Do'a Istikharah

“No! Please, Santiago--” I whimpered, as his hand seized my wrist with an iron grip, yanking me forward, dragging me effortlessly toward the chair he had pulled into the center of the room the night before. The symbol of my humiliation. He stopped right in front of the chair, spinning me around, facing him. "You want me to be your monster, mi ángel?" His hand grabbed my throat, tilting my chin up until my eyes locked with his dark gaze. I flinched from the sudden movement. "Cause I’ll be your favorite monster — just say the word, cariño." Santiago’s face hovered only inches from mine. His lips so close, I could taste the sweetness of his breath — once making butterflies take flight in my stomach, now curdling my insides into a cold, suffocating fear. Slowly, his free hand rose toward my face. I held my breath. His touch was deceptively soft and gentle, caressing my cheek. His thumb lingered against my lips, tracing them slowly, his eyes fixed there as he spoke — his voice soft, yet heavy with menace. "Divorce is not an option, mi amor. We took a vow five years ago. Remember?" He finally lifted his gaze to meet mine, catching every flicker of fear before he delivered his last words like a verdict: "Till death do us part."

Para masalba ang kompanya ng kanyang ama, napilitan si Bianca na pakasalan si Lucien Hoffman—isang ruthless at disabled na lalaki. Ngunit sa mismong araw ng kanilang kasal, nagulat ang lahat nang makita nilang nakakalakad ito nang maayos. At hindi lang iyon, napakaguwapo pa ni Lucien! Nang magtagpo ang kanilang landas, malamig na sinabi ni Lucien kay Bianca, "I will never love you or sleep with you. To me, you're nothing but a contracted wife." Ngunit dumating ang araw na hindi na niya magawang sundin ang nakasaad sa kontrata. Malumanay niyang sinabi, "I don't know, but I lose my mind when you're not here with me. Now, I’ll treat you as my wife. I will love you and… make love to you.” Umiling si Bianca. “It's a breach of contract! Do you know you'll have to pay for it?” Ngumiti si Lucien. “I can pay for that breach of contract even multiple times, as long as you'll be mine." Ngunit paano kung ang kontratang nagbuklod sa kanila ay siya ring maging dahilan para magkalayo sila?

At the party for our first wedding anniversary, I hit the floor—face-first on a red carpet, gasping like a fish out of water. Carlo Pipino, my husband, had his arm draped around Gianna Verde, his childhood flame, sipping champagne and laughing. Gianna knew I was allergic to nuts. So, obviously, she bathed everything in hazelnut dressing. One bite and boom—my throat locked, my lungs lit up, and hives popped like confetti. I reached for my allergy meds—came up with a fistful of melted M&Ms instead. Gianna laughed when she saw my face. "Surprise! Carlo swapped your meds. Seriously, Siena, one nut? Dramatic much?" I slid off my chair, wheezing, while the crowd placed bets on how long my "performance" would last. "Carlo... my meds..." I croaked. "Please. I'm gonna die." He sighed, annoyed. "God, you're so dramatic. Why do women always play dead for attention? You know I love you. Just stop this show already." Right then, my heart shattered faster than my lungs could. I stopped begging. Hit the distress signal. Called my real family.

Três dias antes do meu casamento, descobri que Shane Dawson havia mudado o local da cerimônia da casa da vovó Mae, no Sul, para o Castillo de Sol, o castelo espanhol que Tania Collins — sua antiga paixão de infância — adorava. Eu o confrontei, mas acabei ouvindo ele reclamar ao amigo: — Graças a Deus a Tania tem bom gosto. Caso contrário, eu seria motivo de piada pelo resto da vida. O amigo retrucou: — Você não prometeu que faria a cerimônia na casa da avó dela? Não tem medo que ela fique brava e se recuse a se casar? Shane apenas riu, com frieza e deboche. — Os Quinn estão à beira da falência. Casar comigo é a única saída dela. Ela não pode arriscar. Já pedi ao cerimonialista para ligar para ela. Aposto que agora ela está correndo pra trocar o vôo. A vergonha e a raiva queimaram no meu peito. Mordi o lábio, e no fim, fui embora. Três dias depois, o casamento no castelo aconteceu como planejado, só que eu não mudei o vôo. Eu não apareci. Em vez disso, estava no velho pátio da vovó Mae, me casando com outro homem. Até hoje, o Shane não entende. Eu nunca quis me casar com ele em busca de alguma "rota de fuga". Eu quis me casar por um amor que durou dez anos. Mas quando o sonho acaba, é preciso coragem para escolher outro caminho.

My husband slept with my best friend, then hit me with divorce papers all within a day. So I ended up in bed with his father–didn't realise it at first, but now his dad's handed me a contract: be his consort and I get my revenge. Who am I to turn down fate? Dahlia Dalmante has spent five years fading into the background of her own marriage–always loyal, always silent, hiding the filthy fantasies she only ever had about her husband. None of them mattered. By the time she discovers him in bed with her best friend, she realises she was never more than a place holder to a man that never wanted her. That night, Dahlia ends up in a dark bar and lets herself do the one thing she swore she never would: leave with a stranger. But the night doesn't end in regret. The stranger–commanding and older–pushes her to the edge, and she lets go of everything she thought she knew about her body. By sunrise, everything is different. Her one wild night? Turns out he's Dominic Dalmante–her husband's father. The real power behind the Dalmante empire. When Dominic steps in to save her from ruin, Dahlia finds herself locked in a game of raw heat and high stakes: he'll give her revenge, power, protection–if she gives herself to him, body and soul. The deeper she tumbles into Dominic's world of contracts, secrets, and dangerous demands, the more Dahlia learns just how far desire can twist. And when the past explodes and blood-stained secrets threaten everything, does she really want to pull apart all the ugly secrets piling up around her, or just get lost in the kind of wild pleasure her marriage always kept out of reach?

Quando a família Costa estava à beira da falência, os pais de Daniel Costa vieram implorar por um casamento arranjado. Meu pai, com pena de mim por ter amado Daniel durante dez anos, investiu bilhões para salvar a família Costa e me casou com ele. Na noite de núpcias, Daniel cobriu meus olhos com um véu vermelho e me tomou repetidamente na cama, sem piedade. Um mês depois, cheia de alegria, eu fui até ele com o teste de gravidez nas mãos, mas acabei ouvindo uma conversa entre ele e seus amigos no bar: — Vocês acham que o filho que a Iolanda Moreira está esperando é de qual homem, depois de ser fodida por mais de dez caras? Um dos amigos caiu na gargalhada: — Mestre Daniel, eu só fui três vezes. Não pode ser meu, né? — Eu aposto no Leo! — Outro disse. — Ele é insano na cama. Naquela noite, ele fez a Iolanda gritar de loucura. Aposto dez mil que é dele! Foi aí que eu entendi. Naquela noite de núpcias, quem tinha feito sexo comigo tantas vezes não era Daniel, mas seus mais de dez amigos. Desesperada, eu invadi o bar e o confrontei. Daniel, sem um pingo de remorso, respondeu: — Está chorando por quê? Se a sua família não tivesse usado a injeção de capital para me chantagear, forçando a Rebeca a ir embora, eu nunca teria feito isso com você. Vou te dizer uma coisa: no dia em que a Rebeca me perdoar, eu te deixo em paz. Arrasada, eu pedi o divórcio. Mas Daniel me ameaçou com o vídeo daquela noite em que eu fui abusada por seus amigos e me trancou no porão: — Não tenha pressa de ir embora. Eu e meus amigos ainda estamos apostando quem é o pai dessa criança que você está esperando! Oito meses depois, eu dei à luz no porão e morri junto com o bebê. Quando abri os olhos novamente, percebi que havia voltado no tempo, para o dia em que a família Costa implorava ao meu pai por uma injeção de capital e um casamento arranjado. Desta vez, no dia do meu casamento, foi Daniel quem chorou até os olhos ficarem vermelhos.

Everyone who lives will die, and nothing they do can stop it. That's the way things are. The circle of life. And a single undeniable truth. The minute we are born we start our journey of that cycle and we will continue down that path until we take our very last breath. However, not all life spans are the same. Some people live to an old age. Others die young. Some die of natural causes, and others die of accidents, murder, or disease. It's the sad truth of being human and death doesn’t discriminate. But what if someone could see their death coming? Would they do everything in their power to stop it from happening, or would they live their lives to the fullest since they knew it was coming to an end? Would they fight tooth and nail to be able to stay earthside for even a minute longer or would they succumb to the inevitable? This is the universal question and the only ones who can answer it are the people who saw their deaths, people like me. My name is Remi Woods. I'm eighteen years old, and for as long as I can remember, I've been able to see how a person will die with a single touch. At first, I wasn't quite sure what was happening and I was terrified that maybe I was going crazy, but after my visions kept coming to fruition no matter what I did, I knew I was different, and not in a good way.

After dating for seven years, I proposed a hundred and one times to my boyfriend, Jason Brown. However, he always told me that he was not ready, rejecting my proposals. This continued to my 28th birthday. In his suit pocket, I found a ring box. Thinking he was about to propose to me, I was overjoyed. However, to my horror, I saw him going down on one knee to propose to his assistant, Marcella Hopkins. Right before my eyes, he placed the ring I had yearned for so long on her finger. When one of his buddies asked what he planned to do with me, Jason wrapped his arm around his new love and chuckled. "Dude, I don't think I can bring myself to marry a woman who wants to get married that badly. She's so needy. However, if I do get a second wife, I might consider her. After all, she is hopelessly in love with me." He was sure I would wait for him, and he even placed a bet with his friends that I would crash his wedding. However, on his wedding day, I never showed up. Moments before his wedding ceremony was about to start, he suddenly noticed me, fully dressed up in a wedding gown in a separate banquet hall. Seeing me about to marry someone else, he almost went crazy.

I May Love You... but I Hate You More Rena thought she could move on. Yoké thought he could forget her. But when fate throws them back into each other’s lives, old feelings ignite into something far more dangerous. Jealousy becomes their language. Revenge becomes their game. And every misunderstanding pushes them deeper into a cycle of passion and hate they can’t escape. They say love conquers all… but what if love is the very reason they destroy each other? ★Sequel to Till Worlds Do Us Part

RACHEL:I was supposed to be a bride. Instead, I became a tragedy in a white dress. When your mother dies the same night your groom disappears, you stop believing in happy endings. Then came him. A man with no warmth, no promises and eyes that watched me like I was a puzzle he didn’t want to solve. He saved me once. Now I live under his roof, cooking meals for a stranger whose silence speaks louder than comfort. Then there is Chris, the charming CEO who drowns me in the kind of affection I always dreamt of. And there is Liam, my ex fiance who came crawling back, begging for another chance. But the heart is a stupid thing. Even when it’s broken, it still learns to give second chances. Even for the wrong man. DAMIAN: She was a disaster I didn’t ask for. One I couldn’t ignore. I don’t do emotions, and I sure as hell don’t do strays. But I let her in, just for a while. Rachel Hart is not my responsibility. But she keeps showing up in places I can’t ignore, my company, my home, my thoughts. Now her presence lingers. Her scent. Her voice. Her past. She doesn’t belong in my world. But I find myself rearranging it anyway. And when someone else tries to claim her, They’ll learn the hard way I don’t let go of what’s mine.