Limestone Skin Tone

“It's time baby, come home now. You have wandered for too long. “He spoke in a calm tone as if he was coaxing a small kid to give up on her bad habit. My fingers tightly gripped each side of my dress and tears welled up in my eyes. I whipped my head at Adan for protection but my heart stuttered when I witness the look of betrayal on his face. “Please let me explain. “I pleaded in my mind. But he wasn’t looking at me. “What if I don’t let you take her then?” This time Adan spoke and a ray of hope sparkled in my heart. He snickered. “I can see my wife has thoroughly pleased you. Trust me, I don’t want any bloodshed. Give my wife back and I will leave without wagging war.”

In front of the orphanage gates, Rebecca Schwartz, the impoverished student I had been sponsoring, stood glaring at me with a face full of disdain. "If you don't let Freddie come along, I'm not going to your house either," she declared, her tone sharp and unyielding. In the past, blinded by love and hopelessly infatuated, I would have caved to her demands, humbling myself just to keep the peace. But things were different now—I had been reborn. Staring at this despicable pair, who had once caused my tragic demise, a tidal wave of fury surged within me. Yet, it settled into nothing more than a faint, icy smile on my lips. "Then stay here," I said, my voice cold and steady. "Rot in this place alongside your precious Freddie. After all, trash like you belong in the garbage heap."

To my parents, I was their obedient and kind daughter. To my students, I was their gentle and understanding piano teacher. To my audience, I was the star performer at the cabaret. Of all these different identities, my favorite was by far the last. I enjoyed the hungry gazes that fell on me, searing my skin like flames. I enjoyed the juxtaposition between my different identities, never tired of playing different roles. In a sense, I was born to act, and I was passionately devoted to each of my identities. So, won't you come watch me dance?

“Sophia! Sophia!!” I dropped to my knees beside her, grabbing her fragile shoulders, shaking her gently at first, then harder, desperate for any reaction. Nothing. Her skin was cold. <<< Clarissa felt her life crumbling right before her eyes. Bruce was responsible for their daughter's death and many things looked planned. Her goal was to find out what happened but she couldn't be in the marriage anymore. What happens when old flames rekindle? Will Clarissa avenge her daughter's death? Who is Clarissa?

Heartbroken and betrayed countless times, Victoria, a single mother who was separated from her child, develops a tough skin and decides to get back at those that hurt her and her child. Will you be able to conquer the mafia clan that is after her and get back her child or will she end up going to jail for the numerous crimes she committed?. "Wherever you are, I'm going to get you and take my son back," she promised Derrick her fiance, who is now an enemy on phone and ended the call.

"Beauty is nothing when you're unloved." Eloise is a rare beauty with fair skin and mesmerizing lilac eyes. Despite becoming an orphan at a young age, she has always been strong-willed. However, one night she makes a mistake and gets entangled with Cedrick, the alpha. Unfortunately, that one mistake became the start of Eloise's misery. But she is not one to give up easily. Now, Eloise faces a difficult decision. Will she choose to fight and escape her fate, or will she succumb to her circumstances?

He didn't just want a seat at the table. He wanted the heart of the home. The Sinclair-Wellesley name meant old money, high art, and a fragile, curated peace. Milo, the youngest and most "cherished" of the clan, was the crown jewel of that peace—a soft-spoken academic with porcelain skin and a soul made of books. He was a boy meant for quiet libraries, not the jagged edges of the corporate world. Then came Jackson Vance. A titan built of steel, gasoline, and unbridled ambition, Jax didn't ask for permission—he took.

My husband's first love was scalded by boiling water. To punish me, he forced me into a customized steamer half my height, turned the heat to its highest setting, and sealed me inside. "I'll make you feel the pain Jessica suffered a thousand times over!" Trapped in the suffocating space, my breath came in ragged gasps. Heat seared my skin, and my body felt as though it would melt. I sobbed, begging him for mercy. "Please! I'm going to die!" But he didn't look back. Holding his beloved in his arms, he walked away. He even locked the door after he left the room. "Don't worry, you won't die. This is the only way you'll understand Jessica's pain." Despair swallowed me whole. I screamed, my voice raw, but the boiling water beneath me splashed up, scalding my skin, stealing even the strength to cry. He left the country with Jessica that same night. A week passed before he finally remembered my existence. "That wretched woman must have learned her lesson by now. Let her out." What he didn't know was that the water had long since boiled away, the heat had faded, and inside the steamer, my corpse lay rotting—swarmed with maggots.

Lucia Garcia has spent her life hiding bruises—both on her skin and in her heart, trapped under the thumb of her abusive stepfather. Lucia is thrust into a dangerous world when her stepfather drags her to a lavish party hosted by Lorenzo, the ruthless Mafia King who rules the city with an iron fist. When Lucia accidentally witnesses Lorenzo execute a man, she finds herself at his mercy, her fate hanging in the balance. Lorenzo: "The moment I set eyes on you, you became mine!"

"What if I can't give you an heir?" I asked, my voice trembling. Maximus's eyes darkened even further. "Then you will be of no use to me," he said, his tone dismissive. I could feel the tears starting to prick at the corners of my eyes. I had always known that my life would be hard, but never had i imagined myself in this position. *** Sold into a forced marriage, Felicity believes her fate is sealed. But when she realizes the cruel and dominating alpha king is her mate, everything changes. She gives him a son, hoping for her freedom, but instead learns she's nothing but a breeder to him. Heartbroken, she flees with her unborn child. Now a single mommy pursued by many alphas, will the alpha king recognize his true feelings and chase her back? Or will her be forever haunted by a love that was never meant to be?