Cherry Blossoms In Winter

I've been married to Shawn Ford for three years, and he's humiliated and insulted me throughout. When he's with his friend, he brags, "The woman my Uncle Cameron can't have is licking my boots. I want to laugh whenever I see her sucking up to me." It wouldn't ever occur to him that I'm frequently in his uncle's bed, covered in hickeys and love bites he leaves on my body.

Sa Pilipinas, hirap at tiyaga ang susi sa pag-angat, lalo na para sa mga hindi nakapagtapos ng pag-aaral. Si Tresandrus Villafahr o kilala sa pangalang Tres, isang binatang may matayog na pangarap para sa pamilya— ay napilitang tumigil sa pag-aaral upang suportahan ang kapatid at alagaan ang maysakit nilang ina. Bilang breadwinner ng pamilya, pinasok ni Tres ang trabahong labag sa kanyang paniniwala at prinsipyo—ang pagiging male prostitute. Nilunok niya ang kanyang hiya at dignidad, isinakripisyo ang kanyang sarili para sa kinabukasan ng pamilya. Sa madilim na mundong kaniyang ginagalawan, isang gabi, pinasok ni Tres ang madaliang trabaho para kumita ng mas malaking halaga na makakapagligtas sa Nanay niya—ang maging isa sa bidding item. Sa gitna ng tila mga hayok na mayayamang kalalakihan, isang naiibang babae ang nagtaas ng bid paddle at binili siya sa halagang hindi kayang pantayan ng sinumang naroon sa kaniyang harapan. Ang gabing iyon ay nagbukas ng isang bagong kabanata sa buhay ni Tres. Sino ang babaeng ito at ano ang dala niyang pagbabago? Magkakaroon kaya si Tres ng lakas upang baguhin ang kanyang kapalaran, o mananatili siyang alipin ng mga makapangyarihan? Magkakaroon kaya sila ng pangalawang pagkakataon, o ito’y panandalian lamang?

Hidup Dahlia mulai kacau saat malam dia menghadiri acara pernikahan putri tirinya. Saat tanpa sengaja dia mabuk, keesokan paginya dia mendapati dirinya terbangun dalam pelukan seorang pria. Tidak hanya itu, karena pria yang semalam berbagi kenikmatan bersamanya adalah Kai Ronan, sang mempelai pria. Atau kalau itu tidak cukup jelas; Dahlia tidur dengan menantunya sendiri. Tidak sampai di sana, Kai Ronan malah bersikap seolah apa yang mereka lakukan bukanlah kesalahan. Dan yang lebih buruk adalah … pria itu terobsesi kepadanya. Apakah hidup Dahlia bisa tetap tenang setelah itu? Terlebih ketika kebenaran perlahan terungkap. Dan bisakah dia tetap menganggap Kai sebagai menantunya? *** Written by Asia July. Cover edited in Photoshop. Pic from Unsplash – Jeferson Gomes

"Cinta itu hanya ilusi, dan dendam akan tetap abadi." Bagi Valen, cinta tak lebih dari tipuan yang lemah atau lebih tepatnya sesuatu yang hanya pantas untuk dimanfaatkan. Karena cinta dia kehilangan segalanya, juga karena cinta dendam itu jadi semakin membara, dan kini dengan cinta itu pula dia akan membalaskan segalanya. Perlahan, tapi pasti. Vale mulai menyusup kedalam hati pewaris De Lantonus, salah satu sindikat mavia paling kejam. Merajut cinta yang palsu namun mematikan. Tetapi semakin jauh ia masuk ke dalam permainan ini, semakin ia dihadapkan pada pertanyaan yang tak pernah ia antisipasi Apakah cinta bisa menghancurkan dendam? Ataukah dendam akan merusak setiap jejak cinta yang tersisa di dalam dirinya? Di antara tipu daya, darah, dan pengkhianatan, Valen harus bertaruh segalanya, termasuk hatinya sendiri Pada akhirnya dia akan dihadapkan dengan dua pilihan. Antara melanjutkan balas dendamnya atau jatuh ke dalam perangkap cinta yang ia ciptakan sendiri. Di antara tipu daya, darah, dan pengkhianatan, Valen harus bertaruh segalanya, termasuk hatinya sendiri.

Karen spent her life believing that outside the walls of Saint Mary’s orphanage, the world would finally be good to her. At eighteen, she got a job at a luxurious chain of hotels and casinos in Las Vegas—and met Peter Sterling, the perfect heir: rich, handsome, and kind. But on the night she thought he would propose, she discovered the cruel truth—Peter had only approached her for one reason: he needed her kidney to save the life of his actual girlfriend. In a panic, Karen ran away. And by chance, got into the wrong car. The car belonged to Sebastian Sterling—the bastard son of the powerful Sterling family and Peter’s brother. Cold, calculating, and mysterious, Sebastian offers her protection... in exchange for a sham marriage. But what seems like a refuge soon turns out to be another trap. Because in Las Vegas, nothing is what it seems — and every deal has a price.

In the heart of New York City, the NYPD never sleeps—and neither do its secrets. Detective Jocelynn Sanchez is all sharp edges and silence. Closed off, cold, and constantly on guard, she’s built walls few have dared to climb. Her time at the academy left her scarred, thanks to a group of recruits who made it their mission to break her spirit. Now, years later, she’s forced to join a new unit—led by none other than Andrei Smirnov, friends with the men who put her through hell. Andrei has always wanted to work with Jocelynn, though she has no idea. Unlike his friends, he saw her strength back then—and admired it. Her arrival on his team feels like fate. But earning her trust proves harder than expected. She barely speaks, avoids everyone except her one friend, and seems to carry a past she’ll never share. Still, Andrei is patient. An open book with a big family and an even bigger heart, he slowly begins to break through Jocelynn's defenses. And in doing so, he discovers the truth: she’s not cold—she’s protecting herself. Jocelynn sees that Andrei isn’t like the men who hurt her. He’s kind, steady, and genuinely wants to understand her. But there are secrets she won’t risk exposing—not even to him. Like the fact that her godfather is their precinct captain, or the real reason she cut ties with her family. As cases grow more dangerous and their bond deepens, Jocelynn must decide if she can finally let someone in. Shadows in Blue is a slow-burn detective romance about trauma and trust, told from both perspectives.

Shah Zain was holding her with one hand while opening his shirt button with the other hand. Meanwhile, he didn't let Minal separate from him for a moment. "Shah Zain please, it's not right time, it's too early." She was trying hard to control her unsteady condition, but who was listening to her? "Nothing is early Minal.... and today you can't stop me..... because today you himself come close to me." He picks her up in his arms and lays her on the bed. He bends on Minal while saying that. Feeling his lips on her neck, Minal feels like losing herself. "Shah Zain please....." For the last time, she tried to free herself from his hold. But Shah Zain again stops her from uttering anything. He just wants to feel Minal's closeness with himself. He wants to say how much he loves her.

Selena is a badass lady whose life is nothing more than just nights and parties. There ain't no club left where Selena and her gang haven't partied. One such day, while playing truth and dare, Selena gets a dare to kiss a random guy. To save her badass title, she resembles her confidence and kisses the guy, not knowing he is a billionaire business owner. Assuming the matter of one night, Selena started feeling well. But little does she know, this one daring kiss is about to change her life completely? What will happen when Billionaire, who is engrossed in his ex's sorrow, falls in love with Selena in just a fifteen-second kiss? Will he ever be able to find Selena again? Or will she accept him?

The doctor said I only had three days left to live. Acute liver failure. My only hope was an experimental clinical trial. It was extremely risky, but had the faintest sliver of a chance to survive. But my husband, David, gave the last available spot... to my adopted sister, Emma, also my daughter’s godmother. Her condition was still in its early stages. He said it was the "right decision," because she “deserved to live more.” I signed the papers to forgo treatment and took the high-dose painkillers prescribed by the doctor. The cost? My organs would shut down, and I would die. When I handed over the jewelry company I’d poured my heart into, along with all my designs, to Emma, my parents praised me, saying, “Now that’s what a good big sister should do.” When I agreed to divorce David so he could marry Emma, he said, “You’ve finally learned to be understanding.” When I told my daughter to call Emma ‘Mom,’ she clapped her hands and said, “Emma is such a gentle and kind mother!” When I gave all my assets to Emma, everyone in the family thought it was only natural. No one noticed anything was wrong with me. I’m just curious. Will they still be able to smile when they find out I'm dead?

She woke up to any empty bed , "panicking" she called 911 . She tried to sound freaked out but before she could say much about the matter at hand, her husband walked in . She was gravely disappointed but quickly masked it with relief . Reluctantly ,she cut the call and hugged her husband ,only for him to tense up. " who was on the phone?" He asked pulling back from the hug . She kept quiet knowing what would come next if she had said 911 . When she didn't reply ,he took her silence for an answer. He knew she was messed up but calling 911 all the time had been extreme. Annoyed he went farther away from her facing anywhere but at her . " you got to stop doing that" He clenched his jaw,really upset . " stop doing what?" ' stop wishing me dead ' he thought "Calling freaking 911 everytime I'm not around you " Silence followed. She thought he meant that as in I can't breathe without Lucas beside me kinda vibe but no... He knew. "I'm not asking you to go climb Mount Everest or jump off a cliff .I'm just asking you to grow up,Jen .You're a 22 year old act like it " He made his annoyance evident .He made no attempt to hide how pissed he was . His voice was harsh , cold and very very distant. It was always like that ,one had to get used to it She wanted to cry so bad that she had been caught but she knew he had known for a very long time now . 'Crying now would only prove him right' she thought. Finding her presence irksome, he left the room. Maybe getting married to Lucas was just crazy . Lucas was handsome ,rich ,independent. He was everything any girl wanted . everything that her father wanted for her .