Cut Sleeve

"Cry, Mermaid!" a sharp lash sliced into my back, forcing a yelp from my lips. Screams and sobs surrounded me on all sides, but no one would save me. Strong hands caught me beneath my arms and yanked me from the water. It was time for Tail Cut. The operation lasted hours. I felt every last slice of their blades, every new tendon sewn into my muscles and nail hammered into my bones. I screamed. I begged. I begged for them to stop, for them to kill me, just ended the pain. --- I have a secret, I am a mermaid. I should live in the ocean, but my tail was cut and I only owned legs. After escaping to Asterion, I hid my identity. I thought I could finally live a peaceful life, until that day I met the famous bad boy, the future Alpha, Caspian. --- I felt a strange prickling on the back of my neck. I spun around just in time to see Caspian prowling towards me through the darkened wings, his blue eyes positively glowing. Sharp white teeth flashed as Caspian's lips unfurled into a lethal grin, "Hello Mate."

My brother-in-law, Benjamin Fallow, got trapped in a deep pit, so I grabbed some ropes and risked my life to climb down and pull him out. Just after I tied the rope around his waist, the line went slack and we both came crashing down. When I looked up, I couldn't believe my eyes. My wife, Celeste Fallow, had cut the rope. Meanwhile, her childhood friend, Vincent Jameson, grinned and egged her on. "Do it." Black-clad bodyguards started shoveling sand into the hole, trying to bury us alive. I grabbed the walkie-talkie and screamed up at her, "Celeste, your brother and I are still down here!" She sneered back. "Three years ago, during the quake, you left Vincent's brother trapped under the rubble for five days while you saved others. Now it's time to pay what you owe." Vincent shed crocodile tears and crowed, "Celeste, thanks to you, my brother's revenge is finally complete." With the sand already up to our ankles, I shouted at the top of my lungs, "Celeste Fallow, your brother is really down here with me!"

She became his wife by obligation. He married her with resentment in his heart. When ruthless businessman Ethan Blackwood is forced into a marriage he never wanted, he makes one thing painfully clear—his wife will never have his love. Trapped in a cold mansion and a colder marriage, Lydia Blackwood endures life as a woman bound by vows but denied affection, respect, and warmth. To the world, she is Mrs. Blackwood. Behind closed doors, she is invisible. Lydia enters the marriage hoping time might soften Ethan’s heart, but instead she faces rejection, loneliness, and the shadow of another woman who still holds his love. Every cruel word and silent night chips away at her spirit, yet beneath her quiet obedience lies a strength Ethan never expected. As secrets unravel and truths surface, Ethan begins to see the woman he cast aside—the sacrifices she made, the loyalty she showed, and the love she gave without being asked. But regret comes late, and wounds cut deep. When Lydia finally chooses herself over a loveless marriage, Ethan must confront the terrifying possibility of losing the one woman who truly belonged to him.

My husband's gym was celebrating its grand opening, so I grabbed my best friend and headed over under the guise of "checking the place out," armed with a $10 trial class we had snagged from a group deal. I never once mentioned that I was the owner's wife. The moment we wrapped up the workout, a female trainer slapped a price sheet into our hands and gave us a look that could cut glass. "Let me guess, you two came here to milk the freebies? Our private training sessions cost hundreds. They're not here for people like you to exploit." I let out a disbelieving laugh. "We bought a perfectly valid trial class. How does that make us freeloaders? Get your manager." She rolled her eyes, acting like she was the rules. "Call whoever you want! The owner is my boyfriend, and he can't stand penny-pinchers who show up trying to mooch off his gym." Then, right in front of us, she called him—voice raised, dramatic, dripping with fake indignation. "Babe, there are two cheapskates in your gym demanding the manager. Come deal with them for me!"

Carol Rivers was used to playing with fire, and she lived her life by her own rules—until she fell for the wrong man. Antonio Conte was an older man who seemed to have it all, and Carol couldn’t resist his charm. But their fiery romance is cut short when she catches him cheating. His betrayal shattered her, and she drowned her sorrows with alcohol, only to end up in the bed of a dashing stranger after a heated one-night stand. Carol had yet to come to terms with her break up with Antonio when he appeared again, but this time he claimed her by force, kidnapping her and holding her against her will. Her rejection had set him off, and she realized he wasn’t a normal man, but a ruthless mafia lord. Now forced to become his sex slave, Carol is robbed of her freedom. But what happens when she meets the stranger from her one-night stand, and he turns out to be the son of the man she despises the most? Caught between father and son, Carol becomes a pawn in an explosive game of lust and power. Will she break free from the chains of her fate? Or will she burn it in the crossfire?

On my birthday, Connor Simpson's first love jumped off a building due to depression. She died on the spot. Connor blamed everything on me. I never celebrated my birthday again after she died. After the murderer electrocuted me for more than ten hours, they forced me to call Connor. "Connor, it's my 25th birthday today. Can you come over and spend time with me?" However, Connor did not notice anything unusual. His voice was laced with venomous iciness. "Clarisse Winter, Audrey wouldn't have died if it weren't for you. How dare you ask me to celebrate your birthday? If only you were the one who died." I heard him coaxing a woman on the other end just before he hung up on me. That low and gentle tone was what I loved to hear the most in the past. That night, the murderer cut my body into countless pieces, packed them in bags, and threw them in front of the police station. Connor was summoned back overnight. He spent two days and two nights piecing together the body parts, but he did not realize that the dead person was the wife that he hated the most.

Some legacies welcome you home. Others sharpen a knife the moment you walk through the door. Hannah never asked to be a Black. But blood doesn't negotiate. Found after years of being lost, she barely had time to breathe before the truth came crashing in — the family she'd longed for didn't want her. Her siblings made sure she felt every inch of that. But nothing cut deeper than the discovery that only one of them could marry Lucas Bristo, heir to the Bristo empire. And her sister would kill to make sure it wasn't Hannah. The cruelest joke? Lucas — arrogant, insufferably charming, with eyes that pin her in place and a touch that sets her chest on fire — was never supposed to matter. Now he's the one thing she can't let go of. While Hannah fights for the love she never planned and the birthright that was always hers, her adopted sister and blood brother are already conspiring — their alliance soaked in secrets and something far more sinister. They want her gone. But Hannah Black didn't survive being lost just to be destroyed after being found.

Just because I point out a mistake in the intern, Lester Hale's proposal that can cost the company millions of dollars, he feels embarrassed and goes straight to Sandra Wendell, the CEO, threatening to quit. The next second, she storms into my office and starts grilling me. "Couldn't you have spoken to him privately? Lester's young, and his ego's fragile. Why did you have to humiliate him in front of everyone? Don't forget, his dad's a major shareholder. I'm giving you two options now. "One, I'll promote Lester, give him a raise, and you'll become his assistant. That way, I'll agree to officially announce our relationship. Two, keep acting like this, and we break up." When I remain silent, she smirks triumphantly. "I knew you'd never pass up a chance to go public with our relationship. Now, you can clear your office for Lester. Later—" But I calmly cut her off, "Sorry, but I choose the second option, and I'm resigning. I wish you and Lester a happily ever after."

One reckless night. One forbidden man. And an action that destroys everything. When Aria Hayes takes a chance on a dazzling stranger, she never expects the one-night stand to follow her into her new job. The man who lit her body on fire? He’s not just anyone—he’s Liam Voss, the ruthless billionaire CEO who just became her boss. Liam demands silence. He has a fiancée, a reputation, and an empire to protect. But when Aria discovers she’s pregnant—with his triplets—her world shatters. She runs. She hides. She swears she’ll raise her children alone. Until fate forces her back into his orbit. A sick child. A desperate plea. And a man who refuses to feel… yet can’t stay away. But as lies unravel, secrets explode, and betrayals cut deep, the rules change: Will Liam defy his powerful family to claim the woman he once rejected? Can Aria forgive the man who broke her heart when he’s the only one who can save their child? And when passion collides with power, will love be enough—or will it all come crashing down?

She died a naive heiress. She woke up a cold-blooded ghost. Clara Vane was murdered by the two people she trusted most: her husband, Marcus, and her best friend, Sienna. Pushed from a rooftop on the night that should have secured her future, she was supposed to be a forgotten sacrifice. Instead, she wakes up three years in the past—before the lies took root, and before the betrayal cost her everything. This time, Clara isn't playing the victim. She’s the predator. To dismantle Marcus’s empire, she enters a high-stakes contract with the "Ice King" of the corporate world, Alistair Thorne. Alistair is a man whose name alone silences courtrooms and ruins bloodlines. He offers her the protection she needs, but his shadow comes with a price that blurs the line between a business deal and a dangerous obsession. Revenge is a cold game, and with Alistair at her side, Clara is ready to play. But in a world of wealth, ancient secrets, and absolute control, she’ll have to decide how much of her soul she’s willing to burn to watch her enemies ash. Some betrayals cut deeper than death. Some second chances are written in blood.