Caressing Pronunciation

“Noo!!! This can't be happening!!” I screamed silently, my eyes shut tight, praying that the nightmare would dissipate when I opened them. But the cruel reality remained. Asher, my husband, held Theresa, my best friend, in his arms, his hands tenderly caressing her swollen belly. I felt my world shattering, my mind reeling in shock. Minutes ticked by like an eternity as I lay there, unconscious, but Asher's concern wasn't for me – it was for his unborn child. The word "barren" still echoed in my mind, a painful reminder of how he saw me. I had been blind to his desperation for a child, oblivious to the fact that I was just a means to an end. As I struggled to stand, my body felt weak, my mind racing with the betrayal. The memories of our three-year relationship, the two and a half years of supposed love, and the six months of deceit flooded my mind. It was too cruel to be true. * Alexandra's perfect life crumbles when she catches her husband, Asher, cheating on her with her best friend, Theresa. Labeled as barren and discarded, she later discovers she's pregnant – but Asher refuses to believe her. Seeking refuge with her parents, she faces heartbreak when her baby dies. Years later, Alexandra rebuilds her life, unknowingly falling for Asher's rival, Ethan Blackwood. But just as things start to look up, dark secrets begin to surface, threatening to destroy her newfound happiness.

My best friend and I had been abducted by the Pendragon brothers—a duo consisting of a religious CEO and a top-billed movie star. We became their secret lovers against our will. "I'm pregnant, Lilith," my best friend said, tears glistening in her eyes. "Me too, Lindsay," I replied softly, caressing my belly. "But I won't go through with it." The brothers heard us. Their control tightened. They watched us during mealtimes, while we slept, and even during our bathroom breaks. We could not endure it any longer, so we fought back. In their anger, the brothers kept mistresses who resembled us. We thought we were free until one day, they found us. They called us homewreckers and hurled insults at us. They broke into our house, scarred our faces, broke our legs, and kicked us until we miscarried. It did not matter how much we tried to explain ourselves. They removed our clothes and paraded us in the street. Finally, the Pendragons arrived. They raised their marriage certificates and declared, "Lilith and Lindsay are our wives!"

She opened the door, and when she stepped inside, someone else closed it behind her. She jolted. Her head spun in shock to see him standing there. Her nerves felt jittery. He couldn’t possibly kill her now, could he? “W-what do you want?” Anna stuttered. The usual smirk wasn’t on his lips as he glared at her. “One thing I hate is when things don’t go as I planned. Silly little loopholes,” he said, pushing away from the doorframe. Her heart rippled when he took a step toward her. He was tall and large—she felt like a little girl compared to him. “I will scream,” Anna breathed, cold sweat rolling down her back. He held her chin. His hold was gentle as he caressed her jawline. Anna shivered. Then his lips tilted into a smirk—not enigmatic like the ones she had usually seen. This one was… sinister. One that told her he didn’t have good plans for her. “Careful there. We wouldn’t want you ending up with a broken spinal cord now, do we?” His large palm flew to her throat, his thumb gently caressing it. Tears brimmed in her eyes. “What do you want?” Her voice came out as a low whisper. “Your body,” he deadpanned. “As manure for my apple tree.” After being thrown to the wolves by her own father, Annalisa must make the ultimate choice—follow her heart or destroy the man she’s come to love.

I looked at the side of my bed, caressing it while imagining some things that would make me feel happy. But even my own imagination feels like betraying me, telling that this is my reality and there is nothing that I can do with that. I even ask god, do I deserve to suffer for the second time around?