Anniversary Stay

My mother-in-law and I were trapped during an earthquake overseas. The rescue team knew that my husband had a private plane nearby and asked me to contact him, but I could only shake my head in rejection of the idea. In my last life, I tried my hardest to call him and get him to come save us. My mother-in-law and I were saved, but my husband’s true love got angry and went out to let off some steam. The incident ended with her being tortured to death. In front of his mother, my husband said that his lover deserved it. Yet, on the anniversary of her death, he killed me the way she had died. “I’ve always known that it was your scheme. You have to die as Shevonne did!” This time round, when my husband took his lover on a private plane to admire the cityscape at night, he found out everything that had happened and went mad.

“I am not capable of love, Desiree. Do you still want to marry me?” That was the question Gerald Butler asked Desiree Hamilton the day she asked him to marry her. “Yes," Desiree answered, convinced that she could eventually get him to fall in love with her. But one year later, she meets her greatest disappointment on their wedding anniversary which also happens to be her birthday; the only gift Gerald brings her is divorce papers. Devastated and tired of begging for his love, Desiree signs the papers and leaves. Three years later, she returns a strong and confident businesswoman who will not beg for any man's love, but this time, it was her ex-husband's turn to beg. He went down on his knees, looking up at her pleadingly. “Desiree, please let's get married again. I promise to love you this time.” She looked down at him as a smirk formed on her face. “Dear Ex-husband, You Had Your Chance!”

After being reborn, the first thing my cousin and I did was switch grooms. In our previous lives, we had gotten married on the same day. She, gentle and composed by nature, became the wife of Blake Malcolm, the aloof naval commander. On their wedding anniversary, Blake skipped the occasion to celebrate his childhood friend's birthday. My cousin had only wanted an explanation, but Blake claimed his conscience was clear. They fell into a silence that lasted fifty years. And me? With my temper—quick to fight, never one for patience—I had married an accountant from the machinery plant's compound. The accountant was soft-spoken, forever complaining about how loud I was, and how little I cared about appearances. We fought every three days, major arguments every five. Eventually, he stopped coming home. Less than a year into the marriage, we divorced. Then one day, my cousin and I opened our eyes and found ourselves young again—and it was the day we were to marry. Again.

"I've thought about it. Please draft up a divorce agreement for me, Mr. Chastain," Carina Sherwood says to her divorce attorney, Leo Chastain. It's her fifth wedding anniversary with Aster Ducant, but Carina spends it at the lawyer's office instead because Aster is busy having fun with his secretary, Stella Winters, at home. Carina is his wife, but she ends up being the one chased out of the house. They have been married for five years, but Aster hasn't announced their marriage to the people at the company. At first, Carina thinks of bringing it up to him. However, it just takes a few sentences from Aster for her to know that there's no need for that anymore. "Stella's home alone, and the electricity at her place just went out. She has nowhere else to go. I'm asking her to come over for dinner. You're fine with that, aren't you?" The best way Carina can think of to end the last five years of their relationship is through divorce.

Anita Hayes thought she had it all—a luxurious life, a devoted husband, and a future filled with promise. But behind the glittering facade of her marriage to self-made billionaire Alexander Grayson lay a truth that shattered her: Alex’s empire always came first, leaving her as a mere shadow in his life. On the night of their fourth wedding anniversary, Alex misses yet another important moment, choosing a business deal over their marriage. Heartbroken and determined to reclaim her identity, Anita walks away from the penthouse and the man she once loved, returning to her small hometown to rebuild her life. But Alex isn’t the kind of man who lets go easily. As he fights to win Anita back, her childhood friend, Ethan Carter, steps in, reminding her of the love and support she’s been missing. Torn between the memories of her past and the possibility of a new future, Anita must decide: will she give Alex a second chance, or is it time to close the door on their shared history forever?

Fedora Smith was done with love. Finished. Buried. Betrayal had ripped out her heart and torched it—her boyfriend of four years and her best friend of twenty-five caught pants down on the very anniversary sheets she gifted him. And their excuses? “You’re not attractive anymore.” “You took too long to marry him.” Fine. If love was a game, she was rewriting the rules. Now, she runs The Bridal Fix, an elite agency providing fake marriages for a steep price—rent-a-bride services for men needing to fool their families, secure an inheritance, or stage the perfect breakup. Fifteen weddings, fifteen divorces—no strings, no mess. Just business. Until Judah Carlstone. He hires her like the rest—one contract, one wedding, one payday. But Judah asks too many questions. Looks at her too long. And when he smirks and says— "Tell me, Fedora… how does it feel to say ‘I do’ and not mean it?" For the first time in years, she has no answer. Because this was never supposed to feel real.

Our wedding anniversary also happens to be our son's birthday. A month in advance, I carefully plan a family trip for the three of us—me, my husband, and our son. But right before we're supposed to leave, both of them suddenly disappear on me. I'm left standing alone in the pouring rain, dialing their numbers. On the other end, my son's young voice comes through, sounding cold and impatient. "Dad's having dinner with Ms. Moore. We don't want to go anymore." The call ends, and I'm blocked. Later that night, they intentionally lock me out of the house. I'm left standing in the freezing cold all night long. Soaked from the rain, I come down with a high fever and develop pneumonia. Meanwhile, my husband and son are off vacationing with Sophia Moore, smiling for a happy family photo with just the three of them. And in that moment, I know this marriage has truly come to an end.

“I’ll do anything you want, I’ll give you everything. I’m begging you to bring her smile back.” ****** Nathalie Davis was shattered after her husband and best friend betrayed her, divorcing her on their fourth wedding anniversary and driven out to the house. Worst of all, they used up all her money, including the money for surgery for her mother. After her world collapse in overnight, Nathalie’s complicated life changed when she ended up in the care of Calix Zander Watson, known for being a ruthless multi-billionaire, and the CEO of the company her ex-husband works for. Calix offered Nathalie to take care of his only child. Nathalie agrees, especially since she owes a lot to Calix. With Nathalie taking care of Calix’s child, can she also be able to heal Calix’s heart, that has been closed for love for a long time? But what if the secrets will unite their pasts are revealed? Will this be the path to love or will it cause their destruction?

On the night of my fifth wedding anniversary with Sebastian Gray, he lit up the entire city with fireworks for me. All our friends kept saying what a wonderful man he was—so loving, so romantic. The kind of husband every woman dreams of. At the grand finale, the fireworks burst into words that lit up the night sky: Happy Birthday, Jen. Jennifer Kingsley was Sebastian's first love, his ideal woman, the one who had always lingered in his heart. Sebastian looked at me, his expression almost sheepish. "Ah, it's Jen's birthday too. They must have mixed up the fireworks." That night, Jennifer posted on her social media: "Men are boys till the day they die, always fumbling their way through romance." She added a picture of the fireworks, along with a photo of her and Sebastian standing close under the dazzling display. I liked her post and left a comment: "From school to altar—what a touching love story. When's the wedding?"

On her wedding anniversary, Brielle plans on gifting her husband, Alpha Argon, a news on her pregnancy. But she's left shattered when she found Argon proposing to his first lover, Estelle, a super model and daughter of Alpha Deron from Red Wood pack. Argon rejects Brielle for his first love. He and Estelle don't hesitate to mock her for being wolfless and a burden with no family. When she planned to hide the news of her pregnancy, a curious Estelle fishes out the report, shocking Argon with the news. Brielle thinks the goddess would mend her broken relationship, but her whole world came crumbling when Argon and Estelle pushed her down the stairs, resulting to her miscarriage. Broken, she receives a divorce letter from Argon, giving her twenty four hours to sign and leave. In her pains, something was awoken in Brielle. Something rare and deadly. "Don't sign it, Brielle. That's not the way of the IVYs. Make them pay." Her eyes glowed green.