Empty Smiles

From riches to rags. From perfect to flawed. Avianna has lived the best life everyone dreams of. Her life was perfectly filled with joy and happiness. She had everything and anything she wanted. And finally is married to the love of her life. But everything changed in a blink of an eye. Smiles curved into sadness. Happiness into tears. She lost everything, maybe even a bit of herself. No more riches, the man she loved dearly being a reason for the loss of their unborn child. And the reason why she can never have a child again. After losing everything to him she finally decides it's enough and divorces him. She finds herself drinking in a night club trying forget about everything that happened to her. Under the influence she ends up sleeping with a man she doesn't even know. ***Excerpt*** "What's your name?" he whispers his hot breath burning my ears. His beard tickling my skin. Hearing his voice for the first time I think I melted. Processing the deep, fruity voice in my mind. It took me just as long to answer his question. Scared that I might have already forgotten my own name. It felt hard to find words for it. "Avi-Avianna," my voice faint and brittle. " Beautiful name for a beautiful queen, " he whispers again. Did he just call me a queen? Beautiful queen? I couldn't control the smile that spreads on my face. " What's yours? " I ask. Even though knowing it didn't matter. I didn't care who he was but only what he was about to do to me.

The entire pack knows that my Alpha mate, Cassian Blackhowl, treasures me more than his own life. Against everyone's objections, he chooses me, an Omega, to be his mate. Before we form a mate bond, I suffer from a blood disease and hover at death's door. Cassian searches the world, draining his fortune, just to find someone with a blood type that matches mine so that I can have a transfusion to save my life. He stays by my bedside for months, never leaving, until I finally recover. But after we form a mate bond, I'm unable to conceive a pup. Cassian simply smiles and says, "Then I'll just have to try harder until you get pregnant." We get lost in our acts of passion more frequently until I finally carry a pup. However, I lose the pup, and the cycle repeats. Each time, the agony tears through me like my body is being ripped apart, leaving me weaker and weaker. Seeing me in such torment, Cassian gathers me into his arms. "Let's not try for a pup anymore. We can always adopt one." … Five years pass, and just as he once promised, he makes me the most envied she-wolf in the pack. But on the very day of our five-year bond anniversary, I receive a message. It's an invitation to a pup's birthday party. The message is withdrawn almost instantly, but not before I see the names of the parents—Cassian Blackhowl and Elara Wolfhart. I stand there, frozen stiff. Cassian is my mate. My Alpha. My life. And Elara is the she-wolf who once saved me with her blood.

Ember accepted her lot in life. On the run, she only wishes to find out the truth behind her dreams and solve the memory of her past. Keegan has only cared about protecting his pack, but when he sees the beauty dancing on stage and the flicker of flames in her eyes his body screams, Mate! Can Keegan tame the flames of Ember and together solve the mystery of her missing past? Or will they all burn together? Excerpt: “This is the reason I’m always tired,” I think to myself. Twenty-four years of coming here and still not a single clue, but every time I close my eyes, I return to this place. I know my surroundings perfectly. Oddly the place is beautiful to the eyes. The old house sat among flowers growing around all sides. The aroma of honeysuckle and jasmine fill my lungs filling me with a moment's peace. I’m sitting in my usual spot. Gripping the ropes of a swing in the front yard held by a large oak tree. Waiting I begin pushing my legs back and forth sending me in motion. I know something is about to happen. It happens every night. The house moves in front of my eyes. I see the shadows coming, but I don’t stop swinging. They are black as night but I can see smiles within the shadow grinning bright. “What is this place!” I cry, fed up with this nightly repetition, but no sound emerges. A noise can be heard from the back of the house. One of the shadows turns toward it. I jump down to follow only to have the other shadow hold me back. “Don’t go. Not yet. Listen to me!”

This isn't a love story, but almost a love story. Irina and Eric share a world through dreams and time travel. They have a strong mutual understanding about the feelings they have for each other, at the same time understanding that they cannot be together. Eric: I open my eyes and find myself standing alone in an empty room. The ceilings and the walls are neatly painted white. And the floor is composed of polished light brown wood. And there is a dark brown framed window at one corner where the light comes from. A bright yellow and pale red orange light tells me the sun is setting and soon it will be dark. Eric is a ghost who always appears in Irina's dream. Irina: I open the door to the bedroom. There is a dark brown framed window at one corner where the light is coming from. The yellow orange light passes through the open window. I see Eric standing right there on the spot captured by the yellow light. ‘You came back.’ I said. He stood there looking me in the eye. I almost died. Irina is a time traveler who may or may not change his fate. They alternatively tell a bitter sweet story. Love doesn't always mean together, sometimes it is deeper apart. Eric: I stand alone in the rain looking at the dark sky where all I can see is water, for it is both the rain and my tears flowing to my face. Irina: And suddenly it is no longer my reflection I see inside the mirror. What I see now is a figure of a man. I draw closer to see him clearly. But the closer I walk towards him, the farther I become from him. I couldn't get close.

"Oops, I did it again. I played with your heart, got lost in the game.” I close my eyes; I am enjoying the sun on my face and the wind in my hair. The sound of my voice echoing across the fields. Then I open my eyes; I am scared out of my mind by someone standing over me. "Where did you come from?! You should not creep up on people!" "I can ask you the same thing, what the hell are you doing out here?" His eyes run over my body, and I can see amusement build in his smile. "I never thought I would see the day that I find a clearly lost woman in a wedding dress in the back seat of a car singing to Britney Spears." Tyler Moore is the Sheriff of a small town far out from the city. With a body that is carved to perfection, this soft-spoken man should not be underestimated. Even though he is elegant and yet powerful, there is far more than lives underneath the façade that he brings. Jenna Davis, a girl that decides to leave her husband at the altar, runs away to the small little town where Tyler lives. She gets stuck on the side of the road in nothing but an empty tank, a wedding dress, and singing to Britney Spears. Tyler is the one that finds the poor damsel on the side of the road. Even though he finds her situation amusing, he is immediately captivated by her. She pushes him to his limits and brings the danger that he craves, that he desires. The two soon send off on a whirlwind relationship, but there is one thing that Tyler refuses to give…his heart. Will Jenna ultimately win his heart?

After our eighty-eighth canceled wedding, I called my business partner. "I'm taking the Haviana market project." There was a beat of stunned silence. "Seriously? That's ten years overseas. You just got married—well, weren't you? Does your husband even know? What about your parents? You always said staying close to them was everything." I glanced around the empty church and let out a sharp laugh. "There was no wedding. No husband. And my parents? They've got Cindy. That's all they need." Another pause. "Alright. Pack your bags. You leave tomorrow." After the call, I ran a hand down my wedding dress. One last tear slipped out, quiet and pointless. Cindy had another "episode" today. Claimed she'd off herself. Andrew canceled—again. I'd looked at him, drained. "It's the eighty-eighth time." He dropped his head, guilt all over him. "Just a little more time, Viv. She's been off since the accident. I'm scared she'll actually do it. I swear, I'll talk to her. For real this time. Then we'll get married. Promise." My parents didn't hesitate. "Vivian, let Andrew go. If Cindy hadn't gotten kidnapped trying to save you, she wouldn't have these breakdowns. Are you really putting a wedding over your sister's life?" "How could you be so selfish?" I'd heard it all before. Used to fight it. Not this time. If neither my fiancé nor my parents wanted me around, then fine. I'd leave.

Misty I looked at the faces of my pups on the screen, being away from them was so hard but I had to make it better. I had to provide for them. Give them the best chance I could as a single uneducated Mother. They'd had such a crap start to life, mostly my own fault because if I hadnt stayed when he continued to allow the alcohol to become him, they wouldnt have been through the hell, but then if I hadnt stayed they all wouldnt exist and i dont regret any of them, No matter how they were conceived. My Life, My Legacy, My loves. I listened to them tell me about all their adventures and the feasts they ate from banana leaves. Id put out an ad searching for somebody to take care of them while I worked, somebody to love them and assure them i wasnt abandoning them just trying to make things better. Id found those angels, theyd accepted accomodation food and utilities in exchange for making sure my pups were fed, clean and cared for. I thanked the driver for the ride and entered the roadhouse, passed all the food that made my stomach rumble from its 48 hour emptiness, made use of the amenities and headed out back to try and get another ride north that would hopefully take me all the way back to my pups. I took a seat at an empty table, aware of the fact i hadnt showered in 3 days, I kept my eyes down and avoided contact listening for conversation that would point me to a driver heading north. That was the beginning of the rest of my life.

Alan circled them slowly, his gaze lingering on her flushed skin and then Karl’s tense body. “You want me to keep quiet, right?” He asked. “Then you… have to be mine. Both of you. " He slapped Karl's dick and the traitor sprang back to life. Karl gulped but said nothing. Alan stalked to where Selina was, half of her body on the bed and the other half resting on air, her pussy available for anyone to view. "Just for me.” He cupped her right breast and molded the flesh. She swallowed, feeling a dangerous thrill course through her veins. “I… agree.” She whispered, almost breathless. “I’ll be yours.” ******** Selina’s marriage is flawless to the outside world—and empty behind closed doors. Two years as a wife have taught her loneliness, silence, and a husband who treats her more like an obligation than a woman with needs. Starved of affection and desperate to feel wanted, Selina finds herself drawn into a dangerous temptation within the walls of her own home. What starts as a single reckless mistake soon becomes a web of secrets she can’t escape. But everything shatters when the unthinkable happens—and Selina realizes she’s crossed a line that can never be erased. Now trapped between desire, guilt, and forbidden attraction, Selina must keep her secrets hidden while living under the same roof with the very people who could destroy her. Every glance feels loaded. Every moment is a risk. And every choice pulls her deeper into a scandal that could ruin them all. In a house built on silence and betrayal, Selina will learn that the most dangerous desires are the ones no one is supposed to see.

What would you do if you saw a woman who really looks like you in your dream murder someone? What would you do if you know that it is not you but when you woke up the dead body is already under your bed but there is no evidence or even a single sign of murder? What would you do if you heard voices and saw scenes that made you insane? And what would you do if you’re the only one who came back from the dead after the bus accident? Find out the life of Irish Stephen who came back from the dead after the bus that she was riding together with her friends, colleagues and boyfriend fell off a cliff that made it totally wreck. People call her “Lazarus” and “Lucky” for returning back from the dead but for her it is a curse because after an accident she knows that there is something wrong with her. She starts seeing things, seeing people that she doesn't know, and hearing voices that she thought is just an effect of the accident. Only her friend Devon understands her and helps her by consulting his friend named, Luna, who knows about spiritual awakenings who told Irish to empty her heart from hatred because of what happened to her in the past of losing someone she loved and her life. When she starts discovering what is happening to her; it is more than what she expected because it is all connected to her dreams and to her visions. The voices that she hears and the things that she sees are all connected to her. Find out how it happened and how Irish became a living dead. Here in MORTEM from one of the best story-teller; I.B.LOYOLA

CLAIMING HER A wrong hotel room. A stranger’s arms. A secret she swore to bury. For years, Fiona Mendez endured a loveless marriage built on betrayal and empty promises. She clung to the hope that Aries—the man she once loved—would finally choose her. But fate had other plans. One mistake. One night. One moment of weakness. A wrong hotel room led her to Nagi Fujiwara—a stranger whose touch made her forget her pain. But when morning came, so did the horrifying truth. The man she thought was her husband was someone else. Before she could even process what happened, Aries shattered what was left of their marriage—not because he found out, but because he had someone else. Discarded and humiliated, Fiona fled to Cebu. She was ready to start over—until two pink lines changed everything. She was pregnant. And the father? A man she barely remembered. For two years, she raised her daughter Lizha alone, determined to leave the past behind. But peace never lasts forever. Forced to return to Manila for work, Fiona braces herself for the ghosts of her past. What she doesn’t expect is to come face-to-face with the man she swore she’d never see again. Nagi Fujiwara The father of her child. Her new boss. The ruthless, powerful, and dangerously possessive. A man who always gets what he wants. And this time, he wants her. Fiona may have run from him once, but now that fate has brought her back into his world, there’s no escaping him. And Nagi will stop at nothing to claim what’s rightfully his.