Almost a Fairytale
Your Humble Ex-Wife Is Gone
Three years of marriage, and Jayson Mccormick never once looked at me the way he looks at my sister. I told myself he was just cold. That if I loved him hard enough, he'd eventually love me back. Then I crashed his secret wedding. The bride was Kate-the daughter my parents kept while I was lost. The guests? My entire family. They all knew. They all helped. "She's dying," Jayson said. "Let her have this." So I let her have it all. The husband. The family. The life they built around her. I walked away with nothing-because I knew I could make it all back. After years of silence, the legendary perfumer and the financial genius have returned. They think I have nothing. They don't know that, where they never bothered to look, I've already built an empire of my own. It's time to bury the obedient wife.
Chapter 1 The Secret Wedding
It was exactly seven o'clock in the evening.
The private manor, nestled on the outskirts of the city, was brilliantly illuminated, its grand facade glowing like a beacon against the darkening sky.
Corina Logan stood at the towering wrought-iron gates, her attire glaringly out of place. She wore a simple, unadorned plain dress, the kind one might wear for a quiet evening at home, standing in stark contrast to the opulence unfolding before her.
Just two hours ago, the illusion of her life had still been intact. Her husband, Jayson Mccormick, had called her, his voice carrying its usual clipped, authoritative tone. "There's a critical board meeting tonight that's going to run late," he had said through the receiver. "I won't be coming home. Go to sleep early, Corina."
Yet, here he was. Not in a boardroom surrounded by executives, but in this lavishly decorated estate, preparing to hold a wedding ceremony with another woman.
Through the grand windows of the manor's main hall, Corina could see the head table. Sitting there, adorned in their finest evening wear and beaming with pride, were her biological parents, Arthur and Eliza Logan, alongside her older brother, Oliver.
The guests mingling on the manicured lawns and inside the grand hall were a familiar crowd. They were the mutual friends, business associates, and extended family that made up the social circle she and Jayson shared.
Yet she, the lawful wife, had been kept entirely in the dark.
As Corina took a step closer, the evening breeze carried a scent that made her breath hitch. It was a complex, intoxicating fragrance-a masterful blend of deep, velvety rose intertwined with the rich, smoky notes of agarwood.
This specific perfume was named "Surrender." It was a unique, one-of-a-kind fragrance that Corina had personally formulated and blended as a wedding gift for Jayson three years ago. It was meant to symbolize a love that was absolute, a yielding of the heart.
Now, this very scent, representing possession and ultimate surrender, saturated the air of a wedding where her husband was the groom, and the bride was not her.
Her gaze traveled down the pristine white carpet that served as the aisle. At the end of it stood Jayson, looking breathtakingly impeccable in a custom-tailored, pure white high-fashion suit. His usually cold, calculating eyes were currently filled with a profound, melting affection as he looked at the woman standing opposite him.
The bride was Kate Logan.
Kate was the fake daughter who had occupied the Logan family's nest for over twenty years. Corina, on the other hand, was the true daughter, only found and brought back to the family a mere three years ago. Because their grandfather and the patriarch of the Mccormick family had been comrades in the trenches, they had arranged a marriage pact for their grandchildren.
When Corina returned to the family, she fulfilled that pact, marrying the heir to the Mccormick empire, Jayson. It felt like destiny to her, because Jayson was the man Corina had desperately, silently loved for seven long years. He was the man who had once pulled her out of the darkest abyss of her life.
She had truly believed this was a match made by fate, that she was destined to be the happiest woman in the world. But reality had just delivered a resounding, brutal slap across her face.
At this moment, Kate, draped in a voluminous, sparkling white wedding gown, leaned weakly against Jayson's chest, looking so fragile that a strong gust of wind might blow her away.
As Corina stepped fully into the light of the entrance, the melodious strains of the "Wedding March" suddenly warped. The musician had spotted her, and his fingers slipped, producing a harsh, piercingly discordant note that echoed across the lawn.
Instantly, every pair of eyes in the venue snapped toward Corina.
The joyous smiles on the faces of the Logan family froze, replaced by expressions of sheer panic and guilt.
Whispers erupted among the guests, spreading like wildfire.
"Is that... isn't that Corina? Why is she here?"
"I thought everyone agreed to keep this an absolute secret from her!"
"Who leaked the information? This is going to be a disaster."
The hushed voices were deafening. She was his actual wife, yet in this place, surrounded by her own family and friends, she was treated as an unwanted intruder.
When Jayson's eyes finally landed on her, a flash of genuine shock crossed his deep gaze, but it was almost instantly swallowed by his habitual, chilling composure.
He lowered his head, whispering a few soothing words to Kate, before gently handing the bride's hand over to a bridesmaid. He then stepped off the altar, his long legs eating up the distance as he strode purposefully toward Corina.
As he neared, the familiar, crisp scent of cedarwood that always clung to him enveloped Corina. It was the scent she had once been so hopelessly addicted to.
"What are you doing here?"
Those were his first words. Not an explanation, not an apology, but a cold, hard interrogation.
Corina looked up at the face she had loved for seven years. The sharp, aristocratic line of his brow, the thin, cool lips she had kissed a thousand times. Suddenly, she found the entire situation utterly laughable.
"Shouldn't I be here?" Corina's voice was incredibly soft, as casual as if she were inquiring about the weather. "My husband is getting married here today. Shouldn't I come to offer my congratulations?"
Jayson's brow furrowed deeply, a clear precursor to his impatience.
He took a sudden step forward, his large hand shooting out to clamp down hard on her slender wrist. Without another word, he dragged her away from the prying eyes of the crowd, pulling her into the shadows of a secluded stone corridor.
Once they were enveloped in the dim light of the corridor, he stopped and released her wrist.
"Corina, don't make a scene," he commanded, his voice tight.
"Kate... she doesn't have much time left." Jayson reached into the inner pocket of his suit jacket, pulling out a silver cigarette case. He extracted a cigarette but didn't light it, instead rolling it restlessly between his long fingers, a sign of his internal agitation. "Late-stage liver cancer. The doctors have confirmed she has, at most, half a month left to live."
Corina stood perfectly still, her eyes locked onto his.
"And so?" she asked, her voice devoid of inflection.
"Her final, greatest wish in this life was to wear a wedding dress and marry me," Jayson said, meeting her gaze with a look that suggested his actions were the most logical, reasonable thing in the world. "This wedding is entirely fake. I am simply putting on a performance for her, allowing her to leave this world without any lingering regrets. Do you understand?"
He paused, taking a breath, and when he spoke again, his tone softened marginally, sounding like a king offering a generous concession to a peasant. "Corina, it is merely a ceremony. Why must you be so petty and hold a grudge against a dying woman?"
Petty? Holding a grudge?
Corina's gaze drifted past his broad shoulders, looking out toward the distant, brightly lit lawn where the guests were still murmuring, their faces painted with a mix of celebration and nervous anticipation.
A Messed Up Fairytale
Syrus leaves his palace only because of his marriage. The queen forced him to marry a girl he never liked. After an year, at his marriage anniversary he returns with a mistress named Annabelle, making everybody furious except for his wife Myrtle who is supporting his action. Syrus is suspicious of h
Almost Strangers
I never expected my past to become my boss. Fifteen years ago, Morgan Aries was my best friend. Then an accident took his mother, my mother went to prison, and our families were torn apart. I never saw him again. Now, at 26, I finally have a stable job at Morgan Technologies. I should be celebratin
Misleading Fairytale
People nowadays enjoy the freedom of choosing someone to marry. Well, Maureen Annaliese is the opposite. Being born in a family who own an empire, she needs to marry a man that her parents chose. She has no problem with it because she read many books, in where the arranged marriage became successful
Musical Fairytale
MUSICAL FAIRYTALE Synopsis Ever attended the same school with top celebraties? Emily Brown is a simple girl from the countryside, she sings and plays the guitar One day, she got an admission notice from Rochester musical academy in New York, one of the best music school in the country....
My Fairytale Was A Cruel Lie
I was the scholarship kid at Westbrook University, dating the star quarterback, Gage Barton. Everyone on campus thought I was living a fairytale, the brilliant girl from the wrong side of the tracks who had captured the prince's heart. My roommate, Cayden, was my best friend, the one I trusted with
ALMOST MINE, ALREADY HIS
Gregory William, a charming playboy billionaire, had never grasped the true meaning of life-until he met Camila. She isn't as beautiful or classy as the women revolving around him. But Camila has something none of them do: an effortless ability to make him laugh, even in his darkest moments. To Greg
MY FAIRYTALE Love Story
Leonardo DiCaprio is the CEO of DiCaprio Global Inc. He is a 28-year-old arrogant, proud, and handsome playboy, residing in Rome, Italy. However, his carefree lifestyle comes to an end when his grandfather forces him to marry a 23-year-old Nigerian lady.
Not The Usual Fairytale
Combination of two romantic/tragic stories that combine reality and fantasy in a perfect blend. Who's The One? Stacy takes a walk down the memory lane when she is asked about how she met Derin, the love of her life and how much she loves him. As the conversation progress and some dark and unsettlin
Beyond the Fairytale Facade
My fiancé, tech mogul Ethan Reed, and I were the epitome of New York City's fairytale romance. For ten years, our "perfect love story" graced billboards and magazine covers, culminating in the highly anticipated "wedding of the decade." But my world shattered when I saw him. Through a discreet on
The Day My Fairytale Died
My life with Ethan Hayes was a true New York fairytale. He was devastatingly handsome, a brilliant tech CEO, and our engagement was the stuff of lifestyle blogs and glittering society columns. I poured my heart into our eight years together, building a perfect future, a "Golden Couple" image people
The things we almost were
"Kaelin, this feels wrong... we shouldn't be doing this," he muttered, his voice shaky, eyes darting away like he wasn't sure if he should even be here. "Relax... just trust me," I said quietly, trying to ease the tension in his shoulders. He sighed, still looking conflicted. "But I'm not gay," he
The Malice of the Almost-In-Laws
A romantic getaway, a beautiful Texas hotel, my fiancé Kevin by my side—it should have been perfect. I thought our future was set. Then searing pain hit. A ruptured ovarian cyst, internal bleeding. I was dying. Kevin? He ignored my pleas, focused on a non-refundable hotel, dismissing my agony
The Woman He Almost Killed Lives
I spent three years as the perfect girlfriend to Silicon Valley's "Ice King," August Armstrong, only to overhear him call our entire relationship a "training exercise" to win back my estranged stepsister, Caroline. He used me, then cast me aside, framing me for attacking Caroline at their engagemen
The Toxic Love That Almost Destroyed Me
For five years, I was Broadway's golden girl, and my powerful CEO boyfriend, Brennan, was my anchor. Our love felt invincible, a modern fairytale written across city marquees. Then he met Aimee, a struggling musician he claimed saved his life in a car crash. He gave her the vintage guitar he'd pro
My Fairytale Shattered: His Cruel Betrayal
For nine years, my marriage to tech titan Julian Gallegos was a fairytale. He was the powerful mogul who adored me, and I was the brilliant architect who was his world. Our love was the kind people whispered about. Then, a car crash stole it all. He woke up with the last nine years of his memory er
Forever Yours, Almost. Whitmere Family Legacy Book 1
A Whitmere Family Romance Ten years ago, Sloane Hart ran from the only man she ever loved. Not because she stopped loving him- but because loving Rhett Whitmere meant risking everything. Now she's back in Whitmere County, standing inside the luxury hotel he built from heartbreak, legacy, and a lo
Make You Mine
An accident compels their destinies to get intertwined. Lily had saved James when he was ruthlessly kidnapped seven years ago. However, it seemed as if fate had other plans for them. When James woke up, he had already gotten out of the country. He'd been sent abroad to seek treatment for his legs.
A Compass, A Betrayal, A Life
The first sign was a hotel receipt I didn' t recognize, crumpled in my husband' s suit pocket, for an "Ocean View Suite" for two. He was supposed to be at a tech conference that night. The next evening, I followed him. He left his office building with a woman, his new assistant, Chloe Davis. They
A mistake... a baby!
Alessandra plans to seduce and possess Caleb. She loved the man very much since they were children. Alessandra would not allow Caleb to marry his fiance, so one night she thought of breaking into Caleb's room. Alessandra successfully carried out her plan. She surrendered her virginity to the man sh
A Wife, A Placeholder, A Lie
The frantic beeping of the heart monitor was the only sound as my son, Leo, struggled for every breath. Anaphylactic shock, the doctors said. A severe, unexpected allergic reaction. My world reeled as the nurse cried, "We need O-negative blood, now! The blood bank is running low." Just as despair
