Login to ManoBook
icon 0
icon TOP UP
rightIcon
icon Reading History
rightIcon
icon Sign out
rightIcon
icon Get the APP
rightIcon
Chasing The Star He Lost

Chasing The Star He Lost

Gavin

5.0
Comment(s)
2.7K
View
32
Chapters

Everyone knew Ava Chen was just keeping Dr. Julian Vance' s spot warm. He, a brilliant Columbia astrophysicist; I, a New York financial analyst. We were dating, but his great love, my former best friend Chloe, was merely on fellowship, her return an unspoken ticking clock. The clock exploded the day Julian stood me up at City Hall for our marriage license. An Instagram story appeared instead: Julian, smiling, at Chloe' s surprise welcome-back party. My heart didn' t just break; it fractured into a dull, final ache. I shredded the marriage application. Later, Chloe brought a drunken Julian to my apartment, his subtle taunts confirming my place. He then whispered it: "Chloe." The ultimate affront. His cold, indifferent "Take the pill" solidified our transactional reality. I was a placeholder. My deep love unrequited, our relationship a cruel joke of neglect and manipulation. Why did I cling to a love that never truly saw me? But my tears turned to cold fury. I canceled wedding leave, applied for a senior analyst role in London. I would shed the "placeholder" and forge a fierce new beginning, on my own terms.

Introduction

Everyone knew Ava Chen was just keeping Dr. Julian Vance' s spot warm.

He, a brilliant Columbia astrophysicist; I, a New York financial analyst.

We were dating, but his great love, my former best friend Chloe, was merely on fellowship, her return an unspoken ticking clock.

The clock exploded the day Julian stood me up at City Hall for our marriage license.

An Instagram story appeared instead: Julian, smiling, at Chloe' s surprise welcome-back party.

My heart didn' t just break; it fractured into a dull, final ache.

I shredded the marriage application.

Later, Chloe brought a drunken Julian to my apartment, his subtle taunts confirming my place.

He then whispered it: "Chloe." The ultimate affront.

His cold, indifferent "Take the pill" solidified our transactional reality.

I was a placeholder. My deep love unrequited, our relationship a cruel joke of neglect and manipulation.

Why did I cling to a love that never truly saw me?

But my tears turned to cold fury.

I canceled wedding leave, applied for a senior analyst role in London.

I would shed the "placeholder" and forge a fierce new beginning, on my own terms.

Continue Reading

Other books by Gavin

More
Her Envy, My Unbreakable Heart

Her Envy, My Unbreakable Heart

Short stories

5.0

My life was perfect, or as close to it as an art student could dream. I was the top candidate for the prestigious Atherton scholarship, a full ride that would launch my career, my paintings getting noticed, my grades stellar. Then my roommate, Chloe, pressed a tarnished silver locket into my palm, a "good luck" charm to secure my future. From that day, my life inexplicably soared, every creative block vanished, every anxiety quelled. Until the day the scholarship was announced. The gallery was packed, my paintings front and center, proud and beaming. And then, a searing pain, blinding and brutal, tore through my abdomen. I collapsed, screaming, the world blurring into a chaotic nightmare of pain and blood. Right there, under the bright lights, I gave birth. The scandal was instant, absolute, splashed across every headline: "Miracle Birth or Immoral Hoax? Art Student' s Public Scandal." The university revoked my scholarship, my parents disowned me, and my friends vanished. My future shattered, the baby taken away, I found myself alone in a cheap motel, walking to a bridge, looking at the dark, swirling water below. I only understood why everything happened after I died. The locket wasn't for luck, but a cursed object. It drained life essence and transferred stolen pregnancies. And the mastermind was Chloe, consumed by envy, orchestrating my downfall to claim my scholarship and my baby' s wealthy father. My soul screamed with a rage that transcended death. Then, a violent pull. I gasped, my eyes flying open. I wasn' t falling into cold water. I was back in my dorm room, the smell of oil paint thick in the air. Chloe stood before me, hand outstretched, the antique silver locket gleaming. "For good luck," she said, her voice dripping with the poison I could finally hear. I was back, and this time, the ending would be different.

Second Chance At A Loveless Marriage

Second Chance At A Loveless Marriage

Short stories

5.0

The antiseptic smell of my deathbed couldn't mask the stench of betrayal. My wife, Emily, played the grieving spouse, her tears a performance, her whispers to her lover, Daniel, charting my demise. "He's not going to make it through the night. I'll be free soon, my love." That name, Daniel Sterling, a family friend I admired, shattered my world faster than my failing heart. My final sight was Emily's beautiful, lying face, cold and irritated by my inconvenient death. Then, blinding light. I gasped, sucking in real air, not in a hospital, but my old bedroom, decades younger, strong, unblemished hands. It was real. I was back. Memories of my first life flooded me: the loveless marriage, the quiet sacrifices, the children who weren't mine. Then, the pivotal memory from this timeline, the one that started it all: a party, too much to drink, Emily crying, pregnant, my naive proposal driven by a sense of duty, a lie. She was already carrying Daniel's child, using me as a shield to protect his budding career. The bedroom door creaked open. "Ethan? Are you awake?" It was Emily, radiant and innocent, carrying breakfast, her hand reaching for my forehead with the same feigned care from my deathbed. I flinched from her touch. "Emily," I said, my voice cold, "We need to talk about the wedding." Her smile faltered as I flatly stated, "I don't think we should get married." Her crocodile tears flowed, "I love you, Ethan!" she whimpered. "Don't," I warned, her words now poison. She played her trump card, placing her hand on her stomach. "I'm... I'm pregnant, Ethan. It's your baby." I almost laughed, knowing the truth this time. "Emily has always been like a sister to me," I announced, loud enough for our families downstairs to hear. "I'll always care for her." Her face, pure unadulterated panic, confirmed it. The game had just begun, and this time, I was making the rules.

You'll also like

Chapters
Read Now
Download Book