Nouvelles Plot Twists & Romans Childhood Sweethearts Family Emotions

Mom buys a four-thousand-dollar laptop for my sister, Scarlett Lowine, when we're shopping for school supplies. Dad chooses a luggage bag for her while my brother, Christopher Lowine, buys a pair of noise-cancelling headphones for her. My childhood friend, Jasper Greeson, crouches in front of a shelf, comparing eye-caring desk lamps with a serious look on his face. "Gabby has bad eyes. This lamp's brightness is perfect for her." A warm sensation spreads through my chest. However, the feeling only lasts for a few seconds before Jasper places the lamp in Scarlett's shopping cart. "Be sure not to tire yourself out when you're doing revisions at night, Scarlett," he says, smiling. I stand on the side with my empty shopping cart, feeling like an outsider who's just responsible for watching over their bags. "Aren't you going to buy your supplies too, miss?" the cashier asks. Mom seems to only remember my existence then. She frowns as she looks at me and asks, "Your things are still working, right? They're fine as long as you can use them during university." I look down at the note app on my phone. For the past year, I've written down a list of things that I want to buy for university, including a laptop, bed drapes, a desk lamp, a luggage bag, a pair of sneakers, and more. I've also noted down the price for every item. However, nearly every item on the list has been crossed out. They tell me that Scarlett has a weak constitution, so they need to take care of her. They tell me that it's fine for me to endure a little hardship because I have good results. But they don't know that I've already used my scholarship money to buy a plane ticket to another city. As they pack Scarlett's luggage bag until it's bursting, I'm finally going to erase every trace of myself from this family.

The day our SAT scores came out, my boyfriend Wesley Shaw and I were on the high-speed train home from our graduation trip. My foster sister, Cassidy Richards, had come with us. Cassidy wanted the window seat, so Wesley sat beside her. That left me alone for the entire ride. "Daphne, Cassidy and I need to talk about college and what we're planning to major in. You probably didn't score that well anyway. Just sit over there and watch something." They spent the whole ride laughing and talking, never once giving me a chance to join the conversation. So much for the graduation trip Wesley had been promising me for the past three years. At 10 a.m., our SAT scores finally appeared online. Cassidy threw her arms around Wesley. "We did it! With scores like these, Westhaven University is practically guaranteed. We can apply to any program we want!" Wesley hugged her back with a grin. "Check the family group chat. Everyone's already congratulating us." From the seat behind them, I listened as they played a voice message from my parents. "Wesley, Cass, you both did so well! We're so proud of you!" Wesley's parents chimed in next. I lowered my head and opened the chatting app. I wasn't even in the family group chat, and no one had bothered to ask about my score. It didn't matter. They had already chosen the future they wanted. Now, it was time for me to start building mine.

Three days before our bonding ceremony, my mate—Adrian Carson, the Alpha of the Nightfall Pack—placed two velvet boxes on the table. The first box was deep blue. Inside was a set of moonstone jewelry he'd paid a fortune for at an auction. The other contained nothing more than a black leather bracelet that had come free with his auction purchase. It didn't match my dress at all. For the first time, I pointed to the jewelry before anyone else could. "Can I choose first this time?" Adrian gently stroked my cheek. His voice was cool as he spoke beside my ear, "Your sister has always had to be first in everything. If she's not the first choice, she doesn't want it. And you don't care about these things anyway. You'll be fine with whatever's left." I looked at Adrian's matter-of-fact expression and said nothing. I simply felt something inside me disappear. Ever since I was little, I'd always been the shadow behind my sister, Nora Rose—quiet, unnoticed, never fighting for anything. I even had to wait for Nora to blow out the candles on the birthday cake first. Even our bonding ceremony three days from now had been postponed several times for Nora's sake. I pushed the leather bracelet back across the table. "Give both of them to Nora." For the first time, I didn't want to be the one who was left with the leftovers.

He whispered her name nine hundred and ninety-nine times in his sleep. Never mine. For five years, I gave everything to Vincent Bonanno—the heir to one of the most powerful mafia dynasties in Europe. I turned his house into a home, remembered every careless detail he let slip, even abandoned my dream of becoming an artist—believing that one day, he would finally choose me. But whenever Alessia appeared, his loyalty bent toward her. The night boiling fondue scarred my arms, he rushed to shield her from a scratch that barely reddened her skin. In public, his gaze never stayed with me—it drifted to her. I was the wife on paper, but never in truth. So I walked away. With nothing but a suitcase, divorce papers he signed without noticing, and a secret I never planned to share—three months pregnant. He discovered too late. The divorce was real. The clinic file was real. And by the time he realized, I had vanished. Now the man who once ruled cities with cold power is tearing the world apart to find us. He has soldiers, money, and a thousand apologies he never gave when I was still his wife. But I’m no longer the woman who begged for affection. I’m a mother. An artist. A survivor. The question isn’t whether Vincent can reach me. It’s whether, when he does, I’ll ever let him back into the life he destroyed.

My grandfather's Alzheimer's check-up is coming up. But I'm out of town running an investment deal for Casey Watson, so I call her to remind her to make the appointment. "Make sure you arrange Grandpa's check-up properly. He's old and can't handle the hassle." Casey agrees readily. Even though she has always been obsessed with painting, she immediately sets down the canvas she's working on. Yet, soon she forgets all about it and runs off to help her childhood sweetheart, Tommy Hurst, touch up his pieces for an exhibition. By the time I rush back from out of town and track down my missing grandfather, three days have passed. Grandpa's sitting in a pile of trash, clutching a beat-up ball he's found for me. "Lawrence, do you like the ball I got for you?" he asks, grinning. Weeping silently with my hand over my mouth, I nod. I call Casey dozens of times to ask about what happened that day, but she declines every time. It isn't until evening that she finally texts back. "I'm too busy to reply." I turn off my phone and watch Grandpa, his hair streaked with gray, hobbling toward me. Suddenly, it all feels so pointless to me. It's time for Casey and me to end our marriage.

"Are you sure you want this?" The witch slid the vial across the table. "Once I cast the unbinding spell, your Fated Mate connection will dissolve over ten days. On the tenth day, it's permanent. No reversals." I didn't hesitate. "Your name?" She picked up her pen. "Mara Voss." Her hand froze. Everyone in New York's vampire community knew that name. Conrad Levin — the Prince of the New York Dominion, an eight-hundred-year-old monster who had never shown a flicker of attachment to anything — had three years ago announced to the entire supernatural world that he'd found his Fated Mate. A human girl carrying the rarest blood type in existence. Golden blood. Her name was Mara Voss. I held out my wrist. The witch began her work. I opened my phone and booked a one-way ticket to Prague. Departing in exactly ten days. This time, Conrad would never find me.

My three older brothers, Marcus, Jeremy, and Andrew Graham love me to the moon and back. Marcus clumsily practices peeling apples for me when I lie on a hospital bed. Jeremy blushes as he buys sanitary pads and prepares a warm drink for me when I have my period. Andrew spends all his pay to buy me new clothes and even declares, "Whoever bullies you will pay the price." He isn't shy to express his brotherly love for me. I once believed that my life would stay happy like this forever. However, my adopted sister, Mackenzie Falk, accuses me of swapping the graduation thesis she has been working on for three years. I suffer a heart attack on the spot.

After twenty years of knowing and loving my destined mate, Alpha Martin, we were finally about to get married. On the eve of the wedding, He skillfully picked out the lipstick shade I wanted from my makeup bag. That's when I knew: Alpha Martin had someone else. That girl was wearing the custom evening gown I'd prepared for the wedding banquet, clinking glasses with Alpha Martin in a mate's toast. Our friends surrounded her, respectfully calling her "Luna." I didn't cause a scene. Instead, I called the hospital. "Dr. Fabian, please dispose of the eggs I had frozen." Then I sent a message to that girl. "Yvonne Jimenez, would you like to marry Martin Daniels in my place?"

"I'm scheduling the C-section for tomorrow. The doctor will extract her bone marrow during the procedure." Those were the words that shattered Selena's world. Her husband, Ellis Winston, the most ruthless Mafia Don in New York, was going to force her to deliver their baby at twenty-seven weeks. To him, her pregnant body was just a blood farm to cure Jennifer, the manipulative half-sister who supposedly saved his life. So, Selena ran. She left behind a pool of blood, a crushed ultrasound photo, and a destroyed wedding ring. The world thought she was dead. Six years later, Ellis is a walking corpse. He rules the global underworld, but he is tormented by the ghost of the wife he pushed to the grave. During his company's grand anniversary banquet, the heavy ballroom doors burst open. Selena is back. But she isn't the weak, obedient housewife in a cheap housewife anymore. She is the untouchable heiress of the Merrick billionaire empire. She strides down the red carpet, a signed divorce agreement in hand, ready to crush the man who ruined her. Ellis refuses to let her go. He is willing to go to war with Wall Street to drag her back. But what will the arrogant Don do when he comes face-to-face with a genius six-year-old boy who looks exactly like him? He will pay any price to win her back. Even if it costs him his empire, his organs, and his life.

Despite being a healthy werewolf, I had terrible night blindness. The moment the sun went down, I couldn't see a thing. On the night of my sister's birthday, my parents booked the best restaurant in town to celebrate. After dinner, she suddenly said she wanted to walk home. I was afraid I wouldn't be able to see the road, so I tried to turn her down. My future mate, Theodore, cut me off. He told me it was Willow's birthday and I should let her have her way. Then he promised he'd hold my hand the whole way and told me not to be scared. I finally agreed. I never noticed the knowing look Theodore and my sister exchanged. Before long, we turned into a dark alley. I could no longer see where I was going, so I clung to Theodore's sleeve, too afraid to let go. A few steps later, there was suddenly nothing beneath my foot. I lost my balance and fell straight into a creek beside the road. The next second, four phone flashlights swung onto me and the laughter broke out all at once. That was when I realized Theodore had slipped out of his jacket without me noticing. I had been holding on to an empty jacket the whole time. My parents laughed and pointed at me while Willow took pictures of me at my worst. My future mate stood beside her, holding her carefully so she wouldn't lose her balance. It was obvious now. They had used the mind-link to plan the whole prank without me knowing. At that moment, I no longer wanted to call this place home. There was no warmth here for me anyway.

Before I turned eighteen, my girlfriend, Sylvie Carter, who knew I loved surprises, would come up with all sorts of creative ways to surprise me with gifts every day. So when I turned eighteen, she wrapped herself up and presented herself as a present to me. I spent the whole night ‘unwrapping’ her with my face beet red. From then on, she would oblige all of my whims. With anyone else, on the other hand, she would only respond with no, she couldn’t, or she wouldn’t. Whenever we made love, she would hold me close and whisper in my ear, “Theodore, I will love you forever as long as you are with me.” With that, I was made Mr. Theodore Carter, the subject of everyone’s envy. On our first wedding anniversary, we were so caught up in pleasure that we ended up missing a call from her father, Maurice Carter, which led to him becoming paralyzed. Consumed by guilt, I spent the next two years looking after him without so much as a complaint. On our second wedding anniversary, he tore up my marriage certificate with Sylvie for the ninth time. I went to the city hall again to get a replacement, only to discover to my horror that I had been ‘divorced’ from Sylvie for twenty-three days. When I confronted her, she pleaded, “My dad isn’t doing very well, and I had to sign the divorce papers to keep him from being upset. I’ll cancel the divorce after the waiting period, alright?” Then, when Maurice started to pressure her into marrying her childhood sweetheart, all she did was hesitate briefly before justifying it, “It’s just a formality! As I said, I will cancel the divorce, and you will always be the one and only Mr. Carter.” As if that wasn’t enough, she ended up crossing a line and sleeping with him on the night of the wedding despite telling me she would never do that. After that, she remarked briskly, “I’m going away with them for a short getaway. Would you cancel the divorce?” I nodded. Then, I went ahead and finalized the divorce before returning with the divorce certificates. Little did she know, our marriage had ended the very moment she tricked me into signing those divorce papers.

After the SAT, the five of us childhood friends got together and played a game to test how well we knew each other. In the first round, my best friend, Millie Thyme, asked, “If one of us was stranded in the countryside in the middle of the night, who would you rescue first?” The three boys, all of whom others had teased to be my future husbands since we were kids, wrote her name without hesitation. Someone joked that they had read each other’s minds. Millie’s face turned red as she explained, “Maybe because I’m the biggest scaredy-cat. Hailey is so capable. She wouldn’t need anyone to rescue her.” They all nodded in agreement. However, they had forgotten that when I was stranded in the mountains at 16, they were the ones who braved a torrential downpour to find me, then fought over who would carry me down the mountain. Back then, they told me, “No matter what happens, we’ll always choose you first.” In the second round, it was my turn to ask a question. I looked at them and smiled as I read the card aloud, “If only four of the five of us could go to college together, who would you leave behind?” The room instantly went quiet. Millie bit her lip and was the first to flip over her answer board. Her own name was written on it. However, when the other three boards were revealed, every single one had my name on it. Marcus Hayes, the one who had always cared about me the most, said first, “It’s just a game. You won't actually take this seriously, will you?” Ryan quickly chimed in, “Millie isn’t in the best of health. She can’t handle going to some unfamiliar city by herself.” Julian gently ruffled my hair, his voice as warm as ever. “You’re applying to a college here anyway, so you'd be coming home every day anyway. It’s not like we’d actually be leaving you behind.” I stared at the four answer boards and suddenly smiled. What they did not know was that I never even applied to the local college they thought I would be attending…

This is the seventh year of my arranged marriage to Frank Jackson, yet he is constantly seeing other women. Because of that, I become known in our circle as the ever-tolerant wife. Everyone is watching and waiting to see when a mistress will finally replace me. But when I unexpectedly get pregnant, I hear a furious voice screaming at me from my belly in my mind. "Mommy, are you some holy saint? In your past life, you kept tolerating everything. That was exactly why my scumbag dad's mistress drove you out and left you for dead on the streets! "That vile woman is practically trampling all over you. How can you not fight back? Slap her! While you're at it, give my fool of a dad a good slap, too! The more you tolerate, the more people push their luck. You need to stand up for yourself and divorce that scumbag!" I swallow nervously, but my hand is already itching to act. Maybe I should try doing what the baby says...

When my mother asked me who I wanted to marry, this time, I chose none of them. Instead, I decided to go to the Northwest and serve my country. In my previous life, both my childhood friend, once a captain, and my educated fiancé courted me. I had feelings for both. But while I was still struggling to decide who I wanted as my husband, both accidentally ingested something. In a dazed state, I spent a chaotic night. After that, my parents asked one of the men to marry me. On the wedding day, the first love in both their hearts, the woman they had always truly loved, found out the truth. Out of spite, she accepted a local thug’s proposal. After marrying him, she was forced to give birth to ten children, one after another, until she died tragically. After her death, both men grabbed me by the throat and asked, “Why did she have to die such a miserable death, while you’re still alive and well?” They strangled me to death. When I opened my eyes again, I was back to the day when my childhood friend and my fiancé had been drugged.

After the college entrance exams, my parents promised to take me on a beach vacation. I packed my suitcase a month in advance. Swimsuits, sunscreen, my camera, and even a detailed travel itinerary I had prepared for the whole family. The night before we were supposed to leave, my younger sister, Chloe Whitmore, suddenly said she wanted to invite her childhood friend, Callum Hayes, to join us. Dad looked at the plane tickets and frowned. “There aren’t enough rooms.” My heart tightened. The next second, Mom snatched my ID from my hand. “Lily, you should just stay home. “Your sister and Callum just got back together. They need some time together.” Ryan Whitmore, my older brother, picked up my suitcase and pushed it straight toward Chloe. “She already packed everything. You can use it.” I looked at Callum. He had once promised that he would take me to see the ocean after my college entrance exams. But now, he only took the suitcase from Chloe. “Your sister has always been afraid that you’ll take everyone away from her. Let her feel secure this time.” With tears in her eyes, Chloe said pitifully, “Lily, I just wanted to have one complete family vacation.” Complete. How laughable. Apparently, without me, they were finally complete. One after another, countdown messages from the airport appeared on my phone. Three hours until boarding. I stood in the entryway, watching as my suitcase was pushed farther and farther away. Suddenly, I realized that for all these years, I had always been like excess baggage. They carried me when they needed me and discarded me whenever I became a burden. The sea breeze hadn’t even reached me yet. But I no longer wanted to go.

After the college entrance exams, my parents finally agree to take me to visit Everleigh Palace in Jatwick. I pack my bags a full month in advance, meticulously drafting a list of every wish I want to make—wishes for my parents, wishes for my siblings, and wishes for Joel Sutton, my childhood friend. The night before our departure, my younger sister, Yvonne Jarrow, suddenly announces that she wants to go to Novenport to see the ocean. My heart sinks. A second later, Dad pulls out his phone and starts changing our tickets. "The weather's been great lately. It's perfect for a seaside vacation," he says excitedly. Mom immediately swaps out her everyday clothes for swimsuits and hats. "The sun down south is brutal. I've got to pack plenty of sunscreen for Yvonne." My older brother, Stefan Jarrow, starts searching for seaside hotels. Without even looking up, he says, "I've been saying there's nothing fun in Jatwick anyway. Compared to Yvonne, Alice doesn't know how to have fun." I turn to Joel, pinning my last remaining hope on him. He once promised he would take me to Everleigh Palace so we could make a wish together at the old fountain. Now, all he does is cancel my flight ticket for me. "Alice, Yvonne means well. She just wants you to have a more enjoyable summer holiday," he says, his voice gentle but firm. He glances at me before adding, "Be sensible. Don't ruin the fun for everyone." Be sensible. I've been hearing those two words for the past 18 years. This time, I don't want to hear it anymore. Without a word, I cancel my flight ticket to Novenport. Instead, I use all my savings to buy a ticket to Jatwick. Days later, I stand before the old fountain at Everleigh Palace and make my wish with all my heart. However, this time, it isn't for anyone else. I make a wish for myself.

The day my college acceptance letter arrived, I found a post on Mom's phone asking strangers for advice. [I promised my older daughter I'd pay for her college, but now my younger daughter wants to apply too. How can I give the tuition I saved for my older daughter to my younger one without the older one holding it against me?] Every reply said the same thing. [You already promised your older daughter. Why would you betray her? Can't you find some other way?] Dazed, I accidentally hit refresh, and a familiar profile picture popped up. It belonged to my brother. [That's not really betrayal. It's your money, and you can spend it on whoever you want!] [I'm family, so I'll be honest. The older daughter is an Omega, the lowest rank there is. She's been slow since she was little, her grades are average at best, and whatever school she gets into is bound to be terrible.] [But the younger daughter is different. She's a noble Beta, just like the rest of us, and she's always had excellent grades. Plenty of colleges will want her, and our whole family is happy to spend the money on her.] My mate chimed in under my brother's comment. [He's right. Once the younger one gets in, we can all go stay with her and take care of her so she can focus on her studies.] I gripped my phone, my heart aching. My family and my future mate had always favored my Beta sister. They bought my sister expensive makeup and told me I was plain, not a tenth as pretty as her, so makeup would be wasted on me. They took my sister to all kinds of parties and told me I was too awkward, not bubbly and outgoing like her, and I'd just kill the mood. Even now, when it came to college, they thought I wasn't as good as my sister. I looked at the acceptance letter on my computer. Then I chose the university more than 600 miles from home because it had offered me a full tuition waiver. I was done with this home where I'd never been anyone's favorite.

My husband Julian Mercer had been gone from Seattle for nearly a year, following his ex-girlfriend and first love's family across Europe while her father was treated. When he came back, he made me breakfast, waited for me after work, showed off our relationship in public, and took care of everything, as though nothing had happened. But I kept pulling away. Friends asked why I wouldn't give us another chance. For me, love had no room for cracks. During the days when his indecision left me neglected and hurt, what we had between us had already begun to fade. What no one else knew was that we'd had a child. When my accident happened, he was still busy taking care of his ex. I lost the baby. But when I set the divorce papers in front of him, he fought to keep me like a man losing his mind.

When the email from the company came in, I rushed into the living room, bursting with excitement. "Mom, Dad, Ethan, Tyler, I got the job at MT!" But the living room was eerily silent. Out of habit, I glanced at the couch. Four dolls sat there. One was Dad, one was Mom, one was my brother Ethan, and one was Tyler Brooks, the boy I'd grown up with. The dolls' button eyes stared back at me, their stitched mouths pressed shut. My chest ached, and I had to admit what I'd tried so hard to forget. I'd been kicked out of the house a long time ago. The day we turned 18, my twin sister cried until she fainted. She said I tried so hard at everything that I made her look like a loser. She couldn't take the pressure. So everyone kicked me out and told me never to show my face around my sister again. When I first moved here, some thugs followed me home. Late that night, they pounded on my door. I hid under the table, terrified, and called Mom, Dad, Ethan, and Tyler again and again. They hung up every time. All I got were four identical texts. "Adele, stop calling. If Maria sees, she'll get upset. Once she's feeling more stable, we'll come get you." I clutched a baseball bat as they hammered on the door, too scared to even let out a sob. In the end, the noise woke my landlord, Frank. He chased the thugs off with a gun. After that, I made four dolls that looked just like Mom, Dad, Ethan, and Tyler. The dolls sat with me at meals and slept beside me. I used to hold them and imagine how happy I'd be when my family finally came to take me home. But now, standing in that suffocating silence, I felt utterly exhausted. I finally had to face reality. I stopped hugging the dolls and talking to them. There was no point pretending I was loved. I took out my phone and applied for the company's voluntary transfer to London.

After the SAT scores are released, Mom says we should get a family portrait taken and hang it in the living room to remember the occasion. The studio lights are already set up. Lavinia Jenkins, the photographer and my childhood friend, cheerfully starts getting everyone into position. "Alright, let's have the parents in the middle and the kids on either side." I move to stand beside my younger brother, Mitchell Simmons. Suddenly, my older sister, Meredith Simmons, puts out a hand to stop me and shoves me aside. "Maxwell, scoot over a little. Mitchell's got his new suit on today. Let him stand in the middle." Mom nods. "Exactly. It looks better with Mitchell in the middle. We're going to get a larger print of this picture." Mitchell is already standing front and center, adjusting his tie with a bright smile. Meanwhile, I'm shoved all the way to the far left, barely making it into the frame. The makeup artist beside me speaks up hesitantly, "Ms. Jenkins, could the guy on the left move a little closer to the middle?" Lavinia waves her off. "No. Leave him there. He just needs to be in the picture." I stay put, watching as half my face disappears into shadow in the shot. It suddenly hits me that there's never really been a place for me in this family. If that's the way they want it, then I don't need to make room for them in my life anymore.