Hysterically

My younger brother, Owen Rivera, and I are playing in Dad's refrigerated truck. Owen wants to grab my ice cream from me, but I refuse to let him have his way. He shoves me forcefully, causing me to lose my balance and fall to the floor, knocking me out on the spot. When I finally wake up and locate him in the freezer, I find out that he's gotten reduced to a frozen statue. The security footage shows that Owen has been screaming the words "Mommy, help me!" hysterically for three hours before his death. After Mom is done watching the footage, she breaks down on the spot. Then, she yanks me by my hair before slamming me against the wall. "What were you doing? You were at the entrance, dammit! Why didn't you open the door for Owen?" With reddened eyes, Dad throws me into the freezer. "Owen was cold and frightened in the freezer! You should have a taste of the same thing too!" The thick and heavy door is slammed in my face. Darkness and a bone-chilling coldness devour me instantly. I curl into a small ball in the corner Owen has just died in. My teeth are starting to chatter, and my consciousness is starting to slip away. I'm sorry, Mom and Dad. I don't feel cold. I'm not cold at all. I will never eat ice cream ever again in my next lifetime.

He opened the box and read the letter inside. It said: I married you to fulfill my dreams, but little did I know that you would become the man of my dreams, Alessandro. Fate has its ways of weaving two people together and separating them as well. I just wanted to say, thank you, for everything. And sorry. Sorry that I couldn't gain your trust. Sorry that the only thing that you experience when you see my face is, quoting you, pain, betrayal, and regret. But you can stay happy now since this is where our journey ends. Lastly, a confession, every touch, and every kiss meant something to me… With affection, Your Tesoro. As the letter slipped from between his fingers and flew down the sky-high building, he laughed, hysterically, knowing that this was the end of their marriage. Amber Williams, an ambitious twenty-three-year-old woman with dreams of establishing an art gallery spins herself in a web of secrets, drama, and lies when she agrees to a contracted marriage with the cold-hearted mafia boss, Alessandro Bianchi. Will she melt his cold heart with her fire? Or will the flames burn them both?

My sister accompanies me when I go for my premarital medical checkup. When I'm preparing a urine test, I hear embarrassing sounds coming from the cubicle next door. I'm about to leave when I hear the conversation. "Keep it in you, Willow. We're doing this again if it slips out." The voice belongs to my fiancé, Zachary Hilton. The woman to whom he's speaking is Willow Langley, my sister. I dial his number hysterically to see whether it really is him, but my calls go unanswered. All I hear is the incessant ringing of a phone next door and moans alongside it. I'm rooted to the spot, too stunned to do anything. Zachary once vowed to love me for life, yet he's doing something like this with Willow prior to our wedding. The moans and pants next door take a long time to subside. Once I hear them leave, I call home, my face wet with tears. "Mom, change my husband-to-be to Thomas Hilton, Zachary's youngest uncle. I don't want to have anything to do with Zachary anymore."

It's Thanksgiving, and I'm waiting for Zeke Jones to come home after cooking up an extravagant meal. When Zeke returns, he doesn't even glance at the meal I've prepared for him. Instead, he proceeds to pack a bag. "I can't celebrate Thanksgiving with you this year," he says. I take another bite of my turkey and say nothing. At the stroke of midnight, Zeke's first love posts a new photo on her social media page. In the photo, she's lying on Zeke's back with a bright smile on her face. The moon outside the window is bright. "Happy to spend Thanksgiving with good company," her caption reads. Instead of hysterically questioning Zeke about the post, I just tap on the "like" button without reacting in any way. Zeke calls me. His voice sounds panicked as he tries to explain himself. "Please don't misinterpret the post. I will definitely spend Thanksgiving with you next year…" I freeze for a few moments, letting out a small laugh. I don't offer him a reply. Next time, he says? Oh, Zeke, I'm afraid there won't be a next time.

"N...no y...you don't g..go. He will come. He will b...beat me. You also hide here. He is very bad. He beats. I'm s...scared of him. S...save me. He..." Biya screamed hysterically freeing her arms from his grip. She doesn't seem in right state of mind. "I'm r...running. You take me from here. He is very bad." Biya was freeing herself from his grasp and abruptly ran to the door. But in the next moment she was in Sikandar clutches. "Where are you running? Are you mad?" Sikandar roared shaking at her badly. But Biya wasn't in her senses. "No...he..you don't know him. He is very cruel...he..." Seeing her screaming like mad Sikandar has to again raise his hand and slapped her mercilessly. His hands left it's print on her cheek. With her hand on her cheek, Biya was looking at the man who slapped her. Deeply blinded by taking revenge of his past incident from the murderer of his childhood Sikandar Shah happen to kidnap the daughter of that man. He inflict his brutality on that innocent and sweet girl to the extent that he forcefully made her marry him and physically and mentally abuse and torture Biya. Will Biya survive the pain and brutally he is inflicting on her? Or will Sikandar Shah show some mercy for that little girl in lowering his assault and torture on her? How they will thrive in this unforseen situation?

“Maybe I'll come back later. I'm sorry,” I said, tension strangling my voice. “No, please. Stay!” He said in a calm tone. I looked at him hysterically, and, like he had just recognised his own nudity, he smiled confidently. “I'll just put on something if you're uncomfortable.” “Uncomfortable?” I scoffed, trying to sound assuring. “No, I'm not uncomfortable. I've seen a lot of naked boys.” He shot a glance at me, sending a thrill running down my chest. “Boys?” He asked, closing the distance between us. He grabbed my left hand and placed it on his hard breast, his heart beating steady, a stark contrast to mine, which raced like an antelope running from a predator in a jungle. “Well… I've seen a lot of naked boys, but not a naked man…” I whispered softly, gazing and feeling lost in his starry eyes. ******************* Reina Grayson, the wolf-less Alpha's daughter, harbours a dangerous secret: she possesses a silver wolf. If her Pack discovers, she’ll be killed. When Alpha Van Killian, whom she was forced to marry, rejects her for her step-sister, Reina is poisoned and dies. Gifted a second chance by the Moon Goddess, she is reborn as Narah Smith. On her eighteenth birthday, she uncovers her true identity, but she had lost her wolf. She returns to her hometown, now living among her enemies as a common maid. As she navigates her past, she forms a bond with Alpha Van, who believes she’s his second chance mate despite being married to her step-sister. But with a vengeful heart and a determination to uncover the mysteries of her death, Narah must choose: embrace her fated mate or accept Alpha Zander’s proposal? Can she seek revenge on those who wronged her, or will she remain forever in the shadows?

I loved eating cakes. My dad would bring me one every day after work, and my mom bought a full set of oven and baking tools, patiently learning how to bake them for me. I once thought I was the happiest little princess in the world until the day my parents divorced. The person who came to pick up my dad turned out to be the bakery owner. My mom turned to me, growling, "This is all your fault! If you hadn't asked for cakes every day, your dad never would've cheated!" She stretched out her hands, covered in burn scars, and screamed hysterically, "I slaved away making cakes for you, and these hands have never healed since. What did you do? You both think the stuff from outside is so much better!" She grabbed a baking sheet and smacked me hard with it. I bit my lip, not daring to make a sound. That night, she brought home a little girl. Ignoring the pain all over my body, I begged for her forgiveness. "Mom, I'm sorry. Please don't throw me away. I swear I'll never eat another cake!" She slapped me across the face, but that wasn't enough to quench her anger. She tossed me into the big oven. "I'm not your mom! You love cakes so much? Stay in there and reflect on what you've done! You and your worthless dad both deserve to die!" After she slammed the door and stormed out, the little girl skipped over to the oven, grinning smugly as she hit the switch. "From now on, your mom is gonna be mine!" The oven kicked on, and the temperature began to rise. I smiled bitterly. At least this way, my mom could finally be happy.

A year ago, a witch planted a curse on me. Afflicted with the Silver Moon disease, my life hung by a thread. At the risk of his life, Sebastian Garland, the Alpha and my boyfriend at the time, ventured into the deadly Dark Woods. He suffered for 99 days, braving countless dangers, just to bring back the antidote that could save my life. From that moment onward, I swore that no matter what kind of mistake he made, I would forgive him 99 times. Soon after my vow takes effect, Sebastian betrays me. He starts bringing back countless lovers to our home. "This is the reality of being a Luna. You should get used to it," he says to me. On the anniversary of our relationship, he brings back another lover. "Cassandra, Isabella doesn't have a gown she can wear to the party. Give her the one you wore on your wedding day," Sebastian heartlessly orders me. Despite believing that I've grown numb, when I hear those words, my heart still feels like it has been ripped apart. My voice trembles with rage as I cry out, "You can't keep hurting me however you like just because you think I'll bear with it! I won't put up with this forever. I'll break my bond with you!" All of the werewolves in the pack laugh hysterically, as if they have just been told the most ridiculous joke in the world. Sebastian's repeated humiliation of me has left me without a shred of dignity as his Luna. No one believes me. While eyeing me derisively, Sebastian says, "I'm sick of hearing that. It's even more nauseating than the moans you make in bed!" I close my eyes, allowing my tears to fall. This is the 96th time. Once he uses up all of his chances, it'll be the day I'll finally be free.

I'm married to Don Antonio Gallo for ten years. My hands, which are originally meant to play the piano, have learned to assemble guns and take apart bombs for him. I was there with Antonio when he was just a lowly criminal, and I witnessed his entire journey to the summit, where he claimed the throne as the king of the underground casino. But right after Antonio becomes successful in life, he gets infatuated with a pure and innocent maiden from the slums. That maiden is Silvia Bianchi. She was delivered to Antonio's bed like cargo. A maiden like her is as pure as an angel, yet so delicate like porcelain. For the first time ever, Antonio, who's already used to bloodshed and violence, gets a taste of addiction. He's really good at hiding her presence. I only find out about it when I accidentally come across him and Silvia attending a prenatal checkup together. When I break down and demand an explanation from Antonio, he just hands over a divorce agreement nonchalantly. "Silvia doesn't have anyone to rely on, nor does she have a home to go back to. Once she has a proper title, she and her baby won't get bullied anymore. "If you sign this document, I'll give you 20% of my shares. Once Silvia gives birth to her baby, I'll make sure that the baby acknowledges you as their mother as well. Consider this my compensation to you." Of course, I can't accept it at all. I end up slapping Silvia on the face during her baby's first party. That night, my younger brother, Paolo Romano, gets crippled and strapped to the front of an armored truck. "This is the lesson you shall learn for hurting Silvia, Valentina!" I kneel on the ground and beg Antonio to stop. But the moment the engine starts, I feel Paolo's blood being sprayed all over my face. Sharp pain flares from my abdomen immediately. I can only clutch it while screaming hysterically before passing out. When I open my eyes again, I've returned to the day Antonio and Silvia are attending a prenatal checkup together. This time, I no longer ask Antonio any questions. Instead, I secretly sell all of the jewelry I've secretly kept and buy myself two plane tickets. Now, I just want to escape from Antonio with Paolo by my side.