Emily Carter stepped through a mysterious, out-of-place door tucked away in her family's old study, and in the blink of an eye, found herself transported to an aristocratic royal sovereignty. She stuck by Crown Prince Oliver Whitmore for ten whole years, pouring every last ounce of her energy into helping him fight his way to the throne. Finally, he claimed the crown as the kingdom's sole, all-powerful ruler. But after all that blood, sweat, and tears—the very next day after his grand coronation, he announced he was getting engaged to a powerful noble woman. Her heart shattered into a million pieces, and all the fight drained out of her. Bitter and disillusioned, Emily made up her mind to leave this world that was never meant for her, once and for all. The second her feet touched the floor of her modern-day home, the first thing she did was grab her phone and dial a number. "Hello? Is this the construction team? I need you to come over to my place as soon as possible and completely seal up that freaky weird door in my study."

In his past life, Alistair Pembroke was the ninth prince of the kingdom. He had always been drawn to well-read, poised, scholarly noble ladies, but the king issued a mandatory royal betrothal order forcing him to marry Rowena Fairmont, the firstborn heir of a border knight family. After they tied the knot, he looked down on his rough-and-tumble, sword-swinging wife from the bottom of his heart, and never once treated her with even a scrap of kindness. It was only when Rowena died in battle at the kingdom's border fortress that he finally realized just how deeply he had fallen for her. He'd been too stubborn to admit it all that time. When the kingdom fell, enemy knights loosed a hail of arrows that thunked through his body, and his corpse was tossed carelessly into a desolate mass grave on the city outskirts. The next time he blinked awake, Alistair realized with a jolt that he had been reborn, sent back to exactly six months into his arranged betrothal to Rowena. This time around, he had only one goal: to do everything in his power to make sure she lives the rest of her life safe, peaceful, and free of worry. But as the days went by, he slowly realized something... Every bit of patience and forbearance Rowena had given him in his past life was never out of affection, not even a tiny bit. She had just been fulfilling the proper duties of a noble wife. Deep in her heart, she had always loved someone else. The second Alistair made up his mind to step aside and let her be with the man she loved, Rowena completely fell apart. She screamed and sobbed until her throat was raw, so consumed by ragged, all-consuming regret she was practically feral with it.

I married a man twenty-two years my senior, against my parents' wishes. His name was Adrian Shaw. We shared barely three years of happiness before a car accident took him from me. I traded thirty years of my life at The Timekeeper's Store for one year to spend with him again, but fate had other plans. I arrived at his eighteen-year-old self, and that year, there was already a girl he liked more than me. So I spent my final month giving back all the romance I owed him, and then I forgot him completely.

At eighteen, Shawna Chase woke up from a car accident—only to find herself suddenly 25. And as if that wasn't bad enough, she had somehow gained a four-year-old genius son and a billionaire husband—the richest man alive. Faced with a pint-sized, stone-cold little CEO who barely reached her thigh, and a domineering CEO husband who absolutely despised her, Shawna didn't even hesitate. She chose the cute little CEO. Obviously. One day, while Shawna was out shopping, her son waved his tiny hand with all the authority of a seasoned tycoon. "Mom, I have a card! Just swipe it!" Shawna's heart melted on the spot. "That's my boy!" But just then, the husband who had always seemed to hate her suddenly raised his hand too, holding out a black card. "Honey, use mine."

Five years after Iris Quinn's boyfriend, Lucas Sterling, died, she came face to face with a man who looked exactly like him. The same face. The same name. But Lucas had been ordinary, born into nothing. This Lucas was the man who ran New York. The kind of man who owned the city without ever raising his voice. Iris tested him. She drew closer, again and again. And in the end, what she found buried beneath it all was a lie so massive that it took her breath away.

Calista Ellery had always figured no one would lie to a tombstone.   But after she came back from the dead, she realized Emrys Calder was a total liar. He hadn't just cheated her out of her heart; his lies had gotten her killed.

Hailey Blake woke up 10 years in the future. She discovered that she had married Julian Bennett, the man she liked, and had a daughter with him. Julian seemed like the kind of good man who was almost impossible to find. He had only one unusual habit: every month, he went to a Catholic abbey on retreat. Hailey thought this was the beginning of a happy marriage. Soon, however, she discovered that neither her husband nor their daughter liked her. She decided she was done pretending to be the perfect wife and mother. Back at a bar, she shouted over the deafening music, "I want a divorce from Julian!"

When Avelisse Morcant turned eighteen, an eerily precise tarot reading she cast made her name famous across Silverhold overnight. She foretold that the Cauldrake family, a once-great noble house fallen on hard times in Silverhold, would rise again in full glory within eight years, and know nothing but good fortune and smooth days ahead. When she turned twenty-one, Avelisse finished her training and stepped out into the mortal realm. She left the mountains where she had been raised and married Theron Cauldrake. Over the five years of their marriage, the Cauldrake family's fortunes climbed steadily higher, unfolding exactly as she had foretold. She had believed they would live out their days in warmth and happiness, growing old together.  But fate had something far crueler in store. She never imagined that one day, her husband would fall in love with another woman, and go so far as to force Avelisse to her death, without a single moment of hesitation. One wrong choice led to ruin after ruin for Avelisse. Every trace of her good fortune faded away, and she died alone, miserable, and cold. Yet later, word spread like wildfire. Theron Cauldrake, the richest man in all Silverhold, had knelt before the first great seeress for an entire night, begging for her forgiveness.

In her previous life, Delilah Dupont was the treasured jewel of the prestigious Dupont family, a pampered heiress with a taste for refined, scholarly men.  But the family had other plans. They forced her into a cold, calculated business marriage, chaining her to Gavin Vance, a ruthless titan of industry forged in blood and iron. After the wedding, she resisted the arranged union with every fiber of her being. She challenged him at every turn, never once offering him a shred of warmth. Yet, when Gavin stood alone against a storm of enemies to shield the Dupont family from ruin, and ultimately fell, consumed in the fight, it was only then that the truth slammed into her like a thunderclap. She finally saw the love she had buried deep inside her heart. On the day the Dupont family crumbled into bankruptcy and ash, with nowhere left to run, she brought her own story to a final, bitter end. Then, suddenly, she was reborn, finding herself back at the moment when she had been married to Gavin for just six months. This time, Delilah had one single, burning desire: to pour everything she had into protecting him, to grant him a life of peace and safety, free from worry. Yet, she slowly began to uncover a devastating truth. In that past life, all of Gavin's patience, his quiet endurance, his constant retreats, none of it had ever been born from love. It was nothing but the cold, dutiful obligation of a husband. Deep in his heart, he had always held nothing but loathing for her, and hidden in the shadows of his soul, there had always been another woman, his true, unreachable first love. Delilah's heart turned to ash once again. She sacrificed herself so he could be with the one he loved. And Gavin, the man who had always been calm, cold, and utterly unbreakable, went completely mad, overcome by a bone-deep regret.

I first laid eyes on him on a flight to the Wildlands, where I was headed to retrieve my father's remains. It was the green teardrop earring on his left ear that first caught my attention. Little did I know, he would be the one to repeatedly pull me from danger throughout that harrowing journey. As I eventually left the Wildlands and glanced back at the Sacred Peak, I saw him atop the hillside, mounted on the white horse Meadow, watching me from afar. In that moment, it felt as if I were looking at a god.

Everyone said that the aloof and proud eldest son of the Aetheris family, Rynell Aetheris, loved the eldest daughter of the Veridian family, Zairine Veridian, with every fiber of his being. When they were young, he moved straight into a church and served as a cleric just to pray for her well-being. Now, he had broken the church's sacred commandments, endured eighty-one celestial tribulations laid out in star charts, and returned to the mortal world, all for her, and he was determined to make her his wife. Yet only Zairine Veridian knew the truth; the one who truly dwelt in Rynell Aetheris's heart had never been her.

Draven Corwyn and Cressida Fairmoor were a wealthy couple bound together by nothing but hatred. ​ They burned with passion behind closed doors, yet clashed the moment they stepped away from their bed. ​ Years of marriage had made them little more than convenient companions who shared every comfort yet nothing of their true selves. ​ They ate together, lived together, and slept together, yet there was an entire galaxy stretched between their souls. ​ They shared everything in sight, Draven thought, except the one thing that mattered most. ​ Every night, when things grew heated, Cressida would whisper the same words over and over again, her voice soft and sharp all at once. ​ "Draven, why don't you just die?" ​ But then the day came when Draven truly was gone. And that was when she finally panicked and fell apart.

I went against my parents' every objection to marry Eliseo Ashford, a man twenty-two years older than me. We had only three short, blissful years of marriage before a car crash took him from me. I traded thirty years of my lifespan for just one more year with him, but fate played a cruel trick, sending me back to when he was eighteen. And back then, there was already another girl at his side, the one he loved more. With only a month left, I made up my mind to repay every bit of the love he had once given me, then erase him from my life entirely.

Adrian was a husband in name only, tethered to Lila Sterling—heiress to the Sterling empire—by a childhood arrangement. Four long years slipped away in a cold, silent war. It wasn't until their fourth anniversary that they finally consummated the marriage. But there was no passion, no love—only a cruel, calculated humiliation Lila had crafted just to break his pride. To the rest of the world, they were the golden couple: childhood sweethearts destined for a fairy-tale ending.No one could have guessed that a lifetime of shared history would shatter so easily, destroyed by a few soft whispers from a young man named Dorian Lennox. To Lila, Adrian was nothing more than a cold, scheming parasite. She destroyed him without a second thought. She stripped his aging grandfather of his legacy and banished him to the countryside, where the broken old man died in bitter defeat. She closed the net around his gentle sister—pregnant and hopeless—until she was driven to a tragic end. She didn't stop until the Sheldon dynasty was entirely erased, leaving behind nothing but ashes and ruins. Every ruin in Adrian's life was carved by her hands. So why? Why, after he drew his last breath, did Lila collapse into desperate, gut-wrenching sobs, screaming as if her soul were being dragged to hell? And why, now that she'd been given a miraculous second chance, did she look into his eyes with absolute devotion, swearing that this time around, he would be her only one?

I woke up inside a novel. At first, I thought I'd hit the jackpot. I had married Gio Larc, the story's male lead, and we'd built a happy life together. Then, in the third year of our marriage, the true heroine appeared. Only then did I discover that I was never the heroine at all. I was just a cannon-fodder supporting character who happened to share her name. The system's warning echoed in my mind. "If you remain by the male lead's side, your family will meet a disastrous end." I dismissed it as nonsense. Until I saw Gio's stomach illness, which I had carefully nursed for three years without a single relapse, flare up again because he took the heroine's drinks for her. That's when I knew... It was time to walk away.

On a buzzworthy reality dating show streamed live nationwide, Maren came face to face with her ex-boyfriend, Callum. Not a coincidence. A deliberate ambush. She'd come to chase down her man!

Selene Chastin fell for someone back when she was still carefree, young, and untouched by life's hardships.  She loved him so fiercely she poured every last bit of herself into that relationship, holding nothing back. Then her whole world came crashing down when her family fell apart. She clawed her way through mud and mire, every bruise and scrape earned just to get close to him again. It was only when she heard him brush off their entire past with a dismissive "that was just stupid, impulsive kid stuff" that the truth finally sank in.  They had long been living in entirely different worlds. She'd loved the wrong person. She accepted that. She launched herself over the edge with a whoosh, but the second her body left the ledge, the full weight of his mistake crashed down on him.

My mother, the Queen, once told me she was a wanderer between worlds. If the King were to strip her of her title, she would vanish and die at once. I would never see her again. I ran to tell the King everything, but he only looked at me with cold indifference and ordered his attendants to drag me away. When my mother learned what had happened, she simply held me gently in her arms, sang me an entire lullaby, and fell into a deep sleep. She never woke up again. And the King, once so hard and unyielding, was utterly broken.

On New Year's Eve, Elestria Valtor simply chose to leave. After that, Kyran Valtor walked the rest of his life alone. Because of her father's infidelity, before she ever got together with Kyran Valtor, she had only one rule: "If you're with me, it's for a lifetime. No changing your heart... I hate disloyal men. If you ever betray me, if you're unfaithful, I will disappear from your world forever."  Thirteen years later, her words came true. She left Kyran Valtor forever and ever, never once looking back.

The second I died, my ghost glued itself right to my boyfriend Javier Colton's side. I watched him stand with the rest of the unit, brand me a disgrace to the criminal investigation team, and boot me off the force. I watched him hurl our engagement ring straight in the trash and strip me of every last honor I'd ever earned.  Worst of all, I watched him wrap his hand tight around a scalpel and slice my body open. The second the clink of that steel nail engraved with my badge number rang out, Javier snapped.

Danica Sawyer had pined after Lucas Monroe for fifteen whole years, and all that time, she never even managed to carve out even the smallest space in his heart. To everyone else, he was perfect in every way, except for the one massive, impossible-to-ignore flaw that he didn't love her. By the seventh year of their marriage, Danica finally saw the writing on the wall. She made up her mind to let go. She even went out of her way to help Lucas secure a formal, public relationship with the one who'd always been his first love, just so she could finally cut herself free for good. Then one day, it hit Lucas like a ton of bricks: all that time, the woman who'd looked at him like he hung the moon and the stars, the woman who'd centered her entire world around him, had vanished without a single sound. He chased her trail across every inch of the country, from the bustling southern coast to the frigid northern plains, but he couldn't find a single trace of her. That's the story everyone knew. But the real truth? No one had a clue.

Clara Smith's boyfriend, Ethan Davis, is an Interpol agent. Three years in, on a mission, he's the one who pulls the trigger on her father. On the day they go back to a place that used to be theirs, Ethan loses Clara for good. Dying, she leaves him with one last thing. "You want the truth, Ethan? So do I."

The whole world has turned its back on me, and yet it still expects me to return good for evil. My father can't stand the sight of me. My mother loathes the very ground I walk on. My big sister acts like I don't even exist. My younger brother never misses a chance to jeer and mock me. For over twenty years, my life has been one giant, unmitigated disaster. And it was about to get so much worse... The second I landed back in the country after my time abroad, I walked in on the person I loved more than anything in the world with my ride-or-die best friend. Family, love, friendship... every last thing I ever cared about was gone. I had nothing. Nothing at all. When it was all said and done, I couldn't even keep a grip on my own life...

Georgia Gibson and her childhood sweetheart, Felix Stone, had been inseparable ever since she was old enough to recognize letters. The two were practically attached at the hip through every scraped knee, schoolyard adventure, and lazy summer afternoon. But the second their families sat down to talk about arranging their engagement, Felix started dodging her at every turn, to the point he might as well have vanished off the face of the earth, and kept it up for a full year. That entire year, every text, voice note, and message Georgia sent him vanished without a single reply. Not one line, not even a short response, radio silence, total and complete. Later, Georgia gave him exactly what he'd spent a whole year running from her to get. She vanished from his life for good, vowing they'd never cross paths again, in this life or the next. But as for Felix? He lost his damn mind, turning every last stone upside down trying to find her.

After her father passed away, Linnea Valmont made the journey back alone. She stood alone at the funeral, silent and solitary. At that moment of startling clarity, the truth hit her... her boyfriend had never really mattered. Her mother's words echoed in her mind, calm and resolute. "Loyalty to your country is the greatest way to honor your parents." And so, with steely determination, she made her choice. She would inherit her father's badge number. And she would pour her heart into becoming a good cop... one the people could truly count on.

Ismerie Dunraven was once the personal protégé of the country's most renowned astrological seer. At the age of sixteen, she used nothing but destiny chart calculations to accurately identify the optimal location for a major city infrastructure project, an achievement that took prominent social circles by storm. Leading figures in the field even publicly confirmed on the spot that she would be appointed as the next Chief Astrological Advisor. Yet to repay a life-saving kindness from her youth, she married Leontis Thornecroft, heir to one of the nation's most powerful and wealthy families. The two shared five full years of loving companionship. No one could have guessed that when Leontis returned home after completing a long-term project abroad, he would arrive accompanied by a woman carrying his child. This was the same man who had once risked his very life just to be with her. Now he spoke with unflinching certainty. "Ismerie, your destiny chart dictates that you will never bear children. But I cannot live without an heir of my own blood." Ismerie calmly took out her destiny chart, performed a quick calculation, and looked up at him. "This child carries an ill-fated alignment," she said. "It is destined to die before birth." The faithless man did not hesitate for a moment. "Then use your gift for astrology," he demanded. "Rewrite its destiny." Against all natural laws, Ismerie defied fate itself. She exchanged the unborn child's destiny with her own. That very night, Leontis' hair turned completely white. Only then did he realize what she had sacrificed. But by then, it was far too late. He was left with nothing but endless regret for the rest of his life. After swapping fates, she became his dark moonlight.

It was the fourth year of Solenne Rivington's marriage to Brando Dacre, and the long-running aristocratic marriage finally reached its final, long-delayed consummation. There was not a shred of love involved in any of it. All Brando wanted was to check that she was still pure and untainted. They were a noble pair betrothed from the cradle, who'd grown up joined at the hip, side by side for as long as either could remember. But that deep, unshakable bond was no match for a few fragile tears from Olivia Fane, a common girl. He raged at Solenne, calling her ruthless, selfish, and two-faced. He forced her grandfather to give up his hereditary noble title and retreat to the family's countryside estate, until the old man eventually passed away with a belly full of unspoken rage. He backed Solenne's eldest sister into a corner, and both sisters wound up dead, their ends cruel and senseless. He was the one who single-handedly tore down House Rivington, a noble house that had reigned in prestige for generations, and wiped the entire family off the map. No survivors left. And now? What right did this man, whose hands were dripping with the blood of her entire family, have to fall apart, so torn up by grief he was half out of his mind, after she breathed her last? And now that fate had rolled back the clock and spun her a second chance, what right did he have to look her dead in the eye, making all those solemn, self-righteous promises that she was the only one he'd ever love?

Perched on the sheer edge of a jagged cliff, my husband's deadliest foe jammed a razor-sharp blade hard against my throat, the cold steel digging into my skin. "Lancaster! You only get to save one. Your marchioness or Lady Stuart. Pick wisely."  Anastasia Stuart was the woman my husband had loved more than anything his entire life, the one he'd always held on the highest pedestal. Upon hearing the threat, she leaned in, her voice soft and steady as she tried to calm me down. "I'm already married to Lord Stuart. Leopold is definitely going to pick you, Gisela."  Leopold didn't hesitate for a single heartbeat. His voice was ice, sharp and unyielding. "I choose Anastasia.” Anastasia went completely rigid, her eyes blown wide with pure shock. "Is he crazy?" Ice flooded through my veins, my heart went stone-cold in my chest. I muttered under my breath. "I was so dead this time, totally screwed."

On Winona Eastwood's eighteenth birthday, a strange male voice suddenly cut through her thoughts. At that very moment, Rosie Eastwood had just branded her a liar. Winona's own brother locked her away in an abandoned house on the family grounds and left her without food or water for three full days. She came within a breath of death. Before all of this, her brother, her fiancé, and the friend she had grown up with had all revolved around Rosie like planets around the sun. More than once, each of them had wounded Winona deeply, all for Rosie's sake. With no other way out, she followed the voice's instructions and signed up for the selection exam held at the headquarters of a prestigious conglomerate. She had only wanted to cut off every remaining tie with those people. But no one could have predicted that she would breeze through every round, rising from an unknown newcomer to the group's vice president, and eventually becoming the president's wife. In the end, Winona became the true power behind the scenes, the hand that controlled everything from the shadows.

When they were children, Yannick looked Hailey in the eye and made her a solemn promise. "I'll protect you for the rest of my life." Yet, when he finally became her husband, he declared in front of everyone, "I swear, if I ever feel anything for her, may I die a miserable death." Hailey held on to the promise he had made when they were young, waiting day after day for him to turn back to her. All that waiting brought her was endless despair and heartbreak. In the end, Hailey drew up the divorce papers herself and placed them in front of him. What Yannick would never understand was that once she walked away, she would never look back, not then, not ever.

Violet Ross spent twenty years as the wife of the powerful Winston family, only to die alone in her villa. Adrian Winston had married her out of obligation, never out of love. Not for a single moment throughout their entire marriage. She waited for him her whole life. In the end, she never saw him one last time. He never truly looked at her, either. When Violet opens her eyes again, she finds herself twenty years in the past, before their engagement was ever arranged. This time, when Adrian offers his flawless, gentlemanly proposal once again, she makes a different choice. Given a second chance at life, she'll never become his wife again.

Genevieve White stayed by Austin Hayes's side for ten years, never expecting a single bracelet to expose the ugly truth beneath their relationship. Betrayal in their marriage and conspiracies in their bed drove her to a resolute divorce. Once the fog clears, she will make Austin realize who was truly blind.

Summer Forrest had spent two years volunteering for a medical aid mission on the Muren Plateau, devotedly pursuing William Hawthorne, the aloof and solemn chief prayer master of the local tribe. She believed her constant presence would eventually melt the ice in his heart. It wasn't until she saw him show his rare, tender side only to Mia Crawford, the girl next door, that she finally realized the ice would melt, but she was never the one destined to warm his heart. Summer made a sincere wish before the Earth Symbiosis Stone Carving for his lifelong peace and happiness, then submitted her transfer request to relocate to the Northern Wasteland, thousands of miles away. But when the endless snow blanketed the mountains, William's whispered blessings would secretly hold Summer's name.

Three years ago, I deliberately let Michael Jacobs catch me in a staged affair, acting out the most disgraceful scene imaginable down to my very bones. Michael stood outside the door; he didn't even step inside. Everyone cursed me as a superficial, status-obsessed socialite—a complete disgrace to the police force. Only I knew the truth—I was an undercover cop. A path stained with blood is a path I could never let Michael walk with me.

We've been married in secret for five years. Maurice York has never allowed our daughter to call him Dad, nor has he ever given me a single smile. To maintain his single persona, we only address each other by our job titles at the hospital, acting like we barely know each other. When his colleagues come to our home, I have to take our daughter out to stay in a hotel. I have been tolerant and yielding for the sake of our child, but when I came home one day, I walked in on his white moonlight coming out of the bedroom in her pajamas. This time, I couldn't take it anymore. If Maurice cares so much about keeping up his single act, I'll make sure he's single for good!

At Pierce Biotech's IPO celebration, Natalie Hayes heard her husband Ethan Pierce's assistant, Lila Warren, joke, "Mr. Pierce has V-cut abs. He looks so sexy when he works out."   Natalie's face went cold, and she slapped Lila across the face.   The next day, Natalie, Pierce Biotech's lead technical specialist, could not even get past the front doors.   Meanwhile, Lila, the young assistant, had somehow become known throughout the company as "Mrs. Pierce".   Natalie walked away without looking back, taking her core technology with her as she joined the National Research Institute.

I was a surgeon. I was on duty at the hospital on Christmas Eve when an ambulance rolled into my ER with a man and a woman, both completely naked, pulled from a hotel room. My colleagues were all singing their praises. "Look at that couple. Even staring death in the face, they wouldn't let go of each other's hands." "They say true love shows up when the going gets tough. This has to be the real deal." But I stood there frozen, my blood running cold, because I couldn't believe my eyes. That man was my husband of seven years, Alex Mitchell. And that woman? My best friend of two decades, Claire Bennett.

My online boyfriend was Edmund Payne, the heir to Nexora Group. But he also happened to be the brother of someone who once made my life a living hell—Belinda Payne. She destroyed my face, broke my leg, and shattered my life. She even killed the only friend who stood by me. And yet, she never felt a shred of remorse for what she did. Now that I'd lost everything dear to me, I had nothing left to fear—not her, not anyone. "Edmund," I find myself wondering, "how will you continue to protect your sister once you realize she's actually a monster?"

After three years with Sebastian Sterling, I knew every inch of him, and I knew exactly how to push him to his breaking point. Everyone in the elite circles thought he was an ice king, aloof, disciplined, and completely immune to women. But behind closed doors, he couldn't keep his hands off me. Every time he touched me, he looked like he wanted nothing more than to die inside my body. I naively thought I was his one exception. That all changed the moment his first love came back. Sebastian's face was cold and distant as he laid down the warning. "While she's here, stay out of my sight." That was the moment it hit me. Through all those reckless nights, I was the only one who'd actually fallen in love. So I gave him exactly what he wanted and walked out of his life. I went home and married a perfectly ordinary man. But on my wedding night, Sebastian cornered me in my own bridal suite. "Whatever he can't do, I can," he whispered roughly, his eyes dark with obsession. "And whatever he can do, I can do a hell of a lot better."

Seven years together, and Jayden Gibson still won't marry Mabel Sanchez. In his mind, she's out of her depth. Wrong family, wrong circles. She'd never really fit into his world. What he's never once considered is that Mabel has no intention of marrying him either. And she's right for the exact same reason. They really aren't in the same league. Because Jayden is an airline pilot. Mabel runs half the financial world. A woman like her doesn't marry down.

I'm Eleanor Gibson, a kind of fake heiress in the billionaire drama, a foil in the doting-family story, and an unlucky childhood sweetheart in the newcomer trope. To my adoptive parents, I'm not their blood, so I'll never truly be family. To my biological parents, after eighteen years apart, I'm no different from a stranger. I've spent two lifetimes choking down a life that was never fully mine, until I stumbled across a plea for help my childhood friend Caleb Thomas posted online. That was when it hit me. I should just be myself.

For four years of college, my relationship with Robb was the campus legend. The more unforgettable our romance had been, the more everyone sighed over our breakup on graduation day. Six years later, Ashes—my portrait painted in Robb's likeness—stood as the grand finale centerpiece at a major art exhibition. No one knew that the searing, soul-crushing piece that moved every onlooker to tears was my swan song. Robb bought the painting for a staggering sum, with only one condition: he had to meet the artist behind it. In the end, on the barren, windswept outskirts of Westown, he found it: A grave with no polished headstone, no carved epitaph for the world to read. Only a weathered wooden stake at its head bore a single, faded name: Sienna Sorrel.

Five years ago, Vivienne Ashford, the city's coolly elegant, standoffish horse trainer, fell for a delivery driver. Every rich, beautiful socialite who used to fawn over her was beside herself. Five years later, Vivienne finally learned that her delivery-driver boyfriend had been playing her the whole time. The delivery job was nothing but a disguise. In truth, he was Roman Sinclair, president of Sinclair Group's Asia-Pacific division. The future head of the entire Sinclair dynasty. And the only reason Roman had ever chased her in the first place was a 50 million dollar bet with his buddy Knox. Once she knew the whole truth, Vivienne walked away and took over her family's vast grasslands. Back then, because Roman had worried they came from different worlds, she'd never told him the truth: that she was the sole heir to a hundred-billion-dollar ranching empire, with well over a thousand ranches to her name.

Isabelle Judson had not had an easy life. After being with her boyfriend for three years, she only then discovered that he had been cheating on her all along. All she wanted was an explanation, but in the end, he dumped her instead. She had worked hard for years, yet almost all the money she earned was taken by her family to support the younger brother everyone doted on. She had no money and little fame, and while working, she also had to guard herself against the director's harassment. Later, after simply celebrating Halloween once, she somehow ended up being haunted by a ghost. From then on, she was forced to live with that ghost. The male ghost haunting her seemed far from normal. The moment anyone touched her, he would immediately lash out and attack them. Isabelle was anxious. This ghost was far too violent, and she truly did not want to die.

Everyone in our elite circle back home said I was madly in love with Evan Lancaster, the racing legend.   No matter how wild he got with other women, I never seemed to care.   But what they didn't know was that I had only ever fallen for was his black-and-white flame racing suit, and the face that looked almost exactly like my first love's.

It was the twelfth year of Seraphina's marriage, and her husband and child wanted a new home. They constantly brought up another woman, claiming she was better than her, prettier, and far more suited to be the mistress of the house. Seraphina offered no rebuttal; she simply presented a divorce agreement to grant them their wish and, without a moment's hesitation, flew to Aldoria. Yet, why did they come chasing after her?

I found out my husband had fallen for someone else. He'd hunch over his phone, snickering to himself as he stared at his screen, and he'd even started putting extra care into his appearance. Before long, he was dead set on divorcing me, even willing to walk away with nothing but the clothes on his back just to chase his so-called "true love". The happy, loving marriage I'd thought we had all this time? Nothing but a ridiculous joke. But I didn't cry, I didn't throw a fit. I signed the divorce papers and wrapped up the whole process as fast as I could. Because what Liam Smith didn't know was that he'd already been diagnosed with ALS. He was going to be paralyzed any day now. Later, I heard that right after his ALS symptoms kicked in, that mistress he'd claimed only cared about other people's money bolted faster than a rabbit spooked by a hound. Oh, me? I'd already launched into my fresh new life.

I've got stomach cancer. My first love ex, Ethan Parker, is living with a severe chronic heart condition. Three years after we split, he'd already moved on and found someone new to love, while my doctors handed me a death sentence. I made a decision. Since I could no longer make his heart beat for me... then I'll make sure my heart still beats for him, right inside his chest instead.

The six years Jillian Raines spent undercover felt like being trapped in a murky swamp. Nathan Quinn was the one who gave her the courage to keep going, the tiny spark of light that kept her from drowning in the muck. But when all was said and done, when the mission finally came to an end and she came face to face with her old lover again, all he had for her was cold suspicion and bitter distrust. In the end, Jillian chose to give her life to uphold what she believed in, her voice ringing out clear and unshakable. 'I give my life to fairness and justice. Even if I die a thousand times, I'll never regret a single choice I made!'

Three years after I broke up with Larry, I fell into a time loop. I was trapped on the very day we split up. Every time I brought up breaking up with him, the day would restart in a loop. To escape the loop, I bit my tongue and did my best to act the part of his devoted girlfriend. Not until the 12th time I went through the loop did it finally come back to me. I had died a long time ago. I died that same day, the day I broke up with Larry. I wasn't the one trapped in this day. He was.

As the youngest daughter of a super-wealthy family, Rosie Wilson fell head over heels for Dylan Ratliff five years ago, back when he was just an unknown background extra. She felt for him, adored him, and even worked as his assistant, sticking by his side for five long years. Then she watched him blow up overnight, get insanely famous, and become the youngest Best Actor winner ever. Only for Dylan to completely dump her. His excuse was, "You just can't keep up with me anymore." The next time they bumped into each other was at a fancy, high-society party. While Dylan just stared at her in total shock, Rosie said with complete chill, "Dylan's new movie is flopping. Swap him out."

As one of the few single female billionaires to ever grace the Forbes list, Julienne Martin went live on the internet for the very first time. It took exactly one sentence from her to completely break the internet. "My wealth? It actually all comes from the richest man out there, Renald Magnier. Back then, he literally handed over his entire fortune just begging me to say I loved him." While everyone online was still reeling from the shock, Julienne flashed a sweet smile and dropped a second bombshell. "Too bad he didn't realize that on my priority list, cash always comes first." "So, the second the money cleared, I dumped him for good." Catching the terrifying look on his boss's face, Renald's assistant swallowed hard and asked, "Mr. Magnier, should we get someone to shut down the livestream?" Renald kept his eyes glued to Julienne's face on the screen, letting every single word drop with icy precision. "No need. This time, I'm going to play this game with her until the very end." Years later, Renald knelt before her grave, his trembling hands setting fresh flowers beside her headstone as tears silently fell. "You liar... You know you loved me the most."

I married my longtime celebrity crush, and at first, I was totally buzzing. But shortly after the wedding, I learned that my husband was nothing but a method actor and a workaholic. In three years of marriage, we'd slept together exactly twice. The first time was our wedding night. He was too big, I was too tight, and we'd gone at it all night without either of us getting anywhere near satisfied. The second time was just a month ago. Maybe it was because he'd been pent-up for too long, or maybe he'd picked up some new moves—either way, this time Julian Crawford came prepared. For seven straight days, I could barely get out of bed. After Julian went back to the set, I found out not long after that I was pregnant. I was just about to share the news with Julian when I walked right into him locking lips with Gia Kay, my half-sister. And he went live on every platform to announce, "Gia Kay has never been a homewrecker. She is, in fact, the most important person in my life!" As for me—his number-one fan-girl, the legitimate Mrs. Crawford—I felt like a complete fool. But hell, I'm Lily Kay! My brother ran half the entertainment industry. I was the most untamed rose in this whole damn business. Why on earth would I let some bastard child use me as a stepping stone? I filed for divorce on the spot and blasted it across every channel. I, Lily Kay, am officially done being Julian Crawford's fan. Divorced and single as of today. All eligible, high-quality bachelors, come and get me!

On her wedding day, her husband had her committed to a psych ward. That was when Cecilia Foster, the fake heiress, finally woke up to the truth. Turns out she was the villainous side character in some trashy pulp novel. The male lead was her husband, Derek Hayes, while the female lead was the real heiress, Amelia Brooks. And her grand finale? Burning to death in a fire. The day Derek came to pick Cecilia up from the psych ward, he said, "You had twenty years of Amelia's life—silk and gold, no questions asked. You owe her that much." She didn't argue and even smiled and said, "Fine. I'll give back every single thing that was never mine to begin with." That included Derek. A man who'd been passed around like a cheap toy? She didn't want him anymore.

The year John Rogers went abroad to study, he promised me that he would marry me after graduation. His friends all said that John was devoted to me. Yet, they never mentioned that there was a younger girl at school who accompanied him every day. When he said good morning to me, he would also send a good morning message to that girl. When he was on a video call with me, he would ask that girl what she wanted to eat for dinner. At a gathering, I heard one of John's friends asking him, "Aren't you afraid that Della Dorr will break up with you?" John lazily smiled and said, "She won't." He thought I loved him enough to forgive him for everything.  But this time, I didn't make a fuss or throw a tantrum. I just found that girl and said to her, "John Rogers belongs to you now."

If devotion bears an expiry date, it marks the twenty-five years Alexander Summers spent loving Sophia Fleming. Sophia had a permanent guardian from childhood onward: Alexander. Soft-spoken, considerate, endlessly mindful of every little need of hers. Every soul around them claimed Sophia and Alexander were a match forged by fate. But Alexander's love only ran its course for twenty-five years. Upon turning twenty-five, he told Sophia flatly, "I'm sorry. My heart belongs to another woman now." Alexander stepped into the role of protector for this new woman instead. He showered her with that same gentleness, thoughtfulness, and wholehearted care he'd once reserved solely for Sophia. Whispers spread through their social circle—Sophia and Alexander were nothing but an ill-starred couple. Three grueling years slipped by as Sophia fought to erase every trace of her love for him. If eternal devotion was fated to end in a set year, that year was their twenty-eighth together—the moment Sophia finally stopped loving Alexander.

Sofia Hebert had stumbled through life battered, humiliated, and alone. When she finally reached the end of the road, she thought she would be afraid. Instead, she realized that this time, she was the one choosing to leave. And somehow, the fear was gone. Colton Gentry whispered to the empty air. "How can loving someone hurt this much?" 'Maybe some people are never meant to end up together. Maybe I was never meant to have a home.' 'Thank you, God, for finally setting me free. At least now... I'll never have to be alone again.'

Jayden and Rivka had been married for three years. In New York, everyone envied her for having such a good husband. Jayden gave her everything, always trying to make her happy. When she fell in love with Juliet roses that cost a fortune, he planted an entire garden for her. Beneath those trees, he promised they would stay together for life. But one day, a woman appeared at the Lindsey Villa. And just like that, Rivka became the punchline everyone in New York was laughing at.

Florence Bailey had been gone from the city for three years, yet the talk about her still drifted through the upper circles. What people whispered was that she'd given herself to Timothy Malone at 20. They said she had traded her crown as the company's prima ballerina for an apron, washing his shirts and cooking his dinners like any ordinary wife. How far she lowered herself never seemed to change anything, because she still couldn't compete with the first love Timothy kept locked in his heart. Even so, plenty of people remembered the day she left. That morning, Timothy abandoned everything in his hands and chased her all the way to the airport to say one sentence, "Come back to me, Florence."

For the first twenty years of my life, I lived in nothing but endless darkness.   Then I met you, and I thought my light had finally come.   Ten years of love and hate unfolded. It all came to an end with my "death."   The moment I closed my eyes, it finally hit me.   You never came to bring me light. You only came to drag me into an even deeper, endless night.