The Daughter He Couldn’t Keep
leon · Ongoing · 6.7k Words
Introduction
She was beaten, cursed at, and abandoned on a bench outside the hospital.
And I could do nothing to help her.
Because I had already died eight years ago.
It wasn't until my daughter collapsed crying at my grave—and the story made the news—that my ex-husband finally learned the truth.
He had destroyed both me and the child we shared in the cruelest way possible.
And by then, there was no fixing it.
Chapter 1
Snow fell without end over the outskirts of New York, frosting the iron fence outside the orphanage white.
I drifted in midair, staring down at the small patch of ground lit by a streetlamp in the yard.
My daughter, Leah, was standing there.
I screamed her name until it felt like my soul was tearing apart.
"Leah! Baby, watch out!"
But I was already dead. o one could hear me.
Ryan, a vicious little thirteen-year-old brat, had Leah by the collar and was slamming her against the wall.
His volunteer badge still hung around his neck, like some kind of sick joke.
"You motherless little stray—how dare you touch my stuff?"
Leah's face was turning red from the pressure on her throat.
I lunged at him, instinctively trying to shove him away.
But my hands cut through nothing but freezing air. I couldn't touch him.
"Let her go! Please—"
The wind ripped my voice apart. All I could do was watch as Ryan tightened his grip.
Leah's face was starting to turn purple.
Just when I was on the verge of breaking down, her hand fumbled across the ground and found a rock by her foot. With every last bit of strength she had, she swung it at Ryan's head.
Thud!
Ryan froze for a second, stunned, then collapsed into the snow.
Blood spread fast, staining the white ground red.
I went still.
She won. She survived.
But then my heart clenched all over again.
"Leah, run! Please, just run!"
But my little girl dropped to her knees and reached for Ryan's neck, trying to check his pulse.
She was scared that bastard might die. Scared someone would call her a murderer. Scared of causing trouble.
"Mrs. Sullivan! Mrs. Sullivan!" Crying, she ran toward the main building. "Ryan fell and got hurt! Somebody—please, come quick!"
At the sight of that, my throat closed up so hard it felt like I was choking on stone.
The orphanage staff rushed out in a panic and loaded Ryan into a car.
And Leah—my daughter—was left behind, forced to stand there as punishment.
"Don't move."
"Stand here and think about what you've done."
"We'll deal with you when we get back."
Rage burned through my chest.
I threw myself at those adults over and over, screaming at them.
But they couldn't hear me.
Leah stood in the snow, swaying in the wind. Her lips had gone pale from the cold, but she stayed stubbornly in place.
The night grew darker.
The snow kept falling harder.
Her legs started to shake. Her breathing grew weaker and weaker. And finally, she collapsed into the snow.
"No! Don't fall asleep! Baby, wake up!" I dropped to my knees beside her, sobbing nonstop. "Leah... Mommy's here... Mommy's right here..."
But I couldn't even warm her up.
The next morning, I heard hurried footsteps.
And to my shock, it was my ex-husband.
He came in a rush, his suit jacket still unbuttoned.
He was probably there for one of his little charity visits, the kind that helped polish his image as the brilliant attorney who was supposedly both principled and compassionate.
And then he saw Leah lying on the ground.
His expression shook.
"Oh my God—" He ran over and scooped her up. "Hey, sweetheart, can you hear me?"
If I'd still had a heart, it would have stirred at that moment.
Eight years.
This was the first time he had ever held my child.
"Doctor! I need a doctor!"
He carried her toward the car at a run.
Before the emergency vehicle had even left the grounds, his phone rang.
On the other end was Sophie, sobbing so hard she could barely get the words out. "Yard! Ryan's at the hospital! He was attacked! The doctors say it's bad—you have to come now!"
I froze.
The boy who had bullied my daughter—Ryan—was actually the son of Yard and Sophie?
My ex-husband's son with the woman who destroyed our marriage was bullying the daughter he had with me?
His face darkened instantly. "Who did it?"
"I heard it was that crazy girl from the orphanage! That little nobody no one wants!"
His knuckles turned white around the phone as he ground out each word through clenched teeth. "I'll find out exactly who dared lay a hand on my son."
I hovered behind him, watching him hold Leah in his arms while cursing her for another child's sake.
I wanted to laugh, but I couldn't.
"Your son?" I whispered. "Yard, that's your daughter."
Last Chapters
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On Christmas Eve night, my husband brought his mistress home and demanded that I, his pregnant wife, leave with nothing.
On this day, I lost my husband and also lost the child in my womb...
I Loved You in Silence, You Betrayed Me in French
At my birthday party, my husband whispered to his mistress in French that he missed her. His voice was low, but I heard it all—the black lingerie, the bit about how pregnancy makes you more sensitive. His French clients around us were laughing. He turned and put his arm around me, claiming he was just helping his clients come up with sweet nothings.
He doesn't know I understand every single word. Just like he doesn't know that inside my body, I'm carrying his other surprise. And his mistress—she's pregnant too. Two wombs, one secret.
Confrontation would be too cheap. Tears are worthless. I quietly started cataloging the hidden networks my father left behind, activating the Swiss accounts.
In seven days, Zoey Smith will cease to exist. And what will my husband's reaction be?
When I Disappeared, He Regretted It
The moment the screen lit up, my entire world came crashing down.
The woman on the bed was Calista - that girl who grew up with us since we were kids. And that hand caressing her skin was wearing the wedding ring I had personally put on Matteo's finger.
"I've missed you so much..."
"You drive me crazy, baby..."
Those sweet words I knew so well completely destroyed me.
Everyone said we were the perfect couple, but who knew this marriage was built on nothing but lies?
Since he's so good at acting, I guess it's time I gave him a show of my own. I'm going to make sure everyone sees what this "perfect husband" really is...
The Family Sacrifice
I simply said one word: "Okay."
My parents and Gilbert were stunned. They rushed to have me sign the voluntary donation form, afraid I’d change my mind.
Some days later, they sent me to the operating room.
Dad said, "Yvonne will finally be saved. We're so proud of you."
Mom said, "After the surgery, we'll make it up to you."
Gilbert looked tenderly at Yvonne and said, "When you're better, where should we travel?"
What they didn't know was that the day I agreed, I'd just received my diagnosis, stage four cancer. Three months to live.
As I lay on the cold operating table, as the anesthesia began to take effect, I only wanted to know one thing:
If I die on this operating table, will they regret it?
He Never Loved Me, Until I Left
I put away the divorce agreement with a wry smile.
When he and my son completely disappeared, he finally panicked.
Three months later .
He knelt down on the streets of Chicago in despair, begging me to remarry him.
My six-year-old son looked coldly at his biological father and said, "Get lost, you bad uncle! You don't deserve to be my dad!"
He Thought I'd Never Leave
When he said he was being bullied, I believed him. When he kissed me on that rooftop, I thought he felt the same. When he asked me to transfer schools with him, I said yes without hesitation.
Then I heard him bragging to his friends: "She'd save her first time for me. Hell, she'd still be thinking of me on her wedding night."
The bullying was staged. The kiss meant nothing. He just wanted me gone—so his new girl could feel more comfortable.
He thought I'd beg. He thought I'd cry. He thought I'd never actually leave.
I left the country.
And ran straight into his stepbrother.
I Died While They Threw Her a Party
Their real daughter came home. She'd only been back two years. That's all it took to erase twenty-four.
When kidnappers grabbed us, I used my body as a shield. They beat me until something inside me ruptured. I was dying from internal bleeding, but no one could tell.
My parents wouldn't even look at me. "This is your fault! None of this would've happened if it weren't for you!"
"Get downstairs and apologize to your sister. If you can't, pack your things and get out."
They threw her a party at a downtown hotel while I died alone in my room.
I thought they'd be relieved. Maybe even glad. I thought they'd just move on like I never existed.
But when they finally learned the truth, they fell apart.
Bury Me in His Regret
The kidnapper pressed the gun to my temple and asked, "Choose your wife or your sister-in-law?"
Zachary didn't hesitate. "Let Valerie go," he said.
He actually chose to save his sister-in-law! In that moment, even the baby in my belly seemed to stop kicking.
Later, they locked me in the basement. Drugs to delay labor were pumped into my veins over and over. Zachary wanted to save the "firstborn son" status for his sister-in-law's child.
When warm blood finally soaked through my skirt, I dialed the number I knew by heart with shaking hands.
"Zachary," I whispered into the phone, "our child... can't wait any longer."
The Kidney That Killed Me
A few months ago, my sister was hospitalized with kidney failure. The doctor said she needed a transplant. My family's first thought was me—the backup daughter they'd kept around all these years.
When my husband Allen took my hand with tears in his eyes and said, "Only you can save her," I agreed without hesitation.
When the doctor explained the surgical risks and potential complications, I smiled and nodded my understanding.
My parents said I'd finally learned what sisterly love meant.
Even Allen, who'd always been cold to me, held my hand gently and said, "The surgery's safe. You're so healthy, nothing will go wrong. When you recover, I'll take you to Hawaii."
But they don't know that no matter how the surgery goes, I won't be around to celebrate.
Because I just got my own test results—I have terminal brain cancer. I'm going to die anyway.
After the Affair: Falling into a Billionaire's Arms
From first crush to wedding vows, George Capulet and I had been inseparable. But in our seventh year of marriage, he began an affair with his secretary.
On my birthday, he took her on vacation. On our anniversary, he brought her to our home and made love to her in our bed...
Heartbroken, I tricked him into signing divorce papers.
George remained unconcerned, convinced I would never leave him.
His deceptions continued until the day the divorce was finalized. I threw the papers in his face: "George Capulet, from this moment on, get out of my life!"
Only then did panic flood his eyes as he begged me to stay.
When his calls bombarded my phone later that night, it wasn't me who answered, but my new boyfriend Julian.
"Don't you know," Julian chuckled into the receiver, "that a proper ex-boyfriend should be as quiet as the dead?"
George seethed through gritted teeth: "Put her on the phone!"
"I'm afraid that's impossible."
Julian dropped a gentle kiss on my sleeping form nestled against him. "She's exhausted. She just fell asleep."
Falling for my boyfriend's Navy brother
"What is wrong with me?
Why does being near him make my skin feel too tight, like I’m wearing a sweater two sizes too small?
It’s just newness, I tell myself firmly.
He’s my boyfirend’s brother.
This is Tyler’s family.
I’m not going to let one cold stare undo that.
**
As a ballet dancer, My life looks perfect—scholarship, starring role, sweet boyfriend Tyler. Until Tyler shows his true colors and his older brother, Asher, comes home.
Asher is a Navy veteran with battle scars and zero patience. He calls me "princess" like it's an insult. I can't stand him.
When My ankle injury forces her to recover at the family lake house, I‘m stuck with both brothers. What starts as mutual hatred slowly turns into something forbidden.
I'm falling for my boyfriend's brother.
**
I hate girls like her.
Entitled.
Delicate.
And still—
Still.
The image of her standing in the doorway, clutching her cardigan tighter around her narrow shoulders, trying to smile through the awkwardness, won’t leave me.
Neither does the memory of Tyler. Leaving her here without a second thought.
I shouldn’t care.
I don’t care.
It’s not my problem if Tyler’s an idiot.
It’s not my business if some spoiled little princess has to walk home in the dark.
I’m not here to rescue anyone.
Especially not her.
Especially not someone like her.
She’s not my problem.
And I’ll make damn sure she never becomes one.
But when my eyes fell on her lips, I wanted her to be mine.
Alpha Nicholas's Little Mate
What? No—wait… oh Moon Goddess, no.
Please tell me you're joking, Lex.
But she's not. I can feel her excitement bubbling under my skin, while all I feel is dread.
We turn the corner, and the scent hits me like a punch to the chest—cinnamon and something impossibly warm. My eyes scan the room until they land on him. Tall. Commanding. Beautiful.
And then, just as quickly… he sees me.
His expression twists.
"Fuck no."
He turns—and runs.
My mate sees me and runs.
Bonnie has spent her entire life being broken down and abused by the people closest to her including her very own twin sister. Alongside her best friend Lilly who also lives a life of hell, they plan to run away while attending the biggest ball of the year while it's being hosted by another pack, only things don't quite go to plan leaving both girls feeling lost and unsure about their futures.
Alpha Nicholas is 28, mateless, and has no plans to change that. It's his turn to host the annual Blue Moon Ball this year and the last thing he expects is to find his mate. What he expects even less is for his mate to be 10 years younger than him and how his body reacts to her. While he tries to refuse to acknowledge that he has met his mate his world is turned upside down after guards catch two she-wolves running through his lands.
Once they are brought to him he finds himself once again facing his mate and discovers that she's hiding secrets that will make him want to kill more than one person.
Can he overcome his feelings towards having a mate and one that is so much younger than him? Will his mate want him after already feeling the sting of his unofficial rejection? Can they both work on letting go of the past and moving forward together or will fate have different plans and keep them apart?
