Magic For Beginners By Kelly Link 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.

On my birthday, my eight-year-old stepson dumped the cake I spent twelve hours on straight into the trash. His face twisted. "Smells like cheap frosting." Then he turned and happily dug into the plain pasta my husband's secretary made. I was about to lose it when the familiar floating comments popped up again. [OMG Nico's doing this again. He literally LOVES Reyna's cake every year. Boy just too prideful to admit it LOL.] [Fr fr, he's just using his late mom to test Reyna. Kid's lowkey possessive and messy!] [Alex, HELLO? Your son's jealous af. You not gonna say anything? Oh wait... you jealous too huh? Watching Reyna dote on Nico got you pressed. lol.]

Angela Bailey spent six years believing her marriage was built on love, only to discover her devoted husband was nothing more than a polished illusion. When she filed for divorce and asked her daughter to leave with her, the little girl clung to another woman’s hand and called her “Mom.” Donald Turner, cold and entitled, told her, “As long as you apologize to Nina, you can still live your high-society life.” Angela scoffed. “You might not even stay in high society yourself.” She walked out of the Turner household with nothing, determined to rebuild her life from the ground up. With her own talent and grit, she joined a new company and went head-to-head with her ex. Just when Donald realized his mistake and wanted her back, another man stepped into Angela’s life—someone who protected her openly, supported her quietly, and cherished her without hesitation. Donald regretted everything and wanted her back. He appeared with their daughter, eyes red as he pleaded, “I’ll give you the entire Turner family. Please love me and our daughter again.” The man beside Angela laughed. “The Turner family? That means nothing. Angela doesn’t need it. And as for a daughter…” He looked at Angela, and together they said, “We already have one.”

After serving five years in prison for Luke Dashwood, I walked out a free man… only to be handed divorce papers. It turned out his first love was terminally ill, and the dude's final wish was to become his family before he died. Swallowing my grief, I signed my name on the divorce papers. But when I reappeared hand in hand with another man, panic flashed across Luke's face. Suddenly, he wanted me back.

“You were born to be mine… so why make me beg for what’s already mine?” Luca growled, confusion flashing in his eyes. Kiki laughed bitterly. “See? Just look at you. The entitlement. You’re behaving exactly like the Moon Goddess’s puppet… dancing to her sick little tune.” —— Kiki never believed in the mate bond. She’d watched it destroy her mother watched love turn into death the moment her father’s heart stopped beating. That was the day she swore she’d never let the bond control her. So she made a choice. To love on her own terms. To choose her own mate. And for a while, it worked. Dan was everything she wanted loving, loyal, and just as skeptical of fate as she was. But the Moon Goddess doesn’t like rebellion. Because the same night Kiki discovered she was pregnant, Dan’s fated mate walked into his life. And he didn’t think twice before choosing her. Now, broken and betrayed, Kiki’s life collides with Luca’s the ruthless Alpha King who’s waited his whole life for a mate who doesn’t want him. But Luca isn’t the kind of man to take no for an answer. And the Moon Goddess never plays fair.

I thought my life was finally turning around. Hope was just within my reach. But when my dad's life hung in the balance, fate dragged me back to the edge. To save the person I love the most, I agreed to marry my cold-hearted, arrogant boss-a man who made one thing painfully clear: this is just a contract. There's no room for love. After a childhood filled with the pain and loss of my mom, my dad was my anchor, I couldn't afford to lose him. So I entered into a loveless marriage, bound to a man who buried his pain beneath a hardened shell. But as the days passed, I saw glimpses of his loneliness, his hidden vulnerability. Against my will, I started to fall for him, breaking the one rule he'd made: Never fall in love. Now, I face an impossible choice. If I give in to these forbidden feelings, I risk not only my heart but everything—my dad, my freedom, and the fragile connection we've begun to build. Can love survive when breaking the rules could shatter us both?

I stood there with tears in my eyes that day. I knew I was not deeply in love with Dean, but I loved him in the way a wife could. I had always suspected he was there for the fortune, but seeing him stand with another woman cut deep. Betrayal always does. And that was when he came—the man who would change everything, the man I would end up falling for, the man I would one day want to give everything to. Kaden Mitchell. He offered me a way out when I thought it was all over. Charming and imposing, he broke through every defense I had built, dragging me out of the darkness and giving me something to hold on to. A marriage contract. What started as a calculated deal quickly became more than I anticipated. And now, with Kaden Mitchell by my side holding the key to my heart, I have to ask myself: how much am I willing to risk…for love, for power…for revenge?

Ever since I married Myra Cowan, I started living like a beggar despite making an annual salary of a million dollars. She kept telling me, "We should hang in there for now, honey. Once we've saved enough money, we'll be able to live however we want without worrying about our financial situation." My closet was stuffed with old suits bought ten years ago. My lunches were always sandwiches, which were nearing their expiry dates, bought from convenience stores. My friends made fun of me for marrying a woman who was addicted to saving money. But my heart went out to Myra for suffering with me in life. But when I was diagnosed with late-stage stomach cancer and needed money for a life-saving surgery, Myra broke down in tears and told me that all of our savings were kept in a fixed-term deposit. Before I drew my last breath, I heard Myra telling her younger brother, Dwight Cowan, over the phone in a gentle tone, "I've already transferred you the down payment for your house." When I open my eyes again, I've returned to the day Myra demands that I sell my gaming account in exchange for money. The monitor shows a familiar login screen. Myra can be seen standing next to me. "This account can be sold for 8,000 dollars. We can save three months' worth of expenses with this money!" I just laugh in response. In my previous life, I had done nothing but save money. In the end, all of my money became someone else's assets. Why the hell should I save money in this life? With just one click on the mouse, I reload a million dollars into the game right away. Immediately, a reddish-golden meteor shower covers the skies of the entire server. The system makes an announcement in a bold, enlarged font that gets repeated for a long time. "Player 'Void' spares no expense, inviting fair maidens from across the realms to forge a destined bond! Those who are interested are welcome to attend the Celestial Lake Gathering. A bride price of one million awaits—offered in exchange for a single, sincere heart."

The day I'm promoted, my mother gets on her knees and begs me for a monthly allowance of 500 dollars to cover her living expenses. Yet I refuse without any hesitation. Left with no choice, she gets an influencer to put me on blast. "I only need 500 dollars a month. 50 packs of plain pasta can last me two months, and I can grow some vegetables to save on groceries. "I'll even split my high blood pressure pills in half to make them last. Please. I raised you. You can't just abandon me now that I'm old!" On camera, my expression remains cold as I shoot her down. "I've got money, but I'd rather spend that money on dog food than give it to you. And that's because you don't deserve a single cent!"

Sasha Brown has the tables turned on her after her father’s death. Left with a huge debt to repay, she finds herself in the hands of the ruthless CEO of Dragon Corporation, Valentino Rex, who tends to help settle her debt if and only if she becomes his. What will she do? Will she accept his request and become his, or will she keep her dignity and decline his tempting offer?