Barely Tolerable Shirt

I breathe heavily as he pins me to the wall, his hands wrapped tight around my throat I could barely breathe. ‘You hear me, Sera? I found you first. I noticed you first! I fell for you first. No one else, I mean, no one should put their hands on you, because if they do, I swear to God, Sera, I'll fucking break their arms and legs and serve it to you to eat!’ He growls. Seraphina Puckett is the perfect definition of trauma. A walking trauma. She tries to navigate her life, trying to bring in sunshine but as the world is determined to make it rain on her, what does she do? Does she get beaten in the rain or walk through it? When her abusive father gets out of prison and is out to get her, how does she face her fear?

"Have you ever loved me?" Lilian's voice barely rose above a whisper. "Never." … Lilian Stephan had always loved Marcus Damon, it was love at first sight and she tried all her possible best to make sure that she gets married to Marcus. She sacrificed everything just to be with him to become his wife. Even after getting married to him he never for once showed her any love or even care about her. But she did not really mind and she just kept hoping that he would return back to her side. But she was given a divorce paper instead. She found out that she had always been a substitute for someone else. Lilian gathered her courage and left. She returned five years later with a baby that looked so much like Marcus.

She became the price of her father’s mistake. Now she belongs to the devil himself. Chiara Ricci’s life was quiet—small-town, under-the-radar, and barely hanging together. But when her father's hidden debts come crashing down, she's thrown into the world of Dante Sabatini—the cold, calculated mafia don who offers a single solution: Her. As payment. He’s ruthless, dangerously charming, and makes no apologies for the way he claims her—as his property, his responsibility... his obsession. Chiara was supposed to be a bargaining chip. But in Dante’s arms, the lines between hate and heat blur fast. Now she’s caught between fear and fascination, craving the man who owns her while longing to be free of him. But there are rules in his world. And the first? Don’t fall in love with the monster who owns your soul.

I had to get away from here! From HIM. Before I embarrassed myself further, or worse… accidentally exposed myself. But to my horror… in my flailing, the first three buttons of my shirt popped, spilling my breasts from the revealing bra beneath. “What the hell?” His shocked eyes flew to mine. Mortification hit me like a wave. My eyes widened, burning with shame. And then his eyes turned angry—the surprise vanishing immediately. “Was that an act?” He snapped, dangerously. “Are you here to seduce me?” ~~~~~ Luca was just a client—albeit one who paid the highest to touch her. A man who claimed every Friday night at the casino, and far more of her heart than Maya ever intended to give. Then one night, he vanished. A year passed, and Maya was certain she’d never see him again. But fate is a cruel bitch. Fresh out of the casino and desperate for a new start, she takes a job as a nanny… only to discover that her new employer is the very man who's haunted her dreams. And he doesn’t recognize her! To Luca, she’s simply the caretaker for his son… but little does he know that the woman now tucking his child into bed is the same one he once undressed in the dark. And Maya intends to keep it that way. Because if he ever found out just who she really was... she could kiss her only hope of survival goodbye! ~~~~~ She swore she’d keep her past buried. He swore he’d never fall again. But secrets like theirs never stay hidden. And when the truth finally comes to light, desire might be the least dangerous thing between them.

"It's not me, please believe me." Ashley Patterson stubbornly looked at the people in the car, it was pouring rain, and the car door was wet with rainwater, revealing a cold face. Ashley's whole body trembled. She stood outside the car, one door away, screaming. "Listen to my explanation." The car door suddenly opened. Before Ashley could be happy, a strong force violently pulled her into the car. She fell on top of him, and his white shirt immediately soaked a large area. “Milan Elise, the gangsters who killed Gina were not arranged by me…” As soon as Ashley opened her mouth, a long and strong hand squeezed her chin mercilessly, and from the top of her head came his magnetic voice. "Do you like me that much?" His voice was clear and cold, faintly smelling of cigarettes - a taste that belonged to him. "Huh?" Ashley was a bit confused, she liked him, and the whole world knew. Why does he suddenly ask like that now? The man squeezed Ashley's chin, his other arm was long and strong, and his palm gently touched her cold, wet cheek from the rain. Ashley got lost in his gentle eyes, she seemed to hear this man ask. "Is it cold?" Suddenly, a cold breath radiated from his body. He said coldly: "Ashley, do you like me that much? Like me so much that you would kill Gina?" The coldness from the bottom of his heart immediately spread to her whole body. Ashley immediately woke up and couldn't help but smile bitterly... She immediately thought, how could he give her such gentleness? This is not gentleness but just a devil's smile.

I was the most insignificant omega in the pack. In my past life, Alpha Asher Croft asked me to be his mate ninety-nine times, and I said no every single time. On the hundredth attempt, he locked me in Croft Manor and held me so tight I couldn't breathe. His eyes burned with obsession, and I was terrified. So I ran. I made it halfway to the border before the rogues found me. Asher took three silver bullets, saving my life. The first shot destroyed his hand, the second blinded his eye, and the third went straight through his heart. He looked at me as he died, blood soaking through his shirt, and his expression was stubborn and fragile all at once. "Cassandra, why can't you just love me once?" Then the miracle happened. I opened my eyes and found myself back on the day Asher first told me he liked me. This time, I reached out and took his hand first. I thought we'd grow old together, but Asher betrayed me three times. On our bonding night, he deliberately walked into the wrong room and slept with someone else. My heart shattered, but I forgave him. Three months pregnant, I got a call at two in the morning during a storm, and he left me stranded on the outskirts. I lost the baby. I wiped my tears and let it go. But the third time, he exiled my brother over a cat. That's when I finally understood. It was time to leave. This time, I'll make sure Asher never finds me again.

"Vida, you agreed to a surrogacy contract and after my master paid you, you made away with his money," I was informed. "That's not even my signature," I laughed while handing back the paper, "you've been scammed sir, now if you excuse me, I have to go home, this contract is invalid." I'm cornered to an end, my path blocked by both his arms which thump violently with veins, his breath gets as he stares closely, barely an inch away from me, and then he opens his mouth… "Mate!" ---------------- I've searched for my mate for seven years but couldn't find her, and worse, it's a hidden issue that I've failed to breed with any female who isn't my mate. I could feel us draw near to this human as I went into a rut. Why her?

I had just become an adult when my neighbor, Connor Grayson, started flirting with me. We kept our relationship a secret year after year. After a wild night of intimacy, Connor whispered into my ear that he loved me over and over again. The next morning, I could barely stand as I got out of bed. Then I saw Connor bring another woman home. "Selena, this is my fiancée. We're getting married." I thought Connor would let me go. I didn't want to ruin anyone's relationship. However, he wouldn't leave me alone despite my shameful predicament. "Yes, I'm getting married, but did I say you could go? It took a lot of effort to make you fall for me."

“Luna…!” I sobbed, collapsing onto the cold, unforgiving pavement, barely avoiding the indifferent gaze of the crowd. “I...I desperately fought to hold her back. I begged her to remain by my side,” I wailed, my tears blurring the world around me. With every strike of my trembling hands against the unyielding ground, my heart shattered into a million irreparable fragments. *** When Luna was killed, Ginevra’s life turned upside down. Luna was her everything, not just a sister. The bond she shared with her was beyond the world’s imagination. When she tried to commit suicide, she found solace in the care of Emiliano who saved her from drowning. She later got married to him. Then Luna returned in the body of a familiar face. Her mind is set on revenge that will either brighten Ginevra’s future or ruin it completely.

”I bow to no man!” Her voice sent a chill down my spine as I stood before her. I’d only heard those words once before in my life. They’d been haunting me every night and day since--- Since the worst night of my life! Back then, they’d saved my life… With my heart still beating hard in my chest, I slowly approached her. I could barely see her eyes, from how swollen they were. But sure enough, stubbornly looking back at me were those azure blue eyes that had been my only comfort when I was surrounded my nothing but darkness. The woman who saved my life – the one I’d sworn to come back for and give my life to! - was my dead enemy's daughter!