My Family, My Fortune, Their Lie

The phone buzzed, a relentless vibration I tried to ignore, but Sarah' s furious face on the video call told me I couldn' t. My artist husband, Ethan, had unveiled his new exhibition, "Raw Truths," a brutal public dissection of our dead marriage. The centerpiece? A twenty-foot-tall projection of me sleeping, mouth open, drooling. The internet exploded, half calling him a monster, half calling me a willing muse. Then I scrolled to the next piece: a distorted loop of my voice, crying after a fight, packaged and sold as art. My phone buzzed again, Ethan' s name on the caller ID. Sarah, my lawyer, ordered me not to answer, but a primal urge to understand the "why" gripped me. He told me he' d made art, groundbreaking art. I screamed that he was selling my tears, my private grief, for fame. His response? This backlash was hurting his career. Then came the real dagger: he' d bring my devout grandmother into this, expose our secret marriage, destroy her if I didn' t release a public apology calling myself a willing collaborator. My world shattered. How could he? How could he use my deepest fear against me? Before I could even process his threat, my aunt called, sobbing. Grandma had collapsed, she' d seen something on the news. It was too late. He had already destroyed the last innocent part of my life. Lying in the hospital, my grandmother gone, I watched Ethan on TV, publicly mourning, accepting accolades. He had taken everything. My peace, my privacy, my family. A cold, hard resolve settled in my chest. If the world wanted a tragic muse, I' d give them a tragedy they' d never forget. I would erase myself from his world completely.

The cold concrete walls of the visitor' s room blurred. My wife, Sarah, sat opposite me, her eyes burning with contempt, dressed in a sharp business suit. "Ethan, that data-exfiltration device was clearly planted by you," her voice, a venomous echo, replayed. "You were just jealous of Alex and wanted him dead! I truly regret leaving Alex for a simpleton like you; you deserve to rot in prison for what you did to him!" That was the last time I saw her before the life sentence. Before everything went black. The betrayal was so fresh, it felt like it happened only a second ago. Alex Thornton, her charismatic tech mogul mentor, gifted her a sleek, black smart ring. As an FBI agent, I recognized it immediately: a sophisticated data-exfiltration device. I tried to warn her, even reported it to the Bureau, cushioning the blow to protect her, sacrificing my own promotion. It was a fatal mistake. Alex died in a suspicious car accident as the FBI closed in. My grieving, loving Sarah then wove a web of digital lies, leaking classified intel and manipulating logs, pointing every piece of evidence directly at me. The jealous, jilted husband. The perfect story. Then, a jarring, insistent beeping cut through the darkness of my prison cell memory. I gasped, my eyes flying open. I wasn' t in a cell. I was in my own bed. My alarm clock. 7:00 AM. My heart hammered. Sarah was still asleep. On her nightstand, gleaming, was the smart ring. It was today. The day it all began. A cold dread washed over me, followed by something hot and sharp: a second chance. The humiliation, the cold slap of betrayal, her mocking words. My colleagues' faces, pity mixed with confusion, as they cuffed me. I had sacrificed everything for a woman who saw me as a simpleton. The love I felt for her was now a black hole. In the quiet of the morning, with the woman who would destroy me sleeping peacefully beside me, I made a new vow. Not of love, or loyalty, but of self-preservation. And justice.

The studio lights burned hot, a stark contrast to the manufactured chill, as I stood on a platform, a fake smile plastered on my face. This wasn' t about a generic second chance; it was about Jake Miller. Then, he walked out-the boy I left behind, now a stranger in a tailored suit, a Silicon Valley titan. His gaze swept past me without a flicker of recognition, and my heart sank. Before I could process the sting, Chloe Davis, a social media influencer, glided onto the stage, linking her arm with his, her cooing voice dripping with practiced sweetness. He stood there, allowing her to cling to him, his silence a crushing answer-seven years of distance felt like an eternity. "Do I know you?" he asked, his eyes cold and empty, when I finally found the courage to approach. The question hit me harder than a physical blow, followed by his dismissive "Right. The artist. I' m a little busy right now." The next morning, his unanswered question mark on my phone served as a stark reminder of his indifference. Then, I overheard him promise Chloe a romantic dinner cruise, solidifying my humiliation. When I twisted my ankle during a beach volleyball game, he watched me with unnerving calm, then abandoned me to take Chloe on the promised date. That night, my desperate, anonymous text confessing my love was met with Chloe' s triumphant announcement that she and Jake were the "Heartbeat Couple," confirming he had publicly chosen her. Just as I was about to give up, my childhood best friend, Ethan Vance, unexpectedly appeared, announcing he was here to "reclaim his fiancée" right in front of Jake and the cameras. Jake' s mask of indifference cracked; his jaw tightened as he strode away, but moments later, in the library, he coldly told me I needed an "appointment" to speak with him. Later, seeing him subtly express jealousy towards Ethan gave me a sliver of hope, only for my mother to call, accusing me of embarrassing the family and demanding I leave the show. Then Ethan delivered the final blow: Jake was planning to announce his engagement to Chloe on the final episode. I rushed to Jake' s mansion, desperate for him to hear my explanation, only for him to declare, "I' m not interested in your excuses. It' s too late," then told me to leave. Returning one last time, begging at his gate, I confessed my heart through his closed door, only for him to open it, revealing Chloe, sitting smugly on his bed. He then pulled out his phone, showed me my contact, and brutally pressed "Delete," whispering, "Don' t ever contact me again," and added a final, cruel remark about Chloe' s preference for flowers. The next morning, as I cut my finger, bleeding onto the counter, he saw me, then turned away to pour Chloe orange juice, as if I didn' t exist. "I' m leaving the show," I told Liam, my voice hollow, realizing there was nothing left to fight for. A year later, with my art finding success, my phone rang-an unknown number. It was Jake, his voice hesitant, saying he needed to talk, and I echoed his past words, "My assistant can schedule a call for you. Perhaps in a few weeks," then hung up. Liam revealed the truth: I left for Paris not out of ambition, but to save my family from bankruptcy, and Jake had changed his number, preventing my desperate calls. Jake watched my televised interview, our misunderstanding laid bare, and for the first time, felt the full, crushing weight of his regret, and I knew: the chase was about to begin.

Dr. Evelyn Reed had finally done it. Three years of relentless work, the neural interface cure for her paralyzed husband, Ethan, was a success. A triumphant smile touched her lips as she reached for her phone to share the life-changing news. But an email caught her eye, a cheerful invitation that turned her world to ice. "Dr. Ethan Vance and Miss Tiffany Reed request the pleasure of your company at the celebration of their marriage." Ethan. Her husband. Tiffany. Her own niece. It was a sick joke, a complete error, yet the high-end Parisian wedding agency confirmed its legitimacy. Her joy evaporated, replaced by a cold dread as she drove through the night, a ghost to a celebration she was never meant to see. She saw him there, standing, whole, laughing, with Tiffany tucked into his arm, radiant in white. He kissed her, a tender kiss meant for the world to see, and Evelyn' s world tilted off its axis. Then she heard them talking, overheard their cruel confessions: he had always loved Tiffany, while Evelyn was merely "a necessary step," "a convenient solution." The man she had sacrificed everything for, the man who had promised his undying love, had been betraying her for two years with her own blood. The pain of betrayal, the hollowness of her sacrifice, the absolute injustice of it all, left her hollowed out, empty of tears. She watched him walk away from her in the hospital, choosing Tiffany, right after a fire, right after she found out a bomb, orchestrated by Tiffany, nearly killed her. This wasn't a love triangle; it was a war, and she was losing. Driven by a quiet, ice-cold resolve, Evelyn began to fight back.

I stared at the divorce papers, a symbol of freedom after years trapped in Mark Davis's gilded cage, where my art and my soul withered. But just as I dared to breathe, Mark' s self-serving facade shattered completely. His icy disregard for my well-being climaxed when, after a public humiliation at a gala engineered by his mistress, I collapsed at home, suffering a miscarriagewhile he watched, more concerned with his wounded pride and her presence. And then, in the sterile hospital hallway, he twisted the knife deeper, telling her – and anyone who would listen – that I had faked my entire pregnancy for attention. There was no turning back; I would never again be the woman who stood silently in his shadow. I walked away, not just from him, but towards reclaiming the artist I was always meant to be.

The rain hammered against my windowpane, a relentless drumbeat mirroring the dull throb in my abdomen-a constant reminder of the child I' d lost. My husband, Captain David Miller, was a celebrated hero on TV, his charismatic smile a stark contrast to the corroding rust of our marriage. Right there, beside him, was Chloe, my best friend, looking at him with adoration, her hand tucked in his arm. They didn' t know the real David, not like I did. The betrayal had been a slow, agonizing descent, a series of small, sharp cuts. Late nights, calls taken in hushed tones, excuses woven around Chloe' s supposed fragility. "She' s fragile, Scar," he' d say, "You' re strong. You understand." I tried to, but then he missed our anniversary for her panic attack, my doctor' s appointment for her broken-down car. Each time, a piece of my trust chipped away. The final, unforgivable act came when I lay bleeding on the floor, calling him in a choked whisper. "David, please. Something' s wrong. I' m… I' m bleeding." I heard Chloe' s tearful voice in the background, "David, don' t go. I need you." He hesitated. That cold, sharp hesitation twisted in my gut. He never came. I lost our baby alone in a sterile hospital room while he comforted her. He truly cared more about her feelings than our child. Months later, with my mother' s funeral underway, Chloe approached me again. "It' s like she had to go so my son could live," she whispered, claiming my dying mother was a necessary sacrifice for her child. My suppressed rage ignited. This woman, who had manipulated my husband, stolen my locket, and had a piece of my body donated to her, was now mocking my grief. "I want a divorce, David," I declared, the words cutting through the chaos. He tried to deny it, to plead, to promise. But his love was poison, and I was done. I walked away from the graveside, leaving behind the man who had destroyed everything. With the help of my father' s old friend, an opportunity for a new life, a new name, appeared. I didn' t look back as I dropped my wedding ring into a trash can at the airport. It made a small, tinny sound, the final note on a life I was leaving behind. As the city lights faded below, I felt a flicker of peace. My past was over. My future was waiting.

Elliana, the unfavored "ugly duckling" of her family, was humiliated by her stepsister, Paige, who everyone admired. Paige, engaged to the CEO Cole, was the perfect woman-until Cole married Elliana on the day of the wedding. Shocked, everyone wondered why he chose the "ugly" woman. As they waited for her to be cast aside, Elliana stunned everyone by revealing her true identity: a miracle healer, financial mogul, appraisal prodigy, and AI genius. When her mistreatment became known, Cole revealed Elliana's stunning, makeup-free photo, sending shockwaves through the media. "My wife doesn't need anyone's approval."

Scarlett's first run-in with Shane ended with his bullet ripping through her chest. He'd crashed her mission and never blinked. Whispers claimed Shane's fiancée was a pampered porcelain doll. Even her adoring brothers warned, "Our little Scarlett is delicate. Don't bully her." On the field, Shane was ice-cold, ranking people only as winners or losers. Yet that iron officer learned to bend, curling an arm around Scarlett's waist and asking, "Come home with me, honey?" Outsiders said she lucked out. That Shane was way out of her league. He just scoffed. Destiny wove together the paths of two equals. At nights, he knelt and murmured, "I love you."

Brenna lived with her adoptive parents for twenty years, enduring their exploitation. When their real daughter appeared, they sent Brenna back to her true parents, thinking they were broke. In reality, her birth parents belonged to a top circle that her adoptive family could never reach. Hoping Brenna would fail, they gasped at her status: a global finance expert, a gifted engineer, the fastest racer... Was there any end to the identities she kept hidden? After her fiancé ended their engagement, Brenna met his twin brother. Unexpectedly, her ex-fiancé showed up, confessing his love...

Betrayed. Rejected. Forgotten. Elvira was born to be Luna, but on the night of her mating ceremony, her step-sister takes her place, and her step brothers, Eric and Elijah made sure she was never seen. Branded a murderer, unworthy of love, they break her, chain her, and leave her for dead. But fate isn't done with her yet. Elvira has one choice, stay buried in their lies or rise to destroy and take back her place.

It was supposed to be a marriage of convenience, but Carrie made the mistake of falling in love with Kristopher. When the time came that she needed him the most, her husband was in the company of another woman. Enough was enough. Carrie chose to divorce Kristopher and move on with her life. Only when she left did Kristopher realize how important she was to him. In the face of his ex-wife’s countless admirers, Kristopher offered her 20 million dollars and proposed a new deal. “Let’s get married again.”

A twist of fate bound Allison to Derek in marriage-she, a powerful heiress with countless hidden identities; he, the city's most admired man, now lying silent in a coma. For three years, Allison used her unmatched medical skills to heal him, all while quietly falling in love. But when Derek's long-lost love returned from abroad, he handed Allison divorce papers without a second thought. Resolved to stop chasing shadows, Allison signed the papers and turned her back on love-rising to fame as a dazzling force in business, medicine, and more. Only when she stood high above the world did Derek finally see her worth. He knelt before her, eyes brimming with regret. "Will you take me back?" he whispered.