"I can't do this anymore, Hannah. I can't wake up another day without you by my side. You own me, Hannah. You grasp my every thought. Please, come back to me" ***** Forty-Year-old Hannah Morales married at the age of twenty-two to please her parents. But after a life of trauma that has left her with scars she is still healing from, she lost all hope of ever finding love. But all that changed when she met the young androgynous Serenity Gils. Twenty-four-year-old Serenity Gils never thought she'd find the one for her, the reason why she easily got bored with her one-night stands. But after meeting Hannah Morales at a new years eve party and bumping into her again at a BDSM club, Serenity realized she was finding love in the wrong age group. Hannah and Serenity begin a whirlwind romance. It was filled with everything Serenity thought she'd never find and everything Hannah longed for. But when Hannah is put in a life-threatening situation, she has to make a decision and no matter what she chose, hearts will be broken. -------
** August 2000 **
Hannah Morales stared at her reflection in the mirror. Just a few minutes ago, three women surrounded her. Whilst one worked on her hair, the other applied a variety of products on her face which she had lost count of and the last woman arranged the beautiful white dress she had on.
It wasn't like the typical dress every girl dreamt of wearing on a day like this. This one was special and it meant the world to her.
Her grandmother wore it. So did her mom. And now, she was wearing it. And she loved it. It was a beautiful dress after all, not adorned with extravagant pearls and whatnot. It was simple yet classy.
And it was what the women in her family had worn on their wedding day, a day Hannah has been dreaming of. The day when she walked down the aisle, wearing the same dress her mother wore whilst she was minutes away from marrying the love of her life.
Except, the man she was marrying wasn't the love of her life. He was her friend and Hannah had a great amount of respect for him. But she didn't love him. They grew up together and went to the same high school, but that was it. Her feelings for him are purely platonic. As for every man she'd met.
Matter of fact, she didn't like anyone with a joystick between their legs. Growing up, Hannah Morales found her attraction to women insane. It wasn't until she turned seventeen that she fully came to terms with it. The fact that she loved women. So much so that she'd grown to hate the thought of being with a man intimately. Hell, the thought of coming home to a man after a long ass day at work made her stomach churn.
But it had to be done. For the sake of her family and the position they held in the community. Coming out would soil their reputation, which is why she didn't protest when they asked her to marry Austin Jenkins, she agreed.
Her dad was the mayor of the city. And her mom, well, she was a trophy wife, and her soon-to-be in-laws were quite known around town too. Two influential families coming together. One word, power.
But Hannah didn't want to be a trophy wife like her mom. There was so much she wanted to do with her life. She wanted to start up her own business and make a name for herself, not hide behind her family's last name and her husband's last name like her mother did.
And that was the aspect where both women didn't see eye to eye.
"Oh Hannah my dear, you look lovely" her mother, Mrs Morales walked in, a proud smile on her face and a pool of tears gleaming in her eyes.
She looked briefly at the woman whom she took her hazel eyes from. "Thanks, mom" she looked back at her reflection.
"Let's go. Your dad is waiting by the limousine to take you to church. I can't believe you'll soon become Mrs Jenkins" the older woman whose hair was rapidly showing signs of ageing cooed.
Hannah sighed. That was another thing she wasn't okay with. She didn't want to carry Austin's last name. She didn't want to be a Jenkins. She was, after all, marrying the man to please her parents, couldn't she at least keep her last name?
Bringing it up now will be the genesis of yet another argument and she didn't want that. She needed her thoughts intact while she made the worse decision of her life. How ironic.
Hannah Morales wished the 1995 limousine didn't reach the wedding venue as fast as it did. She wished the ride lasted a while. She was even ready to entertain her father's bickering if it meant she could have enjoyed her last seconds as a free woman.
But much to her dismay, she was listening to the instructions of the wedding planner her family has been interacting with for the past months on how processing into the hall will look like.
She listened, but nothing sank in.
And then she felt her father's hand on her shoulder.
"Let's go, honey. It's our turn"
The next minutes happened in a daze. Her hands were entangled in her father's, then they were walking down the red carpet leading to the alter, he was whispering in her ear words which would make her smile on any other day.
"I can't believe I'm giving you off to another man. Seems just yesterday when you were playing in the garden" the older man's voice was laced with emotions.
'Yeah, can't believe it either".
Hannah's mental remark was filled with disgust.
The doors opened and everyone looked in their direction.
Hannah swallowed a gulp. Her soon-to-be husband was exactly fifty steps away from her.
Hannah Morales forced a smile on her face. But it didn't last long. So she made a mental note to smile only when she made eye contact with someone.
And well, once she was standing at the altar with her soon-to-be husband.
Her hands disentangled from her father's and he gracefully kissed her on the cheeks then handed her over to Austin as though she were a parcel.
Hannah pushed that thought to the back of her mind and tried to focus on what awaited her.
When Austin took her hand, she felt cold and she froze on the spot. And then she remembered she had to smile.
The corners of her mouth raised and she gave him a sly smile.
"Ladies and gentlemen, we are gathered here today to put in matrimony, two people who love each other" the bald priest with a beard spoke out.
Love? Hannah gave a mental chuckle at the priest's statement. She fancied Austin, that was the most she felt for him.
Seeing the smile plastered on Austin's face, Hannah Morales knew she could not marry this man. She knew she could not spend the rest of her life with this man.
It wouldn't be fair to either of them.
She should have apologised then and there to him, to their family and to everyone who'd come for her.
But she couldn't. She couldn't bring that pain to her parents. So when the priest began with the rites, Hannah dismissed those thoughts into the pit of her brain.
"Do you, Austin Jenkins, take Hannah Morales to be your lawfully wedded wife? To love and to cherish, in sickness and in health, for better or for worse until death do you part?"
Austin looked at Hannah with a smile that broke her heart.
"I do" he replied.
"Do you, Hannah Morales, take Austin Jenkins to be your lawfully wedded husband? To love and to cherish, in sickness and in health, for better or for worse until death do you part?"
Hannah looked at Austin. She could tell that he'd picked up on the fact that she didn't want to marry him. So he gave her a pleading look, begging her to ruin his reputation.
Hannah was silent. In her heart, she knew whatever decision she made, someone will get hurt.
So, she closed her eyes and said the words she knew will be the start of her nightmare.
"I do"
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"Don't you get it, my little flower? I own every bit of you. Every. Single. Bit. Anyone who looks at you, I'll pluck off their eyes. Anyone who touches you, I'll cut off their hands. Anyone who breaths the same air as you, I'll cut off their nose. And for everyone who has been inside you, be certain I'll chop off their dicks and shove down their throat" I watch a sinister smile make its way to his face as he spoke, his hold on my neck tightened, making it difficult for me to breath. "Now, be a good girl Zinnia, and take my dick" ****** In a world where morality blurs and alliances shift like sand, Reed Dammington remains a constant force-a living legend in the gritty realm of bounty hunting, where survival depends on wit, skill, and an unyielding will to pursue justice, no matter the cost. By night, Twenty-four year old Zinnia Levine isa bartender, navigating the ebb and flow of patrons' stories while keeping her own guarded. Her chosen profession becomes both refuge and battleground. At first sight, Reed is obsessed with Zinnia and would stop at nothing to make her his. Slowly, Zinnia learns that there is more to Reed than just slitting people's neck. With him, she finds out more about herself and what she yearns. Her discoveries makes her understand that they are alike. More than she had expected. ********* WARNING I CARE FOR YOUR SANITY. THIS BOOK IS NOT FOR THE FAINT OF HEARTS. IT CONTAINS REALLY DARK SCENES (DEGRADATION, DUBIOUS CONSENT AND CONCENSUAL NOT CONSENT). READ AT YOUR DETRIMENT. OH, AND LEAVE A COMMENT. THANKS!! --------
Morgan Daniels never felt the love of her parents growing up. They were always so discriminative and distant towards her, and it only worsened after her father died. She found out that he left the majority of their home decor service to Roi, her big brother and also found out that her girlfriend has been shagging her brother. Betrayed, Morgan decides to sell her share of the company and starts afresh in a new city. Now at twenty-five, she is a successful club owner and a ruthless playgirl. Love is no longer her language as she sleeps around and doesn’t care who she hurts. Maia Shelton grows up in a foster family, and she dreams of going to college to make her dreams come true. And after taking up several jobs, extra shifts and a gap year after completing high school, she gets to live her dream of going to college as she gains enrollment into the University of the Community- Mildenhall, to study Business Management. At first sight, Morgan is hooked on Maia. Maybe it is her innocence, her beauty, or the fact that Maia reminded her of her very first love. However, Morgan finds it impossible not to request an indecent proposal from Maia. --------
To the public, she was the CEO's executive secretary. Behind closed doors, she was the wife he never officially acknowledged. Jenessa was elated when she learned that she was pregnant. But that joy was replaced with dread as her husband, Ryan, showered his affections on his first love. With a heavy heart, she chose to set him free and leave. When they met again, Ryan's attention was caught by Jenessa's protruding belly. "Whose child are you carrying?!" he demanded. But she only scoffed. "It's none of your business, my dear ex-husband!"
Three years ago, the Moore family opposed Charles Moore's choice to marry his beloved woman and selected Scarlett Riley as his bride. Charles didn't love her. In fact, he hated her. Not long after they got married, Scarlett received an offer from her dream university and jumped on it. Three years later, Charles's beloved woman fell terribly ill. In order to fulfill her last wish, he called Scarlett back and presented her with a divorce agreement. Scarlett was deeply hurt by Charles's abrupt decision, but she chose to let him go and agreed to sign the divorce papers. However, Charles seemed to delay the process deliberately, leaving Scarlett confused and frustrated. Now, Scarlett was trapped between the consequences of Charles's indecision. Would she be able to break free from him? Would Charles eventually come to his senses and face his true feelings?
Joelle thought she could change Adrian's heart after three years of marriage, but she realized too late that it already belonged to another woman. "Give me a baby, and I'll set you free." The day Joelle went into labor, Adrian was traveling with his mistress on his private jet. "I don't care whom you love. My debt is paid. From now on, we have nothing to do with each other." Not long after Joelle left, Adrian found himself begging on his knees. "Please come back to me."
Janet was adopted when she was a kid -- a dream come true for orphans. However, her life was anything but happy. Her adoptive mother taunted and bullied her all her life. Janet got the love and affection of a parent from the old maid who raised her. Unfortunately, the old woman fell ill, and Janet had to marry a worthless man in place of her parents' biological daughter to meet the maid's medical expenses. Could this be a Cinderella's tale? But the man was far from a prince, except for his handsome appearance. Ethan was the illegitimate son of a wealthy family who lived a reckless life and barely made ends meet. He got married to fulfill his mother's last wish. However, on his wedding night, he had an inkling that his wife was different from what he had heard about her. Fate had united the two people with deep secrets. Was Ethan truly the man we thought he was? Surprisingly, he bore an uncanny resemblance to the impenetrable wealthiest man in the city. Would he find out that Janet married him in place of her sister? Would their marriage be a romantic tale or an utter disaster? Read on to unravel Janet and Ethan's journey.
Yelena discovered that she wasn't her parents' biological child. After seeing through their ploy to trade her as a pawn in a business deal, she was sent away to her barren birthplace. There, she stumbled upon her true origins—a lineage of historic opulence. Her real family showered her with love and adoration. In the face of her so-called sister's envy, Yelena conquered every adversity and took her revenge, all while showcasing her talents. She soon caught the attention of the city's most eligible bachelor. He cornered Yelena and pinned her against the wall. "It's time to reveal your true identity, darling."
Belinda thought after divorce, they would part ways for good - he could live his life on his own terms, while she could indulge in the rest of hers. However, fate had other plans in store. "My darling, I was wrong. Would you please come back to me?" The man, whom she once loved deeply, lowered his once proud head humbly. "I beg you to return to me." Belinda coldly pushed away the bouquet of flowers he had offered her and coolly replied, "It's too late. The bridge has been burned, and the ashes have long since scattered to the wind!"