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Taryn Vant is a popular, stunning racer. Because she's great at racing, her admirers could wrap around the Earth three times. Nevertheless, she never gives any of them the time of day.
Meanwhile, Zane Wilder is a naturally gifted racer and also Taryn's arch-nemesis.
In public, the moment they appear in the same space, they're always at each other's throats, as if they want to destroy one another. In private, though, they keep getting pulled back to each other.
At first, Taryn believes that Zane feels the same—that they share an unspoken, mutual understanding about their relationship. It stays that way until the day she sees him walk onto the racetrack holding another woman's hand. 
Ariella gave Lucian everything - her body, her heart, her freedom.For two years, she lived as his secret lover, believing her silent devotion would melt his cold heart. But when she arrives at her best friend's wedding, she discovers the groom is none other than him - the man who held her nights and shattered her days. A marriage she believes is real - but isn't.Standing in the shadows, she watches him smile at his bride, greet her like a stranger, and finally confirms what she's always feared: he never loved her. She was just a contract. A convenience.Now, with their agreement nearing its end, she's ready to walk away. But he's not. Not anymore."You think we're over?" he growls, cornering her like a beast."We'll never be over."Torn between a cruel but addictive love - she must decide: escape, or be consumed. 

Elaina Gainsford had been a married woman for two years, yet the only chances she got to see her husband were the times when he was on TV. Therefore, she divorced him later.To her surprise, the day after the divorce, he frequently came into her sight. He first asked her to help his girlfriend, and then he claimed to woo her."Jalen Halton, do you know who I am?" she asked him."Of course. You are the internationally famous Dr. Gainsford, the renowned painter, Damon Dorthea's last student, the top hacker Elevan, and the founder of a high-end clothing brand. What other identities do you have? Tell me. I'm all ears." Jalen was so confident. He thought that he already knew everything about Elaina."In fact..."Elaina leaned close to him and whispered in his ear, "I am also your ex-wife." 

My ex-boyfriend, Jason Bell, still hasn't let go of me, even though I've been married to Cedric Mosley for two years now.
He sends blood-red dancing heels to me and threatens to destroy my current "peaceful life".
Terrified and trembling, I'm about to call the cops when a hand in latex gloves rests on my shoulder.
"Don't be afraid."
My forensic doctor husband, having just returned from an autopsy, carries a faint scent of formaldehyde with him.
He takes off his glasses. With the same hands he uses to handle scalpels, he slowly helps me open the threatening letter inside the package.
"The handwriting is sloppy, with uneven pressure applied. It's typical of an anxious personality type."
Then, as if he's reviewing an autopsy report, he comments mildly, "This type of person usually has brittle bones that snap easily."
*
There are 206 bones in an adult body.
When Cedric placed a “rib” ring on my finger, he whispered, “You are the bone I lost long ago—the one that makes me whole.”
That is the origin of this title. 

When my stepsister, Lucy Sloven, frames me for triggering her allergic reaction, my three brothers force me into a cramped, airless cellar and seal the door with chains.
I slam my fists against the cellar door, pleading with them to let me out.
My eldest brother, Aaron Caldwell, a powerful figure in the business world, snaps coldly, "I usually turn a blind eye when you bully Luce, but you knew she was allergic to seafood and still made her eat it. Are you trying to kill her? Stay in there and reflect on your actions!"
My second brother, Bruce Caldwell, a rising pop star, and my third brother, Clark Caldwell, a genius painter, scoff in unison. "Someone as vicious as you still dares to play the victim. Stay in there and suffer!"
With that, they scoop up the trembling Lucy and rush her to the hospital.
As time drags on, the oxygen dwindles. Every breath becomes a struggle until I suffocate to death inside.
Three days later, when my brothers return from the hospital with Lucy, they finally remember me.
They have no idea that I have already died from oxygen deprivation in that narrow cellar. 
I've just gotten married to Nathan Rodgers, a scion of Heidorot's elite, in the morning. But in the afternoon, he takes me to the courthouse for a divorce.
As I clutch both the marriage and divorce certificates in my hands, all I can hear is his friends' relentless mocking.
"Wow, Nathan! You actually married and divorced Caroline just because you wanted to cheer Eveline up!"
"Haha! Look at how pale Caroline looks! Don't tell me she's about to cry!"
Nathan wraps an arm around my adopted sister, Eveline Garrix. He says to her in a gentle tone, "Now that both certificates are here, are you willing to flash me a smile now?"
Caroline let out a soft giggle. Her face, which is often fixed with a cold expression, now has a smile blooming on it.
I want to demand answers, but I find myself being restrained by my brothers.
Martin Bergling, my oldest brother who's a CEO, frowns at me.
"Nathan is the only one who can make Caroline laugh. You'd better behave now."
Oscar Bergling, my second brother, who's an award-winning actor, shoves me to the floor.
"Eveline comes from a pitiful background. You, on the other hand, were born with a silver spoon—you have plenty of men to pick from other than Nathan."
Albus Bergling, my third brother who's a biology professor, fixes a cold expression on his face.
"Nathan should've married Eveline a long time ago. Stop bothering them already, Caroline!"
After that, my brothers forcibly push them into a car in an attempt to stop me from ruining their first love's happiness.
That's when the system, which has gone missing for a very long time, returns to me.
"Host, it appears that you've accomplished your mission! Do you want to return to your world right now?"
I sit in the back seat, looking out the window glumly. When I hear the system's voice, I almost break out into laughter.
Finally, the angsty scene I've performed for the sake of my mission is over. From now on, I no longer give a damn about the stupid theatrics those idiots call their lives. 
Miranda Payne is Ekason's most renowned genius pediatric surgeon.
With a scalpel in her hand, she has saved countless children's lives. The media hails her as Ekason's "guardian of children".
But right now, she is pinned against her office desk, a cold gun barrel pressed firmly against her wrist.
The man holding the gun is her husband, Jerome Cooper, heir to the Cooper family and the one who controls both Ekason's criminal underworld and its legitimate power.
Dressed in a black suit, he radiates a chilling, murderous air. Behind him, one of his men holds up a tablet. On the screen, a video plays.
Their five-year-old son, Fred Cooper, is being forcibly transferred out of the hospital.
Fred is burning with a high fever. His cheeks are flushed, his face twisted in pain. He murmurs weakly, "Mommy…"
"Freddie!" Miranda cries out, her heart shattering at the sight of him.
"Miranda, you have no choice with the two surgeries today," Jerome says coldly, pressing the gun harder against her wrist. "You either save Dami first, or I destroy your hand and let both Dami and Freddie die together." 

"Kylie, once Charlotte finishes her rehab this month, I'll break up with her. So, just wait a little longer, alright?"Charlotte Summer pushes open the door of the private room just in time to hear her boyfriend, Sean Johannson, making that promise.He continued, "You know I owe her a lot. I only made it through school because she fought underground matches to pay for it. "Now that I'm finally the head of neurosurgery, since she hasn't had much of a good life yet, once her leg's healed, I'll give her some money. That should more or less settle the debt." 


After his older brother dies in a car accident, Luke Graham takes over the family business. Forced by his mom, Luke betrays his wife, Scarlett Walker, by having an affair with his sister-in-law, Susan Reynolds, who soon becomes pregnant. From handing over the family heirloom necklace to Susan to forcing Scarlett out of the main house for the sake of Susan's pregnancy, Luke's betrayal of Scarlett escalates gradually.Scarlett endures it all out of her lingering feelings for him. However, on her birthday, she witnesses Luke's tenderness toward Susan, and her heart shatters.That night, she fakes her death on a yacht and activates the divorce agreement she had prepared. Only after losing Scarlett does Luke realize what he has done. With the Walkers pulling out their investment into his company, it collapses, and he spirals into madness searching for Scarlett, only to be rejected at every turn.In the end, he falls into Susan's trap and perishes with her and their child in a fire.By then, Scarlett has already risen from the ashes, taken control of her family's empire, and sealed the past away for good. 
"Give birth to my baby, and I'll give you everything you want."
In order to raise enough money for her mother's surgery bills, Amelia Warren spends a night with a stranger. At first, she thinks she won't see him ever again, but her accidental pregnancy intertwines her fate with his.
Amelia rejects that suggestion immediately. "This is my uterus. I have the right to decide whether or not I want to give birth to this baby."
The man stops her in a domineering fashion. "You have no say in this matter!"
Michael Sutton, the famous business mogul in Southport, is a noble and prestigious man equipped with extremely brutal methods. No one dares to defy him at all.
Rumors have it that he's cold, distant, and isn't interested in the fairer sex at all. Some even whisper of his inability to sire children of his own. That is, until the paparazzi snap photos of him accompanying a woman to a prenatal check-up.
"Darling, you must be tired from all the walking. I'll carry you into the room."
"Darling, you must be thirsty, right? I'll feed you some water."
The so-called cold and distant man transforms into a henpecked husband right in front of the cameras, leaving everyone shell-shocked.
…
Before Amelia meets Michael, she's stuck in a hopeless situation. Her dad is a gambling addict, and her mom is very ill. Before she can even graduate from university, she's already saddled with heavy debts. She envisions her life of despair to remain like this for as long as she draws breath.
That is, until she meets the ever-so domineering yet devoted Michael, who loves her with all his heart. That's when everything changes.
Some people mock her for her low status, saying that she's not fit to be a part of the upper crust. They even think that she has no right to stay by Michael's side and speculate that she must have seduced her way to this position.
Michael states, "The moment I laid my gaze on Amelia, I fell in love with her at first sight. I was the one who kept pestering her until she agreed to marry me."
A certain higher-up in the government also pipes up, "Please take good care of Amy, my dearest daughter-in-law." 
A detective who receives information from an anonymous informant that something suspicious is going on at WIC Company. The detective goes there to investigate, but when he arrives, he is greeted by horror.
The informant told him something he couldn't understand, but it was about an astral and murders, but what piqued his interest was the word 'dad,' because he hadn't seen his father in how many years, and perhaps he was about to now.
What people know is that the WIC is a medicine company that was built in the core of the wilderness, but it was also an asylum, despite what people thought.
As Gunner made his way inside, he came across unimaginable human beings that a normal person would never believe could exist. He encountered a psychotic professor, an insane nun, a murderer priest, and, finally, the perfect experiment of a wild animal monster created by an evil.
Follow his trip as he searches for and save his twin brother who was waiting for him as he countered attack and survived what was inside waiting for him. 

Alessandro Grayson is an CEO he is very rich and handsome, he can do everything he wants, left and right is the woman in his arm, many women cry, many try to turn him around but no one succeeds, for him the women are just a toy, A bitter incident came into his life, and ruined his perfect character, he had an accident and ruined his most careful Face. because of what had happened there was much fear of him. since that accident his habit made no difference to his Face.He's a Beast, Until he thought of buying A woman to be his wife, everything changed for him when he met the woman he bought.Alessandro is gradually falling for the one he chose to be his wife, will the woman also fall for him? 

Ruby Smith's life takes a horrifying turn when her stepsister Hazel and best friend Noura make her the victim of a conspiracy.An incident with a stranger at a hotel takes away her innocence, and when she returns home, her family throws her out, calling her a 'loose woman'. A shattered Ruby tries to rebuild herself. This time she works hard to achieve her dreams and becomes a successful jewellery designer. Her beauty and talent make many suitors fall in love with her, including her company's big boss, who is biased towards her everywhere. But Ruby has no interest in marriage; for her men are merely an illusion.Meanwhile, Michael Carter, one of the country's most successful businessmen, is haunted by a terrible incident from his past. He is lost in memories of the night he inadvertently ruined Ruby's life. He is searching for that mysterious girl whose name and identity he does not know, but that night and that girl are deeply embedded in his heart.Five years later, fate brings Ruby and Michael face to face again. The question now is: will Ruby be able to forget the wounds of her past and forgive Michael? Can Michael make up for his mistakes, or will Ruby's anger and desire for vengeance put further distance between them? 

The entire school thinks that Laura Lane and Shayne Jameson are a match made in heaven.
Shayne is the most handsome guy who's worshipped by all. Blessed with a tall physique, long legs, and an insanely handsome face, he's often spotted wearing a black windbreaker that makes him look cold and distant. His cool yet arrogant appearance often attracts countless girls to proclaim their love for him.
But the thing is, Shayne only has eyes for Laura. They are childhood sweethearts who have grown up together, after all.
When they were celebrating their first birthday, they huddled together happily.
When they were seven years old, their families decided to betroth them to each other.
At the age of 14, Shayne had written Laura a love letter. Once he turned 16, he confessed to her right away.
When they turned 18, they promised each other they'd get into the same college.
But in their senior year, a new transfer student named Melinda Sherman joins their class. When the homeroom teacher is organizing the one-on-one study plan, she specifically assigns Melinda as Shayne's partner.
She reiterates, "If you refuse to help Melinda out, you can forget about dating Laura at school from now on." 
For three years of marriage, she had been nothing more than a shadow in his life. To him, she was invisible, a convenience he sought only when it suited him. He gave her no love, no affection—only physical on his terms when other women failed to satisfy him.When Enlyan discovered her pregnancy, she was overjoyed, hoping it might bring them closer. But her happiness shattered when she found him at the hospital with his lover for a maternity checkup.She finally asked for a divorce and vanished.Heartbroken and distracted, she met with tragedy—an accident that almost claimed her unborn child.Five years later, Enlyan returns with her twins."They are my children!" Damian's voice thundered, his eyes blazing with fury."You dared to hide them from me all this time? I’m taking them away from you. They belong with me." Damian Blackwood growled, his intention turning cruel. And She was powerless against his anger. 
Emma Burton has married the man of her dreams in an arranged marriage.On their wedding night, her hands tremble as she takes her clothes off. However, her husband, Seth Hunter, gives her an icy look. "We're sleeping in separate rooms. I have no need for this."The following day, Emma stands outside the CEO's office and hears Seth's secretary say, "I want to check whether you did anything with Emma."Seth says teasingly, "She tried, but I wasn't interested."Emma willingly hands over a signed divorce agreement. Seth signs it without even looking at it.Later, Emma leaves in satisfaction after seeing her positive pregnancy test.Unexpectedly, Brempton's prince, Vincent Gardner, comes knocking. "You tricked me into fathering your child. I'll be getting everything back... with interest…" 




Evelyn Reed marries Lucas Grant to save her adoptive brother. The loveless marriage is kept a secret for three years.
On the day she's diagnosed with a terminal illness, Lucas sets off fireworks with his lover to celebrate. Meanwhile, the adoptive brother she sacrificed everything for walks out of prison and announces another woman is the love of his life!
Evelyn stops waiting for the men who seem cold but don't shy away from going public with their true loves. She gets a divorce, quits her job, and severs her ties to her family…
She picks up her dream again and goes from a scorned housewife to a legend in the tech industry.
However, one day, her secret identity and terminal illness are exposed.
Her unruly adoptive brother comes to her with reddened eyes. "Will you call me your brother again, Evie?"
Lucas, who has always been cold and heartless, loses his mind. "I'll give you my life, honey. Don't leave me!"
Evelyn thinks this is all too little, too late. She doesn't want any of it anymore. 





Architect Cora Spade marries Axel Jaeger for love, a man who claims to be drowning in debt. He tells her his startup has failed, so she leaves for Auchendale on a long-term assignment. For three years, amid the war and plagues, she works tirelessly and pays off his debt totaling in the millions with blueprint after blueprint.But on the night Cora returns, she uncovers the truth—the so-called "debt" is nothing but a lie and a test of her loyalty. Back in Chremford, Axel has a new lover in his arms, and even their five-year-old son sees the other woman as his mother.Worse still, their marriage certificate turns out to be forged.Without hesitation, Cora dials a number she's buried for decades. And when they meet again, she's transformed into the heir of an elite, powerful family everyone clamors to please.Now plunged into crisis, Axel kneels among fragments of his shattered dignity and begs for her forgiveness.All Cora does is respond with a gentle smile. "Pulling the plug on your funding was just the appetizer, Mr. Jaeger. Enjoy the real feast ahead." 



Wendy Locke and Julian Gray's daughter comes down with a high fever in the middle of the night during the third year of their marriage.Wendy rushes the child to the hospital only to accidentally discover that the medical card she and her husband had once registered together bore not her husband's name, but that of his twin brother, Adrian Gray.Wendy follows the location tag from Julian's social media and decides to confront him at a bar. However, she overhears the voices inside as she reaches the doorway. "Julian, that's an absolutely brilliant move! You take over on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and let your twin brother handle on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. That way, you still have time to spend with Bianca."Wendy's such a fool. She hasn't noticed a thing! Imagine her reaction if she finds out that her husband has been two different men all along. Do you think she'd break down and jump off a building?"Wendy's world completely shatters, and she secretly files for divorce without a word.However, both sons of the Gray family go mad after she leaves. 
Chloe Hudson gave up everything—including her health—for a man who never loved her. Married to Hank Collins only in name, she's endured a year of cold rejection while he lavished his love on another: her own half-sister, Irene. Just when Chloe decides to walk away, a twist of fate changes everything—she's pregnant. But instead of joy, her news is met with cruelty. Hank demands she abort the child, claiming only the woman he loves deserves his baby.Heartbroken but not broken, Chloe chooses to fight—for her child, her dignity, and a future beyond betrayal. As secrets unravel and loyalties are tested, a familiar figure from her past steps in: Ryan Cooper, a man who once loved her and never stopped.Will Chloe finally find the love she deserves? Or will her past drag her down before she can rise? 

"The entire wealthy circle in Seattle knew how much Stella Carlson loved Aaron Malone. People watched the childhood sweethearts grow from inexperience to maturity, finally getting married in a grand wedding ceremony.On the day of the wedding, despite the alliance between the Carlson and Malone families, the groom ran away. Stella knew that Aaron had rushed to L.A. to take care of his ex-girlfriend, who had attempted suicide.Unwilling to become the laughingstock of all Seattle, she gritted her teeth and dialed the number of her adversary, her tone almost commanding, "Ethan, come and marry me now. This is your only chance for revenge."On the other end, Ethan Powers raised an eyebrow as he gripped his phone, staring at the floor littered with cigarette butts. "Did the groom run away?" he asked. "My darling." 






BLURB
."Ever have that feeling nothing you ever do matters?"
This is Lila Vitale's story, being overshadowed by her elder sister all her life no matter the efforts she puts in.
Finally, she is put in the spotlight when her elder sister, Lily, abandons her husband because he went blind, and she ( Lila) has to be the replacement by pretending to be her.
Lila is not happy about this at first but steps up to the challenge as she is finally seen and relied on by those she cares about.
Lucien, a year later regains his eyesight due to surgery. Lila, hopeful to be set free by the truth, gets disappointed when her sister Lily miraculously appears to take back the place she abandoned and the man Lila had grown to love.
To make matters worse, Lila realizes she was just a pawn being used all along and overhears death plots about her unborn child.
As the betrayal deepens, Lila tries reaching out to Lucien who treats her like a pest, hurting and giving her no choice but to disappear. Not too long after, Lucien figures out the truth and seeks out for her but isn't he too late?
Will Lila ever want to let him back into her life again, especially when she is hell-bent on revenge?
EXCERPT.
"You have to come back, Lila. To me. You and our children". He whispered gently, his blue eyes filled with care towards me, his hands on my cheeks, stroking them softly.
I closed my eyes, rubbing my face against his palm, enjoying the texture. How I had longed so much for this.
"Our children? Remember Mr. Knight. I never married you neither are my bastard children yours". I commented, repeating his exact same words five years ago as the side of my lips curled up in disdain. 



"Take off your clothes Brie! You can't run from me! I'll always catch you, little mouse." His menacing voice rang out.I was already caged between him and the wall, there was nowhere left to run.He caught my wrists in a strong grip, until I cried out from the pain."Please I'm not ready! I need some more time" I sobbed, my whole body shaking badly,I was willing to do anything to reach out to whatever little humanity he has left.His eyes were cold. Merciless.He was going to hurt me, I knew it."But you were ready to run away with that bastard, weren't you? " The smirk on his face as he taunted me betrayed the icy rage that simmered in his eyes."You belong to me, Brie! I'm your husband! And I won't be denied of my rights, Refuse me again, I dare you to Brie!" He hissed, his grey eyes simmering with hot fury.What happens when Gabriella Thorne gets forced into an arranged marriage with Lucian Castiel.He is Cold. Brutal. He gets anything he wants.What happens when he's determined to TAINT Gabrielle's innocence with his darkness.Is there a flicker of light at the end of the tunnel, or would she be forever tainted by his Psychotic Obsession? 18 + DARK ROMANCE CONTAINING EXPLICIT SCENES. 
I'm a complete coward. The moment someone bullies me, I start thinking about dying. However, I'm too scared to die alone, so I always want to take the person who hurt me with me.On my first day at the orphanage, a little girl corners me. After slapping me more than ten times, she says, "From now on, I'll hit you every time I see you."I drop to my knees, begging her to stop and telling her that if she keeps hitting me, I'd want to die.She doesn't believe me and kicks me twice more.That night, I steal a bottle of insecticide from the janitor's closet. I spray half of it into her mouth and drink the other half myself. We both end up in the hospital.Later, my biological parents found me. The day we reunite, they brought along a little girl in a frilly princess dress. They say she's their adopted daughter and that she's my sister.When she hugs me, she leans in and whispers, her voice sharp as glass, "You're so filthy and disgusting. How dare you show up here? Give it up. Even if you go home, you'll never measure up to me. "Mom and Dad only have one daughter, and it's me. So, you'd better do as I say. Because if I tell them to, they'll send you right back to that orphanage for life." 
My boyfriend suddenly tells me one day that he wants to get married and asks me to wear a wedding dress to our company's annual party.Thinking he's finally going to marry me, I wear the most stunning wedding dress, grab a bouquet, and tell people in the company about our love.Suddenly, his secretary rushes out and throws a cup of coffee at me. "You brazen vixen! All you did was close a multi-million-dollar deal, and you suddenly get the nerve to steal my husband? You whore, I'll rip you to pieces!"My boyfriend, who's always been a stickler for rules, doesn't speak up for me. Instead, he hands my project over to his secretary, citing that I violated company rules.Everyone looks at me pitifully, and they think I'll cause a scene. But I don't.I simply throw my work ID to the secretary. "You're the CEO's wife, huh. I've offended you, so take the position of director as a wedding gift from me."What my boyfriend doesn't know is that this deal is something my father forced me to take on.Now that I'm quitting as the project lead, it becomes a failed collaboration. His company will also break the contract, causing it to go bankrupt and end up owing a huge amount of money. 
It's about Avery Williams, who is special as she is not just a wolf/witch, but she got two sides: her wolf- Angelstar, and her Veela-Anglica.She is a nerd, loser, and whom everyone made fun of, even her friends called her Wallflower.Usually, when the Moon Goddess finds you your other half, one or two mates the most there will be for you. But Avery is a different werewolf, she does not have one or two mates but four mates.She fated to the four most dangerous, most popular, and most arrogant boys in school, the four horsemen Alphas: Elijah Woods, Jake Stone, Andrew Bradford, and Matthew Steele.The four bad boys knew the whole time that she is their mate but doesn't want anyone to know, instead they hide their feelings about Avery. Avery finally finds out her mates are her bullies and torturer, but when she turns 19 on her birthday, that is when it all changes. That is when she finds out she is a Veela.Will Avery forgive them about they make a bet to see how to get her to fall in love with them? What if someone in her family's past wants her too and they kidnap her right at the dance.? What if the guys find her in time but she is married off the Vampire Prince: The Duke Conway...? Will the Quads break everything in their path to get to Avery including the walls she has built around her heart? It all remains to be seen in The Wallflower & The Alphas 
A marriage bound by a contract, and she was obliged to accept it. He was her boss, and she was his secretary.She gave him everything he wanted, but her love was neglected, but when she decided to leave, he offered her a contract marriage to make her stay. But, someone occupied his heart, and he couldn’t offer anything to her except his talent on the bed. After their marriage, she endured the pain, but scheme after scheme destroyed her tolerance. Finally, she was ready to leave him, but suddenly he refused to let her go. Charles seemed to feel her sorrow, hugged her suddenly, and whispered, “Sarah, you can trust me. I won’t ever be with her. You are different from all those other women. I really want to be with you. If I didn’t, then I wouldn’t have cut off relationships with all other women. Don’t you believe me now?”Sarah sobbed gently, “If you have accepted that it’s over with her, why do you still keep her photo in your wallet? Why do you still miss her? Don’t you see how it’s hurting me?”Charles stared at her, “She’s just another woman from my past!”The atmosphere between them became suffocating, and Charles said in a low voice, “Sarah, have I told you that you could leave? Remember, I’m your boss. You are my secretary and my wife!”Angrily, Charles shouted again, “Sarah, I’m your man!”“Uh? My man?” Sarah laughed and stared at him. Tears began to slip down her cheeks, “Are you, my man? Mr. President, I am just a mere possession of yours and never become your wife! Set me free, I’m begging you!” 