We Create Our Own Demons

I stood at his foot, looking him over. The way he kept up his arms, made the muscles of his arms bulge, leaving those on his abdomen flexed. He looked like a model posing for a casual photo. Just then, a disturbing thought entered my head as I stared at his body. I closed my eyes and shook my head to expunge the illicit thought that crept into it but the thought became vivid behind the darkness. I flipped them open and stared at him again. Then throwing caution and the thought of the dreadful future out the window, I crouched on all fours and crawled on both sides of him till I was face to face with his chest. Slowly, I laid my body on top of his, placed my palms on his chest, and rested my jaws on it. The body contact sent warmth and something sweet up and down my body, going to rest on its usual place below my waist. He still had his eyes closed but I knew he was awake because his face slowly lit up in a beautiful smile, then ever so leisurely, his arms slid down and wrapped around my waist.

When war orphan Alexei Volkov flees Russia to Belgium, survival means stealing scraps until a mob nearly burns him alive. Rescued by Lucien Devereux, the ruthless Capo of Brussels’ underworld, Alexei is thrust into a world of blood, secrets, and power. Trained as an assassin and spy, he becomes indispensable—until a mystical ring from his uncle in India makes every man who sees him fall hopelessly in love. Soon, the Capo, the Mayor, the Police Inspector, and even the Governor crave for him. Is it love or a curse? And in a city drowning in obsession, who will Alexei choose?

It's Family Day at my daughter, Hannah Neel's, preschool, but my wife, Samantha Miller, says she has to work and tells both Hannah and me not to go. Seeing the disappointment on Hannah's face breaks my heart, so I bring her to school anyway. As soon as we step through the gates, I see Samantha. She's holding her childhood friend—Oscar Barnett's—hand, with a little boy clutching her other. The three of them look like a perfect family, laughing and chatting, as if they belong together. When Samantha sees us, her smile fades, and she lets go of Oscar's hand. "Zach, it's not what you think. Oscar's raising his son alone. Today's his fifth birthday, and he just wanted to give him a little taste of a mother's love," she says quickly. I study her for a moment, then kneel and gently take Hannah's hand in mine. "Sweetheart, say hello to the lady."

Sawyer Patterson intended to leave me again for his childhood sweetheart, Mathilde Payne. We'd been together for ten years, and this was our seventh engagement party. For the previous six times, Mathilde always had some kind of emergency. This time, I wasn't going to let him go. "We're about to exchange rings. It won't take long. She's just got a slight fever. It's not a big deal if you go later, right?" Sawyer lost it. "Can you stop making a scene? Mathilde has always been frail. We've been together for ten years. We can do without a ceremony." He walked out, leaving me behind with a broken heart. This time, I was truly done with him.

"A life lived in love will never be dull.” ….. "If you keep thinking about what society and the world will think, you will never be able to enjoy life," When Vanessa looked at him, Justin further explained, "Because no matter what you do, you will never be able to satisfy them." Tapping the tip of her nose, he added, "And the only person you gotta satisfy is yourself." Pausing for a while, he asked, "So Vanessa Green, have you ever satisfied yourself?" …. Some think love happens only once, while others think it can happen twice or thrice. Sometimes, we force ourselves to love a particular person and give them our all, even though we get nothing in return. When Vanessa's fiance, Oliver Becker left five years ago without saying a word, she felt shattered and miserable. Thinking that Oliver was the only person she loved and could ever love, she patiently waited for five years for his return. But things changed after she met Justin. Justin Wilson, a young, handsome man whose concept of love was completely opposite of that of Vanessa. What will happen after their paths cross ways? Will Vanessa let go of the past? What will happen to their relationship when their past comes knocking at the door? …..

"Pregnant patient, corpus luteum rupture, heavy bleeding! We need a consent form signed—now!" I stood there holding the clipboard, waiting, when a voice I knew way too well cut through the chaos. "I'm here!" Jimmy. My husband. The same guy who vanished on our anniversary—now signing off on emergency surgery for another woman. He didn't even blink before writing "husband" on the form. Still had our wedding ring on, too. He didn't recognize me behind the mask. Just grabbed my hand and begged. "Please save her. It's my fault. She's pregnant. I messed up. I love her. I can't lose her." His grip tightened. My wedding ring slipped off and hit the floor. I didn't say a word. Just turned and walked into the OR. A doctor beside me, totally clueless, beamed and said, "Dr. Meyer, your test results came back—twins! Your husband's gonna be so happy. Congrats!" I smiled, barely. "Schedule the termination after surgery."

Mitsuha is a businessman who recently found out that he would be a father, it will be a new challenge for him because until now he had only been aware of his little sister Aya. Ria has been his girlfriend for two years and the woman with whom he wants to spend the rest of his life, but partner problems and jealousy will make the relationship a little worse. When Mitsuha meets his baby, he tries to be a good father and give his best, but Ria is a very demanding woman who wants her attention to be only for her baby.

"I will never love a person like you." she spat in the face of the person who caged her between his arms and wall. The almighty Parker Bickett, the heir of the biggest group in the state, for whom people are dying to get one glance and hands to shake for the welfare of their life and job, was entirely shunned by the words of this lady between his arms. He wanted her, from the very start, but his coward self from 10 years ago never let him have her till this date. Jane Martin, the girl he fell in love with during their youth, but never accepted till she fell apart from him. He did everything in his hands, from begging to get humiliation, rejection to ignore, but when would she see his sincerity and set him free from this dark well of guilt and pain that he lived alone all these years.

Our cruise ship got into an accident, but there was only one seat left on the lifeboat. The three of us drew lots, and I got it. I wanted to give Zac Xavier the chance of survival that I won. However, while we were arguing, his childhood sweetheart got on the lifeboat first. Just as we thought our lives would end, the rescue team arrived in time and brought us back from the boundless deep sea. After that incident, Zac and I walked down the aisle. Unexpectedly, his childhood sweetheart returned to that sea on our wedding day and jumped into it. When Zac got the news of her death, he was struck by grief and blamed everything on me. He imprisoned the pregnant me in the basement and made my life a torture. I bled profusely on the day I gave birth. He had the doctor save the baby, asking him to give up on my life. My only child was named Rory, something he thought up based on the name of his childhood sweetheart—Aurora. Even when I died, I was consumed by hatred. When I reopened my eyes, I had returned to the day he proposed to me after the cruise ship accident. Watching Zac hold my hand as he had done in my past life and promise to grant my every wish, I calmly withdrew my hand. "Zac, let's break up."

Kathleen believes that being single is sufficient. She does not require a man in her life. That is what she has always believed. But one day, she meets the man who would convinced her that everything she thinks is a lie. A man who can fill her stomach with butterflies. Not only butterflies, but hunger, need, and insatiable pleasure. Their fate appears to be playing them alone. Now she was smitten by his charisma. Falling into a pit where there is no point of turning back. She's trapped and can't even escape her own feelings. Worse yet, she discovered that the man she most desired was already married. Will she be able to fight for him? Will she be able to do anything just to please her own desire? Will she be able to bear the pain? Or will she be able end up getting every bit of him, by hook or by crook.