Stay Away From My Son

"No. I can't, baby. How can I possibly stay away from you, when you're carrying my heart wherever you go to?" ~ Ugo Noguchi [Uno] ___ Sea Ivory McCain, a teenager with a not so normal condition. She's living her life with full of routines, boundaries and self-control 一 all of which get put to the test when she meets Uno, an impossibly hard-headed teen who has the same illness. There's an instant flirtation when they met but then, with each other's presence, would they realize the importance of life, friendship, family and faith? "Chase your stars. Make each day count, because this is just life. It will be over before you knew it."

The women in these stories do not apologize for their desires. They are not timid, and they are never the underdog. Fearless, intoxicating, and fully in control, they know exactly what they want and are unafraid to take it. From the sex worker chasing freedom, to the betrayed housewife rediscovering herself, to the dominatrix who thrives on power, and the daughter drawn toward dangerous temptation, these stories explore obsession, taboo, betrayal, and seduction. These women are addictive. Alluring. Impossible to resist. But be careful. Once they’ve taken what they came for, they may leave nothing behind but the memory of them.

In our five years of marriage, I had given in to my husband, John, for a grand total of three times. The first time was during my pregnancy. He had taken his ex-girlfriend Stacy, who had once taken three bullets for him, back home and cared for her. When I became angry, he immediately sent her away once she recovered. The second time was after childbirth, when I was ready to return to work. To repay a favor, he gave the position I had worked years for to Stacy. He said it was so I could rest well. I looked at my son, who needed me, and I conceded. The third time was during our son’s birthday. In front of the entire company, he had announced that Stacy was his wife, all so she could establish herself in the company. I gave him two choices: divorce or send her away. Without hesitation, he chose the latter and immediately sent her abroad. The fourth time was when my father suddenly had a heart attack and urgently needed surgery. He disappeared again. I searched everywhere for him to cover the hospital expenses, and I finally discovered that he had gone to the airport to pick up a pregnant Stacy, who was returning to the country. Because of that, my father missed the best chance for treatment and died. I was done giving in. I disguised the divorce agreement as our son’s medical bill and tricked him into signing it. No compensation or apology would matter. I did not wish to have him near my son or myself again.

My mother was the Chosen Luna—the one who once conquered three powerful Alphas. When her mission was done, she vanished from this world, leaving behind only me, and the three Alphas who had once loved her with everything they had. My first father, Alpha Jeff Tanners, ruled the Silver Moon Pack—rich enough to buy half the continent. My second father, Alpha Kael Grey, commanded all the warriors of the Northern Alliance. My third father, Alpha Bran Theron, held every medical resource wolves and humans depended on. For eighteen years, I was their cherished little princess. Whatever I wanted, they gave—no questions, no hesitation. Until they brought home that girl—a fragile orphan named Arie Ryker. From that day on, everything changed. She told them I called her a filthy stray, unworthy of our pack. She said I led the young wolves at school to bully her. She said I tampered with her performance costume, that I caused her allergy, that I made her faint on stage. And they believed her. They stopped believing me. The ninety-ninth time they chose her over me, when they shouted, "Don't come back again!", I didn't argue. I just picked up my luggage and left. They thought I'd come running home like before—that my disappearance was just another way to make them see me. But when they found out I had left the pack for good, that my identity had been erased, that I could no longer be found, the three mighty Alphas finally broke.

"I will divorce you as you want, but only on one condition." "We'll have to be a real couple for one month. If you can do this, then I'll divorce you afterward. Do we have a deal?" ******** Bella makes a deal with her cruel billionaire husband to sign his divorce papers if he can be an idle husband for a month. She had learned she was going to die in a month and needed her last days to be appealing. When the final day approaches, an eager Phill throws a party with his girlfriend, Isabel, to celebrate his freedom, inviting Bella to attend. But instead of her, he gets a shocking letter from her last day, sending him on his heels to find her. But it was too late. Six years later, Phill gets a picture from his bodyguard showing Bella with a son at an airport. "Sir, she's alive! And she has a son that looks almost like you." "I said stop her from leaving! I won't forgive you if she leaves. I am going there now!"

Everyone knew Elio Carbone, Don of the Carbone family, was a cold-hearted womanizer. He had one rule: never sleep with the same woman twice. But for me, he broke it. The first day after our breakup, he stood outside the old Bianchi estate for a day and a night, his entire security detail in tow, just to win me back. The second day, he flew to Sicily and bought the deed to my family's ancestral estate at auction for triple its value, and had it delivered to me. The third day, he tattooed my favorite flower, the lily, over his heart. The tattoo artist said he refused any anesthetic and didn't make a sound. Later, at a banquet for the Five Families, in front of all the other Dons, he sliced his palm and made a blood oath. He swore loyalty only to Eleonora Bianchi for the rest of his life; if he broke his vow, he would pay with his life. After a year of his relentless pursuit, his devotion finally wore me down, and I agreed to take him back. I truly believed him then. That Elio truly loved me. Until one night. He took me to an underground racetrack to broker a deal with an ally. But in the roaring crowd, I saw a girl, trembling and crying, her clothes in tatters. Ava was shoved to the starting line. She was the wager for the death race. One look was all it took for Elio's face to darken. The next second, he dropped his hand from my waist and, without a word, walked toward the track entrance. I stood frozen, watching his back as he disappeared into the driver's seat of a modified sports car. I used to wake up crying, terrified he would lose his life in one of these reckless races. He had smashed his trophies, burned his marker for the illegal track, and sworn to God he would never again enter such a life-or-death gamble. My hand drifted to my stomach, covering the secret I hadn't yet had the chance to share. His blood oath was broken. And so was I.