20th Birthday Party Decorations

“Zelle, don’t worry, I’ll protect you!” Zach caressed her hair as tears fell on her cheeks.   “Y-you—you are not my knight in shining armor… This is not a fairytale!”    Aaron held her hand away from Zach. “I can be your prince if you want to...”    Zelle fell on her knees bursting into tears, “Please stop! I—I don’t want to see you two in one of those boxes too!”   18 people she cares about… 18 days left before her 18th birthday… Each day onward she receives bloody gifts containing disembodied parts… Which candle our Little Zelle will blow on the day of her birthday? “Happy Birthday to me…” ~~~~ * Original Novel * Original Book Cover * Copyrights Reserved

Ana has never been the type to party or drink. But the one night she decides to let loose, she ends up meeting a man who will shake up her entire world.

On my fifth birthday, my parents showed up at my birthday party later than usual. They brought with them a skinny little girl who couldn't seem to speak at all. I rushed over, hoping to hug Mom, only to get knocked down by her. That was how I fell into the ten-foot cake that my parents had specifically picked out for me. Buttercream filled my nose and mouth, suffocating me to no end. When I managed to climb out of the mess, I burst out in tears and asked Dad to cuddle me. But Dad retracted his hands while looking conflicted. "Don't blame your mom, Willow. From now on, you must take good care of Maple, your little sister. As long as Maple is happy, your mom will be happy." Later on, the mean kids in the neighborhood shove Maple Thompson, my new little sister, into a pile of sand. I rush over to protect her immediately. Once we get home, I mimic my parents by drawing a bath so that I can clean Maple up. That's when Mom suddenly barge into the bathroom and slap me heavily across the face. "You've already enjoyed our love for the past five years! Why are you still greedy for more? I can't believe you're trying to drown Maple right now!" Mom's eyes have gone bloodshot. She drags me by the hair and stuffs me into the washing machine. "Only a washing machine is capable of cleanse that filth out of your soul! You can only scramble out of the washing machine and apologize to Maple once you've decided to quit bullying your sister!" In the living room, Dad lowers his voice. "Keep your voice down when you're chewing Willow out. Maple is about to fall asleep. Don't go around waking her up now." Mom doesn't want to look at me anymore. Instead, she slams the lid onto the washing machine forcefully. I can't get out of the machine. What she doesn't know is that the washing machine will activate. "The 212-degree-Fahrenheit wash cycle has been activated." Scalding hot water is soon dumped onto my body. It hurts so much that I gradually lose my consciousness. Will Mom love me again once I'm squeaky clean after the wash cycle?

The night before our wedding anniversary party, my husband—Harvey Clarke—receives constant calls from his first love, Cassie Moss. He responds by holding me closer, and I ask, "Aren't you going to pick up? What if it's urgent?" He firmly shakes his head and says he has already moved on. But when he receives news of her at the party, he breaks down right there and then, oblivious to the room of staring guests. When he tries to leave, I stop him in a panic, but he turns to me with a pure look of disgust. "Cassie's dead. Happy now?" The words hit me like a lightning bolt.

Betrayal can seem like a necessary decision to make when it favors one party, but what about the other party?, the one who was betrayed?, do their feelings matter?. And what happens when the people who are supposed to stand with you through thick and thin also turn their back against you because of a false allegation, would the heart ever be strong enough to withstand the heartbreak and forgive them?. This is the case of Aries, at the peak of her life where she was supposed to be celebrating her maturity, she's betrayed by the one she holds dear in her heart and the ones who are supposed to stand with her, turn their backs on her and join others to criticize her. Will she ever forgive them or will she get her revenge on all of them?

Serena Jacobs and I have been entangled with each other for ten years. We thrive in humiliating each other. If she bids for the highlighted item in an auction for her male assistant, then I shall spam gifts for a female influencer on her livestream. If she thrashes my Maserati, I'll just throw away her Louis Vuitton bag. We've filed for a divorce multiple times. All of our friends keep telling us to just get a divorce, and yet we've never truly severed our ties in the end. But after Serena sings a happy birthday song for her assistant, I draft a divorce agreement right away. This leaves Serena feeling confused. "All this over a birthday song?" I nod calmly. "Yup. All this over a birthday song indeed."

On my birthday, Connor Simpson's first love jumped off a building due to depression. She died on the spot. Connor blamed everything on me. I never celebrated my birthday again after she died. After the murderer electrocuted me for more than ten hours, they forced me to call Connor. "Connor, it's my 25th birthday today. Can you come over and spend time with me?" However, Connor did not notice anything unusual. His voice was laced with venomous iciness. "Clarisse Winter, Audrey wouldn't have died if it weren't for you. How dare you ask me to celebrate your birthday? If only you were the one who died." I heard him coaxing a woman on the other end just before he hung up on me. That low and gentle tone was what I loved to hear the most in the past. That night, the murderer cut my body into countless pieces, packed them in bags, and threw them in front of the police station. Connor was summoned back overnight. He spent two days and two nights piecing together the body parts, but he did not realize that the dead person was the wife that he hated the most.

After a terrible encounter at a party, one year later, Hailey Fonte is ready to return to her hometown. She will depend on her friends, a mysterious guy, and a chance at proof to prove everyone wrong.

On my boyfriend, Draco Leroyce's birthday, I take him to a newly-opened fancy restaurant of my own for his birthday meal. Thinking that we'll be having a birthday cake for dessert later, Draco and I decide to order a set meal that includes a pizza and a plate of pasta. With a smile, I hand the menu over to the waitress. She plasters a fake smile on her face as she grabs the menu. But she secretly calls us "broke ass bastards" in Virellian. I draw my brows into a deep frown instantly. "What did you just say?" The waitress is momentarily stunned. Then, she shoots me another fake smile. "I said I'll prepare your food right away." I just sneer back at the waitress before responding to her in fluent Virellian, "You were calling us broke ass bastards."

"My engagement party is tomorrow," Cecilia said calmly. "But I'm missing one thing." "What?" he asked. She smiled. "A fiancé." "My pleasure," he said, voice low and steady. "Miss Fiancée." *** The night before her engagement party, Cecilia is betrayed by her ex and her own cousin. But humiliation won't be her ending. In a bold move, she picks a devastatingly handsome stranger to play the role of her fiancé. What she doesn't know is--Liam Sinclair isn't someone you simply "choose." He's dangerous, powerful, and far from ordinary. By the time Cecilia realizes who he really is, it's already too late. Because Liam never lets go of what's his.