Bittersweet Panic

Pinaghahanap si Jade "De" Martelli dahil sa kasalanan pagpatay sa kaniyang asawa sa 'di alam ng lahat na siya ay rape victim, ang mga magulang ng lalaki at ni Jade ay pinagkasundo sila dahil siya ay na buntis. Pinakasal siya sa lalaking 'di niya gusto, pagkapanganak ni Jade sinabi ng doctor na namatay ang kaniyang anak na dahil sa nangyari na wala sa pagiisip si Jade. Binalak niyang patayin ang kaniyang asawa ngunit 'di ito na tuloy, may mga panahon din na sinasaktan siya ng kaniyang asawa sa physical na pamamaraan dahil sa galit ni Jade nakahawak siya ng baril at pinag-agawan nila ito hanggang sa pumutok na nakatutuk ito sa kaniyang asawa. Maraming kaibigan si Jade kaya nakatakas siya nagpalipat-lipat siya ng lugar sa kaniyang mga kaibigan na nakatulong ito para malayang mamuhay si Jade. Nagpaiba-iba din siya ng trabaho para sa kaligtasan niya. Isang araw sa isang club na pinagtatrabahoan ni Jade may mga pulis na dumating para maginspection. Nakaramdam ng panic si Jade kaya na bangga niya niya si Lucian "Luc" Greco na isang Mafia, mayaman siya, maraming connection, at negosyo. Humingi siya ng tulong dito na agad naman pumayag na hindi man lang nagdalawang isip pagkatapos ng tulong na ibinigay ng lalaki umalis din si Jade na simula noon lagi na silang nagkikita sa mga 'di inaasahang lugar hanggang sa hinahanap hanap na siya ng lalaki 'di nagtagal inalok siya na maging Fiancée nito para maprotektahan siya mga gustong humuli sa kaniya pero may mga kondesyon silang dalawa para maprotektahan nila ang kanilang sarili sa tukso ng pagibig. Ang lalaki kayang ito ang magpoprutekta sa kaniya, at mamahalin siya sa katagalan?

The day I found out I was pregnant with my second child, the impossible happened: the baby in my womb spoke. "Stupid sister, are you even listening? Mom said that as soon as you graduate, she's selling you off. That money is for my future wedding!" My daughter went still. She didn't say a word, didn't confront me, didn't even cry. She just quietly applied to study abroad. And from that day on, I never heard from her again. My husband, seeing how devastated I was, moved to comfort me. But the baby's voice cut through the silence once more. "Comfort her? You're the biggest fool in this house! When I'm born, I'm not calling you 'Dad.' My real dad is that handsome guy from the bar!" The color drained from Sean's face. Before I could utter a word of explanation, he dragged me straight to the hospital for a paternity test. The results came back quickly—my best friend had pulled some strings to expedite them. And there it was, in cold, clinical print: NO PATERNITY BIOLOGICALLY ESTABLISHED. He didn't let me speak. He filed for divorce immediately. In a panic, the baby's voice cried out from inside me again, "Why is the idiot backing out now? Did he finally figure out Mom tricked him? The one who saved his life all those years ago wasn't her—it was her best friend!" That one sentence shattered my entire world. My husband turned his back on me and married my best friend. As for me… the shock and grief hit me like a physical blow. I felt a hot, sudden gush of blood. Before the doctors could save me, I died on that cold hospital bed, my hands clutching my swollen belly, my mind still reeling, unable to comprehend how my life had unraveled so completely. It wasn't until I was reborn, and once again heard the treacherous little voice inside me, that I finally began to understand the truth.

As a dive engineer, I need to go down into the shaft to retrieve a drill bit in order to speed up construction on the 800-million-dollar construction project before Independence Day. Little do I know that I've barely made my way down the shaft when I realize I don't have enough oxygen to last the journey. Amid my panic, I completely lose my sense of direction. So, I dig out my wireless radio in an attempt to communicate with my fiancee, Viola Jenkins. But all I hear is her laughter over the radio. "Aren't you all high and mighty, Elden? I'd like to see how long you can last underwater without oxygen!" Her first love, Ron Carey, adds, "Just sit back and watch the show, Viola! He'll definitely beg you to open the manhole cover for him when the time comes!" That's when I realize Viola and Ron have allied together to kill me. Not only have they closed the manhole cover, but they've also cut off my life-saving oxygen supply. After ensuring that the manhole cover cannot be moved at all, I begin crying for help weakly into the radio. "Hurry… Open the cover for me… I'm running out of oxygen…" Viola's contemptuous voice drifts from the radio. "It's only been five minutes. Why are you playing the pity card already? This is Ron's first time in a construction site, so he's inhaling some oxygen from the canister because he's already lacking in oxygen. You can wait for a while. "If you have the time to moan about the lack of oxygen, you might as well use it to retrieve the drill bit. Stop dilly-dallying around, Elden! You seriously think I'll keep you around if you don't pull your weight around here?" With gnashed teeth, I cover 65 feet downward in the shaft. With the last bit of oxygen in my lungs, I place my hands on the drill bit that's stuck in the deepest part of the shaft that can determine whether or not the 800-million-dollar construction project will be a hit or miss. I'd like to see if Viola and Ron will be able to reap the benefits from this project just by killing me off in the shaft!