เรื่องสั้นแนว Feel-Good Story และนิยาย Scumbag Face Slapping

My fiancé, Owen Lockhart, came from old money. He kept a canary in a gilded cage, spoiling her rotten. Just as I was about to break off the engagement with him, a barrage of comments suddenly popped up in my mind. [What did Owen do wrong? He just wanted to get your attention.] [Don't break up with him. All you need to do is shed a few tears, and he'll give you everything.] I turned my head, and through the window, I saw the canary in her high-end jewelry, smiling brightly as she hooked her arm around Owen's. He lazily lowered his eyes, yet his expression held a hint of indifference mixed with a subtle affection. I smiled bitterly, replying to the lawyer's message: [Go on with drafting the engagement annulment agreement.]

I'm widely regarded as one of the best dreamwalkers in the field. For five years, I've paved the path to success for my CEO boyfriend, Silas Kielsburn, with the help of my dreamwalking skills. Alas, on the anniversary of our relationship, Silas insists on signing a 20-million-dollar financing deal after reading the dreamwalking interpretation drafted by my archnemesis, Maisie Caldwell. He completely disregards my many attempts to warn him that my dreamwalking interpretation shows the terrible danger looming over him in his dream. "Cassiopeia Vale, look at how selfless Maisie is! Her dreamwalker interpretations are the only things that can bestow golden opportunities upon me! Only a dreamwalker who's as pure-hearted and noble as she is is befitting as my wife!" After that, Silas smashes the fortune-shifting crystal I've gifted to him before proposing to Maisie. I respond by demanding the unpaid dreamwalking fees worth hundreds of thousands of dollars Silas has accumulated during the past five years. However, I end up getting cornered by the thugs he has hired in an alley. In fact, I almost lose my life there. Five years later, I chance upon Silas once again at a university anniversary celebration. By then, he's already a rising star in the tech industry. At the moment, he has an arm wrapped around Maisie, who's now an influencer known for her dreamwalking knowledge that she's stolen from me. Their popularity knows no bounds. As for me, I'm currently kneeling by a flower bed while rummaging through the lawn. "Remember how you refused to tell me the entirety of the dreamwalking interpretation back then, Cassiopeia? To think that you've fallen so far from grace to the point that you're looking for crumbling stones in the shrubs! "Even if you turned the lawn upside down, you and I will never get back together!" I completely tune Silas out. After all, my son has accidentally lost the crystal that I've given to his father as a love token. I need to find it as soon as possible. Otherwise, my extremely doting husband will definitely teach him a painful lesson at home tonight.

"When is that desperate agent of Ace Davidson's finally going to get lost? Just looking at her makes me sick!" "Seriously! She's always clinging to our Ace. Does she really think she's his wife or something?" My finger stopped scrolling across the tablet. Without changing expression, I closed the fan post full of insults on Ace's fan page. As Ace's secret wife of five years and his agent, I'd grown numb to comments like these a long time ago. I turned around, took a box of arnica cream and a steaming hot lunch from my bag, and handed them to the chubby crew member sitting in the corner. "Pudge, eat first. Put some arnica on your face, too. You don't want it to leave a mark." Because of his heavy build and slow movements, the director had slapped Pudge in front of everyone that day. The entire crew had made a joke out of him. I was the only one who'd offered him any comfort. He took the items, his eyes reddening as he looked at me. "Alisson, thank you... You're a good person. There's something I can't keep from you." With that, he glanced around before pulling out a spare phone with a shattered screen. "Alisson, I accidentally caught this on video yesterday while I was organizing props in the underground parking garage." I tapped the video open. On the screen was Ace's private van, the one I'd paid for myself. The vehicle was rocking violently.

After leaving the ancient Vampire Academy, I spent a year hiding in the neutral zone with my mentor, an alchemist obsessed with sunlight resistance. No Senate laws. No secret family protection. My father is one of the Five Original Progenitors. Terrified I'd let some rogue sweet-talk me into a reckless blood pact, he forced a marriage on me. The groom? Julian Vance, Lord of the Crimson Clan in Nightfall City. I had no choice. I went to pick out a sunlight cloak fit for a Lord's wife. A cloak immediately caught my eye—woven with gold thread and night-spider silk, glowing in the dim light. Just as my fingers brushed the fabric, a gratingly sweet voice cut in. "I want that one. Wrap it up." Before I could look up, the manager snatched the display box right out from under my nose. I stood up slowly. "Ever heard of first come, first served?" I asked coldly. "Put it back." The female vampire turned around, looking me up and down with pure disgust. "This cloak is half a million dollars. Can you even afford it, you potion-stinking half-breed?" She smirked. "Julian Vance and I grew up together. We are blood-bonded. In Nightfall City, my word is law." Her almighty Julian was my fiancé. We hadn't even met yet. I pulled out my phone and dialed his number. "Good evening, Julian. Your pretty little childhood sweetheart just stole my cloak for our bonding ceremony. Tell me, how should we settle this?"

During my tenth attempt at IVF, I was finally pregnant with triplets. I was extremely excited when I found out that I was pregnant, and I immediately wanted to tell Liam White. That was when I accidentally overheard his conversation with the doctor. “Mr. White, aren’t you afraid that Ms. Scott will find out that you’ve secretly swapped the eggs with Holly’s? “Besides, it’s not good for Ms. Scott to be pregnant with triplets. It’ll be very dangerous for her.” Through the gap of the door, I saw Liam say coldly, “Holly will only become the top supermodel after Evelyn gives birth to triplets and ruins her figure completely. “When Evelyn gives birth to the triplets, I’ll propose to Holly on the same day. “Then, my life will be complete with my career, love, and children. Evelyn is nothing but a surrogate to me.” I stood outside of the door and finally understood how cruel Liam could be. Then, I immediately made a call. “Mandy, I want to join next week’s fashion week.”

The century-long war was over. My sister and I were the Alpha's daughters. The strongest pack in the North. We were forced into a marriage alliance with the Evernight vampire kingdom. A witch prophesied a powerful hybrid would be born to our family. A child destined to be king. Soon, my sister and I were both pregnant. I didn't care about giving birth to the prophesied ruler. I just wanted my child to be safe and healthy. But I never expected what happened. My sister, Liliana, gave birth to the hybrid king. Her mate, the first prince, Damien, was immediately named Crown Prince. And me? I gave birth to a monster. A beast born in its feral wolf form, all fangs and fury. I was branded unclean. My mate, the second prince Kael, was executed for my "sin." Burned to ash. Only in my last moments did I learn the truth. The monster my sister had swapped for mine? It was hers. It was all a scheme. A plot she and Damien hatched to hide a defect in his bloodline and steal the throne. When I opened my eyes again, I was back. Back before everything went to hell. And my sister was walking toward me, a smile on her face, a glass of juice in her hand…

When my husband, Lucius Croft, and I were on a flight that was heading toward our honeymoon destination, his childhood friend, Belinda Todd, suddenly appeared before us while pregnant. She claimed that she had bought an economy-class ticket and that she wanted to go on a vacation with us. Not only did Lucius not reject Belinda, but he also wanted me to give my first-class ticket away to her. I turned his suggestion down. So, he helped Belinda occupy the first-class seat next to us. When I realized that an old lady was the owner of that particular seat, I did everything I could to convince Lucius to return the seat to her. Unexpectedly, Belinda was so mad that she got off the plane right away. On her way home, she got into an accident, which killed her and her unborn baby. Lucius attended her funeral calmly. But on the day I was supposed to go into labor, he tied me up in the car and staged a car accident on purpose. "This is all your fault! If it wasn't for you, Belinda never would've died! You deserve to make it up to her with your life!" I could only watch the car drive into the tree in total despair. All I saw was a huge explosion and tongues of flame around me before I completely lost consciousness. When I open my eyes again, I see Belinda standing before me with her belly jutting out. This time, I no longer stop them. What they don't know is that the inconspicuous-looking old lady is actually a member of the esteemed Howard family, also known as the global business powerhouse. She's also the grandmother of the richest man in the world, Ethan Howard.

For ten years, I was a peace offering to Alpha Kane. And he chose his adopted sister, Fiona, over me 77 times. He planned my birthday around her tastes. At the Hunter’s Moon festival, she stood beside him in the Luna’s ceremonial gown. My gown. Even on our mating night, he left me. Fiona faked a panic attack, claiming her wolf was losing control. He spent the night coddling her. I forgave him the first 76 times. Because he’d saved my life once, even if he didn’t remember. But when I was kidnapped, he had to choose: trade the pack's sacred artifact for my life, or stay with Fiona and her latest self-made drama. He chose her. The kidnappers injected me with a lethal dose of wolfsbane. I felt it tearing my wolf apart, devouring my life force from the inside out. The 77th time. I was finally ready to give up. But I was saved. By Drake, Alpha of the Nightfall Pack. The one who'd been watching over me for fifteen years.. That’s when I learned the truth. I’d been thanking the wrong man. The one who saved me was always Drake. Never Kane. So I went back. I filed to sever our mate bond with the Elders. In four days, I'll be free. And Kane can be with his precious Fiona forever. So why, now that it’s all over, is he on his knees, begging for me back and crying that he always loved me?

My cheating husband came crawling back on our daughter Lily's fifth birthday. He was ruined. Fired over a dirty scandal. Dumped by his gold-digging mistress the second his cash dried up. He begged me to save our marriage. In my last life, I was weak. I stayed for the kids. My reward? He went insane. In the dead of night, he locked the doors of our Greenwich estate. Poured gasoline everywhere. And lit a match. My parents. My four babies. Me. And him. All eight of us burned to ashes. But then I opened my eyes. I was back. Back to the day of Lily's party. This time, I will protect my family. And I will send that demon to hell.

I was secretly married to Conrad, our company's CEO, for three years. When a photo of us walking out of a house together in the morning was leaked, I called 911 right in front of all the employees. "Officer, the CEO of this company raped me!" I did this because in my previous life, he had sworn to me: "The company is at a critical funding stage. The investors value my image as a highly eligible bachelor. To get this multimillion-dollar lifeline, we just have to compromise a little and hide our relationship from the public." I was soft-hearted back then. I thought the pressure of managing the company was too much for him, so I agreed. But what I got in return was his young assistant, Ivy, spreading rumors that I was a vain, money-hungry woman who had seduced my boss for his fortune. Then she launched a massive online smear campaign, painting me as a shameless opportunist and turning the entire office against me. In the end, I was pushed to the breaking point. Targeted as a toxic gold digger, I was intentionally run over and killed by a crazed hater. Ironically, after my death, Conrad refused to press charges against the online mob. Then he easily slipped a wedding ring onto Ivy's finger. Now, opening my eyes again, I found myself back on the morning we were secretly photographed leaving the house together.

At the concert, my husband James Felton and his assistant ended up on the kiss cam. They made for a beautiful couple, and the clip immediately went viral. In the video, I saw my son cheering in between them. The next thing I did was share the video on my Instagram feed with the caption, [How sweet.] James immediately gave me a video call, labeling me a jealous woman. “We were only acting to fool her ex! Stop making a fuss out of everything!” Our friends in the know were all laughing behind my back, placing bets on when I would apologize. This time, however, I was not going to play to their tune.

The night before Prince Dorian's consort-selection reception, I had a terrible dream. I dreamed I got exactly what I wanted. I became his wife, and I wasted my entire life on it. While I hemorrhaged through the birth and our baby died before it drew a breath, Dorian was at a lodge across the city, drinking to celebrate with another woman. What they were celebrating was my labor. My child hadn't been unlucky. Dorian had drugged me. He'd promised that woman she would be the only one to ever bear his children. Later I learned the truth, and I found her, and I found the son she'd given him in secret. Dorian went wild. He broke my arms and legs and kept me locked away for the rest of my life. He entered the boy into my household records and installed him openly as his heir. On the day I died, Dorian finally turned up. Decades of marriage, and it was the most he had ever said to me. "Celeste was born too low for my mother to accept her. That's the only reason you got the title. "You were useful, though. Celeste could never enter the house, but our son can inherit it under your name. "Go quietly. If there's a next life, keep your distance. Stop throwing yourself in my path." I woke with a jolt, refusing to believe it. Then, at the selection reception, I walked straight into Dorian on purpose and lifted the handkerchief from his sleeve. A pair of swans was embroidered on it, and beneath them, small and neat, the name Celeste Beaumont. The blood drained out of my face. I grabbed the girl I'd hated since childhood and headed for the door. "I'm not marrying him. And neither are you."

My father is the High God of the Sun, and my mother is the Empress of the Moon. Ever since I was born, they’ve had two suitors lined up for me. First, there’s Sol, the God of Dawn. He rules the Temple of Light and controls everything warm and bright in this world. Then there’s Karnos, the Shadow Sovereign. He rules the Dark Realm with a power so absolute it makes the other gods tremble. On the day of my Millennium Awakening, whichever man I choose as my husband will become the Supreme Ruler of the entire Divine Realm. Without a second thought, I chose Karnos. The crowd went dead silent. Everyone was losing their minds because I’d been head-over-heels for Sol since we were kids. I’d even sworn an oath that I’d never marry anyone but him. But what they don't know is that in my past life, I did marry Sol. And on our very first night as husband and wife, he crawled into bed with my maid, Lilith. When the news broke, Lilith was banished to the mortal world. Sol never forgave me for that. He blamed me for her exile. After I got pregnant, he started bringing a different goddess home every single night, forcing me to watch while they were intimate right in front of me. It got worse. On the day I went into labor, he intentionally sent away every single healing deity. He ignored my screams and pleas for help, leaving me and my unborn child to die in absolute agony. So, now that I’ve been reborn, I’ve decided to let him have his "true love." I’m walking away and choosing Karnos instead. But there’s one thing I didn’t count on... Sol remembered everything, too.

Before my grandfather, the Don of the Rinaldi family, dies, he leaves behind a will. The five Principessas of the Rinaldi family are forbidden from using our family name. We must live like ordinary people until one of us gives birth to the first heir. Whoever does so will inherit everything. For three years, I keep my identity hidden. My husband, Oliver Wright, and I live in a cramped apartment to the south of Windmere. Every morning, we squeeze onto the subway to get to work. When we're short on money, we stay up late making plans and racking our brains trying to keep his small company afloat. I never think life is hard because I love him. One day, the doctor hands me my medical test results—I am the first one to become pregnant. Upon learning this, my whole body trembles with excitement. The life that Oliver and I have struggled toward for years suddenly feels within reach. I drive home with a happy smile on my face as I imagine how he will react. But when I push the door open, I see a woman wearing my favorite nightgown. She is sitting with Oliver, sharing the apple I left in the refrigerator with him. He takes a bite from her hand and glances at me casually. "My first love, Maeve Young, is back. Let's get a divorce." My fingers tighten around the pregnancy test report. Then, I smile and say, "Sure." What he doesn't know is that his penniless, patient, obedient, and endlessly forgiving wife has a last name powerful enough to open every door in Windmere. I will keep this child, and the family fortune will still pass to me. As for my husband, Oliver? I'm ready to let him go.

At our engagement party, my fiancé’s so-called girl best friend showed up wearing a wedding dress identical to mine and stood next to him as they greeted guests. Everyone assumed she was the bride. I wasn’t angry. Instead, I calmly picked up the microphone that had fallen to the floor and tapped it twice. The next second, the LED wall lit up. The surround-sound system came alive. And every socialite in the city heard the unmistakable moans my fiancé and his “best friend” had made together on a mountain road the night before.

Three days before my engagement party, my dad, Mike Kemp, makes a pot of wild mushroom stew at home. He says the wild mushrooms from Westhaven are the freshest, so it makes the perfect meal to welcome Vance Topp back home. Vance has just secured another round of funding. Everyone praises me for having such good judgment and betting on a promising young entrepreneur. But without my money, how could a broke man like him have gotten this far? I paid for his first lab with the money I got from selling the painting my mom, Peggy Roth, left for me. I also put my trust fund up as collateral to secure his first round of funding. On top of that, the company's most valuable anti-allergy formula is based on handwritten notes Mom left behind when she died. Luckily, Vance isn't some ungrateful jerk. Right now, he's gently ladling soup into my bowl. "Eat more, Tiana. You've lost weight from all the wedding planning." I'm about to say something when my stepmother, Brie Upton, who is right beside Dad, laughs. "Vance, you're still as considerate as ever." Brie is only a few years older than me and has been pretty well-behaved since she married Dad. Aside from being a little materialistic, she's never given me any trouble. We've always been cordial toward each other… Until tonight. The stew looks especially tempting, so Vance has two drinks and eats more than half a bowl. A moment later, his expression shifts and he stares at the chandelier, giggling. "Brie, I miss you so much." I freeze. Dad's expression hardens, his brows furrowing. "Vance, are you drunk?" Vance suddenly grabs Brie's hand. In the dead silence around the table, his voice comes out slurred yet affectionate. "We're almost through the hard part. Once I marry Tiana, the trust fund that her mom left behind will be ours."

At my engagement ceremony, I wait for Elio Ricci to slip his family's ring onto my finger. It's the ring that will officially mark me as his Donna. Instead, in front of everyone, he takes his widowed sister-in-law Marianne Fabbri's hand and places the ring on hers. I stand there frozen. Elio barely reacts. "My brother is dead, but Marianne still needs to give the family an heir who carries our blood. Stella, just be patient a little longer. Once the baby is born, I'll make you my Donna." Everyone expects me to smile and accept it. After all, I've spent five years at Elio's side. I've swallowed every slight and endured every test just to finally earn his family's approval. What no one expects is for me to turn around, call my father, and accept the marriage alliance my family arranged for me years ago. I reclaim my family name that very night. Then I leave the city without looking back and marry the head of the most powerful crime family in North Amrea. Four years later, I return. My husband, Renato Costa, tells me he's sending someone to meet me at the harbor. I never expect that someone to be Elio. The moment he sees me, his gaze drops to the ruby ring on my finger. "Four years, and you're still obsessed with climbing your way into a better family." Elio lets out a mocking laugh. "The head of the Costa family paid five million dollars for that ring at an auction. And you actually went out and bought yourself a fake? You really haven't changed." He gestures toward the car waiting by the curb. "You've had four years to throw your little tantrum. I'd say that's long enough. Your timing is good, though. Marianne and I have a son now, and he could use a nanny." I casually sweep my curls back over my shoulder, letting my fingertips brush across the ruby. There's no reason to tell him the truth. To Renato, this ring isn't some priceless treasure. It's just another little trinket my husband buys on a whim because he thinks it'll make me smile.

When my husband supposedly drove off a cliff and died, I didn't shed a tear. I went straight to the county records office and had him officially marked deceased. My best friend asked, "Shouldn't you wait?" I gave a thin smile. "For what? For his first love to collect my insurance money?" Seven days later, I intercepted the $1.2 million payout. Then my best friend and I headed south in the middle of the night. A year later, my supposedly dead husband stood in front of me. I only smiled. "Go on. Have them restore your legal identity. See if you can explain that without facing ten years for insurance fraud."

After spending three months scavenging for supplies in the sweltering heat, my boyfriend, Derek Callahan, gives me just three ounces of muddy water. Then, he gives all our clean water to his childhood sweetheart, Fione Prescott, so she can wash her feet. When I confront him at the shelter, he loses his temper. "Fiona has sensitive skin! She could get sick if she washes her feet with dirty water. You're perfectly healthy, so what's the problem? Do you really have to make such a big deal over a little water? "Fiona was right about you. You never wanted to be part of my team. You only joined because you wanted me to protect you! I was even planning to save you a good spot in the safe zone if you'd just drink that muddy water. But you've really disappointed me!" I'm not about to waste my breath arguing with him. I quit the team on the spot, leaving him free to get together with Fiona. Five years later, he's taken over several smaller settlements and founded Ashford, the largest survivor base, becoming a powerful warlord with an army under his command. Meanwhile, as far as everyone knows, I'm still just a lone scavenger. When we cross paths again at the trade fair, Derek holds a glass of chilled juice in one hand, with Fiona nestled against his side. He looks me up and down, his gaze lingering on my worn-out backpack. "Still digging through trash, huh? What brings you here? Come to beg me to take you in? If you hadn't been so selfish back then, you'd be the First Lady of Ashford by now. But you blew your chance. Even if you got down on your knees and begged, I wouldn't give you a second glance." But the moment the governor of Eden, the world's only remaining ecological city, kisses me on the cheek, Derek crushes the glass in his hand. "Sophie Bennett! I never agreed to break up with you! What gives you the right to marry someone else?"

The day before the Imperial Academy trial, my online boyfriend told me his friend had drawn me as his partner. Before I could even process what he meant, he dragged me into a group chat. "Congratulations, Liam! You drew yourself a 200-pound partner!" Right after that, someone posted a photo of me from three years ago for everyone to see. In it, I wore an XL ceremonial robe, my face so chubby my ears practically disappeared. The chat instantly exploded with laughter. "God, that's not a werewolf. That's a porcupine on two legs." "A bet's a bet, Liam. You drew her yourself!" "Who says his partner is useless? She could sit on the prey and crush it to death! Hahaha!" Before long, someone started a betting pool. They were betting on whether I'd dare show up for the trial the next day. My online boyfriend bet 10,000 gold coins that I wouldn't. "Don't blame me, guys. You drew her yourself!" Liam, the werewolf who had drawn me, didn't say a word. Then Claire, the girl everyone in the chat had crowned the prettiest girl at the academy, suddenly tagged me. "Sweetie, don't listen to them. You'll still come tomorrow, won't you?" I watched the insults fly across the screen and laughed. None of them knew I'd lost 100 pounds for this trial, dropping from 200 pounds to 100. For the past two months, I couldn't leave the house without some werewolf hitting on me. Without saying a word, I placed my own bet. 30,000 gold coins that I'd show up on time.