Cerita Pendek Secret Love & Novel Bias Family Emotions

The day Joe Tanner’s parents died and his classmates cornered him in cruel bullying, I was the one who jumped into the river to save him—and lost my heart to him in that moment. For the next ten years, I poured everything I had into him. I hid my own admission letter to Great Eastern University. I washed dishes until my hands cracked, hauled bricks until my shoulders bled, even sold the pocket watch my mother left me—all so he could study without worry. I watched him rise from a ridiculed illegitimate child to a celebrated professor at the very peak of academia. All I ever wanted in return was a home we could call ours. But the day he achieved success, he forgot the woman who had built his world. So, I made my choice— If he could abandon my love, then I would walk away without looking back.

Christmas dinner. Wendy Mercer, my adopted sister, brought out a box and suggested we draw lots. "Let's draw lots and see who's the luckiest person in the family." My parents beamed at Wendy. Even my brother Ethan Mercer, who was usually cold and distant, couldn't help but smile at her. There were four slips, and Wendy drew three of them. "Wow! A card linked to Ethan's account, free use of Dad's private yacht, and one of Mom's family heirlooms!" Everyone around the table oohed and aahed. "Wendy really is our family's lucky charm." I picked up the last slip and unfolded it. "Go to the abandoned rest stop and check in." A chill ran through my whole body. "I'm not going. It's too dangerous out there." The moment I refused, my family erupted. "The Mercers don't tolerate people who break their promises! If you won't finish the challenge, don't bother coming home tonight!" Not one of them cared how scared I was. They pushed me out the door. All I could do was drive out alone to that empty, godforsaken place.

The ninety-ninth time I confessed my love to my childhood friend Oliver, he gave me his answer: a grand marking ceremony with Harriet, the woman he truly loved. As the pack members mocked me, his younger brother Evan dropped to one knee before me and made a heartfelt promise. "He doesn't deserve you. I'll protect you with my life for the rest of our days." Evan and I formed a mate bond. He cherished me so openly that the entire pack envied us. Until the day Harriet and I were both knocked to the ground by a pack of rogue wolves. Without hesitation, he threw himself over Harriet, taking the wolves' claws across his shoulders and back as he fought open a path for her to escape. Half-dead, I dragged myself into the infirmary. Through a half-open door, I heard him confronting Oliver. "Wasn't the whole reason I formed a mate bond with her to keep her from getting between you two? Harriet's been through a terrible scare. Why shouldn't I be allowed to stay by her side?" So he'd been lying to me from the very beginning. Still covered in wounds, I walked into the council chamber. "I request a forced severance of my mate bond and permission to leave the pack." But later, when word of my supposed death reached the pack, why did he storm into the council chamber, drop to his knees on the freezing steps, and go mad with grief?