the lost years mary higgins clark

Ava Montague was once the most beloved heir of the powerful Montague family. But after her father, Gabriel, vanished with no memory of who he was, Ava was betrayed by her stepmother Regina and her stepbrother Kieran. Framed as unstable and dangerous, she was locked away in a prison isolation cell and treated like a psycho. She lost her voice. She was beaten, broken, stripped of her dignity. Even her last meal became another weapon used to humiliate her. Then, after four years missing, Gabriel suddenly returned, and pulled Ava back from the brink of death. But the girl he saved was no longer the naive daughter she used to be. Haunted by what she endured, Ava sets out to reclaim her inheritance and destroy everyone who betrayed her. Yet no amount of revenge can erase the darkness the isolation cell left behind. And then a man enters her life, dangerously handsome, sharp enough to see through every mask she wears. He touches the wounds she’s spent years trying to bury. But can the part of Ava that once believed in love, the part she thought died long ago, ever come back to life?

World-class ace pilot Theo Zimmer finds himself back at eight years old, aboard the very flight he took with his father that year. Fully aware that everyone on board is doomed to die in a catastrophic crash once the plane takes off, he faces a desperate mission. At 9,000 feet, flames engulf the wings, the cabin tears open to the freezing wind, and every passenger teeters on the brink of death. In this moment, he must rely on his eight-year-old body to stop the crash, save his father—who died protecting him—and rescue hundreds of passengers. Passengers doubt him,the captain lies unconscious, signals are lost, and danger is everywhere. With fuel leaking, treacherous terrain below, and an emergency landing looming, the survival odds are just 1%.Can this eight-year-old pilot save everyone?

World-class ace pilot Theo Zimmer finds himself back at eight years old, aboard the very flight he took with his father that year. Fully aware that everyone on board is doomed to die in a catastrophic crash once the plane takes off, he faces a desperate mission. At 9,000 feet, flames engulf the wings, the cabin tears open to the freezing wind, and every passenger teeters on the brink of death. In this moment, he must rely on his eight-year-old body to stop the crash, save his father—who died protecting him—and rescue hundreds of passengers. Passengers doubt him,the captain lies unconscious, signals are lost, and danger is everywhere. With fuel leaking, treacherous terrain below, and an emergency landing looming, the survival odds are just 1%.Can this eight-year-old pilot save everyone?

Due to the earthquake, Emily Gray was lost. Fortunately, Emily Gray survived and was found by Kevin Hall, who planned to hang himself to death. Given a new name Olivia Hall, she was then raised by Kevin Hall. Eighteen years later, Emily Gray took Kevin Hall to seek medical treatment, but unexpectedly came to the Gray Family Hospital. The chief surgeon, Jason Gray, was not dedicated to his work and the surgery failed and Kevin Hall's leg worsen! Emily Gray asked Jason Gray for an explanation, but was humiliated by Jason Gray and Lynn Ford! During the arguement, Emily Gray's necklace fell off and was picked up by Cindy Shaw, a college student sponsored by Lynn Ford. Cindy Shaw learned that Emily Gray was the lost child of the Gray family, so she wanted to drive Emily Gray away...

Serena Rivers spends three years in prison for a crime she didn't commit and uses every single day of it. She trains under four of the most formidable masters the underworld has ever produced and walks out as something entirely different from the woman who walked in. On her first day of freedom she corners the cold prison warden Xavier Stone against the water dungeon wall and kisses him without apology. He is her insurance policy and she knows it.Outside, the fake heiress has stolen her shares, her younger brother demands she kneel, and her former fiance has already moved on with a new bride. She tears up the rejection notice on the spot. Moments later, the Stone family motorcade arrives, the warden reveals himself as the family patriarch, and he shows up with a hundred billion in betrothal gifts and absolutely no intention of letting anyone touch her again. Together, they dismantle every person who had a hand in her three lost years.

Serena Rivers spends three years in prison for a crime she didn't commit and uses every single day of it. She trains under four of the most formidable masters the underworld has ever produced and walks out as something entirely different from the woman who walked in. On her first day of freedom she corners the cold prison warden Xavier Stone against the water dungeon wall and kisses him without apology. He is her insurance policy and she knows it. Outside, the fake heiress has stolen her shares, her younger brother demands she kneel, and her former fiance has already moved on with a new bride. She tears up the rejection notice on the spot. Moments later, the Stone family motorcade arrives, the warden reveals himself as the family patriarch, and he shows up with a hundred billion in betrothal gifts and absolutely no intention of letting anyone touch her again. Together, they dismantle every person who had a hand in her three lost years.

At a concert seven years ago, the iconic singer, Carmen Rowe, announced her sudden retirement from the music industry. She had found the boy she'd been searching for. The boy, now known as Ben Lewis, was the CEO of Lewis Group and had lost his eyesight in a car accident. Carmen pretended to be a mute and stayed by his side. Under her meticulous care, Ben eventually regained his vision after removing his bandages. However, the moment he could see again, he ran straight to his first love, Carmela Taylor. Heartbroken by the rejection despite all she had done, Carmen decided to divorce Ben and return to the music industry with her daughter. Later, Ben organized a grand comeback concert for Carmela. But during the performance, he recognized that Carmela's voice wasn't the legendary one he remembered. It was only then that he realized the truth. By that time, Carmen Rowe had fully reclaimed her status as the top music diva and had no intention of giving Ben another chance.

My dad called me right after I got paid. He said my little brother needed money for school, Grandma had medical bills, and there was still the rent, water, and electricity. Then, at the end of the call, he admitted he’d lost money gambling. I sat in the security booth, rubbing my bad leg, completely lost for what to do. A car horn blared, and I quickly raised the security bar. Just one look and you could tell how expensive the car was. It belonged to the boss, who had a thing for amputees. Damn it.

My dad called me right after I got paid. He said my little brother needed money for school, Grandma had medical bills, and there was still the rent, water, and electricity. Then, at the end of the call, he admitted he’d lost money gambling. I sat in the security booth, rubbing my bad leg, completely lost for what to do. A car horn blared, and I quickly raised the security bar. Just one look and you could tell how expensive the car was. It belonged to the boss, who had a thing for amputees. Damn it.

I was the eldest daughter of the Shadow Wolves pack. Anyone who married me would gain the full support of Shadow Wolves. Every wolf in the pack knew that Ryan Trivett and I had grown up together, practically destined for each other. I'd been infatuated with him for as long as I could remember. In this life, though, I didn't choose Ryan. Instead, I ended up with his uncle, Lucas Trivett. Why? Because in my previous life, I had been married to Ryan for five years, and he had never touched me. I used to think he had his reasons—some secret burden he couldn't share. But one day, I accidentally stumbled into the hidden chamber behind our bedroom. There, I saw him pleasuring himself to a photo of my cousin. That was the moment I realized the truth. He never loved me. He had only ever used me. Now, with this second chance at life, I had decided to let them have each other. But when I walked down the aisle in my wedding dress toward Lucas, Ryan completely lost it.

Aurora was a top-tier fighter and the heiress to the Lewis family fortune—until her father and stepmother betrayed her. They beat her nearly to death, erased her memory, and left her for dead to steal everything she owned. Lost in the countryside, Aurora is rescued by a clever six-year-old girl named Melody. One unexpected marriage later, Aurora becomes the wife of Beau—the sidelined heir of a powerful family and Melody’s father. She may have lost her memories, but her strength is undeniable. To protect Melody and Beau, Aurora takes on Beau’s scheming uncles and jealous cousins. As her memories slowly return, Aurora begins to realize the truth—this marriage may not be an accident.

Cute Kids to the RESCUE! Adorable Twins find perfect Mom for their Billionaire CEO dad to marry in a whim, only to find she’s their long lost biological mom!

The day my parents brought home an AI daughter, I lost my place in the family. Maddison Matthews was flawless. Gentle, intelligent, and obedient, she was the perfect daughter. Overnight, I became the problem child. Dad stopped hiding his disappointment. Mom compared me to Maddison in everything I did. Even my brother, Bailey, treated me like an embarrassment. "What else do you know how to do besides throwing tantrums and fighting for attention?" The day I finally snapped and shoved Maddison, Mom slapped me so hard my ears rang. "If you were even half as mature as Maddie, I wouldn’t be so exhausted every single day! Go to the Intelligent Excellence Academy and learn properly how to be an obedient daughter!" Then she sent me away. I was forced into a three-year exchange program at the Intelligent Excellence Academy, a place designed to train human children alongside advanced AI models. Three years later, my family finally came to bring me home. They called my name again and again, but I never answered. The director smiled calmly beside them. "Mrs. Matthews," he said softly, "you’ll need to say ‘Power On’. Unit 1314 no longer responds to human names."

After the great war between humans and beasts, both sides agreed to let the half-beasts govern the world. Every hundred years, a union between humans and beasts would be arranged. The first half-beast child of the generation would be the next ruler of the Human-Beast Alliance. In my past life, I chose to marry the eldest son of the wolf clan, renowned for his unwavering devotion. I was the first to bear him a child—a rare half-beast white wolf. Our son was named the next ruler of the Human-Beast Alliance, and my husband, by extension, rose to immense power. My younger sister, who had chosen to marry into the fox clan out of vain admiration for their beauty, was not so fortunate. The fox clan's heir, a notorious philanderer, eventually contracted a disease and lost his ability to father children. Jealous and resentful, my sister set a fire that burned both me and my young white wolf son alive. When I opened my eyes again, it was the very day of the human-beast mating ceremony. This time, my sister was quicker—she climbed into the wolf clan heir Jacob's bed before I had the chance. I knew then: she had been reborn too. But what she didn't know… was that Jacob's nature was cruel and violent. He worshiped bloodshed, not love. And he was anything but a worthy mate.

After the great war between humans and beasts, both sides agreed to let the half-beasts govern the world.Every hundred years, a union between humans and beasts would be arranged. The first half-beast child of the generation would be the next ruler of the Human-Beast Alliance.In my past life, I chose to marry the eldest son of the wolf clan, renowned for his unwavering devotion. I was the first to bear him a child—a rare half-beast white wolf.Our son was named the next ruler of the Human-Beast Alliance, and my husband, by extension, rose to immense power.My younger sister, who had chosen to marry into the fox clan out of vain admiration for their beauty, was not so fortunate. The fox clan's heir, a notorious philanderer, eventually contracted a disease and lost his ability to father children.Jealous and resentful, my sister set a fire that burned both me and my young white wolf son alive.When I opened my eyes again, it was the very day of the human-beast mating ceremony. This time, my sister was quicker—she climbed into the wolf clan heir Jacob's bed before I had the chance.I knew then: she had been reborn too.But what she didn't know… was that Jacob's nature was cruel and violent. He worshiped bloodshed, not love. And he was anything but a worthy mate.

Born the daughter of a billionaire, Wendy was lost to her father and suffered torment from school bullies. But after she discovers her identity, she makes a dazzling comeback alongside a loyal accomplice and crushes her bullies.

Trusting a scumbag, Shannon Clarke not only lost her baby but was also forced to donate her cornea to her husband's first love. The constant heartbreak woke her up. Shannon: "Let’s... get a divorce!"

Rene Morgan is the long-lost daughter of the world's top tycoon. Tragically, her parents lost their lives searching for her. Consequently, the task of finding her was passed on to her three brothers. The eldest brother is a financial tycoon, the second brother is a movie star, and the third brother is a top surgeon, both locally and internationally. On the day her brothers received news of her whereabouts and rushed to find her, Rene was nearly killed by a malicious classmate. In their attempt to save her, her brothers got into a severe accident: one lost his memory, another became mentally impaired, and the last fell into a vegetative state. As a result, Rene work various part-time jobs to support them. However, when her adoptive parents force her into marriage, her three brothers suddenly recover. From that moment, she reclaims her status as a wealthy heiress, teaching a harsh lesson to those who wronged her.