Enslaved and tortured, she believed darkness had consumed her completely. But then, this man appeared: The Devil, a man shrouded in shadows and mystery. Drawn to his brute strength and dangerous aura, she longed for his protection. However, her love for this dark man dragged her into a deadly game. Can she escape his clutches and find happiness, or will she be trapped forever in his world of shadows?
Here I am, huddled in a cage so small I can barely move, my skin cold against the metal bars that remind me how trapped I am. I'm wearing a threadbare dress, so short and thin that it reveals more than it covers, exposing my vulnerability to these monsters who stare at us as if we were mere objects. Each of their eyes slides over my body like a repulsive caress, as if they already own me, even if they haven't paid the price for it yet. The thought turns my stomach.
In the distance, the raspy voices of men mix with the hum of the fluorescent lights above our heads. They're bidding on us, on the girls trapped in this hell with me. Their numbers are thrown into the air with the same indifference as if they were gambling in a casino, not understanding or perhaps not caring that they are deciding the fate of a human life. Their laughter is like claws tearing at what little remains of my sanity.
I look at the blonde in the cage next to me. She's shaking, though she tries not to show it too much. The way she bites her lips hard, almost to the point of bleeding, tells me she's scared. I don't blame her. Fear is our most faithful companion here. She, like me, has learned to keep quiet. We know that words are of no use in this place, they only make things worse. I spoke up the first few weeks, I screamed and cried, but all I got was punishment. Silence is our only weapon, even if it can barely protect us from the inevitable.
"And here we have the blonde girl," the host announces with a smile that makes my hair stand on end. As if he's showing off the latest model of car at a luxury auction. She shivers more when he points at her, but she remains silent.
The numbers start to go up. "500 thousand," an old man says. I don't recognize his face, but I know who he is. He's always here, buying girls one by one. Another man holds up his sign. "800 thousand." Prices are rising rapidly. I feel a pang in my chest every time someone else bids. It's like they're putting a price on our souls.
Finally, the old man wins the bid with "900 thousand." The blonde will be his. I can't imagine what awaits her, but I know it will be horrible. She knows what's coming, and yet, I watch her struggle to keep her composure. A whisper of hope dies on my lips. There's no hope here, only darkness.
Tomorrow, it will be my turn.
They haven't sold me yet because I'm underage, but that ends tomorrow, when I turn 18. They know that. They're waiting anxiously, like hungry wolves stalking their prey. They have rules here: they don't sell the girls until they're of age, but in the meantime, they rent us out. Over these two years, I've been rented out too many times to count, but they've kept me intact for one reason only. A virgin girl is worth more, much more.
But what they can't take away from me, what they can't sell, is how disgusting I feel inside. Even though I'm still technically a virgin, I feel dirtier than anything else. They've touched me too many times. Their hands have left invisible marks on my skin, scars that will never heal. No matter how much I bathe, no matter how much I scrub, I always feel dirty. Every time I close my eyes, I relive those moments. Disgust consumes me. I'm not me anymore. I'm a shadow of my former self, an empty shell.
"And here's our specialty for today," the host says, pointing at me.
I knew this moment would come. My heart pounds in my chest, but I don't show anything on my face. I've learned not to react, not to let them see how much it affects me. They won't sell me today, not yet, but they will rent me out, as they have so many times before. The room erupts in murmurs. They look at me, they size me up. I'm a trophy to them, an object of desire they long to possess.
"The girl we all love," the host smiles, as if this were some kinds of fun show.
The signs go up once more, the bids fly around the room, and I can only stare at the floor, wishing for this all to end. I feel empty, like my soul has already been ripped from me. I want to disappear, dissolve into thin air, but I can't. I'm trapped, condemned to continue living this hell.
Finally, the host closes the bidding. "A million to Mr. Campbell."
The name sends a chill down my spine. Campbell. That man is a monster, the same one who bought my best friend a year ago. I haven't seen her since. Deep down I know she's dead, but I cling to the illusion that maybe, just maybe, she's still alive. It's a lie I repeat to myself over and over, because the truth would be too painful to accept.
I squeeze my eyes shut, trying to prepare myself for what's coming. The thought of what Campbell will do to me turns my stomach. I want to vomit. I want to scream. I want to die. But I don't do any of those things. I hold myself still, like a broken doll, waiting to be used and then tossed aside.
Sometimes, I wonder why I keep fighting, why I haven't found a way to end all of this. I've tried, I swear. I've searched for ways to end my life, but I always fail. It's like even to die is a failure. The universe mocks me, denying me even the comfort of death. I feel like a mistake, a mistake that should never have been born. I'm paying for that mistake now.
I expect nothing from this world. Heaven, earth, none have given me reasons to believe in anything but this endless pain. I'm alone. I always have been. And that won't change.
"Is it that hard?" I whisper, even though I know no one is listening.
I don't want to open my eyes ever again. I just want peace, a rest that has been denied me since I entered this place. But that is an impossible wish. This world has no mercy for girls like me.
The host takes me by the arm, dragging me out of the cage. My body is tense, fear runs through me from head to toe, but I don't bother to fight anymore. I just hope that this time it will be quick, that this man will use me and leave me alone. But I know that won't be the case.
I look at the floor as I am led to my destination. The murmurs of the room follow me like a dark cloud, and the cold of the hallway's seeps under my skin. My heart beats so fast that it feels like it will explode at any moment, but at the same time, I feel a complete disconnection from my body. As if I am no longer me, as if my soul left this place a long time ago.
Tomorrow will be worse.
Tomorrow, they will sell me.
A party that gets out of control An infidelity that breaks my heart Betrayals, secrets, and truths coming to light They accuse me of a crime I didn't commit, but I will prove my innocence. I don't remember much, just a few gray eyes that became my salvation in more ways than one.
She... a sweet, tender, delicate and insecure woman, expelled from her family. He... a man scarred by battles, strong, confident, strict and known for being cruel A favor that united two people beyond a friendship. They were polar opposites. The attraction was irremediable. 3 months were enough to love each other.
Ares wants revenge and for that alone, he has returned to Olympus, but he will meet a muse who will make him rethink his priorities. Although it may not seem like it to him. War has always been his only love, the only reason for his existence, he enjoys the pleasures that his divinity grants him but everything changes from one moment to another. Can Ares admit that he has a heart? Will he accept that he not only loves war but also loves love? Only a muse can be the reason for his existence and make him know true happiness, but not everything is easy, can the gods of Olympus separate them? Revenge, love, betrayal, and drama ... I invite you to know the other side of the God of war.
A bastard like him shouldn't have her ... A woman like her shouldn't be wasting herself on someone who doesn't know how to treat a lady. She does not interest me what they think, she will be for me. I am the one who will make her enjoy it and worship as the goddess that she is. Go ahead, you can judge me ... but I want and want for myself, my brother's wife. And I won't stop until I get it. My name is Santino and this is the story of how an unusual woman snatched away the calm and peace that she had in my life. Alexa came to me in the simplest way possible and without doing anything to get my attention, but my brother was the trigger that the passion that existed in me focused on his girl, and in his attempt to be better than me, he committed the mistake of unleashing a forbidden love between her and me.
I am not the type of girl who attracts men, my life is not very social and my best friend is my cat Salem. He dedicated me to writing, hanging out with my brother, and sometimes with my few friends. Everything was normal until that Valentine's Day when everything changed for me. Two men burst into my life as if they were earthquakes, their auras indicating danger and they enveloped me in their life as if I had belonged there. My mother always said that men with tattoos were a danger and a problem for girls. But these two Greek gods got me and now I'm part of the mob. This is my story
Lailah Gazth had her whole life planned, but her world falls apart when her best friend Alison dies in a car accident, caused by nothing more and nothing less than the young criminal Azael Grimm or so he calls himself ... Lailah decides to take a risk and report him, getting a trial in which they will debate whether he is guilty or not, but that will be in three months, the same time Azael has to make her fall in love and prevent her from testifying against him and thus not go to jail. Will she get it? What consequences could she bring to her after her?
In the previous life, Maggie Johnson was so cowardly, gullible and stupid that she was coaxed by her fiance and stepsister and then broke her legs and lost everything including her fortune, love and even life. However, she was so lucky that she was reborn in the year before everything happened. Since her life restarted, how could she repeat a previous tragedy? Therefore, in this life, she took the opportunity to improve herself and take revenge on the ones who had ever insulted her. Facing the people who had humiliated her previously, she became smart and experienced to break their frames and tricks that had caused her to hurt in the previous life. Finally, no one could stop her pace to amaze the world any more.
It was supposed to be a marriage of convenience, but Carrie made the mistake of falling in love with Kristopher. When the time came that she needed him the most, her husband was in the company of another woman. Enough was enough. Carrie chose to divorce Kristopher and move on with her life. Only when she left did Kristopher realize how important she was to him. In the face of his ex-wife’s countless admirers, Kristopher offered her 20 million dollars and proposed a new deal. “Let’s get married again.”
"Is it considered betrayal to develop feelings for your best friend's boyfriend? What about when fate intervenes, and he turns out to be your destined mate? You might think it's luck and thank the moon goddess for such a twist of fate. That's what I believed until the love of my life uttered those dreaded words: 'I want a divorce!' As I stared at the pregnancy test in my hands, I realized it was better to keep my secret to myself. My name is Violet, and this is my story."
"I, Riccardo Saviano, future Alpha of the Grey Shadow Moon Pack, reject you, Artemisia Guerrieri, Daughter of Alpha Franco of the Blood Moon Pack, as my mate and future Luna." One single sentence. One stupid single sentence was all it took to disintegrate my life. And the day of my birthday, on which this sentence was audaciously uttered to me, I lost the love of my life, my future mate, and my wolf, all at once. As I'm still assembling the pieces of my shattered heart years later, there they come. Like lightning out of a crystal blue sky. My Mates. But wait... If I am mated to triplets, how come I'm about to be mated to 5 gorgeous men? *** TW: explicit and foul language; spicy content; explicit sex scenes ***
June Rivera was divorced by her husband after three years of marriage because he wanted to be with her sister who was pregnant for him. Kicked to the curb with a divorce and rejected by her parents,she struggles to make ends meet and get a job until she saves Luis Ambrose from an accident - the only child of Rafael Ambrose, a widowed man and the CEO of Ambrose Corporation. When little Luis asks to have her as a nanny, and Rafael's mother pressures him to get married, they draw a contract. To be Luis's nanny and his fake wife for one year in exchange for 50 million dollars!
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!"