Short Stories & Novels

The day my girlfriend and I were supposed to get our marriage license, she suddenly disappeared. That night, I accidentally came across a social media post she had forgotten to hide from me. "From twenty to twenty-eight. We finally made it." Attached was a photo of two marriage certificates. In the wedding photo, she leaned against a man I had never seen before, smiling with effortless joy. Furious, I opened the comments, ready to confront her. Then, I saw a message from my best friend. "Congratulations to the lovebirds. After everything you've been through, you finally made it." My chest tightened. With shaking hands, I called him. After a long silence, he finally confessed. "Yeah. They've been together for eight years. Everyone in our circle knew. We weren't trying to hurt you. We just thought you'd take it badly and make a scene. "Oliver and Fiona belong together. It wasn't easy for them to make it this far. We're all friends here. Just be the bigger person." Tears hit the floor like ice, yet they burned a hole straight through my heart. Only then did I realize that during the twelve years Fiona Frost and I had been together, she had spent eight of them loving another man. Everyone knew. Everyone except me.

When the hurricane shattered the floor-to-ceiling windows, our five-year-old daughter and the nanny's dog were both swept toward the broken edge, only moments away from plunging to their deaths. There was only one rescue cushion left. The nanny, Wade Jenkins, grabbed my wife Sophie Lynch's hand first, tears streaming down his face. "Sophie, Dobie is my emotional support dog. Without him... I won't survive." Seeing the hesitation in her eyes, I dropped to my knees. "Sophie, please... Save Anna first! She has asthma. She won't last much longer..." For a brief moment, Sophie stood frozen. Then, with chilling indifference, she pried my fingers from her arm. "We can always have another child, but Wade can't live without Dobie. I'm saving the dog first." What she did not know was that there would never be another child. The moment she chose the nanny's dog over our daughter, I chose to walk away from our marriage forever.

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 SAT results have just been released. I'm the top scorer in the city, and three girls my father raised alongside me also earned the three best scores after me. When it's time to apply to college, Dad says that the three of them will be joining me in whichever college I choose. I choose Heathshire University, my dream school. But on the day before applications close, the three of them drug me and haul me to Stallion Club. "It's all his fault! We followed him to Heathshire University in our previous life, which led to Michael falling into depression and taking his own life!" "I heard that the boss of Stallion Club has a thing for young, innocent men like Samuel. Maybe he'll be so satisfied that he helps us escape from the Carter family, too!" "Once the dust settles, the Carter family's reputation will be ruined for good, and Samuel won't be able to fulfill his dream of getting into a top university. We'll also regain our freedom, and we can be with Michael then!" None of them notice the sneer on my face. No one else knows that the boss of Stallion Club is my long-lost older brother—and he's fiercely protective of me. They'll regain their freedom, huh? Only the dead can truly consider themselves free. The three of them can go to hell and keep their beloved Michael company there.

On the night before my wedding to my childhood sweetheart, Rylan Benton, my sister, Elisa Houghton, shows up with an ultrasound image. She tells me she's pregnant with Rylan's child. When she fails to force me to call off the wedding, she leaves behind a suicide note and jumps to her death, taking her unborn child with her. Rylan hates me for it. He forces me to have his child, only to smother our newborn in its crib. His eyes burn crimson as he grips my jaw. "Amy Houghton, her baby never got a chance at life, so yours doesn't deserve to live either!" Now, I am reborn. I wake up on the eve of the wedding. Ignoring the sly glint in Elisa's eyes, I offer a faint smile. "Fine. The wedding is off."

Abigail Southall, my wife, has once again lost Ethan and Owen Lincoln, the two young men she keeps by her side. She is trying to coax them to return this time by offering a signed divorce agreement. I have witnessed this routine of running away and chasing countless times. I throw fits, cause scenes, and even try running away from home like those two, but every single time, all she does is hand me a check with a larger amount than before. She then flashes a mocking smile and asks, "Is that enough for you?" I calmly take the divorce agreement and sign my name on the line. Abigail, holding my hand in satisfaction, says, "It's just a divorce for show; I'll withdraw it before the cooling-off period ends. I'm glad you are finally being reasonable. I mean, women of my status all have a desire to conquer, especially when it comes to dealing with a pair of aloof young men. "I'll come back to you so that we can settle down and live a good life once I win them over." I offer no rebuttal and simply pick up the check from the floor, thinking that she has no idea that I'm not going to wait for her anymore.

After getting married, my wife, Eva Burnham, and I have been sleeping in separate rooms. I ask her if she wants to move into the master bedroom. She declines without hesitation. "It's okay. Charlie would mind. Also, if it weren't for you, we wouldn't have come to this point in the first place. Let's just keep things like this." Charlie Springer is her first love. I stand where I am, stunned. It takes me a long time to just nod in response. Then, I realize that the marriage is only meant to help my family survive a cash flow crisis and to take care of that tricky lawsuit her company is facing. It's just a deal. When everything is settled, it will naturally be time for us to go our separate ways. So, I stop bringing it up. For the next three years, Eva attends every single event with Charlie. He's there for the family banquets and the annual meetings. Even on my dad's birthday, Charlie is the one standing next to her. Everyone is wondering if Charlie is her actual husband instead. Well, it's over now. Everything is settled. It's time for me to go.

Everyone said I was a fool, and not because I wasn't successful. I was one of the best attorneys in the country. No, they called me a fool because I spoiled my stay-at-home husband, Jonathan Shayman, rotten. He never had to cook. He never had to pick up our daughter. He never had to attend parent-teacher conferences. On top of that, I gave him five grand per month as his allowance. My daughter would always look at me with a blank expression and ask solemnly, "Mom, besides being handsome, what does Dad even bring to the table? Did someone put a spell on you?" I always told her she didn't appreciate her father or understand how hard it was to be a stay-at-home husband. After all, Jonathan had willingly left a prestigious law firm to become a full-time homemaker for my sake 10 years ago. He had even driven hundreds of miles on freezing winter nights to deliver gifts to my clients. He loved me enough to give up everything, so I believed I should do the same for him. However, Jonathan broke his promise on our daughter's birthday yet again. So, I took her to an amusement park by myself. When I got near the carousel, I saw Jonathan supporting one of my clients, Sandra Wood. He carefully draped his jacket over her shoulders and helped her onto the carousel. "Sandy, you're a lot better than the witch waiting for me at home. Besides, she gives me five grand every month without me having to lift a finger. I stay out all night partying, and she still thinks I'm out there maintaining client relationships for her." Sandra leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. "Then, squeeze even more money out of her for me. We'll have an even better time together." My daughter's eyes were already red with tears. I stared at the two of them. For the first time since forever, I had nothing to say against the naysayers. A cold breeze swept past me, and I felt chilled to the bone.

The year my son, Charlie Pattison, turned seven, my husband, Jim Pattison, stopped hiding it. He brought a poor mother and her son into our world without a shred of shame. Word got around fast, and no shortage of people came sniffing for gossip, eager to watch me fall apart. I swallowed my pride and said nothing. Then that woman's son slapped Charlie at school. That was the last straw. I told Charlie to hit him back. That night, Jim—who hadn't set foot in our house in a month—showed up out of nowhere. Charlie burst into tears of joy and threw his arms open to run to him. What he got in return was a slap across the face.

After graduation, I post something online without really thinking about it. "Does not relying on you anymore count as growing up?" My childhood friend's comment pops up almost instantly. "That's cause for celebration." I don't understand, so I send him a question mark. After a while, his reply comes through. "Mara, do you know everyone says you're like a leech I can't shake off? "School's over. You don't need to be stuck to me every day. "Learn to stand on your own. No one in college is going to put up with a big baby." Then, without missing a beat, he sends me a download link. "Got a question? Ask AI. It's more useful than relying on me." Just like that, the boy who has looked after me for 12 years hands me off to an AI app. I sit there stunned for a long time, then quietly download it.

At the celebration dinner, my wife lifted her glass and drank on behalf of her male assistant. I overturned the table without hesitation, then walked out and called my lawyer to draw up the divorce papers. By that night, she had already received notice. She would be leaving with nothing. She called right away, fury in her voice. "Are you serious? You're divorcing me over a single drink?" "Yes," I said. "Over that one drink." I would not tolerate betrayal. Not even a hint of it.

I open my eyes, only to find Monica Shepherd lying beneath me. I'm just about to get up when a sudden ringing sound prompts Monica to shove me away. Monica's previously flushed face turns completely cold the moment she hangs up. She lights up a cigarette and says indifferently, "You shouldn't come around anymore since the new man I'm seeing gets incredibly jealous. He's quite a handful to deal with." I look into her eyes and readily agree. In my past life, I refuse to let go after she falls for someone else, shamelessly clinging to her like a desperate simp. She absolutely loathes me for that, though, to the point that when she sees a group of thugs break my leg and drag me into an alley, she doesn't hesitate for a second to grab her new man, Michael Harrison, turn her back, and walk away. In this lifetime, I'm the one who doesn't want Monica anymore.

Within hours of my birth, three dogs in our neighborhood died. My parents became convinced it was some kind of omen. They went to a self-proclaimed psychic, who told them I had been born to suffer in my younger brother's place. From that day on, every time something went wrong in my life, they treated it as proof that I was protecting him. Years later, on my birthday, I came down with a fever of 106 degrees. I could barely keep my eyes open. Mom still hauled me out of bed and dragged me into the bathroom. "Get up! Your brother has an important exam tomorrow, and you need to pray that nothing goes wrong." She turned on the shower and shoved me under the freezing water. My whole body started shaking. "Mom, please… I'm so cold." "Then stop being so weak." She looked at me with open disgust. "Your brother is going to make something of himself. You're the one who's supposed to suffer in his place. If you can't even handle a fever, what good are you? I should've let you die the day you were born!"

After getting a second chance at life, I immediately cut all ties with Natalie Duvall and Cody Hudson. In my previous life, Natalie blindsides me with a divorce eight years into our marriage after falling for a race car driver. She looks down on me, complaining that I'm just a boring homebody who does nothing but cook and clean. Even Cody piles on, telling me, "Mr. Maddox is going to be a world champion one day, Dad. Stop being so pathetic and petty!" The two of them pack their bags and walk out on me. I can't let them go, but my desperate search for them that night ends in a fatal car crash. As my life bleeds out on the asphalt, regret consumes me. Natalie forgets that I used to be a world-class driver myself, only to give up my career and step out of the spotlight to focus on our marriage and raise our kid. So, with a clean slate in this life, I sign the divorce papers without a moment's hesitation and vanish without a trace. Five years later, at the Elandorian Championship, Natalie and Cody push their way through the crowd like madmen, cutting off my path. With bloodshot eyes, Natalie corners me and demands, "We spent five years looking for you. Did you seriously ditch your family just to go back to racing?" Her audacity takes me aback. Before I can even muster a response, my daughter, Daphne Hudson, grabs my hand. "Daddy, Mommy and the others are waiting to celebrate your big win. Who are these people?"

I have a severe case of logorrhea. Only speaking makes me feel alive. My classmates all call me a freak, but Marvin Britt is the only one willing to listen to me. One day, I bring some homemade soup over to see him, only to catch him holding his junior's hand. "Lexie, your voice is so lovely, unlike my wife at home. She sounds like a squawking duck. It's exhausting." My hands shake so violently that I drop the thermal flask. The commotion angers a nearby madman, who forces a bottle of boiling water down my throat. With my mouth full of blood and blisters, I realize I need proof. I send Marvin—a lawyer—a frantic voice note to accompany me to the police station for evidence. Marvin shoots back a single word—"Noted". Of course. He doesn't even listen to it, as usual. He used to reply to everything I said with voice notes at least a minute long. But we hit the seven-year itch, and he's sick of my endless talking. Leaving the hospital, I stare at my diagnosis of permanent mutism and laugh bitterly. He must be thrilled. His world is finally quiet.

All three of our families gathered for Thanksgiving. During dinner, the topic of Samuel Stanton and Tina Hayford's childhood engagement once again became the center of attention. "Plenty of people get married while they're in graduate school. Have you two thought about it?" "Exactly. You two are so close. Why not get engaged this summer? It'll put both families at ease!" As the relatives on both sides teased them, I looked up and met Samuel's eyes across the table. However, the moment our eyes met, he looked away. Lowering his head, he casually placed some roasted turkey on Tina's plate. "We'll see. It's still too early." My heart sank instantly. This was already the fourth year of our secret relationship. It had been four years, and Samuel still refused to tell anyone that I was his girlfriend. He still used matching mugs with Tina, wore matching outfits with her, and merely smiled whenever their childhood engagement was brought up. He never once denied it. He always said he didn't want to disappoint either family and that he needed to wait for the right moment before telling the truth. This time, I didn't want to wait with him anymore. "Mom, didn't you once say I also had a childhood engagement?" I put down my fork and asked Mom, who was watching Samuel and Tina with an envious smile. "W-Who could that be?" nt our eyes met, he looked away. Lowering his head, he casually placed some roasted turkey on Tina's plate. "We'll see. It's still too early." My heart sank instantly. This was already the fourth year of our secret relationship. It had been four years, and Samuel still refused to tell anyone that I was his girlfriend. He still used matching mugs with Tina, wore matching outfits with her, and merely smiled whenever their childhood engagement was brought up. He never once denied it. He always said he didn't want to disappoint either family and that he needed to wait for the right moment before telling the truth. This time, I didn't want to wait with him anymore. "Mom, didn't you once say I also had a childhood engagement?" I put down my fork and asked Mom, who was watching Samuel and Tina with an envious smile. "W-Who could that be?"

I back out of marrying Yvonne Mullen, my fiancee, just two days before the wedding, even though we have been together for seven years. The staff member at the venue is stunned. "Your wedding is coming. Don't you want to wait for the bride to return and talk things over first?" I smile and take one last look at the wedding venue I personally spent three months preparing. I then say calmly, "I'm done waiting. She doesn't have the time since she's getting married to her first love in Alveria at this moment."

In the fifth year of my becoming Damian Veylor's fated mate, he returns from a hunting mission with an injury. They say his memory has been destroyed by the toxins, and so he forgets everything about me, yet he still manages to remember Clara Whitmore—the she-wolf he grew up with and the one everyone always believed he would mark—perfectly. For her sake, he throws me out of the Alpha's quarters. Then, with his own two hands, he forces poison down my throat. The poison consists of silver powder and wolfsbane, two of the oldest, most brutal substances known to werewolves. It burns straight through my internal organs and sears its way into my bones. I can feel a certain part of myself burning alive. That's when I know I'll never be able to get pregnant. I'll never be able to carry Damian's pup, or anyone else's for that matter. "Only Clara is worthy of carrying the next Alpha. As for you? You're nothing but a Rogue who wandered into my territory and refused to leave."

I broke up with Nicole Hayes, my girlfriend of ten years. It was not her or I who initiated it, but her male nurse at the hospital. Nicole suffered from severe congenital anemia. For ten years, I donated blood to her for nothing in return. During our eleventh year together, just when we were about to get married, I overheard the male nurse in charge of her transfusions say, “Wow, Miss Hayes! Don’t tell me you decided to marry this guy just because he’s been donating blood to you. “You probably don’t know this, but the hospital has a donor compensation policy. Each donation comes with a thousand-dollar stipend. “Over the last ten years, this guy must have made at least $200,000 off you, yet he still has the nerve to guilt-trip you into marrying him? How shameless!” Under Nicole’s shifting expression, he added with a smile, “Maybe I should be the one donating blood to you instead. I also have a rare blood type, but I don’t want money, and I’m not asking to marry you. I’m just kind-hearted and can’t stand people who emotionally manipulate patients.” Seeing the obvious change in her expression, I let out a soft laugh and said, “In that case, let’s do that.” Over the past ten years, I had donated blood to Nicole twice every month. To recover, I forced myself to eat pork liver until I felt like vomiting, and at one point, I became so thin that I was nothing but skin and bones. I thought Nicole understood everything I had done for her. I never expected that a few words from a stranger would make her truly believe I had been profiting from my suffering. Even more unexpectedly, she also came to think that marrying me was nothing more than emotional coercion. If that was how she saw it, fine! I would give her what she wanted. Still, she had better pray that nurse would keep his promise of donating blood to her.

On my birthday, I accidentally found out that the boyfriend I had secretly loved for three years and happily dated for one was actually hired by my father. It was a one-year contract with an eight-figure payout, and his mission was to make me realize the hardships of dating for love so that I’d accept an arranged marriage. Standing at the corner of the corridor, I overheard my boyfriend on the phone with my father. “Don’t worry, Mr. Hill. Everything is going exactly according to plan. I’ll crush her hopes. I guarantee that before the contract expires, she will be entirely done with me. After that, she’ll willingly marry whoever you’ve arranged for her.” I quietly followed him back to his private room, only to hear his friends teasing him. “Man, that heiress is so incredibly gullible. You put on a little show, and she bought it. She’s so naive.” “You didn’t actually fall for her, did you? How much longer do you have to keep this up anyway? Ruby has been waiting for you for a long time!” He let out a low grunt in agreement. “She’s just a client, and a client whose contract is about to expire, at that. Besides, her dad just paid way too much to pass up.” The group paused for a second and then burst into a collective roar of laughter. Standing outside, I smiled too. I had heard of renting a girlfriend before, but this was my very first time encountering a professional boyfriend. Since everyone here was such a brilliant actor, it would be a shame not to play this game to the bitter end. After all, wouldn’t it be a waste of Mr. Hill's massive investment otherwise?