Melodramatic Biological Family Short Stories & Novels

I'm the most obedient child in the village. Since I've failed to keep an eye on my younger brother, which has resulted in him suffering from a fall, my adoptive mother, Patricia Henson, breaks my left lower leg bone with an iron poker. "You useless bastard! Why can't you just die already? I was the one who saved your life, so you should pay me back with that life of yours!" As I look up at Patricia, I nod quietly. "Okay, Mom." Then, I turn around to grab the bottle of rat poison that's sitting on the kitchen counter. After unscrewing the cap, I begin chugging down the chemicals. Patricia is shocked out of her mind by my antics. Her screams fill the kitchen as she lunges at me just to knock the bottle out of my hands. But I've already taken a huge gulp of the poison by then. I end up getting sent to the hospital, where the doctors spend the next few days saving my life. Due to the severity of this incident, it's reported on the news, allowing my biological parents to track me down. Later on, they take me back to my actual home, which is a luxurious manor. But my older brother, Dominic Richmond, calls me filthy and wants me to cleanse myself properly. So, I grab a steel scourer and begin scrubbing my entire body with it. It doesn't take long before I'm completely drenched in my own blood. Some time later, Derek Richmond, my adopted younger brother whom everyone sings praises about, calls me disgusting with tears streaming down his cheeks. He also claims that he doesn't want to see me at all. Dominic points at the balcony while yelling at me, "Can't you just die already?" As I look at him, I just smile serenely. "Okay, Dominic." After that, I jump off the balcony. At that moment, I hear Dominic's hysterical screams.

After my dad has retired, I give him 5,000 dollars for his living expenses every month. Coupled with his monthly pension of 2,000 dollars, I thought Dad would be living a great life back in our hometown. Little do I know that the hospital calls me the next day, telling me that Dad has fainted from low blood sugar due to starvation, which leads to him getting sent to the ER. I'm stunned, to say the least. How can Dad starve to the point of getting hospitalized when he's living off 7,000 dollars per month? So, I rush back to my hometown overnight. In the ward, Dad is all skin and bones. He's lost so much weight that his cheekbones can be seen protruding. The moment he sees me entering the ward, he tries to get out of bed. "I want to get discharged! I'm not staying in the hospital! I don't have any money to get hospitalized!" I quickly stop Dad. "Dad, you get 7,000 dollars per month! Why don't you have any money at all?" He glares at me hatefully. "I don't have 7,000 dollars per month! Every month, you give me 200 dollars! You even stole my pension from me! As if I have any money to get hospitalized right now! "If not for the fact that I got up early just to rummage for junk over the past few years, I'd have died of starvation a long time ago!" Everyone in the ward turns to look at me. Meanwhile, my mind goes blank. The thing is, I do give Dad 5,000 dollars every month. I really want to explain the truth to Dad, but he's already crying about how I've kept his money for myself. He also claims that I don't care about him when he gets sick, and that I'm a total ingrate. Someone has recorded the whole outburst. Naturally, the tagline "Ungrateful Son Keeps Father's Money All to Himself" goes viral the next day. My name, my workplace, and my address are quickly dug up by the angry Internet users. Someone even goes so far to splash red paint onto my front door. Because of that, I get fired from my workplace. My landlord doesn't hesitate to kick me out as well. Feeling very dazed, I walk on the street, only to get hit by an incoming truck. When I open my eyes again, I've returned to the day I transfer the 5,000 dollars to Dad.

My younger brother, Ian Green, was caught for robbery, but my mother forced me to take the blame for him. I refused, so my mother took a knife and attempted suicide. She knew that I was filial and would not want her to suffer any harm, so I gave in. However, my mother had no idea that I also took responsibility for a murder he committed. After I was sentenced to death, she went insane looking for me.

As my murderer's claws tear into my abdomen inch by inch, my father and brother are seated in our family's banquet hall. They're celebrating Carly's 18th birthday and coming-of-age. "You'll always be my little girl." "Happy birthday, Carly." They light 18 pink candles for her. On top of the exquisite red velvet cake is a wolf figurine that they carved for her, and there are well wishes and laughter all around. Meanwhile, I'm curled up in a sewer filled with liquid silver as I bleed to death. My phone has been crushed, and I can't get out. I can only cry for help. A few days later, my father and brother show up together at the autopsy room. My brother stands by the operating table with a scalpel. He slices open the body and sews it back up like it's nothing. My father just covers his nose as he shoots a disgusted glance at my body. He urges my brother to hurry up with the autopsy report. "The victim is a young female wolf presumed to be of pure lineage. Before her death, she was subjected to prolonged captivity and torture. Her throat is nearly severed, her cervical spine is dislocated, and her chest cavity has collapsed. She was also injected with liquid silver before death." Hearing the report, my father looks so calm that it's just like a case study of no consequence. Neither of them can recognize that the body belongs to me—their daughter and sister!

When I start middle school, Dad quits his job to become my full-time study coach. He devotes every ounce of energy to monitoring my academics and refuses to let a single distraction near me. My best friend in middle school has average grades, so Dad goes straight to his parents for a talk. "My son is going to a top school. Don't let your kid's low IQ rub off on him." I lose my closest friend after that, and the rest of my classmates start keeping their distance too. In high school, the class rep asks me a math question one day, and Dad sees it happen. Without a word, he slaps her across the face. "Already flirting with boys at your age? I'll have the principal expel you! "Just asking a question? My son's study time is precious. If you're too stupid to figure it out, hire a tutor!" After that, I have no social life left at all. I finally get into a top university out of state. Dad even agrees to let me live in the dorms. I think this is my chance to break free. But on move-in day, he shows up at the campus gate, suitcases in hand. "Let's go, Tyler! I thought it over and decided to move here with you!"

Ten years after being reunited with my birth family, the Lancasters, I still reign as the family's undisputed attention magnet. When Dad forgets to take his medication, I put on a pair of sunglasses, barge into the conference room, and take away his coffee. "Mr. Lancaster, you're suspected of abusing your stomach. Please come with me." He scowls as he takes his medication, while the other shareholders fight hard to contain their laughter. When Mom has insomnia and can't sleep, I put on a white bedsheet and drift into the room. "Your application for an early death has been rejected as your daughter objected to it." She scolds me for saying such cursed things, yet tears stream down her face from her laughter. When my older brother, Thomas Lancaster, sprains his ankle during a sports match but refuses to go to the school doctor, I latch onto his leg and wail loudly, "Oh, Mr. Campus Hunk, I'm a loyal fan of yours!" The school doctor learns of the injury and rushes over, so Thomas receives treatment for his ankle. I, on the other hand, become known as the girl who tried to latch onto the campus heartthrob. They are always complaining about how noisy and humiliating I am, about how I'm not as quiet and considerate as their fake daughter, Janet Lancaster. Yet, every time something goes wrong, they always turn to me first. One day, during the school's anniversary celebration, Thomas is backstage when he suffers from a panic attack. I put on a mascot costume and rush onto the stage, turning the gala into a farce. This draws everyone's attention to me, allowing Thomas to be quietly escorted away. But because of that, Janet's piano solo fails to make it onto the trending list. With red-rimmed eyes, she asks me, "Mel, do you really like to steal the spotlight from me that much?" Mom rips my mascot costume right there in public, while Dad forces me to give up my arts student recommendation slot. I look at Thomas, who ducks his head and remains silent. He doesn't speak up for me. As it turns out, even the very person I tried to protect at the risk of my own reputation thinks that I'm embarrassing. Pulling off the red clown nose, I hand Janet the recommendation form. "Fine, here you go. From now on, don't drag me into your family's celebrations or troubles."

When I was seven, my sister and I were kidnapped at the same time. The cash my parents brought was only enough to save one child, so they chose to save me first. Because of that, my sister was raped by the kidnappers, and both of her legs were broken. After that, I became the sinner of the family, spending every day trying to atone for what had happened. On Christmas Day, just because my cooking didn't suit my sister's taste, my parents locked me in my room. My soul drifted out of my body, and I was shocked to see my sister, who had supposedly been disabled for twenty years, walking around perfectly fine. She kicked her wheelchair aside and complained, "I'm tired of pretending to be disabled after all these years." Mom said, "Sweetheart, if you didn't pretend to be disabled, Sophie wouldn't serve you willingly." Dad chimed in, "Exactly. After all, the three of us worked together to deceive her back then. You can't let the truth slip." So the twenty years I spent atoning for my sins had all been one big lie. Almost a week later, they finally remembered to come home. By then, I was already a corpse.

It was my son's engagement party. However, my husband stopped me from giving my soon-to-be daughter-in-law her gift. "His mother will do the honors. This is not your place." I thought he was joking until he put his arm around his childhood sweetheart and sat down together around the main table. "I know Bianca mishandled your baby, but she had postpartum depression, and it was an accident. "She gave you Jason to make up for her mistake. It's time for them to be a family again. She has atoned for her sins." My nails dug into my palms hard enough to draw blood. Just when I was on the brink of losing it, my son raised a toast to her. "Someone has stolen your place for 30 years, Mom, but you'll never have to suffer again." Right now, my husband and son were like strangers I'd never met instead of my family. A bitter smile curled my lips. We'd spent more than three decades together. Time had left its mark on my graying hair, yet I was treated as nothing more than an outsider in a place I was supposed to call home. Perhaps this home was too small to fit all of us. Since that was the case, someone had to bow out and that someone… was me.

On my little brother, Clover Shaw's birthday, I tear up my stomach cancer diagnosis report and use the money I've saved for treatment to buy him the gift he's been talking about for ages. But when I wake up in the early hours of the night while coughing blood, I hear the disdain in his voice. "That piece of crap he bought is just 5,000 dollars. It's not even worth as much as my cheapest game! Who would want that garbage? "He's such an idiot. It's been over 20 years, and he still hasn't figured out that we've been playing poor. He's out there working himself to the bone to scrape together my tuition fees! On top of that, he stinks so much every day! It's disgusting! Mom, who has always called me the backbone of the Shaw family, angrily speaks up. "He deserves it! You wouldn't have ended up in the ICU right after you were born just because he stole all your nutrients in the womb. You'd grow up to be young and healthy. "The fortune teller was right. He's nothing but a leech, and if we don't find ways to torture him, he'll only make your life suffer." While I collapse on the floor, tears stream down my face nonstop as I stare at the blood pooling in the trash can. "Don't worry, Mom. You won't have to fuss over my future because I won't have one…"

The day I found out I wasn't really an Adelson, Sharon—their real daughter—stormed in and stabbed me—over and over. Just like that, my shot at being a mom? Gone. Chuck Benetton, my fiancé, lost it. My parents swore they'd disown her. To "comfort" me, Chuck proposed on the spot. My parents handed me the severance letter—Sharon officially disowned—and told me to just focus on healing. Later, they said Sharon had run off and gotten trafficked in Nyamara, some hotspot for scams and lost souls. They said it served her right. And yeah... I believed them. Six years into the lie, I saw her—very much alive, baby bump and all, curled up against my husband like she owned him. "If I hadn't snapped back then, Yasmine never would've married you, " she said. "Thank God you and Mom and Dad backed me. Otherwise, that imposter would've landed me in jail. "She probably never guessed I've been right here, carrying your baby. Once I give birth, just fake an adoption. She can nanny our kid forever. "Thanks for everything, Chuck." She smiled like he was her hero. And he blushed. "Don't thank me. Marrying her was the only way to protect you. I'd do it all again." So yeah. The guy I thought loved me? He was always lying. My "parents"? They only cared about Sharon. If that's love, I want nothing to do with it.

I've just finished collecting rent from a building when Mom calls me on the phone. She tells me that the Jensens' estranged real heiress, Sienna Jensen, has finally reunited with them. I pack up my account ledgers immediately before heading over to attend Sienna's welcome home party. But as soon as I reach the gate, my car is stopped right outside. Apparently, I'm not allowed entry into the Jensen residence. Hatred crosses Sienna's eyes when she spots my car. "You're nothing but a thieving impostor! How dare you make a flashy appearance while driving a car that belongs to my family!" I take a deep breath and explain coolly, "This is my car. I don't know what you're talking about." The next thing I know, Sienna grabs a ledger and hurls it at my face. She screams at me, "You used my family's money to buy this car, and yet you have the gall to claim that it's yours? "I'm my mother's actual child, and yet you've leeched all the good things from my family, you filthy bitch! I'll have you know that the hardships that Mom went through for nine months of pregnancy will be converted into a maternity fee of a million dollars! Now hurry up and transfer the payment to Mom's bank account!" I merely sneer at Sienna before pulling out my phone and calling her mother, Molly Dawson, "Your daughter demands that I give you a million dollars' worth of maternity fees. Do you even have the guts to accept the payment?"

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.

Before the adopted son, Luther Anderson, jumped into the ocean to end his life, he sent a text message in the family group chat. [Oliver’s too good. I just can’t beat him. I’m done putting up a fight.] Everyone mourned for him. I was called a murderer. My entire family hated me for it. My older sister, Samantha Anderson, who had once gifted me a piano, smashed my bones with a bat. “Since your musical talents overwhelmed his, I’m going to ruin your hands.” My fiancee, Camila Reid, threw a knife at me. “He’s always been jealous of your handsome looks. He’s always been insecure about it. You should ruin your face to make it up to him.” My parents sent me to a mental asylum instead. “If Luther doesn’t come back home safe, you’ll spend the rest of your life here reflecting on your mistakes. “You’ll only be released once you learn how to treat your brother well.” After that, Luther suddenly showed up and claimed that he missed my parents. Hence, he made a grand appearance. I also learned from the incident. I ignored my parents’ favoritism. However, everyone started to panic. “Oliver, are you going to desert us?”

My parents want my sister, Rachael Booth, to marry rich so badly they try to talk her into dropping out of high school during her senior year. I do everything I can to stop them. "Mom, Dad, women can take care of themselves these days. Besides, wealthy families care about education too!" They back down because of my words. But later, Rachael never marries into money. Instead, she falls for a hooligan in college and ends up in an abusive marriage. Mom screams at me, "This is all your fault, you jinx! If we hadn't listened to you, Rachael would be living the high life right now!" Dad is just as furious. "You just want to ruin her life, don't you? You just can't stand to see your sister happy!" Rachael buys into their narrative completely, genuinely believing I am the one who ruined her future. One night, she kills me with a knife. When I open my eyes, I realize I'm right back to the day Mom is trying to convince Rachael to give up on college.

On New Year's Eve, I was kidnapped. My captors claimed they followed an ancient tradition. They planned to livestream a "Beast Hunt" to bring good fortune to the entire nation. The relentless blasts of fireworks swallowed me whole. I did not know how long it lasted before I dragged my nearly destroyed body out and escaped. When I found my parents, they broke down crying and rushed me to the best private hospital in the city. They swore to file charges and make the people responsible pay with their lives. My girlfriend of ten years, a lawyer, turned her face away. "The client and I are in a personal relationship. I am required to recuse myself, so I will not take this case." While I lay in my hospital bed, I scrolled past a trending post. [What was the biggest surprise you got this New Year's?] [My parents arranged a real live Beast Hunt just to make me happy.] [They hired people to kidnap the real son and blast him with fireworks all night long. You all saw the livestream, right? He screamed so hard it was pathetic. It is way more entertaining than any New Year's comedy special.] [And the funniest part? His lawyer girlfriend of ten years lied and told him she had to recuse herself and refused to take his case. She did it all just to keep me happy.] My fingers went ice cold. I could barely keep my grip on the phone. Every single detail lined up perfectly with the hell I had just lived through. Then the post updated again. [My parents already set up a fake death so I can disappear. They are taking me to Valterre to make it up to me with a private New Year's celebration, just the three of us.]

Six months ago, I was accidentally poisoned by wolfsbane. The poison is deadly, and my days are numbered. My body gradually weakens. Today, my wolf is completely gone, and I have three days left to live. On the last day before I draw my final breath, I agree to donate my kidney to my sister. Thrilled, my mate swears that he'll make it up to me someday. My sister is being swamped with insults on the college forum after she was caught plagiarizing my Belladonna thesis. But I come forward and claim that I'm the one who plagiarized it. Mom and Dad are pleased, saying I've finally become mature. At last, I've become the perfect mate and daughter in their eyes. But why are they crying after my body has turned cold and lifeless?

After being reborn, I decide to return my fiancé to his true love. When he holds a singles party for her and doesn't want me to disturb him, I go to Faldora alone. He says I'm an annoyance, so I quit my job without hesitation. He doesn't feel good being in the same country as me, so I immediately migrate abroad. In the end, he tells me he wants to make his true love feel secure. I nod and accept someone else's proposal. Why am I so obedient and compliant? It's because of my past life. In my past life, his true love ended her life after I married him. He blamed me for separating them and subjected me to inhumane torture. This time, I just want to live my life. Later, when I'm taking a stroll with my family, he kneels before me and sobs in earnest. "I promise I'll be with you as long as you leave them, Audrey."

I'm the only son of my parents, who are the richest people in the country. Yet, they decide to raise me while giving me as little money as possible. In order to toughen me up, they decide to only give me five thousand dollars per year. "Two thousand dollars is for college tuition, and the remaining three thousand dollars is for your living costs and accommodation. If you want to stay at home, you'll need to pay rent—500 dollars a day. If you don't have the money, you can write an IOU." But I end up getting robbed that night, leaving me penniless. In order to be able to continue my college studies, I can only ask my parents for money. Of course, they turn me down immediately. "You actually learned how to lie just to swindle more money from us, eh? Since you refuse to learn your lesson, your allowance for next year will be cut in half." My parents refuse to listen to my explanation and insist on kicking me out. So, I can only work three jobs per day, allowing me to save up two thousand dollars. But the moment I save the money in my account, it gets frozen instantly. That's when my parents begin mocking me. "And here you are, claiming that you didn't lie to us! Where did you get the tuition fees from, then? We shall confiscate the money as a form of punishment. You can use the rest of your money for your studies." Amid my despair, I see the live comments streaking before my eyes. "The male lead's parents want him to realize that it isn't easy living out there. When they hired the thugs to rob him blind, their hearts ached so much for him that they cried." "I hope that the male lead can grow up as soon as possible. That way, the misunderstanding will get resolved, and the family of three can continue living happily ever after." But this time, the comments can no longer console me. I place the house keys on the porch quietly before turning on my heel and walking away. I don't want these parents of mine anymore.

The night I gave birth, the entire hospital lost power. Soon after delivery, I started bleeding heavily. The backup power could only keep two operating rooms running. My mom, Marsha Gibson, was the head of obstetrics. A nurse asked if I needed emergency surgery right away. Mom glanced at Natalie Graham, my adoptive sister, in the next bed. Then she shook her head. "Help Natalie first. She's already sensitive about being adopted. What will people think if I put my own daughter first at a time like this?" I lay on the gurney, listening to my blood drip onto the floor. When my husband, Elijah Colton, arrived, I thought someone would finally help me. He was an anesthesiologist, after all. Then Natalie clutched her chest and said she couldn't breathe. Elijah hesitated for a second, then let go of my hand. "Your parents are here. Someone will take care of you," he said. "Natalie doesn't have that kind of support. If I put you first again, people will think our whole family treats her like an outsider." Finally, my dad, Ian Graham, arrived. He was the hospital director. The nurse showed him my blood pressure readings and begged him to open another operating room. Dad glanced at the reporters in the hallway, then gave Natalie the last available spot for emergency treatment. "When we brought Natalie home, we promised she would never be treated unfairly for not being our biological daughter. Winona, you'll have to wait a little longer." To avoid any suspicion of favoritism, they all assumed I'd be fine waiting a little longer because I had family at the hospital. However, none of them knew my C-section incision had torn open. Blood was already pouring into my abdominal cavity.

My brother and I were twins. When his acceptance letter from Trinity University of Sports Science arrived, no one in our family could even smile. My mom pressed the letter to her chest, sobbing too hard to speak. On the balcony, my dad crouched with a cigarette in his mouth, his hands shaking too much to light it. Even my brother quietly tucked the train tickets for the graduation trip my childhood friend had planned into his pocket. None of them could bring themselves to offer their congratulations. I had been sick with kidney disease for eighteen years, and I wasn't even healthy enough to take the SATs while my brother was preparing for college. I glanced at the birthday cake on the coffee table and instinctively tried to tuck it behind my back. "I only had one bite..." Usually, my mom would've pulled me into her arms and reassured me that everything was okay. She would've told me not to be afraid. But this time, she snatched the cake from my hands and threw it onto the floor. "We've spent eighteen years fighting to keep you alive, and all you care about is eating cake! Do you know what that could do to your kidneys?" "Your brother couldn't run around like other kids. He couldn't play sports or hang out with his friends, and he hasn't played basketball in ten years! Do you even know why? Because we've spent his whole life making sure he'd be a good kidney donor for you!" Her voice grew louder with each word. "And your father? He's worked so hard making deliveries! He's gone through five scooters just to pay your medical bills! And I've spent every day cooking special meals for you, measuring all the ingredients and making sure you eat exactly what the doctors prescribe! Do you know how much we've given up for you?" The room fell silent. For three long seconds, I stood there, searching for something to say. But when I tried to speak, nothing came out. My mom stared at me, her eyes red and tears streaming down her face. "Do you know how long you've been holding this family back? What more do you want from us? Haven't we done enough?" She paused, her voice catching in her throat. "If you're going to keep acting so selfish and ungrateful, then maybe..." At first, she couldn't get the words out. Tears streamed down her cheeks, hitting the back of her hands. "Maybe you'd be better off dead." Surprisingly, hearing those words didn't hurt as much as I expected. Instead, the heavy feeling I'd carried for eighteen years seemed to vanish all at once. I thought, 'Alright, Mom. You got your wish. I'll stop being a burden to this family.'