Swapped Novels & Stories

Next to it lay the engagement letter, its thick parchment sealed with the wax of both Alpha Jaden houses, and Lord Khalid. Luna Helena sat at the head of the table, her expression unreadable as she bore witness. "Everything is here, Helena," Luna Anna said, her voice remarkably steady today. "Every coin, every token. And the letter that bound our children." "Then let it be undone," Luna Helena replied with a nod. With the unanimous consent of both parties, the engagement was officially dissolved. Luna Anna reached down, picked up the parchment letter, and held it over the open flame of the hearth. For a second, the edges curled and blackened.

I had to wear an aid for three years before I finally regained full function. I blinked, looking at him in surprise. "I had corrective surgery later on. I actually have the exact same scar right behind my ear, just like yours." He turned his head slightly to the side, exposing the area just behind his lobe. I saw it—a thin, pale mark, so faded it was nearly invisible against his skin. "Is that why you chose to sponsor this gala tonight?" I asked, pushing for a bit more depth.

I sprinted across the street, throwing Tim’s heavy body onto the pavement as I slid on my knees beside my fallen frame. “Tim! Tim, open your eyes!” I sobbed, Tim’s massive hands shaking violently as I gently cradled my own pale, bruised face. A thin streak of dark blood trickled from my hairline, and my body was trembling, gasping for air in tiny, painful wheezes. “Stella...” Tim groaned, my squeaky voice coming out fractured and weak. His brown eyes flickered open, filled with tears as he looked up at me. “I’m... I’m sorry... I ruined... your body...”

Right in front of national TV, my parents cried their hearts out and told everyone how much they missed me. That got the Internet's pity, and their business grew. After I was taken back home, my sister, Melanie Shaw, was kind and friendly to me. She was beautiful and adorable. I was happy to have a sister like her, and I thought her kindness was real. And then one day, I saw her tossing food on her own bed while she thought no one was looking. She then cried and went to our father, telling him that I did that to her. Though I could speak normally after I grew up, I still stuttered when my nerves got the better of me. Panicked, I explained, "I… I didn't, Dad… I…"

Celine Sherman and I were supposed to get married on the same day. Three days before my wedding, by the uncanniest of coincidences, I found out that my fiancé, Andrew Hammond, intended to swap the two wedding cars intended for Celine and me, respectively. Celine was supposed to marry into the struggling and powerless Wright family, but Andrew planned to have me take her place. His words came as a huge shock to me, and it was something that I never would've seen coming.

Because I knew my fate might be worse than those oysters'. I opened the letter with trembling hands. Sure enough, no matter how graceful Sarah's handwriting tried to be, it couldn't mask my mother's wrath boiling beneath the lines. Switching grooms without notice—Strike One. Running off and getting married on my own—Strike Two. Then vanishing without a word to the family—Strike Three. The kind you don't come back from. By the time I reached the end, where Blake was frowning hard at the page, a strange sense of calm settled over me.

CHERRY'S POV I am at the office with Tamara sorting out some files. Tamara is better now at least, she's back to her normal cheerful and bubbly self, skin glowing and face radiant, her pregnancy although not showing yet, really fits her I can see it. My phone beeps, a text message comes in, I don't want to read it as it may be some useless VAT messages, or whatever, but something pushes me to pick up the phone. I see it's a message from Jeanne telling me she'll be back today instead of next week like I expected and this will surely disrupt my plan.

All you ever do is cause me trouble. Marcus tightly gripped my wrist. He only let go long after we got back into the car. The entire ride, I tried listening to his thoughts. However, no matter how hard I tried, there was never a single sound inside his mind. Once we arrived at the docks, Marcus stood by the sea breeze while workers opened the cargo boxes one by one for inspection. Quietly, I stepped closer and leaned over to look inside the crates, too. 'No way they’ll notice the cargo got soaked. I stuffed so much absorbent floral foam under the crates. By the time they figure it out, we’ll already have the money and be long gone.

His eyes looked into mine and the depth of worry seemed unending. “I can feel you, Sky. I can feel the pain and panic and fear and hopelessness. All of it. I’ve been feeling.” I opened my mouth but still, my voice wasn’t there. Ethan kissed my tears as they fell. He stepped away and Justin’s lips pressed into the other side of my cheek. “We’re having someone replace the cameras. They are working on it now and securing the network. The locks are being changed and the code is changed as well.”

The nurse was visibly taken aback as she explained, "Sir, we live in an era of gender equality. So, a daughter is just as valuable." Before Dad could even process her words, the nurse had already held Juliette upright in front of his face. As soon as her features came into sharp focus, his pupils dilated. Just then, Mom charged out of the delivery room, screaming at the top of her lungs. "They swapped them. They swapped our baby!" She seized Dad's arm so tightly that her fingernails nearly dug into his flesh. "They're conspiring against me! They must be afraid we won't treat that little bastard! I know what I gave birth to; it w