The Eye Test

Penelope Rivera's little boy toy, Theodore Schneider, is throwing another tantrum. She slides the divorce papers across the table toward me. "Just sign them for show. It's to keep Teddy happy." I clench the cuff of my suit and nod in silence. I sign my name in one swift stroke. As I'm walking out, I hear one of her girlfriends teasing, "Samuel's way too easygoing. Does he actually do everything you say?" Penelope takes a graceful sip of red wine and smirks. "Wanna bet?" They bet that I will quietly go through with the divorce at the courthouse, even if my eyes are red with tears. Listening their laughter, I rub my thumb over my phone screen and reply to the message I've just received. "Will you marry me?" it says. "I will."

She blinded the ruthless Alpha King. He vowed to hunt her forever. Violet never believed in fate, until she discovers she is the destined mate of Merrin, the one-eyed Alpha King and the first wolf in centuries to have a true mate. Her nightmare begins when he buys her from the strip club where she works. It deepens when he claims her again, this time as his wife. Now Violet is his fourth Luna, bound by law, trapped by power, and chained by a bond she never wanted. She is his wife. His prisoner. His curse-breaker. When secrets surface and a child enters their lives, Violet is branded a traitor. A kingdom burns. And the mate she once feared becomes the man who orders her execution. With death closing in, Violet must choose: Run from the bond destroying her. Or face the Alpha destined to love her… or kill her. Trigger Warning: Mature themes and intense power dynamics. 18+

I was pregnant. On my way to deliver documents to Tristan Goldberg, a flash flood struck. Desperate, I dialed his number, praying he’d answer. After a few rings, the call connected. But instead of Tristan, a woman’s voice answered. "Tristan, whose number is this? Do you want to answer it?" There was a brief pause, and then Tristan’s voice, cold and indifferent, cut through. "It’s just my maid. Ignore it. Hang up." And just like that, the call disconnected. Staring at the torrent rising around me, my pulse quickened. I texted him, begging for him to send a rescue team. Minutes passed as the waters climbed to my waist, churning and relentless. Then, a message from Tristan finally appeared. Tristan: [What kind of ridiculous story are you making up now?] Tristan: [Emily, do you think you're eighteen, playing these childish games? I want that document in my hands within thirty minutes, or we're getting divorced.] A surge of terror shot through me as I looked up, catching sight of a heavy branch snapping loose and crashing down. In an instant, everything went dark.

A month before the SATs, I, Jenny Reid, could see my score. Literally. It was just floating right above my head. But there was a catch. Every time I cracked open a prep book, my score would drop by ten points. But if I skipped a day of school? It jumped right back up by ten. So, I played the system. For a whole month, I barely lifted a finger. And on the day of the test, the number glowing over my head was a solid 1560. When the scores finally dropped online… I'd scored a 500. And the 1560? That was my little sister Patricia's score. My parents lost it. As punishment, they got me a grueling night-shift job at a local electronics factory. That first night, a bunch of guys I'd never seen before cornered me in the parking lot and beat me half to death. Fading in and out of consciousness, I heard my sister's voice right by my ear. "You just had to one-up me, didn't you? Thought you were so smart… but you never figured out I was the one controlling that number over your head." The truth hit me like a physical blow. The score had been her trick all along. I opened my eyes—and I was back. One month before the SATs. The number above my head read exactly 1300. "Hey," my sister said, all fake sweetness. "Want to study together tonight? We can go over the practice tests." I looked at the stack of papers in my own hands. Without a word, I pulled out my lighter and set them on fire right there in the driveway. "Exams are coming," I said, watching the flames. "I'm not studying." My score ticked up to 1310. My sister's face was this perfect mask of disappointment, but the second I turned away, I caught the sly smile she couldn't quite hide. She had no idea… the real performance, the one I'd been rehearsing just for her, was finally about to begin.

My mom treated me like the dirt beneath her shoes but worshiped my cousin like a queen. Since I could walk, I had scrubbed clothes and cooked meals, but I would still be yelled at or smacked if I messed up. On the contrary, my cousin twirled in princess dresses and played the piano. She was cherished by my aunt and uncle like she was the center of their world. Then came the day everything changed. At my cousin's birthday party, my mom got drunk and spilled the secret—she switched me and my cousin at birth. It turned out that I wasn't her daughter; I was my aunt's daughter. I was over the moon. Finally, I thought I'd found my real family, people who might actually care about me. But when I told my aunt, she just smirked. "You think I didn't know? I don't want you. You'll never be my daughter." Her words hit me like a bucket of ice water. I couldn't understand. Why didn't anyone want me? But that day, I made a vow—I'd never beg for anyone's love again. Years later, when I got into Mayward University—the best educational institution in the country—I threw two DNA test reports on the table in front of them. For the first time, they both looked terrified.

After getting drunk, Nash persistently called out the name of the one he longed for but could never have. The next day, awakening with no recollection, he demanded, "Find the woman from last night!""..."Ultimately, Nina became completely disheartened. Soon, Nash received a divorce agreement citing, "The wife desires children, while the husband's infertility has led to the breakdown of the relationship!"As he read it, his entire face darkened. One evening, as Nina returned home from work, she found herself cornered on the stairs: "How can you divorce without my consent?”Nina retorted, "If you're incapable, why shouldn't I find someone who is?"Later that night, Nash wanted to prove his capability to Nina. However, Nina pulled out a pregnancy test report from her bag, further infuriating Nash: "Whose child is it?"He scoured everywhere for the father of the child, swearing to exact revenge! Little did he know, it would lead back to him...

Le jour où je suis tombée enceinte à nouveau, Antoine a décidé de ne plus jouer de l'argent et de travailler dur pour subvenir à nos besoins. J'étais tellement émue que j'ai fondu en larmes et, d'une main tremblante, je lui ai donné tout l'argent que j'avais économisé en travaillant des petits boulots pendant un an. Deux billets sont tombés par terre. Je les ai ramassés et j'ai suivi Antoine dehors. Mais au bout de la ruelle, j'ai vu les hommes de la mafia, ceux qui étaient venus nous harceler pour les dettes, s'incliner devant Antoine avec respect. Il s'est avéré que sa pauvreté n'était qu'une comédie. « Chef, est-ce qu'on doit encore venir faire semblant de vous menacer demain ? » Antoine, assis à l'arrière d'une voiture, a répondu avec nonchalance : « Non, ce ne sera plus nécessaire. » Il a regardé la bague à son doigt et a soupiré doucement. « Toutes ces années ont prouvé que son amour était sincère. La dernière fois, pour payer mes dettes, elle travaillait comme une folle et a fait une fausse couche à cause du surmenage. » « Je lui ai déjà fait assez de mal. Il est temps de lui dire ma véritable identité pour qu'elle n'ait pas à travailler si dur. » Mais à son côté, son amie d'enfance Yvette a fait la moue : « Non, ce n'est pas encore le moment de révéler la vérité ! Et si elle était comme les autres femmes, ne s'intéressait qu'à ton argent et à ton statut de chef de la mafia ? » « Attendons de voir si elle veut donner naissance à ce bébé. » Antoine a réfléchi un instant avant d'acquiescer : « D'accord. De toute façon, elle est déjà avec moi depuis si longtemps, elle ne me quittera pas. » En serrant inconsciemment les billets dans ma main, je me suis retournée et les larmes ont coulé. Antoine, cet amour rempli de mensonges, je n'en voulais plus !

Lucy Everhart's bitch of a sister lures her into a trap, but it turns out the man she's forced to spend a night with is actually a bigwig in the business world! They have a shotgun marriage after signing a marriage contract. After marriage, Lucy's secret identities are revealed one after another. Tobias Ripley learns something new about her daily and dotes on her like crazy. He says, "Let's have another child, honey." Lucy doesn't want that. "You have countless mistresses and lovers, don't you? Go to them if you want a child!" Tobias protests, "Nonsense! I have no idea what you're talking about, honey! You've always been my one and only!"

The Hidden Piece is a creative fictional story about the life of a young girl with a promising future. Faced with many life challenges that she didn't handle well, she had regrets and wished she behaved differently. Each phase of her life contended to activate her inward strength when confronted with these challenges, but she easily gave up which almost affected her dreams and aspirations. The only required tool to push through her difficult moments was using the power of her mind, which was also the strong force opposing her progress. This story is highly recommended for young adults searching for headway through life storms.

On the night of our wedding, my husband told me he wanted to have a child with his teacher’s daughter. When I confronted him, he turned it back on me. “Teacher is seriously ill, and her only wish is to see three generations under one roof. My junior and I are just doing IVF. It’s not like anything is actually happening between us!” “Besides, you were also her student. How could you refuse to help fulfill her last wish?” However, the next day, when I went to visit our teacher with a fruit basket, I saw my husband and his junior locked in an embrace at the corner of the hallway. The moment was like a bolt of lightning. I turned and walked away. The following day, my husband sent me a text: [I’m going with her for the IVF. Let’s postpone the family gathering for a few days.] I did not reply. Instead, I went back to my hometown alone, visiting each of my relatives to personally apologize. Then, I went to a lawyer. “I’d like to sue my husband for bigamy.”