The OAX Murders

My quiet dorm room shattered with the phone call that ripped my ordinary life apart. The police officer's grim voice delivered the unthinkable: my father, brother, and grandmother were deceased, and my own mother, Eleanor, was apparently their killer, now vanished. I abandoned university, returning to a house haunted not by ghosts, but by the unbearable silence and the world's cruel whispers of "The Miracle Cure Murders." They painted my mother, who'd miraculously recovered from a rare disease, as a monster who slaughtered her family. But none of it made sense; I knew only love in that house, and the inexplicable violence left me desperate for answers. For three years, I obsessively replayed the security footage, consumed by the incomprehensible truth. Then, a tiny detail emerged: my mother took nothing but Grandma Rose's vintage lace wedding dress, the one meant for me. This specific dress, a coded message in the chaos, sparked a desperate plan. I would stage a public wedding, an irresistible trap, to finally lure the vanished killer back and uncover the impossible truth.

I was just a grease-stained mechanic, happily working with my adoptive dad in rural Nevada, on the cusp of starting my engineering journey at MIT on a full scholarship. Then, a sleek black Mercedes pulled up, and out stepped a woman claiming to be my biological mother, Eleanor Vance, revealing an 18-year-old hospital mix-up during a chaotic wildfire. Suddenly, I was thrust into the opulent world of the Thorne family, where my biological father, Richard, and his entitled son, Ethan, made it abundantly clear I was an unwanted outsider, doling out belittling gifts and thinly veiled insults. At their grand charity gala, Richard and Ethan orchestrated a public humiliation, aiming to shame me in front of their elite circle, leaving me burning with indignation and confusion over their blatant hostility. But what they didn't foresee was my tech-billionaire boyfriend, Sam, along with his incredibly influential parents, crashing their party, turning their calculated attack into a spectacular downfall that exposed not just their schemes, but a multi-layered, decades-long conspiracy of baby swaps and deceit far beyond a simple hospital error.

Our tenth anniversary. As I pulled up to our Hamptons estate, a small, perfectly wrapped gift in hand, I expected champagne and celebration. Instead, I found my husband, Ethan, with his executive assistant, Jessica Thorne. Not just talking. My world shattered. His response? A casual proposal for an "open marriage," laced with a sneer about my humble origins. The humiliation deepened when my own father, concerned only with a business deal with Ethan, blackmailed me with my mother's cherished apple orchard to ensure my "compliance." I was forced to play along, even delivering "documents" to Ethan's hotel suite where his mistress openly flaunted their affair. The torment escalated: Jessica, knowing my severe lily allergy, sent a massive bouquet that left me gasping for air, collapsing into anaphylactic shock. In the hospital, Ethan attempted to "cleanse" me with antiseptic, his chilling possessiveness on full display. How could my entire life, built on trust and love, crumble so cruelly? Why was I, the one who tried to hold everything together, constantly used and betrayed by everyone I loved? The injustice was suffocating. Just as Ethan, having coldly dismissed his pregnant mistress, returned to claim me as his sole "property," ready to trap me permanently, a seemingly ordinary gym owner named Mike intervened. But his kind eyes held a secret that was about to unravel Ethan' s twisted empire and rewrite the rules of my very existence.

My father' s Medal of Honor sat on my dresser, a stark reminder of sacrifice. With my mother dying and medical bills crushing us, I agreed to Eleanor Thornton's offer: marry her comatose son, Ethan, for my mother's life. Five years later, I'd raised Leo and Lily, managing the estate. Then Ethan awoke. His first words were a snarl: "She looks like a gold-digger." With his mother and ex-girlfriend Ashley, he launched a campaign of humiliation, twisting my every action. They staged a fake poisoning, making me appear malicious. My defenses fueled their accusations, confirming my supposed greed. Then came the ultimate threat: he'd gain sole custody, declaring me an unfit mother. "Ashley will be the mother to my children." That was the breaking point. I would not lose my children. I wrote to General Markwell, my father' s closest friend, invoking the honor he stood for. The sudden arrival of a JAG officer at our mansion signaled the Thornton family was about to face a power far beyond their influence.

I'm Anya, and I see ghosts-a family gift that's always been a curse, until I found fragile peace at Serenity Glen, learning to manage my powers and appease the vengeful ghost, the Lady in Gray, who was finally nearing her eternal rest. That fragile peace shattered the day I saved tech mogul Ethan Cole from death, exacting a vow of unwavering loyalty only for him to spend seven years flaunting an affair and dismissing me as "too mystical." His betrayal escalated into a calculated torment: desecrating my home, stealing my protective amulet, orchestrating the demolition of Serenity Glen-my sanctuary-and even murdering my mentor, Elijah, all while forcing me into torturous blood transfusions for his mistress and secretly planning to abort my unborn child. My world crumbled as I learned his "near-death" was a setup from the start, a manipulative ploy to exploit my spiritual connections, and Elijah's death wasn't an accident but planned murder, leaving me reeling from a betrayal so profound it defied comprehension. As his mistress, Tiffany, revealed his full deceit and then spitefully destroyed my last sacred defense-my moonstone pendant-a primal rage erupted within me, unleashing a force far older and more vengeful than I could control, ensuring that the price of Ethan's betrayal would finally be paid.

I thought I had it all. A quiet, devoted husband David, a brilliant son Ethan heading to college, and a secret life of immense wealth, lavishing affection and luxury on my high school sweetheart Leo and his charming son, Finn. My two worlds never touched, or so I believed. Then, a frantic call from David. Ethan was gone, a hit-and-run. My careful composure fractured, but I still played the part of the grieving mother. I performed sorrow, wearing a threadbare cardigan over my expensive dress, hoping to conceal my true life. But David' s eyes, full of a pain I couldn' t counterfeit, saw through me. And then, Leo, my lover, let slip the horrifying truth: Finn, in the luxury car I' d bought him, was behind the wheel. My own son, dead, at the hands of the boy I' d chosen over him. The carefully constructed walls of my indifference crumbled. Yet, the real blow came reading Ethan' s journal: his quiet dreams, his deep love for his father, and the heartbreaking entries about my blatant neglect. "Mom seems to like Finn more than me." His words, his uncomplaining endurance, shattered me more than any physical pain. In that raw, desolate moment, surrounded by the remnants of my lies, a new, cold resolve ignited. They took my son. Now, I would make them pay. And I knew precisely how.

Doing a part-time job in a speakeasy bar, Wendy got drunk unexpectedly. When she woke up, she found that she was regarded as a call girl and lost her virginity. After having a one-night stand with Charlie, an incredibly handsome man, Wendy threw out two hundred dollars to defend her own dignity. However, Wendy's arrogant actions annoyed Charlie, who grabbed Wendy back to bed repeatedly for revenge. "What do you want?" Wendy was annoyed. "Be responsible for what I did to you." Charlie smiled. "But how?" Wendy continued. "By keeping sleeping with you."

Madisyn was stunned to discover that she was not her parents' biological child. Due to the real daughter's scheming, she was kicked out and became a laughingstock. Thought to be born to peasants, Madisyn was shocked to find that her real father was the richest man in the city, and her brothers were renowned figures in their respective fields. They showered her with love, only to learn that Madisyn had a thriving business of her own. "Stop pestering me!" said her ex-boyfriend. "My heart only belongs to Jenna." "How dare you think that my woman has feelings for you?" claimed a mysterious bigwig.

Maia grew up a pampered heiress-until the real daughter returned and framed her, sending Maia to prison with help from her fiancé and family. Four years later, free and married to Chris, a notorious outcast, everyone assumed Maia was finished. They soon discovered she was secretly a famed jeweler, elite hacker, celebrity chef, and top game designer. As her former family begged for help, Chris smiled calmly. "Honey, let's go home." Only then did Maia realize her "useless" husband was a legendary tycoon who'd adored her from the start.

"Sign the divorce papers and get out!" Leanna got married to pay a debt, but she was betrayed by her husband and shunned by her in-laws. Seeing that her efforts were in vain, she agreed to divorce and claimed her half of the properties. With her purse plump from the settlement, Leanna enjoyed her newfound freedom. The constant harassment from her ex's mistress never fazed her. She took back her identities as top hacker, champion racer, medical professor, and renowned jewelry designer. Then someone discovered her secret. Matthew smiled. "Will you have me as your next husband?"

For two years Caitlin quietly wore Isaac's ring, trying to melt the frost from his heart-until his first love returned, pregnant. Devastated and hiding her own pregnancy, Caitlin presented divorce papers. Isaac ripped them apart with a sneer, "Tired of your games already?" Later, Caitlin stormed back into the spotlight-a billionaire designer with endless admirers. Desperate, Isaac pinned her to the wall, pleading, "Honey, give me one more chance."

Allison fell in love with Ethan Iversen, the soon-to-be Alpha of the Moonlight Crown pack. She always wanted him to notice her. Meanwhile, Ethan was an arrogant Alpha who thought a weak Omega could not be his companion.  Ethan's cousin, Ryan Iversen, who came back from abroad and was the actual heir of the pack, never tried to get the position nor did he show any interest in it. He was a popular playboy Alpha but when he came back to the pack, one thing captured his eyes and that was Allison.