Father, Can You Hear Me?

“God—” “Not God,” he muttered against my neck, biting the skin there. “Me. Say my name.” “Dorian!” I cried, back arching. “That’s it.” He stroked faster, his thumb teasing over the tip, slicking me up. “Good boy. Take it.” Ezra Monroe was raised to be pure. The perfect choir boy. Twenty-two and untouched—soft voice and eyes that have never looked too long at sin. But one man ruins everything. Father Dorian Vale. The moment his eyes meet Ezra’s, something snaps. And a good boy learns how to kneel for the wrong man. He was supposed to guide him to heaven. Instead, he’s teaching him how to sin. He’s not here to save Ezra. He’s here to ruin him. Slowly. Until every prayer sounds like his name.

“What do you think I'm trying to do, daddy?” “Daddy?” She was definitely trying to make me go crazy right now. “Sirena…” “I love how you say my name. It sounds like a prayer. Like a plea.” He was her father's best friend. Her forbidden night. And the biggest lie of her life. Maria has just landed her dream promotion which was supposed to be the start of everything she has worked for. Heartbroken and humiliated by a devastating betrayal, she seeks comfort in the arms of a stranger for just one reckless night, only for him to reappear the next day as her father's best friend and shockingly as her company’s CEO. Petyr is older, powerful and everything Maria should run from but fate keeps pushing them together and she is pulled into a world of power, lust and manipulation. As betrayals unravel and seduction turns into obsession, a devastating truth emerges: every moment from the heartbreak to their electrifying encounters was orchestrated. With her heart on the line and a scandalous tape threatening to destroy her, Maria must decide, will she run from the man who broke her or surrender to the man who had claimed her body and soul?

I sighed again. "I understand. I'm sorry for using the tone I used before." I ran a hand through my hair in frustration. "Why didnt you tell me about your problem on day one? I would have spoken louder. I wou-" She shook her head. "That's not necessary." "Why isn't it?" "T-t-there's something about your voice," she stammered nervously as she gently tugged at her fingers. "My voice?" She nodded again. "It's hard to ignore." "I don't understand where you're going with this." "Your voice," she looked down as a light blush stained her cheeks, "is the only voice that I can hear perfectly." ~ Alexia Dawson is a partially deaf woman who struggles to fit in with the other staff at her workplace. Being heterochromic as well, she is the main target for gossip and this makes her very insecure. One night, she is humiliated during a party by one of her coworkers and leaves the building in tears. In the parking lot, she meets a stranger who listens to her troubles and this man later turns out to be the boss' son who happens to be taking over the company the following week! As these two come together in this beautiful romance, a jealous younger brother and ex fiancée get thrown into the mix! What will become of this pair of lovers?

When my parents got divorced, they fought viciously over my younger brother and avoided me as if I were a burden. In the end, the court placed me with my mother. My biological father held my brother's hand and watched with satisfaction as Mom slapped me. "Hit him harder! If you kill him, you won't have to support him. Think how much money you'll save!" My new stepfather walked in, helped me off the floor, and said, "From now on, I'm your dad. Do you understand?" Years later, I bought my stepfather a luxury car and a beautiful house. Then the biological father who had vanished from my life lay crying in a hospital bed, begging me to save him. I smiled as I peeled his fingers from my hand. "You can stop worrying now, Mr. Lennox. Go ahead and die."

At the party, my daughter deliberately raises a question to my husband. "Daddy, since Ms. Lloyd is having your baby, does that mean we'll be living with her in the future?" He places the nicely cut steak onto my plate and answers softly, "Your mommy and I made a deal—whoever betrays first will disappear from the other's life. I can't afford for that to happen, darling, so this must stay a secret. Even when the baby is born, I will never let Mommy find out about them." Then, he signs to me, "I'll always love you." My eyes turn red-rimmed without him noticing. Little does he know, my hearing was restored a week ago. He doesn't realize I've learned about the mistress he's been hiding either. And he definitely doesn't know I've secretly bought a ticket to volunteer-teach in the Seru Plateau. All I have to do is wait for the paperwork to clear in seven days. Then, I'll disappear from his life for good.

I had two fathers. One was Vincenzo, who was gentle and cultured. The other was Matteo, who was called "Il Diavolo Sanguinario", meaning the bloodthirsty devil, by everyone. Both were men my grandfather, Don Rossi, had chosen for my mother, Sofia. In my last life, my mother had chosen Vincenzo, thinking he was the man she could trust for the rest of her life. But after a woman called Carla came between them, he grew colder toward my mother and me. He took Carla's side and became convinced that my mother had drugged him on purpose and slept with other men. In his eyes, I was a bastard whose father was unknown. After my grandpa passed away, Carla framed my mother repeatedly. Vincenzo would let her get away with it every time. He had even forced my mother to apologize and locked us in the basement, to the point of starving to death in the end! When I opened my eyes again, I was back at my fifth birthday party. My grandpa was still gravely ill, and he was urging my mother to make a choice. "Sofia, whoever you choose will inherit everything in the Rossi family and protect you and Lia in my place." Mom held me in her arms, hesitant to make a decision. I pointed at the man everyone called the Diavolo Sanguinario. "Pick him! Only he can protect us!"