Strangely Familiar Uncomfortable Liminal Spaces

The evening wind and tranquility wiped away all the chaos that had been filling my mind for the preceding few days. It felt as though I had been granted a second opportunity at life, akin to that of a newborn kid. I'd always wanted to feel that way for so long, and that night was a very captivating time for me to begin with. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, feeling the breeze brush against my skin as I relived all the horrific events that had occurred. All the turmoil that seemed to escape reappeared in an instant. Tears rush down my cheeks as I feel my body shudder as a dreadful understanding dawns on me. It feels as if every second of my existence has been squandered, and as if the sense of despair and worry has taken over the little strand of sanity that exists for me as it pours through my veins and fills my spirit to the core. "You've got this. All you have to do is think that you can," I said to myself persuasively. "You can't, you just can't. You'll never be able to do it, and you'll have to live with the repercussions for the rest of your life," a familiar voice said. My senses begin to be overpowered by numbness. And with that, I realized I could not go away. The reality that this is my fate hits me like a ton of bricks. As I stretched out to wipe away all my tears, I felt thick moisture on my fingers and was terrified to find blood instead of tears. I felt as if my world was spinning before I could even scream. Then, all of a sudden, darkness crept inside me. And eventually sends me to oblivion.

"I love fantasies. Impossible, only imaginable fantasies. The ones that would take me beyond and beyond my monotonous life. To other worlds. But this, isn't going to end well," I was saying to myself while lying down with closed eyes and recurring thoughts, starring at the bluest skies and the brightest stars. This city leaves me gawking at its beauty and at the same time allures me to its darkest mysteries. As I was running to find the only thing that could push me out of this fantastical realm, the clustered thoughts in my mind hits me hard everyday, leaving me sleepless and clueless. "You were at that place at that time. It may or may not be desirable. Fate, maybe. But, it's you," the familiar woman's voice kept repeating inside my head. "Begin with what you know and dig the unknown," the man I loved the most said, leaving me chase the knowns inside my scrambled mind. I was going after every single possible hint to take myself away from the life I've always wished to live. "I don't want this. Not for me. Not for my family," I falsely admit to myself, still secretly enjoying every moment of it. She, Idaliah Bristor seems to have a flamboyant life which takes a mysterious turn when she enters the unmapped city of BcHaven. Let's walk and roll with her as she says, "Whatever it may take, I'm giving it a go". Etymology: GEMICIDE - • Gem- The Gem Team • cide - Killing/Sacrificing 'Gemicide', the term I coined means that the Gem Girls without any hesitation is ready to sacrifice themselves or get killed to save their city.

Lucia had never believed in rebirth. She had read about it a few times in books tucked away on her shelf, but she never imagined it could be real. Yet, here she was—reborn. This time, she swore she wouldn’t let kindness be her downfall. She would make them pay. Her so-called best friend and husband had used her, drained her of everything, and left her with nothing. They manipulated her, deceived her, and when they had no more use for her, they poisoned her—leaving her to suffer in agony for over a year. What a vile couple. On the night of her death—her own birthday—they stood before her, laughing as they confessed their betrayal. They had taken everything from her, and now, they wanted her to know the full extent of their cruelty. Her husband and best friend, her supposed confidants, had been lovers all along. Worse, they had killed her true mate. Lucia had wept until there were no more tears left to shed. Too weak to fight, too broken to scream, she watched as they reveled in their wickedness, even making out right in front of her as she lay dying. That night, amidst a raging storm, Lucia took her last breath. But when she opened her eyes again, morning light streamed through the window. "Is this heaven?" she whispered, confused. A familiar voice answered. "Lucia, you’re awake! Let me get the doctor!" Brittany exclaimed before rushing out of the room. In that instant, Lucia knew the truth. She had been reborn. And this time, she would make them pay—for everything they did to her and her family.

Aquel día, en nuestro quinto aniversario de boda, recibí una llamada. Era el encargado del fondo familiar: le avisaba que una de las piezas almacenadas estaba por vencer y debía retirarla cuanto antes. Mi esposo, Mateo Fuentes, también conocido como el jefe de la mafia, estaba tan ocupado que ni siquiera se tomó un minuto para pensarlo. Así que decidí ir yo a recoger la caja. Dentro encontré un rollo de película antigua. El responsable me advirtió que, si no la revelaba pronto, el material se estropearía con el tiempo. Cuando por fin la revelé, cada fotografía mostraba a Mateo con Elsa Lara, su primer amor, sonriendo de una forma tan dulce que me dejó sin aliento. Y en todos sus álbumes, ni una sola foto mía. De repente, la puerta de la oficina se abrió de golpe. Mateo entró alterado, visiblemente molesto, y preguntó con impaciencia: —¿Anita Silva, estás revisando mi privacidad? Lo miré con calma. No grité, no pregunté nada. Solo dije: —Divorcémonos. Su expresión se endureció. Sin decir una palabra, tomó las fotos y las metió en la trituradora. Cuando el ruido cesó, se giró hacia mí y soltó: —Ya las destruí. ¿Y aun así quieres divorciarte? Una sonrisa amarga se me escapó. —Sí.

"Jade!" He said in a commanding voice. "You want me to be a princess and set me up for price. But dad, you don't get it." She paused. "I belong to the other side of the tale, I love Dragon!" She shouted at her father and  turned around to walk away. Her words skipped the breath of a person. A person who never thought someone might love what he is. Yes, he is a dragon. A tragic accident during his childhood gave him a new life, a life gifted by the dragons. He owns their power which saved him from death, but the same power distanced him from the world of today. A century with flying planes would never accept a flying dragon; that is what he thought until a loud and clear voice declared her love towards dragons. ~~~~~ "I don't know you." Jade pushed him back.. He regret to accept her offer. He never thought this is how they would meet. And now his task was the hurdle between them. He took a step towards her one after another. She gazed at him in confusion. Wiping out the space between them, he stood exactly in front of her. As she looked at him, his face changed. Her eyes widened at the familiar face. She gulped and stepped back. "Why you?" she said in a low voice. ******* Jade Shaw Halston, a rebellious daughter of a great business man. Love is what she crave for while her father wants money. Alden Ryuu Greyson, a man with the power of a dragon, who fell for the person for the first time ever in his life just because she loves dragons. Will their love succeed or hunt by the tracker?A mysterious tracker that no one knows.

Who meets Prince Charming in an elevator while carrying their broken shoe? Lena Masterson was having a rough day. Her coffee pot exploded, her favorite heel broke on the way to work, her computer died, and her coworker sabotaged her performance review that she should have aced. To top it all off, she had to stay late. So when she ran into a handsome stranger at work, she was certain that it was the worst day of her life. Instead, it was the start of something wonderful. From the moment she nearly bowled the man over, she thought about him. She didn’t know anything about him, and could only assume that he was someone’s assistant. Still, the encounter left her with new self-confidence. She made a move assertive enough to get the attention of her boss’ boss, and be granted a new position as the personal paralegal of the head partner. This promotion soon led to an important trip to the Caribbean, where she saw a familiar face on the beach… Everything seemed perfect when she was in Aiden’s arms, but he was holding something back. Worse, Lena was keeping a secret from him as well. She knew that she couldn’t keep up her little white lie forever, but it turned out that Aiden’s secret was much bigger. Much much much bigger. A billion times bigger, in fact. Even though he treated her like Cinderella at the ball, it was possible that the billionaire playboy just thought of her as one of his “flavors of the week”. After saying goodbye with one last barefoot kiss and returning to the real world, there was a burning question on Lena’s mind: Did this Prince Charming love her as much as she loved him?

I was blind This is my fault, isn't it? The man I loved, and I thought he was going to protect me all my life is the one who sold me off to an unknown man. I spent a night with that man. I wanted to kill myself and end my misery. But the man I spent a night with stopped me. He made me an offer: he would give me my sight back, in return, I had to become his woman. In the moment of despair, I choose survival over everything else. After my sight was restored, I did what I thought was justice- I shot my vile ex-boyfriend. I spared his life, but only so he would live with the consequences of his betrayal. Then I ran. I couldn't be anyone's woman. But even as I escaped, one name lingered in my mind, Zac Bratva. I could never forget him. How could I? He was the father of my son. "It's been five years, huh! You think you can escape me." I was startled, hearing the familiar voice before looking around. "I don't know what you are saying, sir. I don't know you," I stammered, fear tightening around my throat. "Seems like I have to help you to recall!" He said, his voice sharp. But before I could react, he pressed his gun against my head and said, "I am Zac Bratva, the godfather," he growled, "Yet you are brave enough to play with me. Now, Get inside the car, Woman!" "Godfather! What?!" My head erupted.

WARNING: Mature & Explicit Scenes. Her body is the price—his desire, the currency. Selene Vantorel never expected to be auctioned, but with her father's crushing debts and a stepmother who'd rather see her sold off than cared for, she has no choice. The one thing that still ties her to her late mother is on the line—the family estate. And to keep it, she offers herself to the highest bidder, no matter the cost. Mafia boss Raphael Delano is used to power and control, but when he lays eyes on Selene, his world tilts. There’s something familiar about her—something buried in the haze of his lost memory, triggered by the brush of her fingers against his skin. But beneath his curiosity, his desire for her touch burns like wildfire. She’s his, no matter what it takes. But this isn’t just about paying off the debt. She has a plan. She needs him to help her take everything back—her house, her family’s fortune, her revenge. In the darkness of his world, she knows he has the power to tear down her father’s empire. But she has a price of her own.“I want them to pay,” she whispers in his ear, her breath hot against his skin. “Help me get what’s mine, and you'll have my heart as well.”He leans in, brushing his lips against her neck, his voice thick with authority. "You’re already mine, Selene. But for you... I’ll destroy them all."Her enemies are about to become his, and in this dark, twisted game, the price of their love will be blood.

My twin sister, wanting to be with her thug boyfriend, secretly planned to apply for a junior college. When I could not talk her out of it, I told our parents and managed to stop her. However, just a month into the new semester, her thug boyfriend cheated on her. She left a suicide note, blaming it all on the long distance between them. She wrote that if she had gone to that junior college, her boyfriend would never have cheated. Grief‑stricken, my parents turned all their rage on me. "You wretched girl, this is all your fault for meddling! What business was it of yours which school your sister went to? Even if she didn't go to college, we could still support her. We didn't need your big mouth!" "If it weren't for your spiteful tongue, your sister wouldn't be dead!" "We were cursed to have a vicious, unfilial daughter like you!" They locked me in her room, ordering me to repent. Then they took her ashes on a trip, saying they wanted her to see the beautiful mountains and rivers she never got to visit in life. A month later, they returned from their travels to find me long dead, starved to a withered husk in front of my sister's photo. Their eyes held no grief, no guilt, only a faint, scornful curl of the lips. In their eyes, my death was nothing more than justice served. My broken soul saw their icy expressions, and despairing tears burned my eyes. Then my sister's familiar voice rang out again: "What business is it of yours which school I go to? You're just jealous that I have a boyfriend, aren't you?"

The most popular girl from my high school is getting married. She invites everyone in our class to the wedding. I want to act like I don't see the message, but she deliberately tags me in the group chat. "You kept pretending to be a rich girl like me in high school, but I don't hold it against you. In fact, I'll allow you to attend my wedding tomorrow to see what the rich life is like." The other classmates speak up. "You're so generous, Haley. It's no wonder you can marry someone from the Baumer family. I can't believe you can even forgive someone as materialistic as Emma!" "Does someone like Emma Larkin even deserve to attend Haley's wedding? She's so full of herself." As the insults become worse, Haley Stockwell steps forward to keep the peace. "Come on, let's put this behind us. I'm not bothered by these things since it's been so long. Anyway, let's not bear a grudge against Emma when she's already so poor and ugly." Everyone in the group chat starts singing her praises and calling her kind and innocent. I sneer. Haley is the one who kept pretending to be rich—I'm the true heiress from an affluent family, yet she made me out to be a liar. She turned me into the target of everyone's insults. I check the digital wedding invitation to see that the venue is my villa. The groom looks familiar—isn't he my husband's driver? I smile at the thought of what's going to happen. I reply, "Sure! I have to attend your wedding!"