Novels

My wife, Clara, was celebrating a work win with her best friend, Josh, at the office. I packed my bags, left the divorce papers on the table, and posted a farewell message on social media: "I’m out. Enjoy the space." Thirty minutes later, her call came. "Jason, what the hell is this? Are you done with your little tantrum?" I scoffed. I’m leaving you. I don’t care who you’re with anymore. Turns out, she cared. A lot. 1. On my birthday, I dropped Clara off at work. “I’ll be home early. There’s something I want to talk about,” I said. She hesitated, then nodded. We’d been married

The day my father needed emergency surgery, my wife, a top surgeon, chose to jet off on vacation with her first love. I knelt at the airport, begging her to save my father’s life. She just sneered and told me to get lost. “Your father’s life is not my problem. Don't use this pathetic tactic to make me jealous.” My father died. I finally gave up on her. And that’s when she knelt before me, begging me not to leave her. 1. The flatline echoed in my ears. The doctor's apologetic face swam before my eyes, his words muffled, meaningless. My dad was gone.

Five years into our marriage, my husband's "one true love" posted a picture of a property deed on her Instagram story. The caption read: "So grateful to Ethan for transferring this house to me. " I stared at the address, which was my address. Confused, I commented a single question mark: "?". Ethan's accusatory call came instantly. "She's a single mom, Olivia! Have some compassion! I just transferred the deed so her son can go to a better school. It doesn't affect us living there." His voice dripped with disdain. "Seriously, you have a heart of stone." Then, I heard Chloe's fake, breathy

Three years into our arranged marriage, Olivia wanted to have a baby with her dying ex-boyfriend, Luke. Through artificial insemination. I said no. I told her if she went through with it, I’d die. She threw divorce papers at me, her face twisted with disgust. "He’s dying, Daniel! Can you just stop being so selfish and dramatic for once?" I failed the mission. The system’s punishment: jump from the 18th floor. … “Daniel, it’s just artificial insemination! I’m not sleeping with him! Can’t you be a little less selfish? Luke’s an only child. Do you want his family line to end?” "Luke has cancer! He’s dying!

My brother died in a plane crash, rushing home for my birthday. Every year after, my parents made me kneel at his grave and apologize. On my eighteenth birthday, I was being followed. Terrified, I texted them. Mom called, her voice laced with venom. "You’re just making excuses to get out of apologizing to your brother! Liar! Why couldn't it have been you who died?!" The line went dead as the attacker’s boot crushed my phone. He dismembered me, scattering my remains across the city. My father, the forensic pathologist assigned to the case, didn’t even recognize me. Later, my brother returned, triumphant,

The day before our wedding, I received wedding photos of my fiancée, Amelia, with another man. Looking at the picture of the happy couple, I calmly told Amelia I wanted a divorce. Her assistant, Zach, called me in tears, begging me not to be angry. "Mr. Morrison, it’s all my fault! I sent them to the wrong address! Please don’t be mad at Amelia!" In the background, I heard Amelia’s soothing voice. "It’s okay, Zach. He won’t be mad. He can’t live without me." I hung up, leaving the divorce papers on the table, and walked out. … When Amelia returned, I was packing, movers

For the sixth time, Juliet and I stood at the courthouse, and for the sixth time, we didn’t get a marriage license. Six attempts at remarrying, three years after our divorce. Each time, on the day we were supposed to make it official, she’d come up with some excuse, some “emergency.” I stared at our names on the screen, a flicker of hope still stubbornly clinging on. "Juliet, they’re about to call our number. It’ll only take a few minutes." "Is it really that important, Ethan? Can’t this wait?" She looked at me, impatient. “We were married before, Ethan. It's just a piece of

The day before our son’s kidney transplant, my wife, Emily, secretly swapped the donor list, giving our son’s kidney to her ex’s son instead. Our son’s condition worsened. He died. Emily celebrated her ex's son's successful surgery by handing out red envelopes to the entire hospital staff. I collapsed. When I woke up, I was diagnosed with terminal cancer. Devastated, I left the hospital, clutching our son’s ashes, and drafted divorce papers in the silence of our empty apartment. … Emily came home at 10 pm. As she closed the door, the living room lights flicked on. She jumped, startled. I sat on the couch, holding a

Dennis Slater came from a poor family, and I had supported him countless times.? But to marry his first love, he poisoned me at my 30th birthday party.? It was only then that I realized he had always hated me for breaking up him and his childhood sweetheart, Hazel Hubbard, and that giving him money was just an insult to him. Reborn back to the day I was supposed to meet his parents, I stood outside the private room and heard Dennis speak to his mom with disgust.? "Christine can't hold a candle to Hazel. The thought of spending my life with her makes