Tragic Backstory Examples Novels & Stories

I lifted a brow at his words, and as he continued, the air thickened, my lips curving into a frown. “The second kidnapper, Ethan Brooks, also met a tragic fate not long after the death of the first one. He owned a small business and had a decent life after leaving his criminal past behind. He had a wife he loved deeply, but overnight, his business went bankrupt for no reason. His wife, without hesitation, took his last wealth and ran away with her lover. Left in debt and unable to cope, he threw himself off a building and died.”

"Back then, when the Biggs Group was going after my family's business, they pushed us into a corner. We fell into massive debt. "My mother jumped off a building. My father landed in prison. My sister… she sold herself trying to pay off what we owed. Ended up in the hands of a monster and was tortured to death. "So tell me, would you call that grudge deep enough?"

“...What past?” “It’s something we’d all buried, unwilling to mention it since it occurred. A painful event that affected us deeply.” A hundred thoughts and story tropes ran through my mind, wondering which of the many traumatic Alpha background stories I was about to hear. I doubted anything would have surprised me by this point, but as Thaddeus’s sad eyes finally met mine and spoke his next words, I realised I’d been wrong. “...It’s time you were told how Rubeus and Hazel’s daughter, Lucia, died.”

First, Harper’s fathers’ company goes bankrupt for some reason. Second, his fathers wander from country to country trying to pay off debts and die in an accident. Third, Harper is left alone at a young age shouldering enormous debt and suffering like crazy. Thus, the tragic male lead Harper would still wander in darkness even after becoming a dominant alpha. And the root of all evil that provided that darkness was none other than— [If only BK Group hadn’t kicked out my dad back then… I might not have lost my family first…!] What’s the point of saying it?

He couldn’t remember dropping onto his knees … or even crawling towards them, his hands sliding through the pool of blood as if swimming through it. Tristan squeezed his eyes shut, crying silently as he hugged both dead bodies. He tried to remember what caused all of this to happen. Was this the consequence of him declining Lord Chanler’s offer? This was … way too much. But it already happened. And it was all because of him. *** “I’m really sorry, man,” Lewis said as he placed a hand on Tristan’s shoulder. “I never knew you had such a dark past.”

She laughed and the tear fell on her eyes never escape my sight. “He left me because he’s afraid that he might not fulfill his promise because he has cancer. He found out that he’s ill. And that he decided to leave me as he can’t talk to me about it. He chooses to be a coward than, to tell the truth to me. Do you know what was the feeling when your beloved never seems to trust you? It’s hurt, Becca. I love him and I will understand him, but he chooses his fears and hid in the dark.”

If Ruth from the group home had been more in touch with her emotions, maybe she wouldn’t have forced me to drink toilet water for refusing to give up my sandwich. So I haven’t spent my life searching for my parents, because there’s little room for this to work out in a satisfying way. Either they wanted to get rid of me (tragic, tear-jerking, the stuff where trauma thrives) or they were forced to (tragic, tear-jerking, the stuff where trauma thrives). Neither option comes with a happy ending. Sure, there’s room for variation in the levels of rejection, self-loathing, and generic mal de vivre I’ll experience as my backstory unfolds.

"What do you know about it?" Jace leans back in his seat. "All I know is the girl won some pageantry shit. She was supposedly beautiful, that's why she caught a lot of attention. Personally, I couldn't give two shits about what a little girl looks like. Unfortunately, her fame led to her rape and murder. The news of her death filled all the news outlets here and ran the whole year. That must be because it's the most interesting thing that has ever happened here since Raul caught a big ass fish," he snorts, taking a long drag of the cigarette. "Roman believed there's more to the story."

News of Vincent and Denise seizing the Young family’s assets jolted him back to life. Determined, Liam began to systematically dismantle their partnerships with other companies, using every means at his disposal to crush them in the business world. Yet, he never finished them off completely, choosing instead to toy with them, dragging out their suffering. The relentless pressure drove Vincent to develop a gambling addiction. He threw money around at the casinos until he racked up insurmountable debt. Desperate, he sold every organ he could, but it wasn’t enough, and he soon died from an infection.

The agony that gripped my heart was unbearable. With tears streaming down my face, I rushed to his side, cradling him in my arms. The depth of our love echoed in that moment, as I whispered words of love and reassurance, desperately hoping that he would pull through. In the midst of the tragedy, a flicker of hope emerged. Sarah, who had been silently observing the events, stepped forward. With a heavy heart, she confessed her involvement in the plot and how she had been set up by Becky. Her betrayal had unwittingly led to this moment, but her remorse was genuine.