a blade into my stomach. I watched the light leave my body from the inside out, and felt my unborn child die. When I was close to death, my sister Isolde found me and fought the exiles off. But there were too many. Isolde was badly wounded. She called her husband Dorian for help. All she got was: “Looking for Vivienne. Don’t bother me.” Isolde carried me and ran. A storm hit and we were caught in the open at dawn—deadly for wounded vampires. The border patrol found us just in time. We barely survived. When I woke up in the infirmary, my first thought was simple: Sever the bond.

My husband, Miles Connell, turned his study into a gaming room, kept it locked for three years, and refused to let anyone in. Yet whenever I brought friends home, he eagerly ushered them inside. After leaving the room, my best friend, Zoe Schmich, blocked me. “From now on, we’re no longer best friends.” My business partner, Erin Zappone, slapped me across the face when she emerged. “Our partnership is over!” I asked Miles what exactly he had said to them in the gaming room, but he merely waved me off and insisted he had nothing to do with it. Dad refused to believe any of it, so he picked the lock and went inside while Miles was away on a business trip. The moment he came out, he grabbed a mop handle and swung it at me. “You monster!” The incident soon went viral online. Some people claimed something was lurking in our gaming room and bringing me bad luck, while others offered Miles five thousand dollars to reveal the truth. Desperate to clear my name, I asked my childhood friend, a prosecutor, to check out the room. But when she emerged, she refused to meet my eyes and slowly reached for the handcuffs at her belt. “Nora Lillard, you’ve been suspected of murder. Come with me.”

For our fifth wedding anniversary, my husband, Elliott Quinn, promises me a special gift. But when the day arrives, I walk in on him tangled in bed with my best friend, Lauren Langley. Hysterical, I confront him, but Elliott answers without a trace of shame. "On our wedding night, you were fast asleep. Your dad was the one who put Lauren in my bed. We've kept it from you for five years, and Lauren has had to put up with it all this time." Then he drops another bombshell. "And your last miscarriage wasn't an accident. Jack saw how heartbroken Lauren was, so he slipped abortion pills into your drink." Shaking with rage, I scream, "Why?" Elliott pulls Lauren behind him protectively and says offhandedly, "I got bored with you. Lauren is better than you in every way. She's gentle and considerate. Even Jack prefers her. She's put up with this for five years. You should count yourself lucky." Lauren darts out from behind Elliott and grabs my hand, refusing to let go. "Sienna, I'm not trying to take your place," she says anxiously. "You'll still be Mrs. Quinn. I'll just be part of the family too. Remember when you said you wanted us to stay together forever? Well, now you've got your wish." With that, she reaches out to hug me. Trembling violently, I shove her away. The next second, a pair of small hands shoves me to the floor. Searing pain tears through my abdomen, and blood won't stop pouring from between my legs. I look up to see my son, Jack Quinn, glaring at me with pure hatred. "You're the most evil mommy in the whole world! Why don't you just die?" In an instant, my vision blanks out, and my ears start ringing. As the life inside me slips away, my heart turns completely cold. I force my lips into a bitter smile. If they all think Lauren is so much better, I'll just step back and let her have the family.