A Pumpkin Prayer

In my previous life, I had been suffering from a terminal illness when I won the lottery.  To my shock, Mommy advised me to forgo treatment and leave the winnings to my younger brother, David, to use for his marriage.  I refused to become an accessory to his future, so, behind my parents’ backs, I donated every bit of it to an orphanage.  When they found out, they were furious. They called me a heartless, ungrateful wretch.  After severing ties with me, they abandoned me at the hospital. On David's birthday, they gathered as a family and celebrated him while I was left to die in the hospital, utterly alone. When I opened my eyes again, I found myself back on the day I had won the lottery.  Recalling the pain and betrayal of my past life, I resolved to leave my parents that very day.  But to my surprise, when I returned home, they had completely changed.  They doted on me and showered me with affection.

To celebrate Halloween, our company booked an immersive “rural horror” escape room. My boss said whoever could make it to the end without screaming would get a ten-thousand-dollar reward. As a seasoned horror movie fan, I was instantly tempted. The core character in the escape room was a scarecrow wearing an oversized pumpkin head. I admired how well the props were made, but the chainsaw noise was too loud, so I slipped into a hidden compartment, put on my headphones, and scrolled through reels. The next day, I woke up to a strong metallic stench mixed with the sickly-sweet smell of rotting pumpkin. The police told me our boss had canceled the booking at the last minute, and the actor originally assigned to play the character had gotten food poisoning. That pumpkin-headed figure wasn’t one of their staff.

This is a story of Sister Amina whose past was kept hidden in the eyes of the religious community except her director, Sister Avery who welcomed her in the convent when Amina narrated everything to her. While Amina told her past life, eavesdropped, one who listened to their conversation spread it to a close sister and told that she did not deserve to be in the convent because of Amina's gruesome past. Truth can be best told in the most convincing story yet tainted by lies. How will justice be served if lies look truthful than truth itself?

Warning: 18+ Dark Romance "Dont let me use the spare key Orlanda, or you are gonna be doomed," he uttered coldly and now, she could sense he was more than pissed. The air felt thick, charged with the tension between them, as if the walls themselves were holding their breath. She braced herself, knowing fully well that this small act of defiance would not go unpunished. But for now, she had locked him out, and for the first time since being his prisoner, she felt the slightest taste of freedom. "Do your worst! I'm not scared of you," she yelled. ~~~~~ Orlanda never asked for Carlson Jacobi’s help, but when the ruthless gangster saved her months ago, he demanded repayment; betray his stepbrother, or warm his bed. She swore she would never surrender herself to such a man, and so she chose betrayal. But when her plan failed, Oswald Dino Escobar, the billionaire she worked for, and Carlson’s greatest enemy, made her pay the ultimate price. He bought her from her family, not as a servant, but as his property. His possession. His punishment. His little pumpkin! Oswald was a man who had once loved and lost Sophia Lawn, the woman who shattered him, the woman whose death turned him into a beast. And when Orlanda entered his world, he saw in her a vessel, a shadow of what he lost. But the deeper she was pulled into his dark empire, the more secrets surfaced. Secrets that could ruin them both… or bind them forever.

The day my boyfriend, Lucian Farrell, and I, Roxanne Schmidt, decide to register our marriage, the million-dollar diamond ring he'd promised me turns into a can tab. So, I broke things up with him on the spot. In a panic, Lucian fishes out the purchase receipt. "I just forgot to bring the ring. If it bothers you, I can go home and get it right now," he coaxes. My gaze lands on the figure hurrying toward both of us. "There's no need for that. Your 'little shadow' has already brought it over for you," I replied indifferently. Evelyn Wiley rushes up before me with tears in her eyes. A large diamond ring is wedged tightly around her swollen ring finger. "I just wanted to help Ms. Schmidt try the size. But it wouldn't come off no matter how hard I tried…" she explains between sobs. Lucian's face darkens instantly. "Who said you could touch it? The ring was meant for Roxanne!" he snaps. He wrenches at the ring, but it doesn't budge at the slightest. I watch the commotion before me with my arms folded. All of a sudden, a laugh escapes me. "It's simple. If it won't come off, then we can just cut her finger off."

Riveria was on the brink of collapse when Ethan Rivers arrived and took control of it. To fulfill his teacher's dying wish, he governed Riveria for three years, turning it into the most prosperous province in the country. However, just as he was about to end the turmoil once and for all, he was framed and imprisoned, and powerful families seized his achievements. They smeared his name, turning him into a public enemy. With Ethan gone, they believed that Riveria belonged to them.  Little did they know that the border forces rejoiced. "Ethan is gone? Hahaha! No one can get in our way now. Let's get started!" Foreign enterprises also jumped for joy. "Riveria is perfect for factories. Without Ethan stopping us now, nobody can stop us!"  Chaos returned, and people began to yearn for Ethan. As they investigated his life, shocking truths emerged.  He was the author of bestselling books and had donated hundreds of millions to the impoverished. He had even provided homes to the families of national heroes. When the truth came to light, the world fell into chaos, the villains panicked, and everyone was filled with regret!