Coughing Up Blood After Running

At one in the morning, the general manager posted the project assignments in the group chat and tagged everyone. I reviewed my responsibilities carefully, going through each detail to make sure I understood exactly what was expected of me. When I was done, I typed a simple "OK" and hit send. Two seconds later, my phone rang. It was him. As soon as I answered, his voice came through, icy and sharp, filled with unmistakable disgust. "Eric, I'm very disappointed in you. I must have been blind to trust you with anything important." My mind went completely blank. "What… what do you mean?" I asked, the words slipping out before I could stop them. What he said next was something I never could have imagined.

Seven years ago, Serena was a queen in the world of filmmaking. As the best producer, the world lay at her feet. Yet, for her blind love for Dewangga, she willingly cast aside her golden crown and chose the role of a devoted housewife. But that sacrifice was repaid with a chilling coldness. Since the birth of their first daughter, Dewangga had become a stranger. To him, a daughter was a disappointment, and Serena was nothing more than a failed heir-bearing machine. Now, in the midst of her troubled second pregnancy, Serena must face a bitter truth: her husband cannot even be bothered to show up to sign the papers that could save her life.

To save my family, I was dying of silver poisoning, my fiancé Marcus, the Alpha who had promised to never abandon me, now wanted to harvest my healthy kidney for my parents' adopted daughter, Celeste. Nobody cares if I live or die So I refused the conservative treatment plan. I injected myself with the witch's life potion. The price? In 72 hours, I would die from complete organ failure. In those three days, I gave my private healing center—the one I'd built with my own hands—to Celeste. Mom and Dad beamed with joy. "Good girl, you've finally grown up. You're taking care of your sister now." Marcus wanted to postpone our wedding to care for Celeste. I accepted it calmly. He praised me for finally being understanding. I even gave up my position as the pack's chief healer to Celeste. My parents and Marcus were so excited they planned to throw her a grand celebration ball. They invited every important person with status in the pack to honor her new role. I was just curious about one thing. After I died, would they shed a single tear for me?

On Valentine’s Day, my boyfriend gave me a rock he picked up off the street, while his one true love received a massive diamond. The moment I found out, I broke up with him. He immediately confessed his love to her. Three years later, we ran into each other at a luxury golf club. When he saw me snacking on desserts in the VIP lounge, my ex-boyfriend couldn't stop mocking me. “Millia, you dumped me because that rock wasn’t good enough. Do you ever regret it, especially now that you’re working as a waitress?” Even the staff joined in, spreading rumors that I was just trying to land a rich husband at the club. But the second my husband showed up, everyone was completely dumbfounded. My ex-boyfriend begged for another chance, desperate to win me back, while his so-called one true love ended up behind bars.

At our college reunion, I let slip about the three great catches I was dating online. One ran a successful law firm, the other was a researcher at a leading institute, while another was an up-and-coming tech mogul on the Forbes list. My so-called best friend, Cassie Young, paused halfway through her plate of ribs. Giving me the side glance, she voiced her sarcasm. “I feel sorry for your future husband. Of all the women he could have, he had to marry someone with a rich history.” I took a sip of my juice and responded, “Honestly, I’m pretty stressed about the whole thing. They are all amazing. I can’t decide between them. Cassie, does anyone tickle your fancy? You can have one.” As her cutlery clattered on the table, Cassie widened her eyes. “A-Are you for real?”

When Zack Davis went bankrupt, I used all my savings of 20 thousand dollars to buy him. “You’re willing to buy me even if I don’t love you?” he asked indifferently. My heart raced as I replied quietly, “Yes.” After that, we got married, paid back his debts, and founded another company. It only took Zack three years for his company to become a new star in the Asterfield. Everything seemed to have gone smoothly. He also only belonged to me. However, what I didn’t know was that he hated me. He hated me for destroying all his pride and for buying him with only 20 thousand dollars. When I decided to let go and divorce Zack, he went crazy. He knelt down in front of me with pleading eyes. “Anna, you still love me, right?”

Alexander Brookes was once a rising star in the competitive world of business, until the love of his life, Alessia , left for Paris, crushing his hopes. Diverting into depression and frequent drunkenness, he gave in to his father's opinion , marrying Camilla—a woman he hardly knows—in a loveless arrangement intended to save his reputation. For three years, their marriage has been frigid, but when Alessia unexpectedly returns, Alex's addiction reignites, blinding him to the love that has gradually built between him and Camilla. Camilla realizes she is pregnant, a secret that might change everything, just as their lives cross paths again. As Alex battles his problems and accepts the consequences of his decisions, Alessia's envy leads to a catastrophic kidnapping of Camilla's child, forcing him and Camilla to collaborate. In a high-stakes game of love, betrayal, and forgiveness, will Alex find the courage to recover his life and become the father and partner they deserve?

I burned my painting right in front of the students and university staff. Thunderous applause filled the hall. Everyone thought it was some kind of performance. But my senior in the graduate program panicked. He rushed forward and grabbed my wrist, his voice tight. “Connor, have you gone mad? This is your only shot to prove yourself!” I shook him off, cold. A chance? That was his chance, right? During my past life, he stole the painting I poured my heart and soul into and entered it in the competition ahead of me. The composition, the colors, even my original technique… He copied all of it. He won the Gold Award for the National Youth Art Competition, signed with a top gallery, and basked in glory. Meanwhile, I was branded a shameless plagiarist. The insults and curses overwhelmed me completely. "Get out of the art scene already!" “A plagiarist like you should just die!” His fans stormed my studio, smashed my tools, and broke my right hand. With my world in ruins, I jumped off the studio roof. Opening my eyes again, I realized I had returned to the day my senior accused me of plagiarism.

I got into a car crash with my adoptive sister. The first person to rush to the scene was my childhood sweetheart, Jay Porter—the guy I'd been secretly seeing for two years. But Jay went to her first. He didn't even look my way as I sat there, bleeding heavily on the side of the road. I grabbed his hand, desperate to tell him I was pregnant. He just shook me off. "Sorry, Emma. Julia's delicate. I have to get her to the hospital now. Just wait here for the paramedics." By the time the rescue team got me to the hospital, I was out of immediate danger. But my baby... was gone. I wanted to confront Jay, to demand an explanation. Instead, I overheard him talking to a friend. "You played Emma this whole time, just for Julia's sake. Don't you think that's going too far?" Jay's reply was cold. "So what? Julia's just the Bourne family's adopted daughter—she's never been as protected and cherished as Emma, the precious heiress. That's exactly why it has to be me. I'll protect Julia. For her, I'd do anything." So it was all a lie. Every bit of love he'd ever shown me was just an act. After I was discharged, I went straight home and called my father. "Dad, can you make it so I never existed here? Erase all my records from this country."

Eager to get rid of her crush on her psychopathic professor, nineteen-year-old Azira Sidorov tries to reel him in by getting into trouble to get his attention. But what she never expected was Professor Blaine's dark, depraved ways to consume her whole. — Professor Blaine is psychotic. It's there in the ruthless ways he punishes students. It's there in his eyes. In his movements. And years spent observing him has made Azira Sidorov develop a soft spot for the hot, intimidating professor. Tired of holding back, she tries to reel him in by causing trouble so she could be close to him. But Professor Blaine is anything but human. He's a cold-hearted beast. When Azira wakes up the beast, he won't leave her alone. And maybe, just maybe, she likes the thrill of his whips. The harshness of his palm on her skin. The burn of his chains on her wrists. She should quit him before she ends up broken beyond repair. But Professor Blaine is an addiction. And he will consume her whole. Warning: This is a purely sadistic book. If you can't handle deep depravity, please don't read.