Novels

“Mrs. Summers, what is going on at your house today? Carter not only arrived late, but he didn’t wear his uniform. He looked filthy, like he hadn’t washed his face! And what’s more, he didn’t even do his homework! Is this how you raise your child? You need to come to school immediately!”\nI was tempted to ignore her, but knowing she wouldn’t let it go, I replied:\n

Our whole family was planning a vacation trip together, but when my husband's childhood friend, Mallory, found out, she pleaded to join us. Without a second thought, Henry canceled my plane ticket and gave it to her instead, arranging for me to travel on a hard seat in a 36-hour train ride. I looked over at my in-laws, and to my surprise, they all agreed with my husband’s decision. So, I went along with the plan—I took my train ticket, and traveled west. I ended up staying away for three months, and the whole family was thrown into a panic.

"Adam is a scheming miser. Marrying him won't end well for you." I couldn't hold back. It all just came out in a rush. "I didn't know you had such a good memory, Ms. Collins," came a familiar voice from behind me. I froze. At that moment, I felt like my career as Adam's assistant was over.

My mom asked me who I wanted to marry. This time, I didn’t choose Simon Hughes. Instead, I chose his younger uncle, Daniel Hughes. Her reaction was instant, her gaze sharp and full of disbelief, like I’d just slapped her across the face. After all, everyone in the city knew Simon and I were inseparable, practically joined at the hip since childhood. For ten years, I’d chased him and made it clear I wouldn’t marry anyone else. But that was the old me, the version of myself that no longer existed. A bitter smile tugged at my lips as memories of my past life—before I was reborn—flooded my mind. In that life, after Simon and I married, I came to a heartbreaking realization. He’d never once laid a finger on me. At first, I told myself it was personal—maybe it was just something he couldn’t help. I made excuses for him and tried to convince myself it didn’t matter. But then, on our golden wedding anniversary, I walked into a room I’d never seen before. It was locked away, hidden, and filled with photos of my cousin. That’s when it hit me. It wasn’t that Simon was asexual. He just didn’t love me. Now, in this second life, I was done wasting time on someone who would never love me in return. I decided to let them be together, once and for all. But as I walked down the aisle toward Daniel, Simon's face turned pale, and he completely lost control.

The day I found out I was pregnant, my husband Brandon's secretary, Jenna, posted a photo of her baby bump on Instagram. The caption read, [As long as you're loved, you can still be a beautiful girl--even when you're pregnant!] In the picture, she was wearing nothing but lace lingerie, leaning into Brandon's chest while they took a selfie. His hand was resting on her bare, swollen belly. On his finger was the exact same wedding ring as mine. I commented, [Congrats.]

When my wealthy boyfriend wanted to drain my blood to save his dream girl's life, everyone thought I would break up with him. Instead, I voluntarily inserted the needle into my vein and agreed to the full blood transfusion surgery.

The scholarship list came out, and my principal, Mr. Harrison, called me into his office. Again. “Okay, Ashley, so the school’s decided to give the merit scholarship to Brittany Miller this year. You know…” he started, avoiding eye contact. I practically leaped out of my chair. “What?! Why? I’ve had the highest GPA for three years straight! I’ve won eight national awards, ten state awards, and countless others. I’ve been top of the class every semester. Brittany? She's barely passing. Why?”

“Mrs. Summers, what is going on at your house today? Carter not only arrived late, but he didn’t wear his uniform. He looked filthy, like he hadn’t washed his face! And what’s more, he didn’t even do his homework! Is this how you raise your child? You need to come to school immediately!”\nI was tempted to ignore her, but knowing she wouldn’t let it go, I replied:\n

Three months after my husband went missing in a skiing accident, I saw him at a bar. He had his arm slung around "sis-bro" Jamie's shoulder, laughing like he was free from a life sentence. “Thanks to you, dude,” he was saying, "I was starting to forget what real freedom felt like." His bros were buying him shots, one after another, asking when he was going to surface. He thought for a second, "I'll give it another week, maybe. Let her sweat it out a bit, you know, drive her crazy before I show my face again." I was standing in the shadows, watching him bask in his 'freedom', and dialed my friend at the county records office.