True Friendship

After our eighty-eighth canceled wedding, I called my business partner. "I'm taking the Haviana market project." There was a beat of stunned silence. "Seriously? That's ten years overseas. You just got married—well, weren't you? Does your husband even know? What about your parents? You always said staying close to them was everything." I glanced around the empty church and let out a sharp laugh. "There was no wedding. No husband. And my parents? They've got Cindy. That's all they need." Another pause. "Alright. Pack your bags. You leave tomorrow." After the call, I ran a hand down my wedding dress. One last tear slipped out, quiet and pointless. Cindy had another "episode" today. Claimed she'd off herself. Andrew canceled—again. I'd looked at him, drained. "It's the eighty-eighth time." He dropped his head, guilt all over him. "Just a little more time, Viv. She's been off since the accident. I'm scared she'll actually do it. I swear, I'll talk to her. For real this time. Then we'll get married. Promise." My parents didn't hesitate. "Vivian, let Andrew go. If Cindy hadn't gotten kidnapped trying to save you, she wouldn't have these breakdowns. Are you really putting a wedding over your sister's life?" "How could you be so selfish?" I'd heard it all before. Used to fight it. Not this time. If neither my fiancé nor my parents wanted me around, then fine. I'd leave.

On the day I return to my home to reunite with my actual family, Melanie Stewart, the fake heiress, shows up in front of me. Her neck is completely riddled with hickeys. Instantly, countless live comments appear in the air around me. "Poor Yvonne! She thought she could start living a comfortable and lavish life now that she had been accepted by her actual family. Little does she know that Melanie has already formed a pact with the transfer system!" "Melanie is a loose woman by nature, and she loves sleeping with countless men. After getting bound to the system, the children she gets pregnant with will be transferred into Yvonne's womb instead." "Yvonne will proceed to give birth to dozens of bastard children, thus humiliating her family to no end. She ends up getting cast out of her family by her own parents!" "The truth is, there's a solution to this situation. Yvonne can just remove her uterus so that the system won't work at all. Alas, she doesn't know about that." I stop in my tracks at that moment. In my previous life, I had believed the live comments. As such, I traveled to a hospital to get my uterus removed overnight. But the next day, Melanie blew the whistle on me to my parents. She claimed that I wanted to get rid of my uterus in order to cut down the risks completely for the sake of having as much fun as I wanted with other men. My parents were completely disappointed in me. My fiance refused to enter a marriage alliance with me, a woman who could no longer give birth, as well. In the end, I died from a post-surgical infection. However, Melanie obtained everything that was supposed to be mine, to begin with. That was how she became successful in life. When I open my eyes again, I realize I've returned to the day I'm bound to reunite with my family.

In my last life, I was kidnapped alongside the fake heiress, Lilith Howe, at the same time. My father, the richest man in the country, claimed he had to prove his impartiality. Without a second thought, he told the police to rescue Lilith first and refused to pay a ransom for me. In front of the cameras, he declared with solemn conviction, "A daughter of the Howes must have backbone. We will never give in to criminals!" Lilith returned without a single scratch, and the internet crowned her a miracle girl. Meanwhile, I was killed by the kidnappers. There was barely anything left of me to bury. As my soul hovered above the scene, I watched my brother sneer at what little remained. "Good," he said. "At least she won't come back and be an eyesore to Lilith. We'll finally have some peace in the house." When I opened my eyes again, I was back at the exact moment the kidnappers called with their demands. A knife was pressed against my throat. On the other end of the line, my father's voice was just as cold, just as absolute. "I'm not choosing. My money belongs to charity. If she's a Howe, she should be ready to sacrifice for the family." I laughed. If he was willing to destroy his own flesh and blood for the sake of so-called honor, then this time, I would grant them a reunion in hell!

My sister and I married into the Phoenix Clan at the same time and, coincidentally, gave birth at the same time. After my sister birthed a purebred golden phoenix, the eldest prince she married was immediately crowned the next leader of the Phoenix Clan. Meanwhile, I gave birth to a mixed-bred pheasant and was condemned to death along with my husband, who was the second prince. It was only after my death that I found out the pheasant was my sister’s child! It was a ploy concocted by her and the eldest prince. The goal was to hide the bastard bloodline of the eldest prince and steal the throne of the Phoenix Clan. When I opened my eyes again, I realized I had been reborn. I didn't give birth, and my sister was visiting me with a haul of supplements…

My family sold one of their properties to put me through school abroad. Nathan Kingsley and I had been together three years. Two of those were long-distance. Through those two years of me alone overseas, he never broke contact — airport pickups, long phone calls, every anniversary remembered. I'd never once doubted him. I thought distance hadn't beaten us. The day I flew home, he was waiting at Arrivals with a bouquet of flowers. He smiled and said, "Finally." We set the engagement date. We picked out the dress. We booked the reception. The day the wedding march began and I stood at the top of the aisle looking at him, I thought — these three years were worth every minute. Then the doors behind me opened. My sister walked into the chapel, in a white dress, and slid her arm through his. She smiled at me. "Sorry, sis. Those airport pickups? I'm the one who sent him. For the last three years, he's been mine the whole time."

My stepsister, Chloe, wanted to test the loyalty of my childhood sweetheart. So she drugged him with a lust potion. Then she threw him in my room. I couldn't watch him suffer. He was spiraling into a bloodlust. For a vampire, that's a death sentence. So I gave him the only cure. Myself. When Chloe found us, she fled in a jealous rage. She married a cursed, brutal king—the Lord of Eternal Night. And he killed her. Julian and I were blood-bound, but he began to hate me. He ignored me for a century. Then a rival clan ambushed us. He shielded me with his body. He burned to ash to save my life. Before he faded, he gave me one last look. "If I could do it all over again, Elena," he whispered, "I never would have needed saving." My world shattered. Darkness took me. I opened my eyes. I was back in Julian's room. On the night it all went wrong.

I'd spent six months saving every penny for prenatal care, but the money vanished overnight. Panicking, I called my fiancé, only to see him on another woman's social media. The man's busy silhouette radiated excitement, with a luxury handbag sitting at the edge of the photo. The caption read: "Mr. Wellington is such a gentleman! Today's happiness starts with snagging the last designer bag at the boutique~" When I came out of surgery, my furious fiancé finally showed up. His first words were an accusation. "Can you stop treating me like I'm on a leash?" "My friend was feeling down, so I bought her a bag and kept her company. What's wrong with that? Why are you so petty!"

Three years after being brought back to my family, I jumped off a building. As my soul floated in the air, I wanted to see how my parents and brother, who always despised me, would break down in tears, filled with regret. But my father simply shook his head indifferently and looked at my lifeless body, saying, "How childish." My mother pressed her lips together and sighed in relief, as if a burden had been lifted. My brother stood in front of the fake heiress, shielding her from the gruesome sight of my death. Even so, the fake heiress burst into tears, prompting the whole family to rush to comfort her. I stared in stunned silence for a long time before a bitter smile crossed my face. When I opened my eyes again, I was back to the moment I was first brought home.

Cara is a second-year college student taking up entrepreneurship. She dreams of becoming a successful businesswoman, so she studies hard to finish college with flying colors, but an unexpected event will change her life. Her parent's business closed, which led them to a huge financial problem. She had to stop studying and work at a convenience store to help his parents pay for their daily expenses. Cara opened a small baking business with Julia, her best friend, and Austin, who secretly likes her. Will they become successful in their chosen career? Will their friendship get through with the problems that will come? Will Austin have the courage to admit his real feelings for Cara?

Liam is a 23-year-old college student who accepted a job offer as the live-in assistant of a rich older gentleman, Mr. William Laverne. But on his first day of the job, it was revealed that he won't be taking care of the sweet-natured, mild-mannered old Mr. Laverne after all. Instead, he was tasked to help his spoiled, lazy, and sometimes cruel granddaughter to become a proper young lady so she can one day take over the Laverne industry.Will this be the start of a beautiful friendship or will she lead his life into total chaos?Find my interview with Goodnovel: https://tinyurl.com/yxmz84q2