Novel & Cerita Paper Hearts By Tori Kelly

Why did something so beautiful have to be tainted by the worst? Sitting down, I leaned my head back and closed my eyes. Thoughts of what Liam had done to me flashed through my head and I could feel his hands all over me, taking my innocence away and my eyes darted open. My heart was beating so fast in that short time, tears had rolled down my cheeks. I grabbed my phone from my pocket and called Keith who answered on the fourth ring. “Sup,” he asked, sounding as if he had just woken up. “Can you come and get me?” my voice cracked at the end.

Thank you for understanding that the tart in the front case center position was never just a tart. Stories exist because readers complete them. You completed this one. And that means more than I know how to say in a letter. With gratitude, always — -InkHeart *Author of Seducing My Best Friend's Brother* --- *Sweet Proof. Cobble Hill, Brooklyn. Always open. The cardamom tart is in the front case, center position. It always will be.*

She asked, impatient as she waited for him to elaborate. "Bruce a-and Layla Kingston. They're the leaders of t-the Panthers, The American m-mafia." She sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Unfortunately, I don't have a clue of who they are." The woman grabbed another knife from the table and slashed multiple cuts on his chest, red blood oozing down his torso freely. Bella went around him and carved a heart on his bare back. It was her symbol; a signature, you could say. Each of her victims, alive or not, bared the symbol on their skin.

Like they could lift her up with a finger. These people were not her match. She was just thinking when she noticed the tattoo drawn on the wrist of one of the men. It was a drawing of a dragon's head chained inside a flaming ring. Her eyes filled with recognition and she almost gasped but she kept it down thankfully, not allowing the fear to completely seize her. These people belonged to one of the most notorious gangs. S-rank first class killers from the dragon's ring. Whoever they've set their eyes on, they take. They make no mistakes.

It hit the floor with a sharp clatter, snapping open. Both girls froze. Inside the tiny heart-shaped casing was an old piece of paper Piper bent down and picked it up. It wasn't just a paper, it was a cut-out picture. Her breath caught, recognition gnawing at the back of her throat. “I’ve seen this woman,” she whispered. “I’ve seen her somewhere.”

‘I just used up my the pages of old diary after five fucking years… “Wow, wonderful handwriting. How on Earth is this man blessed with everything except a heart and manners?” I flipped through the pages, not reading anything but just to appreciate his handwriting. “This doesn’t feel right.” I stopped flipping but of course, the page it stopped at had a different paper stapled to it. My eyeballs dropped from their sockets when the stapled paper had my name on it. Not surprising, I know, but shockingly, there was a heart-shape around my name with multiple smaller heart shapes around it.

You can't wash it away. And the most recent—my favorite—was a heart. I carved it from the chest of a man who had been begging for his life minutes earlier. It was still pulsing when I placed it in a velvet-lined, heart-shaped box. The note was simple and direct: I send you this heart so you'd know I'm still thinking about yours.

I took out the paper heart in my pocket and showed it to dad. "I badly want to ask you before if what would you do to this paper heart upon knowing that I'm gay, I think I got the answers." Then I crumpled it and tore it into pieces. My tears kept on falling while doing it. It was so hard for me to do this. I just can't breathe. "You failed all of us, Zander." Mom commented and helped me stood up. "You will come back here, Melissa. I know you will." Dad uttered but mom and I didn't pay attention to face him. We walked upstairs. Mom told me to pack all my things as she did to hers.

"There's three hundred thousand on this card. No PIN needed. Two hundred thousand to pay you back, and another hundred thousand for interest. For the last decade." I paused, then added, "Thank you. When I found out, I was really touched." Finally reacting, Jessica hurriedly waved her hands in protest. "No, you don't have to. Just think of it as…" I cut her off, "Debts need to be repaid. As for my gratitude? If you ever need me, I'll do whatever it takes to help." I pushed the card into her hand before she could object again. Jessica pursed her lips as she held the card helplessly, then said hoarsely, "Seb, we…"

He instantly reads the content of the old magazine. "--- Kei is every woman's dream ... He is the most gentle and tender person that I've met in my whole life. He has a beautiful heart which is different from what you see on the TV screens. And just like us, he can also feel pain and sadness, but he just conceals them all by smiling to the world. Everytime I see him in pain, I always had this impulse to wrap my arms around him, whisper comforting words into his ear, hoping that I could take away all of his sadness and sufferings. I really thank the heavens and the stars for letting me meet a special, beautiful and caring person like Kei... And thank you for for giving me this kind of feeling