It Hurts

She was afraid to fall in love. He never lowered the walls of his heart, afraid to face betrayal. Both were busy chasing away the demons of their sleepless nights not knowing when their lives entangled and they crashed into each other, seeking solace from the treacherous world. Valerie Ambrose bumped into Damon Lysander at a downtown club. Eyes met, sparks flew, heat rose, and they ended up having a one-night stand. _ "I don't have cash on me. I forgot my wallet." He slurred, his crystal blue eyes bloodshot red as he stared directly into my eyes, for a moment I thought he was sober, but then he leaned in and whispered in my ear, his breath fanning my neck. "Now are you still interested?" Although the music was blasting through the speakers, but I caught up on his hidden implication. I shook my head in exhaustion "You're drunk Damon. Come I will drop you home." "I don't want to go back there. It hurts Val." He mumbled dryly, but his moist eyes said it all, and I couldn't help but pity him. When I failed to respond he pressed his lips to the side of my neck and inhaled deeply. "Please don't leave me alone." He was barely audible and looked like a mess, a beautiful mess. "I can't bear this anymore." And with that said, he pressed his lips to mine.

At our daughter’s three-month milestone party, my husband Garrett’s so-called "best friend" publicly humiliated me. “Hey, Vivian. I heard you're a little loose down there after popping out the kid.” "If it's that bad, you better get some tightening surgery quick—don't wanna mess up your marriage vibes!" Garrett shot her a playful glare and snapped, "Knock it off, Scarlett! You can't just say whatever pops into your head." Then he turned to me with a breezy shrug. "She's just like that—total tomboy. We grew up together; she means no harm." Scarlett shook her half-exposed breast and pouted, "Oh, come on, don't take it personally, Vivian. Honestly, I'm kind of jealous of you." "See, my problem is the opposite. I'm way too tight—hurts like hell during my period. No clue who's gonna get lucky with this later." Then she cut her eyes toward Garrett with a playful wink. " Oh right, you've tried it before, haven't you?" The room went dead silent. Every pair of eyes drifted toward me, barely concealing their curiosity. I smiled, set down my wine glass, and looked at Scarlett with fake concern. "That's strange. I don't remember making it that tight when I did your surgery."

"Get up, I'm hungry. Cook for me NOW!" The authoritative tone jolted me awake, not giving me a moment to freshen up or even change. We don't sleep side by side; he stays in the master bedroom while I occupy the guest room. He can't stand being near me. It hurts deeply when those words come from him, but it's a recurring pattern. I hurriedly made my way downstairs, still tying the robe around me. In the kitchen, I began preparing his breakfast. You see, I'm his secret wife. No one knows except our parents and a few friends. Since we got married, not a day goes by without him reminding me that he doesn't love me. Not a day goes by without him hurting me. But that's alright because, as I've mentioned, I love him so much that I'm willing to do anything just to earn his love in return. A single tear escaped and fell onto the clove of garlic I was chopping. I quickly wiped it away. From the corner of my eye, I noticed Manang watching me. I took a deep breath to regain my composure before turning to her with a forced smile. "I'm sorry; I got emotional over garlic." I lied.

Inside the tattoo studio, Seth Jones let his fingertips trace the dip of Rita Searle's waist and move slowly up her spine. With a soft rustle, her dress slipped to her ankles. He stood over her, taking in the blood-red rose inked across her chest. They had been married for three years, and this was the anniversary gift he'd be giving her—999 roses tattooed into her skin. A broken sob scraped up Rita's throat. "Seth, it hurts… Please, stop…" Her tears splashed onto the back of his hand, but he only pressed the needle deeper, dragging it along until angry red welts marked her body. "Victor wanted those damn roses so he could give them to another woman, and that led to Tara falling off that cliff and ending up in a vegetative state. I'm just giving him what he wanted. You should be grateful." Lying on the cold tattoo table, Rita felt the chill spreading through her. Her eyes stung, weighed down by grief churning behind them. "Isn't it enough? You bought out Searle Group, you hung Victor over a cliff, and left him for the vultures. What else do you want from us?" Seth grabbed her by the throat and forced her chin up. "And isn't Tara innocent in all this? Rita, you and Victor destroyed her life. Don't you owe her for that?"

On Mating Day, Elara Vale finds her boyfriend, Liam Ashcroft, cheating on her with her mean half-sister, Seraphina Vale. This happens on the same day he was supposed to choose Elara as his mate. It hurts even more when Liam says Seraphina is his true mate, giving them the right to be together. Heartbroken, Elara runs into the forbidden forest. There, she meets a dangerous stranger. His scent triggers a mating heat Elara was never meant to feel. Thinking he is a rogue, she gives in to one night with him and runs away before morning, never seeing his face. When Elara gets home Elara is really scared to find out that someone has marked Elara. Her father, Rowan Vale tells her that he will kill her if she does not find a man who's willing to marry a woman like Elara who has a mark. Elara thinks that no man wants to be, with her. Then something surprising happens. The man that everyone is afraid of, Alpha Kael Nightborne of Nightfall Pack decides that he wants to marry Elara. Alpha Kael Nightborne chooses Elara to be his bride. There is something about this person that feels really familiar in a kind of way. This person seems to be someone I have met before. I just cannot quite put my finger on who he is.. Something, about him feels dangerously familiar.

"Why......... You don't even care about me, ever since I stepped into this house all you do is ignore me, it hurts you know." Layla broke down into tears, without warning, Theodore pulled her to a kiss, Layla tried pulling away from him but he didn't buldge, it didn't take long for her to melt in his arms, returning the kiss. --- Layla, who was sentenced to ten years for murder, a crime she didn't commit was sad and depressed, during the process she lost her mother, everthing felt hopeless, she gave up on life until she was given a chance to get married to a multi billionaire, Layla was sceptical at first but she accepted, she couldn't get a job or a place to stay because of her record so it was a plus for her. Theodore on the other hand is a multi billionaire, he lost his father at a young age and his mother who he thought was loving and caring left his at a young age with his sisters who were kids, after that Theodore grew to have hatred for women, when he was asked to get married he didn't want to but had to accept because of his grandfather. Theodore didn't like Layla but as time passed by he couldn't help but fall for her and she also felt the same, after a very difficult time together, he discovered her secrets and in that process they learnt about their love for each other, he helped her get revenge and she helped heal his heart.

"N-N-No, I'm joining my hands in front of you not today, it hurts a lot." she cried out while joining her hands in front of him. "Come here, fast!!" he commanded her in his authoritative voice making her stomach churn and insides shudder. "N-N-No, please let me go. Don't do this." she cried out loudly when he started to charge towards her. She decided to run in opposite direction in order to save herself but before she could even take a single step away from her place he was standing right in front of her and snatched her scarf away from her. ________ Tears welled up in her eyes because no one has ever talked to her with this much respect and calmness. Moreover, she was shocked too after hearing him talking in her native language which she didn't even expect from him. Ryker Verlice, the most feared mob boss of Ireland. Everyone fears him because of his intimidated and impatient aura. His anger issues are cherry on top. He cares for nothing literally nothing but what happens when a caged and scared beauty catches his eyes? Inaayat, the caged and scared beauty is serving the thakurs since her childhood. She has no identity except the maid of the thakurs. No one knows her because she lives hidden by the thakurs. They have broken her to the extent that she couldn't trust anyone but what will happen when an unknown intimidating man will start standing up for her?

Who knew that bumping on to a stranger's car would give someone a one way ticket to a world they so despise and desperately avoid? Sienna Melendez doesn't want to be married, nor fall in love. She had that tattooed across her brain. She doesn't need these things, she can live and be happy just by herself. Plus, she doesn't want the pain that comes with love. It hurts, anesthetics could never help, and time doesn't seem to heal it at all. But when she bumped into a guy's car, she thought that after a few negotiations and her paying for the damages, they would just forget and move on. No, her parents thought she was being too friendly with him and thought it was best for the both of their companies if they were married. Things did not end well, and now, she's facing a life being trapped in a marriage with the heir of the Valencia empire, the "demon" as she had nicknamed him, Neo Valencia. ** "Damn it!" marahas niyang itinapon ang tuwalyang hawak sa sofa. "You know what? I hate you! I hate your dumb voice, your stupid muscles and your annoyingly attractive face!" "And you know what they say," his lips twitched into a smirk. "- that love and hate are two sides of a very... very thin line," tinalikuran siya nito at pumasok na sa banyo. And she just stood there, trying to process what he just said when she realized something. "Hoy! Ako na dapat 'yong mauuna sa banyo eh!"

When the moon turns black, blood will choose its master. Kaelira Voss was never meant to lead—only to obey. Branded as a volatile wolf with a dangerous temper, she spends her life fighting for scraps of respect from a pack that will never trust her. But when a dying boy stumbles across the border whispering of experiments, moonfire, and a coming plague, Kaelira’s act of mercy ignites a chain of events that will change everything. The Lycan King, Zevran Kaelith, arrives to reclaim what’s his: the fugitive boy and the secrets he carries. But when Kaelira’s blood destroys the curse consuming him, Zevran sees the impossible—witchcraft flowing through a wolf’s veins. Bound by ancient magic neither understands, the two become reluctant allies as an ancient prophecy awakens beneath the rising Black Moon. Haunted by visions of her dead mother and hunted by both her former Alpha and the High Lunar Dominion, Kaelira must master the power buried in her blood before it consumes her completely. But the closer she gets to the truth, the harder it becomes to ignore the pull between her and the cold, infuriating king who swore he’d never love again. Enemies by birth. Fated by blood. Together, they are the spark that could burn kingdoms—or save them. Blood of the Black Moon is a dark fantasy romance filled with betrayal, power, and slow-burn passion between a fierce female lead and the Lycan king destined to destroy—or worship—her. Perfect for fans of forbidden bonds, hidden magic, and enemies-to-lovers tension that hurts so good.

Dmitri Volkov is the heir to one of New York’s most ruthless Russian mafia families—cold, controlled, and carrying scars no one is allowed to see. He has spent his life obeying blood oaths and burying every part of himself that doesn’t serve the syndicate. Love, especially love for a man, is a weakness he cannot afford. Ethan Moreau is a twenty-two-year-old French art student on scholarship at NYU—soft-spoken, openly gay, and painfully trusting. He came to New York to chase beauty in a city full of sharp edges, never expecting one of those edges to look back at him with ice-blue eyes. Their worlds collide by chance in Central Park. A fleeting encounter becomes stolen nights, desperate kisses in shadowed alleys, and whispered promises neither of them can keep. For Ethan, Dmitri is intensity and danger wrapped in tenderness he’s never known. For Dmitri, Ethan is the first crack of light in a life built on darkness—and the one thing that could destroy everything he’s been raised to protect. But secrets have weight. Dmitri’s family is closing in, a rival syndicate is circling, and every touch between them pulls the noose tighter. Misunderstandings fester into silence, jealousy into rage, and love into something that hurts to hold. When blood finally stains the canvas of their fragile world, Ethan will have to decide if he can love a man who was born to break hearts—and Dmitri will have to choose between the family that raised him and the only person who ever made him want to be free. In a city that devours the innocent, their story is a slow bleed of devotion, betrayal, and the kind of love that can ruin you completely.