The Love We Left Behind Novels & Stories

" There was never any baseless hatred—William disliked her for concrete reasons. He didn't like her because the Graham and Spencer families had arranged their marriage way too early. And because of that, his first love had been forced to leave the country. That night, Jasmine stared at the ceiling until the sun came up. Her mom had passed away early. No one ever taught her how to hold onto someone she loved. As a kid, all she knew was how to use sarcasm and sharp words to get William's attention. But after that? Jasmine blinked her dry eyes.

“You don’t get to leave me at all.” “I’m trying not to.” He gave a weak smile. “But if I did… I needed to know someone stubborn enough would stand between you and your own self-sacrifice.” “You mean Adrian.” “I mean unfortunately, yes.” Despite everything, she laughed through tears. He relaxed at the sound. “I love you,” he whispered. “I love you too.” “No. Hear it properly.” She bent closer. “I love you enough to know you do not belong to me.” Her mouth trembled. “And I love you enough,” she whispered back, “to be furious you understand me so well.”

--- Because that— --- Had never changed. --- Not through control. --- Not through war. --- Not even through the choices that had torn them apart. --- And as they stood there— As distance became something chosen rather than forced— As two people who had lost everything began to understand what remained— One final truth emerged: --- Love is not proven in the moments we hold on… --- But in the moments we are willing to let go— --- And still find our way back.

I look in his eyes as I say it. He smiles back “ I love you too.” He replies. I start to leave the room taking my popcorn bowl to the kitchen and I see him start to settle back into the couch turning the TV to a game. He also now has his phone out and he’s typing a message to someone with a smile on his face. I stand in the doorway for a few moments just watching him. I can’t help but feel like I’ve lost him and I just don’t know what to do. ++

Do you still have a spare key? The chat window was mostly filled with green message bubbles, each one a message from me to him. The last time he had texted me was two months ago. I smiled faintly, then set the phone down and let the notification chime continue doing its own thing. … On my wedding day, luxury cars crowded the hotel entrance. Reporters from over a hundred media outlets camped outside, eager for the first scoop on the Henderson family wedding. I sat before the vanity mirror as the makeup artist painted my face into perfection, layer by layer. It felt like the pain and shadows of the past were being slowly stripped away with each brush stroke.

Nora Bellweather married a man who never loved her. When she found proof of his betrayal, something in her went quiet and hard. Then, drowning her grief in a dim bar one night, she saw three faces from a past she thought she'd buried for good. The next morning, her husband walked in with three important guests, and she nearly dropped the teapot in her hands. It was them. Older, sharper, wealthier, and dangerous in ways they never used to be. They had once loved her without limits before everything fell apart. Now they were back in her house, in her life, refusing to stay away. Nora cannot forgive what tore them apart years ago, and she will not survive another heartbreak in a marriage that h

I officially returned to my post as a forensic pathologist. I heard Maddox was transferred elsewhere, but I didn't care. He did come to me once, asking to get back together. But after I harshly humiliated him, he backed off. After everything was finally settled, I took leave and returned to my hometown. I handed the mother worm I had taken from Jessica to my Grandaunt Tabitha, who knew how to dispose of it. With some effort, she burned the mother worm to death. Once the mother worm died, the child worm inside me disappeared as well.

I took a bullet for Vittorio, and it left my right hand permanently damaged. After that, I stepped back and supported him from behind the scenes. For eight years, I stood beside him as he rose from a low-level underling to Don. On his first day as Don, he had my portrait hung in every church he owned, to show the world who I was and how much I mattered. When I told him we had too much blood on our hands, he began going to church every day to confess and pray for us both. Once, I offered to go with him. He only shook his head, his expression solemn. "You got blood on your hands because of me. None of it is your fault. Let me carry all the sins alone." I was so moved that I believed him

The day I come home to my biological family, it seems like no one is taking the fake heiress' side. My fiancé, Hank Graham, is the one who kicks Olivia Horton out and sends her back to the mountains. Mom and Dad tell everyone I'm their only daughter. Every holiday, my brother, Chester Horton, sends me money without a second thought. A week before my wedding, the whole family even comes with me to my wedding dress fitting. The zipper at my side gets stuck, so I call for Hank a few times. When he doesn't answer, I step out of the fitting room and hear the contempt in Chester's voice. "Olivia got upset this morning because you're getting married. It took us forever to get her to eat." Han

It was supposed to be our pre-wedding getaway. The five of us had gone to the beach together when my boyfriend's childhood friend, Wendy Riverson, suddenly removed her earrings and suggested we play Elite Society again. "Lowest bidder gets eliminated. No motorboat for them—they have to swim to the island." One person bid 3000. Another offered 20000. Then my boyfriend, George Foster, casually put down 5 million. "Spend it however you want," he told her indulgently. "I've got plenty more." The other two immediately started cheering. "Nice, George! Wendy's dying to marry you, I think!" Once again, I was eliminated, for I only put in 50. When George noticed my expression, he frowned. "It's j