ManyWriters

Five months pregnant, eight-year-old Tina pushed me down into the ten-meter-deep snake pit again.
Blood flowed from my body, pooling into a stark red puddle.
This was already my seventh 'forced' miscarriage.
"You killed my mom and brother, and the bastards in your belly don't deserve to live either!"
Dozens of snakes swarmed over, greedily lapping up the blood on my body, leaving bite marks deep enough to see bone.
Tina showed no remorse, her eyes as cold as her Snake Charmer father's, her tone mocking:
"Only my mom can give birth to my siblings. You disgusting homewrecker, you'll never replace her in this lifetime!"
"Go ahead and keep having my dad's babies if you dare. Sooner or later, I'll make sure you die in a pool of your own blood!"
Looking at this little girl I had cherished and lovingly cared for over eight years, I suddenly felt exhausted.
"Don't worry, this will be the last time."

Strangers on Different Paths

"I apologize, but I'm not interested in that position, nor will I be going back with you."


Dashiell hadn't expected to be rejected, and in his anger and embarrassment, he released the small emerald snake again.


"Xanthe, why are you being so stubborn?! Do I need to make you hurt before you'll listen?"


"Since you're not willing to come home with me quietly, don't blame me for taking extreme measures."


The little snake moved swiftly, crawling to my feet in the blink of an eye.


The old fear swept over me again, and I froze in place.


Just as it was about to open its bloody mouth, a dagger flew through the air, slicing the snake in two at its vulnerable spot.


Levi stepped in front of me, hands in his pockets, and sneered at Dashiell:


"Scaring girls with animals, Dashiell? Looks like you're regressing instead of growing up."


With his beloved pet snake butchered just like that, Dashiell's face turned as black as the bottom of a pot.


Chapter 9