Cerita Pendek & Novel Scumbag

My powerful, doting CEO husband had always treated me like I was the center of his world. But the moment he made a wish and blew out the candles on his birthday cake, something changed. When he opened his eyes again, he looked at me like I was a complete stranger. “Who are you?” Then his expression turned frantic. “Where’s Vivian? “If I’m ever getting married, Vivian is the only woman I’ll marry!” He shouted the words and bolted out of the house. I was still standing there in shock when lines of floating comments suddenly appeared in front of me. [Hahaha, look at the supporting female lead. She’s totally stunned! The male lead just switched souls with his eighteen-year-old self. Younger him is off to find his precious first love!] [She should be grateful she ever got to become Mrs. Pierce. If she didn’t look a little like Vivian, why would the male lead have married her in the first place?] [Too bad the soul swap only lasts thirty days. Come on, Young Male Lead! Hurry up and win Vivian back. When the older version comes back, give him one hell of a surprise!] My fingertips instantly went cold. Two weeks later, Adrian Pierce came home with a woman who looked almost exactly like me. He threw a divorce agreement down in front of me. “The house is mine. The money is mine. Everything is mine. “You’ve been living the life that should’ve belonged to Vivian for years. “So sign the papers and get out.”

After Ryan Spencer cheated on me again with his secretary, I completely lost it. When my mind started to spiral, I grabbed the fruit knife off the table. I just wanted it to end. “Why are you hurting yourself again? He doesn’t love you anymore?” I looked up. The sixteen-year-old Ryan was walking toward me, heartbreak written all over his face. His voice was gentle. “Tell me who he is. I’ll make him pay.” I stared into the bright, earnest eyes of the boy standing in front of me. I didn’t say a word. I simply lifted my hand and pointed at his face. Later, Ryan was the one who had me admitted to a psychiatric hospital. When the sedative began to wear off, the teenage boy appeared again, sitting by my bed. He stared at the man outside who looked just like him. The light in his eyes faded little by little. Then he spoke, his voice strained. “I don’t care who he is. I’ll kill him.” The sixteen-year-old Ryan never lied to me. When he said something, he meant it.

I was Brandon Sandler’s most cherished canary—pampered, sheltered, and utterly his for five years. Then came the news of his engagement to another woman. Only then did I realize his affection had been a carefully crafted revenge. He trapped me by his side, flaunting his love for another while subjecting me to relentless humiliation. Eventually, I stopped caring. But the ruthless business tycoon, who once held himself above all, clutched me with red-rimmed eyes, begging me to come home. He said he regretted everything. My hand instinctively cradled my stomach as I glanced at the man behind him. “Darling,” I murmured, “this man is scaring our baby.”

On my wedding day, my fiancé bailed. Sabina—his ex—had sent him a diary listing 77 things she'd done for him. Turns out she only dumped him because his family pushed her to. So, he ran back to her. While I was still reeling, Jacob—my fiancé's best friend—showed up. He got down on one knee, flashed a ring he'd clearly had ready, and said, "Yuna Auclair, I've liked you for a long time. Will you marry me?" I thought he was my person. But after the wedding, Jacob turned distant. Hot one second, ice-cold the next. Then I found a diary in his study. Just like the one Sabina had sent my ex. Page one hit like a truck: [Hurt Yuna Auclair seventy-seven times, and I'll break up with Gabriel and be with you.] Oh—and Gabriel? He was my ex.

When my boyfriend, Sebastian Passini, comes to me in tears, claiming his famiglia has been crippled and backed into a corner, I put everything my famiglia has at stake to pave the way for him. I withstand immense pressure from my famiglia, divert four million dollars, deploy our most elite soldati, and even fall out with my Madre, all to protect him. Yet, on the eve of his "counterattack," I stumble upon his true colors in my famiglia's underground chamber. Angelina Aureli chuckles beside him. "To swallow the Valerini famiglia whole, you put on a fine performance. Are you really going to sit back and watch Isabella hand over her famiglia's foundation to you?" Sebastian sneers, "Why else would I call her a fool? Her trust—and the Valerinis' resources—are nothing but stepping stones for me to rise to the top. Once I have everything in my hands, she and that old hag are dead!" I fish out my phone and revoke the final tranche of resources I had reserved for Sebastian. I should have known from the very beginning. He and I have never been on the same path. He wants plunder and destruction, and I'll make him pay for his greed in blood.

The Sullivans, one of Delston's richest families, are coming to the orphanage to find their long-lost daughter. Before they arrive, my childhood friend, Alex Jenkins, hands me a gold pendant. "Mr. Anderson said you were wearing this when you were first brought here. He told me to return it to you." Comments suddenly begin appearing one after another in front of me. "Wait, Alex gave Olivia's pendant to Rhea? Is he seriously trying to pass Rhea off as the Sullivan daughter?" "Of course he is. Olivia's pregnant. What rich family wants its long-lost daughter showing up pregnant and unmarried?" "They'll let Rhea take her place until Olivia has the baby. Then Olivia can come back, expose her, and take her place in the family. She's the real Sullivan, after all." "Poor Rhea has no clue what's really going on. Now everyone's going to think she's some scheming orphan trying to worm her way into a rich family." And that was exactly what happened the first time around. Thrilled, I went to meet the Sullivans with the gold pendant. Mr. and Mrs. Sullivan mistook me for their long-lost daughter and spoiled me rotten. Then, at my birthday party two years later, Olivia Sullivan burst in sobbing. She accused me of stealing her pendant and taking her place in the family. Alex turned on me too, telling everyone I'd been manipulative since we were kids. Overnight, I became the most hated woman in Delston high society. The entire industry blacklisted me, and in the end, I died on the streets. When I opened my eyes again, Alex was holding out the same gold pendant to me. And yet, I still smile and take it.

On the third day of my business trip out of state, someone new joined the group chat formed for my son's class. It had been quiet for weeks when she suddenly sent a voice message. I tapped it, and an unfamiliar woman's voice played through my phone. "Hello, everyone. I'm the new language teacher at the school, and I'm also Tony Gardner's mother. Looking forward to getting to know you all!" My whole body went cold. I opened the group member list and checked it over and over. My son's name was Tony Gardner, and she said she was Tony Gardner's mother. Then, who the hell was I? I immediately called my husband. "Did someone get added to the parent group by mistake?" He paused on the other end before he laughed it off like it was nothing. "Oh, probably just a mix-up. The school has so many kids. It's not unusual for kids to have the same names. What's the matter? Did something happen?" I kept my voice light and told him everything was fine. The second I hung up, I booked the next flight home and headed straight to my son's school.

When Nathan comes to pick me up on the day of the wedding, he loses his footing and falls down a flight of stairs that's several feet high. He's not badly injured, but he bumps his head on the steps and ends up with jumbled memories. He mistakenly thinks that I am his first love, who had once hurt him. He reacts violently whenever he sees me. At this time, I found out that I am pregnant. The doctor says that the good news might be able to awaken his memories partially. I rush off to find him, holding the medical report. However, I accidentally overhear the conversation between him and his friends. "Nate is always full of ideas. Now he's even claiming that his memories are jumbled up! As long as you don't get bored, Olivia will never be able to force you to get married." "Don't spout nonsense. I do love Liv, and she's the only one that I'll ever love. I'll just have fun for half a month more before I settle down and get married." "Half a month? That isn't even enough time to flirt with all the female models at the club. Can you really be satisfied with that?" Nathan's expression turns cold as he snaps, "I'm not an irresponsible jerk. Liv and I have been together for so many years. "I'm definitely going to marry her. Call someone now! I want the one from yesterday with a tiny waist and a big bottom. It excites me to look at her!" Trembling, I tear up the notice from the hospital and turn to leave.

For eight years, I'd managed the career of my boyfriend, Aiden White, a famous celebrity. I was also a partner at Veyra Media and the one pulling the strings behind his career. But on our anniversary trip, Aiden and one of the company's top influencers left me behind at a hotel near a volcano. They drove for forty minutes before they even realized I wasn't with them. When Aiden finally answered my call, he sounded more annoyed than concerned. "Scarlett, why didn't you get in the car? We need to hike to the crater by five, or we'll miss the blue flames! We're already almost there. I can't turn around and drive all the way back for you!" "Scarlett can find a ride and meet us here," Karina said in the background. "You know she can take care of herself. She'll be fine." In the past, I would've swallowed my hurt and rushed to catch up with them. But this time, I stared at the moon in the distance and realized I didn't want to chase after Aiden anymore. I pulled up the itinerary I'd spent weeks planning and canceled every flight and hotel booking. Then I booked a new trip to Veythira, a quiet coastal town I'd always dreamed of visiting. Aiden had never wanted to go. He thought it was too remote and had nothing worth seeing. I was done following him. From now on, I'd choose my own path.

It was the holiday season, so I took my foster daughter, Megan Delgado, to our mansion for a vacation. However, I found out that the property had been occupied by someone else. The woman who opened the door looked at us with an impatient expression. “What do you want? You’re interrupting my daughter’s birthday party. Are you asking for trouble?” For a moment, I thought I might have the wrong house. That was until I noticed the clothing and jewelry the woman was wearing. Every piece was an exact match with what I kept in my wardrobe here. The timing could not be more telling. Just a week ago, my husband, Richie Delgado, said he was planning a surprise for me and Megan. He asked for the spare key to the mansion. I glanced past her at the crowd of party guests in the living room. “So, you’re saying you’re the lady of the house?” She sized me up and noted my simple outfit. “Who else if not me? You? You’ve ruined my daughter’s party. You’d better beg for her forgiveness now!” she said in a condescending tone. When I did not move, she warned, “My husband will be home any minute now. Do you know who he is? He’s the CEO of Beran Corp! A nobody like you can’t afford to cross him!” They were using my mansion to throw a birthday party for his illegitimate daughter. It was quite the surprise indeed!

In my past life, the twin Alphas Alexander and Lucas pursued me, the only white wolf in the pack, relentlessly. Only a pack blessed by a White Wolf could receive the true favor of the Moon Goddess. Just as I was agonizing over whose mark to accept, they both hit their rut simultaneously. That night, I was forced to endure both of them claiming me. Later, I fell pregnant with a pup. Since the Alpha King couldn't determine the paternity, he decided I would be the Luna to both of them. The throne would go to the father of the child once a blood test could be performed after birth. But on the day of our Mating Ceremony, Sarah came back. She was my half sister and the Alpha twins childhood sweetheart. She was driven mad with jealousy, ran out trying to attract everyone’s attention, and ended up being torn apart by a passing Rogue. Alexander and Lucas seemed indifferent at first. Throughout my pregnancy, they treated me with unwavering devotion. But on the day I gave birth, they strangled my newborn pup. Their eyes were glowing crimson with rage as they roared, "Why wasn't it you? You bitch! You stole the White Wolf bloodline that belonged to Sarah and cursed her life!" Before I could even utter a word of defense, the two men I loved more than life itself tore me to shreds. When I open my eyes again, the Alpha King demanded I make my choice—to decide which twin I would accept as my fated mate—I chose neither.

In the second year of our marriage, my husband cheated on me with his first love and even had the audacity to ask me to step aside. So, I activated the system and made the two lovebirds swap bodies. Now, I couldn't wait to see if the husband burdened with a massive debt in place of his dream girl, and the dream girl waking up to a fortune overnight, could still maintain the “unbreakable love” they claimed to have.

My fiancé sent me overseas and immediately burned my wallet, threw away my phone, and tore up my visa. He did it all to make sure I couldn't return home and ruin his wedding to his first love. His friends tried to warn him. "Don't go too far. What if your fiancée really gets angry?" But my fiancé didn't care at all. "She's gotten too spoiled because I've always treated her too well. I'm just teaching her to be more understanding. Besides, Yvonne and I aren't really getting married. I'm only doing this so her dying grandmother can pass away without regrets. Nothing will happen between us. Once the wedding is over, I'll make it up to Winnie." The moment his wedding ended, he rushed to find me and apologize. But he never got the chance to see me. Later, he even took my documents and planned to register our marriage first as a way to make it up to me. It seemed he truly had no idea that I had already died the night he sent me overseas.

I drag my suitcase out of the airport and walk straight into a massive billboard. "Welcome back, Jennifer Palmer, the great love of Ivan Olsen's life." The entire Internet praises him for having waited faithfully for ten years. A star-struck reporter shoves a microphone in my face and asks, "Ms. Palmer, are you moved that Mr. Olsen has remained celibate for you all this time?" I blink in confusion at her question. "Who's Ivan?"

Levi Hoffman detests having his photo taken. Whenever his company holds press conferences, he forbids all reporters from bringing their cameras inside. Even though we've been married for three years, we've never taken a single photo together, let alone our wedding photos. He's cold and aloof by nature, and he refuses to waste his life in front of a camera lens. To him, it's utterly meaningless. However, things change the moment I see a photo of him and a young woman inside a photo booth at the mall. The young woman was smiling sweetly at the camera while Levi gazed at her with a doting expression on his face. They were huddled close together in the photo, looking just like any of the other couples who also had their photo booth photos pasted on the walls. I tear down the photo of him and the young woman before tossing it onto his desk. However, he just glances at it for a moment before replying nonchalantly, "She wanted to have some fun and insisted on dragging me inside the booth. It's just a photo. Why are you so worked up about it, Natasha Bowen?" I chuckle. So, while I've been trying to get just a photo of the two of us in the same frame for the past three years to no avail, another woman can chalk it up as "having fun" and get her picture easily just by acting coy. I take off my wedding ring and place it right on top of the photo. If this is the case, then I might as well just disappear from the lens of his life forever.

For eighteen years, my bestie Sarah and I were just regular humans. And then, all of a sudden, we both awakened our werewolf blood. She ended up mated to Logan, like, the most powerful Alpha around. And me? Fate, or whatever, paired me up with Ethan, an Alpha from a pack under Logan's. The day of our mating ceremony, Sarah was all like, "Go on, enjoy Ethan's mark!" I mean, the guy had an eight-pack and was drop-dead gorgeous. But almost a year into our mating, Ethan still hadn't marked me. I cried to Sarah, "What's the point of a mate who won't even mark me?" I never expected Sarah to burst into tears too. "Logan and I… our genes aren't compatible. He can't get me pregnant. I want to break our mate bond too!" So, just like that, we hatched a plan to escape. After a "car accident," both Alphas' mates vanished. It wasn't until we started our new lives that we found out... We were both pregnant!

Seven years with a photographer, and I don't have a single decent photo of myself. "I only shoot landscapes, not people," my boyfriend, Dwayne Norton, always tells me. He even claims he broke up with his ex because she kept forcing him to take her picture. So, for seven years, I play nice. I never ask and never push. Until today, when I'm scrolling through social media and see a post from my influencer best friend, Aviana Reed. "My personal photographer has been shooting me for seven years. Every single shot is a masterpiece!" In the comments, there's a reply, "It's an honor to shoot my muse." The profile picture is pitch black. The tone is so familiar it leaves me completely numb. He doesn't hate shooting people. He just hates shooting me. Dwayne, since there's no room for me in your lens, then this time, there's no room for you in my world either.

When I'm pulling an overnight shift at midnight, I receive a text from my boyfriend of five years, Robert Howell. "I've already ended the rental agreement on our previous apartment. I'm sending you our new address now." After glancing at the address, realization dawns on me immediately. "Is this because of Daisy again?" Daisy Baldwin is the so-called delicate yet strong-willed young woman, whom Robert has mentioned to me. This is our third time moving apartments in just half a year. We've moved from a high-end apartment located in the boisterous city all the way to a residential area in the rural slums. All this… just so Robert can get closer to Daisy. I must have exposed Robert's true intentions, for he sounds quite humiliated and furious. "Can you stop being so petty? Dee Dee was stalked after she got off her overtime shift! You're a woman as well; how is it that you don't have any trace of empathy for her?" As I look out the window and see the night sky, I feel a wave of exhaustion hitting me all of a sudden. Honestly, I don't remember how many times Robert and I have argued over Daisy. At first, I was enraged and aggrieved. Now, I'm just speechless. "I can't be bothered to waste my breath on you. I'm going to pick Dee Dee up from work now." Robert ends the call before I can respond. The thing is, Robert has never asked me if I wanted to move right from the start. He also never asks me if I need a ride home since it's already this late at night. That's why I drop my signature on the overseas assignment agreement that has been left on my desk for a week without consulting Robert at all.

Late one night, I was scrolling through social media when I came across a post asking people to share their wedding photos. I was about to leave mine in the comments when the pinned reply caught my eye. It was a set of wedding photos of my husband, Sebastian Moore, and my cousin, Xena Zane. My ears rang, and my mind went completely blank. I tapped into the account that had posted them. There were hundreds of posts, and nearly all of them were wedding photos. I scrolled down and opened the very first one. Wendy Tanner, my best friend, had left the top comment. [Finally! I've been waiting forever for you two to go public. Wishing you a lifetime of happiness!] My mom, Diane Stone, had commented right beneath her. [You two look wonderful together. Take good care of each other.] Mutual friends, relatives, and people from every corner of our lives had all chimed in with congratulations. Something inside me finally snapped. Everyone had known from the beginning. Everyone except me.

My fiancé Felix Morgan’s secretary Claire believed in tarot the way other people believed in gravity. The first time she met me, she threw a glass of water in my face. Without missing a beat, she explained to Felix, "You have an important client today. The cards say that if your lover wears makeup, it will ruin your luck." I assumed Felix would punish her for it. Instead, he turned to me. "Audrey, go take it off. The client comes first." After that, she only got bolder. On our anniversary, she said Felix would face bloodshed or even death if he saw me that day. So I did not see Felix once all day. When we planned our pre-wedding shoot, she said I would bring Felix bad luck that year. The photo shoot I had spent weeks planning was quietly canceled. I fought with Felix about it more times than I could count. And every time, he gave me the same self-righteous speech: "Claire is an extremely dedicated secretary. Everything she does is for me and for the company. The more I earn, the better the life I can give you!" Then I found out I was pregnant. Claire said, "This baby was conceived at an unlucky time. It will hold Felix's career back." Felix did not hesitate for a second. "Get rid of it. Claire wouldn't steer me wrong. There will be other babies. We'll have Claire pick a good time later." Something inside me finally broke. I put a hand on my stomach. Fine. Then this baby wouldn't carry the Morgan name.