All Chapters of Shortlived Happiness: Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

I stood on a flight of steps leading to an old settlement as it rained on me. I watched silently as Benjamin Gray, my fiancé, stood before Jennifer Robinson, who wore a wedding gown. Per local custom, he leaned close and passed her a heart-shaped pendant that he was biting.She shyly caught it with her mouth. Before she could do anything else, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her passionately. The friends and family surrounding them cheered and whooped at the sight.The kiss went on for close to ten minutes. Jennifer almost couldn't stand up when it ended, and Benjamin panted as he pulled away from her.The fall breeze lifted the chiffon curtains that framed the entrance to the old settlement. Only then did I see that my friends and family were also present.My brother, Hector Monroe, who I'd once protected with my life, was even the host of the wedding. He wore local traditional robes, and all he could see was Jennifer, who was actually our stepsister.He'd long since forgo

I calmly looked away from Benjamin's and Jennifer's interlaced hands and shook my head. "No, that's not necessary."This caught them and Hector off guard. Hector snorted and asked, "What's with the act, Samantha? Save it for someone who cares. You've fawned over Benjamin to the point that you've gotten yourself knocked up, yet you still want to play hard to get."Don't you see how ridiculous that is? Even if you're pregnant with Benjamin's child, you still can't hold a candle to Jennifer! You're beneath her!"He was still the same as always and couldn't grasp the situation.Benjamin got mad when he saw how indifferent I looked. He scowled and snapped, "I can overlook stalking me and disrupting my work, Samantha. But how can you come all the way here to throw a tantrum?"My patience is limited. Jennifer's condition requires her to have peace and quiet so she can recuperate—your presence is only going to affect her mood. Get the hell out of here and go home now!"He reached out to

The mention of Jennifer made Benjamin return to his senses. He forced himself to smile and took his eyes off the box of things I'd couriered to him. Then, he followed Hector to the hotel room where Jennifer was resting.Hector had even told Benjamin to buy a bouquet for Jennifer. They hadn't told anyone—they wanted to surprise her. However, when they arrived at the hotel room, they heard the sound of someone flicking on a lighter.The room door was ajar, so they heard the sound loud and clear. As far as Benjamin remembered, Jennifer had always been gentle and naive. She also had late-stage lung cancer, but there she was, smoking a cigarette.Meanwhile, Dad and Lisa sat before her, looking smug. Lisa looked especially delighted as she counted the wedding gifts Benjamin had prepared."You're really a genius, Jennifer. You've gotten Benjamin wrapped around your finger just by pretending to have lung cancer. He's a professor, yet he can't even tell that the diagnosis report was falsifi

A single sentence was enough to make Hector turn ashen. He trembled as he slumped on the ground, his sunken eyes filled with despair and regret. He manically started tugging on his chapped lips, not even stopping when the blood started flowing.I didn't want to waste time on him anymore, so I turned to leave. I heard him say stubbornly, "It's okay, Samantha. You're my only family now. You don't have to forgive me, but I'll always watch over you. I'll even die for you."He sounded as sure as he had when swearing to protect Jennifer, but I didn't care anymore. I returned to my rented apartment and cleaned up.…The following day, I attended my best friend, Gwen Jones' wedding. She and I had been best friends since high school—she'd been the only one who wanted to have anything to do with me when Jennifer had brainwashed the rest of the class into isolating me.It had only been two days since my return, but I'd heard from different people how Jennifer, Dad, and Lisa had ended up.Da

The light turned green. The cars behind me honked, dragging me out of my reverie. I wiped away the final traces of my feelings for Benjamin and drove off. The sun shone brightly ahead of me—my future looked bright, too.…Three years later, I participated in a global documentary competition and won. After the competition, I gave my fans autographs.I'd spent the past three years throwing myself into charity work and filming documentaries. I traveled the world with my colleagues, recording the lives of creatures that were bordering extinction.It was late at night when I was finally done with work. I returned to my villa in the city center, so sleepy that I could barely open my eyes.When I noticed a man standing before the gates, I reflexively clutched my taser tightly. The years I'd spent on the road had taught me to be wary of anyone I didn't know.Just then, the streetlight flickered on. The man turned around when he heard the sound. I saw who it was—Benjamin. He was out of pr