BLURB Loud cheers and applause rang on the air. Agnes smiled widely and hugged her husband's arm in joy. It was their wedding day, and she was so happy that she can barely contain it. Perhaps it was the feeling called above the clouds? She looked up, wanting to see the happiness in her husband's, Leon, eyes. He was also smiling, but what contained his eyes and barely obvious intent hidden behind his smile made Agnes shudder as fear slowly showed its way inside her whole body. Her smile faded. Her husband was smiling. He was smiling with joy, not because he was happy with the wedding- he was smiling like a beast who has their prey on his foot- [CLANG!] Before Agnes knew it, the shouts of happiness were replaced by cries of despair. The claps and applause was replaced by hurtful sounds of slaps. The colorful, bright and joyous venue was replaced by dark, damp and scary room. Agnes just saw her pathetic self on the corner of that room; she was still and was looking at nowhere. She remained motionless, but in her mind, she was trembling in fear and helplessly crying in despair; "Please help me out from here!"
PROLOGUE;
-
Saturday morning.
The sun was already high but the heat was not even enough to warm someone. The streets and roofs of the houses were covered in thick white snow. It was plain white outside and it was cold. Most of the townsfolk are inside their houses drinking hot tea and staying lazy in front of the fireplace the whole day.
Everyone was idle except for a small house that is almost inside the thick forest. There was an out-of-place car that was parked outside. The expensive car was left unguarded but thankfully, no one was crazy enough to steal something on board the daylight.
The house was only a two-storied building and the interior is almost bare. There was a rocking chair on the patio in case someone wants to sit down and read newspapers but no one is out at the moment. They were busy preparing inside.
In the small living room, someone in a three-piece suit sat on a worn-out sofa. Despite the odd appearance of the thing that the man was sitting on, he didn't show disgust or comment on anything offensive. He just sat there quietly with a small smile on his face.
Later on, an older man came out from the small and disorganized kitchen. He brought a teapot with him and a couple of teacups. It was faint but two of the teacups have small cracks on them.
"I am sorry for the delay." The man said with all smiles. He put the cups on the small coffee table in front of the man and exaggeratedly poured him the tea. "Here, here. Drink this to warm your tummy. It's cold, yes indeed it's cold."
The man looked at the cheap tea that the man brewed for him. It was obviously brought from a small market and was stored for many months as if it was scarce and just found its use today. He wasn't sure about the taste but brought it to his mouth nonetheless.
After the awful liquid entered his mouth, he calmly concluded that he will not drink a sip of it again.
"How was it?" The old man eagerly asked, his yellowish teeth showing after smiling from ear to ear. "How was the taste?"
The handsome man smiled. "It's okay."
"I know right!" The old man boasted. "I spent at least a hundred dollars for this one. Because it was expensive I stopped myself from using it until a special occasion comes."
He was spouting lies and boasting about nonsense and when he realized that the man was not even answering, he closed his mouth and poured himself a cup of tea eagerly. He was dying to taste the tea since he took it out from who-knows-where. After drinking it, he realized how bad the taste is and he almost spat the liquid out.
He regretted drinking the tea, regretted that he made the man drink this death-inducing tea, and regretted the fact that he stored it for almost a year. He wanted to cry but he can't.
"Oh dear," he said, trying to cover his blunder. "It seems like they are taking too long, what could have happened, I wonder?"
He said that to distract their guest away from his mistake and he was really wondering why is that they are not coming down. He was angry at his wife and daughter for being tardy. He stood up and glanced apologetically at the man in a suit.
"I have to fetch-"
"Dear," Before he finishes his sentence, he was interrupted by his panicking wife. "Agnes is gone!"
--
In the middle of the filled snow forest, a redhead was very visible. That read head was walking around the forest at a fast pace and barely avoiding the low branches of the tress. The owner of the read head was pouting and her face was flushed due to cold. It was Agnes in her worn-out brown winter coat.
She was fast on her feet and she was already a kilometer away from her house. When she noticed the distance, she finally stopped and her eyes caught on a red stain on the ground. Her eyes widen as she tried to make her eyes focus on the blood stains without shuddering or screaming.
After a careful look, she noticed that the stain was trailing towards the back of a tree. Agnes followed the trail curiously and found a dead squirrel. Agnes' heart sank and she squatted down in front of the dead small animal.
"I am sorry," she muttered softly. She scoped a handful of snow with her bare hands and covered half of its body with it. "This is the only thing I can give you right now."
Agnes was not answered, but it was okay. She just stared in a daze as the blood slowly stained the snow she used to cover the lower part of its body. Then her mind recalled what happened earlier, she can't help but pout her small, pink lips.
Her mother just suddenly stormed her room early this morning. She forced her to wake up and took a bath. She was strongly against it because it was winter, baths are unbearably cold-they don't have a heater! Her mother didn't listen to her and sent her directly to the bathroom and she reluctantly took a bath.
After that, she received the biggest news of her life. She was getting married and her soon-to-be husband was already coming. Agnes was dumbstruck by the news. She can't believe it. Her? Getting married? She was just 19! She didn't even attend college yet!
Her questions were left unanswered until he arrived. She doesn't want to face whoever he is so she used the single moment where her mother was distracted and she slip out. And here she was, facing a dead squirrel and burying half of its body by snow.
To tell you the truth, she was low-key curious about her husband-to-be. She can't help but question what he looks like. Is he handsome? Or just the average?
"What an unfortunate little animal. The lower part of his body was eaten even when he was still alive." A low and baritone voice rang from behind. Agnes jolted in shock and she whipped her head to see who it was only to be more shocked.
He was a rare beauty. He has these perfectly shaped jaws and a very alluring Adam's apple. His whole body was lean and it was very obvious that he is muscular even with the coat. Agnes stared at him and concluded that he was years older than him. 3? Or perhaps 5?
Suddenly, their eyes met. Agnes' heart pounded crazily inside her chest as she stared at his jet black eyes that look like a black hole that absorbed anything near it. Agnes opened her mouth.
"How did you know?" She asked about his statement earlier.
The man suddenly smiled. "Instinct."
Instinct?
Of what and why he used the words, she didn't ask or bothered about it. She was immersed in the man in front of her and can't help but ask inside her mind.
Is this what they call love at first sight?
The man reached out a hand and his smile turned sweater. "You are Agnes, I reckon?"
She unconsciously grabbed it and muttered a small 'yes.' The man gave off an alluring low laugh that tickled her ears. "I see."
He yanked her up and stared at her chocolate eyes, then he smiled, his eyes smiling with him. "Hello, Agnes. My name's Leon."
-
Mallory was forced to watch as a vampire kills her family, only to accidentally trigger her 'Blessing' and killing the vampire. In her escape with her friend, Oddny, they got rescued by Leofric, who became her destined mate. However, he rejected her. Mallory went to find a clue to break their bond, and when their bond broke, the vampire attacked their new pack, and Mallory got kidnapped. Leofric could no longer feel their bond. After realizing what he's done, he desperately tries to find Mallory. But Mallory doesn't want to involve herself with him anymore. She wants to part ways with him but to kill their enemies, the vampires, she needs to shake hands with him and cooperate. Now, how would Leofric redeem himself when Mallory can't even stand the sight of him? And how would Mallory carry her duties as the Goddess' Blessed when she had someone by her side that she didn't trust?
DESCRIPTION; Nathalie Kelley is an outcast. Ethan has a very strong self doubt. Catherine was a rape victim. These three different people lived different lives but all suffered greatly. They thought that escaping from the darkest phase of their life is as imposible as boiling the whole sea water. So one gave up, one lost herself, and one attempted to take her own life. But then, they met her. She was there. With her blond hair in a very messy bun, she looked at them with her very lively eyes. She was beautiful, but what caught their attention was the paint smudges on her small face and pale hands. She asked one of them if she was okay and lend her shelter. She asked him if he wanted to try and teached him. She asked one of them if she was an idiot before lending a hand. What will this girl with messy hair and paint smudges on her face and hands do to their lives? Will she create chaos? Or create tranquility? Or maybe both? She just appeared out of nowhere, and just disappeared in thin air. But nonetheless, she already stirred the water by stepping in it. I guess one can't help but just wait and see what will happen, right?
It all started with a fluttering eye contact. A conversation in the cafeteria marked their first exchange. And the snow witnessed the start of their small little silly game. "Impress me Tyler. Impress me and I might consider going out with you." "The game is on Althea, the game is on." Purple flowers was sent in the first day of courting. A silver eyed woman caused a stir in their hearts. And a bouquet of flower given to make their silly little game end. [Love returned] Their relationship went smoother than expected. The sun and the moon was the witness of their small bantering and sweet nonsense. But many eyes saw the fall of their relationship. He cheated. They broke up. She was devastated. And pregnant. She told him. He denied. She cried. He told her desperate. She went home and the time passed rather quickly. The fate is twisted; they met again. Both are not as the same as before, a lot of time passed after all. They met each other countless times. He learned to love her again. He confessed but he was harshly rejected. She hated him. It was understandable. But why is it that she was scared at him? Tyler never thought that the years where their paths are separated, dark and scary things was happening to Althea. What was it? And why was she scared and why was her anger towards him was stronger than anything else?
My boyfriend called, "Baby!" as he jumped out of bed and scrambled to pull his pants off the ground. "Please, I can explain my love." Shutting my eyes, I inhaled deeply and tried not to cry when I realized that my dream of the man not being my boyfriend had been dashed. "What?" I asked, "What do you want to explain?" How did you lie about having a business meeting while you were in bed enjoying yourself with my best friend, even though I told you I was in serious pain, is that it?" I stood there, my heart pounding, and tears streaming down my face...
Janice, the long-forgotten legitimate heiress, made her way back to her family, pouring her heart into winning their hearts. Yet, she had to relinquish her very identity, her academic credentials, and her creative works to her foster sister. In return for her sacrifices, she found no warmth, only deeper neglect. Resolute, Janice vowed to cut off all emotional bonds. Transformed, she now stood as a master of martial arts, adept in eight languages, an esteemed medical expert, and a celebrated designer. With newfound resolve, she declared, "From this day forward, no one in this family shall cross me."
After two years of marriage, Sadie was finally pregnant. Filled with hope and joy, she was blindsided when Noah asked for a divorce. During a failed attempt on her life, Sadie found herself lying in a pool of blood, desperately calling Noah to ask him to save her and the baby. But her calls went unanswered. Shattered by his betrayal, she left the country. Time passed, and Sadie was about to be wed for a second time. Noah appeared in a frenzy and fell to his knees. "How dare you marry someone else after bearing my child?"
Rosalynn's marriage to Brian wasn't what she envisioned it to be. Her husband, Brian, barely came home. He avoided her like a plague. Worse still, he was always in the news for dating numerous celebrities. Rosalynn persevered until she couldn't take it anymore. She upped and left after filing for a divorce. Everything changed days later. Brian took interest in a designer that worked for his company anonymously. From her profile, he could tell that she was brilliant and dazzling. He pulled the stops to find out her true identity. Little did he know that he was going to receive the greatest shocker of his life. Brian bit his finger with regret when he recalled his past actions and the woman he foolishly let go.
Charlee was left at the altar and became a laughingstock. She tried to keep her head high, but ultimately lost it when she received a sex tape of her fiance and her half-sister. Devastated, she ended up spending a wild night with a hot stranger. It was supposed to be one-time thing, but he kept popping up, helping her with projects and revenge, all while flirting with her constantly. Charlee soon realized that it was nice having him around, until her ex suddenly appeared at her door, begging for another chance. Her tycoon lover asked, âWho will you choose? Think carefully before you answer.â
Desperate to handle her grandmother's towering medical bills, Gianna agreed to a contract marriage with Tristan, the enigmatic man she'd once shared a one-night stand with. She assumed they'd fulfill each other's needs and dissolve the arrangement once the terms expired. Unbeknownst to Gianna, this marriage was a dream Tristan had clung to for ten relentless years. Certain she was just filling someone else's role, Gianna prepared to leave when that other woman returned. But Tristan, his eyes burning with unspoken emotion, seized her trembling hand and declared, "Youâre mine. Now and always."