How Many Sans Aus Are There

For three years, Evelyn lived a lie wrapped in luxury. Her marriage to the cold and powerful Lucian Blackwood was supposed to be a mere business arrangement—a thirty-six-month contract to save her family from ruin. But as the days turned into years, the lines between duty and desire blurred. Evelyn fell for the man who remembered her favorite meals, protected her from the cold, and ensured her medicine was always at hand. She believed that beneath his obsidian gaze, a real heart had begun to beat for her. The illusion shatters on the night of their third anniversary at the Blackwood Estate. With the stroke of midnight and the smell of acrid smoke, Lucian presents her with the Decree of Divorce. The crushing truth is revealed: every gesture of affection, every moment of "domestic bliss," was never about Evelyn. It was a lingering habit from his past with Sarah, his first love who has finally returned to the city. Evelyn wasn't a wife; she was a rehearsal.

Mahirap lang ang buhay na mayroon si Mavy. Maliit na bahay, simpleng mga gamit at walang trabaho. Pero sa kabila ng hirap, pinipilit niyang maging malakas at matatag para sa kapatid niya. Dalawa na lang silang magkasama sa buhay simula nang namatay ang mga magulang nila dahil sa isang aksidente. Isang mabuti at responsableng Kuya naman siya pero hindi ito naging sapat para maalagaan ang katapid niyang may breast cancer. Dumating pa sa puntong kinailangan niyang magnakaw at pumasok sa isang club bilang isang cross dresser para mabayaran ang mga gastusin sa hospital. Hindi na niya alam ang gagawin niya hanggang nakilala niya si Kfer Vargaz. Isang mayamang negosyante si Kfer, at pipirmahan lang ng mga magulang nito ang kumpanya na para sa kaniya sa isang kondisyon. Kaya naman inalok niya si Mavy ng isang bagay sa pag-aakalang babae siya. Hanggang unti-unti nang nahuhulog ang loob ni Kfer sa kaniya. Lahat kayang iwan at isakripisyo ni Michael para sa kapatid. Ngunit kaya pa ba niyang isakripisyo kahit ang nararamdaman niya para lang maging masaya ang kapatid niya?

Hirap sa buhay ang pamilya ni Rizza Enriquez lalo pa nung mamatay ang kanyang ama na siyang naghahanap-buhay para sa kanila. At walang ginawa ang kanyang ina kung hindi magpalasing at ubusin ang sugal ang sarili nitong kita. Bilang isang panganay ay kailangan niyang tumulong sa pamilya niya. Kung ano-ano ng mga trabaho ang pinapasok niya para lang magkaroon ng perang pambili ng bigas. Kaya naman ay napilitan siyang pumayag sa isang kasundaan. Ang kasunduan nilang dalawa ng kanyang Ninong Dwayne. Pumayag lamang siya sa kasunduang iyon dahil sa pangangailangan niya ng pera. Ang kasuduang maging parausaan siya ng kanyang Ninong Dwayne kapalit ng perang ibibigay sa kanyang pamilya. Naging mabait sa kanyang pamilya ang Ninong niya hanggang sa hindi niya namalayan na nahuhulog na ang kanyang loob sa lalaki. Ngunit sa isang iglap ay bigla na lamang naglaho ang Ninong niya, nanatili ang tulong pero hindi na siya nito tinatawagan para gawing parausan. Nalaman na lamang niyang ikakasal na ito. Sa kabila ng lahat, ipaglalaban pa rin kaya niya ang pag-ibig na ito, kahit pa alam niyang ito’y mali at masasaktan lamang siya?

On the day we were supposed to get our marriage license, Michael Robertson ghosted. I sat outside the County Clerk's Office for hours. Instead of him, I got a pic from his secretary, Kallie Clunt. She was in his lap, arms wrapped around him, making out like it was the hottest scene in a drama. [Sorry, Elsa. Michael said he had to comfort my broken heart. You don't mind, do you?] When I asked him about it, he just looked annoyed. "She gave me blood once. What's the big deal if I hang out with her? Can't you be a little more understanding?" My stomach dropped. I turned away and called his older brother. "Leon, do you still want to marry me?"

“Congratulations, Catherine. You've just become my fiancée.” A sultry smile curved Hunter Thorne's lips as he watched me with his predatory gaze. He was the future Don Cartelli, the purest embodiment of danger, and I was about to become his wife. How was I supposed to know that the hot stranger I kissed in the club was one of the most fearsome men in New York?! Once I realized my mistake, I chose to stay away from him. My fate, however, had other plans… When my quiet little world began to fall apart, this notorious Mafia boss became my only salvation. I needed money and protection, and he needed a wife. This was supposed to be a simple deal, but nothing is ever simple with Hunter Thorne. He's the devil incarnated, and I've just entered his hell. This devil craves my body, heart, and soul… and I'm seconds away from surrendering every last piece of me.

Betrayed by her beloved step-sister and fiancé, heiress Liz Voss loses everything, including her life. But fate isn’t finished with her. Rescued from the brink of death by a mysterious family on a remote shoreline, Liz awakens with a vengeance, and extraordinary new powers. Gifted with the ability to heal and take on the face of anyone she chooses, Liz returns to reclaim her father’s empire, striking from the shadows to dismantle the lives of those who wronged her. With the help of a fierce new ally, she’ll stop at nothing to make her enemies pay and reclaim the life that was stolen from her. But will her new found powers help her till the end or be her end?

I decide to get onboard with the latest trend by custom-ordering a merfolk meant to serve me from AquaGene Corp. On the day Lance arrives at the company, the engineer tells me, "It's highly recommended that you be there in person, Ms. Ross. That way, you'll be able to form the initial bond with him." So, I spend one day standing before the eco-tank. As soon as Lance opens his eyes, he doesn't show any signs of wanting to get close to me. Instead, he merely scrutinizes me coldly before turning his back on me. I comfort myself, thinking that Lance is just shy. But one week later, I realize how wrong I truly am. I pay money because I want to buy a partner who can keep me company forever. Turns out I buy myself the biggest trouble of the century instead.

"Are you sure you want to change your name, Ms. Anderson? You'll have to change your degree certificate, documentation, and passport once you do." Noelle Anderson nods. "I'm sure." The employee tries to talk her out of it. "It's quite troublesome for adults to change their names, and your current name sounds nice. Are you sure you don't want to think about it?" "No, I'm done thinking." She signs the form. "Sorry for the trouble and thanks." "Alright, then. The name you're changing to is… Aria Byrd, right?" "Yeah." Aria Byrd—it means a flight to freedom.

Caked in mud, her eyes bloodshot, my mother grabbed me by the shoulders. "Elliot, the company's collapsed. I… I killed a competitor. It was an accident. There's no way out now. You're the only one who can come with me." I believed her. I swallowed my fear and followed her into the mountains, deeper and deeper until there was nothing left of the world I knew. To keep her alive, I searched for food, forcing down insects, drinking whatever murky water I could find. When a pack of wolves began circling our shelter, my first instinct was to step in front of her. "Mom, I'll lead them away. You go." I glanced back at her one last time…and made my choice. I would give up my life for hers. However, when I leapt from the cliff and my body shattered against the rocks below… I still saw her. She was inside a descending helicopter, calm and composed, lifting a glass of champagne. Celebrating. That was when it finally clicked. The desperate escape that had driven me to sacrifice myself… was nothing more than a carefully staged show. She had been acting the entire time. I…was the only one who had actually died.

Liam, my stepbrother, has been a pain in the rear for three years. We fight every time we talk. Every time we see each other, we remember that moment, which we never talk about. The one in the yard behind where our parents had their wedding dinner. The event that almost made everything bad. Our parents are now going for a trip to celebrate their first anniversary, leaving us all alone in the house. Simple plan: we'll stay on different sides, ignore each other, and act like we're working. But then there's a fire on my side of the house, and all of a sudden I have to share a floor, a hallway, and a wall that is too thin to be safe with him. The worst times are at night. I hear him. I can feel him. And every disagreement ends too close. Every stare stays too long. Every breath turns into heat I can’t escape. We’re supposed to protect our parents’ happiness. We’re supposed to act like good brothers. But how do you pretend you hate someone when all you want is to drag him into your bed? Then the holidays arrive with our whole extended family. We’re forced to play perfect boys while nearly pulling each other apart behind locked doors. And just when I think things can’t get worse, Liam’s cheating ex shows up begging to take him back. The jealousy nearly wrecks me… and reveals everything. But the real disaster hits one night with a broken condom and a hurried hospital visit. Two scary weeks that make us imagine a life we’re not supposed to want. A future that feels too good to lose. The test is negative. But the damage is done. We want each other.