Tragic Love Short Stories & Bias Biological Family Novels

Jethro Miles was an orphan sponsored by my dad. The moment I laid eyes on him, I flipped. Despite my family's objections, we dated for seven years, even as my dad threatened to disown me. Eventually, my dad relented and consented to our marriage. But as we exchanged rings, a young woman in a white dress burst into the venue, staring at Jethro with tears in her eyes. He chased after her, abandoning our wedding. Later, I learned that the woman was his childhood friend from the orphanage. Jethro desperately tried to explain, "Nancy grew up with me. She is like a sister to me. She's been through abuse and divorce. Please, give me time to help her, okay?" Tears blurred my vision as I watched him plead so fervently, my heart plummeting into despair. I managed, "Okay." Jethro took care of Nancy and her son as if they were his real family. What he didn't know were the two secrets I'd kept from him when my dad finally agreed to our marriage: I was pregnant, and I was dying.

The day we took our engagement photos, the photographer said my smile looked a lot like my brother Wesley's. Stefani Lundberg, my fiancée, immediately had Wesley change into the same white tuxedo. "Perfect chance to get a few keepsake shots." When it was time to pick the photos, everyone crowded around Wesley's. Mom said he was born to wear a white tux. Dad said he looked more distinguished than me, the actual groom. Stefani studied the screen for a long moment, then pointed at a photo of Wesley looking back over his shoulder. "Let's put this one at the wedding reception. It looks great." I asked where my photo was supposed to go. Only then did she seem to remember I was there. "You and Wesley look so much alike. The guests won't even notice the difference. "Besides, he's never getting married. It's not every day he gets to wear a custom tux." I let out a quiet laugh. From the time we were kids, life had always been harder for Wesley. That meant I was the one who had to give in. If he wanted something, I was expected to hand it over. If he couldn't have it, neither could I. Even my wedding had to become the dream he never got. I slipped the only photo of Stefani and me out of the album. I was standing beside her, trying hard to smile. Now it felt like I was looking at strangers. Spring hadn't failed to come. I'd just spent too long standing in someone else's shadow, waiting for it. This time, I was done waiting.

My parents have never known how to take care of anyone. Growing up, every time I get sick, they just send me money and tell me to go buy medicine myself. One time, my appendicitis flares up, and the doctor says it's best to have a family member present for the surgery. I grip my phone, going back and forth in my head, before I finally call my mom. "Mom, can you come to the hospital and stay with me?" She agrees right away on the phone, but by the time my surgery is over, she still hasn't shown up. The only thing keeping me company is a 200-dollar transfer sitting on my screen. I lie in the hospital bed and tell myself that maybe this is just how my family is. We don't know how to show we care. Someone gets sick, money gets sent, medicine gets bought, and everyone moves on. Then, my sister's exams end, and I happen to be home for a few days that summer when she comes down with a fever. Out of habit, I look over at my mom, expecting her to send my sister 200 dollars. But instead, my mom panics, immediately calls out of work, and insists on taking my sister to the hospital herself. My voice comes out hoarse. "Isn't the deal just to send money and let her buy medicine herself?" My brother glares at me. "How can you be so cold-hearted? People are at their most vulnerable when they're sick. They need family by their side." My dad nods along, and the words "I've always gone to the hospital alone" die in my throat before I can say them. I don't argue. I don't make a scene. I just feel an overwhelming sense of relief that my college is a thousand miles away from all of them.

On the third New Year’s Eve since I reunited with my parents, I bumped into their former adopted son, who stole the happy life that I was supposed to have for the past twenty years. Adam Scott was once an arrogant, wealthy young man. However, he was now working as a food delivery rider. As he was more than ten minutes late delivering the food, he kept apologizing to me. “Sir, I’m really sorry. The roads are slippery because of the snow. I fell and spilled your food. “I can compensate you twice the amount. Please don’t leave a negative review for me.” Before I could speak, my parents already teared up and comforted him out of habit. “Don’t worry about the food, Adam. Are you hurt? It’s New Year’s Eve; come in and join us for dinner.” My hand tightened around the doorknob as I reminded them, “Mom, Dad, we only have enough utensils for three people.”

I bring my girlfriend, Madeline Conway, back to my village hometown to meet my parents and discuss marriage plans. Mom and Dad grin slyly as they say, "You're going to have to be careful with your belongings after marrying Jasper, Maddie." My younger brother, Justin Norman, bursts out in laughter. He scoffs and says, "You probably don't know this, Maddie, but Jasper stole Mom's gold necklace when he was little. Dad locked him up in the storeroom all day and night and still couldn't get a confession out of him." The moment he says that, Mom and Dad smack the table and burst into laughter. My grip on my fork tightens as I fight to contain my anger and anguish. "I said I never stole it." Mom wipes away the tears in the corner of her eyes and says, "We're all just joking here. Isn't it better to tell Maddie your true colors so that she can know you better anyway?" Then, she straightens her collar, purposely showing off the gold necklace on her collarbone. "I found the necklace under the bed a long time ago. But we still had to teach you a lesson." She continues nonchalantly, "You've always been dishonest and nippy with your hands since young. I bet you stole it and then only returned it because you were afraid you'd get beaten up if you didn't." My face turns dark. I feel a wave of humiliation wash over me. So, she found the necklace a long time ago, but she still hid it from me for 20 years. For that reason, people in my hometown called me Swiper Norman for 20 years. I subconsciously look at Madeline next to me, thinking that she will stand up for me. However, she just grins and looks at me, saying, "The last time you had some trouble at the company, I realized that one of my gold bracelets went missing from my dressing table too. You took it, didn't you?" I feel a huge lump stuck in my throat. I look at the four of them laughing and joking happily with one another and suddenly realize that I should have severed ties with this family a long time ago.

My younger sister, Mia Shaw, was obsessed with my boyfriend, Zach Young. It got so bad that she developed serious mental problems and threatened to kill herself every few days. To keep her from hurting herself, my parents and Zach came up with a mystery-box game. Whoever drew the slip that said [Sit This One Out] had to stay home, while the other person got to go on a date with my boyfriend. I refused at first, but Zach tried to reassure me. "It's just a way to calm Mia down. For the sake of keeping peace in the family, can you please go along with it?" But my luck was terrible. Every single time there was a date, I drew [Sit This One Out]. All I could do was watch as Mia had dinner with Zach, then even posed for wedding photos with him. They were practically on the verge of getting married. I'd finally had enough. I decided to talk to Zach and put an end to the mystery-box game. Instead, I found him and Mia at a jewelry store, their marriage certificate in hand as they picked out jewelry. My parents were beside themselves with excitement. "This is wonderful! You two finally made it official. On a day this special, we have to buy a few extra necklaces to celebrate." Mia clung tightly to Zach's hand and said gratefully, "Mom, Dad, it's all thanks to you rigging those mystery boxes. Nora has no idea every single one only had a [Sit This One Out] slip inside. Since she always picked first, I got the chance to be with Zach and finally have a happy life with him." Zach pulled her into his arms and warned them, "Keep it down. Don't let Nora find out, or she'll make a scene again." My fingertips went cold. So my entire family, along with Zach, had been working together to deceive me. I took out my phone and bought a plane ticket out. If there was no place for me in this family, then I would leave. They could have each other.

On my birthday, my adopted sister, Sophia Norris, frames me for soiling her dress and causing her to not be able to attend the banquet. My older brothers, Gerald and Gary Moore, immediately demand that I give my gown to Sophia. Otherwise, they will cancel the birthday banquet. Furious, I point at them while screaming, "I didn't ruin her dress at all! She was the one who splashed red wine onto it! "Also, I will never give my gown to her! My best friend designed it for me!" As soon as my words fall, Gerald commands the bodyguards to tear the gown from my body. At the same time, Gary picks up a wine glass and dumps red wine onto my face. "It's bad enough that you constantly bully Sophia! Today, her crush, Zachary Green, will be attending the banquet too! Do you have any idea how long she has prepared for this day to come?" Gerald adds, "A vile woman like you doesn't have the right to be born, let alone celebrate your birthday!" After that, a few bodyguards drag me into the basement. Immediately, pitch-black darkness swallows me. I have severe asthma. Breathing becomes insanely difficult for me as seconds tick by. I keep screaming loudly and calling for help, but all I hear is laughter coming from the banquet upstairs. It isn't until the banquet is well underway that Gerald and Gary remember that I exist. But I've already died in the cramped basement.

When I received the news that my fiancé, Ellison Perez, had postponed our wedding for the 18th time, I happened to be walking out of the hospital, clutching my medical report. Once again, he had delayed our wedding for an entire month, all because of my adopted foster sister, Becky. I thought about what the doctor had told me. After hesitating for a long time, I finally dialed Ellison's number. "I can't wait until next month. If we can't get married tomorrow, there won't be another chance." However, Ellison only took my words as another fit of childish willfulness. "Don't be unreasonable, Lily. Have you forgotten how Becky took your place as the hostage? She was tortured for a whole month before being rescued." "It's because of you that she developed severe trauma. Now you can't even wait one more month for her to recover?" I could hear my parents' voices chiming in over the line. "Becky still suffers from extreme fear of men. Ellison is the only one who can calm her down. Isn't it your fault she ended up like this?" "You're being selfish, Lily. A wedding can wait, but Becky's condition can't!" I had known for a long time that ever since that incident, my entire family had chosen Becky's side. Even so, tears streamed down my face. "Fine," I said softly. "Postpone it." I clenched the medical report tightly in my hand. They did not know that just moments ago, the doctor had told me the truth— I was in the final stage of liver cancer. I only had one month to live.

Ten years after my wealthy family took me back, I died in the rental house my billionaire parents had dumped me in. My son was three. Just to mess with me, the kidnapper gave me three chances to call for help. If even one person was willing to come see me, he'd spare my child. The first call was to my father, the man who'd spent fifteen years searching for me. He was busy directing the staff as they set up my adoptive sister's birthday party. When he picked up, he barked, "Estelle Emerson, seriously? Can you go one week without causing a scene? It's your sister's birthday. I'm busy. Don't kill the vibe." The second call was to my mother, the woman who brought me home and changed my name from Dixie to Estelle. But Vera snatched the phone and laughed so hard she could barely get the words out. "Estelle, seriously? If you're gonna make something up, at least make it believable. You look so broke you probably don't even have fifty bucks. What kidnapper would pick you?" The third time, I called Luca's father, my legal husband. He said he was in a meeting and didn't have time to play games with me. He also said that if I behaved myself, he'd agree to take me home for dinner next week. After the final call ended, I looked at the grinning kidnapper in despair and sent the last two messages of my life. A photo of myself covered in blood. And a short message, every word sincere. [I'm really going to die. In my next life, don't bring me home.]

My adopted sister Aurora and I were both hospitalized with heart failure on the same day. There was only one compatible donor heart. We fought over that one chance, openly and behind each other's backs, for three solid months. A recording of me confronting my father in a hallway at the estate was leaked to a rival family. I'd accused him of playing favorites, and now I was a laughingstock in our world. Everyone said I was so desperate to save my own life that I didn't care what it did to the family's reputation. The day before the surgery was scheduled, my brother actually came to my room. He stood in the doorway, tired and distant. "Aurora just turned 18. Her life has barely begun. "She's worse off than you are. Let her have this heart, and I promise we'll find another one for you right away." Before I could get a word out, his phone rang. Aurora was crying on the other end, asking if I was still refusing to back down. He lowered his voice, speaking with a gentleness I almost never heard. "Don't be scared. I'm here. Nobody is taking what's yours." The first time my heart gave out, I was still a child. He carried me three blocks through gunfire to the hospital. Back then, he told me he'd give his own life to save mine if he had to. And now, looking at the man I knew so well and barely recognized anymore, I no longer wanted to fight. I kept my voice even. "I'll give Aurora the heart on one condition."

My father's adopted daughter was only locked in the cramped storage closet for around fifteen minutes, yet he punished me by tying me up and throwing me inside. He even sealed off the ventilation with towels. "As Wendy's older sister, if you can't take care of her, then you should also experience how scared she was," he declared coldly. He knew I was claustrophobic, but my desperate pleas for mercy, my terror, were met with nothing but heartless reprimands. "Let this be a lesson on how to be a good sister." As the last sliver of light disappeared, swallowed by the oppressive darkness, I struggled helplessly. A week passed before my father finally remembered my existence and decided it was time to end my punishment. "Let's hope this week served as a good lesson for you, Jennifer. If this happens again, you will no longer be allowed in this house." He would never know that I had already taken my last breath in that suffocating room. My body had begun to rot in the darkness.

I was in the late stages of kidney failure, but my husband, Calvin Quayle, gave the kidney that was the best match for me to my younger sister, Louella Lassiter. The doctor urged me to wait for another donor, but I refused. I checked out of the hospital early. I had stopped caring long ago. What was even the point of fighting anymore? I transferred all the assets I'd accumulated over the years to Louella, finally pleasing Mom and Dad. I didn't even get mad when Calvin hovered over Louella like he was some kind of devoted nurse. Instead, I told him to take good care of her. And when my son, Nathan Quayle, said he wanted Louella to be his mom? I smiled and said yes. They got exactly what they wanted, so why were they suddenly regretting it now?

I discover Quilton Fuller's affair before our wedding, so I lie to him about having aborted our child. He hates me for that and gets engaged to a woman who looks just like me. On his wedding day, he video-calls me, wanting to show me his bride. However, he's greeted by the sight of me bloody and battered after being tormented by abductors. I beg him to at least save the baby in my womb, but he says to the abductors, "You'd better kill her and her child."

In my previous life, I became the “lucky groom” and married Juniper Green, a woman in a coma, in place of my younger brother, Sean Hale. However, what I never knew was that the person Juniper truly loved had always been Sean. For ten long years, every frown Sean made became another reason for Juniper to torment me. My blood became his medicine. My bone marrow became his backup supply. To her, my entire existence was nothing more than a life-extending cure for Sean. Juniper had often said to me, “If you hadn’t gotten in the way, Sean would’ve been my rightful husband long ago. Keeping him alive is the only purpose you have.” In the end, she signed the consent form for my bone marrow donation. Then, she watched coldly as my life was drained away. “Being able to save Sean’s life is your honor.” Then, I was reborn and returned to the very day I was supposed to marry into the Green family. This time, I decided to return that “honor” to my dear brother. However, before I could even speak, Sean suddenly stepped forward first. His face was pale as he clutched his chest weakly. “Mom, please don’t force it on William. I’m willing to marry into the Green family instead, because I’ve fallen in love with Juniper.

My twin sister, Rebecca Shaffer, was kidnapped while saving me. The trauma left her with a mental illness that made her lash out at everyone around her. The only person who could get close to her, the only one who could calm her down, was my husband, Ezekiel Roberts. For the sake of her recovery, my parents insisted that Rebecca move into the master bedroom of my newlywed home. Whenever Ezekiel and I were intimate, Rebecca would lose control and throw things at me. Then, Ezekiel would scoop her up in his arms and carry her into the bedroom, soothing her with gentle words. Everyone kept telling me the same thing. "If Rebecca hadn't tried to save you, she wouldn't be like this now. You owe her this much!" I had no response to that, so I gave in again and again. That was, until I accidentally overheard a conversation between Rebecca and my parents. "How much longer do I have to keep pretending to be crazy? I'm so sick of sneaking around like this!" My parents looked at her with sympathy in their eyes. Ezekiel gently caressed her stomach and said, "Don't worry. I won't let Rebecca or the baby suffer even a little bit. Once I have Maisie completely under my control, I'll make everything public." I clutched the pregnancy test report in my hand and let out a bitter laugh. From now on, they would not need to keep up their elaborate charade. I would leave on my own.

My husband, Caleb Jones, and I both had our issues. I was possessive, while he liked seeing me angry. He said emotion was proof of love. You only got angry when you loved someone. So he was always doing things just to get under my skin. I hated that he stayed in touch with his first love, Maya Stone. He went and arranged for Maya to work directly under him. I repeatedly told him they were not to meet in private. He went on a date with her anyway, then made a point of telling me about it. I couldn't stand the smell of cigarettes clinging to Maya. He brought her home to stay with us for an entire week, making me smell it every single day. I flew into a rage. For the first time, I said I was leaving. Only then did Caleb panic. Desperate to win me back, he stood in the pouring rain all night and said, "I'm sorry," ten thousand times before I finally forgave him. I warned him not to pull anything like that again. If he did, I would never forgive him. But on the day of our family gathering, he still brought Maya with him. He even openly introduced her to my parents. "Mom, Dad, this is my ex-girlfriend, Maya Stone. From now on, the three of us are going to live together. We'll get along just fine, right, honey?" Caleb looked at me expectantly, waiting for me to get angry and lose control all over again, for the intensity of my reaction to prove just how deeply I loved him. But this time, I saw my parents red-faced with anger and my in-laws smiling broadly. Suddenly, all my anger vanished, and so did my love for him. Right there, I scheduled an appointment to file for divorce and calmly told him, "No. Three's a crowd. We're getting a divorce. You can go live with her."

My older sister, Miranda McQueen, forced me onto the operating table so she could give my kidney to the fake heir. She pinned down my struggling hand, her expression cold. "Evan, don't blame me for being cruel. In your past life, you pushed Lucas down the stairs and damaged his kidney. You regressed to make amends. You owe him this kidney." For three years, I had tried to atone for the sins Miranda claimed I had committed in my past life. I had taken a knife for Lucas McQueen, tested experimental drugs for him. And now, I was about to lose a kidney to him. As the anesthesia flowed into my veins and my mind began to fade, I saw Miranda gently wipe the sweat from Lucas's forehead. Lucas chuckled. "Miranda, that regression story you made up worked perfectly. He actually believed it. That idiot spent three years as my personal sacrifice." Miranda smiled at him indulgently. "As long as you can stay alive, I won't stop at one kidney. If you ever need his life, I'll give you that too." The heart monitor beeped. I gritted my teeth as a tear rolled out from the corner of my eye. There had never been a past life or any sin to atone for. Miranda had lied to me from the very beginning, all for the sake of her fake brother.

On the first day Thea Storme is accepted back to her wealthy family, she signs a betting contract with the fake heiress, Clara Storme. The contract states that if Clara is able to steal from Thea nine times in a row, Thea will have to leave the Storme family on her own. Thea agrees to the bet. On the ninth time, Clara has her eye on Thea's boyfriend, who's a low-income student. She gives him two million dollars and demands that he marry into her family as a live-in son-in-law. "You want me to marry into your family? Sure." Thea raises her head in disbelief. Leonard Falkner taps a finger on the bank card. The moment he meets Thea's gaze of despair, he flashes her a comforting smile. "But I will marry into your family as Thea's husband. I might be poor, but I still have my pride. Except for the woman I love most, I won't lower my head for anyone in this world." That day, Clara cries as she runs out of the house. She even agrees to marry into the Larkin family out of spite. Leonard remains unmoved. He just watches Clara making a fool of herself coldly. But that night, Thea overhears something…

My younger brother and I shared one body, but we had two different souls. Ever since we were little, my family used a lottery draw each month to decide who would stay awake and who would fall asleep. The long straw was mine. The short straw was his. Whenever my brother was awake, our parents and older sister took him on vacations, road trips, and around the world to see places I had never seen. Whenever I was awake, they locked me inside the house and forced me to study day and night. I was the one who took the SAT. I was the one who faced every challenge life threw at us. But every time I succeeded, they would make sure my brother woke up next, so he could enjoy all the praise and rewards I had earned without lifting a finger. Everything changed the day my brother beat a local bully's son so badly that the boy ended up in the hospital. Carla made her decision without hesitation. "Tomorrow is the first day of the month anyway. Since we decide who gets picked, let's wake Harry and have him take the blame for Simon." My parents agreed without a second thought. Trapped deep inside our shared soul, I could only smile bitterly. Watching them protect my brother while turning me into his scapegoat filled me with despair. What they didn't know was that I had one chance to choose eternal sleep. With a broken heart, I made my decision. I would never again be my brother's stepping stone and scapegoat.

The heir to the Vitale family gave me thirty thousand dollars a month to be his mistress—all to get back at my mother. I needed the money. And secretly, I’d always loved him. So I let him humiliate me. Later, during a heavy snowfall, he made me kneel at the funeral of my love rival’s mother. That was when I finally let go. Enzo asked, “You think leaving New York will solve all your problems?” I answered, “It won’t solve them, but at least I won’t have to see you.” For that, he trashed the immigration agency that was helping me leave the country.