Everyone in the D.C. social scene knew that Bennett Sterling, the golden boy of the city, had a soft spot for his "little sister," Avery. She was the daughter of a fallen hero, a military big shot who’d died saving Bennett's life. Avery was fragile, with a heart condition she’d had since birth. The day I, Clara, married Bennett, Avery had a heart episode. The day I gave birth to our daughter, she had another one. It felt like a morbid, annual tradition. Then, Bennett wanted our daughter's heart for Avery. That's when I finally snapped. "Why," I demanded, "should my daughter
I woke up with a start, disoriented. Sunlight streamed into the room, and it was… wrong. It was my old room from eighteen years ago, posters of bands I hadn't thought about in ages still tacked to the wall. And on the bedside table? My SAT registration card. It was like yesterday I'd been sweating over those stupid practice tests. I thought back to the mess of my 'rebirth' – my 'second chance' - and sighed. I'd worked myself into the ground in my last life, all to get my brother's wedding paid for. Yeah, that's right. I was a total "golden
My wife, Lucy, and I got tapped for this outdoor reality show. But here's the kicker: they swapped out one of the celebrity guests at the last minute. And guess who they replaced him with? Liam freaking Hayes. Liam’s a total heartthrob, riding high on the fame wave right now. And, the real drama? Everyone knows he's Lucy’s ex. They were the "it" couple way back when they were both starting out, burned bright for two years, and then crashed and burned spectacularly. After the breakup, they were both surprisingly classy about it, never trashed each other in the press. They became this "what could
I was finally gonna do it. At graduation, I was gonna tell Jake, my major crush, how I felt. Across the street, Jake was getting his picture taken in his cap and gown, looking like a total stud. I got so hyped up I just ran across the street, not even noticing the "Don't Walk" sign. BAM! A car nailed me, and everything went black. When I woke up, I was in a hospital bed, and guess who was standing there? Jake. But he was giving me this cold, deadpan stare. "So, you're awake," he said, all flat. "Good, we need to finalize these
My dad's mistress was incredibly nice to me. She showered me with gifts and indulged my every whim. So when my parents divorced, I didn't hesitate to choose my dad. I even took the mistress's hand and called her "Mom." My real mom called me a traitor, saying I'd regret it someday. I just smiled. I already regretted it. I regretted that in my past life, I hadn't made those two scumbags grovel and pay for what they did. 1 I was a sophomore in high school when my dad's affair came to light. My mom, her face etched with pain, asked, "Ashley,
After a one-night stand with the CEO, everyone thought I was obsessed with Ethan, that I'd drugged and seduced him. After all, to everyone else, I was Ethan’s lovesick puppy, hopelessly devoted. But the truth was, he was drunk and mistook me for Chloe. I naively believed Ethan would clear my name. Instead, he accused me of nymphomania and personally committed me to rehab. “Amelia, you’re pathetic. You’re not even in the same league as Chloe.” “I’ve never met such a shameless woman. Don’t come out until you’re cured.” Later, when my so-called “illness” was cured, it was Ethan who
A nanny secretly swapped her son with mine. In my past life, my company went bankrupt, and I gave the last of my money to my son so he could go abroad. The day he left, the son I raised revealed the truth: "You fool! Your real son died a long time ago! And I'm the one who ruined your company." He and the nanny, his biological mother, lived happily ever after. While my real son and I died tragically on the streets. Reborn, I will be vigilant, find my real son, and kick that ungrateful wretch to the curb! 1 "I don't like that Sarah Miller
The day I was trapped in the fire, my husband was waiting outside the delivery room for his first love. I died in that inferno, nothing left but ashes. When I woke up again, I was back in high school. Looking at that familiar face, all I felt was nausea. Ethan would never know that he lost more than just me in that fire. He also lost his unborn child. 1. It was Ethan's turn to clean the blackboard today, but the name written there was clearly mine: Mia Sanders. Everyone was used to me covering for Ethan. After all, I used to be a total doormat for
It was late at night. My stomach was cramping so badly I had to call Ethan. “Look, I can’t leave right now. Why don’t you just take some pain meds? The power’s out at Ashley’s, and she’s freaked out being there alone with the kids. I gotta make sure they're okay.” I opened my notes app and added a tally mark: 77. That was the 77th time he'd ditched me for Ashley and her kids. … July 7th. My birthday. Our anniversary. Every year, Ethan and I made a big deal out of it. So, on July 6th, I was excitedly telling Ethan about my plans