As I Lay Dying Novels & Stories

On the day I'm diagnosed with cancer, my fiance, Alessio Albini, announces his upcoming wedding with his childhood sweetheart, Camelia Germani, in public. Alessio tells me apologetically, "Estella, Camelia is pregnant. Her child mustn't be exposed to the public. That's why I need to grant her a proper wedding." After that, he consoles me patiently. "Once Camelia gives birth to her baby, I'll divorce her right away. Don't worry, Estella. You're the only woman I love." I suppress my grief as I pass Alessio my cancer diagnosis report. "Alessio, I'm dying. I want to marry you before it's time for me to leave this world…" But Alessio rips the report into shreds angrily. Disappointment is written all over his eyes. "I can't believe you actually faked having cancer just to ruin my and Camelia's wedding! You disappoint me, Estella!" With tears streaming down my cheeks, I try to explain myself to Alessio, only to get kicked out of his estate. "Anyway, Camelia will go into labor soon. Don't go triggering her now. Once her baby is born, you may return to the estate." What Alessio doesn't know is that I'm incapable of waiting for Camelia to give birth. After he's done dealing with Camelia and her baby, he starts looking for me all over the world. Unfortunately, I've already left him permanently.

On the day my twin sister, Alexia Cavanaugh, and I turn 22, I collapse and find out that I have late-stage cancer. Ignoring the doctor's advice to be admitted, I walk out of the hospital. All I want is to spend one final birthday with my family without a single worry. But when I arrive at the party, a server stops me at the door and tells me the venue has been reserved exclusively for Alexia. Outsiders aren't allowed in. Through the glass, I watch as my brother holds a cake and my father places a birthday hat on Alexia's head. Even my boyfriend is there, smiling as Alexia makes a wish. I stand there for half an hour, gripping my phone, before my boyfriend finally answers my call. "I was just at the hospital. I—" He cuts me off. "Ophelia, you've always been healthy. It's Lexi's birthday today. We should talk later." Isn't today my birthday too? My mother died giving birth to me. The doctor later explained that I deprived Alexia of nutrients before birth, which left her frail from the start. And just like that, everyone decided I should always step aside for my twin, who was born five minutes before me. I ball up the report with my cancer diagnosis and toss it in the trash. I'm done letting their favoritism hurt me. I've never received their love anyway, so I choose to leave for good.

Ivy, the overlooked and unloved daughter, never expected to marry into the Hale family—especially not as a stand-in for her perfect sister. Forced into a contract marriage with Rowan Hale, a once-proud heir now confined to a wheelchair, Ivy faces a man whose charm has been replaced by bitterness and whose trust has been shattered by betrayal. Rowan sees Ivy as nothing more than a pawn, another person scheming against him in a world that turned its back on him after his accident. But Ivy sees something different—a man whose wounds run deeper than his legs, a man worth saving. Armed with her secret knowledge of medicine and her unshakable determination, Ivy makes a bold promise: Your legs can be healed. Despite his doubt, Rowan reluctantly lets her in, unaware that her care will not only bring him back to his feet but also restore his will to fight for his place in the world. As Ivy helps Rowan reclaim his life and his legacy, their bond grows stronger, but the shadows of betrayal, family secrets, and a cunning rival threaten to tear them apart. In a battle of hearts and power, can Ivy prove she is more than just a substitute bride? And can Rowan realize that in saving him, Ivy might be the one person who can save herself too?

I struggle with all my might, but Dad restrains me, and Mom breaks my limbs. Then, my sister seals me into the concrete. "Concrete is only brought to life with an actual person sealed inside. It looks so much more defined! It's not like you'll die after being sealed in there for a few days. How can you be so insensible?" The pain of having my limbs broken and my oxygen being cut off leads to me dying within that block of concrete. My body rots and festers inside, but my soul sticks around to watch how my parents dote on their adoptive child. They seem to be happy without me. Finally, I lose all hope in them. But when the liquid from my body seeps out of the concrete, they all lose their minds.

When my wife, Emilia Sinclair, tortures me for the 98th time just to appease Wyatt Mercer, my love for her officially dies. That's when I decide to be with her best friend, Celia Ashford, who has been pursuing me for quite some time. After spending a wonderful night with Celia, she agrees to help me fake my death so that I can receive a brand new identity and marry her in an overseas country. So, I ingest the drug that can fake my death, only to wake up in the casket in advance. I can't move an inch no matter how hard I try. That's when I overhear Celia speaking with a subordinate outside the casket. "Ms. Ashford, you first told Emilia to torture Elliot, then you pretended to become his salvation. Now that you've completely earned his trust, why are you still arranging for his burial after faking his death?" "Only by doing this will the Mercers fully believe that Elliot is truly dead. That way, Wyatt can secure his position as the heir even more. No one will ever bring up the fact that he's a bastard child." The subordinate hesitates for a moment before asking, "Isn't leaving Elliot in the casket for one week a little too long? After all, we're only digging him up on the seventh day after you hold your wedding with Wyatt." "The drug can last for five days. I've already had someone place food, water, and an oxygen tank inside the casket. There's no way Elliot will die."

Seven months pregnant with twins, I caught my mate Alpha Damon kissing his mistress in the hospital corridor where I'd just received my lupus cancer diagnosis. For months, I've endured his lies while he parades Sophia around our pack, claiming she's just a vulnerable pack member who needs protection. Their cruelest betrayal? When he gave her my sacred Luna ring and forced me to apologize after she deliberately injured herself to frame me. When Damon makes me sign papers and kicks me out of our home so Sophia can sleep in the Luna's chamber meant for my twins, I finally walk away. What he never expected was for his dying, discarded Luna to disappear with his heirs—and return more powerful than he ever imagined. Now I have a choice: die quietly in the shadows or make Damon Reed regret every moment he chose his mistress over his mate. It's payback time—and cancer won't stop me from destroying the man who broke my heart.

Love!! Laura barely knew the meaning of that. She was an orphan, an orphan with no family and home but then one day she found it. Love!! It never lies, some say. She fell in love but the world has a weird way of coming back to us. Soon enough, her past came to become her future, after all, she told being raped as nothing. This taught her many lessons... Lessons from love, betrayal and friendships.

In her first life, Saera was a kind-hearted woman who inherited a massive fortune from her grandfather—a gift that quickly turned into a nightmare. Driven by greed, the people she wanted to treat her as family pushed her into a cold, dark void just to steal her money. As she fell toward the jagged rocks, she didn’t beg for her life. Instead, she made a terrifying promise: "I will come back as a witch to punish you all." ​However, fate had an even bigger plan for her. ​Saera wakes up reborn as the Alpha Luna—the most powerful queen in the world of werewolves. Now, she possesses the fierce strength of a wolf leader and the ancient magic of a witch. She is more dangerous than anyone could have imagined. ​Her chance for revenge comes sooner than she thought. She discovers that the people who killed her have also been reborn... as wolves. They are now the enemies of her new husband, Kilian, and are plotting to steal his throne. They think they are just fighting for power, but they have no idea who she really is. They have walked straight into her trap, and this time, Saera has the claws and the magic to make them pay for everything they did.

Mom has picked two potential brides for my younger brother, Elliot Wilson, and me. One is Sarah Hawkins, a wealthy heiress whose eyes never leave Elliot. I'm left with Melissa Wright, a daughter from a family of scholars. She's blind and confined to a wheelchair. I don't look down on her. Instead, I take her to see every specialist I can find. For that, I spend all my savings and continue working hard to support her. Every doctor says there is nothing physically wrong with her legs, suggesting that it might be psychological. So, I take Melissa to the beach to feel the ocean breeze. I take her traveling, letting her experience the rivers and the warmth of spring. Then, Elliot and I get abducted. When a kidnapper is about to stab Elliot in the chest, Melissa suddenly sprints forward. She grabs me and shoves me directly in front of Elliot. I watch in horror as the knife pierces my heart. Behind her, a crowd of bodyguards calls her "Ms. Wright" respectfully. That's when I realize she isn't paralyzed, she isn't blind, and she isn't from some modest family of scholars. She just doesn't want to stand by my side or even have me in her sight. "I'm sorry. My family is the richest in town. My dad wanted me to fake it to test your character. You passed, but I just can't love you. Even if Elliot didn't choose me, I couldn't let him die. I'll make it up to you in another life." When I open my eyes again, I've returned to the day Mom is choosing our brides.

After seven years of marriage, Isabella Blackwood finally gets what she’s always longed for: a child. But the joy comes at a devastating cost of her life. Diagnosed with a terminal illness worsened by pregnancy, she faces an impossible choice: save herself or protect her unborn baby. She chooses the baby. Determined to tell her husband, she returns home only to discover a cruel betrayal. Drake Blackwood, the man who never wanted children with her, has made another woman pregnant. Heartbroken and silenced, Isabella decides that if her time is short, she will live on her own terms. A bucket list. Limitless spending. No more being the obedient wife. Then… she disappears. Six months later, Drake’s mistress gives birth, while he drowns in guilt over Isabella’s absence. Then a photograph surfaces: a woman on life support, clutching a newborn… the child he never knew existed. But the truth falls into the hands of someone who would destroy everything.