Best Books Of The Decade: 2010s Novels & Stories

I turned and fled. I immediately contacted a private investigator to look into what happened. I wanted solid proof. For the past decade, Rudolf had been away for almost two weeks every month on business trips. I had never questioned it, but now I realized those trips must have been spent with that woman and their son. Ten years… And I hadn't doubted him even once. I had trusted him completely. Now, reality had just dropped a bomb on me, mocking my stupidity. If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, he would still be deceiving me.

Instead, on countless lonely nights, I would go looking for strange men in strange places to do the most primal things. I supposed for a woman like me, this kind of life was probably the best choice.

" George helped me out of bed. I stood by the window and stared at the gravestone in the garden. It was the one I had built to deceive her. I kept her by my side for ten years and never let her leave. I thought keeping her close meant loving her. I thought breaking her wings would keep her from flying away. I was a fool. I had long discovered there were traitors in the family. There were people who wanted me dead and who wanted my position. Ten years ago, it was them. They had waited ten years for the right opportunity. When I learned I had cancer, and when my life entered its final countdown, I handed them that chance myself. I knew Laura and her dad were tied to my uncle's faction.

Apart from that one cheesy youth romance novel that was awful, every other mystery thriller was more gripping than the last. In fact, the two books Mindy wrote ten years ago still felt relevant that day. They not only hadn't aged but also had a raw, realistic touch that highlighted the darker aspects of society. The level of depth and social commentary in those books would probably never get published today, but considering they were written a decade ago, they were truly impressive. She was blown away by how those books tackled issues that were both explicit and implicit, with characters that embodied the complexity of human nature in such a profound way.

The first place on the financial ranking Lenora mentioned was held by me. After reconnecting with my parents, I used their resources to rise swiftly, monopolizing domestic and international trade routes. My influence spread quickly across markets in biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, information technology, and entertainment. I had carved out a place in almost every sector. By the time my overseas assignment was complete, I had successfully claimed the top spot on the financial rankings. Unfortunately, no matter how much I explained, Lenora and Nathan refused to believe me.

"This... this is the charm I gave you when we first got together. It’s been over a decade. The cord is already worn out, yet you still wear it..." I snatched the charm back from her, finding her assumptions ridiculous. In our previous life, she had given me a charm, and I had even given her one in return. However, just a few days later, she decided it didn’t match her style and took it off. On the other hand, I had worn mine for a long time. Alas, that was then. This charm around my neck now wasn’t the same one she gave me. It was a new one, something Catherine had specially sought out for me on one of her exotic trips.