Christmas Story Movies Novels & Stories

When Noah Levine came back, Christmas had already passed. I'd thrown that reindeer lingerie into a street trash bin. "Babe, I left in such a rush last night that I forgot to give you your Christmas present." He pulled out a sapphire necklace and swept my hair aside to fasten it around my neck. Because he leaned in so close, I could clearly see the red marks on his neck and smell the sickly sweet perfume that obviously wasn't his. Knowing the scent belonged to my own sister made my stomach turn.

"Christmas is coming. You already have the lighting tradition, the dinner… but what about a special event? Something that brings the guests and the local community together." Rosa leaned forward, her eyes sparkling. "What do you have in mind, dear?" "A 'Christmas Stories Sunday,'" I suggested, the ideas flowing faster than I could articulate them. "Here in the main barn. Tables with coffee, hot chocolate, cookies. The guests are invited to share a Christmas memory—happy, funny, touching. You could have someone playing guitar in the background. And at the end… a joint donation to a local charity in the name of everyone here." The silence that followed was loaded. I looked at Rosa, then at Mar

I've been ignoring him, but his persistence is becoming problematic. I deleted the message without reading it. The Christmas gala is in two days. The annual event where the city's elite gather to see and be seen, to make deals and alliances over champagne and caviar. I'll need to bring Ava, show her off as my devoted wife, maintain the illusion that everything is fine. She'll smile and play her part because she has no choice. Because I've made sure she has nowhere else to go and no one else to turn to. And I'll stand beside her, touching her waist, playing the role of perfect husband, hating myself a little more with every passing moment.

Jasmine loved Christmas so much. She and Hermon used to decorate the Christmas tree at home each year. They would walk through the busy streets on Christmas Day, taking in the joy of everyone around them. However, those beloved Christmas customs had diminished since Jasmine and Thorne relocated overseas. She had actually given up on Christmas completely. She was making an effort to move on. Jasmine was, after all, her daughter, whom she had reared for so many years after carrying for nine months. Now, as she stood in the middle of the thronging masses, memories came flooding back, evoking feelings she had previously dismissed.

The night before Christmas, my husband makes it official with his 49th mistress. "Love of my life, @TiffanyVale." "Love of my life, @RomanBlackwell." Then he turns to me and tries to smooth it over. "She lost a dare. Don't take it to heart." Everyone laughs at me, but I don't make a scene. What they don't know is that I have a deal with the System. Every time Roman cheats, a year of his life transfers to me. By now, his 80 years are down to just one. All I have to do is make it past New Year's, and he drops dead of natural causes. Then I can take our three children and inherit the Blackwell family's trillion-dollar fortune.