All Chapters of ALPHA, OMEGA, LOVE: Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

“Love is a manipulation of feelings.”Perhaps that is why so many people continue to hold on to someone who keeps hurting them. Why? Because even after causing pain to the person who loves them, some people know how to disguise their mistakes with pretended affection. They blind their partners with sweet words, shower them with promises, and make everything seem fine again. And just like that, the cycle continues. Maybe that is why so many relationships fall apart because of a third party, whether the people involved are married or simply dating.Love is such a beautiful word to those who have experienced a fairytale romance. But for those who have loved sincerely and never been given the chance to express or show the true depth of their feelings, love can be painful as hell.The word love means different things to different people. For some, it is beautiful, colorful, and full of wonderful possibilities. For others, it is nothing more than a bitter word associated with heartbreak, di

(STEP P.O.V)“Bestie, I need your help.”Gino and I were at one of his family’s rest houses in El Salvador. Our finals were already over, but his wouldn’t be until Monday. Apparently, he still had a mountain of projects to finish and a whole lot of reviewing to do.“What is it now? One thing at a time, best friend, okay? You’re not a robot. You can’t study for exams and work on projects at the same time,” I told him as I helped organize the mountain of books and other things he had brought with him.“That’s exactly why I called you. I need your help. There are a lot of essays to answer, and that’s what you’re going to work on. I know essays are your strength. If all our exams consisted of essays, you’d probably get a perfect score on every single one.”“Tsk! I thought you said I was stupid, huh, Mr. Genius?” I teased.“You’re not stupid academically. Do you know where you’re stupid, though?” he asked.“Where?”“In love.”I shot him a murderous glare.“Do you actually want my help or n

STEPH P.O.V.“Hello! Tita?!”I called from outside Gino’s house.“Hey, best friend! Are you there?!”I shouted again, hoping someone would hear me.I’ll admit it: I was angry with Gino for missing my graduation. But despite that, I still wanted to know why he hadn’t shown up. It was the first time he’d ever missed something that important to me. For better or worse, Gino had always been there for every major event in my life.So why had this time been different?A few moments later, Gino’s mother appeared. Tita Vicky immediately opened the gate and let me in.“Steph, have you been waiting out here long?” she asked.“Just a little while, Tita,” I answered.I had always felt comfortable around Tita Vicky. In many ways, she was like a second mother to me.“What brings you here?” she asked as we stepped inside.“Ah, I just wanted to ask where Gino is. He hasn’t texted me since yesterday, and he didn’t even show up for my graduation.”I answered while happily devouring the cookies she had

STEPH P.O.V.I woke up to the most mouthwatering smell imaginable.Seriously, what kind of torture was it to wake up to the smell of something delicious when you had absolutely no idea what it was—or, more importantly, whether you were going to get any?I didn’t know what was being cooked, but the smell was enough to make my stomach growl. So, even though my eyes were still stubbornly refusing to open, I dragged myself out of bed.“Whoever owns that food, I hope you choke on it,” I grumbled. “You’re sharing the smell but not the actual food. Tsk!”Since I already knew there was nothing cooked in the kitchen, I headed straight for the refrigerator instead.And because I was starving, I briefly considered eating the entire thing.Damn this house! It was huge, yet there was absolutely nothing to eat!I grabbed a glass of water from the fridge.“You’re so skinny because the first thing you give your poor, dying insides every morning is cold water.”The unexpected voice made me drop the g

A whole week had passed, and I was still giving Gino the silent treatment.He kept texting me, but I never replied. He called, too, but I let my phone ring until it stopped. Then it would ring again. And again.How many missed calls had I received from him by now? I’d lost count. As for his text messages, there were probably close to a hundred sitting unanswered in my inbox.But I wasn’t going to give in.Not yet.Then, one evening, the idiot showed up at my house without telling me.I had just come out of the bathroom when I found him sitting in the living room, drinking alcohol as if he owned the place.He hadn’t even noticed me passing by, so I went to get dressed before approaching him.One look at his face told me he was sad.For fuck’s sake! What kind of drama is he dealing with this time?“Why are you here?” I asked flatly.He immediately looked up at me, his eyes holding an expression I couldn’t quite understand.“Holy shit! Why are you drinking here? Don’t you have alcohol at