Ave Maria Gratia Plena

The moment the acid hit my skin, I heard my own flesh sizzle. In the last moments before my consciousness faded, my trembling fingers managed to dial my brother, the new Don of the Steele family. To my relief, Farrow finally answered. The sounds of expensive jazz and clinking glasses bled through the receiver. His voice was cold as ice. "What is it this time, Grace?" "Farrow... help me..." He cut me off before I could finish. "Listen, Betty's book launch is tomorrow night. If you dare cause a scene or embarrass the Family, I'll disown you. I'll ship you off to a convent in Sicily." The line went dead. A moment later, a second splash of acid hit my face, and the searing agony consumed me. My eyes were gone, leaving nothing but hollow, bloody sockets. You don't need to exile me, Farrow. I'm already gone. Forever.

At our wedding ceremony, the four-year-old nephew of my fiance, Michael Thompson, suddenly rushes onto the stage. He grabs his uncle's hand and cries, "Daddy, why are you marrying another woman? Don't you want me and Mommy anymore?" Seeing this, Lisa Jenner quickly runs over to intervene. She sounds apologetic, but her words are slightly provocative. "I'm so sorry, Sarah. Danny lost his father when he was little and has always seen Michael as his dad. He didn't mean to cause trouble." Even Michael remains completely calm as he picks up Danny. He explains to me, "Before David passed away, he made me promise to take care of his widow and child. I only let Danny call me 'Daddy' so he could have a normal childhood. You understand, right?" As I look at the three of them, standing there like the perfect family, I laugh coldly and rip off my veil. "This poor child has been through so much. How could I possibly steal his dad away? "You know what? Why don't I just let Lisa take my place up here? Then you can have your happy little family of three."

I gave up a vast fortune to be with my boyfriend Terrence. In our poorest days, we didn't even have a single grain of rice at home. Terrence went out to fight in underground rings, never surrendering once even when he was beaten black and blue. With his blood and sweat, he paved the path to our future brick by brick. In the present, his name was uttered with an undeniable tone of respect, while I was known far and wide as his missus, the woman he treasured above anyone or anything. One year, when I left the country because of a family emergency, I learned that he even started seeing a therapist due to separation anxiety. Everyone said that Terrence loved me more than life itself, and I had believed it too, wholeheartedly. Until I stood on our balcony, watching him tightly embracing another woman in the villa next door. "Even though Tanya is back, the very thought of losing you makes me lose control… I can't live without you, Mia… "If any other men ever appear by your side, I might just end up killing them…" His voice was a low rumble, tinged with a sort of unconscious madness. "B-But what about your wife? Didn't you say that she means more to you than your own life?" "Well, we just have to keep this hidden better, don't we? I want to always be with you…" My hand trembled, and I accidentally cut my hand with the fruit knife I was holding, but I felt no pain at all. To think that just one year apart was enough to shatter thirty years of love and mutual support… With trembling hands, I picked up my phone and called my mother. "Mom, I'm feeling homesick… Can you get me a new identity and a one-way ticket out of the country?"

TRIGGER WARNING: THIS BOOK HAS VIOLENCE AND S. EXUAL THEME. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK. YOU'VE BEEN WARNED. In the twilight's embrace, where shadows blend with moonlit secrets, an extraordinary love unfolds. Two worlds collide as a human and a lycan find themselves captivated by a forbidden connection. Bound by the threads of destiny, they navigate the delicate balance between their humanity and the untamed essence within. Their love ignites like a wildfire, defies the barriers of species and the norms of their world, unravels its own complexities and transcends the boundaries of the ordinary. Considered not worthy of the Luna title by everyone, Mackenzie Cortez was rejected by the future Main Alpha to become his bride. Heartbroken, but wanted to prove her worth to him and to their entire pack, she embarked on a mission to annihilate an entire mafia gang that managed to get a hold of proofs about the lycans’ existence, which the gang intended to use to become the wealthiest and the most powerful in the world. -“I don’t need a maid. I want a slave, who will keep me entertained whenever I want to.”- Mackenzie left her pack to look for The Manila Mafia gang. Once she set foot on their den, she pretended to be looking for a job as a maid, but the mafia boss’ son, Davide Ocampo, offered her a job that she couldn't get out of. -“My mission is to prey, not to be feasted upon. What will he do if he finds out that I’m a lycan whom he and his gang are so desperate to experiment? I know that the cliff I’m treading is too dangerous, and one misstep is fatal. Still, I choose to fall.”-

Tanging ambisyon lamang ang mahalaga para kay Sayna Astrid Reyes. Bilang lumaki na mag-isa, wala siyang ibang hangarin kundi matupad lamang ang kanyang pangarap na maging tanyag sa lahat. Alam niya sa kanyang sarili na hindi katulad ng isang fairy tale ang takbo ng kanyang buhay kaya wala siyang panahon para sa pag-ibig. She doesn't even value marriage. Ngunit kailangan niyang magpakasal kay Enver James Servencio, the Servencio Prince himself, isang troublemaker at spoiled na anak ng kanyang boss na nasangkot sa isang malaking eskandalo. Kapalit na makuha ang pangarap niya na makamit ang pinakamataas na pwesto sa kompanya, papakasalan niya ang lalaking hindi naman niya lubos na kilala para malinis ang reputasyon nito. Hanggang saan aabutin ang kasalan na hindi naman binuo nang pagmamahalan?

All it took was a gunshot to have this criminal fucking me senseless. I'd spent months trying to bring down Antonio, the criminal I swore to put behind bars. I even set a trap for him, using someone close as bait. But instead of going down in chains, Antonio offered himself to me, in exchange for freedom. I should have said no, I should have followed the mission. But as a lonely divorcee craving warmth, how could I resist the way he touched me? The way his fingers made me forget the rules I live by? This wasn't the plan. My boss didn't send me here to get addicted to my enemy. Yet every secret night with Antonio leaves me wanting more, and drags me deeper into his dangerous world. He's supposed to die for his crimes, but unfortunately, the real crime is how badly I want him. And if the news gets out, I won't just lose my job– I'll lose my life.

An Omega who had just been accused of killing her Alpha. But even she, couldn't recall what had happened that night and how she ended up having her hand stained with blood and the Alpha died. Now, she's saved from the punishment by the Alpha's Older brother, but she will have a great price to pay, As the Alpha takes control of her life.

Three days before my wedding, Eric Foreman's childhood love returned to the country with her terminally ill mother. She wanted to marry Eric to fulfill her mother's dying wish. I objected furiously to it in my last life, and Eric eventually rejected Naomi Corbin's request. Naomi appeared with her mother's funeral picture in the middle of our wedding and accused Eric of being heartless. Eric got the bodyguards to kick her out, and our wedding continued without a glitch. However, he did not return home that night. Since then, he insisted that we sleep in different rooms. He would rather get drunk than touch me. When I questioned him about this, he said to me drunkenly as his eyes glazed over, "Ayla, every time I look at you, I'm reminded of the look of despair in Naomi's eyes and her mother's dying face… I regret making that decision!" His answer depressed me, and I eventually died from it. When I opened my eyes again, I had returned to the day Eric tried to convince me to give Naomi our wedding. This time, I agreed. I called my family as I watched him leave happily. "I agree to the marriage alliance. We can hold the wedding in three days."

No one crosses Dante Kincade and walks away unscathed. I just did it with a microphone and a song that made the entire room gasp. Marisol Franco has spent years hiding under a fake name, trying to outrun her father's brutal empire. But one impulsive karaoke performance at a corporate event shattered her cover and made her the target of her powerful CEO, Dante Kincade. Cold, calculating, and rumored to have ties to the underworld, he doesn't forgive public humiliation. Dante wants revenge and her secrets. But as his obsession grows, so does the dangerous desire neither of them can control. With her fire and fearlessness, she’s nothing like the women who try to please him. She meets him head-on and defies him at every turn. But her past is darker than he imagined. Hunted by her father’s men and promised to a sadistic cartel heir, she’s running out of time. Trapped between three dangerous men and a past that won’t stay buried, Marisol must decide who to trust before everything goes up in flames. Now, the only man standing between her and a fate worse than death is the one who has every reason to destroy her. Dangerous Melodies is a dark, addictive romance brimming with secrets, betrayal, and enemies-to-lovers heat. Perfect for fans of forbidden desire, dangerous obsession, and love that refuses to surrender.

In the coastal quiet of Baler, a studio is born—not of architecture, but of intention.* Founded by Yam, a poet whose words cradle pain gently, and Franc, an artist who paints tenderness into walls, the studio becomes a refuge for those learning to stay—with grief, love, longing, and themselves. As visitors arrive, they leave behind more than footprints: a sigh recorded in bamboo, a poem tucked into the “Found Letters” shelf, a mural painted in crooked lines. Through zines, tea, silence, and sketchbooks, the studio teaches softness as revolution. Ren creates the *Window of Soft Returns*, an installation of anonymous voice recordings—each whisper forming a community of echoes. Drew builds the *Staircase With No Wrong Turns*, inviting people to walk through emotions without shame. Franc offers brushstrokes as brave work, and Yam curates writing circles that map healing in half sentences. Together, they host festivals that feel like hugs, and they begin traveling their archive, letting softness cross oceans. Even those who once left—like Miguel—return, discovering that some doors never truly close. Others, like Tala, capture the studio’s sound and turn it into a podcast of breath and becoming. Over seventy chapters, the studio transforms into something larger than itself: a mural of memory, a sanctuary for second chances, a place where return is sacred and voice is proof of survival. In the final bloom, the studio stands not as a monument—but as a reminder: > *“Staying isn’t easy. > But chosen together, > it becomes home.”*