Maui
11 Published Stories
Maui's Books and Stories
The Price of a Perfect Angel
Horror The cold steel of a knife slid between my ribs, and the last thing I remember was the shock on my best friend Wendy' s face – not that I was dying, but that she needed the perfect angle for her livestream.
She narrated my demise, blaming me for trying to sleep with a trucker, her voice sickly excited as notifications pinged with hateful comments like "Serves her right" and "Stupid slut."
I died on the dirty floor of a truck cabin, my blood pooling around me, smeared as a whore, utterly betrayed by the person I trusted most.
My last breath was a gasp of disbelief, wondering how I could have been so blind to her jealousy and malice.
Then, I gasped again, only this time the air was clean, not thick with diesel and blood, and I was back in my law firm's breakroom, staring at a saccharine-smiling Wendy, who was about to propose the very trip that led to my murder. The Son Who Chose A Stranger
Modern Three weeks after Mark informed me his "ideal woman" Sarah was moving in, forcing me out, I returned to our house for one thing: the divorce papers his lawyer drafted.
As I fumbled for keys I no longer had, heavy, uneven footsteps sounded behind me, a low, slurred muttering growing closer.
I pounded on the door, screaming for Mark and our son, Ethan, but through the peephole, Ethan' s shadow moved, then his voice came, muffled and cold: "Go away. You're scaring Sarah."
My blood ran cold as my own son chose a stranger' s comfort over my safety, a drunken attacker' s hand clamped down on my shoulder.
I screamed, fought, and tumbled onto the lawn, only to hear Ethan tell Mark on the phone, "Mom is making a scene… she's scaring Sarah!"
Mark rushed past me, shivering and disheveled, to comfort Sarah, who stood draped in my robe, her face buried in Ethan' s shoulder.
He then rounded on me, disgusted: "Look at you, Ava. Making a scene in the middle of the night. You woke Sarah up. She was terrified."
They stood united, demanding I apologize to the woman who replaced me, for the crime of being assaulted on my own doorstep, as I realized my phone was dead, useless to call for help.
When Sarah offered me peanut butter cookies, knowing about my life-threatening allergy, and Mark merely stared, impatient, without a flicker of recognition, the quiet truth dawned: he didn't remember, or worse, he didn't care.
The man who once promised to always be my protector was gone, replaced by a cold stranger, eager for me to sign away our life so he could care for his new love.
In that moment of profound betrayal, something shifted inside me.
I signed the papers, then looked at Ethan: "I'm going to need to make a statement to the police. I'll need to use your phone."
No longer fighting for a husband who despised me or a son who saw me as an inconvenience, I spoke to the police, then blocked Mark and Ethan' s numbers, cutting the last ties. The Secret Butler: Capturing The Heartless Billionaire
Modern I spent a year hiding my lethal skills behind the stiff polyester uniform of a hotel butler. To the world, I’m just Betsey Madden, a "charity case" scrubbing floors at The Elysium to solve the mystery of my mother’s suspicious death.
On the anniversary of her passing, my manager decided to humiliate me by assigning me to the Penthouse to serve Celestino Franklin, a billionaire known as the "Butcher of Wall Street" who supposedly eats staff for breakfast.
When I stepped into the suite, I found the pristine white carpet stained with fresh blood and a wounded man lunging at me from the shadows. I didn't scream; I instinctively dropped into a combat stance I hadn't used since my days as a shadow operative in Vienna, pinning the billionaire before he could even blink.
I had to choose between letting him bleed out or revealing that I was far more than a girl who folds napkins for minimum wage. I chose to save him, stitching his gunshot wound with a surgical precision that no ordinary servant should ever possess.
As he gripped my wrist, the air turned cold. He didn't smell like a typical CEO; he carried the sharp scent of sandalwood and expensive scotch—the exact, intoxicating aroma of the man from the nightmares I’ve had since the night my mother died.
"You have good hands," he rasped, his storm-gray eyes seeing right through my pale foundation and fake exhaustion. "You're wasting them on silver polish."
I realized then that my cover wasn't just blown; it was the bait that had finally caught the monster I was looking for. I came to this hotel to find a killer, but I never expected my prime suspect to be the man now demanding I become his personal shadow.
The hunt for the truth just turned into a deadly dance with a predator who knows exactly who I am, and I’m not leaving until I find out if he’s my savior or my mother's murderer. From Secret Lover To Shining Star
Modern For ten years, I was the secret girlfriend of my billionaire boss, Arthur. When my mother needed an emergency $50,000 surgery to save her life, I went to him, believing he would help.
He coldly refused, citing "company policy" and sending me to his executive assistant, Deanne. She deliberately delayed the loan application.
My mother died.
When I confronted him, I found him with Deanne, who was wearing a dress he'd bought for me. He didn't just side with her-he fired me on the spot.
He called me a gold digger and a slut in front of the entire office.
I later learned Deanne had spent a decade sabotaging my career and withholding my bonuses, ensuring I'd never have the money to be independent. And Arthur had let her.
But they underestimated me. As I walked out of that office for the last time, I made a call to the one man who had silently protected me for years. And when he answered, he didn't just offer me the money. He offered me a new life. From Wedding Wreckage To Starlight
Romance For ten years, Olivia Hayes was my universe. As an astrophysicist, I understood the vastness of space, but she was my sun, the center of my gravity, for whom I even gave up career opportunities. Our wedding day was meant to be the culmination of our decade-long love.
But the day before our wedding, searching for a photo album, I stumbled upon a shoebox filled with letters and recent photos confirming her ongoing affair with Liam, her high school ex. My meticulously built life crumbled, revealing I was nothing more than a "safety net," a "formality."
The next day, a ghost at my own wedding, I watched as Liam crashed the ceremony, publicly declared his "love" for Olivia, and then shoved me, breaking my leg. Olivia, instead of rushing to my aid, accused me of making a scene and left with Liam, prioritizing his fake panic attack over my real injury. In the hospital, she ignored my calls, then chastised me for needing her, demanding I give her my grandmother's ring for Liam's "peace of mind." She stole it while I was recovering.
She then audaciously invited me to a "getting back on track" family BBQ, a cruel public spectacle where Liam played the happy host. There, she threatened to ruin my reputation if I didn't play along. She chased me to my hotel, attempting a desperate seduction, but when Liam called, her true priority became clear. She rushed to his side again, leaving me heartbroken and alone.
Olivia, in a twisted display, held a "makeup wedding" where Liam, not me, was the groom. He shoved me again, breaking my leg a second time, and Olivia, with icy fury, had me thrown out. The security guard, though sympathetic, delivered the final blow: a note from me, leaving her with the words: "I loved you. Goodbye." She eventually found me in Chile, begging, but faced with my calm finality and another woman by my side, her illusion shattered. She spiraled into abandonment, ultimately consumed by her own web of deceit, while I found peace under the clear Chilean stars. Betrayal's Bitter Taste
Romance I clutched the heavy trophy, validation for placing first at the International "Le Cordon Bleu" Grand Prix, a win that felt like the culmination of a lifelong dream. It was our fifth anniversary, and I couldn't wait to surprise Olivia with both the trophy and the Sterling Corporation contract-a multi-million dollar deal that would secure our future.
But when I pushed through the restaurant doors, the festive buzz hit me first, then the sight of Olivia on a makeshift stage, her hand intertwined with Mark' s, my long-time mentor. Her amplified voice cut through the air: "…and I owe it all to one person… Mark!" The roar of applause, then Mark's lips on hers, a full, lingering kiss, right there in front of everyone.
My world tilted. When Olivia finally noticed me, her smile faltered for a mere second, replaced by a cool annoyance. "Ethan," she flatly stated, "You' re back. This isn' t a good time." Mark smirked, wearing my head chef' s jacket, confirming my deepest fears. The contract I' d just secured was scoffed at, called "naive."
How could she? The woman I loved, the partner I built everything with, dismissed me as "incompetent," her betrayal a physical blow. The humiliation burned, a hot, sharp thing in my throat. I stood there, reeling, the echoes of their mocking laughter ringing in my ears.
But that was the moment everything changed. The pristine pages of the Sterling contract tore with a satisfying rip as I shredded it into pieces, letting them flutter to her feet like fallen snow. I walked out of that restaurant, turning my back on five years of my life, picking up the phone to call the one man who could help me reclaim my future: my father. Her Faked Love, His Real Power
Romance I stood on the manicured lawn of a Newport mansion, celebrating my fourth anniversary with my wife, Sabrina, convinced of our love despite her family' s snobbery.
Then I heard her mother' s voice, clear as a bell, speaking of Sabrina marrying her ex-boyfriend, Ryan.
Her brother, James, sneered that our marriage was "just a front," and Sabrina' s small, demure smile confirmed the horrific truth.
My world shattered as Sabrina looked me in the eye, not with regret, but with cold irritation, telling me I didn' t belong and was embarrassing her.
"You' re pathetic," James spat, laughing when I calmly stated I owned the very mansion we stood in, the anonymous investor "E.L." they all sought.
Sabrina' s fury flashed as she accused me of ridiculous lies, her mother claiming I was jeopardizing a major deal, all while they planned to marry her off to Ryan.
The humiliation was suffocating when Ryan shoved me, condescendingly telling me to "stick around" and learn.
Tears welled in Sabrina' s eyes, not for me, but for herself, as she whispered she had truly been "saving herself for Ryan."
How could she say she loved me just last night, only to betray me like this?
Fine. They wanted a show, I' d give them one – a reveal that would obliterate their entire world. No Apology Required
Romance My husband Michael was back, or so he said, but our home was a stage for a hollow play, thick with things he refused to acknowledge.
Months ago, I found a secret folder on his laptop: "Sanctuary."
Inside, years of emails and poems to his graduate student, Olivia, called her his "kindred spirit," labeling our life together "mundane."
I'd also found them at a restaurant.
When I confronted them, Olivia dramatically faked an injury, and Michael's sycophant colleague violently shoved me, cracking my head against the wall.
Michael, the man I'd helped build, rushed only to Olivia's side while I bled.
He later spun it, calling me "melodramatic," and his family blamed me for his affair, demanding I apologize to the mistress.
The audacity choked me.
This wasn't merely betrayal; it was a complete dismantling of our history, casting me as the villain.
Something inside me snapped, not with a bang, but with a cold, quiet click.
I took the most damning emails from "Sanctuary"-where he belittled me and confessed his "true love" for her-and anonymously sent them to the university, igniting a war Michael never saw coming. You might like
Fake Amnesia, Real Betrayal
Johan Gorski The call came at 7:05 PM on our tenth wedding anniversary.
My husband, David, was in an accident.
At the hospital, he was awake, but a young woman, his assistant Chloe, was holding his hand, acting like his wife.
When I walked in, he looked at me, a blank stranger' s stare, then asked, "Who are you?"
He laughed when I said I was his wife, then demanded security remove me, while Chloe, smiling, pretended to cry.
It wasn't just memory loss; it was a cruel, targeted erasure.
I tried proof, the marriage certificate, but he pushed it away as "just a piece of paper."
Then Chloe waltzed in with his favorite soup, and he defended her when I confronted her.
"She' s the only one who' s been here for me!" he screamed.
He snarled that I was "exhausted, haggard," compared to Chloe, who was "kind and gentle."
My wedding ring, a symbol of our forever, flew from my hand as he slapped it away, clinking under the bed.
"Don' t come back," he said, turning his back on me to comfort Chloe.
Later, I learned why: he had been having an affair with Chloe, his mother's 65th birthday ruined by his absence and her answering his phone.
My world shattered when Mark Johnson, David's estranged best friend, told me what David said: "The fake amnesia was a stroke of genius, right? A clean break."
My husband had faked a brain injury to throw me away.
A car hit me, sending me to the hospital, and I knew what I had to do.
When Mark came in, I looked at him, my face blank, then asked, "Are you… my husband?" Mummery
Gilbert Cannan This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1919 Excerpt: ...loss of humanity. Henceforth she must deal with realities, leaving him to his painted mummery.... She could understand his frenzy, his fury, his despair. \"That will do, Charles,\" she said very quietly. \"I will see what can be done about Mr. Clott, and whatever happens I will see that you are not harmed.... If you like, you can dine with Verschoyle and me tonight. You can come home with me now, while I dress. I am to meet him at the Carlton and then we are going on to the Opera.\" \"Does Verschoyle know?\" \"He knows that you are you and that I am I---that is all he cares about.... He is a good man. If people must have too much money, he is the right man to have it. He would never let a man down for want of money--if the man was worth it.\" \"Ah!\" said Charles, reassured. This was like the old Clara speaking, but with more assurance, a more certain knowledge and less bewildering intuition and guess-work. A Few weeks later, with Verschoyle and a poor relation of his, a Miss Vibart Withers, for chaperone, Clara left London in a 60 h.p. Fiat, which voraciously ate up the Bath Road at the rate of a mile every minute and a half.... It was good to be out of the thick heat of London, invaded by foreigners and provincials and turned into a city of pleasure and summer-frocks, so that its normal life was submerged, its character hidden. The town became as lazy and drowsy a spectacle as a field of poppies over which danced gay and brilliant butterflies. Very sweet was it then to turn away from it, and all that was happening in it, to the sweet air and to fly along between green fields and orchards, through little towns, at intervals to cross the Thames and to feel that with each crossing London lay so much farther away. Henle... No Second Chance With My Past
Hua Jian I thought leaving Hollywood, branded a plagiarist and heartbroken, would bury the past forever.
My film school dream, "Desert Bloom," was supposed to be my triumph, a shared vision with Isabella Hayes, my muse and first love.
Instead, it became my ruin, as Isabella, seduced by Julian Vance, the slick heir of a rival studio, coldly betrayed me.
She stood on stage, her voice trembling with feigned sincerity, publicly accusing me of stealing my own script, conceived in our golden days.
The humiliation was a physical agony, a death sentence for my nascent career, forcing me to flee to Europe a broken man.
How could the woman who once looked at me like I held the stars in my hands, surrender our shared dream, our love, for a manipulative con artist?
I rebuilt my life from the ashes, finding solace in a new career, a loving wife, Olivia, and our beautiful daughter, Lily, who became my anchor.
But now, years later, the past has crashed back.
I'm back at my old school, and Isabella, the architect of my ruin, is here too, brazenly trying to rewrite history.
She's publicly proposing we "reunite" to finally make "Desert Bloom," attempting to reclaim a story she deliberately destroyed.
She expects me to play along, to let her manipulate my narrative, to fall back into her toxic orbit.
She has no idea about the life I've painstakingly built, or how fiercely I will protect it.
Tonight, the ghost of my past will finally face the undeniable truth of my present. Justice Served Cold
Gujian Qitan My 18th birthday was supposed to be a celebration, a chance for my biological family, the Hewitts, to finally accept me.
Living in their lavish Napa Valley winery, I desperately hoped for their love, despite being cast aside for their adopted daughter, Nicole.
But the party turned into a nightmare when Nicole burst in, smeared with fake blood, dramatically accusing me of hiring men to hurt her.
The room erupted.
My "parents" looked at me with disgust, my brother Andrew, the one I' d longed for a bond with, unleashed his fury.
He beat me, kicking me as I collapsed, while my father watched indifferently and my mother prepared to institutionalize me.
They dragged me out like trash, sending me to Dr. Albright' s "behavioral correction facility" – a private asylum for inconvenient children.
I felt a deeper pain than any physical blow; the betrayal was absolute, the injustice unbearable.
How could they believe such a monstrous lie? How could my own family turn on me so viciously, so easily?
They broke Molly there, with every needle and shock, every whispered lie, until, on the brink of sexual assault, her gentle spirit gave way.
But a whisper echoed in my mind: "Stella… make them pay."
That night, Molly died, and I, Stella, was born, ready to exact a chilling revenge. 
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