Open When Youre Sad Novels & Stories

My husband and his mistress, my stepsister, used me as a surrogate and took my child.My father never once looked me in the eye, yet adored his stepdaughter like she was his only blood. They expected me to break. They tried to kill me. They thought I would disappear forever.But what didn’t kill me only made me stronger. Rescued by my father’s greatest rival, I rebuilt myself with one goal: to return and make them pay ONE BY ONE. Everything was perfect, until I realized my assigned bodyguard was not what he seemed. He is a hidden KING, a man who protects me, spoils me, and now stands with me, aiming at the same targets: his brother, my ex.

Lily's been left holding the baby. Now her evil twin, Noona, who attempted to trap a wealthy playboy by getting pregnant has passed away. Chance wants his brother's child. But, he mistakes prim librarian Lily for her trampy twin. Lily poses as her sister to protect the baby she loves. She'll let Chance buy her as his bride.

My husband, James Zeller, and I have established a common-law marriage. We did not have a formal wedding ceremony, nor do we have a marriage license. We also live separately, our lives barely intertwining, because he has a special profession. Therefore, despite being married to him for seven years, we've never met each other's friends and relatives. As his wife, I'm proud of being married to him despite how it pains me. I'm willing to give up the opportunity to study at the National Academy of Sciences to take care of things at home while he works. One day, my son, Jasper Chalder, comes home from elementary school crying. He sobs about not being a bastard child and requests to see James. Greatly distressed, I decide to take him to visit the military base over the new year for a family reunion. However, I don't expect this trip to turn my life completely upside down.

During a project review meeting, the new Gen Z intern, Jake Wilson, suddenly acts up by cutting to the server's backend logs on the projector. With a sneer, he says, "Mr. Miller, there's been an ongoing traffic anomaly in the server for the past few months. After conducting a quick investigation, it appears that the operations director, Ms. Chapman, has been secretly using the server to run her website just to accept private gigs and make quick bucks on the side." After the boss, Martin Miller, listens to Jake's report, his expression becomes stormy. "Ms. Chapman's actions have greatly infringed on the company's interests! In fact, the risks of her leaking the company's core secrets are extremely high! I suggest that we call the police on her!" Jake continued. As I look at how hostile Jake and Martin are acting, all I feel is bitter disappointment. Back when the company has first started out, it doesn't have the funds to afford a high-specs server. I'm the one who has carried my million-dollar workstation to the company and constructed a server there. Heck, I'm the one who has been paying the power bills for the server the whole time. To think that this company will backstab me in the end… Fine. Since everyone treats me like an enemy, I might as well give them a taste of the consequences for offending me!

The night before my victory gala, I heard my husband, Matteo Bellandi, promise my credit to his mistress. "Vivian, I'll put Sofia's project credit under your name. Consider it an early second-birthday gift for our son." Vivian laughed softly. "Will Sofia agree to that?" Matteo sounded bored. "She has the title of Mrs. Bellandi. That's enough." I thought I had misheard him. But the next night, my award was given to Vivian, and Matteo personally walked her onto the stage. "Young talent needs room to grow," he told the room. "From now on, Vivian will lead this project." The gala went silent. Everyone tried not to look at me. I sat in the corner Vivian had arranged for me and finally understood. Matteo had kept the title for me, then given the credit, the money, and his future to his mistress and their son. Fine. I left the ballroom without looking back. I was done being Mrs. Bellandi. From now on, I was Sofia Valenti again, the princess of Chicago’s most feared family.

Nadine Sullivan doesn't come home to have dinner with me on my birthday. Instead, she transfers 100 dollars to me and sends me a text, saying, "I love you." Coincidentally, a resident doctor at her hospital updates his social media with a photo. It's a screenshot of her transferring 10,000 dollars to him. She's also texted him, "I love you to the moon and back." I don't throw a tantrum or kick up a fuss. All I do is leave the city without hesitation. The first day after my departure, I hear that Nadine is unfazed. She says, "He'll be back after a few days." The first month after my departure, Nadine calls me. "I'll transfer 100 thousand dollars to you, alright? Can you come back now?" I've never wanted her money, though.

A car accident left my mother-in-law bleeding and desperate for help, but her plea was heartlessly rejected by her own daughter. Even on her deathbed, my mother-in-law's only wish was to see her one last time. However, she was busy staying by her first love's side, euthanizing his dog. "You better stay as far away from me as possible! My mom's perfectly fine!" she shouted before hanging up on me, only to spend the night tangled with her first love in a hotel room. It was not until after the cremation ceremony that she returned—carrying a birthday cake. What greeted her was not a celebration but her mother's funeral. She cried, sobbing uncontrollably, "Mom! You haven't even celebrated my birthday yet! Don't leave me!" I stared at her and pulled the divorce papers from my bag. How fitting. This time, I was leaving too.

On the day Owen Mercer and I get married, I place our marriage certificate beside our candlelit dinner. Just as I'm about to take a picture and upload it to social media, Owen suddenly says, "This certificate is fake." I freeze. A woman's startled voice comes through his phone, "Hey! Why did you tell her so soon? You ruined all the fun!" Owen frowns in frustration. "She's been completely clueless this entire time. Is there really any reason to keep pretending? Fine. You win the bet, Ms. McCoy. Are you satisfied now?" But my post has already been shared on social media. Everyone is sending their congratulations to Owen and me, celebrating that we have finally tied the knot after seven years together. The woman on the other end leaves a sarcastic comment, just like how she used to bully me back in the day. "Wow, look at you two finally making it official! So when's the reception? Hehe!" After a moment's thought, I respond, "Next week."

In the underground casino, my ex-fiancé Don Dante Castellano threw the card in my face. His arm was around Sabrina—his first love—and his eyes were ice as they shoved me toward the table. "Your father owed mine a life. The thing in your belly isn't mine." He pressed the card flat against my cheek. "The daughter pays the father's debt. Tonight you're the living chip on that table." The paternity test was fake. The child was his. I knew. He didn't believe me. That night, with a gun pointed at my head, I took off all my clothes in front of everyone. Two years passed. Two years later, in Vegas, he saw me again. I was in a red silk dress with a gold chain around my neck, the other end of the chain held by a yellow-toothed gambler. "This bitch is cheap. Bark for me, and all these chips are yours." I picked up the chips, practiced. "Woof. Woof." Sabrina pressed her face into his chest, covering her nose. "Dante. This is disgusting. Let's go." He didn't go. The veins rose along his temple. He was staring at the bruises on my knees. Then he kicked the gambler across the room. He bent down and took hold of my chin. Hard. "Sienna. Money, and you'll do anything at all?" He was close enough that I could smell him. Soap. Two years, and still the same soap. I closed my eyes, opened them, pulled my mouth into a smile for him. "That's right, boss. Pay up and I'll cooperate with whatever position you want. Care to buy a round?"

Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned... Hopeless romanticist Doris Evans is convinced she wants nothing more to do with romance after one too many betrayals and broken hearts. But then she crosses paths with the man who made her vow not to pursue love ever again. Just one look at him and she could feel herself melting like chocolate... She wants him but his heart is still as cold as ever. Now, she's had enough of being rejected and she's determined to make him taste a bit of his own medicine. But does she have what it takes to defrost his frozen heart and exert her big revenge plan? Workaholic Brad Bruce wants no woman in his life. Especially, not Doris Evans. She possessed all the attributes he disapproved of in a partner: Clingy, long-winded, and above all, Immature— Extremely immature! But still, she is like a fresh breeze to his all-work, no-play life. And, though he doesn't appreciate her carefree lifestyle, he knows more than anyone how strong the influence she has on him. Will he finally learn to loosen his tie—and open his heart? Or will he cling to his safe and predictable life, even if it means missing out on true happiness?