Hardin From After Novels & Stories

For ten years, Autumn Lewis and Julian Carter were childhood sweethearts. After three years of marriage, all she got in return were injuries, neglect from her brothers, and betrayal from her husband. When Autumn found out she had stage-two stomach cancer, something in her finally let go. She picked herself up and rose from an unnoticed employee to a powerhouse in the tech world. As soon as the divorce cooling-off period ended, she tricked Julian into signing the papers and made a clean break. The next time they met, the ever-calculating Julian’s eyes turned red as he tore up the divorce certificate. “Autumn, I was wrong. We’re not getting divorced. If I could give you my stomach, I would—just please don’t leave me.” Her once-proud brothers now pleaded, “Autumn, forgive us. Your sister-in-law is filing for divorce. Could you spare us some money?” Just then, a man stepped out from behind her, lifted his shirt slightly, and sneered. “Autumn, why waste your time on these jerks? Look at me instead.” Indeed, affection that came too late was worth less than dirt. She didn’t care for it anymore.

My world is spiraling out of control over the horrifying reality that my marriage was a ticking time bomb, and I had no way of defusing it. I can't believe this is happening. I should have left when I realized my husband, Blake Crenshaw, wasn't going to change. I stayed for seven years as his devoted wife, taking care of his father and his twin brother, Jake. I really loved my husband, and I didn't realize he would only get worse. My name is Treasure Delgado; the night I found out my husband had cheated; I had put up with enough. I wasn't going to be his second best. I stood my ground, and I asked for a divorce. You would think that it should end it all between us. But I had no idea how the word 'divorce' would trigger Blake or what was going to happen to me next! Amid a scandalous secret love affair and a volatile breakup, my opportunity emerges to get my revenge and discover love. I wouldn't just play the victim; I was going to win and change the game. Come and witness how I plan to rise from the ashes after my divorce.

When Michele Barone, the Underboss of the Moretti family, proposes to me, I receive a video call from another version of myself, who's five years in the future. In the video call, my older self is already shaved bald. She's also trapped in the Moretti family's basement. "Don't marry him! You have to get rid of the unborn baby in your belly and get out of here right now!" I throw the ring to the table on the spot before going through an abortion right away. When Michele finds out the truth, he breaks down and cries his heart out. At the same time, he keeps demanding answers from me. All of my family and friends keep blaming and accusing me. They even claim that I've gone nuts. Meanwhile, Michele's childhood friend, Gianna Grasso, hides outside the room with a hand clamped over her mouth as she giggles secretly to herself. "AI nowadays sure is powerful! I can't believe she actually believes that the woman in the video call is actually her future self five years from now!" My lips curl into a small smile. Honestly speaking, I can tell right away that it's just a fake AI video, based on how shabbily it's made. It's quite simple as to why I've done those things, though—I've received an actual video call from my future self for real.

There is an unwritten rule among Saphira's elite. If a new lover wants to become acknowledged as a man's official girlfriend, the previous girlfriend must publicly remove the bracelet that symbolizes her status and personally place it on the new woman's wrist. The day Wayne Seyfried brings Ingrid Bacon home, the entire elite circle waits in anticipation to see me cause a scene. I have stayed by Wayne's side loyally for seven years. For the sake of getting that bracelet, I once kneeled in the Seyfrieds' private chapel for three days. I have also taken a stab from a military bayonet for Wayne. Everyone is certain that I would never give up my position willingly. But when Ingrid, who is clad in a custom gown worth millions, shyly extends her hand to me, I do not argue or make a scene. Instead, I calmly remove the bracelet and slip it onto her wrist. Swirling a glass of red wine, Wayne looks at me with eyes full of arrogance and satisfaction. He says, "You finally know your place, Hillary. It's good that you know where you stand." I lower my head and look at my bare wrist without saying a word. Wayne is clueless. He doesn't know that I have recovered all the memories I lost a month ago. I am the long-lost daughter of the Lachlan family, the wealthiest family in Grandor, who has been missing for seven years. In three days, my older brother's private fleet of jets will arrive in Saphira to take me home.

High School Love! It all starts with the good girl meeting the bad boy and falling in love with him, fighting the battles together, letting out deepest secrets and at the end of the day, they live happily ever after! But is that really it? What happens AFTER!After getting each other's heart.After fighting for each other.After the whole mushy and cliche love.After all the promises.After high school. Just After!

Mai Carson was divorced the night her husband, Jordan Kelly, believed another woman’s lies. Branded a cheater and thrown out of her marriage, she left and never looked back, only to return later as someone unrecognizable: powerful, wealthy, and deadly calm. The woman they humiliated is now the force dismantling their empire from the shadows. Jordan Kelly’s best friend, Banky smith, steps into Mai’s life and offers Mai, protection, devotion, and a love that feels intoxicatingly safe. What Mai doesn’t see is the trap forming around her, because while she wants justice, Banky wants blood. But revenge gets complicated when Mai discovers she’s carrying her ex-husband’s child. Caught between regret and obsession, Mai must decide how far she’s willing to go, and who she’s willing to become, to survive a love that was never meant to be gentle.

My girlfriend, Camille Chaney, gets pregnant right before the college entrance exam starts. In my previous life, I gave up on my college entrance exam and married Camille. We had a son together. Life might be nitty-gritty, but it was still rather fulfilling for me. When I was on my deathbed, Camille and her first love, Howard Salter, dropped by to visit me. "Thank you for raising our son for more than 20 years. Now, you may die in peace." Camille pulled the plug on my life support at that moment. She watched as I slowly suffocated to death. When I open my eyes again, I find out that I've returned to the timeframe when the college entrance exam is about to take place. This time, I slam the door shut in Camille's face when I hear her asking me to take responsibility for her pregnancy. "Go find someone else to play house with you. I'm not interested in becoming a father at all."

The love that I knew wasn't like the ones written in a book. It wasn't beautiful and magical. It doesn't bring butterflies in my stomach and it doesn't make me feel special. It doesn't feel like home, I do not feel secure. It does not make me feel safe and worthy. The love that I experience doesn't feel like love. I'm not really sure if it is love because it made me doubt, insecure and made me feel unloved. And all I experienced was pain. No it was torture. To see him love someone else when all I could do is to love him and let him love her. Now I don't know if I could ever love someone else, after him.

Maya had been searching the busy streets of Hungary in hunt for jobs under the scorching sun. After so many turn downs. She finally gave up her dream of becoming an accountant. She was wandering the streets after the last turn down when she saw a billboard with a job ad. The job was totally different from what she wanted to do but she had to survive. By hunting down predators. They called it. 'What kind of predators? Dangerous ones?'. She thought. She frowned at the ad as she read the tiny inked letters, her mind was running faster than her brain. A pain jolted through her fragile body due to overstressing herself She shook her head then retraced into the crowd after taking note of the address. 'they won't make us do things that'd hurt us'. If only she knew that wishes don't come true.

Dakota Stelter and I tumbled down that steep ravine together. I lay there bleeding and broken, only to watch my boyfriend scoop her into his arms and walk away without a backward glance. He left me. In that moment, in every way that mattered. While everyone fussed over Dakota's scratches, no one even checked if I was still breathing. When I was finally rescued and recovering at the hospital, my boyfriend didn't even visit. I was hurt. So I moved on. Piece by piece, I rebuilt myself without him. But then he became distraught. Suddenly, he was sobbing, telling me he had always loved me.