Gasters Face

Fresh from a business trip, my husband swept me into his arms and pulled me toward the bathroom for a passionate shared bath. As our lips met in a dizzying kiss, I noticed something odd out of the corner of my eye: the toilet lid was down. Seven years ago, after reading an online article claiming that men urinating while standing could splash bacteria onto the seat, he insisted we always keep the lid up for hygiene's sake. In all our years of marriage, it had never been lowered until now. A chill ran through me. The bathroom was pristine, not a stray hair in sight. But then I noticed the shower's water temperature was set five degrees higher than the 98.6°F he always preferred. Men preferred cooler water, and women warmer. In an instant, I realized that Nick Doyle had betrayed me.

Scarlett never wanted this. A quiet life as a writer was all she dreamed of, but fate had other plans. When Liam DeLuca, a ruthless mafia leader, storms into her life, demanding the truth about a child she doesn’t remember, her world is turned upside down. His accusation is both chilling and impossible: that she drugged him, seduced him, and bore his child before vanishing. Scarlett doesn’t remember any of it. But Liam wouldn't take no for an answer. Liam isn’t just searching for answers; he’s playing a game of obsession and control. And Scarlett is the unwilling pawn. Caught between Liam's obsession and her lingering feelings for her first love—who no longer recognizes her— Scarlett realizes one thing: the truth might destroy her, but the lies will cost her everything. Can she fight her way out, or has she already lost everything?

Three days after I died, my fiancé got a call to ID the body. He just scoffed. "She's dead, so what? Call me when she's in the ground." The cops, out of options, hit up my backup contact—my childhood friend. He actually laughed. "She's really gone? Not my problem. Burn her or whatever." Then my body hit the internet— And suddenly, both of them looked like ghosts.

The first time Javier Marquez met Claire Weiss, her kid kept calling him Dad. With this one event, two unexpected people crashed into his life. He’s the ruthless and decisive ruler of the business world, who doesn’t care for women and colder than ice. Yet, he inevitably falls for this woman, losing himself to her completely…

Maeva Pearson lost her parents when she was ten years old. That was when the heads of both families decided to betroth her to David Cavendish. David was only 14 at that time, but he gave his word with solemn certainty. "Don't worry. From now on, you have me." They married when they came of age, but the reality was a far cry from the dream. Time had changed too much, and David was no longer the boy who had once made that solemn vow. Five years into their marriage, Maeva still can't melt David's icy heart. She thinks of David as cold and unfeeling by nature until she sees how gentle and tender he can be in front of the woman he truly loves. Maeva swaps the pregnancy test for the divorce agreement. From this point onward, they go their separate ways for good. After the divorce, David's life falls apart. Where's his tie? Where is his charger? Why doesn't the coffee taste the way it used to be? Everyone in Berdona looks forward to seeing Maeva humiliate herself. But she rises higher than anyone has ever expected by making a huge comeback to her workplace. Not only does she break national records one after another, but she also becomes a rising star in the art world. Someone sees David pinning Maeva by the waist in a secluded corner. His voice is low and humble as he pleads, "Mae, what is it that you don't like about me? I'll change it." "I don't like the fact that you still love me." "Well, that's something I'll never change, even if it kills me."

When I'm paying the pension for my jobless wife, Lilith Ingram, I accidentally find out that she's had a job this whole time. She's paid a salary of two thousand dollars, which is wired into her personal bank account. Every month, the money will be transferred elsewhere, leaving her without a single cent. I've never seen the money before. Back when our daughter, Maisy Ingram, was severely ill, we were 200 dollars short to pay for her hospital bills. I was so poor that I had to sell my blood and beg everyone around me just to get them to lend me money. But during that time, Lilith never thought of sharing the burden with me. She merely comforted me with empty words before transferring two thousand dollars to her first love, Hayden Grant, the next day. Our marriage of 30 years is reduced to nothing but a laughingstock. I place the divorce agreement that I've printed out in front of Lilith. It's a silent confrontation between us. "Must you really resort to this method?" Lilith snaps impatiently. "It's just two thousand dollars! You have an annual salary of 200 thousand dollars! Why care so much about chum change?" Even Maisy takes her side by calling me a petty, stingy geezer. "Everyone has an unattainable first love when they're still young! You should be grateful that Hayden has been holding back his urges without crossing the line for so many years!" I feel as though I got struck by lightning at that moment. It's then that I belatedly realize I'm the only outsider in this family. "Getting a divorce is fine by me. Hayden's getting on with the years. I just want to take care of him and send him off when his time eventually arrives." Maisy adapts a righteous tone. "As compensation for me, I get the house, the car, and the savings. You're leaving this marriage without a single cent under your name."

For three agonizing years, my mother struggled with kidney failure. Finally, after all the waiting and the constant dialysis, she was next in line for a transplant. Hope seemed so close. But then, my husband, Zachary Levi, an esteemed nephrology professor, did the unforgivable. He surreptitiously gave his lover's mother the kidney that was intended for my mother. He said almost dismissively, "Ella's mother couldn't wait any longer. Your mother's been on dialysis for so long, she's not going to die anytime soon." Later, my mother passed away. I called Zachary one final time. Yet, it was a woman who answered. "Margaret, right? Zachary's in the shower. Is there something you need?" I stared at my mother's smile on the gravestone, and an overwhelming emptiness spread through me. "It's nothing. Just wanted to talk about the divorce."

My adopted brother made a name for himself during the potion competition by using a potion he had stolen from me. No one expected the competition to be a ruse, but it turned out to be a scheme to find a husband for the serpent clan's youngest princess. She was born barren, cruel, and hideous. That very night, the serpent clan delivered a marriage contract, demanding that the creator of the potion take the princess as his wife. When my fiancée heard the news, she panicked and bonded with my adopted brother on the spot. After sealing their bond, he lifted his shirt, proudly showing me the wolf mark carved into his back. "Your fiancée's mine now, bro. What are you going to do? You'll turn twenty-five in three days. If no one marries you by then, you'll be randomly matched to one of those older, violent nomad beastwomen." He was wrong. I still had one choice left. I found my parents in the front hall, once again cleaning up the mess he had made. "If he won't marry the serpent princess," I said, "then I will."

For five years, Celia was nothing more than Alpha king’s secret lover, wearing her disliked dress and perfume, just because he like it on her. —until She overheard the truth: “She’s just a replacement. A gold digger.” "I chose her, just becuase she seems like you. She's your Substitute. Never deserved be a luna." Shattered, she walks away, vowing never to look back. But then—her instincts sharpen, her senses heighten, and Soren’s scent clings to her skin. ...Mate. Impossible. A wolfless girl like her could never be the Alpha King’s fated mate… right? * On the first day she left, he wasn’t worried. “She’ll come back.” “Don’t bother with it. She was just a substitute lover. A worthless gold digger.” But after a week… a month… three months… his panic set in. “Lock down the entire pack—find her at all costs… —Find my Luna!”

In the third year of her marriage, Natalie Spencer uncovers a devastating truth. Her blindness wasn't caused by a car accident. No, it was because her beloved husband, Jason Pereira, plotted to have her corneas removed and transplanted them into his first love. The only reason he married her in the first place was to save that other woman. The marriage Natalie once took pride in turns out to be nothing but a calculated lie. Crushed, she quietly begins planning her escape. Half a month later, she vanishes without warning. She leaves behind nothing but a signed divorce agreement and a jar of formaldehyde containing an undeveloped embryo. Those are her final gifts to Jason. He loses his mind searching for her, scouring the world in desperation. But when he finally finds her, she's no longer alone. There's another man by her side. Jason stands in front of her, eyes red with guilt and regret. "Natalie, I was wrong. Please don't leave me. Not like this." But the Natalie standing before him now is radiant and powerful—she's an internationally acclaimed artist and a woman reborn. She looks at the man she once loved and feels nothing. "Jason, I'm not that blind bat who used to live and breathe for you anymore." She turns and wraps her arms around the regal man beside her with a smile. "Someone's bothering your wife. Aren't you going to deal with him?" The man smiles back, leans in, and kisses her in front of everyone. "Of course. Whatever my wife says, goes."