an optimist's guide to heartbreak

Recently graduated April Simons is drugged and harassed by two men, only to be dramatically rescued by Reuben Hamilton, heir to the Hamilton Group corporate empire. In a moment of compromised consciousness, they become intimately involved. Reuben leaves his business card, which April unknowingly misses, losing their connection. Seven years later, April has given birth to twins and is cast out by her family. Simultaneously, Reuben's mother desperately seeks to arrange a marriage for her son. April's jealous cousin deliberately orchestrates a confrontation at the Hamilton family home, publicly exposing April's past. Just as April faces humiliation, Reuben arrives, setting the stage for their unexpected reunion.

Fiona Shaw, once a privileged heiress, fell from grace three years ago when her family's business collapsed. Burdened with a staggering five-hundred-million debt, she was forced to accept the Sterling family's arrangement—an arranged marriage with their second son, Henry. Yet the union was nothing but a façade. Henry, a closeted man deeply in love with his loyal secretary Louis, had no affection for Fiona and abandoned her after their wedding night. His only reason for marrying her was to appease his mother, Elizabeth, and to secure an heir quickly—ensuring his claim to the family's vast fortune and strengthening his position against his half-brother, Jeff.

Frank Church gave up his status as a wealthy heir to marry Lynn Cooper. On their daughter Tianna's birthday, the little girl waited alone by the road for her parents. Meanwhile, Lynn was out with her first love Harry Zimmer and his daughter Yana. While driving together, they accidentally hit Tianna,leaving her critically injured. Lynn chose to take Yana—who had only minor injuries—to the hospital first, delaying Tianna's treatment and ultimately leading to her death. Despite Frank's repeated pleas, Lynn refused to visit their daughter, insisting that Tianna was fine. Devastated and betrayed, Frank finally turned his heart away forever.

Due to her family's circumstances, Stella Austin is compelled to part ways with her first love, Luca Scott, and inadvertently saves Cody Neal, the CEO of Neal Corp. Stella assumes a new identity and marries into the Neal family. However, her time with the Neals proves tumultuous as she endures mistreatment and humiliation. Adding to her woes, Wendy Yoder, purportedly Cody's savior, continually troubles her, leading to a tragic miscarriage. Fueled by resentment towards Cody's lack of trust and unwavering support for Wendy, Stella ultimately divorces him and embarks on a journey of revenge. When the truth finally comes to light, will they find their way back to each other in the end?

Ivy Inkwood took the blame for her stepsister's crime and landed in prison. Desperate to survive, she struck a deal with powerful businessman Leo Blythe—one night together in exchange for her freedom. Pregnant and released, Ivy set her sights on revenge against the Inkwood family.But things didn't go as planned. While executing her payback, she unexpectedly fell for Leo. As one hidden identity after another unraveled, Ivy faced betrayal from her family and fierce opposition from Leo's controlling mother.In the end, justice was served, the Inkwoods fell, and Ivy finally found both love and peace in Leo's arms.

Leola Dawson returns home from abroad for her brother Tyrone's proposal to Helen Miller. At the proposal, Helen mistakes Leola for "the other woman." Helen and her family mistreat Leola based on this misunderstanding. Tyrone, influenced by Helen's family, turns against his sister. Finally, Leola and her parents clear up the situation, and she becomes the heiress to Dawson Group.

Kyle Cooke believes he and Sara Wood are a loving married couple—five years of marriage as proof of their happiness.However, when he goes to the city hall to replace their coffee-stained marriage certificate, he’s shocked to discover the system shows him as “unmarried,” while Sara’s spouse is registered as another man—Noe Gibson. This discovery unveils a brutal truth: Kyle once caught Sara in an intimate moment with Noe, but she begged forgiveness claiming she was “looking for a stand-in,” even threatening suicide. After learning of her determination to “never let him find out,” Kyle’s heart dies completely. He decides to cancel his domestic identity, change his name, and disappear forever.

Years ago, the Jaxon family was wiped out. Before she died, Walter Jaxon's mother urged him never to fight again. Years later, the Tanner family's daughter was about to lose a martial contest to a foreigner in a competition for her marriage. At the critical moment, Walter crushed the amulet, regaining his strength to protect the woman he loved.

Years ago, the Jaxon family was wiped out. Before she died, Walter Jaxon's mother urged him never to fight again. Years later, the Tanner family's daughter was about to lose a martial contest to a foreigner in a competition for her marriage. At the critical moment, Walter crushed the amulet, regaining his strength to protect the woman he loved.

An accident leaves Lina pregnant with the Harrington CEO’s baby, but her newborn son is taken from her. Years later, she becomes a cleaner at the Harrington Group to find him—only to meet her son, Lucas, on her very first day. And when Madam Harrington chooses Lina as her future daughter-in-law, Lina’s life changes overnight.

During her student days, Tanya Sutton was saved by Zeke Lowe, sparking a long-lasting secret crush. When they meet again, an unexpected one-night encounter leads to Tanya’s pregnancy. They marry, beginning a journey of love after marriage. Under Zeke's powerful and devoted protection,Tanya grows continuously, transforming into a stronger, more confident version of herself.

Elena Landon hailed from a family of immense wealth and privilege.Her father was the world's richest man, and her three brothers had achieved extraordinary success in their respective fields.From a young age, Elena had been in love with her childhood sweetheart, Regan Judd. She had once been severely injured while saving him but had recovered fully thanks to her father's extensive resources.To test Regan's loyalty, she had feigned paralysis.But on the eve of their wedding, she caught him with her best friend, Kelly Lucas, who treated her with great disdain.Heartbroken, Elena decided to turn the wedding into a dismissal feast.In her moment of despair, Ian Burke came to her aid, retrieving her stolen bag.Upon learning of her betrayal, he offered to marry her.At the wedding, facing Regan's mockery, Elena publicly dismissed him as her husband and announced that the groom was someone else entirely.In a desperate bid to save face, Regan proposed to Kelly on the spot, and thus began a dramatic showdown at the wedding.

Graysen Grimes is consumed by grief over his late wife, leading the family nanny, Caitlin, to believe she'll become the next Mrs. Grimes. While Graysen is away, Caitlin moves her relatives into the mansion. She seizes control of Graysen Group, running the company into the ground. When Graysen discovers the betrayal, the shock makes him collapse—he's hospitalized. While he's unconscious, Caitlin even kidnaps his only daughter Janessa... After regaining consciousness, Graysen exposes Caitlin's deception. In retaliation, she secretly works with rival corporations to sabotage his business. In the end, justice prevails—Caitlin lands in prison while Graysen Group makes a triumphant IPO.

In her previous life, Laura Hampton mistook a cunning woman for her closest friend and gradually fell into the web of lies spun by Angela Harrison. Cast aside by her family, she met a tragic end beneath Angela's car.This time around, Laura knows the truth: her childhood savior was never Angela. Seeing through Angela’s façade, she decisively steers clear of her traps—and discovers that Eric Pearson has been quietly watching over her all along, in both lifetimes.Slowly, Laura exposes Angela's true face to her parents, ultimately driving her out of the Hampton family and ensuring she faces the consequences she deserves.

Rex Palmer was a world-class computer tech titan. Because he had once been helped by Sandy Brook, he turned down numerous offers from big companies and stayed at Brook Group, developing the Loki System for a meager salary. Lena Mona, who worked at Mona Investment Firm, knew Rex's capabilities well and strongly pushed for an investment in Brook Group.However, Rex had a fierce conflict with Brook Group's manager, Justin Dutt, over a leave-of-absence issue. Sandy chose to side with Justin and even fired Rex. With Lena's help, Rex started anew and eventually crushed Brook Group in the field of artificial intelligence. Sandy deeply regretted her decision, but it was too late.

Lydia’s lifelong dream is to become a pastry chef and make lives sweeter with her desserts - yet her own life is full of bitterness and suffering. Things change when the billionaire Scott shows up, and with a little white lie, changes Lydia’s fate. Lydia has no idea it all started with her kindness five years ago…

After a car accident and plastic surgery, a part-time worker wakes up with the face of a wealthy heiress. Living someone else's life, she seizes the chance to get revenge on the man who ruined her. But as she gets tangled with the heiress’s fiancé, an unexpected romance blooms—and so does the question: how far will she go to keep this borrowed life?

Salesman Frederic Lindsey ran into Yuliana Jenkins, who rejected a marriage alliance, and they pretended to be dating.Yuliana found a lot of artifacts in Frederic's home, and then Frederic's cousin Wendy Leander exposed his identity as the heir of the richest man in Sagaret. After having been through a lot together, Frederic and Yuliana fell in love and decided to stay together.