Romance




She was always the good girl. Until heartbreak made her reckless.
Elena Sinclair thought marriage meant forever.
But five years in, her “forever” has become a gilded cage of pain and betrayal.
She’s the wife who couldn’t give him a child. The barren disappointment. And for that, her husband offered her a cruel compromise… an open marriage. One that gave him the right to find someone who could carry his heir.
The next day, he brought a pregnant woman home. The same woman who was first introduced as his cousin.
The humiliation doesn’t end there, his mother lashes out… hurling insults and even fists, while her husband turns a blind eye. Not once has he defended her. Not once has he shown her love. She’s nothing more than a placeholder… a name on a marriage certificate.
The cruelest part? She loved him. She loved him long before the vows, long before the lies… so deeply it blinded her to who he really was.
Now, to make him jealous, she turns to the one man she should never touch: Jaxx Moretti, her husband’s younger brother. The dangerous one. The black sheep of the Sinclair family. The man who once made her high school years hell… and now has every reason to destroy her husband's legacy.
What starts as a twisted game soon ignites into something raw, addictive, and completely forbidden.
But Jaxx isn’t just her escape. He’s everything her husband isn’t. Because the deeper she sinks into Jaxx's bed… The harder it becomes to crawl back out.
Content Warning: This book contains mature themes intended for adult audiences (18+), including explicit sexual content, toxic relationships, manipulation, and emotional trauma. Reader discretion is strongly advised. 

Bella Thompson assumed a new identity and entered into a three-year marriage contract with Justin Salvador, hoping to win his heart with her unwavering devotion.To her dismay, Justin hastily presented her with the divorce papers as soon as their contractual period expired. Heartbroken, Bella signed them and returned home, resuming her identity as the heiress of the Thompson business empire.From then on, Bella no longer hid her remarkable talents. She was not only a billionaire heiress, but also a medical prodigy, a world-class hacker, and a fencing champion.Determined to get her revenge, Bella went all out to humiliate her ex-husband’s childhood sweetheart at an auction. She also became her ex-husband’s biggest business rival.Finally, Justin confronted her, saying, “Bella Thompson! Must you be so ruthless?”Bella sneered and retorted, “How I treat you now is only a fraction of the cruelty you subjected me to back then!” 


In a hasty decision, Olive Randall impetuously drags the seemingly bankrupt small-time boss, Neil Meyer, to the altar. Their plan was simple: support each other and lead an ordinary life. Little did Olive know, fate had a grander plan in store for them.After tying the knot, Olive's dreams took an unexpected turn. She aimed to buy a modest Yaris but won a luxurious Porsche in a stroke of luck. In her pursuit of a small apartment through a loan, fate intervened once again, granting her a magnificent villa through a serendipitous lottery win.Whenever she faced adversity, Neil effortlessly rescued her from every predicament, unwavering in his support. But it wasn't until the day she was addressed as Mrs. Meyer that Olive discovered the astonishing truth—Neil Meyer, her husband, was the billionaire tycoon behind a colossal consortium.As their worlds collide, Olive is thrust into a world of opulence and power. Secrets unravel, challenges arise, and their relationship is put to the ultimate test. Will Olive embrace her newfound life as the wife of a billionaire, or will she yearn for the simplicity they once sought?This captivating tale explores the intricacies of love, ambition, and the transformative power of unexpected circumstances. 

At the grand wedding banquet, her supposed best friend shamelessly exposed scandalous photos of her, turning her into the laughingstock of the event. The humiliation was etched into her memory.Five years later, she returned with her young son, still unaware of his father's identity. Fate, however, had a surprise in store for her—a striking resemblance between her son and a certain cold, handsome man. In a moment of undeniable recognition, he glared at her, his eyes narrowing dangerously, and demanded, "Woman, dare you run away with my child?"Caught off guard, she innocently shook her head, attempting to gather her thoughts. Before she could respond, her fearless little boy stepped forward and boldly proclaimed, "Who dares to bully my mommy? You'll have to get past me first!" 
On their engagement day, her fiancé cheated with her sister, and pushed her down the stairs even though she was pregnant!Five years later, Charmine Jiang made an impactful return, rooted with a deep hatred for scumbags. She was cold-hearted, ready to fight for the family money, eyed to become a supermodel. She was ready to stun the world.Although she was determined to make her own money for revenge, hordes of men still insisted on helping her, spoiling her.“Who offended my lady? Get the gears ready!”“AK999 ready, I’ve got the scumbags! Dad, Mom, please bring me a little sister!” 
Loved for two full decades by Stephen Rimmer of the Rimmer family, Crystal Hoffman believes she is finally about to walk down the aisle—only to be brutally betrayed right before the wedding.
In the name of love for Amy Knott, his new flame, Stephen turns cold and merciless. He hurls cruel insults at Crystal, forces her to kneel, and even threatens her mother's life, crushing every bit of her dignity.
Her mother dies tragically, her unborn child is lost, and she is left penniless. In the blink of an eye, Crystal is dragged from paradise into hell.
At rock bottom, she makes a clean break. Leaving her homeland behind, she goes abroad to pursue the dreams she once had. Through sheer talent and grit, she gains admission to a top university and meets Julian Herring, her guiding light.
While she steadily rises to become a brilliant new star in the pharmaceutical world, Stephen, obsessed with his new lover, allows her family to bleed the company dry, ultimately ending up with nothing left to his name and abandoned by all.
By the time Stephen finally comes to his senses and goes abroad to search for Crystal, she is no longer the woman he once knew.
She now wields real power, and she exacts revenge for every humiliation she once suffered, with interest, as the scumbag and the vile woman are made to pay a heavy price.
This is a story of betrayal and redemption, vengeance and self-discovery, in which the daughter of a lowly maid rises against all odds to seize control of her own destiny. 
Isabella Hart has always been a goody-two-shoes who lives a spoiled and pampered life. Unfortunately, she falls in love with Adrian Sterling, an infamous playboy known for his history in the upper crust.
After using every method in the book, Isabella finally becomes Adrian's girlfriend.
In order to stay by his side, she learns all sorts of positions and tries out various new things to spice up their intimate life together. Also, she lets him take her to bed regardless of the day and time.
Whenever Adrian is about to hit his peak, he loves leaning into her ear and murmuring, "You're amazing, babe. You're really talented at learning new things.
"Relax, babe. Don't clamp down on me that tightly.
"That's it, babe. Oh, I love you so much."
Isabella is the longest girlfriend Adrian has ever had. They've been dating so long to the point that everyone around Adrian thinks that he's finally quit being a playboy.
That is, until Adrian takes Isabella to a gathering one night after their passionate session in front of the floor-to-ceiling window. 

It had been Betty White's wish to marry an ordinary man. Somehow, she became the mate of a Alpha? He promised to love her forever, dote on her, and cherish her. She believed this should be what happiness looked like until one day he threw a pad of papers at her. "Betty, we should get divorced." She fell from Heaven, her heart breaking into pieces. Five years later, she came back and met him again. No longer alone, she was accompanied by a cute kid. The child looked at the man, blinked his eyes, and asked, "Mommy, this man looks just like me. Is he your baby too?" 




Alden Crestfall remains cold and distant to his wife, Thalia Marquette, even after two years of being married to each other. Furthermore, they only have sex once a month as previously agreed.
Thalia smiles and accepts Alden's condition out of love for him. She trusts that one day, she'll make Alden love her in return.
On the day of their wedding anniversary, Thalia catches Alden and his sister-in-law, Kiera Hollindale, getting it on in his office. As Thalia watches them going at it like wild, lustful beasts, she realizes Alden isn't as sexually disinterested as he claims to be.
It's just that Thalia isn't the woman Alden loves.
Any hope that Thalia had dies in an instant, and she divorces Alden before taking control over her family business once again.
When Thalia's name is listed in Fortune Global 500 and becomes her country's first female billionaire, Alden shows up with a bouquet of 999 roses to beg her for forgiveness.
"I was wrong, Lia. Please give me another chance," he says.
In response, Thalia takes a step back.
Meanwhile, the famous and prestigious scion, Darius Backshaw, suddenly appears and pulls Thalia into his arms.
"Screw off, you piece of scum! Don't you dare taint my wife's eyes with your presence any longer!" Darius exclaims. 


“Do you want to play a game with me?” Ash asked, leaning forward as he caressed my chin.
I raised an eyebrow. “A game?”
“A love game…” He placed his lips on my ear, slightly licking my earlobe. “Whoever falls in love first, loses. If you’re really confident that you won’t fall for someone like me, then play the game with me.” Ash bit my ear, and a pool of hits struck my body. “What can you say, Miss good girl? Are you in?”
****
Sapphire only wanted peace. She did her best to become a wallflower so no one would notice her. She avoided everyone, especially Ash Cassius Coleman, the son of the owner of the University where she was studying.
She hated Ash, his guts, his frequent make-outs with different girls…And that hatred caught Ash’s interest. Suddenly, the rebel billionaire came into her life, wanting her to fall in love with him. But does Ash really like her? No. He was just challenged and curious as to why his charms didn’t seem to affect Sapphire at all.
And that was the reason why he decided to ask her to play a game.
A love game. 




Before the divorce, Gloria White was selfish, vicious, and unscrupulous in Jordy Collins' mind! After the divorce, the man, who claimed that only fools would fall in love with her, was broken!"Gloria, I love you. Will you remarry me?""Gloria, I was wrong. Will you forgive me?""Gloria, I'll make it up to you with the rest of my life. Let's remarry!"Gloria snapped, "Will you leave me alone? Stop pestering me like a fly!"Jordy groveled. "Gloria, call me a simp! You're my one and only!"Gloria laughed out loud. Why would she, an elite lawyer, a world-renowned doctor, and a top hacker remarry him and be his pet? "I said no, you wanker, get out of my face!" 

Charlotte Simmons was not just betrayed by her fiancé, who cheated on her with a mistress. Her family business was also taken from her, and she was tricked into sleeping with a stranger on her wedding night. She eventually gave birth to a stranger's child! Her fiancé used her adultery as an excuse to dump her in public, making her the laughing stock of the city. That night, Charlotte Simmons drank herself to oblivion and vowed to seek revenge. However, when she woke up, she found herself lying in Zachary Connor’s bed! She was even more surprised when Zachary asked her to marry him! "Marry me and I’ll make you shine." Who was Zachary Connor? He was known as the emperor of darkness and he also happened to be filthy rich! There were rumors that he was gay. Well, who cared? He was a douchebag anyway, so she decided to go along just so she could punish him for his behavior! They signed and made their marriage official. From then on, Charlotte Simmons got ready and started her plan to torment Zachary Connor. After tormenting him, she knocked on his door that night and said, "Mr. Connor, I want a divorce." However, the next day, Charlotte Simmons walked out of the room with a pale face. "How dare you try to leave when you’re already mine?" 
Three years ago, I had my positive cancer diagnosis in one hand as I consoled Anderson Graham, whose eyes were red and teary.
"It's just cancer. I can beat this."
However, he continued crying until he was almost out of breath. He hugged me so tightly that I thought my bones would crack.
"Yvonne, promise me that you'll beat this. I'll wait for you to return so I can marry you!"
In order to live, I had to remove most of my stomach.
Every single day, I was faced with handful after handful of pills and never-ending chemotherapy.
Three years later, I'm finally healed and can return to Anderson's side.
During my return party, his female best friend chuckles as she raises a glass.
"Andy was as celibate as a priest while you were overseas. I kept a close eye on him every single night and made sure nobody else was in his bed.
"I practically tattooed the words 'Do Not Touch' on him to make sure nobody else would go for him!"
The noisy room suddenly becomes so quiet that I can hear a pin drop.
I do my best to ignore the prickling ache coming from my chest.
With an equally bright smile, I raise my glass and reply, "Should I give you an award for keeping his bed occupied, then?" 
When Emelie Hoven was hopelessly in love with William Middleton, she almost ended up losing her life. But to William, she was only someone convenient who he thought couldn't live without him.And so, she decided to stop loving him.William didn't like that Emelie was too calm, too rational, and too independent. Later, his wish came true—he got to see her relying on someone and being gentle.He wasn't the recipient, though.On the day of Emelie's wedding, she smiles brightly as she sits on a chair and waits for her groom and his groomsmen to pass the test she and her bridesmaids have set up for them. The atmosphere is lively. Suddenly, William shows up out of nowhere.He gets on one knee before her and holds her hands, looking like he's almost worshipping her. "Leave him, please. Come with me. You loved me first, didn't you?" 


The old saying goes, “You may feel good mistreating your spouse, but trying to win them back will be a laborious task.”Before the divorce, Michael saw Ivanka as a heartless, self-serving woman who would stop at nothing to reach her goals. But after the split, the man who once declared that “falling in love makes you a fool” became the fool himself. “Marry me, honey. I love you,” he pleaded. “Marry me, honey. I’m sorry,” he begged. “Marry me, honey. I’ll make it up to you for the rest of my life,” he promised. Ivanka simply retorted, “Would you please stop following me around? You’re driving me crazy. Are you a dog or what?” To this, Michael replied, “I’m your lapdog, honey. I’ll only bark for you.”Ivanka smirked. As a successful lawyer, renowned physician, and elite hacker, why would she ever consider remarrying this worthless man and becoming his caretaker once again?“I won’t remarry you, you b*stard. Stay away from me,” she declared. 
"When you were a child, we made someone a promise for you to marry them, Nessa. Now that you're almost all better, are you willing to return to Jirphia for the wedding? If you're not, I'll discuss this with your father, and we'll call it off."Vanessa Shepherd only hears silence in the dim room. The person on the other end of the line thinks she still can't be convinced when she suddenly says, "I'll do it."Her mother, Diane Norman, is taken aback and evidently surprised. "Y-You will?"Vanessa says calmly, "I will, but I need some time to handle things in Xerton. I'll be back in half a month. You guys can start preparing for the wedding."She says a few more things before hanging up. 
Natalie Bennett was ten years old when she lost her parents. The matriarchs of the Bennett and the Foster families decided to betroth her to Jeffrey Foster, who was 14 at that time.
Jeffrey had said to Natalie, "I'll always be here for you."
He was the one who made that vow. But he's also the one who ends up breaking it.
Despite being married for five years, Natalie can never win Jeffrey's heart over. She initially thinks that Jeffrey is cold and heartless by nature, but she witnesses later on just how gentle and caring he can be in front of the woman he truly cares about.
Heartbroken, Natalie trades the pregnancy report for a divorce agreement. Since then, she and Jeffrey part ways.
After the divorce, Jeffrey's life is thrown into disarray. Where's his tie? Where's the charger? Why doesn't the coffee taste like the one he drinks all the time?
The entire upper crust can't wait to savor Natalie's fall from grace. But unfortunately for them, she's an extremely outstanding woman. She makes a dazzling comeback to her workplace and keeps setting new domestic records. Just like that, she becomes the most popular artist.
Someone once comes across Jeffrey cornering Natalie with his hands on his waist. He murmurs in a humbling tone, "What is it that you don't like about me, Nat? I'll change my ways."
"I don't like the fact that you still like me."
"Well then, I'm never changing that. Never." 

"Gale Warm, what the Warm family owes me is for you to pay!" Shawn Wood threw Gale Warm into a mental hospital, tortured and humiliated. Two years later, he married her. "Don't be delusional, you are just here to atone for your family sins." He hated her, and only wanted to bully her.Gale Warm endured it while searching for the truth, and proved her family's innocence. Later, Gale Warm threw the evidence on Shawn Wood's face. "I never owed you." Later, Shawn Wood turned pale overnight. He whispered in her ear day and night. "Gale, don't leave me. Otherwise, I won’t be able to live..." "Shawn Wood, how dare you threaten me!" "How dare I? You wouldn’t want our children to have no father, would you?" 

The Locke family's long-lost daughter, Madison Locke, is reunited with her family. Then, she starts doing livestreams to make a living.
Everyone in Riverview's upper crust is waiting to see her make a fool of herself. However, all they get to see is how bigwigs from all over the country flood her livestream to ask her for help.
A rising star in the business world says, "Save me, Ms. Locke!"
An award-winning actor who's fresh out of the oven says, "Help me get rid of my unwanted admirers, Ms. Locke!"
A bigwig in the research world asks, "Could you help check on the geomancy in my area, Ms. Locke?"
A certain someone says, "Come closer to me, babe!"
Everyone wonders why this certain someone is so different from everyone else.
Madison says, "That's what I'd like to know, too." 
When a ruthless heiress and a struggling actress wake up in each other’s bodies, their worlds turn upside down.
Olivia Smith, born into power and pride, suddenly finds herself trapped in a life of poverty and pain.
Emma Williams, quiet and selfless, opens her eyes to luxury, influence, and danger.
But as they fight to survive in lives that were never meant for them, secrets begin to unfold, hearts are stolen, and destiny starts to blur the line between who they were and who they’re meant to become.
Borrowed faces… stolen hearts.
A story of identity, redemption, and love found in the most unexpected mirrors. 


After her miscarriage, Sabrina Frye turns into the wife Nester Blackwell has always demanded.
She stops sharing the small joys of her day and the frantic, late-night calls when he doesn't come home.
Even when she is framed in a street scam and taken to the police station, the officers tell her she can leave if a family member posts bail, but she tells them that she has no family.
She calmly spends the next seven days in a cold cell.
A week later, the heavy iron gates of the station open with a metallic clang at dusk. As Sabrina steps down the stairs, a black Maybach screeches to a halt in front of her.
The door swings open, and Nester steps out. Dressed in a tailored suit, he's tall, with near-perfect body proportions. Like always, he looks cold and untouchable. 

With a forceful tug, he raised the hem of her dress."How do you want it?" He whispered close to her ears. His hands playing with her bare ass. How could she speak? She was fucking turned on for crying out loud, she needed to feel his dick in between her legs. She wanted him to fuck her real bad."Speak!" He said, as he spanked her ass roughly. She moaned in pleasure. "I... I want it," She moaned out. Goodness, what was he doing? The sexual urge was killing her.. "Want what? Do you want me to fuck you hard, till you scream? Till you are oblivious of everything?" He whispered seductively as he spanked her hard on the ass."Yeah... I fucking want it, fuck me Henry, fuck me hard..." Quinn moaned out. "Not so fast darling. I think I know the best way to make you want me more," he said to her, then he bent his head towards her wet pussy. She shivered as she felt his breath on her ass without warning he slid his tongue into her.... Continue reading to get more juicy details about this seductive billionaire and his sexy maid. 




Even the coldest heart would soon grow warm if she kept holding on to it. That was what she believed. That was why she became his unloved placeholder of a wife. Unfortunately, all her devotion only led to a heartless divorce. “She’s awake now,” he told her. “Step down and step away, you miserable knock-off.”Then, he left. When he came back, it was because he needed her to do something only an impostor could do: go to jail for his dream girl’s crime. Deirdre McKinnon was condemned to perdition. She lost her baby before it was born. She lost her face to violence. She lost the ability to see. It was two months of a hell-like nightmare. At last, something died inside her heart. Two years later, she found herself another man, but when Brendan Brighthall met her by pure happenstance, a new feeling was born in his heart: jealousy. There were no means too terrible, no scheme too underhanded—not if it meant he’d possess Deirdre’s heart again. And yet, she simply refused to love him anymore.“What do you want me to do, Deirdre McKinnon?! What must I do to go back to the good old days?” His eyes turned red. “I’ll give you everything I have!”“You gave me a copper trinket two years ago. It was a sorry excuse for a wedding ring, and yet I cared for it as though it was the most precious jewel in the world…“But now? Nothing you can give would be even remotely worthwhile. Not even you.” 
WARNING: THIS BOOK MAY CONTAIN STEAMY AND SEXUAL CONTENT WHICH IS STRICTLY NOT FOR KIDS UNDER +18 "So the rules of the game is simple" he began. "For every glass of drink that I take, you'll remove one piece of clothing from your attire. If I pass out before you get completely naked, then I'll grant you one wish but if I don't, then I'm free to do whatever sinful thing I want with you for the rest of the night. No questions asked. Are you game?" A smile feathered on his lips as he stared at her, waiting for her final decision. He is the handsome, sexy and heartless devil. The sinner.She is the purest, innocent and beautiful angel.Two polar opposites, one single attraction.***Having lived in the convent all her life, Hera Whitson manages to secure a job as a maid in the household of Bryce Donovan. The inhuman sex god that has the entire female population at his feet. He lives for sex, he celebrates and relish the electricity of it with every fibre of his being and sees no better reason for being alive.One look at Hera and Bryce is smitten. She is like an addictive drug, a moth to a flame and he will do anything to get burned by her. Relinquished by her heat.What happens when Hera finds herself battling against her principles and sexual attraction for Bryce? Will she be caught in the web of Bryce's twisted game of lust? 


A DARK, EROTIC BILLIONAIRE ROMANCE.
"Ah, oh my God, it's coming again..." I moaned, my head thrown back, my vision blurring.
My mouth was open, and I mumbled incoherently, my legs spread wide, facing my boss, Ethan Blackwood.
"Using your virginity to seduce me? In exchange for the power I hold, is that it?"
"You succeeded."
He thrust even more violently into the depths of my soul.
In the shudder of orgasm, he rolled me over, making me lie on my back.
I gasped, feeling him penetrate me more deeply than ever before.
———
"That night, I caught my fiancé sleeping with my sister. From that moment on, I stopped being a good girl."
For seventeen years, Leah Harnes had been blindly loyal to her fiancé, until one day, she caught him in bed with her sister.
Heartbroken.
Desperate to forget as she watched her beliefs crumbled.
So she did something unbelievable: She spent the night with a handsome stranger.
However, her entire world came crumbling down when she discovered that the man was her ruthless, powerful boss.
Ethan offered her a cruel contract: her body in exchange for his power.
However, a man like Ethan would never be gentle.
No romance, no caresses.
He only knew control, pleasure, and pain.
She vowed to hate him.
He vowed to possess her.
Caught between a treacherous stepmother, a vengeful ex-boyfriend, and Ethan's dark obsession, Leah was caught in a vortex of lies, desire, and revenge.
A man like Ethan, who despised being touched, but now, he craves the touch of only one woman—Leah.
And he would never let go of the only woman he truly desired.
Not in this life, not in the next.
~* One Night Of Revenge Turned Into A Lifetime Of Obsession *~ 
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. 

DARK ROMANCE "Sir, I am in a dire need of loan. Its very important, my friends life is at stake. I assure you I'll try my best to return the loan asap." She breathlessly said it all. Her eyes were filled with hope and expectations. He was her last hope.
"Miss Sheharzaad," Shehryaar said, while standing up from his chair causing her to instantly stand up.
"Yes sir" she replied, her voice troublesome yet confident.
He walked towards the other side of the table and sat on the chair parallel to her.
"Keep sitting, please." He said, like a gentleman and she sat down. She tightly held her hands together. A life could be saved by his single yes.
"Sir please," she pleaded.
"I agree. You can have the loan, but I have a condition."
"I agree to your every condition sir" she replied with a little smile of victory on her face.
"Think before you speak, Miss Sheharzaad."
"I trust you."
"I want a one night stand with you." He dropped the bomb.
............
"Every women is nothing but a , a and you're also one of them." He said making her wriggling double against the ropes, which tied her.
"You're wrong." She replied with a sheer determination in her eyes.
He harshly gripped held her chin and bobbed her head up towards him.
"Oh, I'll prove it to you then." He spoke with an immense intensity and a promise in his eyes.
"You'll now serve me as my personal escort, Sheharzaad." He declared and threaded his fingers into her silky locks, pasting his lips on hers, her brutally.
He didn't trust womankind and she was a strong woman.
He wanted shatter and break her into pieces so he could satisfy himself.