"So deep in my head even the ocean's jealous of you. there's hunger in you and there's a satiability you had claimed only I could give. it's a lie, i see it clear in your eyes but I clamp my mouth shut and wait. i wait, and i wait, and i wait till your scent is too much to bear but i'm already six feet deep in it, slippery bathroom tiles under my feet as i sit with my knees pulled against my chest. what a cop out, I decided to dance with the devil by myself and now that his fingers are tipping my chin up with tears rolling down the sides; i look for somebody else to blame. he's a hundred sins wrapped into one, each layer falls from brawny shoulders the closer I get. funny, isn't it? the devil himself has come to take me to salvation. if he was to drag me through the depths of hades in exchange of another kiss; i'd carve the shape of his lips onto my grave." Cecilia was born cursed with blindness. She takes extreme interest in the underworld. However when she ends up with a demon bond to her, there's two choices she could make, ask the demon to solve all her problems and end up paying the price he asks in exchange or let him drag her to the depths of Hades. "Even with your red eyes of a demon, you seem closer to heaven than to hell," She tells him, a hand on his cheek. He begs to differ.
Salvation; a term used to describe deliverance from a sin and it's consequences. For some, it's protection from damage, harm and loss while for other's repentance of the deed's they've done. It includes death and separation from god as we know him. While I had never been a religious person myself, partially felt as if I was an athiest, my belief in salvation arose after I met him. It's a little difficult to tell the story by myself but the following pages are all I could write down, all I could think of.
Still vivid in my memory was the day I had first met him. My toes were pittering with rain water and my father's car stood a couple feet away from me. The town had never been more glum, it felt like the arrival of all things dark all as once. A heavy cloud hung low in the sky and the grey buildings were getting painted a darker shade by the water. He was thunderous even in the way he walked that day, powerful, sleek and with a look that screamed 'I'm here only for business'. The man with the black umbrella had an unfamiliar aura to him. He was serene and calm even in the unusual rain, I had recognized the difference when he stepped into the department store. His shoes came to a clacking halt to my right. The lady who owned the store was perhaps outside somewhere bargaining for fruits.
"Oh it's raining so much," he had grumbled, perhaps agitated. Ryesville had never seen such rain before. It talked of somebody's arrival. Somebody who was here to hold other people's departure.
"Would you like to buy an umbrella then?", I suggested, placing my thin gloves away to direct my way to the racks where the umbrellas were. "What size do you want it to be?"
"Are you blind?", he snorted a little and I turned on my heels to what direction I assumed he was in. "I already have an-"
"Yeah," I interrupted and then a beat of silence followed my response. "I am blind."
"Oh, I apologise for being insensitive," he had muttered softly. There was so much to unpack in his voice. So unfamiliar, so warm and so, so, so distant at the same time. Who was this man? "I wasn't paying enough attention to notice."
"That's fine," It wasn't fine. "Would you like to purchase something or are you only here to find relief from the rain. If so, please grab a chair and rest well." The bell of the back doro rung indicating Mrs. Whyre's arrival. She wore boots and stopped very near me.
"He's a bit uncommon looking, eh?", she asked in a soft voice next to my ear and I whipped my head around, almost spraining it. From what I had heard, She was a short, stubby and extremely friendly shop keeper who happened to engage with almost everybody for hours on an end. Mrs. Whyre was one of the reasons I loved visiting the local market so much. My father's reputation wasn't all that great outside town but here, he was a considered a hero. Some even worshipped him. She was one of those who did.
Eh, could never be me.
"Certainly," I smiled a little. She dragged a stool to sit next to me. "Is he sitting?"
"Yeah he's quite far from us," Mrs. Whyre whispered. "I doubt he can hear us. Did you catch his name? He looks new in town."
"I didn't, his presence feels very unfamiliar to myself," I confessed quietly. "Must be here for business. What do you think?"
"Ah, Miss Barlowe, I doubt he's here for good business, man's wearing a golden serpent ring."
It was considered ominous here. People said only those with murderous or satanic intents fashioned such rings. I used to laugh at it. Of course, nothing religious made sense to me and though I respected their beliefs, it was utterly foolish to consider a piece of jewellery so unlucky. "The younger kids these days," Mrs. Whyre sighed, a little exasperated. "You never know if it's just their style or if they're here to kill."
Right. I wasn't seriously going to be scared of a ring. "Should you leave so soon? Ryen's coming to fetch you." She told me and all I did was nod. The stranger's presence was too strong for my liking, I couldn't help but want to leave. Right as I stood up to gather my stuff, a chair screeched as if somebody pushed it back and a whoosh of air passed my face.
The stranger had left the shop.
"Good day Miss Barlowe, be careful on your way back," Mrs Whyre warned gently. "The roads are slippery when it rains." I left with another nod.
"Just take me home please," I mumbled, carefully placing my dirty shoes in one corner once I was in the car. The driver only revved the engine to life. Apparently he was too scared of my father's anger to talk to me directly. It was funny, I hadn't quite learned to respect the man since I never felt the need to but to see others shrivel up at the sound of his voice was hilarious.
It was a five minute drive from the market and I could barely enjoy the rain before the car came to a halt. I rushed in before the downpour could get the better of me. My feet were slightly slippery against the wooden flooring but I was sure I could make it to the living room before falling. I stopped to snoop into my father's 'study' which seemed more like a scheming room to me and from the noises I could make out that there were at least two other people in the room. Good thing he was busy. I had no intentions of chatting with him. The hall outside was empty, not a single sound was heard and my shoulders immediately dropped in relaxation.
"You should be a little more alert," a sharp whisper to my right. "Miss Barlowe."
I spun around with a short gasp, fright written clear as the day on my face when I realised that it was a fairly familiar voice. The man from the department store!
My heart jumps to my throat when I catch a familiar scent. Why does it appear around me so often these days? I turn around looking for the owner frantically but I can't spot them. "How do you know me?" "How can I not?" "You're quite popular, I'm not, so I had no idea you'd be into me." "I'm not into you. I just like making friends." "Yeah sure, like you haven't been practically undressing me with your eyes." "I have not been doing that!" Two people who fall in love, one best friend, a lot of tears and pushing each other away. All Mia wanted at first was for Sam to accept his feelings so they could end up together, to help him out of his misery but now? Now all she wished was to push him away as far as possible even if he wanted to sacrifice everything for her. Her best friend, Jim, is more than confused and hurt. He knows he's losing her forever but there's nothing he could do now, is there?
In their three years of marriage, Chelsea had been a dutiful wife to Edmund. She used to think that her love and care would someday melt Edmund's cold heart, but she was wrong. Finally, she couldn't take the disappointment any longer and chose to end the marriage. Edmund had always thought that his wife was just boring and dull. So it was shocking when Chelsea suddenly threw divorce papers at his face in front of everyone at the Nelson Group's anniversary party. How humiliating! After that, everyone thought that the formerly-married couple would never see each other again, even Chelsea. Once again, she thought wrong. Sometime later, at an award ceremony, Chelsea went onstage to accept the award for best screenplay. Her ex-husband, Edmund, was the one presenting the award to her. As he handed her the trophy, he suddenly reached for her hand and pleaded humbly in front of the audience, "Chelsea, I'm sorry I didn't cherish you before. Could you please give me another chance?" Chelsea looked at him indifferently. "I'm sorry, Mr. Nelson. My only concern now is my business." Edmund's heart was shattered into a million pieces. "Chelsea, I really can't live without you." But his ex-wife just walked away. Wasn't it better for her to just concentrate on her career? Men would only distract her—especially her ex-husband.
Kallie, a mute who had been ignored by her husband for five years since their wedding, also suffered the loss of her pregnancy due to her cruel mother-in-law. After the divorce, she learned that her ex-husband had quickly gotten engaged to the woman he truly loved. Holding her slightly rounded belly, she realized that he had never really cared for her. Determined, she left him behind, treating him as a stranger. Yet, after she left, he scoured the globe in search of her. When their paths crossed once more, Kallie had already found new happiness. For the first time, he pleaded humbly, "Please don't leave me..." But Kallie's response was firm and dismissive, cutting through any lingering ties. "Get lost!"
Catherine swallowed with her eyes closed and her lips slightly open, a moan escaped her lips when Lucas slid two fingers under her panties, "Lucas..." She moaned, lost in the sinful desire as her ex-boyfriend's dad moved his fingers against her rosy flesh... *************** Catherine, a young mother of two who came to the city with the hope of finding her twin's father only to be denied and deserted by him, found herself entangled in a forbidden web of craving. As the flame of passion ignites between her and the CEO, Lucas Leonard—her ex-boyfriend's father—their affair takes them on a journey of temptation and sinful desires.Struggling with society's judgment and their own inner desire, Catherine and Lucas must steer the treacherous judgemental waters of the society and either fight for their love or let it crumble especially when her ex-lover came back to claim her and the twins. Will their love withstand the dishonorable whispers, or will it crumble under the weight of societal expectations and her ex-lover's conspiracies to win her back?
Rejected by her mate, who had been her long-time crush, Jasmine felt utterly humiliated. Seeking solace, she headed to a party to drown her sorrows. But things took a turn for the worse when her friends issued a cruel dare: kiss a stranger or beg her mate for forgiveness. With no other choice, Jasmine approached a stranger and kissed him, thinking that would be the end of it. However, the stranger unexpectedly wrapped his arms around her waist and whispered in her ear, "You're mine!" He growled, his words sending shivers down her spine. And then, he offered her a solution that would change everything...
Rumors said that Lucas married an unattractive woman with no background. In the three years they were together, he remained cold and distant to Belinda, who endured in silence. Her love for him forced her to sacrifice her self-worth and her dreams. When Lucas' true love reappeared, Belinda realized that their marriage was a sham from the start, a ploy to save another woman's life. She signed the divorce papers and left. Three years later, Belinda returned as a surgical prodigy and a maestro of the piano. Lost in regret, Lucas chased her in the rain and held her tightly. "You are mine, Belinda."
"Ms. Crawford, it’s time for you to divorce Mr. Larsen and come home. You're the only heiress the Master's waiting for.” ~•~ For the sake of love, Amara accepted the arranged marriage with Tobias William Larsen. She did everything to gain her husband’s heart but when his old love returned, she realized that all her effort was all for naught. Tobias demanded a divorce on the night of their wedding anniversary, even at the price of threatening her. Heartbroken, she finally dropped all her illusions about him and returned home to be the heiress. The next time she met Tobias, they were no longer couples but opponents. "Mr. Larsen, should I remind you again? We've divorced." "Amara, that's the stupidest mistake I've ever made. Please come back to me."