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Apollo was an artist who has had several muses in his life, so many that he may not even know how to count on his fingers and not even remember more of all that were due to his supposed "curse"; but maybe, just maybe... love would reach him for the first time, near those beautiful eyes of Amazonita enchanted him on an ordinary afternoon; but isn't that exactly how the first loves happen?
Paint.
There were so many colors and options available in that store that had in itself the fragrance of new materials and in the middle of it all...
Eyes.
Eyes are green as amazonite, bright as moonlight, and graceful as a feline.
Apollo couldn't look away and stop thinking about how he would paint that pair of eyes again and again if they allowed him to.
He didn't know if love existed, but inspirational muse at first sight? Well, in this case, he could not even dare to question.
Apollo was a simple person, so to speak; he would see a striking feature, become obsessed with it in specific, and try to convince the person to pose. It had been this way with all his other inspirations, which were never limited to color, size, or anything else.
Noses, hands, mouths, eyelashes, freckles, and hair - usually separately - made that beautiful young blond man approach.
A young blond man who... considered himself cursed.
Yes, cursed.
He could sustain himself with his paintings, sketches, or even anything he set his mind to, but there was always a catch.
All his muses never survived after the second painting.
Was this because of some macabre ritual? Some strange position, or even because of mistreatment?
No.
It was simply fate, bad luck, so to speak; they sometimes even suspected that his name had brought all the evils that had befallen the Greek god who had once carried it.
Well, that's what he used to joke about since there was no other logical explanation, but in the end... maybe the next one would survive.
He still had hope.
"Excuse me..." surprisingly, the green-eyed woman approached him without any outside influence. "Can you help me? I am color-blind and... I really wanted to give a gift to a special person..."
"Unexpected," the blond didn't help thinking; he also didn't help to have in his little head that maybe the universe was smiling at him again.
"Yes, of course," a gentle smile filled his lips, "what do you intend to give him as a gift? Paints?"
"Oh..., no..." the girl spoke as she looked confusedly at the paints in her hand, "I'm going to paint a picture for him, but I need to get colors that match."
A color-blind girl painting a picture? In Apollo's mind, this was a rather unusual combination that would make a significant disaster or a great work of art.
"Well, you can take these if you want a more sober painting," he took a few options and handed them over, "or you can take these if you want something more cheerful and lively..."
"Something lively!" Her eyes twinkled with excitement, "I want the gift to give good feelings and memories to him."
Cute.
That had been entirely and extremely cute.
"So here it is," the golden-eyed man just handed over the paint tubes, "I hope you have luck with your gift."
"Me too," the girl replied with a soft laugh, "you never know the outcome in my case."
"I can help you if you want," Apollo soon offered, "there are some easels over there on the balcony part."
Yes, besides a store for art supplies, that place also had a part just for artists to unleash their imagination and gifts.
No wonder that was Apollo's favorite place.
"Are you going to help me?" The young woman still looked incredulous at the proposal, "What do you want in return?"
"Be my muse," he replied without shame, "your eyes caught my attention as soon as I saw them."
"I am flattered," she tried to emulate a pompous tone. "Then I believe I will be your inspirational muse, my dear sir," she bowed slightly, wanting to satirize the old ways.
"Easy like that?" The blond didn't help but wonder since the previous times he had to try to convince and even practically beg.
"Easy like that."
It was different, strangely different.
So different that Apollo could hardly resist the instinct to pinch himself to see if this was just a dream, which would be rather cruel if he woke up.
I fell madly in love with a man I was forced to marry, but I didn't expect his heart to be as cruel as it was. "You don't have to be around him," my husband's trusted man told me after seeing me crying after a dance where I was humiliated, "help me, Alyssa... and let me love you as you deserve." He told me, and it took me by surprise. I didn't know what was going on, but the Goddess seemed to be merciful to my soul finally.
The duchess who succumbed to madness, that would be the title she would be remembered by, Ethel didn't need any more of this, didn't want any more of this, didn't want to continue on that mortal plane that would keep taking her to a bottomless pit. But, someone brought her back, and promised her a second chance...what would she do with such a miracle?
For ten years, Daniela showered her ex-husband with unwavering devotion, only to discover she was just his biggest joke. Feeling humiliated yet determined, she finally divorced him. Three months later, Daniela returned in grand style. She was now the hidden CEO of a leading brand, a sought-after designer, and a wealthy mining mogul—her success unveiled at her triumphant comeback. Her ex-husband’s entire family rushed over, desperate to beg for forgiveness and plead for another chance. Yet Daniela, now cherished by the famed Mr. Phillips, regarded them with icy disdain. "I’m out of your league."
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!
Three years ago, Cecilia was left battered and alone by the man she loved most, Alston, yet she bravely completed the wedding ceremony while pregnant. Three years later, although they were married, they grew apart over time. Cecilia focused on her career, no longer foolishly believing in love. But her transformation instantly threw Alston into a panic... And what is the secret from 11 years ago that Cecilia has always been reluctant to reveal? *** "She went to a law firm, met with a lawyer..." A lawyer? Is Cecilia suing someone? Who? Is there any recent litigation against the company? Alston suddenly chuckled coldly, "Who could she sue? I'm the CEO of this company. How come such a matter doesn't come to me first?" The assistant swallowed nervously, speaking softly, "Sir, there's no litigation against the company. She met with... a divorce lawyer."
"I've warned you from the beginning. Don't marry him, but you won't listen." Darcy stood close to me and smiled with concern. "You're not a woman worthy of a man as handsome, rich, smart, and virile as Blaze." My whole body trembled at her words. "Have you no shame?" I asked. "Take a good look at yourself, Heather." She stared at me in the mirror. "You can't even glance at your ugly face. Do you think Blaze can endure a lifetime of gazing at that scar?" Heather Bailey got a surprise from her husband: a divorce agreement. After a year of marriage and facing ups and downs, she couldn't believe Blaze intended to divorce her. She was devastated when she saw him gazing lovingly at another woman. After signing the divorce papers, shockwaves caught her up. Her flower shop was burned to the ground. Her father's company collapsed, and her parents blamed her. She struggled to rebuild her life from the ground up and became more successful than ever. Having many customers from influential families, she started her revenge on Blaze. She won the very thing he wanted, but that was just the beginning.
Elena, once a pampered heiress, suddenly lost everything when the real daughter framed her, her fiancé ridiculed her, and her adoptive parents threw her out. They all wanted to see her fall. But Elena unveiled her true identity: the heiress of a massive fortune, famed hacker, top jewelry designer, secret author, and gifted doctor. Horrified by her glorious comeback, her adoptive parents demanded half her newfound wealth. Elena exposed their cruelty and refused. Her ex pleaded for a second chance, but she scoffed, “Do you think you deserve it?” Then a powerful magnate gently proposed, “Marry me?”
The day Lilah found out that she was pregnant, she caught her fiancé cheating on her. Her remorseless fiancé and his mistress almost killed her. Lilah fled for her dear life. When she returned to her hometown five years later, she happened to save a little boy's life. The boy's father turned out to be the world's richest man. Everything changed for Lilah from that moment. The man didn't let her experience any inconvenience. When her ex-fiancé bullied her, he crushed the scumbag's family and also rented out an entire island just to give Lilah a break from all the drama. He also taught Lilah's hateful father a lesson. He crushed all her enemies before she even asked. When Lilah's vile sister threw herself at him, he showed her a marriage certificate and said, "I'm happily married and my wife is much more beautiful than you are!" Lilah was shocked. "When did we ever get married? Last I checked, I was still single." With a wicked smile, he said, "Honey, we've been married for five years. Isn't it about time we had another child together?" Lilah's jaw dropped to the floor. What the hell was he talking about?