Mistress Awakening 단편 소설 & 소설

It was near the end of May when I got off my night shift and got a call from my younger self, right before the SAT. "Eight years from now, am I happy? Am I living abroad, or working at Collins Corporation? "Charlotte said I don't need the SAT. She's taking me overseas." He sounded excited, already planning to spend the next few days doing whatever he wanted. I looked down at the grease on my uniform. Behind me was a cramped factory dorm, a cramped room packed with 12 beds. "Charlotte's getting married today," I said. "But you're not the groom." He sucked in a breath. "That's impossible. She said she'd marry me." Last night, Charlotte Collins texted me. [Don't come tomorrow. You work at a factory. You'll embarrass me.] His voice caught. "Who is it? Do I know him?" I said calmly, "Open the math worksheet in your bag. Finish it, and I'll tell you who she's marrying."

My husband's childhood sweetheart was always trying to take what was mine. After being reborn, I realized that no matter how hard I fought, I'd never beat her. Hence, I decided to put a price tag on every single thing she intended to take from me. She claimed she got carsick and insisted on sitting in the front passenger seat beside my husband whenever we went out. I simply stuck a payment QR code on the dashboard. "20,000 dollars a year. Renew at a 20% discount," I said flatly. She took a liking to my project proposal. My husband had barely knocked on my office door when I spoke without even looking up. "100,000 dollars. Once the money hits my account, I'll put her name on it." On my son's birthday, I set aside my work and rushed to his preschool to pick him up. Unexpectedly, he looked up at his teacher and said, "She's not my mom. I'm not going with her." Just as we reached a stalemate, that woman arrived late with the gift I'd prepared for my son. My son immediately ran over and wrapped his arms around her leg. "Look. She's my real mom!" My husband was about to explain when I held out my hand to my son, my expression completely blank. "One million dollars. I'll sign over my parental rights to her today."

Whenever the three of us—me, Darius Shaffer, and Sonya Berger—are together, everything I say always gets ignored outright. At first, I just assumed that they simply hadn't heard me. After all, I've been in a relationship with Darius for seven years, and Sonya has been my childhood best friend for 18 years. But today, I speak up as I usually do and ask, "How about we go to Mistland for a trip during the holidays?" They keep their heads down and continue scrolling through their phones. Neither of them acknowledges me. Moments later, Sonya holds up her phone and grins. "Look at this Mistland grill! It's their signature dish. It looks so delicious!" Darius looks up immediately and jumps into the conversation. They begin chatting animatedly. I try to interject and ask again, "So, shall we all go to Mistland together?" Still, nobody pays me any mind. I end up just listening to their conversation in silence. Yesterday, I sighed and said, "I'm thinking of quitting my job. I'm so exhausted and burned out." However, neither of them even looked up at me or acknowledged what I said. They just continued tapping away on their phones. And the day before that, Sonya pouted and said, "My skin looks terrible. I'm so damn upset." But Darius immediately leaned in toward her, saying, "Nonsense! You look beautiful!" Then, they launched into an enthusiastic discussion about skincare. I tried asking them if they wanted to grab a meal together the next day, but again, I was met with complete indifference. Yet, when I walked into the restaurant alone the next day, I saw them having lunch together just a few tables away. Last week, Darius sent a movie trailer into our group chat, and Sonya immediately replied, "I wanna watch this movie!" I also replied, "Me too. Let's go!" As always, nobody replied. When I asked Darius about it later, he told me that they had already watched it together. So, as it turned out, they had heard me. They simply didn't want to pay me any heed. This time, I don't act out or throw a tantrum. I don't even question any of them on the spot. Instead, I shift my gaze away and keep myself company. On the day I resign from my company, Darius finally pays me some attention, something he rarely ever does. He says, "Rennie, my mom has been asking us to set a wedding date. Sonya was asking me about it earlier too. Why didn't you say anything?" I stand up and reply with only four lines. "You guys continue chatting. Just ignore me. Also, we're breaking up. Good riddance."

On our graduation trip, my best friend, Maddie, hadn’t managed to snag a lower bunk in our Amtrak sleeper car. As she stared at the upper bunk with a troubled look, my boyfriend, Hal, teased her. “What’s wrong, Short Stuff? Can’t climb up there?” Maddie smacked his arm. “If you’re not going to help, shut up.” Instead of getting upset, Hal nudged me. “True, switch bunks with her. Knowing her, she’ll fall on her way up and land right on top of you.” I shifted my gaze to Hale, my mind wandering back to the journey throughout. He’d bought two breakfast sandwiches at the station, one of them being a vegan option. Hal had called Maddie out for always watching her weight. Still, he offered the vegan sandwich to her and handed me one with bacon, even though it wasn’t my choice of protein. When we arrived at the station, we had to haul our luggage down a flight of stairs. He’d grumbled about Maddie overpacking even when she couldn’t handle the luggage herself. Yet, Hal carried her suitcase down the stairs while leaving me to struggle with my own by myself. When we were deciding where to go, he’d scoffed at Maddie for not being able to handle a bit of spice, kicking up a fuss that she was ruining my chance to visit New Mexico and see the hot-air balloons. Then, without a second thought, he’d booked us tickets to Florida instead. He was supposed to be my boyfriend, but whenever Maddie was involved, he was always saying one thing and doing another. His priority was always her. So, I shook my head. “No, I’m not switching.”

Seren Grant is extremely protective of her personal space. We've been dating for three years, yet I still don't have the access code to her apartment. Whenever I want to spend the night at her place, I have to let her know in advance. She always came downstairs to let me in herself. She says it's about maintaining boundaries, and I respect that. Until one day, I arrive early and am just about to call her when the elevator doors open. Her colleague, William Baker, swipes his key card to get through the security entrance. Then, he presses his fingerprint against the lock on her apartment door. The door opens. When he turns around to see me, he freezes for a moment. "What are you doing here? Seren said tonight isn't a good time." When I ask him how he has access to her fingerprint lock, he simply responds, "I registered my fingerprint last year. I come over often to feed her cat." She never even told me she had a cat. She said she was allergic to cat fur and couldn't have pets. Using that excuse, she turned down my suggestions that we get a cat together three separate times. Later, when I came across William's social media posts, I learned that she'd given him the cat as a birthday present. I deleted all the messages I had sent to Seren asking her for permission to visit. Seren Grant, your boundaries only ever apply to me. Meanwhile, he's had a place in your home all along.

Samuel Pierce is the man every guy in Crown City wishes he could be. His career is on the steady rise, and he has Scarlett Bennett—a woman who loves him like he's her whole world—by his side. She's a spoiled heiress who never spares anyone a second glance, yet her love and devotion to him have stayed rock-solid for decades. When his career hits a wall, she drops a multimillion-dollar deal just to help him land a six-figure contract. When he collapses after pushing himself too hard, she stays by his bedside day and night, refusing to sleep as she cares for him. When he's trapped on a mountain by a mudslide, she ignores the rescue team's warnings and risks her life to climb up there and drag him out. Throughout their 40-year marriage, Scarlett insists on not having kids. Still, even without children, she and Samuel remain as in love as they have been from day one. Then all of that ends the year Scarlett dies.

My family sold one of their properties to put me through school abroad. Nathan Kingsley and I had been together three years. Two of those were long-distance. Through those two years of me alone overseas, he never broke contact — airport pickups, long phone calls, every anniversary remembered. I'd never once doubted him. I thought distance hadn't beaten us. The day I flew home, he was waiting at Arrivals with a bouquet of flowers. He smiled and said, "Finally." We set the engagement date. We picked out the dress. We booked the reception. The day the wedding march began and I stood at the top of the aisle looking at him, I thought — these three years were worth every minute. Then the doors behind me opened. My sister walked into the chapel, in a white dress, and slid her arm through his. She smiled at me. "Sorry, sis. Those airport pickups? I'm the one who sent him. For the last three years, he's been mine the whole time."

On my thirtieth birthday, Levi Maddox's childhood friend sent me a screenshot of her latest post. She'd tagged it at an amusement park. In the photo, Levi was bent down, tying her shoelace. The caption read: "Somebody said thirty-year-old women are way too boring. Taking a little kid like me out to play is so much more fun!" I stared at the screen for a long time. I didn't like it, and I didn't reply. Less than five minutes later, Levi called. Amusement park music played in the background, and Tessa Wynn was shouting beside him that she wanted cotton candy. Levi sounded casual. "Saw it? Tessa insisted on coming. If you're willing to swallow your pride today, admit you were wrong, and promise you'll never check my phone again, I'll rush home tonight and cut the cake with you." I knew this was his usual trick. Every time we fought over his total lack of boundaries, he'd run off to Tessa. He'd take her to the movies, on trips, dress in matching outfits with her, and then sit back, smug and superior, waiting for me to break down and give in. He'd once said, "Only when you see me with someone else will you learn to rein in that scary need to control everything. Besides, Tessa's like a little sister to me. It's not like you'd really be mad." Tessa always played along sweetly, too. "Sienna, please don't be upset. Levi just sees me as a little sister." On the other end of the line, Levi was still waiting for me to say, "I was wrong. Please come home." But as I looked at the birthday dinner going cold in front of me, I suddenly felt bone-tired. "Don't bother rushing back. "I'm thirty now. "I'm done being your nanny."

After I announced that my boyfriend, James Lane, and I were getting married, his childhood sweetheart came after me again. She dumped an entire bucket of chicken blood over my head, turning my pristine white wedding dress a hideous dark red. Lily Zane stood there watching me without the slightest hint of fear. She knew she could get away with it. Instead of backing down, I looked at James, who had been silent the entire time. "Are you calling the police, or am I?" This was already the ninth time this year. She'd rammed my car, slapped me, and harassed me online. Any time I dared post anything about James, there was always some new form of torment waiting for me. James had begged me to let it go, so I'd swallowed it again and again. Not this time. I dialed 911 without hesitation. James, who hadn't lifted a finger until then, suddenly snatched the phone from my hand and smashed it against the floor. Pieces went flying, and his face was dark with anger. "Are you seriously making this a big deal? It's just a bucket of chicken blood!" Calmly, I wiped the blood from my face and nodded. "Yes, I am, James. And the wedding's off."

A few days before my postpartum period ended, I found two plane tickets to Mirelia tucked inside Daryl’s wallet. I was secretly delighted. I thought he had planned a surprise for me. But on the very day I was supposed to recover, he told me that his company had suddenly sent him on a business trip. I tossed and turned all night, unable to sleep—only to see his first love post on social media. [Finally fulfilled our promise to kiss at Saint Vyron Cathedral. Thank you, God. After all this time, it’s still you.] The photo showed the two of them holding hands and kissing. I didn’t confront him right away. Instead, I turned to look at my sleeping daughter beside me, then picked up my phone. [Dad, I've made up my mind. I'll take over the family business.]

We're playing "Never Have I Ever" at a bachelor party when my girlfriend, Veronica Smith, draws a card that reads, "I have never betrayed my best friend." The moment her words fall, the room freezes as if someone hit pause. Everyone looks at me at the same time. Three seconds later, they wordlessly pick up the drinks in front of them and down them in unison. I am the sole winner of this round, which means I get to ask the losers a truth question or give them a dare. Hence, without hesitation, I ask, "How did you betray your friend?" To my surprise, everyone remains dead silent. My close friend, Ian Lachlan, is about to take his punishment shot when Veronica, who has been silent for a long time, holds his hand down and looks at me. "Don't make things difficult for them. I'll tell you. The truth is, I've been with Ian for five years. I'm pregnant, and I can't let our unborn child be illegitimate." In an instant, tears well up in his eyes, and he can't even bring himself to look at me. Bridget Rochelle, my cousin, also comes clean. "To be honest, we've known all along. Ian and Veronica tied the knot in their hometown last year, and we all attended their wedding. Your adoptive parents accepted it too. They just asked us not to tell you for the time being." At that moment, the party lights hit my eyes, and everyone's faces blur. Their confessions echo in my ears, one after another. Turns out, for seven years, I've been living a lie.

On the third meeting with his girlfriend’s parents, Sebastian Haynes, received another text from his childhood friend, Kylie Miller. “I’m sorry, Mr. and Mrs. Tucker. Something came up. I gotta leave now.” Melanie Tucker reached out and grabbed his arm, whispering, “Do you really have to leave right now? My parents spent so much time on dinner. At least eat something before you go.” He placed his phone in front of her. Kylie’s message was a short “It’s getting foggy.” “This is our code,” he said, his tone dead serious, as if Kylie would die if he didn’t show up at once. “Kylie struggles with severe depression. Whenever she’s on the edge, she sends this to me. I promised her that once she sends this line, no matter what I’m doing, I’ll drop everything and go to her. No exceptions.” “Can’t you go after dinner?” Melanie pleaded. “It’ll take two hours at most.” “Melanie, Kylie doesn’t send the code out of whim. It means she’s at her breaking point. I won’t be able to live with the regret if anything happens. I’m sorry.” He looked toward her parents. “Mr. and Mrs. Tucker, I’m so sorry, but I have to go. I’ll make it up to you another day.” He walked out without looking back even once. The front door slammed shut with a heavy bang, startling her parents. “Did something happen? Sebastian left in such a rush.” Melanie forced a faint smile as she stared at the untouched roast beef and dinner spread on the table. Over five years, Kylie had sent Sebastian that same “It’s getting foggy” message hundreds of times. Whenever they were out on movie dates and he got her text, he would leave halfway through. On New Year’s Eve, just as they were waiting for the firework show, he had abandoned her for Kylie’s sake. One time when Melanie was burning with a 104-degree fever, he had left her lying limply in bed and bolted into the night to find Kylie.

My fiancée, Joanna Stiles, cheats on me again, this time with Ashton Barker, the man who's supposed to be my body double. She even compliments me on choosing such a fitting body double. Desperate to win her back, I get a tattoo in the style she likes, yet Joanna has it removed herself. "Be good. That look doesn't suit you." She even promises me, "The rest of them are just temporary distractions. You're the only man I'll ever marry." With Joanna's permission, Ashton takes the stage to accept an award that rightfully belongs to me. He also attends family gatherings at her side. Even during our wedding rehearsal, Joanna is listening to the playlist she created with Ashton. When she notices me standing there with a frown, she snaps impatiently, "I canceled a board meeting to be here for this rehearsal, and you can't even stay focused? If you're that unhappy, I might as well have Ashton take your place." This time, I don't fight back; I just agree. Just then, my phone lights up with a message from Serena Cahill, my longtime rival who now lives abroad. "Gabriel, why didn't you choose me when our families tried to arrange our marriage all those years ago?"

Caine Black and I were in love for seven years. From our first meeting at the Imperial Academy to being officially recognized by both packs as promised mates, I thought we would be together forever. That certainty lasted until the day before our marking ceremony, when I canceled it. The priest stared at me in shock. "Eileen, the marking ceremony is in twelve hours. Are you sure you don't want to wait for Caine to come back?" I gently unclasped the pendant from my neck, the one that symbolized the Luna's status, and shook my head. "No. "He's under the northern lights on the Ice Plains right now, completing a marking ceremony with his first love."

Ruth Jensen is determined to cure Zeke Carlton of his jealous streak. Every time he gets jealous, she buys her assistant, Calvin Ward, a present—everything from jewelry to expensive cars to villas. Zeke goes from throwing hysterical fits to going completely numb. One day, Ruth buys Calvin gifts for the 99th time. She looks at Zeke, who's shaking all over, his face drained of color. She says disdainfully, "Zeke, I can't stand men who are jealous and possessive. If you never learn to be generous and graceful, then I'll just keep treating Calvin well." But this time, Zeke doesn't question her like he usually does, nor does he ask her for money. He's actually gone to the office to pick something up today. To his surprise, he walks right into Ruth throwing a birthday celebration for Calvin there. The place is crammed full of gifts she's gotten Calvin, piled so high there's barely room to walk. At the door, a few workers are hauling in boxes while gossiping. "Careful. These are all this season's new releases Ms. Jensen bought for Mr. Ward. If we break anything, we'll never be able to pay it back!" "How many times has it been this month? Every time Ms. Jensen does this, she buys him stuff worth millions of dollars…" Zeke feels like someone has sliced his heart open. Every time he asks Ruth for money to keep paying his grandmother's medical bills, she always complains. Yet she doesn't even bat an eye when she buys Calvin these insanely expensive luxury goods. Zeke turns to leave, but Ruth frowns and calls out to him. "Are you actually stalking me all the way to the office now? It's Cal's birthday today. Did you deliberately come here dressed like that just to be an eyesore?"

My husband lies to me about working late on Christmas Day. I know he wants to give me a surprise—I saw a jewelry set worth millions of dollars in his pocket. However, all I receive is the news of him pretending to be Santa Claus as he delivers a gift to his female secretary. She flaunts it on social media. "You're the most precious Christmas gift I've gotten." My husband changes the background photo on his social media to a photo of them together. I smile and like the post. Later, the secretary comes to me and smugly says she's pregnant. Meanwhile, I pull out a diagnosis report verifying that my husband is sterile. "Checkmate!" She visibly panics.

In my past life, Noah Luther, my brother, runs away from his engagement. The bride, Julia Zimmerman, shows no resentment and simply switches the arrangement to me right on the spot. She is courteous and thoughtful toward me after the wedding, but that all changes when Noah crosses someone abroad and has his limbs crushed. She actually spends the whole night in the study after learning of that incident. I assume Julia is worried about my safety when she sends over a dozen bodyguards to me the following day, a gesture that touches me deeply. I suddenly lose consciousness out of nowhere the next day. Then, I get abducted to an abandoned factory and have my hands and legs crushed bit by bit. It's so painful that I try to bite my tongue to commit suicide from the agonizing pain. Julia walks in slowly, looks at my condition, and says wistfully, "So that's how much pain he went through back then." When Noah trips and falls during rehabilitation and loses a tooth, Julia violently pulls out my tooth with pliers that very same night. She looks at my bloody mouth and says calmly that she's only doing this for my sake since I eat too much. Soon after, I "happen" to fall down the stairs when Noah sprains his back, forcing me to stay in bed for three months. Julia even breaks a cup and drives the shards into my hand when Noah accidentally slices his finger while chopping vegetables. Noah later dies in a car accident abroad. Julia drags me to a bridge over the river and jumps off with me, saying, "You're just a stand-in for him. He's dead now, so you shouldn't live either." I open my eyes and find myself back on the day Julia arrives to talk about the wedding arrangement. Noah has already fled through the back door, so she looks at me coldly and says, "I'll marry you, then." I merely smile and say, "I'm already in love with someone else, so please find another person for this marriage, Ms. Zimmerman."

Rhys Lockhart, a brash and unruly trust-fund heir, comes back home from abroad and discovers he's already been married off without his consent. His bride is Elara Waverly, the head of Waverly Corp, and a full eight years older than him. Rhys naturally wants no part of it. So, when he hears she's the disciplined, immaculate type with a serious thing about cleanliness, he makes a point of it. He shows up in ripped streetwear and a backward baseball cap, a row of silver studs lining his ear. His parents turn red with embarrassment and move to apologize, but Elara simply leans forward with quiet composure, her slender fingers gently steadying them. Her voice is cool and clear. "This arrangement already asks too much of Mr. Lockhart. If anyone should be apologizing, it's me." Rhys freezes, and he slowly lifts his head. Beneath the cool detachment in her gaze, her amber eyes are filled with warmth.

While I was with a client looking at watches at a luxury boutique, I spotted a Chanel bag sitting on the authentication counter. "You've got a great eye, sir. This bag retails for eleven thousand dollars, and the young lady who brought it in wants to let it go for under three thousand." As the sales associate opened the inner pocket, a hand-drawn dried-flower card slipped out. "May my girl never have another worry." I wasn't seeing things. It was the seventh-anniversary gift I'd given Veronica Hale, with a note in my own handwriting. The sales associate started chatting idly. "A young woman dropped it off the day before yesterday. It's already been authenticated. She said she needed cash fast to buy her younger boyfriend a car." Younger boyfriend? A car? The color drained from my face. I opened the video account of Dylan Kerr, the college intern at her company. In the video, he was holding a slender hand in the passenger seat, their fingers laced together. On the woman's wrist was a clover bracelet. The one I'd fastened there myself three years ago. Fighting back nausea, I swiped my card and bought the bag. "No need to pack the card. Just throw it out."

“Milana, did you secretly marry Miles Garrett while abroad? Does Ernest know about this?" Milana Orr was just touching up her lipstick and staring at her striking reflection in the mirror. Then, she remarked in an utterly unconcerned voice, "Oh, leave it already. I’ve got the call on speakerphone." Her best friend, Clarice Rivers, dropped her voice to a sharp whisper, "Is Ernest with you?" Milana smiled, then turned around to glance at Ernest, who was seated on the couch and waiting for her to finish getting ready. She smiled coyly, "Yeah, he’s sitting right behind me, but it's fine. It's not like he can hear us anyway." After a brief silence, Clarice spoke again, in a slightly sharper tone this time, "He lost his hearing and became disabled because he tried to save you when you tried to end it all by jumping into the river." "That’s exactly why I went and got married overseas instead." A complex look surfaced in Milana's voice as she cut Clarice off. "But I'm going to stay right here in the country, and we’re going to have a grand wedding together in a week. "That's my way of repaying him for taking care of me over the last five years. "As for the actual marriage license... Well, let’s just forget about that for now." Meanwhile, Ernest was clutching the edges of the magazine so tightly the paper crumpled.