A Thousand Times Over

The explosion wiped out my parents—and their company. All I had left was some insurance cash and a pile of patents nobody cared about. I begged their old partners to back me. Crickets. Then Alex Ross strolled in, played the hero no one asked for, and proposed. Five years deep into our marriage, after my 99th FDA rejection, I finally cracked. I was in the garage when I heard his phone on speaker. Mark's voice came through: "Dude, you're still handing Lily Emma's blueprints before she even files? How many times has she flopped now? Girl's relentless, huh?" Alex? Straight-up ice. "Ninety-nine. She'll quit soon." "You're really tanking your wife to boost Lily's brand? Worth it?" "Lily's launching her new product tomorrow at the Boston Medical Summit. Patent number 100. Watching her blow up from nothing... makes me proud." "But it's all Emma's stuff. Your dad made you marry her for her brain, didn't he?" "Don't bring up my father." His voice turned sharp. "He forced me to dump Lily. I just played along." I sank into the driver's seat, frozen. I wasn't a partner. Just a pawn—revenge bait for his dad and backup fuel for his ex.

Stan Cohen Arrhenius thought the feelings he had was just infatuation. Mali iyon, alam niya. Hinayaan niya lang na mawala ito ng kusa sa pagkaka isip na mawawala rin ito agad. But how come on each day, his feelings grew stronger? Paano niya kaya ito maipaglalaban kung alam niyang mali ang kanyang nararamdaman? He tried to divert his feelings but Cupid is really good at playing this game. How can Stan stop this hell if it feels like heaven to be with the woman he loves?

Hindi akalain ni Shanel ang kanyang simpleng pag-aasam na mapalayas ang kanyang driver slash bodyguard ay mauuwi sa isang malaking kasalanan na kanyang pagbabayaran sa pag-babalik ng binata sa buhay nya sa hinaharap. After 7 years bumalik si Thunder na hindi lang sobrang yaman kundi mas gwapo at talagang makalaglag panty. Pero ngayon baliktad na ang mundo. Ang dating alipin ay amo na. At ang mapag-mataas na bratenilang si Shanel ay isang alipin na ngayon at nangangailangan ng pera. Na kahit patalim ay pikit mata nya hahawakan para sa kanyang magulang na 5 taon na comatose. Handa kaya syang tanggaping maging parausan ni Thunder na sabik sa paghihiganti at nakaplano na kung pano sya pahihirapan.

“I never believed in love and marriage. But when I set my eyes on you, everything changed. For without blinking an eye, I fell in love with you…” TEASER Nang dahil sa sugat na idinulot ng ama ni Dannah sa buhay-pamilya nila, nagkaroon ng lamat sa puso at damdamin niya. She vowed never to fall in love and be committed to any man. Natatakot siyang makahanap ng isang lalaking katulad ng kanyang ama na iniwan ang sarili nitong pamilya para sa babaeng gusto nitong makasama. Till such a moment came na hiniling ng kanyang butihing-ina ang isang apo mula sa kanya. She’s the only daughter and she loved her mom very much para ipagkait dito ang simpleng bagay na alam niyang makapagpapaligaya rito. Sa tulong ng kaibigang si Sandy ay nakahanap siya ng lalaking handang mag-“donate” ng sarili nitong “semelya.” Iyon ay si Gunther de Guzman! Tila nakiayon naman ang tadhana, for Gunther only desired sex without commitment and love. On her part, she only yearned for a baby without having a husband. Iyon ang bagay na nagbuklod sa kanila. Kaya naman they’ve shared one-night stand together. Okay na sana ang lahat para kay Dannah sa pag-aakalang iyon na ang kahuli-hulihan nilang pagkikita. Subalit ang hindi inaasahan ng dalaga ay ang pagbabago ng isip ng binata. “I want to have the custody of my child, Dannah. Kahit saang husgado ay lalabanan kita!”

My son, Andy, had a sudden liver failure and needed a liver transplant. The only compatible match was my wife, Vivian Grant. I had begged her for 20 days to give Andy a liver transplant. Finally, she caved in. I waited the entire day in front of the operating theater, but she didn’t appear. On the same day, her first love, Jason Sanderson posted on his social media. [20th day of traveling around the world. Dr. Grant had given up her career to help fulfil my son's dream of traveling the world.] Only then did I find out that Vivian had been travelling the world with Jason and his son, Luke, since day one. That night, I received a call from Vivian. "Charlie, Luke had gotten full marks on his exam. His wish was to have his Daddy and Mommy travel around the world with him. As you know, he doesn't have a Mommy. I couldn't bear to watch him not get his wish. "We'll return in three days. We can have the surgery for Andy then." She had no idea that what awaited her at the hospital was Andy's lifeless body.

Sharon McKinzie's husband's first love was dying. He often said to Sharon, "Sharon, Kelly doesn't have much time left. Don't be petty and hold things against her." To make up for the regrets of his past, he traveled with Kelly—through mountains and rivers, beneath starlit skies and over distant seas. He even handed over the wedding they had planned—his and Sharon's—to Kelly Walt, without shame or hesitation. Even their five-year-old son clung to Kelly. "Mommy isn't even half as pretty as Kelly," he said. "Kelly's pretty. Why can't Kelly be my mommy?" Sharon decided to grant them their wish. She left behind the divorce papers and walked away without a word. Later, her ex-husband and son knelt before her—her ex-husband full of regret, her son's cheeks streaked with tears. "Honey… please come back to us." "Mommy… do you really not want us anymore?" Just then, a handsome man wrapped his arm around Sharon's waist. "There you are, honey," he said gently. "Our son's still at home, waiting for you to feed him."

You... you did say you'd pay me 1,000€ euros for an hour, right?" she asked. "Yes, Allysa, I confirm that's what I said," he replied with a big smile. Allysa lay down on the bed, and the second man approached her. She thought she should be wary, but strangely, the man inspired confidence. "Now, you're going to have to take off your clothes," he said in his soft, warm voice... There are encounters that turn a life upside down, moments when fate knocks at the door with disconcerting brutality. Allysa Moreau never imagined that losing her virginity for 1,000€ euros in a sordid basement would lead her to cross paths with Paolo Mancini, a billionaire and mafioso whose empire extended far beyond her comprehension. Driven from her apartment, desperate and confronted with the relentless reality of poverty, Allysa had made a decision she could never forget. She had sold herself, not for pleasure at first, but as events unfolded, she developed a taste for it, and to prove herself right, she told herself it was for survival. For Paolo, this story was not trivial. Allysa had his youthful features and palpable innocence, a curiosity in a world where everyone wore masks. Their story was not meant to exist. A mafia billionaire and a homeless teenager had nothing in common. But in a world where rules are meant to be broken, Allysa and Paolo would discover that chance doesn't exist. Desire, fear, and secrets would forge bonds.

I'm playing hide-and-seek with my son when he locks me on the balcony. It's freezing outside, and my face turns blue from the cold. However, all he does is laugh at me while I call for help. He makes ugly faces at me through the glass. "You look like the stray dog downstairs, Mom! You're so ugly!" I die a frosty and terrible death. Before breathing my last breath, I see my son excitedly give my husband a video call. "Mom has frozen to death, Dad. Can you take Ms. Cole home to be my new mom now?" When I open my eyes again, I'm taken back to the moment my son wants me to play hide-and-seek with him.

I, Daphne Thorn, am an impoverished woman from the slums. William Blackburn, on the other hand, is the son of the richest man in Wylland. Unexpectedly, the two of us who share such vastly different identities end up being together. So far, we've tried out various difficult positions in our bouts of passion during our secret rendezvouses in secluded areas. Like the madman he is, William often torments me in every session. I'm so exhausted that I'm about to fall asleep. That's when a notification pops up on William's phone, which is sitting next to me. So, I take a peek at it. "William, my stomach hurts a lot! I'm suffering so much right now!" It's a text from someone named "Ellie". All the exhaustion in me disappears. I can feel my chest tightening up in discomfort. Once William is done with his shower, he leaves the bathroom and picks up his phone. "You should sleep first. I'm heading out," he says. When I see William turning his back on me, I blurt out, "Are you going to meet that childhood sweetheart of yours?" William wheels around to look at me. Suddenly, he moves to lift my chin. There is a trace of wariness in his eyes. "Don't go around sticking your nose in my business, Daphne. I like my woman docile and obedient." But I end up stalking William all the way to Royale Hotel, where I witness him visiting Elaine Moore, his childhood sweetheart. He coaxes her as though she's the most precious treasure in the world. I don't have the courage to question William in person. But still, I want to know who he thinks is more important to him—me or Elaine? So, I give him a call. "William, my gastritis is acting up again! It hurts so much! Can you drive me to the hospital?" I said. I use the same tactic that Elaine had used earlier. That night, I keep waiting for William, and yet he never returns to me. That's when I decide to not love him anymore.

DUA AGHA KHAN. Dua agha Khan is a 28 year old woman trying to make her way through the judging gazes of people around her, being mute and divorced in a Desi society, she was gifted with criticism, harassment and Unhealed trauma. Her passion was writing began when she lost her voice admist the hustle of her haunting past and she had never felt more lucky to have become one of the finest writer out there. Escaping an abusive marriage was a hard task that almost cost her, her life. Surviving as a mute girl in the society she is met with yet problem of being arranged for a second marriage. It wasn’t something that she wanted, it wasn’t something that she would’ve probably looked forward to but it was happening. Not having the courage to say no she’soff to another ride of what seemed like an endless tunnel of darkness for her. RAZA SHOAIB Raza Shoaib is a 32 year old man with a serious personality. He doesn’t like getting involved in much and like to stay in his own boundaries. After having his fiancée cheat on him and run away a day before their wedding the image of loyal women had been ruined in his mind. He wasn’t looking forward to get settled and was happy living the life of an infamous playboy when his father arranges his marriage with the daughter of his Best friend. The girl he never approved of, having his father constantly on his tail with sharp glares and words he says yes to the proposal but with an intention to bring hell upon the woman’s life.