Reminder To Myself Artinya

After escaping the clutches of her abusive and violent ex-husband Curtis Black, Cass is plagued with the reminder of what she endured, reliving the nightmares when certain things trigger her. Until she meets the world’s most dangerous man, the Mafia King Matteo DeAngelis. Everyone fears this man and how far his influence reaches. He is untouchable. No government or authority can touch him, for everyone fears the retaliation if they tried. But Cassandria is not afraid of him. She feels safe being around him. He is the only one who can bring her out of the dark and into the light. Cassandria is his light to his darkness, just like he is hers. Two people lost in the darkness of their world that can save each other. Sounds beautiful doesn’t it? However, Matteo knows the truth of who Cassandria is and her family heritage. That it is her destiny to become the first female Don or Donna. But there is something more that could break them apart for good. Shatter their lives completely and make her question his true intentions. What will happen when Cassandria learns the truth? Will she leave and become stronger? Or will she just roll over and accept her new reality? Will her demons from her abusive past return to haunt her, or will she destroy them all? Tesoro contains things that some will find triggering, such as mentions of her abuse, rape, torture, kidnapping, degradation, and humiliation. This is slightly dark, so be warned.

Anita," her angelic voice calls to me. Thunder rumbles in the distance. Her soft, delicate hands caressing my face, sparkling green eyes grounding me from the dark past I wish I could forget. "You're safe, it's okay." I bring my hand up, running my finger over the mound of scar tissue. The constant reminder of that night. The raised bump covers the bullet fragment embedded in my sternum. She takes my hands as more thunder rumbles and tears roll down my cheeks. "Breathe Anita," she says in a soothing whisper. My lungs were burning with the need for air and it was then that I realized I'd been holding it. I take in a gasping breath and recall the first time my eyes met her green eyes. My sister had been lifted off me and my eyes opening had startled her. The first time she touched me gave me strength to hold on. I held her hand tight, trying to tell her what happened, but couldn't get enough breath to form words. Sitting in the present going through the same as I had five years ago. "They were all found, Anita. They can't hurt you anymore. It's just a storm. All the doors and windows are locked, the alarm is set. It's just you and me." "Will you keep the light on tonight, please?"

In the coastal quiet of Baler, a studio is born—not of architecture, but of intention.* Founded by Yam, a poet whose words cradle pain gently, and Franc, an artist who paints tenderness into walls, the studio becomes a refuge for those learning to stay—with grief, love, longing, and themselves. As visitors arrive, they leave behind more than footprints: a sigh recorded in bamboo, a poem tucked into the “Found Letters” shelf, a mural painted in crooked lines. Through zines, tea, silence, and sketchbooks, the studio teaches softness as revolution. Ren creates the *Window of Soft Returns*, an installation of anonymous voice recordings—each whisper forming a community of echoes. Drew builds the *Staircase With No Wrong Turns*, inviting people to walk through emotions without shame. Franc offers brushstrokes as brave work, and Yam curates writing circles that map healing in half sentences. Together, they host festivals that feel like hugs, and they begin traveling their archive, letting softness cross oceans. Even those who once left—like Miguel—return, discovering that some doors never truly close. Others, like Tala, capture the studio’s sound and turn it into a podcast of breath and becoming. Over seventy chapters, the studio transforms into something larger than itself: a mural of memory, a sanctuary for second chances, a place where return is sacred and voice is proof of survival. In the final bloom, the studio stands not as a monument—but as a reminder: > *“Staying isn’t easy. > But chosen together, > it becomes home.”*

(Warning 18+) He can’t forgive. She can’t remember. But their past won’t stay buried. Atticus Roan is desperate for a fresh start. After two years of hardship, she’s ready to rebuild her life, even if it means facing rejection for the way her plus-size figure no longer fits society’s ideals. Applying for a secretary position at Royal Cruise Manufacturing Company is her last hope. But she never expected her potential boss to be Phoenix Everette — a man whose icy glare hides a storm of resentment and pain.Phoenix remembers everything Atticus forgot. Two years ago, her betrayal left him broken, both in heart and body. Now he walks with a cane, a daily reminder of the accident that shattered his life — and he blames her for it. Her return stirs old wounds and a fury he thought he’d buried. How dare she stand before him, unaware of the damage she caused?As their worlds collide, a tangled web of lost memories, buried secrets, and raw emotions threatens to destroy them both. Atticus must uncover the truth about their past, while Phoenix must decide if he can let go of his anger.Can they confront their painful history and find forgiveness, or are some wounds too deep to heal? In a battle between resentment and redemption, second chances don’t come easy — but they might be worth the fight.

"Bless me daddy, for I have sinned." Geoff Vasily was a sick bastard. He was depraved. I knew something was off about him the moment I saw his slicked golden hair and stony gray eyes. I used to live a cheap, albeit independent life supporting myself and my mother, despite my eighteen years of existence. The day he walked into the cafè, I knew the Devil had just walked into our lives. I told her not to take the card, but she didn't listen. Now, he doesn't even look at my mother. He's fixated on me. My stepfather. My doom.

"Marry me. Twelve months. No feelings. Just business." Lucas Anderson, billionaire CEO and certified cold-hearted jerk, just offered me a deal I can't afford to refuse. But here's the problem. Lucas is the man who ruined my life. He doesn’t recognize me, not as Mia, the girl he once loved and left behind. Now I’m Emma Smith, his assistant. And future fake wife. I should hate him. I promised myself I would. But every time he looks at me like I still matter, it gets harder to keep my secret… and even harder to keep my heart.

All my life, I never truly got to live. Everything I said or did had been at the whims of others. I was nothing more than a doll for people to play with and toss away when they became bored of her. When I finally decided to live for myself and my baby, I died full of regrets unable to accomplish anything. However, the Moon Goddess saw fit to give me a second chance, and I refused to waste it. The first step in my path of revenge and ensuring a good life for the both of us was to enter a contract marriage with Maverick Peterson, a powerful demon werewolf hybrid, and the suspected father of my baby.

Oh ... Yes ... Like that ... You are the best ... They were at it again. Ever since that young man had moved in next door, these sounds had frequently invaded my room. It wasn't just that they were so loud, it was that once they began, they were sure to keep me up for half the night. I hammered on the wall, hoping they would quieten down. If anything, the noises only got louder. I could feel myself getting angry. I was on the warpath. I stormed outside and hammered on his door. But I was not prepared for what I saw once it opened. I shouldn't be privy to this, I thought. After witnessing this, how can I be allowed to live?

One night, One mistake, And now Vaughn acts like he owns parts of me I never meant to give. When Vaughn walked in on me touching myself, I should have screamed, pushed him out, anything to get rid of him, but instead? I spread my legs and did everything he asked of me. It was supposed to be one night, one reckless encounter, but when I let him fuck me he couldn't walk away. Now I have to see him every day on campus, I have to run without getting caught in his trap, but it appears to be too late for that, and I might like this cage I'm in.

Sheer fate was what turned our bittersweet love into a happy ever after. Fate? I myself erased and rewrote our love story to give it the happy ending we deserved. I was promised to Matteo Giuseppe, the youngest son of the most powerful family in the Chicago Outfit but I was given away to Salvatore Berlusconi, the Capo dei Capi of the New York Famiglia. I was sold to him as an object marking the end of the Great War, or rather, it was me atoning for the sins of my father. A wedding solely about duty, honour and atonement. ••••••••••••••• “ If you told me about the darkness inside of you, I'd still look at you like you are the sun.” Book one of A Mafia's Love Chronicles.