He Begged When I No Longer Care

When I went to the hospital for a checkup to see if my fourth IVF attempt had succeeded, I saw Daniel Cooper, who was supposed to be on a business trip. He was carefully supporting a young, beautiful woman as they walked out of the obstetrics and gynecology department. Her belly was unmistakably round, and she looked like she was ready to give birth at any moment. Daniel froze for just a second before stepping in front of her, shielding her from me. He explained, "Abby, the Cooper family needs an heir to carry on the lineage. Once the baby is born, everything will go back to the way it was." I heard the certainty in his words. So I smiled, nodded, and quietly tucked my test results away as he stared at me in surprise. On the day she gave birth, I left the divorce papers on the kitchen table and walked out of his life for good.

“Mommy, love mo ba si daddy?” Napangiti si Zylah Almendras sa tanong na iyon ng pitong taong gulang na anak—si Jaxon. Sa isang dekadang pagsasama nila ni Bryce ay masaya sila lalo na at may isang anak silang bumubuo sa kanila. Kontento siya sa buhay bilang hands-on mom sa anak at mabuting may bahay sa asawa. “Oo naman, s’yempre,” tugon niya sa tanong ng anak at masuyong nginitian ito. “Pero si daddy love ka rin ba?” “Oo naman. Love din s’yempre ni daddy si mommy.” “Eh, bakit mas masaya si daddy kapag kasama—” Tunog mula sa tablet ni Jaxon ang pumutol sa sasabihin pa sana nito. Binalewala na nito kasunod ang ina at nakangiti na sa kung anong tinitingnan sa tablet. “Mommy?” Balik atensyon nito sa ina. “Hmm?” "Kailan kayo maghihiwalay ni daddy?” *************** Iyon ang simula ng lahat. Pagdududa. Pagtataksil. Pagkukunwari. Pagtitiis. Pero hanggang saan ang kayang tiisin ni Zylah? Hanggang saan kung hindi lang ang asawa ang inaagaw sa kaniya kung hindi pati ang anak?

At first, I thought it was just a regular body check-up. But when I wake up on the cold examination chair, the feeling of the binds on my limbs snuffs out the last trace of my hope. I growl at him threateningly. Still, I can't stop him from sliding his hand along my inner thigh all the way up. That's when I feel the cool latex being inserted into my body. I can only sob softly from the invasion. But the feelings of excitement, embarrassment, and humiliation keep surging into me. Once the check-up is over, I vow to never see him again. But what I don't expect is to see him haunting my dreams like a phantom…

Percy Trench Montefalco, the powerful CEO of Montefalco Holdings, finds himself drawn to Jocelle Shane Cruz, a talented and vibrant Marketing Associate from another company. Despite their vastly different worlds, they can't deny the intense attraction between them. As they navigate the complexities of their relationship, they must confront the challenges of their competing interests, personal demons, and the scrutiny of their respective companies. Can they balance their professional ambitions and personal desires, or will their love be doomed from the start? Disclaimer: This story is written in taglish.

Cecilia Jones kept a forgiveness notebook. Six months ago, on Cecilia's birthday, Jeff Lawrence abandoned her to meet Yvonne Smith. It was the 93rd time she’d forgiven him. Three months prior, when Yvonne mentioned she was allergic to cat dander, Jeff gave away the cat Cecilia had raised for years. Cecilia forgave him for the 94th time. One month ago, Jeff got drunk and woke up in the same bed as Yvonne. He insisted that nothing had happened and accused Cecilia of having a dirty mind. Cecilia forgave him for the 95th time.

It's my wedding day. However, Julian Lancaster shoves me aside when he receives a call from Vivienne Hayes. "I'm sorry, honey. Vivi has an upset stomach—I need to bring her some medication for that."

"Ms. Medici, you've officially purchased the island. It's completely off the grid—once you're in, no one can find you. Also, the custom-made family you requested is ready. They're professionally trained to give you nothing but unconditional love."

As Shawn’s stay-at-home Luna, I spent twelve winters scrubbing his floors and washing his clothes until my knuckles bled, and he called me Low-rent. I bore his children. I forged his son’s armor with my own hands. I waited for him to take me back to my birth pack—but he chose his adopted sister, Marga, over me, even for a simple journey to my father’s coastal lands. At dawn, I dried my tears and swallowed every ounce of bitterness. Then I returned to the territory I had abandoned and became the heir to the Pearlcoast Pack. The wife Alpha Shawn discarded now rules everything he cannot touch. And the word he feared most—alone—is the word I finally taste as power.

My Alpha mate, Dominic, rules the entire Stormfang Pack, but in our ten years together, he has never once given me a gift. Even our bonding tokens—a pair of rare healing crystals that cost me an entire year's savings—were taken by him without hesitation. He claimed that as Alpha he needed to appear frugal and understated, which is why he marked me in secret without hosting a proper mating ceremony. Because of this, most pack members don't even know I'm his mate. Yet when Sylvia, his childhood sweetheart, returned to Stormfang territory, he publicly announced their mating plans. He even dipped into the pack's long-term savings to throw her an extravagant celebration. When my mother was attacked by rogue wolves and left critically wounded, I begged Dominic to return my healing crystals—the only things that could save her life. Instead of helping, he denied knowing me in front of the entire pack and ordered his guards to drive me away with burning torches. Later, my mother died during the Blood Moon Festival. I lost my only family during what should have been our most sacred celebration. I renounced my Stormfang membership that same night and accepted the Northern Shadow Pack's Chief Healer position. While packing my belongings, Dominic returned from his honeymoon with Sylvia. He found me and assumed I was merely sulking. For the first time ever, he made a generous offer: "Come on, what could possibly happen to your mother? At worst, I'll give you that fancy mating ceremony you've always wanted. That should satisfy her desire to be an Alpha's mother-in-law." What he didn't realize was that from the moment my mother died, I had already sworn to the Moon Goddess that our mate bond would be broken forever.

I was Claire Vitale, the lost daughter they forgot, the bride my lover betrayed—and the dying girl they failed to notice. For five long years, I lived like a stranger in my own home. The Vitale mansion was a beautiful prison, where every kind word hid a lie, every promise was false, and even Lawrence, the man I was supposed to marry, cared more for Vanessa than for me. None of them saw how my body weakened each day, how the pain grew sharper. They were too busy watching their precious Vanessa. Vanessa—the perfect adopted daughter, was the girl my parents loved more than me. She came into our family when I was lost, and when I returned, I found my place already taken—by her. Just as the illness was quietly taking my future. Now she was gone, and they all pointed fingers at me, convinced I was behind her disappearance. The machine they strapped to my head would pull memories straight from my mind. "Where is she?" my father roared. My mother sobbed in the corner. Lawrence, my fiancé, stood silent—his accusing eyes louder than any shout. But I knew the truth would shock them—how Vanessa hurt me, how she faked accidents, how she made sure no one ever believed me. The machine would show them everything. As the machine began its work, I trembled—from fear and exhaustion. After all these years of being unheard, would they finally see?