From Now And On

Isang simpling pamumuhay ang mayroon s'ya ngunit nagulo ang lahat ng biglang dumating sa buhay n'ya ang isang lalaki at sapilitan s'yang kinuha para dalhin sa bahay nito. Gusto n'yang tumanggi ngunit paano n'ya gagawin iyon kung nakakawala sa huwisyo ang kagwapohang taglay nito. Kaya n'ya kayang labanan ang taglay nitong karisma kung sa umpisa pa lang ay parang hinihigop na ng mga mata nito ang kan'yang buong kaluluwa? Paano kung sa pagsama n'ya rito ay may matutuklasan s'ya tungkol sa kan'yang pagkatao? Ano ang mestiryo na dala ng lalaki na kumuha sa kan'ya? Kakayanin n'ya kaya ang kan'yang matutuklasan?

“You think leaving Victor was the end of your nightmare? Baby, you just stepped into hell.” Isabelle endures her loveless marriage with her billionaire husband Victor but cheating destroys her world. She signs the divorce papers and gets as far away from him as possible until life brings her a new love with Luther, but his many secrets and lies put her life in danger. Can she escape Luther's deadly plan or will Victor's past mistakes cost her everything? And what secrets is she hiding?

During the holidays, Ellie Harper, my wife who's a hospital director, tells me once again that she has taken on a few operations at the last minute, so she can't go home with me to spend time with my parents. But soon, I see her assistant, Jaiden Roth's social media feed. Apparently, Ellie is slaughtering pigs at Jaiden's village in preparation for a holiday party. The caption writes, "Dad says having a daughter-in-law who works as a doctor is amazing. To think that she's this skilled in slaughtering pigs as well!" With a cold smirk curling on my lips, I leave a like on the post. I also comment, "That's her major, after all." My colleagues keep gossiping among themselves in various group chats. They all think I'll definitely get into a huge fight with Ellie this time. Ellie wastes no time in calling me. I can already imagine the impatient look on her face and the way her brows are drawn into a tight frown. "Jaiden's village is hosting a huge party for the holidays, so I'm there to lend them a helping hand! What's with that passive-aggressive tone of yours, huh? "There isn't anyone who can help out in his household, you know! Do you know how badly it'll reflect on his family if no one from his side helps out at all? I was just helping him out as a friend! What's there to kick up a fuss over? "Hurry up and remove the like and the damn comment! Don't make life difficult for Jaiden at the hospital, you hear me? "Once I get back from the village, I'll pick a good date to go back to your hometown with you, okay?" Another empty promise from Ellie, it seems. All she does is making empty promises that she can never keep nowadays. I'm completely stuffed with those promises, and I can't afford to wait for her anymore. Once the holidays are over, I'll receive the divorce certificate marking the end of our seven-year marriage once and for all.

On the train back home, I found a scathing post online. [My sister-in-law is pushing thirty but isn’t married yet. She comes home all the time. Would you be bothered by it?] The comments were numerous and ran the gamut of opinions. The post got wildly popular, and there was an argument between the poster and commenters. [It’s bad enough that she won’t get married. She wants to stay with us when she’s home. Shouldn’t she feel ashamed? I’m at the end of my rope. She even drank all my lemonade last time she was here. I really hate her. [She has no boundaries. I’ve been wanting to teach her a lesson for ages. I turned her bedroom into my walk-in closet. Let’s see if she can still stay here.] When I got to this point, I closed the post. It was lucky that I bought the house where my parents and brother live. Because of that, I would not be at risk of losing my own room. But when I got out of the train station, I received a text from my mother. [Sweetie, I booked you a hotel room. You don’t have to come home and stay this time.]

Anim na taon na ang nakalipas mula nong magpakasal si Amelia kay Dante. She devoted herself to her husband and their daughter, Clara. Tiniis niya ang malamig na pakikitungo nito sa kaniya dahil naniniwala siyang mamahalin siya nito pabalik. Pero nagbago ang lahat ng natuklasan niya ang tinatago nitong sekreto. He has a mistress… living abroad. Habang pinapanood ni Amelia ang kanilang anak sa malamig na operating room ay nagdaraos naman ang asawa niya kasama ang ibang babae dahil nanalo ito ng isang international award. Dito niya na-realize na ang lahat ng kanyang sakripisyo at pagmamahal ay para lamang sa wala. Kaya naman nagdesisyon siyang pirmahan ang divorce paper. Hinawakan niya ang kamay ng anak at iniwan si Dante. Lumipas ang ilang taon at nagbago ang takbo ng kaniyang buhay. She’s not just a housewife anymore, she became a well-known personality in medicine. Ang kanyang mga research ay nai-publish sa mga prestihiyosong journals, at marami siyang natamong international awards. Nagniningning siya sa publiko at sa wakas ay binigyan niya ang sarili ng pagkakataong maging masaya at malaya. And just when she thought she had everything under control… biglang dumating si Dante. Lumuhod ito sa harapan niya at hinawakan ang kaniyang kamay. “Amelia… Please don’t leave me.” This time, it was his turn to beg.

“Tomorrow morning, I’ll leave. It’s raining thunderstorm outside..,,” “No,” he thundered, taking me by surprise. My head snapped up. “What?” “You want to divorce me right?” he bellowed. “Then leave this instant. We are no longer married.” He spat, looking at me with rage and fury burning in his eyes. He looked nothing like the calm gentleman I fell in love with. “Adrian—” “I hope you get torn into pieces by an unknown creature you homeless parasite!” he spat. “Huh?” I gasped. Me? Homeless? “I'll give you few seconds to change your mind Elara…” he sneered. “Because the moment you set your feet off this mansion… you will be worth nothing!” ******* Three years ago, Elara Sanz-Alonso walked away from a billion-dollar legacy to marry for love. But when she discovers she is nothing more than a shadow of another woman in her husband’s eyes, her perfect world shatters. Betrayed and heartbroken, Elara makes a choice that will shake the nation’s elite—she reclaims her place as heir to the Alonso dynasty, but the price of her return is an arranged marriage to the one man she once ran from: Killian Dreven, the Ice Monarch. They meet again and Elara sets firm boundaries, but what happens when the man who was rumored to be ruthless, starts to shower her with care and attention, so much that it scares her. Why is Killian keen on marrying her even though she ditched him in the past? What secret does he hold and why the hell does he treat her like she's the only person that matters? Will Killian break down her walls? Or will she end up breaking his?

“I hate you for bringing me here! I hate you for forcing me to live among wolves when I'm the only human. They all hate me! I am a prey, a pet, a weakling waiting to be devoured. How could you do this to me?” I cried as I stared the Alpha in the eye. I had just tried to escape again, but he caught me as always. There was something in his eyes. It was rage. Possessive and protective rage. “If anyone makes you feel insecure because you're human, I'll make sure their heads roll at their feet. Nobody is permitted to hurt you. Because you're mine. My mate. My Luna,” he replied. *** For 18 good years of my life, my father has kept me hidden from the outside world. Everything I wanted, he provided... Except to interact with people and live outside the walls of my wing in his mansion. All of a sudden, one night, he wants us to leave everything behind and flee. Flee from what? He won't say. Until strange men barge in and the leader of them has the face of the monster who has plagued my dreams every night for a decade. And then the monster proclaimed me his mate and took me away from the world I’ve ever known.

Since I was a kid, my parents drilled it in—you're gonna be a Corleone girl, Giovanni Corleone's property. "This is just an alliance. Don't expect anything more." That's what he said on our wedding night. So I played the part—quiet, polished, dutiful. Then year three hit, and suddenly Giovanni couldn't keep his hands off me. Every night, something new. I thought maybe—finally—he felt the same way I had all along. Then I caught him kissing his stepmom. Funny. Just the night before, he told me kissing me made him sick. "I've been practicing with her—for your sake." So yeah. All that heat? Just rehearsal for her. So I ran. Took back my life—and our unborn daughter. The Don lost his mind looking for me. Begged me to come back—with the kid. But I would not stop for him anymore. I turned and walked straight toward the stage that was always mine.

I used to work as a model, but not the typical kind. In our profession, everyone had a benefactor, someone who supported them financially. I dedicated myself to my benefactor for a year and a half, tending to his needs diligently. Despite my dedication, I was eventually abandoned. Just when I gathered my courage and decided to start afresh, he showed up again, "Do you want to date me? Officially."

"Hubby, kiss me. I miss you so much. When are you coming home?" Out of nowhere, I received a text. The sender was the cold, untouchable CEO who was currently scolding us in a meeting, Veronica Starling. What shocked me even more was the timestamp on the message. It was sent five years in the future.