When The Wrong Groom Shows Up

Chapter 1 of my life was a fairy tale: Jocelyn Todd, orphan no more, adopted by the wealthy Scott family and about to marry a charming scion. My engagement party was a lavish spectacle, a testament to the love and affection I' d finally found. Standing beside my "protective" older brother, Andrew, watching my fiancé Ethan across the lawn, I finally felt loved, complete. But then, as I took my first step towards my future, my world fractured. Bright, glowing text flooded my vision, overlaying the perfect scene: "LOL, she' s actually crying. A few worthless stock certificates and she' s totally fooled. So naive." My family' s affectionate smiles transformed into chilling masks as I read on, discovering their monstrous plan. The year of love was a performance, and I was merely a prop to boost their "Likeability Score." Once official, they'd frame me for a corporate crime, strip me of everything, and dispose of me, all to benefit Gabby, their real "daughter." The warmth in my chest turned to ice. They weren't just betraying me; they were orchestrating my destruction. My "parents," "brother," and fiancé-all in on it. They saw me as a disposable pawn, intended for a tragic, convenient "accident." The thought of facing this chilling reality, alone and betrayed, was paralyzing. But then, a defiant spark ignited. My tears weren't of gratitude anymore, but of cold, hard resolve. I still clutched the portfolio of "worthless" stock, and a new comment flashed: "The certificates are fakes!..." It was all a lie. I took a deep breath, the trembling in my voice purely intentional. "Before we make it official," I smiled sweetly, holding up the portfolio, "could we have the family lawyer notarize this transfer right now?" The panic on their faces, the sudden plummet of their "score," confirmed everything. My supposed doom was their control. This wasn't merely survival; it was war.

My fiancé, Warden Rex Thorne, was the most powerful man in the state, and I was about to marry him. His promotion party glowed with our future. Then, a shattering scream. Rex' s stepsister, Brenda, stumbled in, clothes torn, pointing a shaking finger at me. "She attacked me! She said she' d kill me!" The room went silent. Rex' s eyes, once full of love, turned to ice. Without a single question, he declared, "You are no longer my fiancée. You are an inmate." He sentenced me to ten years in the chilling, forgotten Old Wing of Blackstone Penitentiary. No trial. No defense. Just banishment by the man I loved, based on a single, venomous lie. How could he believe such a monstrous accusation without a shred of doubt? What dark secret was Brenda hiding to wield such power? My life, once bathed in promised happiness, was now swallowed by the shadows of a brutal prison, where every day was a fight for survival, and the truth was buried deeper than any grave. But in the darkness, a silent protector would emerge, and together, we would uncover the shocking conspiracy that stole my life.

I woke up, not from sleep, but like snapping back into a nightmare I'd already lived. The cramped cabin's stale air, pine scent – hauntingly familiar. Jake stood there, hand out, his voice wheedling: "Sarah, Brenda needs that locket." Brenda. The name sent a cold shiver down my spine. My mother' s locket was still at my neck. Last time, I' d blindly given it to them, believing Brenda' s lies about feeling close to my mom. It was my first, fatal mistake. Brenda claimed it brought her luck, and it did. For her. While I… I died. On a remote hiking trail, an "accident" watched by both Brenda and Jake. His shifty eyes, fixed on me, pushed the same line: "Brenda just feels so close to your mom with it." A predator, I thought. A searing memory flashed: Brenda flaunting my locket, smiling, as I lay broken in that ravine, utterly abandoned. The betrayal, agony, my sickening idiocy pursuing love that led to my death. The sheer injustice burned. But not again. "The locket?" I feigned confusion. "Oh, I think I lost it." His face fell. Good. This time, I would live. I would fight. I just needed to hold on ten more days. My brother, Major Mike Collins, was coming.

Sarah Miller was the epitome of small-town success: valedictorian, destined for a full scholarship at State University, a beacon of hope. Everyone in our tight-knit community called her an angel, a ray of sunshine, always with a bright smile. Just hours after delivering a graduation speech full of dreams, she was supposed to be celebrating with friends and family. But as the community hall burned, its roof collapsing in a fiery roar, Sarah stood across the street, motionless, her face illuminated by the inferno. The smell of burning wood, and something else, something sickening, filled the air, as sparks flew like angry fireflies. When Officer Kowski grabbed her arm, she showed no fear, only an unsettling calm, soot smeared on her hands. Then, she whispered the chilling words: "They all deserved to die." Her parents, reeling from disbelief, watched their daughter admit to mass murder, their tears mingling with raw, ragged pain. The town, still mourning their "heroes"-Pastor David, Mr. Henderson-couldn't reconcile the angelic Sarah with the monster she confessed to being. Her subsequent suicide attempt in her cell only deepened the mystery, pills traced back to Henderson's private stash. The discovery of burned journal fragments suggested hidden truths, a desperate, unspoken anguish. What unspeakable evil could turn a scholarship-bound valedictorian into a mass murderer? How could the very men lauded as benefactors, who "loved her like their own daughter," inspire such cold, vengeful fire? The town saw kindness and support, but Sarah' s hollow whisper of "Care?" hinted at an unimaginable betrayal. What dark secret did this 'angel' carry, hidden beneath years of forced smiles and perfect grades? Then, Sarah finally shattered the silence, not with tears, but with a guttural scream: "They deserved it! They all deserved it!" And the terrifying, heartbreaking story, a torrent of buried pain, began to pour out, revealing the true horrors lurking beneath their idyllic small town.

Ava Chen stood beside Julian Vance, tech billionaire, her fiancé. Tonight was their engagement announcement at a dazzling Silicon Valley gala. Everything seemed picture-perfect. Then, the ballroom doors opened, and in walked Seraphina Reed, Julian' s ex, the "White Redwood." Julian froze, dropping Ava' s hand, and sprinted towards Seraphina, leaving Ava abandoned on the dais. The engagement was "indefinitely postponed," as Ava watched Julian devour Seraphina with his eyes. Ava realized she was merely a substitute, a colder version of the woman Julian truly wanted. Her loyal assistant, Maya, was killed in a hit-and-run, orchestrated by Julian and Seraphina. Her diplomat father and journalist brother were publicly disgraced, their reputations ruined by Julian' s fabricated scandal. Imprisoned in a gilded cage, she endured relentless torment. Her college sweetheart, Liam, her only hope, was shot dead during a rescue attempt by Julian. The world had stolen everything: love, family, freedom, hope, and even a child she never knew she had, lost due to Julian' s violence. How could one man inflict such brutal, calculated destruction? Her despair hardened into an icy, unyielding will. With Liam's final whispered password, Ava found a way to turn her pain into power. She would dismantle Julian' s empire, piece by agonizing piece. This wasn't just survival; this was war.

My biological parents were tech billionaires, yet for me, Sarah Miller, every penny was a battleground. They preached "character" and "tough love," while lavishing everything on Ashley, their "perfect" adopted daughter, who got whatever she wanted. On SAT day, a torrential storm hit. I desperately needed $50 for an Uber to reach the crucial exam on time. My father, flaunting his self-made fortune, snatched my emergency cash – saved from months of skipping lunch – and sneered, "Spoiled brat! Build character." I arrived soaking wet and an hour late, my SATs a blur of cold and despair. Then, on a classmate' s phone, I saw it: A live social media feed of my parents hosting a multi-million dollar bash for Ashley. The reason? She'd won a minor school debate. My mother' s caption gloated, "So proud of our Ashley! #ProudParents #HarrisonLegacy." Millions for Ashley' s 'tests' were fine, but $50 for my future was an exorbitant luxury. Every hope, every scraped-together crumb of affection I'd ever craved, evaporated. Why did they despise their own daughter so much? What had I, their flesh and blood, ever done to earn such icy disdain? In that moment, something inside me snapped. The desperate girl who clung to their approval died. My local college applications lay torn. My illusions, finally, shattered. And I knew: I was done.

At their wedding night, Kayla caught her brand-new husband cheating. Reeling and half-drunk, she staggered into the wrong suite and collapsed into a stranger's arms. Sunrise brought a pounding head-and the discovery she was pregnant. The father? A supremely powerful tycoon who happened to be her husband's ruthless uncle. Panicked, she tried to run, but he barred the door with a faint, dangerous smile. When the cheating ex begged, Kayla lifted her chin and declared, "Want a second chance at us? Ask your uncle." The tycoon pulled her close. "She's my wife now." The ex gasped, "What!?"

Kara Martin was known as Miss Perfect. She was a beauty with good personality and successful career. Unfortunately, her life changed at one night. She was accused of adultery, losing her job, and abandoned by her fiance. The arrogant man who slept with her did not want to take responsibility. He even threatened to kill her if they met again. What's worse, Kara was pregnant with twins and she chose to give birth to them. Four and a half years later, Kara returned to work at a large company. As the secretary, she would frequently face their notorious CEO. Kara thought it wouldn't be a problem, but as it turned out ... the CEO was the father of the twins!

My life with Ethan Cole, the charismatic tech CEO, was perfect. I was his beloved wife, carrying our first child, convinced I was the center of his universe. But when my father fell ill, Ethan disappeared from my life, only to reappear in a crushing photo: his arm intimately around my successful cousin, Olivia Hayes. My world shattered. The betrayal ran deeper than I could have imagined. I discovered I was merely a meticulously chosen stand-in, a grotesque copy of Olivia, the woman he truly loved. He even desired our child to have *her* features, a living link to his obsession. Every tender gesture, every shared dream, was a calculated lie, meaning my marriage, my love, and my pregnancy were all built on his monstrous deceit. A cold rage blossomed within me; how could I have been so blind? He believed he owned me, that I would never leave, especially with a baby on the way, confident I was a compliant fool. He was terribly wrong. I would not be his vessel, his substitute. When he least expected it, while he was still flaunting his obsession, I quietly underwent an abortion. Then, using his arrogance against him, I meticulously orchestrated my escape, securing my divorce and vanishing without a trace. He thought he was playing me; I showed him exactly who was being played, leaving him a devastating truth about his own making.

Elena, once a pampered heiress, suddenly lost everything when the real daughter framed her, her fiancé ridiculed her, and her adoptive parents threw her out. They all wanted to see her fall. But Elena unveiled her true identity: the heiress of a massive fortune, famed hacker, top jewelry designer, secret author, and gifted doctor. Horrified by her glorious comeback, her adoptive parents demanded half her newfound wealth. Elena exposed their cruelty and refused. Her ex pleaded for a second chance, but she scoffed, “Do you think you deserve it?” Then a powerful magnate gently proposed, “Marry me?”

"Mr. Evans, please maintain some dignity. Don't forget I'm your brother's wife!" Having caught her husband and best friend together in the bed, Elena wanted nothing more than to exact revenge on the people she once called family. She refused to be a pitiful divorcee and vowed to make everyone who had once looked down on her beg for forgiveness. And to start with her newfound freedom, Elena indulges in a one-night stand with a stranger. However, what was meant to be a fleeting escape turns into a nightmare when she learns that the stranger is none other than her husband's older brother! Would Elena be free from the shackles of her marriage? Or would the mysterious stranger make her life a living hell since he seemed to have a personal vendetta against his family? [The story is 18+ and involves mature content.]

On the day of their wedding anniversary, Joshua's mistress drugged Alicia, and she ended up in a stranger's bed. In one night, Alicia lost her innocence, while Joshua's mistress carried his child in her womb. Heartbroken and humiliated, Alicia demanded a divorce, but Joshua saw it as yet another tantrum. When they finally parted ways, she went on to become a renowned artist, sought out and admired by everyone. Consumed by regret, Joshua darkened her doorstep in hopes of reconciliation, only to find her in the arms of a powerful tycoon. "Say hello to your sister-in-law."