Author's Note

Speechless! 

This word best describes what I was feeling right now. 

Do you know that you were amazing readers?  Yes, you who stayed with me until this page. 

When I first started writing this story, I had so many trepidations. I did not think I would be able to pull this through. 

First, it has a little similarity to my previous novel, Billionaire Ex Wants Me Back, but my editor believed so much in my draft that she encouraged me to consider doing this. (My heartfelt thanks to Lyra Pinter, who had been a constant source of support.)

My feeling of uncertainty magnified when I received so many attacks when the story was first published.  Too many detractors lashed out at my characters that I had a hard time concentrating.

I know what I wanted to do, but the first people who were vocal about the story did not give me enough encouragement. They did not give my characters a chance to redeem themselves as the story progresses. 

Fear grips me everytime I face the blank screen of my computer. 

Still, I was not a quitter and I know that I have a story to tell. 

You see, I believe in human’s innate goodness. I believe that it is our misguided decisions that make us look bad in the eyes of others. We hurt people with our actions, but on the other hand, we bless people, too. 

No human is pure ev*l.  

And one more thing that resonates with me in writing this story is the realization that people can change. We need to give people a chance to see the changes we wanted to see in them.

That’s how I wanted to magnify my characters.  I wanted people to see that they made bad choices, but they are not bad people. They can change if they so desire. 

When I finished the first installment of this story, that is when I realized I have many readers backing me up and supporting this story. 

Also, I realized that as much as I wanted this to be purely the work of my imagination, reader’s take and point of view must also be taken into consideration. Hence, I encouraged my readers to be proactive. 

We used to do that on the radio station where I worked previously. We get people’s views and see how it can be done or if it is feasible.

It was a sort of an experiment, rooted on the foundation that I write what I wanted to read. 

I wrote what you wanted to read. 

And so, what began as an experiment became a cemented belief and I was too happy of the outcome. 

Sometimes, I get to disappoint readers because I cannot accommodate their requests because it would run contrary to the story’s flow, but otherwise, I try to make concessions.

And you know what happened.  A lively interaction of what’s good about life. 

Love, family, respect - those are the things that I emphasized in my works because those are the most important values for me. 

So, now, let me thank all of you from the bottom of my heart. 

I wanted to cite those people who have been proactively reading with me.  

Susan was the first to comment positively about this book.  Then, Karina used to spam my reviews with requests for more chapters indicating an eagerness to read the book in its entirety. 

Their comments were my lifelines from those unexpected attacks and I thanked them for it. Maybe, without them, I wouldn’t be able to find the mettle to continue and just write. 

Then, your numbers grew as days turned into weeks, and weeks turned into months.  

I’d like to thank those who comments frequently in-chapters like AnA17, Thea, Christina Chan, Xienne Gutierrez, Matilda King, Merly Tuazon Galarosa, arlene0221, elseqnh+2, Nicholas Lane, Clotelle Proverbs-Bellamy, Beverly Hyland, Asmi Sinha Mahapatra, Rukky Abubakar, Iva, Melissa Chambers, Bonnie Barber, Jhayne Rivera, Sarah H, Maricris Laureta Garnace, Denise Peddicord, Rlynne Carino Balmores, Ako it oh, Roselyn Young, Maria Laisani, Melani Mare-Botha, Sheila Reynolds Melton, Josephine Molina, Pearly Kim Dumngalon, Denise, Aily Klaiz, Amela Avila, Halina Jagiello, Deborah, Jill Sleeman, Jenifer Cawagas, Amini, Esty R,  Melanie Samson, Tina Clifford, Rupanylla Nongkynrih, Espinosa Argen, rena vanumu, Debbie, Loretta Oliver, Cora Johnson, Lhyn, Mychelle Anoos-Legal, Michaela Hammes, Indira Bautista Lacson Palermo, Bellamy Sailed, Maris Marcelino, Maria Rica Yumang, Elizabeth, Merlyn L. A. Nilsson, Denie McInelly Moffett, Angela, Emerald, RoseMary Walker, Sassa, rayandal, AmJo, SillyRabbit, Ana Cristina, Azeem Munshi, and Mariquit. 

The same day this story became live on June 3, 2024, I received my first two gems from Julia. The next day, Jacqueline and Jennifer Gonzales rewarded me one gem each. 

To date, my book accumulated 2, 010 gems from Christina Chan, kmr, Thea, Susan, AnA17,captainobvious34, Delina, Sarah H, Nicholas Lane, Jesevelyn Tambalos, veronicaesclanda30, Bonnie Barber, gayathri balasubramanian, Sheila Loyola Zapanta,  Bookworm,  Aily, Klaiz, Susan (2nd acct) Teri Ola, Narhidayah Nadiman, Maribel Loterte, Elizabeth and elseqnh+2 as my top 22 contributors. 

I also wanted to thank Bonnie Barber for the bouquets, hamburger, coins, and fountain pen. Iva and Melissa Carter sent cakes each, visitor 1235 for the racing car, visitor 7104, Elizabeth and banoonshah for the coins.  ( I really wish those were real items hahaha.) But the said items had corresponding rewards that the platform added to my income so I am thanking you all from the bottom of my heart. 

To those who unlocked chapters, thank you so much for all your support. 

You are my crowd and I will be forever grateful for the vouch of confidence, the words of appreciation, your commendation, and yes, sometimes I knew some of you fend off some negative comments from other readers. It fills my heart with gratitude to have all of you around. 

The story may have ended, but your goodness, appreciation, and your love for this book will remain in my heart forever. 

Love, 

J Cruz