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Clara Bennett

9 Published Stories

Clara Bennett's Books and Stories

Stolen Life, Broken Heart

Stolen Life, Broken Heart

Modern
5.0
My name is Ryan Thorne. I was sitting on the cold hospital floor, cradling my son Leo' s lifeless body. He was gone. Killed by a monstrous "therapy" in a sensory deprivation tank. His wide, terrified eyes stared blankly, a permanent mask of horror. On the TV screen, my ex-fiancée, Sophia Hayes, was marrying a man who looked exactly like me: Ryan Thorne. But he wasn't me. He was the imposter, the man Sophia told me was my brother. A searing pain shot through my head, not from the forgotten car crash, but from memories flooding back. My name isn't Ethan Miller. It's Ryan Thorne. The real Ryan Thorne. The man on that screen had stolen my name, my face, my entire life. Five years ago, after the crash, Sophia convinced me I was "Ethan Miller," an architect who needed a kidney. She pointed to the imposter, my long-lost brother, a perfect match for my supposed kidney failure. I gave him my kidney, my identity, my inheritance. Everything. Leo, my sweet, sensitive boy, was the only real thing in that fabricated life. He overheard Sophia and the imposter laughing about their cruel deception. The man he adored wasn't his father. Shattered, Leo collapsed. Sophia, knowing his claustrophobia, locked him in the tank for "therapy." "Dad help. Scared. Dark." His last text. I found Sophia outside, watching her clock. "My son shouldn't be weak and afraid. He needs to get over his issues. Besides, how could therapy kill anyone?" she'd said. I broke in, but it was too late. Leo was gone. Now, as I held him, the full truth crashed down. "Mom," I said, dialing a number I hadn't called in five years. "It's Ryan." "I remember everything," I continued, my gaze fixed on the laughing faces on the TV. "It's time for me to leave." They took my life. They took my son. I would take it all back.
Chloe’s Game: No More Mr. Nice

Chloe’s Game: No More Mr. Nice

Sci-fi
5.0
The air in my workshop crackled with the hum of servers, a frantic race against a deadline for the National Tech Innovator' s Competition. My revolutionary AI was finally ready, my fingers flying across the keyboard, when my older brother Ethan walked in, his smile perfect and camera-ready. He handed me an energy drink, "A little something for good luck," he said, his voice smooth as silk. But as my fingers brushed the can, a glitched red warning flashed on my monitor: "WARNING: Item contains a bio-tech neuro-inhibitor. Target: Chloe." My heart hammered. Before I could process it, my childhood friend, Liam, arrived with a delicate charm bracelet and another warning: "WARNING: Item is a remote data-theft device… Recipient: Sarah." Sarah. My biggest rival. The pieces clicked into place: it was a plan to steal my mind and my work for her. Before I could react, Brenda, the school bully, burst in, demanding money. A cold, sharp idea formed in my mind. I gave Brenda the sabotaged drink and bracelet. Ethan' s perfect smile vanished, replaced by fury, as he hissed, "You' d rather give it to her than accept my help?" Liam, playing the peacemaker, tried to push another bracelet on me, another link in their chain. The fear was gone, replaced by something harder. I looked at their deceptive faces, my brother and my best friend, united against me. "No, thank you, Liam," I said, my voice clear and void of emotion, meeting Ethan' s furious gaze. This wasn' t a surrender. Their game was over. Mine was just beginning.
Shattered Vases, Broken Promises

Shattered Vases, Broken Promises

Modern
5.0
The silence in the sprawling mansion was a physical weight, pressing down on me as I hunched over my drafting table. They called me Liam' s wife, but I was merely the ghost in his machine, designing award-winning architecture he took full credit for. My mother-in-law, Eleanor, swept in, her venomous words cutting deeper than any knife, accusing me of being a gold-digger and a disgrace. Then, my world shattered. My younger sister, Ava, appeared, showering Eleanor with affection, a warmth I only dreamed of. Suddenly, a Ming Dynasty vase lay in pieces. Eleanor shrieked, blaming me, her eyes filled with a terrifying conviction: "She's jealous. She wants to destroy everything beautiful in this house." Later, Liam arrived, surveyed the wreckage, and effortlessly dismissed my silent plea, his cold eyes branding me as nothing more than a careless maid. Night fell, and I overheard Liam and Ava' s intimate murmurs, her soft laughter echoing through the cold mansion. A sick feeling coiled in my stomach. The shattered vase, the familiar intimacy between my husband and my sister-it was all a blur of confusion and betrayal I couldn' t comprehend. My father' s critical illness became a cruel reminder of the life I' d abandoned for a loveless marriage. Finally, fed up, I told Liam I wanted a divorce, expecting a fight. Instead, he simply said, "Alright." Too easy. My relief quickly turned to unease. He looked at me with an unreadable expression, a strange mixture of something unidentifiable. Why was he agreeing to this so easily? What was I missing? Driven by a desperate need to save my father, I pushed past my fears, resolved to unravel the web of deceit that entangled me, knowing this was my only chance at freedom and perhaps, redemption.