what happened to kathryn in once upon a time

It was only supposed to be a three-month trial marriage, a formality between two powerful families. But the heiress stepping through the door is no pampered socialite: she's a master hacker, a sharp businesswoman, and the keeper of a rare ancestral healing art. Esme Burke endures every test Caden Howard's family throws at her and throws every one right back.Along the way, she quietly saves her "husband's" life, and he slowly realizes she's "Lolly", the girl who lit up his childhood.What began as a contractual arrangement dissolves into something achingly real, and the two grandfathers' little scheme turns out to be the best thing that ever happened to either of them.

Marcus Jones, a top-tier powerhouse known as the Pluto, returns to the country under a marriage contract to protect Chantal Lawson, the CEO of the Lawson Group. Upon his first encounter with Shayla Anson, captain of the National Security Bureau, he reveals a glimpse of his true identity, and the two unexpectedly share a one-night affair. At a restaurant, Marcus fends off the international assassin Mary, exposes Briana Shelton—Chantal's close friend—as a mole, and repeatedly foils the Harrison family's assassination attempts and business schemes aimed at seizing an anti-cancer project. Facing sniper attacks head-on, subduing Draco of the Axes, and effortlessly crushing the assassin, the Dog, Marcus proves himself an unstoppable force.

While the criminal was brutally killing me, my dad, the head of the criminal investigation division, and my mom, the chief forensic pathologist, were attending my sister Lily Lambert’s match. In a bid for revenge, the criminal, who had once been captured by my dad, cut out my tongue and used my phone to call him. My dad only said one thing before hanging up. "No matter what’s going on, Lily’s match is the top priority today!" The criminal sneered, "Seems I’ve kidnapped the wrong person. I thought they would love their biological daughter more!" At the crime scene, my parents were shocked by the brutal state of the body and condemned the cruelty of the killer. However, they did not realize that the horrifically mutilated corpse was their own daughter.

While the criminal was brutally killing me, my dad, the head of the criminal investigation division, and my mom, the chief forensic pathologist, were attending my sister Lily Lambert’s match. In a bid for revenge, the criminal, who had once been captured by my dad, cut out my tongue and used my phone to call him. My dad only said one thing before hanging up. "No matter what’s going on, Lily’s match is the top priority today!" The criminal sneered, "Seems I’ve kidnapped the wrong person. I thought they would love their biological daughter more!" At the crime scene, my parents were shocked by the brutal state of the body and condemned the cruelty of the killer. However, they did not realize that the horrifically mutilated corpse was their own daughter.

5 years ago, Seth Group's CEO, Rita Seth, fell in love with a construction worker, Drake Barton, and had a daughter.However, due to the social gap, Rita's father opposed their relationship. When Rita's inherited family leukemia relapsed and her life was in critical danger, her father used the excuse of not providing a bone marrow transplant to force Drake to leave Rita. Drake, deeply in love with his wife, had no choice but to agree to leave in order to save her life. Upon learning the truth, Rita went to see Drake, only to witness him hit by a car. Overwhelmed with grief, she fainted on the spot.Taking advantage of this, Rita's father left her and Drake's child, Dana, at the accident site.

Olivia Turner loved Zacharias Larson for nine years, but in the tenth year, she found herself imprisoned by Zacharias's own hands. Falsely accused of her grandfather's death and giving birth to another man's child, Olivia faced a wrongful sentence. The true culprit behind the conspiracy was her sister, mistakenly raised by the Turner family and later recognized into the affluent Larson family. Deception, identity substitution, and framing orchestrated Olivia's downfall. It wasn't until the brink of death that Olivia discovered the truth. Yet, Zacharias, the one person she needed to believe her, remained skeptical. Only upon witnessing her lifeless body did he descend into madness.

Yanxing Shen, born into a military family and serving as a female general, was granted the honor of becoming a consort in the imperial palace by the emperor. Upon learning of this, Consort Ning, the most favored consort of the palace, framed Yanxing, leading to the overnight massacre of her entire family. Seeking justice from the emperor, Yanxing found that instead of punishing Consort Ning, he stripped her of her title as a female general. Carrying a deep-seated grudge, Yanxing resolutely embarked on a path of revenge, determined to seek justice for herself. From an official courtesan, she ascended to become a palace lady, and then replaced Consort Ning as the most favored consort. Just as she finally avenged herself, she discovered that her true enemy was someone else.

Olivia Turner loved Zacharias Larson for nine years, but in the tenth year, she found herself imprisoned by Zacharias's own hands. Falsely accused of her grandfather's death and giving birth to another man's child, Olivia faced a wrongful sentence. The true culprit behind the conspiracy was her sister, mistakenly raised by the Turner family and later recognized into the affluent Larson family. Deception, identity substitution, and framing orchestrated Olivia's downfall. It wasn't until the brink of death that Olivia discovered the truth. Yet, Zacharias, the one person she needed to believe her, remained skeptical. Only upon witnessing her lifeless body did he descend into madness.

My brother Mitchell sided with his dream girl when she accused me of bullying her. Despite being the only family member I had left, he exploded in anger and sent me away to a boarding school for so-called reformation to learn how to become a meek and obedient little sister. In time, I became exactly what he wanted—a docile sibling who never fought back, never argued. But everything changed the day he saw my medical report. He lost his mind. "Nora, I'm begging you—forgive me and let me be your brother again!"

Rachel Sheldon's world was turned upside down when she was drugged and woke up in the bed of Barrett York — the most powerful man in the city. When she discovered she was pregnant, Rachel disappeared from the spotlight, determined to raise the child in secrecy. But on the very day she gave birth, Barrett found her. Fiercely independent, Rachel was unlike any woman Barrett had ever met — and he couldn't stay away. As he launched a relentless pursuit, Rachel's hidden identities were revealed one after another, each more surprising than the last. Drawn to her strength, Barrett began to fall — and so did Rachel. Slowly, she opened her heart to the man she had once tried to escape. What had begun as an accident just might have become forever.

Tina Garcia's daughter, Candy Leed, clings to life after a terrible accident. She holds on, hoping her doctor father, Leo Leed, will arrive in time to save her. However, when Leo finally appears, he prioritizes his first love and her daughter, who are only pretending to be injured. He rushes them to the hospital and takes good care of them. Meanwhile, Candy, having lost too much blood, tragically passes away as she misses the critical window for treatment. Heartbroken, Tina then learns of the affair between Leo and his first love. Consumed by grief and anger, she vows to make them pay for what they have done to her daughter.

Tina and Alan escape an orphanage as children, but years later, their reunion sparks jealousy and betrayal. As secrets unravel and hidden truths come to light, Tina confronts her past and walks away from everything she once knew. In the end, the reunited siblings stand strong, overcoming the lies and infidelity that once tore them apart, ready to face their future together.

"body of a woman who shares her exact name. In this new life, her father died in battle long ago, and to secure their place within the powerful Calud family, her mother raised her as a boy from birth.As Morgan grows older, she is torn between her longing to reclaim her true identity and the constant fear that discovery would bring death upon both her and her mother. Determined to escape this dangerous double life, she plans to flee with her mother before the truth can be exposed.But her plans are derailed when she catches the attention of Shane Burke, the ruthless and immensely powerful prince of a different royal line in the Aetheria Empire. Taken into his residence against her will, Morgan is forced into a perilous game of wits and survival, where one wrong move could cost her everything.

Due to a betrothal settled by her grandma, Rosie Turner married into a very rich family. Though she spent her wedding night alone, she quickly acquired a landmark commercial building. Everyone mocked Sean Gibson for marrying a useless wife, who was even neglected by her husband. Then, the Gibson Group crisis and the Webb family's conspiracy happened. Rosie easily turned the tables in the boardroom and became a legend on the racetrack. When the truth of a family murder case that happened 16 years ago came to light,people realized that the woman they had mocked was not a gold-digger climbing the social ladder, but a vengeful goddess returned. Sean stared at the familiar figure in the financial headlines,pulled out a washboard, and said, "Honey, please accept my company's CEO position and my heart."

On my eighteenth birthday, the High King summoned the heirs of the four great clans—the Vampires, the Werewolves, the High Serpent Clan, and the Merfolk. He laid their portraits before me and said, "Choose one to be your bondmate." I did not hesitate. I pointed to Damon—the werewolf with no noble bloodline, born in a forgotten corner of the realm. The entire court erupted in disbelief. Everyone knew who I used to love. Alpha Iris—the heir of the most powerful Lycan bloodline. For seven years, I chased him with blind devotion. No matter how harshly he treated me, I never gave up. I confessed to him over and over, sometimes right in the royal court. I even performed a blood-binding ritual—slitting my wrist—to earn the right to marry him. In my previous life, I got what I wanted—I married him and we performed the mate bonding ceremony. With that union, he inherited the High King's resources and rose to become the ruler of all four clans. However, what I did not expect was that after our wedding, he turned around and marked my adoptive sister. My parents were furious and sent her away. From that day on, Iris hated me with a vengeance. He surrounded himself with women who all looked eerily like her. One by one, they came—each more vicious than the last. With his silent approval, they tore me down, piece by piece, until I was nothing more than a joke—no longer the queen I once was. The suffering pushed me into severe depression. Only suppressants keep my wolf form from spiraling out of control. Until one day, my medication was replaced with a slow-acting poison. He was the one who did it. I died alone, locked away in the cold palace, a child still growing inside me. However, fate gave me another chance. In this life, I would not make the same mistake. When the High King once again asked me to choose a partner for the marriage alliance, I chose Damon—the one no one ever noticed—without even blinking.

On my eighteenth birthday, the High King summoned the heirs of the four great clans—the Vampires, the Werewolves, the High Serpent Clan, and the Merfolk. He laid their portraits before me and said, "Choose one to be your bondmate." I did not hesitate. I pointed to Damon—the werewolf with no noble bloodline, born in a forgotten corner of the realm. The entire court erupted in disbelief. Everyone knew who I used to love. Alpha Iris—the heir of the most powerful Lycan bloodline. For seven years, I chased him with blind devotion. No matter how harshly he treated me, I never gave up. I confessed to him over and over, sometimes right in the royal court. I even performed a blood-binding ritual—slitting my wrist—to earn the right to marry him. In my previous life, I got what I wanted—I married him and we performed the mate bonding ceremony. With that union, he inherited the High King's resources and rose to become the ruler of all four clans. However, what I did not expect was that after our wedding, he turned around and marked my adoptive sister. My parents were furious and sent her away. From that day on, Iris hated me with a vengeance. He surrounded himself with women who all looked eerily like her. One by one, they came—each more vicious than the last. With his silent approval, they tore me down, piece by piece, until I was nothing more than a joke—no longer the queen I once was. The suffering pushed me into severe depression. Only suppressants keep my wolf form from spiraling out of control. Until one day, my medication was replaced with a slow-acting poison. He was the one who did it. I died alone, locked away in the cold palace, a child still growing inside me. However, fate gave me another chance. In this life, I would not make the same mistake. When the High King once again asked me to choose a partner for the marriage alliance, I chose Damon—the one no one ever noticed—without even blinking.

Princess Valerie Stone of Dazel was once adored, until she was exposed as a false princess and framed by Holly Stone for harming her. To protect her, the emperor and crown prince exiled Valerie as a hostage to Northo—unaware she would be enslaved and disgraced. Three years later, scarred but unbroken, she returns to speak the truth, only to be ensnared in new lies and condemned once more.

Eight months along and already in early labor, Sophie Lane fights for her life in the delivery room, only for a single callous decision by the family patriarch to leave her newborn daughter abandoned on the edge of death.Her husband Ethan Carter, kept in the dark, is told both mother and child are gone. He carries that grief alone for years. Then one day, the truth cracks open: the daughter they told him he lost is alive, raised against all odds by Sophie, who never stopped fighting for her. Guilt, love, and years of lost time flood through him all at once. He sets out to reclaim what was stolen from all three of them, vowing to spend whatever remains of his life making them feel safe, seen, and whole.