The Hand Requiem

For the nursery's Family Day, my husband, Gary Lane, said that he was busy at work and told our daughter, Emily Lane, and I not to participate in the event. I looked at Emily's disappointed face, my heart ached. Therefore, I decided to take Emily to the event myself. As soon as we arrived at the nursery, we saw Gary carrying a little boy in one hand and holding his childhood sweetheart, Shannon Harvey's hand in the other. They looked like a family of three and were very happy. That was until they saw me and Emily. Gary furrowed his brows a little and then let go of Shannon's hand. "Don't get me wrong, Jasmine. It's not easy for Shannon to raise a child as a single mother. It's the child's fifth birthday today. She wanted him to experience some fatherly love." I looked at him meaningfully, squatted down, and held Emily's hand. "Honey, say hello to Mr. Lane."

How can you fight for your love when it is not legal? How can you hold his hand in public and hug him to show how much you love him, when your relationship is secret? When your love ones is in a relationship with someone who is so close to you?

“Do you want me to show you?” He asked. I nodded, too weak to answer. His strong arms lifted me off the ground and I wrapped my legs around his waist. I felt him drop me on my bed. His eyes had darkened with desire. I wanted him. I wanted him so bad. He dropped slow, teasing kisses on my neck, on my ears, nibbling on the lobe. I felt his hand creep under my shirt and I gasped. He wrapped the hand around my waist and pulled me closer. I moaned softly, digging my nails into his back. He suddenly withdrew from me. “Who's the whore now?” He asked and then proceeded to walk away, leaving me by myself on the bed **************************************** From being the unnoticed calculus nerd to having the full attention of the school's bad boy, the principal's son.

After I came back to life, the first thing I did was hand that five-carat diamond ring—yes, the one my husband gave me—to his mother. The very woman who spent years picking me apart like it was her favorite pastime. In my last life, that ring was a custom New Year's gift. He paid a ridiculous amount for it. I actually thought it meant something. One afternoon, I was out shopping when I walked right into a bridal party taking pictures. The bride glanced at my hand, saw the ring, and her entire expression changed. She stormed over and slapped me, accusing me of being a shameless mistress trying to steal her man. I stood there, completely stunned. She was wearing the exact same ring. Before I could explain, her friends grabbed me. They dragged me aside, tore my clothes, hit me, and stomped on my hand until I couldn't move my fingers. They carved the word "mistress" into my face and paraded me through the street like some kind of public disgrace. I died there on the pavement. When my husband finally appeared, he didn't fight for me. He just signed off on a settlement, as if my life were nothing more than a piece of paperwork. Widowed that morning, married to the bride by nightfall. His mother instantly welcomed the new woman, all because she was pregnant. And then I opened my eyes again… back on the very day he first placed that diamond ring in my hand.

“No! Please, Santiago--” I whimpered, as his hand seized my wrist with an iron grip, yanking me forward, dragging me effortlessly toward the chair he had pulled into the center of the room the night before. The symbol of my humiliation. He stopped right in front of the chair, spinning me around, facing him. "You want me to be your monster, mi ángel?" His hand grabbed my throat, tilting my chin up until my eyes locked with his dark gaze. I flinched from the sudden movement. "Cause I’ll be your favorite monster — just say the word, cariño." Santiago’s face hovered only inches from mine. His lips so close, I could taste the sweetness of his breath — once making butterflies take flight in my stomach, now curdling my insides into a cold, suffocating fear. Slowly, his free hand rose toward my face. I held my breath. His touch was deceptively soft and gentle, caressing my cheek. His thumb lingered against my lips, tracing them slowly, his eyes fixed there as he spoke — his voice soft, yet heavy with menace. "Divorce is not an option, mi amor. We took a vow five years ago. Remember?" He finally lifted his gaze to meet mine, catching every flicker of fear before he delivered his last words like a verdict: "Till death do us part."

Walking by the street and carrying a problem with a heavy feeling is really hard. Then all of sudden because you really can't handle the stress and problem you are facing, you just wanted to end your life but then; someone grabbed your hand and bring you to his house and offered you a marriage proposal.

"Stop being a desperate child." He hissed, yanking his hand away from her. "No. I won't, not until I'm satisfied." Afterall she was lusting over the man who was her teacher and twice her age. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In which a younger girl succumbs to the ruthless mafia king.

“What's a beautiful girl like you doing on the roadside at this late hour of the night?” Justin asked, his eyes watching Olima's face intently as she ran away from him and fell to the ground. "Come with me. I won't hurt you," he promised, extending his right hand to her. Olima hesitated, before accepting Justin's hand and standing up from the ground. Will she trust him? Will he protect her and not take advantage of her? *** Olima Adams was a 17-year-old girl and lost her parents. However, her wicked stepmother sent her away. Olima ran into Justin Robert, and he took her home to his parents' house. Will Justin's mother accept Olima as her son's wife? What if she wanted her best friend's daughter as her daughter-in-law? Will Olima be able to over her evil stepmother and Justin's family? Find out what happened to her.

I'm the fiercest she-wolf warrior in the Pack— but no one wants me as their mate. My stunning twin sister loves to mock me, bragging that she’s about to marry the future Alpha King of this land. Then at the wedding, her groom reaches for my scarred, sword-calloused hand— and asks me to become the Luna Queen?!

Slowly and stealthily, I walked towards the sharp edge of the hut, wanting to see what made that noise. The first thing I saw was a gun pointed at a dead and bloodied body. I traced the hand holding the gun and my sight met that of the pair of eyes that'll forever hunt me. They were blood red eyes!