Barely Tolerable Shirt

On our wedding anniversary, my husband has his intern put on the custom-made wedding gown he prepared for me. "You wouldn't have looked good in a wedding gown with your baby bump, anyway. She's saving us trouble by wearing the gown for you. Think about how kind she is!" Before I can rebuke him, an earthquake happens. I lose my balance and fall to the floor. Instantly, I feel moisture on my legs. At the same time, my husband received a call from his intern. "There are so many frogs here, Mr. Quinn. I'm so scared…" My husband turns to leave, but I grab his pant leg. "Ethan, I—" "It's just a minor earthquake—the ground barely even shook. Don't make a mountain out of a molehill. Didn't you hear Chloe crying because she was so scared? Can't you be sympathetic?" He ignores the blood pooling around me and hurries off to comfort Chloe Bennett. That night, they share a passionate kiss under a sky full of fireworks. Meanwhile, my child dies in my belly. It's a pretty good way to end things. Someone like Ethan Quinn doesn't deserve to have his own children.

Mature Content! Trigger warnings, violence and smut “I'll make you crave the darkness and beg for my salvation," he growls, his voice laced with both danger and desire. My eyes blazing with defiance, meets his gaze head-on. “I won't be owned by anyone, especially not a dangerous man like you.” my voice waver, barely a whisper. In the gritty underbelly of the city, where power, danger and secrets collide, an unlikely connection blooms amidst darkness and despair. Romeo Valentino, a dominant force in the mafia world, battles his inner demon, his alter ego seeking control. When he lays eyes on the enigmatic Julia, a fire ignites within him, compelling him to possess her, body and soul. Julia, a woman shrouded in mystery, harbors her own scars, her path intertwined with Romeo’s in unexpected ways. Drawn to his power and dominance, she fights the magnetic pull between them, even as her heart begs for his touch. As their paths entwine, passion blazes between them, fanning the flames of a love that could destroy them both. Will they find solace and salvation in each other's arms, or will their dark secrets tear them apart?

"Just join me for a drink perhaps?" Her bushy brows rose suggestively at me. She knew my answer, she knew what I'd say. I grabbed the bottle off her scrawny hands and said "You know, for a one time thing, this has become a regular." To be honest, I was actually looking forward to meeting up with her. Not that I was going to admit it to her face. "Like therapy sessions from two dumb, ill-favored kids. Who are trying to give each other easing words." She was right. Though her stumbled movements indicated a slight intoxication. Suddenly, out of the awkward moment, she looked up at me with a sad smile and said. "I might be a street girl but is it too bad to wish for a normal life? Go to proms? Have new clothes? Shelter? Love? Do I not deserve?" Her teary eyes searched deep into my soul. I was unaware of the lack of distance between us. When did we get so close with barely an inch barrier? "Flare..." that was all I could say because then all I could feel were soft lips against mine. Her lips! And it felt so nice. Subconsciously, I grabbed her little body and went for another kiss, this time, a deeper kiss.

Book two (The Her Before You) Aria Maine is a new queen in need of a king consort to claim her throne. Her brother's best friend… "What are you doing Barry?" she whispered, watching his hands drizzle water up and down her arms after he dropped the shirt in the water. "I have absolutely no idea," he said, laying his mouth down on her shoulder, kissing it for the first time. The bad boy prince she fell for long ago… "Hey asshole! I didn't screw your sister's fiance okay? Nothing happened. Can I go home now?" "Shut up!" he growled, biting her lip. "Just shut up," he ordered, leaning into her, pressing his body up against hers before shoving his tongue down her throat. Prince charming, her ally in war… "My heart won't survive you, Aria Maine. Is there anyone that's not in love with you?" Three suitors. A ticking clock. Boy oh boy, (oh boy) how does a girl choose?

I had a miscarriage and was confined in the ICU. Meanwhile, my husband was off traveling the world with his first love. It wasn't until he decided to divorce me that he finally remembered I existed. He called my mother, demanding to know how long I planned to act out. She was disheartened, looking at me, who was barely clinging to life. "Shannon will never cause you trouble again! Happy now?" she snapped.

Madam Pratt, my mother-in-law, was in critical condition after a car accident, desperately needing surgery. However, as the lead surgeon, I—Lilianne Davis—stood by, casually scrolling through short videos on my phone. My best friend, Tiffany Owens, who was also a doctor, was far more anxious than I was. She grabbed my hand and pulled me toward the operating room. “Lily, why are you still stalling? Hurry up and save her!” I took a step back, clutching my stomach in pain as her face twisted in shock. “I have cramps so bad I can’t even stand. You do it.” In my last life, the moment I heard about Madam Pratt’s accident, I had swallowed a painkiller and rushed into surgery, working for hours to stabilize her. I had barely stepped away from the operating table when alarms blared. “Lilianne, what have you done? The patient is experiencing acute hemolysis!” “Call the family now!” Gareth Pratt stormed in, his face twisted with rage. He slapped me hard in the face. “Lil, you’re a professional surgeon, yet you gave my mother the wrong blood transfusion?!” I froze, reaching for Madam Pratt’s medical report to explain, only to find that the A-type blood I had seen before had somehow changed to B-type. The medical board arrived, and a blood test revealed traces of hallucinogens in my system. “Unbelievable! Taking illegal substances before surgery? That’s a cardinal sin for a doctor!” In the chaos, Emma Pratt, Gareth’s teenage sister, grabbed a scalpel and stabbed me multiple times. Blood gushed from my arteries, and I collapsed in a pool of crimson. As my vision faded, I couldn’t understand what had happened. I had never taken illegal drugs. Besides, I was absolutely certain of Madam Pratt’s blood type. When I opened my eyes again, I had returned to the moment right before stepping into the operating room.

Tyler Demon Hunter- the beast. He is the ruthless bastard, who has killed people as ants. The mafia leader of his clan, Italian billionaire. The world is afraid of his power, his rage but not the Angel. Angel Rose, the simple innocent soul, who has struggled all her life to meet the ends. She is a brave soul, all alone in the world, working as a waitress and a florist, in the streets of Italy, earning barely enough to achieve her dreams of becoming a psychologist one day. She is the most beautiful girl you’d ever see, but life has never been as easy for her. Never! What happens when the beast falls in love with the beauty? Beauty needs no worldly affairs and the beast has no other option to shower his worldly love, cause he has not known anything else ever. They will be tied in a knot. Happily ever after in the scene, but how? She is an angelic beauty and he is a ruthless beast. He loves her but she hates him. What happens when two completely poles apart meet?

In my last life, I made the dumbest mistake—picked up a Moonlight Ring from the grass. That cursed thing locked me into a mate bond with Silvermoon Pack's Alpha. Too bad his heart already belonged to my sister, Irene. She lived to a hundred, had five pups with her real mate in Ravenshade Pack while I rotted. Every time she got cozy with her mate, Leon tossed me in the basement. "You picked up that ring! I had to watch my true love build a family with someone else!" For eighty years, she lived happily. I barely lived at all. Leon flayed me open, let my skin grow back, then crushed my bones just to watch them heal. Every day felt like dying on repeat. Only when Irene finally kicked the bucket did he let me go. Then boom—I woke up, right back on the day I picked up that damn ring. I wasn't gonna screw it up again. But Irene—always the clean freak—snatched it off the ground before I could stop her.

Aurora Leandro was cheated on and went through a painful break-up. And so, she swore 'till the depths of tartarus that she will not commit in a relationship again... nor fell in love. But when her life was barely hanging on a thread and an unseen danger was about to put her family in grave danger— her father hired an oozing, jaw-dropping hot soldier with a pair of golden eyes to be her personal bodyguard. Desire starts consuming her like never before. Like a widfire spreading on dried leaves. Aurora knew her words will ricocheting back at her. She knew she's about to break the parameters. She knew she's about to lose herself. Because the tiny spark that startled both of them— ends up in a blaze of glory.

"Hi there, I'd like to emigrate." Christina stood at the counter and handed over the neatly prepared documents to the clerk on the other side of the glass. The clerk quickly stamped each page. The red ink spread like tiny ripples on still water. Then, without looking up, he pulled out another form and passed it back to her. "Ma'am, your paperwork will be processed in fifteen days." Christina nodded, turned on her heel, and headed for the exit. But before she could step outside, whispers trailed after her. "Did I see that right? Mrs. Waldorf is applying for emigration? Did she have a squabble with Mr. Waldorf?" "Even if they argued, would it go this far? Mr. Waldorf practically worships her. What could possibly make her leave so decisively?" "Exactly. Five years ago, their wedding was the event of the century. Even someone like me, who barely goes online, heard about it. And three years ago, after her car accident, the blood bank ran out of stock. Mr. Waldorf ignored everyone's objections and nearly drained himself to save her. Then, just last year, when she disappeared for an hour, he mobilized every media outlet worldwide to find her. Now she's leaving without a word—won't that drive him insane?" The murmurs swirled and lingered, but Christina only smiled faintly. Her expression was calm, but her eyes darkened with a bitterness that deepened with every step. Yes, she thought. Everyone knew just how much Lucien Waldorf loved her.