The Memory Box Kathryn Hughes Novels & Stories

Richard Lorde’s childhood friend had just become a widow. On our fifth wedding anniversary, he brought his childhood friend and her daughter into a karaoke box and removed my ring right before everyone. “Lily needs a proper status right now. It’s no longer right for you to wear that ring. “Resign from your job tomorrow and take care of Lily and her daughter.” Everyone in the room fell silent as they waited for me to blow my top off. But I said nothing. I calmly brought out the divorce agreement I had already signed, put it on the table, and left. My best friend stood up to advise me against it, but Richard just swung the wine glass and snorted. “Let her. She’ll come begging for my forgiveness before tomorrow.” When I slammed the door shut, I heard laughter from the room. What they did not know was that half an hour ago, I had received a message telling me that my visa application had been approved. The person in charge of picking me up had been waiting at my house ten minutes ago. This time, I was not turning back.

Kiersey had her life going great for her, in fact, it was supposed to have been getting better. After two unsuccessful artificial inseminations, she and her high-handed husband were finally going to have a baby. But then a mix-up at the clinic pulls the plug out of her marital life, sending everything spiralling down the drain when they discover she had been given the wrong sperm. Her husband's rejection and consequent divorce were the first out of Pandora's box, fearing for her baby's life and amidst the series of heartbreaks, she has to find an anonymous sperm donor and have him tested for Triple-A Syndrome, of which she was a non-affected carrier. When she runs into Aithan Reeves, one of Springfield's rising young millionaires, on one of her clue huntings and then starts to fall for him, she discovers there's always a second chance at love. But she wouldn't stop looking for her baby daddy, she had to be emotionally prepared. Will Kiersey let go of her second chance for her continued search, or will she embrace it and hope for the best? And just what else did Aithan have to offer her apart from his love?

On the first day of my husband's business trip, an unknown number calls me. It belongs to an employee of a pharmacy. The employee sounds very anxious over the phone. "Hello, are you related to Mr. Yates by any chance? He came to the pharmacy this afternoon to buy a box of morning-after pills, but he left right away without paying for the pills. Please pay the bill right now." My mind buzzes at the news. Morning-after pills? I suppress my emotions immediately before calling Zachary. I begin probing him afterward. "Where did you go this afternoon, honey? Your credit card statement shows that the payment you've made at a pharmacy has failed to go through." Zachary pauses for half a second before letting out a soft chuckle. "Ah, I bought the pills for a new intern in my department. She's a young woman who gets flustered easily, so I ran an errand for her." I just smile while saying "okay" to Zachary. After ending the call, I call the pharmacy once again, this time in a cold voice. "Send me your pharmacy's address. I'll head over and pay the bill in person."

Sofia Esteban had given up her fortune, her family and her name for love... only to have her husband shove divorce papers in her face and announce he was marrying another woman… who claimed to be pregnant with his child. Two months later, Sofia wakes from a coma with no memory… only to discover the man she loved has married her rival and her life has been shattered…

I catch the eye of a talent scout on the street and am sent abroad for training. However, as soon as I land, my passport is snatched away. I'm even locked into a cage. The people who beat me up tell me death is the only path for people who disobey orders at Elder Corporation. But if my memory serves me correctly, Elder Corporation is the name of my fiancé's company abroad.

Elea Jemima is the definition of a dedicated fangirl. A history major with a genius-level photographic memory, she prefers skipping classes to track the whereabouts of her ultimate obsessio, Drex Ethan (D.E.), the world’s most enigmatic and haughty solo idol. Drex is perfect—flawless face, melodious voice, and a cold, distant aura that only makes his fans crave him more. Desperate to catch a glimpse of him after arriving late to a signing event, Elea sneaks into his private dressing room. But instead of the handsome idol, she finds something that shatters her reality: a massive, terrifying black wolf sitting in Drex’s chair. Terrified and allergic to dog hair, Elea runs for her life. But she can’t outrun a predator. Cornered in a deserted room, she watches in horror as the beast shifts, bone by bone, into the very man she worships. Drex Ethan isn't just an idol. He is a Lycan. Now, Elea’s photographic memory has become her greatest curse. She has seen his secret, and the golden-eyed Alpha has no intention of letting her go. From superfan to a Lycan’s captive—Elea is about to learn that loving an idol can be a deadly affair.

Five years ago, Juliette Rowe stood alone at the altar, her dreams shattered as Damon Thorne, the ruthless billionaire she loved, vanished without a trace. Left heartbroken and pregnant, Juliette rebuilt her life in the shadows, raising their son with no word from the man who abandoned them. But fate has a cruel sense of timing. When a news report reveals that Damon has survived a near-fatal car crash and lost all memory of his past Juliette is thrust back into a world she swore to leave behind. To make matters worse, Damon is now engaged to a woman he doesn’t truly love and surrounded by a family determined to erase Juliette from his life forever. Haunted by dreams he can’t explain, Damon is drawn to Juliette — a woman his heart remembers even if his mind does not. But as old secrets surface and a dangerous truth behind his accident is uncovered, Juliette must make an impossible choice: Expose the past and risk everything… or protect her son from a lies-filled future. Love may be lost in memory, but never in the heart. Some memories fade but not true.

Ava is devastated to find her husband Brandon Thompson in bed with her best friend Mia Brooks. After a heated confrontation between the three, Ava gets into a horrible accident. Divorced while she suffered from memory loss from an accident, Ava regains her memory to find her husband, now ex-husband's personal assistant, Clinton, parading as her husband. With her reputation tainted for being involved with an employee while married, Ava becomes devastated at how her perfect life had turned out. Broken and confused, she decides to go back home only to find Brandon had already moved on after cheating her out of everything. Her properties, her children and her home. With nowhere to go,nobody to turn to, she goes back to her family, the Smiths. A few years later, Ava returns as a cold and ruthless heiress and confronts Brandon for what she had refused to see him as for a really long time; A beast. Ava is back to take what belongs to her. She's out for blood; Brandon's blood. Will there be a second chance for them or will Ava's return burn everything to the ground?

Years ago, Elijah’s world shattered the day his husband, Gabe, vanished without a word. They said it was a plane crash. They said there were no survivors. But lies have long wings and now Gabe is back. Alive. Rich. Powerful. And with no memory of the life he shared with Elijah. When Gabe reappears in the arms of another world, Elijah is torn between rage and relief. His husband doesn’t remember the vows, the late-night laughter, or the broken pieces they were trying to heal together. Worse, someone is trying to erase Gabe’s name from his family’s fortune and Elijah might be the only one who can help him uncover the truth. Bound by a fake marriage that once held real love, the two must pretend for the world while battling ghosts of their past. As secrets unravel and the danger grows, so does the pull between them. But this second chance comes with a price and a past neither of them are ready to face. Was Gabe running from something… or someone? And if Elijah helps him remember, will love bring them home or destroy them both? A dark, emotionally raw MM romance about memory, betrayal, and the painful beauty of second chances. .

On my twentieth birthday, my father asked me to draw from a box of straws. It was to pick a husband between William Smith and Austin Smith to inherit North Town. The short straw represented Austin, while the long straw represented William. No matter how hard I tried, I could not get the long straw. However, I was certain that I did not want to marry Austin. I drew straws for three years, but it was to no avail. I had no choice but to tamper with the straws to marry William as I wished. However, ten years into our marriage, he was no longer gentle and kind. He had turned into a really cold person. He neither returned home nor touched me. Even when I threatened him with a knife, he refused to talk to me. Despite feeling hurt, I was unwilling to let him go. That was until I watched him kick away the only medicine I had for my asthma while I was writhing on the floor. “I was the one who switched out the straws. There was no long straw, yet you forced me to marry you. Mandy died from a broken heart, so you should pay with your life.” When I opened my eyes again, I was holding a short straw. I calmly said, “Since it’s the short one, I choose Austin.”