Why Does My Eye Feel Bruised When I Blink

In the underground casino, my ex-fiancé Don Dante Castellano threw the card in my face. His arm was around Sabrina—his first love—and his eyes were ice as they shoved me toward the table. "Your father owed mine a life. The thing in your belly isn't mine." He pressed the card flat against my cheek. "The daughter pays the father's debt. Tonight you're the living chip on that table." The paternity test was fake. The child was his. I knew. He didn't believe me. That night, with a gun pointed at my head, I took off all my clothes in front of everyone. Two years passed. Two years later, in Vegas, he saw me again. I was in a red silk dress with a gold chain around my neck, the other end of the chain held by a yellow-toothed gambler. "This bitch is cheap. Bark for me, and all these chips are yours." I picked up the chips, practiced. "Woof. Woof." Sabrina pressed her face into his chest, covering her nose. "Dante. This is disgusting. Let's go." He didn't go. The veins rose along his temple. He was staring at the bruises on my knees. Then he kicked the gambler across the room. He bent down and took hold of my chin. Hard. "Sienna. Money, and you'll do anything at all?" He was close enough that I could smell him. Soap. Two years, and still the same soap. I closed my eyes, opened them, pulled my mouth into a smile for him. "That's right, boss. Pay up and I'll cooperate with whatever position you want. Care to buy a round?"

After fifteen years of marriage, my wife, Tiffany Yarwood, who insisted on being child-free, wanted to become pregnant with her childhood friend’s baby. “Taylor’s grandmother is dying. Her only remaining wish was for him to have an offspring. I have to help him with this!” Unable to accept this, I went to my parents-in-law to reason with them. But they snubbed me with gentle yet cutting words. “Tiff’s womb belongs to her. She has the right to decide whose child to bear. “Don’t you love her enough to give your life to her? If you can’t even tolerate such a small matter, how can you protect her for a lifetime?” Tormented by grief, I had no choice but to compromise with teary eyes. “Fine! I agree to let you have a test-tube baby for him. But after giving birth to the baby, you can’t have any further involvement with them.” Tiffany, relying on my love for her, confidently refused. “Not a test-tube baby! Taylor’s grandma is traditional. She’ll only accept babies born naturally. “Besides, I will be taking care of the child after giving birth. I can’t let the baby grow up without a mother!” I closed my eyes and exhaled. “If that’s the case, let’s divorce. You can live with him as a family of three.”

Restaurateur and self-exiled heir Lucien Lenault's first look at the breathtaking young chef trainee for his trendy Chicago restaurant is a shock. She’s Elise Martin, daughter of a wealthy French fashion designer. She’s also the holder of a secret that could explode his carefully laid plans. Notorious for her flagrant exhibitionism, and for flouting the respectable façade of her aristocratic background, the coquine’s wild streak shocked most people. Not Lucien. He was tempted by it. It was a deliriously punishable offense as far as Lucien was concerned. But taking on Elise is more than a game. She’s a catastrophe waiting to happen, an inferno that’s burned many a lover. Lucien isn’t most men, however, and he won’t allow her to manipulate him. In order to control the defiant beauty—in order to see her submit—he’s going to have to willingly walk in the flames…

Minerva leisurely slept but when she woke up, she mysteriously possessed the body of a baby. How did it happen? As Minerva continued to live as the daughter of the famed Duke Ysmael Santi de Ivrea, she got the things that she hadn’t obtained in her previous life−family, friends, confidence, and noticeable existence. How far could Minerva go just to grasp the warmth that she finally obtained after so long?

Nang sandaling malaman ni Hiraya ang pagtataksil at pagsisinungaling ng kan’yang nobyo na si Jack sa kababata nitong si Rosamie, labis na nasaktan si Hiraya ng sobra tila ba nadurog ng pino ang kan’yang puso nang piliin pa ng kasintahan ang kababata nito kaysa sa kan’ya. Dahil sa epekto ng alak ay naglakas-loob siyang puntahan ang kwarto ng kaibigan ng kan’yang nobyo na si Reyko Takahashi, isang sikat at magaling na doktor sa buong Asya. Matapos ang mainit na gabing pagtatalik, alam ni Hiraya na sa mga mata ng lalaki ay isa siyang maruming babae at hitad na kumakapit sa iba’t-ibang lalaki. Pinulot ng lalaki ang mga damit niya at inihagis iyon sa kan’ya. “Umalis ka na sa kwarto ko.” Nagulat si Hiraya ng ihagis nito ang panty niya’t sapol na sapol iyon sa kan’yang mukha. “Naiwan mo. Too cheap, it's not worth it to keep it.” Halata sa boses ng binata ang pagka sarkastiko at panunuya.

Yoon Haejin masih mengingat dengan jelas peristiwa yang terjadi 3 tahun lalu, ketika ia menyaksikan dengan mata kepalanya sendiri bagaimana sang ibu tewas dengan sadisnya akibat oleh makhluk mengerikan bermata merah yang sering disebut sebagai vampir. Mereka adalah makhluk yang masih diragukan keberadaannya dan Haejin sama sekali tidak ingin mempercayai keberadaan mereka. Namun, keinginannya untuk membalaskan kematian sang ibu menjadikannya mau tak mau harus menemukan jejak para vampir yang ada di Korea Selatan. Sampai akhirnya ia bertemu dengan Park Sunghwa, lelaki buta yang juga memperkenalkan diri dengan suka rela di depan Haejin sebagai vampir odd eye berkekuatan luar biasa. Pertemuannya dengan Sunghwa yang sempat diawali dengan kecurigaan, pada akhirnya membuat Haejin mau tak mau mengesampingkan keraguannya ketika Sunghwa memintanya untuk bekerja sama dengan jaminan—Sunghwa akan membunuh vampir yang sudah membunuh ibu Haejin. Haejin dan Sunghwa menjadi rekan, tetapi apakah itu baik-baik saja untuk bekerja sama dengan makhluk yang sejenis dengan pembunuh Haejin? Benarkah Sunghwa ingin membantu Haejin demi alasan yang bisa dibilang sepele itu? Apa ada yang disembunyikan darinya?

I had been married to Derek for six years, and we had a three-year-old son. He was poor, earning only $2,000 a month, but I had no complaints; I took care of everything at home for him. After getting dinner on the table for the whole family, I finally had a minute to check my phone. A video popped up on my feed: a twenty-two-year-old girl from a rural area whose hands, roughened by years of hard labor, looked like they belonged to a sixty-two-year-old woman. I looked down at my own hands, just as worn and scarred, and stared at them blankly before tapping into the comments. I expected people to feel bad for her. However, to my surprise, the comments section was flooded with a single sentiment: "Why would anyone marry a penniless loser?" One of the top-liked comments came from a couple; in their photo, they were pictured holding hands—fingers tightly intertwined—with the girl sporting a massive diamond ring. The accompanying caption read: "A man who truly loves you would never bear to let you suffer." I felt a pang of envy. Given the choice, who wouldn't want a glamorous life? As I was about to close the app, I accidentally tapped on the couple's photo, enlarging it. In the background, previously too blurry to make out, was a face I recognized. It looked exactly like my husband, Derek Sterling. I froze, and almost against my will, I tapped into the account's profile. Post after post of lavish photos of them together flooded my screen. And then I saw him clearly. The scar above his brow, the one he got when a shelf fell on him while protecting me, was still plainly visible. It was my husband. It was Derek.

The contractions were ripping me in two. My vision was going dark. My husband, Don Vittorio, the man who ruled Chicago, squeezed my hand. His dark eyes burned with love. "Just a little longer, mia cara. You'll meet our baby soon." Sweat poured down my face. I still found the strength to smile for him. Then a nurse walked in. She held a syringe. I thought it was to stop the pain. But Vittorio’s hand fell away. He took a single step back. The needle sank into my arm. I heard Vittorio’s voice. It was cold steel. "Dose her carefully. She holds on until midnight. Not a minute sooner. Not until after Ornella delivers." And then I knew. He thought I married him for the money. He was stopping my labor. All for a sick Falcone family rule: the first son born is the next heir. Pain tore through me. I reached for him. Tears streamed down my face. I begged him to stop. He bit his lip. His voice was pure ice. "My brother is dead. Ornella carries his only heir. You will do as you are told. You and your child will not steal his birthright." The drug hit my veins. The violent squeeze in my belly, like some invisible hand, just… stopped.

There's a ten-car collision on the highway, and I'm trapped in one of ten. For some reason, none of the ambulances can get to us. I desperately call my boyfriend to ask for help. I expect him to immediately come to my rescue, but he merely snaps at me. "Yvette didn't even make a sound when she sliced her finger. Couldn't you have just dodged when the accident happened? You're not crippled or anything! Stop being so childish at your age!" He doesn't want me to disturb him anymore, so he blocks my number. Fortunately, a kind soul saves me and takes me to the hospital. I survive the ordeal. When I leave the hospital, I see a breaking news report on the screen in the lobby. "Love exists in the world! Mr. Fenton spends a fortune to gather the city's ambulances to save his true love when she slices her finger!" The news report makes my heart ache. I pull out the ring I was going to use for my proposal and throw it away without hesitation. Henry Fenton and I have been together for 14 years, but I don't want the relationship anymore.

Prepare to indulge yourself in a world where intimacy, and lust have no boundaries and intense sexual fantasies come alive. This is an intense erotic bookset, containing ten short stories of irresistible steamy, raw, and naughty stories. This compilation will keep you on your toes, offering a steamy escape into a world where sexual pleasure knows no bounds and raw desires are swiftly fulfilled. Warning: 18+ only. It unapologetically contains very dark, raw, and mature content, it's not advisable for underage readers.