Nora Ephron Novel Novels & Stories

I am a postgraduate archaeology student whose fieldwork combines GIS technology with excavation, and during one project I become entangled in a concealed emotional relationship with two lecturers. Linus is restrained, intellectually rigorous, and emotionally distant, offering a sense of order and safety rooted in academic discipline, while Theo is charismatic, passionate, and ethically unstable, drawing me into intensity and risk. What begins as professional admiration develops into intimacy shaped by secrecy, hierarchy, and blurred boundaries. As the excavation exposes layered traces of past lives, I am forced to confront my own desire, ambition, and guilt, and the story ultimately centres not on choosing between two men, but on learning how to live with complexity and accept the consequences of crossing lines.

Five years ago, Selena suffered a miscarriage and was told that having children would be impossible naturally. She trusted the diagnosis. She agreed to a surrogate. She raised a child she believed wasn’t hers. Until a medical summit in Geneva exposes altered lab results—and her husband’s signature authorizing the change. As she digs deeper with the one doctor who once tried to expose the fraud, Selena uncovers a devastating truth: her infertility was fabricated. Her hormones were manipulated. And the child she’s been raising? Interestingly, the child was hers. Marcus didn’t just lie. He took her egg without asking, made a child in secret, and built an empire on the same experimental protocol that ruined her pregnancy. Now pregnant again, Selena files for divorce, starting a custody war, a corporate investigation, and a public reckoning that could destroy everything Marcus built. He wanted control. She wants the truth. Only one of them will walk away with the empire.

The first time I found out that Jessica Blake was cheating on me was in our own bedroom. I was young and hot-headed, and I wanted a divorce on the spot. She cried and said she'd gotten drunk and mistaken the guy for me. She fell to her knees, begging me to forgive her. "If you divorce me, I'll jump from this window right now." That one line softened my heart for the next five years. During those years, she was gentle and caring, as if that night had never happened. Everyone could see it—Jessica loved me so much she was willing to die for me. But then came her mother's 60th birthday party. Out of nowhere, my mother-in-law, Linda, asked her, "Jess, where's my grandson? Why didn't he come?" I was confused. I thought she was just having a moment, so I smiled and said, "Mom, you forgot—Jess's due date is still two months away." Linda glanced at me calmly and murmured, "Oh… so you still don't know." My heart sank. I looked over at Jessica instinctively. She quietly put down her fork, as if she were talking about something as ordinary as the weather. "Actually, I have a son. He's five years old."

Just before the end of my shift, the last patient I see is my wife, Tracy Montgomery. Her prenatal test report clearly states that she is three weeks pregnant. She is the mother, and the father is her lover of five years, Max Lockwood. Calmly, I slide the report across the desk and say softly, "Congratulations. You finally got what you wanted." Tracy pauses for a moment before frowning hard. "That's it? Are you just congratulating me? Don't you have anything else to say?" I stare at the piece of paper and at the child who isn't mine. I initially think I would react the way I always do, which entails throwing away my pride and causing a huge scene in front of her. But in the end, I don't even have the strength for that anymore. Her fingertips brush gently across her stomach as she says, "I've had my fun over the years. Once the baby is born, I'll settle down." Hearing those words, I lift my head and meet her eyes. I say evenly, "Tracy, our contract has expired."

It was in our bedroom that I first found out about Nathaniel Foster's affair. My anger got the better of me, and I demanded a divorce right away. Nathaniel broke down into tears and claimed it was a drunken mistake. He went down on his knees, begging for my forgiveness. He cried, "I'll jump off this building if we get a divorce!" I relented, and things went on like this for five years. He was the sweetest, gentlest husband ever since that day. It was as if he was trying to pretend that night never happened, like I'd never noticed his infidelity. Everyone told me Nathaniel could throw his life away for me. Then, his mother's 60th birthday came. She blurted, "Where's your son, Nathaniel? I'd like to see him." That stunned me, but then I thought she'd gotten the date wrong. So, I smiled. "Melanie, the delivery date's in two months." Melanie shot me a calm look. She muttered under her breath, "Ah, so you still don't know about the boy." Something squeezed my heart, and my eyes darted to Nathaniel. Nathaniel put his silverware down. "I have a five-year-old son." He spoke as if he'd just listed out his grocery list for next Tuesday.

Ryan Becker's favorite phrase was always, "Just wait a little longer." I waited two years for his startup to stabilize so we could get married. I waited another three years for his mother to warm up to the idea of a wedding. On the night of his 30th birthday dinner, his mother slipped her emerald bracelet off her wrist in front of everyone. Passing down the heirloom was their old tradition for recognizing a daughter-in-law. I thought that this time, finally, I wouldn't have to wait anymore. "Give me your hand, dear." Yet Aurelie Becker reached right past me and smoothly fastened the bracelet around Sabine Hansen's wrist instead. The entire room fell dead silent. She patted the back of Sabine's hand warmly. "Sabine grew up with Ryan. We're all one family here, no distinctions between us." My hands were still resting on the table, my fingertips turning cold. Someone whispered, "What about Miss Solis?" Ryan leaned in close, lowering his voice. "My mom is just being sentimental. Don't take it to heart. I'll bring you a custom necklace from my business trip next month. Just wait a little longer, okay?" Sabine lifted her wrist, flaunting it right in front of my face with a provocative smile. "Look, Eliza, isn't it beautiful? Aurelie says it's an old-mine emerald." "It's beautiful," I said simply. Just then, the phone inside my bag vibrated. It was a text message that read: [Have you made up your mind? When are you coming to Phaelis?]

Josie Jackson, who had been cold to me for ten years, suddenly changed her attitude. Not only did she take me on a worldwide trip, but she also personally cooked a lavish dinner for me. I thought our relationship had finally improved, but little did I know, she had put an excessive amount of sleeping pills in the food. I was taken to the hospital, where I was forcibly castrated without any anesthesia. By the time I regained consciousness, I saw Josie and her so-called brother close together. "Josie, you're so good to me! I only mentioned being envious of Andrew's health. I can't believe you actually emasculated him all for me." Josie's expression remained calm. Her eyes were filled with nothing but affection for Alex Carter. "This is what he deserves. If it weren't for him back then, you wouldn't have been in that accident and ended up with a physical disability. "I'm only returning what he took from you." Ten years ago, during an earthquake, I gave up saving Alex and chose to save her instead. So she took all the pain Alex suffered out on me. Since I felt guilty, I endured her torment for ten years. This time, I finally gave up. After finding out I didn't have much time left, I called my mother. "I agree to the heart transplant for Robert."

Kaitlyn believed she had everything - a caring partner, a reliable best friend, and a promising future. However, on the day that was supposed to be the most joyful of her life, she is horrified to see the man she loves marrying her best friend instead. Feeling betrayed and devastated, Kaitlyn finds it difficult to rebuild her broken life. Just as she believes she has reached the lowest point, a random meeting with the mysterious billionaire Estefan Salvatore gives her an unforeseen opportunity for help. The proposition he is offering is both alluring and risky: enter into a fake marriage with him to assist in his plan for vengeance against his deceitful sibling, and in exchange, enjoy a lavish lifestyle and seek retribution against those who have wronged her. Now Kaitlyn has to make a decision: is it worth taking a risk on this risky deal, putting her heart and maybe even her life in danger in exchange for the chance of getting revenge and wealth? Should she choose to leave and confront the challenging job of reconstructing her life according to her own standards

​ ​Five years ago, Elena Rossi was a rising star in event design until a single, scathing viral video from tech mogul Julian Vane turned her into a national punchline. She lost her firm, her confidence, and her faith in people. Today, she is the best in the business, operating under the radar. ​When Julian’s brother hires her to plan the "Wedding of the Century," she accepts, desperate for the fee to save her family business—only to realize the groom’s best man is the man who destroyed her life. Julian doesn’t recognize her at first, but when he does, he is horrified. He must protect his family’s image, but as he watches her work, his cold exterior cracks. He has to win her over, but can a woman who knows exactly how cruel he can be ever trust him with her heart? ​

Carla Jones' life came crashing down when she caught her boyfriend cheating, she loses her career, her home and her mental health was in jeopardy. She runs back to her hometown to escape from all the mess only to reconnect with the seemingly normal Steve Ephron who she had rejected in high school because he was ambitionless. How would Carla react when the very man she didn't like turns out to be the umbrella who shelters her from the wind and storms of her life? Her very own silver lining in the darkest days.