Blankly Stare

I had been married to Derek for six years, and we had a three-year-old son. He was poor, earning only $2,000 a month, but I had no complaints; I took care of everything at home for him. After getting dinner on the table for the whole family, I finally had a minute to check my phone. A video popped up on my feed: a twenty-two-year-old girl from a rural area whose hands, roughened by years of hard labor, looked like they belonged to a sixty-two-year-old woman. I looked down at my own hands, just as worn and scarred, and stared at them blankly before tapping into the comments. I expected people to feel bad for her. However, to my surprise, the comments section was flooded with a single sentiment: "Why would anyone marry a penniless loser?" One of the top-liked comments came from a couple; in their photo, they were pictured holding hands—fingers tightly intertwined—with the girl sporting a massive diamond ring. The accompanying caption read: "A man who truly loves you would never bear to let you suffer." I felt a pang of envy. Given the choice, who wouldn't want a glamorous life? As I was about to close the app, I accidentally tapped on the couple's photo, enlarging it. In the background, previously too blurry to make out, was a face I recognized. It looked exactly like my husband, Derek Sterling. I froze, and almost against my will, I tapped into the account's profile. Post after post of lavish photos of them together flooded my screen. And then I saw him clearly. The scar above his brow, the one he got when a shelf fell on him while protecting me, was still plainly visible. It was my husband. It was Derek.

I was sitting at the police station. My landlord scolded me harshly and pointed at my nose. Out of nowhere, my mother called and berated me mercilessly. “Chloe went to your place and disappeared! Did you lose her?!” “I know you’ve had grudges against me and your brother all these years, but how could you take it out on your niece?” In my previous cycle, when my mother told me Chloe was missing, I panicked and searched for her everywhere. Instead of helping, my mom and brother’s entire family dragged me to court without hesitation. I could not understand it. Chloe disappeared on her way to my place. How was that my fault? I begged the police to clear my name and review all the surveillance footage in the city. But the footage showed Chloe arriving at my door that day, and I opened the door for her. After that, she was gone, as if she had vanished into thin air. I stared blankly at the footage of her hopping cheerfully into my apartment. I had no way to explain myself. My sister-in-law lost it. She was convinced I had killed Chloe and threw boiling oil at my face in a fit of rage. I ended up in the hospital. I was disfigured and completely crushed, both physically and emotionally. No matter how hard I tried, I could not recall ever opening the door for Chloe. When I opened my eyes again, I found myself back on the day Chloe disappeared.

When my mother went into kidney failure and needed a transplant, it was Pauline Maynard—on the brink of death herself—who gave my mom a second chance at life. Just before Pauline passed, she gripped my hand tightly and whispered her final words. "Summer, Ricky is my only son. He's rebellious… and fragile. Please, take care of him. Just three years, please?" I gave her my word. Then I moved into their home and gave Ricky everything he needed—love, comfort, a sense of safety. For three years, I stayed true to that promise. By the third year, Ricky had transformed. No longer the wayward boy he once was, he rose to become the Mafia Don Ricky Lenza. And I was carrying his child. As I busied myself with wedding plans, I overheard something I was never meant to hear—his voice, low and mocking, as he wrapped another woman in his arms. "Summer? She's just pretending to love me for the sake of my mother's inheritance and a stupid deal. A gold digger like her dreams of marrying me? What a joke." A sharp pain pierced my chest, like thorns stabbing deep beneath the skin. On the way to a prenatal checkup, we were hit in a crash. My baby didn't make it. And my mother, sitting in the passenger seat, shielded me with her life. When I woke up, I stared blankly at the date on my phone. Three days left. That would've marked the end of the three-year promise. I realized then—I'd paid my debt to Pauline in full. It was time for me to go.

"I know you want me, cupcake!" His deep husky voice ignited the fire within me and I clutched into his shoulder for support, otherwise I knew I was going to fall anytime soon. "You desire me, not only emotionally but also physically!" The touch of his lips near my ear made me shiver in need. "You like it when I touch you, don't you?" He asked, touching my thigh with his warm hand, making me curl my toes. I wanted to scream at him how much I wanted him to fuck me like it was going to be his last fuck, how much hurt I get when I see him with his fiance, and how much I truly loved him. But I couldn't, I just couldn't get the guts to say it aloud because he was my step-uncle, he was a forbidden fruit for me which I could only stare at from afar. But I could see the determination in his eyes which was trying to tell me that he would do anything to break through the wall I have created around my heart. Before I could guess his next movement, in one swift motion, he tore my white shirt, taking me aback and I felt paralyzed like I couldn't even move an inch, I could only stare up at his dark desireful eyes. "Tonight, I will show you how much I desire you!" Oh shit! * When Dawn's mother got married into the influential Playford family after her father's demise, no one accepted her as a family member except the youngest heir, Hunter Playford who is cold as ice. She started trying her best to befriend him but can they become something more beyond their step relationship? * This book has no incest relationship, the leads are not related by blood.

“I hate you, Javier.” I seethed, with a glance at a nearby pond. I could stare at my reflection in the water. “I hate that you make me feel this way…” ︎︎︎ A prince, rumored to be the definition of darkness and danger itself. Shunned and hidden his whole life by his cruel father and evil step mother. His name is Javier Zapetero and he crosses path with his savior who sets him free. Maya Sanchez is her name and fate intertwines them in a contract marriage deal. After being taken by the dark prince, will the werewolves strike the Royal court? Can the sadistic prince find his light? The hero becomes reborn and dystopia, blood lust, a thirst for revenge, might just be the order of the day after he possesses a darkness that can destroy them all. Is his mate’s true inheritance, even more heart wrenching?

"Ashley, look at me!" The deep growl of his voice echoed through the forest as he clutched her with his sharp claws. Slowly, she raised her gaze, meeting the intense stare of his red, glowing eyes that seemed to pierce into her very soul. "You are mine, and only mine," he declared with possessiveness. ************************************************************* Ashley was a young woman, beautiful yet self-centered, with an unshakable confidence. Fearless, she embraced the human lifestyle, resenting her werewolf heritage, even though she had not yet experienced the transformation. From the time before she was born, Ashley had been destined to be the future mate of the Lycan prince, a betrothal she only learned about when she came of age, and it did not sit well with her. What will happen if Ashley refuses to accept this betrothal? Will she ever experience the transformation into a werewolf, and what awaits her when she discovers the truth about her real identity?

Preston High was supposed to be my chance at a better life. Instead, I’m the scholarship girl, the outsider everyone whispers about. Every hallway stare reminds me I don’t belong. I’ve spent my life surviving, not feeling. Love? I don’t even know what that means. Then Asher sees me, the quiet boy with kind eyes who makes me feel safe for the first time. But just as I start to breathe again, Adrian crashes in, the arrogant bad boy who rules the halls with his smirk and dares me to feel things I don’t understand. Two hearts. Two risks. One choice. Preston High is testing more than my strength… it’s testing my heart. And when the truth finally forces me to choose, one question remains: will I discover what it means to be loved, or will I lose myself trying?

At an investor banquet, my fiancé Tanner Clarkson’s secretary, Willow Thorne, recklessly throws a glass of wine at an investor and hurls insults without thinking. In retaliation, the investor demands that Willow make it up to him with her body, or he'll pull his funding. To ensure the company's successful IPO, Tanner hands me a glass of spiked wine. Then, he pushes me to the investor, expecting me to extinguish his flames of rage. His eyes are filled with feigned hesitation as he says, "Willow isn't like you. She just graduated—she's pure and innocent. Stop fighting it, Kathy. I'll make it up to you once the company goes public." When I regain consciousness, I stare at the man across from me, my voice hoarse. "About that deal you mentioned... I'll sign it."

“You’re mine, Lily. I don’t care about your age or your past. You belong to me now.” William looked deep into my eyes with that smoldering stare, and I melted into his arms as his lips pressed down on my neck. It no longer mattered that he was old enough to be my father, or that he was my friend’s dad. All that mattered was that he was about to consume me. And I would let him. *** In the world of art and love, Lily and William's passionate journey unfolds. As Lily's paintings captivate the globe, their love is tested by a vengeful ex-wife and a dangerous art thief. Together, they navigate fame, deception, and the power of their shared dreams. A gripping tale of resilience and the bond between two hearts, will their love survive the shadows threatening to consume them? Billionaire Daddy’s Little Artist is created by Scarlett Rossi, an eGlobal Creative Publishing author.

"He's gone, Elizabeth," her captain Charles Johnston tells her. Elizabeth blinks back her tears. Her face full of shock and disbelief. Her frozen stare interrupted by his words. "He left his badge." "There's no way," she thought. He wouldn't leave her like this. No warning, no phone call, no letter. She was more to him than that or at least so she thought. That conversation has plagued her for 3 years. For 3 long years, Detective Elizabeth Ryan tried to shut out him, to finally be able to move on. But just as she does, he abruptly returns seeking more than what either of them anticipated. Will Elizabeth be able to forgive him, or will the past be too much to swallow? What happens when life throws her too many twists to handle?