Melodramatic Short Stories & Male POV Regret Novels

On the day of my birthday banquet, Grandpa asks me which of the Sterling family's daughters I want to marry. I choose the Sterling family's fifth daughter without hesitation, which surprises my family elders. After all, everyone in our circle knows that I, the eldest son of the Hamiltons, am deeply in love with the eldest daughter of the Sterling family, Violet, spoiling and indulging her to an outrageous degree. In my previous life, I did marry Violet. But after only three months, I discovered that Violet was having secret meetings with my illegitimate half-brother, Sebastian Hamilton. At the time, her eyes filled with tears as she looked at me pitifully. "Please, I'm begging you. This really was just an accident." My heart softened, but Grandpa still found out and ordered people to send Sebastian far away to another country. Violet assumed it was my doing and hated me to the bone. In the years that followed, the company's confidential information was stolen. I was killed in a car accident on the very day she discovered she was pregnant. Given a second chance at life, I decide to let the lovebirds be together. But unexpectedly, after the news of my engagement is announced, Violet appears in a wedding dress, crying and begging to marry me.

My wife and I were both liars. She lied to me 99 times. "I'll forget all about him, I swear." That man was her first love. She never did forget about him. I only lied to her one time. To get her to sign the divorce papers. Time came to the final day of the cooling-off period. Three hours before it was up, I packed up all my stuff and bought a flight ticket to another country. Two hours before it was up, I cut up all my photos that had her in it, leaving only myself. One hour before it was up, I placed the divorce papers on the table. When she saw the papers, they drove her mad.

My wife, Rochelle Willoughby, went on a business trip for five months. When I picked her up at the airport, she showed up with her true love instead. I noticed her baby bump and was about to ask some questions, but she shoved me away like I was some disgusting piece of trash. "Don't touch me with your grubby hands. I'm pregnant with Samuel's baby. If you hurt it somehow, I'll kill you!" Then, she gently held Samuel Riverson's hand. "You must be exhausted. Let's go home." She left me at the airport without so much as a glance. I saw them off and quietly rubbed the part Rochelle shoved. Then, I contacted my divorce lawyer. Ten years. This marriage finally came to an end.

On our seventh wedding anniversary, my wife, Faith Richmond, slapped me in front of everyone. "It's Bridger's birthday. Who do you think you are, showing up here and ruining the mood?" The mockery in her eyes told me she had deliberately invited me here just to humiliate me. Inside the lively karaoke room, I was treated like a servant, ordered around to queue up songs and open bottles while I watched my own wife make out passionately with Bridger right in front of me. After everyone left, a drunk Faith waited for me downstairs. "Who gave you permission to disappear for seven days? This is your punishment. If you ever do it again, get the hell out of the Richmond family! Be careful. After serving me for seven years, you might not get a single penny for it!" The farewell I'd been about to say caught in my throat. I clenched the critical-condition notice in my hand. After a moment's thought, I decided not to take it out after all.

For seven years, my CEO girlfriend never once came home with me to see my parents. She told me that she hated social obligations, and that she didn't want to deal with the gossip and hassle that came with meeting my parents and relatives. Even in daily life, she treated me with cold professionalism, never spending any anniversaries with me in favor of working overtime. I'd always thought that it was just a simple matter of her being too rational and prideful, and I was fine with slowly teaching her how to nurture a relationship. That was, until Thanksgiving arrived. Once again, she stressed that holidays were just a capitalistic norm, and that she was going to work overtime instead of coming home with me. By chance, however, I accidentally stumbled upon my intern's social media. Inside a private room at a five-star hotel, he and his family sat at a table as my girlfriend sat beside him, carefully serving him food. [Yo, my boss secretly brought my parents into the city for Thanksgiving, and even gave me gifts! She told me that I was worth special gestures, too. Where can you even find a boss this romantic? My parents even told me to marry her as soon as I could! LOL!] So she knew better than anyone how to make people feel cherished. I just wasn't worth any of it. I commented: [How romantic.] Then, I messaged my girlfriend. [Let's break up.]

After my birthday party, I got far too drunk and made a mistake I could never take back. I slept with my friend's daughter and got her pregnant. To make things right, I handed over more than half of my company shares as compensation. I promised him I would marry his daughter, Nancy Cooper, and give her the grandest wedding possible. After the wedding, I willingly stepped into the role of a househusband. I cooked, cleaned, and kept the home running. However, Nancy spent less and less time at home. Her business trips grew more frequent, and even our son began to look down on me, as if I were nothing more than a man circling the kitchen all day. At my mother's funeral, I noticed Nancy was nowhere to be seen, not even greeting the guests. I went looking for her around the venue. Just as I was about to return to the lounge to call her, a familiar voice drifted out from inside. "Easy… Don't let him find out. I won't be able to explain it when I get back." "Relax. He's an idiot, so easy to fool. Your dad set him up on purpose and drugged him because he wanted his family's assets. And you…" The man chuckled softly. "You made him play the role of our kid’s father. The whole trap was so obvious, yet he still didn't see it. What makes you think he'd notice us sneaking around at his own mother's funeral?" "He's just that stupid," Nancy said lightly. "He believes everything I tell him. Gilbert, just wait a little longer. Once I deal with those stubborn old shareholders, I'll rename Lawson Group to Shaw Group. Then, you can finally enjoy being the one in charge." I stood in place, frozen. It felt like the blood in my veins had turned to ice. This was the ugly truth. Every bit of it, every promise, every sacrifice, had been nothing but a carefully staged lie. Something inside me went cold and quiet. Whatever hope I had been holding onto was shattered completely. I decided then that I would disappear. Not just leave, but vanish. I would stage my death and make a clean break. I would erase myself from Nancy’s world forever. However, after I left for good, she lost her mind, telling the world she loved me and begging me to come back.

By the tenth engagement party, Samantha Moore stood me up again. I called her to ask what happened. What I didn't realize was that my phone was still connected to the banquet hall speakers. A second later, the entire room went dead silent. Soft, breathless moans spilled through the sound system. Then Samantha's voice came on, shaky and uneven. "Caleb... my department planned a team hike today. We're almost at the top. About the engagement party... let's just do it another time. I have to go." She hung up. For a moment, nobody moved. Then the room erupted into chaos. Gasps, whispers, and a few harsh laughs filled the banquet hall. Some people did not even bother hiding their amusement. Even the servers were glancing at me as if I were nothing more than a pathetic joke. I had proposed to Samantha ninety-nine times before she finally said yes, and yet she had never once shown up to our engagement party—not once. I stood there quietly, took the engagement ring from my pocket, and dropped it into the fish tank beside the stage. After seven years of waiting, forgiving, and making excuses for her, I finally understood the truth. I had mistaken my patience for love, and she had mistaken my love for permission to hurt me. I used to believe that if I loved her enough, she would eventually choose me. Instead, every time I lowered myself for her, she only pushed the line further. This was the tenth time she had humiliated me in front of everyone, and it would be the last. From that day on, she was no longer part of my future.

Jocelyn Nicols was celebrated as the police department's genius detective. I'd spent ten quiet years at her side as her assistant, unnoticed by anyone. By her eighth year on the force, she still hadn't cracked the decade-old cold case that had haunted her career. "You know the rule," she told me. "I won't marry until this case is solved." I didn't say anything back. I just packed her bags for another out-of-town assignment and wished her a safe trip. What she didn't know was that the moment she finally cracked the case and became a household name across the country, I'd just received a notice from the hospital. It told me I was going to die.

At the dinner table, my wife's best friend suddenly speaks to her in Lytian. "Three years ago, you married Julian in a grand wedding just to help Jace get Julian's letter of forgiveness. Over the years, I've seen Julian fall more and more deeply in love with you. Yet, you're still lying to him. "You gave him sterilization pills but passed them off as his depression medication. Aren't you afraid that he'll fall apart if he finds out the truth?" My wife, Erica Inman, briefly shows a conflicted expression on her face. She then gives a bitter smile and says, "A child unwanted by their mother has no reason to be born. As long as Julian doesn't stand in the way of Jace's happiness, I will keep my promise and stay by his side for the rest of his life." No one knows that I've learned Lytian to keep up with Erica. I stand in the living room and look at the fresh kiss mark on my neck. As I glance at the medication I take regularly for my depression, my whole body turns cold. It turns out that all of Erica's affection toward me was fake. What I thought was my salvation turns out to be nothing but a carefully planned deception. Since that's the case, I'll do my part to make sure they all get what they want.

On my birthday, I bustle around all day, decorating the house and preparing a whole feast. Then, as I wait for the food to cool, I receive a message from my girlfriend, Charlotte Watson. "I'm going on a business trip. Don't wait up for me. Get some sleep." Right after that, I stumble upon a post from her unattainable first love, Dustin Sanders, on social media. In the photo, Charlotte has rolled up her sleeves, put on an apron, and is busy cooking in the kitchen. The caption reads, "I wish this moment could last forever." All of a sudden, I lose my appetite. I like the post, reheat my dinner, and start eating. My phone rings non-stop throughout dinner, but I pay it no mind. By the time I'm full and pick up my phone, I see dozens of missed calls from Charlotte. In the end, she sends me a voice message. "I'll explain when I get back, Liam. Don't read too much into it. We still have so many birthdays ahead of us to celebrate together." I didn't reply. I merely wonder, "Do we still have a future together?"

My wife had just returned from a business trip to a high-risk dengue fever zone and was required to undergo a mandatory seven-day quarantine. I spent the entire night packing her clothes and personal belongings, rushing to deliver them to her designated quarantine hotel. The front desk staff checked the registration list three times before looking up at me. “Sir, your wife, Stella, isn’t on this list. She never registered for quarantine.” I froze. Just as I was about to dial her number, out of the corner of my eye, I caught sight of a black Maybach pulling up in front of a hotel across the street. Stella stepped out, walked around to the passenger side, took a young man’s hand, and leaned in to kiss him the moment he got out. The young man pushed her away with a laugh, but she pulled him closer, deepening the kiss. That boy was Finn, the boy Stella had raised. He was also the very person she had sent abroad three years ago, swearing she would never see him again. I stood rooted to the spot, my blood running cold. Suddenly, my phone vibrated in my hand. It was a text from Stella, with a photo of a plush hotel bed attached. [Wait for me to come home, baby.] Home? What home would we have now?

The seventh time my parents asked my brother, Ethan Parker, to blow out the candles on my birthday cake for me, I finally broke down. Ever since Ethan came back after being missing for three years, I had become the most insignificant person in the family. In a fit of anger, I ran down to the river outside the restaurant. I wanted to use my own life to make my parents understand how much they had hurt me. Ethan was dressed in an expensive suit. His eyes turned teary with guilt. “I’m sorry, Xeno. I know I never should’ve come back and taken Mom and Dad away from you.” The next second, before anyone could react, he climbed over the railing and jumped into the river. My parents searched for him day and night for three days, but they could not find his body. They looked worn out after that. Our family’s financial situation also grew worse by the day. From that day on, they devoted all their love and attention to me. I knew I had benefited from a terrible tragedy, and the guilt stayed with me. When I started college, I worked as hard as I could to pay for my own tuition and help support my parents. I thought our family would live a quiet, ordinary life from then on. Finally, the day came when I graduated from college. I went home early because I wanted to surprise my parents. Instead, I saw them outside an upscale restaurant near our house. They were dressed in expensive clothes, and Ethan was with them. Dad gave Ethan an affectionate pat on the shoulder and said, “This time, stay a few extra days when you travel around Avelon. “Xeno will be home soon, so we won’t be able to go out with you. If you need money, just ask us.” For a moment, the whole world seemed to spin around me. That night, I opened my email and looked through the job offers I had received. I chose the one that would take me the farthest from home.

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!"

As the year’s end approached, the city of Portlas’ high society joked that there was no need to worship Lady Fortuna. They only had to worship me instead. That was because, after our remarriage, I became the most materialistic husband in all of Portlas. I no longer cared how much Lana Gable doted on that man. Even when my daughter called him “Daddy,” I turned a blind eye. There was just one new rule in the house. Every time they mentioned Eliot Speke’s name, they had to give me one hundred thousand dollars. Thanks to that, I saved up thirty million dollars in less than two weeks. On our wedding anniversary, Lana and my daughter mentioned Eliot once again. The two of them looked stiff, while I simply held out my hand with practiced ease. “One hundred thousand dollars. Transfer it to my account.” My daughter finally could not hold back any longer and looked at me with utter contempt. “Daddy, you’re so vulgar. Is money the only thing on your mind? You’d even demand money for such a trivial matter. You can’t even compare to a speck of dust on Uncle Speke’s shoes.” I did not argue. I simply held out my hand to my daughter as well. “One hundred thousand dollars. Since you brought it up first, you have to pay too.”

A high-profile rape case rocks Corvessa City. During the autopsy, I examine the deceased's private area as part of the standard procedure. My wife, a police captain, blows up in front of the onlookers. "Don't we have a female medical examiner in our unit? Do you realize you're re-victimizing the deceased? And your wife is standing right here. Are you really that desperate?" The crowd turns on me in a heartbeat. Bowing to public pressure, the department suspends me and tells me to keep reporting in at my own expense. I hand in my resignation on the spot. Without me, nobody in Corvessa City is going to crack this case.

My wife, Emma Davies, and I have held our wedding and stayed together for five years. However, we still have not registered our marriage. Every time we plan to do it, her colleague, Keegan Estrada, somehow causes trouble. The first time, he cannot handle a document, so she eagerly stays at the company to help him. The second time, he has a fever. She hangs up and leaves without hesitation. The third time, he is undergoing his performance evaluation. She gets so anxious that she leaves me waiting at the City Hall for an entire day. This happens 15 times in total. Every time we are about to register our marriage, Keegan will always have something going on that disrupts it. I finally understand. I do not want to waste my time on Emma anymore. But when I walk away for real, she chases after me desperately to the point that she even disregards her own life.

The year my wife hated me the most, I passed away. Unable to bear her lingering entanglement with her ex, I decided to end my life. At the crematorium, she casually picked a cheap urn and smiled faintly as she said, "Trash like him belongs in the sewer, even after death." When it was time to bury my ashes, she chose a landfill and scattered my ashes across the entire site. She had always believed I schemed against her and forced her to break up with her ex, which was why she went to great lengths to make sure I met the worst possible end. When everything was over, she walked away without looking back, stepping on my ashes. Yet not long after, she returned, crying as she searched through the entire landfill, desperate to find my remains.

I have dated my girlfriend, Brenda Townsend, for eight years. She finally agrees to marry me. Filled with excitement, I head to the city hall. But to my surprise, I discover that the person waiting for me at the entrance is her best friend, Megan Cunningham. It turns out Brenda is on her way to her childhood sweetheart's house to take care of him. So I go along with it and marry Megan instead. Brenda loses her mind and breaks down. She cries hysterically while telling me that she has her reasons.

On the day I went to the city hall with my girlfriend to get married, her first love, Martin Lennox, suddenly appeared. “Teddy’s getting old, and his kidneys are failing. The vet said he only has a few days left. You should pay him a visit.” Teddy was the dog they got together. I knew about it, so I said kindly, “After Olivia and I get married, I’ll send both of you to the vet.” However, Martin suddenly started crying. “Olivia, you know dogs can’t speak, but he kept crying when he looked at your photo. He really wants to see you.” Olivia also started crying. She flung my hand away and apologized before she left with Martin. She disappeared for three days. On the fourth day, she returned home and apologized to me. Then, she dragged me to the city hall. Unexpectedly, Martin showed up with Teddy’s dead body. “Olivia, is your marriage really that important that you left Teddy alone at the vet? He’s dead now, and you didn’t manage to accompany him before he crossed the rainbow bridge!” Olivia cried as she looked at me. “I’ll come back to you after I bury Teddy, alright? Wait for me.” I gestured. “Just go, we can have our wedding ceremony first before we get our marriage certificate.” On the day of our wedding, Olivia was waiting happily for me at home in her wedding dress. However, she did not know that I was not planning on turning up.

Ten minutes before my childhood friend, Scott Burdett, got married, I personally handed him a bouquet of condoms. He laughed and asked, "Aren't you worried I'll be tapped out by morning?" Caitlyn Harp stood off to one side, her expression hard to read. After Scott left, she adjusted her earrings and studied my reflection in the mirror. "Actually, I'm the one marrying him today. I'm going to use up every last one of those condoms you bought tonight." I froze. She laughed. "Just kidding. I'll explain everything after the ceremony." After that, time seemed to blur. I stood in the best man's spot and watched the two people I loved most walk down the aisle and exchange rings before the officiant.