Home Is Where The Heart Is Meaning

There are monsters in this world. And they used to be us. Now it's time to euthanize to survive in a hospice where Emily, a woman haunted by her past, only wants to do her job and be the best mother possible. Post-infection Chicago. Christmas. Inside The Hospice, Emily and her fellow nurses do their rounds. Here, men and women live out their final days in comfort, segregated from society, and are then humanely terminated before fate turns them into marrow-craving monsters known as ‘Smilers.’ Outside these imposing walls, rabid protesters swarm with signs, caught up in the heat of their hatred. Emily, a woman haunted by her past, only wants to do her job and be the best mother possible. But in a world where mortality means nothing, where guns are drawn in fear and nobody seems safe anymore – at what cost will this pursuit come? And through it all, the soon to be dead remain silent, ever smiling. Such is their curse. It won't be long before that snow-speckled ground will be salted by blood. ©️ Crystal Lake Publishing

Ella Alvarez, a woman full of dreams in life grew up in an ordinary family, happy and contented for what she had and worked hard just to fulfill them. But despite the good heart everything she has now is full of lies, how can she accept everything that is hidden from her? Is it the same in love that everything shown to her is all lies? Where and who is this person who should look she will take revenge?

Choosing to live independently in a highly urbanized city is a decision Latisha Thaviya Fallarco made at such a young age. Despite her parents prohibitions, she still managed to convince them by performing well in academics. She wanted to attend parties, get drunk and dance in the club, go shopping, and explore neighboring cities. She wanted to live her life to the fullest in the place she considered the best. Yet, she never saw the coming of an incident that would end that kind of lifestyle. She was forced to leave and be with her family. Latisha thought that living in a province would be hard for her, but she was wrong. In a particular town in Iloilo Province, she found her true home. Ps. This story is written in Filipino and English.

My Alpha mate, Ross, and I were known as the most resentful couple. He hated me for allegedly swapping his sister's antidote, which led to her death from wolfsbane poisoning. On the other hand, I despised him for turning a blind eye when my younger brother was bullied, abandoning him to die alone in the pitch-black forbidden forest. Upon hearing the news, he sneered and spoke to me for the first time in ages, "This is your karma." When I was three months pregnant, I was kidnapped by an enemy pack. As I was left bleeding from the torture and my unborn child slipping away, the enemy demanded he surrender his western territory in exchange for saving his Luna. However, he just scoffed. "It's about time to stop this act. Tell Jenny that I'm not falling for this. Don't even think of watching me make a fool of myself." In the end, I lost everything—just as he wished, as if it was my retribution. So, why did he regret everything?

Adrianna Valiente is a third-year Journalism student that suddenly got involved in a murder case. The worst is when she found out that the victim is her one and only best friend. Her eagerness to seek justice leads her to work with authority. There she met Daven, a student detective. The two of them work together to investigate the mysterious murder case that eventually had a connection to serial killings in their city. As Adrianna and Daven look beneath the case, the more they unravel a lot of mysteries that always make them ask--who is the killer?

Sa araw ng kaniyang kasal, biglang nawala si Carie at kinalaunan ay idineklarang patay. Subalit paglipas ng dalawang taon, muli siyang magbabalik na mas mayaman, mas malakas, at mas matapang dahil asawa na siya ng bilyonaryo na kinatatakutan ng lahat. Buo ang isip niyang pagbayarin ang mga taong umapi sa kaniya at bawiin ang lalaking dapat sana ay pinakasalan niya, subalit hindi madali iyon dahil sarili niyang pamilya ang kaniyang kalaban. Kahit binabalot ng galit at paghihiganti ang puso ni Carie, isang lalaki ang mananatili sa kaniyang tabi- si Leon. Leon Marquez- ang lalaking pinagkakatiwalaan ng pinakamayamang pamilya sa buong Asya. Isusugal niya ang buong buhay at trabaho alang-alang sa babaeng humihingi ng kaniyang tulong. Magpapanggap siyang mister ng asawa ng kaniyang amo habang nagtatago ito, ngunit hindi sinasadyang iibig siya kay Carrie. Gamit ang taglay na karisma, gwapong mukha, at mala-adonis na katawan; aakitin niya ang misis ng kaniyang boss. Ngunit hindi sapat ang pagmamahal niya sa mapanlinlang na tadhana. Baon ang sakit sa inaakalang kataksilan, lalayo si Carie at kamumuhian din siya nito. Hanggang sa magtagpo ang landas ni Leon at ng isang batang lalaki. Tatawagin siya nitong daddy. Matanggap kaya ni Leon ang anak na hindi niya nakikilala? Magawa kaya niyang ipaglalaban ang kaniyang mag-ina kung ang tingin ng iba ay isa lamang siyang NOBODY?

Bumukas ang malaking pintuan sa harap ko, at narito ang lalaking minamahal ko, ang mata'y walang damdamin habang lumalapit ako sa altar. Ngumiti ako kahit na masikip ang dibdib ko. Narinig ko ang musika habang dahan-dahang naglalakad patungo sa lalaking naghihintay sa harap. Si Kiel, nakatitig nang seryoso sa akin. Walang kahit anong kasiyahan ang makikita sa kanyang mukha, at ito'y nagdulot ng kirot sa aking puso. Iniharap ko ang aking kamay, ngunit itinuring niyang wala ito at agad na umusad patungo sa harap ng pari. Iniwan akong nakatambad ang kamay sa ere. Yumuko ako, bahagyang nahihiya. Sumunod ako sa harap ng pari, at sinimulan na ang misa. "Maari mo nang halikan ang iyong asawa," ang sabi ng pari. Humarap ako kay Kiel, inaasahan ang isang halik sa labi, ngunit sa pisngi lamang ito dumapo. "Nakuha mo na ang titulong Mrs. Valerian, ngunit tiyak kong hindi mo makukuha ang aking pagmamahal," bulong niya. Pumikit ako, at naramdaman ang sakit sa aking puso. "Tandaan mo 'yan, Sam? Hindi mo makukuha ang aking pagmamahal dahil may iniibig na ako," dagdag niya habang nagpalakpakan na ang mga tao. Tumulo ang isang butil na luha. "Sarap mong pagmasdan habang umiiyak," layo na nito sa akin pagkatapos ng mga salitang iyon at agad na lumabas ng simbahan. Pinalis ko ang luha ko at mag-isang ngumiti sa harap ng mga taong masaya para sa amin. Kumikirot ang dibdib ko sa likod ng aking mga ngiti. Daig ko pa ang sinaksak, ngunit hindi ko pinahalata. "Saan pupunta ang asawa mo?" inosenteng tanong ng isang matanda. Ngumiti ako, ngunit hindi na nagbigay ng pagsasalita. "Baka excited lang," mapanukso ng isa. Tumawa ako, kahit na parang pinipiga ang puso ko. Ako si Samantha Alexandria Perez, o dapat bang sabihin Samantha Alexandria Perez Valerian, and I am his unwanted wife.

After being kicked out of his family home because of his sexuality, Jackson Stroud is left with nothing but his pride. Desperate for a place to stay, he posts a tweet offering his body in exchange for shelter. Charles Thorne, a ruthless billionaire CEO, offers Jackson a temporary place in his luxurious mansion, under one condition: Jackson must be his bedmate. The arrangement quickly spirals into something neither expected. Will Jackson be able to resist falling for Charles, or will their toxic bond become too powerful to break?

Paano ba dapat aminin sa isang kaibigan na mahal mo siya? O paano mo sasabihin na higit pa sa bilang magkaibigan ang pagtingin mo para sa kaniya? "The more you hate, the more you love." Ito ang naging motto sa buhay pag-ibig ni Aziz Dimitri Tyson, matapos niyang makilala ang babaeng kinaiinisan niya sa lahat. Ngunit hindi naman niya inaasahan na ito rin pala ang magyayanig sa tahimik niyang mundo. Sasha Edmonia, ang pangalan ng babaeng bumihag sa torpe nitong puso. Bagamat na love at first sight siya rito ay pinili na lamang niya na itago ito sa sarili at maghintay ng tamang pagkakataon upang maipagtapat ito sa kaniya. Naging kampante ito sa kaniyang sarili na hindi nalalamang marami na siyang nasasayang na oportunidad upang mas lalo pang mapalapit sa kaniya. He missed the right timing. Dahil sa kakahintay niya ng right time ay may iba ng nauna sa kaniya. Magagawa pa kaya ni Aziz Dimitri na maipagtapat sa dalaga ang tunay niyang nararamdaman? O magpapaubaya na lang ba siya para sa iba?

Cailen has only one wish. To have a family he could belong to and a home to call his. ***** At thirteen, Cailen had been to different foster homes, each of them returning him for one reason or another. His heart had already taken so much rejection that hopelessness had set in, giving up on himself and shutting down, that even when a family does welcome him and love him, he still has his doubts. When Cailen returns from University to visit his family, he finds himself struggling to keep a secret that he knows will make him lose the only home and family that he has. Will Cailen lose himself? Or will he lose his family?