Then We Held Hands

At our wedding ceremony, Rose Lane's assistant, Zachary Zimmer, accidentally projects the wrong photo on the screen. The huge screen initially shows a wedding portrait of Rose and me. But suddenly, it turns into a photo featuring Rose and Zachary in wedding clothes. Both of them held hands with each other while looking into each other's eyes lovingly. It was clear that they looked very happy together. Everyone gasps in shock. Zachary begins sobbing quietly and asks if I can delay the wedding. Rose remains calm and collected as she starts throwing out suggestions to me. "The guests are already here, so it'll be embarrassing for us if we delay the wedding ceremony. Besides, it also spells ill luck for us if we do that. No one recognizes the groom's face anyway. Why don't we let Zachary replace you in this ceremony for now?" All of our friends are stunned, to say the least. They think I'll go ballistic and get incredibly jealous because of Rose's suggestion. Instead, I nod and claim that it's a great idea. Noting my composed manner, Rose smugly declares that we've already registered our marriage, so she promises me that she will hold another wedding for me when she's free enough. But she seems to have forgotten that she's signed a divorce agreement just now.

In a world were old ways were nearly extent, few kept the traditions and held power in the modern days, but one thing remind certain, blood ruled over all. We watch as two faited souls, found one another, one lost in the world he did not choose, the other a princess that held more power than eyes meet. Both bewitched by each other, unable to let go of one another.

This is what we do. We fight, we fuck, and we pretend it's fixed. He rips his shirt over his head, the sound of tearing fabric loud in the silence. And I freeze. My hands, which were reaching for him, stop. There. Coiling over his ribs, wrapping around his side, crawling up toward his heart, is an identical replica of Madilyn’s tattoo. "Charlie," he breathes, but it doesn't sound like his voice. His hands are rough, grabbing my hips. One hand slides, pressing hard against my stomach. No. The baby. My baby.

My husband, Lucas Gabriel, and I were on our way to sell paintings when we got robbed. I used all my strength to fight off the robbers. I wanted to keep Lucas’s hands safe so that he could keep painting. However, he failed to escape. He threw his paintings on the ground and yelled at me, “This is all your fault, Aria! “If I had married Chloe instead of you, I would be the leader of the Lenza Group in Ros Aegeles by now! I wouldn’t be some poor, helpless painter!” Right before the robbers killed me, I finally realized that he never got over his childhood sweetheart, Chloe Lionel. That was why he never wanted to have children with me while we were married. When I opened my eyes again, we had both returned to a time before our marriage. This time, we went our separate ways. I cut ties with him and left Ros Angeles to focus on medical research. Seven years later, I returned. Lucas was already the boss of Cosa. He had Chloe in his arms and mocked me. “I know you’ve loved me in both lives, but did you really have to stay single for me?” I ignored him and held my son’s hand. He lost it. His eyes turned red with anger as he demanded, “Whose child is that?! Didn’t you say you would only have my children?!”

Amelia's leg tapped against the table as she asked, "What are your thoughts on love?" Her hands were clasped together on her lap, but her eyes sparkled with curiosity. Lucas met her gaze, a smirk playing on his lips. "Love is a waste of time," he replied. "It's a tool designed to weigh people down. Without it, we could achieve so much more." Amelia's eyes lit up with interest; he had just ticked almost all her boxes green. "I agree," she said, her smirk matching his. "Love is nothing but bullshit. We could save a lot of time by keeping our relationship minimal." With a proactive glint in her eye, she added, "What do you say? We should get married to fulfill our filial duties." _____________ Their marriage was a facade, a contract between two individuals who didn't believe in love but were forced to get married to fulfill their obligations. Everything was going as planned, until suddenly... "Have you eaten, dear?" "How is my baby?" "Is he doing well?" Lucas's words, once empty and mechanical, now held a tender tone. Amelia found him falling for her, and she seemed to be falling too. Why were they succumbing to the very thing they once scorned? Love, once a distant possibility, was now becoming an option. But would they choose it?

I loved Clara deeply. When she was in danger, I didn't hesitate to save her, even at the cost of my own life. The incident left both my legs broken and confined me to a wheelchair, but she promised we'd marry once she passed her medical boards. To help her focus on her studies, I worked tirelessly, wheeling myself around day and night to make ends meet. But behind my back, she rekindled her relationship with Caleb Carter, her childhood sweetheart. One day, I found her in his arms, laughing and happy. I confronted her, demanding to know why she'd betrayed me. She responded by shoving me to the ground, treating me like I was worthless. Then she pulled a scalpel from her medical bag, her hands steady as she held it over my chest. "Caleb needs a heart transplant to live," she said. "Please, help me one last time."

He stood in front of me, held my face between his hands and stared down at me. I waited, once again, I did. For what? This time I didn't know. But the moment he spoke, I knew, the wait was over. "You waited." He said. I gasped. " You waited." He breathed.

We are leaving now! A woman screamed as she dragged her seven year old daughter by her hand. But mum, why. What's going on? The girl asked as she began to cry. What did you do? You exposed our secret and now they are coming for us. The FBI wants to use us as lab rats. Now get in there and pack. The woman said pushing her into her room. There was a knock on the door, starling the both of them. Keep quiet and don't make a sound. The mum whispered as she went to the door to look. Cj? It's me. I am here now. The boy said as he knocked again. Mum, it's Romeo. He's my friend. Cj said as she rushed to open the door. No, Cj don't. The mum screamed but it was too late. Three FBI agents surrounded the front door as they pointed their guns at her. Romeo was being held roughly by one of the officers. Hands up in the air, where we can see them. One of the officers said at Cj and her mom. Romeo? How could you? Cj asked as she began to cry. Not another word from you. The female agent said as she went to handcuff her. Nooooo! The mum screamed as the house shattered pushing the officers away back three feet. Romeo held on to Cj for support so he didn't fall. Cj! Run! The mum screamed as a gunshot was heard and she fell to the ground. Mum! Cj screamed as she watched her mum, bleed out on the floor. With a new profound anger she faced Romeo and placed her hand on his head, prepared to kill him but she was shot by the hand. So she was interrupted, Romeo slumped to the floor unconscious and Cj took off, into the forest never to be seen again.

"What are you doing?" I exclaimed, shocked, as I felt multiple hands caressing my body with deliberate slowness. "What do you think? We're exercising our rights as your husbands," one of them replied in a deep, husky voice that sent shivers down my spine and ignited desire within me. "But I thought this was merely an arrangement to secure a cure for you guys," I stammered, my mind clouded by the overwhelming pleasure brought on by their wandering touch. They all chuckled darkly in unison, as if they had rehearsed it. "Yes, we are aware of that, but our arrangement doesn't forbid us from indulging in what's rightfully ours. And trust us, we plan to savor every moment," another whispered, sinking his teeth into my neck while simultaneously exploring me with his fingers. Ecstasy consumed me, driving me to the brink of madness. Ofillia had always held a deep-seated hatred for supernaturals ever since they emerged from hiding, responsible for her parents' brutal slaughter. She vowed to have no dealings with them whatsoever. But what happens when she finds herself in a dire situation, desperately needing the aid of three individuals? They require her presence to cure their uncontrollable wolves, while she relies on their power and wealth. An arranged marriage binds a vengeful human and three ruthless yet charismatic billionaire Alphas together. As their attraction intensifies, they struggle to keep their desires in check. Can She set aside her prejudice and allow their relationship to flourish, or will she sabotage it before it even has a chance to begin?

Ethan Hayes and I grew up together, but we ended up resenting each other for a lifetime. He blamed me for taking matters into my own hands, forcing his memories back, and causing his true love to jump off a building. I blamed him for going back on his word. He promised to love me forever, but after losing his memory, he fell for someone else. In the early stages of our ten-year marriage, we were as cold as strangers who knew each other too well. When I got diagnosed with ALS, everyone in town urged him to divorce me. He only carried me to a chapel, knelt among the burning candles for an entire day and night, and prayed for a miracle. On my deathbed, he held me through the night, his forehead against my cheek. "I've done my duty to you in this life," he whispered. "If there's a next one, I hope you don't make me remember. Just let me be with her." Tears slid down my face. I finally got it. I shouldn't have chained him down with our teenage love, dragging him through a whole life. When I opened my eyes again, I was back to the day I found Ethan. This time, I chose to let him be with his true love instead of waking his memories.