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Vanessa Sterling found the good life she always dreamed of with Rodri Darnell, the lone heir of the Dolphin empire, whom she had a surrogate and boss relationship with. But her secrets might be the end of everything for her.
Vanessa's POV
I walked into the church in silence, my shoes clicking when they came in contact with the marble tile as I made my way to the confessional. The sacred and holy environment of the church felt foreign to me, as it was my first time stepping foot in a church.
Not to mention a confessional. But this was where life had pushed me to.
I was so scared, yet at the same time felt so empty inside of me and it felt like every piece of me was going to crumble with every step I took. My heart beat heavily against my rib cage and I swallowed the lump that formed in my throat as I got closer to the confessional.
I took a seat on the unforgiving wooden seat, placing my hand on my chest trying to calm my pounding heart.
I dragged in deep breaths after deep breaths until my heart rate slowed down to a near-normal pace.
I tried to speak once, but my voice failed me. I could almost feel the silent, looming presence of the priest on the other side of the demarcation. Mustering all the courage inside of me, my wet eyes squeezed shut as I whimpered, "Bless me, Father, for I shall sin."
Tears rolled down my cheeks in hot rivulets.
"Young Ms.?" The Father called from where he sat, with confusion evident in his tone. I raised my head and stared at the net that demarcated us. I could only hope he would not see my face.
"Father?" I answered weakly.
"A confession is meant for those who have already sinned, do you know that?"
"Yes, Father," I nodded, responding with a surprisingly stable voice.
"You have sinned, or you shall sin?" He asked, confused.
I sucked in a long breath and exhaled to calm my racing heart before answering him, "Father, immediately I leave here, I'll be going to have an abortion."
Those words felt like a grave sacrilege as they dropped out of my mouth, and his shocked reaction proved it. The priest gasped. "What? Do you know that God doesn't support the killing of an innocent baby?" He questioned. His voice still remained as calm as the sea before a storm.
I nodded to his question, not sure if he could even see it.
He asked next, "Then can you tell me the reason you want to do this?"
I bent my head again to stare blankly at the ground. "I don't think I am ready to care for a baby yet," I replied.
He released a deep and heavy sigh. "Killing is a sinful thing to do, and as a matter of fact, it's written in the Bible that, you shall not kill, and I hope you will have a change of mind. May the good Lord be with you," he said solemnly.
"Your penance is, helping a few random homeless people with alms. Do this while pondering on the mistake you made, and the one you are about to make, then, this grave sin of yours, shall be forgiven. Daughter, go and sin no more."
I nodded. "I really do need forgiveness. But I have to do this," I muttered, looking up at the image of Jesus on the wall.
I briefly wondered if all I really had to do was to help homeless people, then the sin I was about to commit would be completely wiped off. Just like that?
My mind felt crowded as I got up from the seat and walked away, hearing the muted words of prayer from the priest behind the demarcation. I really needed to talk to someone to get the burden off my chest, and I couldn't tell my mom or Estelle, my best friend and that was why I decided to tell the Reverend father. I even felt a bit relieved.
I was anxious to complete my penance, so despite the slowly darkening sky, I spent the last of the money in my purse on some street food. Then, I slowly distributed it to the homeless people in the alleys and corners. By the time I was done, I noticed the sky was very dark when I stood on the porch peering at my surroundings.
It had started to rain heavily, and I watched as people scurry around for shelter from the storm. The rain reminded me so much of how all of this mess started. I stretched my hands forward and smiled emptily as droplets of water from the rain fell gently on my skin.
I vividly remember how it all started, because it had rained non-stop till the next day. I remembered how all of these started and I wished it was never like this. I wished I had not made the bad decisions that led to this pregnancy.
I had just returned from one of my many job shifts, tired and stressed. That Night
I had pushed open the tiny gate and walked through the field heading toward our home. Most people found peace within their homes, but I was not one of them. I detested coming home a lot and I never wanted to come back to such a gloomy atmosphere. But what choice did I have?
I had stopped in my track when I heard sniffles and cries. I had prayed and hoped that my dad hadn't abused my mum again. He did that always and had been locked up before.
"Mom." I called out when I saw her sitting on the bare floor. She was sobbing in a way I had never seen before.
Something twisted painfully in my chest as I dropped my bag on the floor and knelt beside her, cradling her palm in mine. "Mom, what is wrong?" I asked softly.
She couldn't answer me, she just kept crying. I hugged her tightly, letting her cry on my shoulder.
"Can you tell me what is wrong now?" I asked her when she had finally stopped crying. She stared at me with red-rimmed eyes and placed a hand on my cheek.
"You are scaring me," I said to her, nervously. That was when I finally took my eyes off her and saw the state of the house. I gasped in horror, "What happened to the house?!"
Messiah Jordy King had to be a male child for her parents to be able to keep the pack and their lives, causing her rejection from her mate. Will she find another mate? If she finds one, will he accept her?
Koko Magnus, an ugly and useless she-wolf decided to give her heart to her beautiful twin sister who was supposed to be the next Luna of the red moon pack, as a redemption for causing the death of her father, so as to gain her mother's love. She knew there was no way she'd enjoy the love in death, but what was the use of her life anyways? Alpha Niyol, who was yet to get over the pains of loosing his beloved mate, meets a second chance mate two years after, but she doesn't look anything close to his beloved late mate. How can he accept another woman that is not Erika? Will he even love her?
After hiding her true identity throughout her three-year marriage to Colton, Allison had committed wholeheartedly, only to find herself neglected and pushed toward divorce. Disheartened, she set out to rediscover her true self-a talented perfumer, the mastermind of a famous intelligence agency, and the heir to a secret hacker network. Realizing his mistakes, Colton expressed his regret. "I know I messed up. Please, give me another chance." Yet, Kellan, a once-disabled tycoon, stood up from his wheelchair, took Allison's hand, and scoffed dismissively, "You think she'll take you back? Dream on."
Madisyn was stunned to discover that she was not her parents' biological child. Due to the real daughter's scheming, she was kicked out and became a laughingstock. Thought to be born to peasants, Madisyn was shocked to find that her real father was the richest man in the city, and her brothers were renowned figures in their respective fields. They showered her with love, only to learn that Madisyn had a thriving business of her own. "Stop pestering me!" said her ex-boyfriend. "My heart only belongs to Jenna." "How dare you think that my woman has feelings for you?" claimed a mysterious bigwig.
Sawyer, the world's top arms dealer, stunned everyone by falling for Maren—the worthless girl no one respected. People scoffed. Why chase a useless pretty face? But when powerful elites began gathering around her, jaws dropped. "She's not even married to him yet—already cashing in on his power?" they assumed. Curious eyes dug into Maren's past... only to find she was a scientific genius, a world-renowned medical expert, and heiress to a mafia empire. Later, Sawyer posted online. "My wife treats me like the enemy. Any advice?"
Two years ago, Ricky found himself coerced into marrying Emma to protect the woman he cherished. From Ricky's perspective, Emma was despicable, resorting to underhanded schemes to ensure their marriage. He maintained a distant and cold attitude toward her, reserving his warmth for another. Yet, Emma remained wholeheartedly dedicated to Ricky for more than ten years. As she grew weary and considered relinquishing her efforts, Ricky was seized by a sudden fear. Only when Emma's life teetered on the edge, pregnant with Ricky's child, did he recognize-the love of his life had always been Emma.
There was only one man in Raegan's heart, and it was Mitchel. In the second year of her marriage to him, she got pregnant. Raegan's joy knew no bounds. But before she could break the news to her husband, he served her divorce papers because he wanted to marry his first love. After an accident, Raegan lay in the pool of her own blood and called out to Mitchel for help. Unfortunately, he left with his first love in his arms. Raegan escaped death by the whiskers. Afterward, she decided to get her life back on track. Her name was everywhere years later. Mitchel became very uncomfortable. For some reason, he began to miss her. His heart ached when he saw her all smiles with another man. He crashed her wedding and fell to his knees while she was at the altar. With bloodshot eyes, he queried, "I thought you said your love for me is unbreakable? How come you are getting married to someone else? Come back to me!"
Once upon a time, there were two kingdoms once at peace. The kingdom of Salem and the kingdom of Mombana... Until the day, the king of Mombana passed away and a new monarch took over, Prince Cone. Prince Cone, has always been hungry for more power and more and more. After his coronation, he attacked Salem. The attack was so unexpected, Salem never prepared for it. They were caught off guard. The king and Queen was killed, the prince was taken into slavery. The people of Salem that survived the war was enslaved, their land taken from them. Their women were made sex slaves. They lost everything, including their land. Evil befall the land of Salem in form of Prince Cone, and the prince of Salem in his slavery was filled with so much rage. The prince of Salem, Prince Lucien swore revenge. 🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳 Ten years later, thirty-years old Lucien and his people raided a coup and escaped slavery. They went into hiding and recuperated. They trained day and night under the leadership of the fearless and cold Lucien who was driven with everything in him to get back their land, and take Mombana land too. It took them five years before they ambushed and attacked Mombana. They killed Prince Cone and reclaimed everything. As they screamed out their victory, Lucien's eyes found and pinned the proud princess of Mombana. Princess Danika. The daughter of Prince Cone. As Lucien stared at her with the coldest eyes anyone can ever possess, he felt victory for the first time. He walked to the princess with the slave collar he'd won for ten years rattling in his hand as he walked. He reached close to her and with a swift movement, he collared her neck. Then, he tilted her chin up, staring into the bluest eyes and the most beautiful face ever created, he gave her a cold smile. "You are my acquisition. My slave. My sex slave. My property. I will pay you in spades, everything you and your father ever did to me and my people." He stated curtly. Pure hatred, coldness and victory was the only emotion on his face. .