I Thought My Time Was Up

After I'm abducted, I call my mother, a policewoman, for help. However, she hangs up on me and stays by my adoptive sister's side. "Go to hell if you're so keen on it!" she snaps. I calmly watch as the abductors pluck my nails and torment me until none of my skin is left unharmed. In my past life, my mother actually came to my rescue. She left my adoptive sister by the roadside, and the latter ended up being violated and murdered. From then on, I became a criminal in my mother's eyes. She received an anonymous text on my adoptive sister's death anniversary. "I bet a good girl like you wouldn't want your mother to know you hired us to abduct you, right?" She thought I orchestrated the abduction because I wanted to vie for her attention. She thought that was the cause of my adoptive sister's death. "I've saved people all my life. I never would've expected my flesh and blood to be such a shameless monster! You should go to hell as atonement for killing Charlene!" She sewed my mouth shut, shattered every bone in my body, and threw my ashes into a junkyard. When I open my eyes again, I find myself back to the day my mother makes her choice.

Five years ago, Carla left her soul mate in their rumpled bed in a rented house in Mykonos, convinced she doesn’t deserve him, and he comes back to her life the secret lover of her best friend. Carla’s childhood friend Thera is visiting Greece after ten years, bringing Jake Winters with her, her boss whom she has been a long time secretly in love with. But Jake turns out to be Tom Sawyer, the pseudonym he used as a male escort five years ago – and he is still hotter than sin. It did not take long to see that the passion that drove them that blissful whole week together drives them still. He remains the only man who makes her feel that happiness is possible, but giving in to him means betraying her best friend, even though it’s evident that they aren’t lovers. That Thera made it all up. Billionaire programmer Jake Winters took over a gigolo trip for a friend once five years ago and that changed his whole life. But the culprit in doing so left him without a goodbye. When he finally finds Carla again, she turns out to be the childhood friend of his sweet secretary. As fierce as she is in bed, she is as loyal to people she cares about and he has to clear the air between him and Thera because the only thing he’s thinking about is becoming Carla’s gigolo again. For life. And as soon as possible. Like yesterday.

From the frying pan and direct into the raging fire - that sure is Ellie's situation, and everything starts on the most awaited night of her twentieth birthday. She suffers the betrayal of her life, leaving her shattered and broken, and with no hope nor energy to fight her impending fate. For a moment, succumbing to the absurdity of her arranged marriage that she never at any point of her life considered giving a chance, now seems to be the only option. But that is until a crazy idea crosses her mind. Why not just run away from all these madness? Does she have the courage to defy her father for the first time? What transpires when subsequently fate aligns her with the man she loathes the most -her fiance?

Zia Scott is about to be married to her childhood sweetheart and boyfriend for 5 years, Edward Bartlett. But on the day of the wedding, she suddenly wakes up to realize she had turned into a 5-year-old girl. Meanwhile, Edward, thinking that she had run away from their wedding, is left devastated and deeply wounded. Will Zia be able to return back to her happy ending or will she forever be trapped inside a little girl's body? On the other hand, in the case of Gray Stewart, Zia's lesbian best friend, time was not enough to heal the pain of losing her girlfriend. Will she be able to move on and welcome another relationship or will she forever be stuck in the past? Join them in this romance tale as they venture the concept of love filled with faithfulness and heartbreaks. And together let's seek out the answers to our questions.

The forest within the quiet village of Gashea is a dangerous place. Within the trees lies something dark, cursed, and wicked. For centuries, a demon with malevolent power terrorizes the villagers of the small valley home. He had brought droughts, disease, and famine. To ensure that he will keep his powers at bay, the village of Gashea offers a bride to the demon every night. And by dawn, without fail, they would see the corpse of the offered brides floating along their bright, shining river. With the next choosing fast approaching, the head villagers made a shocking decision. They had chosen Fyn. A man. When Fyn starts to slowly fall in love with the demon within the forest, secrets of the past unravel. The truth makes them wonder whether it’s the right monster Gashea fears.

So... Lagi siyang nandito sa lugar na to? Since when... Kailan pa nila ako niloloko? As they turned to leave, I struggled, screamed, but they didn't look back. "Tulong!" "Jackson, Pakiusap lumingon ka. Nandito ako!" My eyes cried out for help, even in my helplessness, but no one turned around. Betrayed and abandoned, I'm paralyzed by the impossible choice of what to prioritize. "I'm so helpless." Therra Mina Miller thought she had finally found the love she always wanted. But her seemingly perfect life with Jackson Park, the heir to Astine Corporation, was nothing more than a cruel illusion created by her greedy family. Their dream wedding was just a way to further their own selfish desires. Ang pagtataksil ng kanyang stepsister na si Nicole Smith kay Jackson, at ang lihim na relasyon nito sa kanyang fiancé, ay nagdulot kay Mina ng matinding sakit at pagkadismaya. Sa gitna ng kanyang paghihirap, isang lihim na relasyon ang umusbong sa pagitan nina Mina at Matthias Park, ang foster father ni Jackson. Their relationship became her strength, driving her to stand on her own and break free from her family’s control. She swore to succeed on her own terms, refusing to let her family’s power shape her future. Her success became the ultimate sweet revenge, exposing Nicole’s lies and taking back her life. Pero paano kung ang inaakala niyang katapusan ng kanyang paghihirap mula sa pang-aabuso ng mga nasa paligid niya ay simula pa lang—the beginning of a truth about herself she never knew? Mananatili ba siyang kalmado, o maghihiganti sa mga taong dapat managot?

The end of the world had never been so romantic—for Alisa Vega, at least. In an alternate universe where Earth survives the first apocalypse, humans live side by side with other species in a society where impossible things become possible. And yet, with all that magic and technology, love remains to be the most mysterious and unpredictable thing of all. Alisa Vega is a popular celebrity well-known for her beauty and charisma. Growing up in a loving and privileged environment, she had never wanted for anything in her life—until she meets Jester Lee, the rising star of the Adventurer community. Jester saves her life and steals her heart in the process. She confesses her love, but Jester is having none of it. Apparently, he's too busy saving all three worlds from a second apocalypse to entertain any thoughts on romance. But Alisa is convinced that he is THE ONE for her—and she is not taking no for an answer. Join Alisa and Jester as their stories unfold side by side: from gala appearances, photoshoots, and dodging the paparazzi, to navigating through a mess of man-eating monsters, secret identities, and uncovering conspiracies, all in the name of true love. *Author's Note: Some parts of the story may include scenes of violence and gore, dark (morbid) humor and possible emotional trauma (for the characters). Although the author encourages freedom in reading, this warning is in place for those who may find such topics disturbing. Reading should be fun for everyone, after all. Thank you! ^_^

At our college graduation, my fiance suddenly proposed to Lillie Stewart, my best friend, in front of everyone. I became a joke in front of everyone. Right after Lillie accepted my fiance’s proposal, Lloyd Becker, heir to the biggest mafia family on the West Coast, publicly said he loved me. Lloyd was known in the mafia world for being serious and never getting involved with women. So, when he showed an interest in an orphan like me, it made the news. We got married, and for five years, he was so sweet and treated me like a princess. But one day, I accidentally overheard him talking to his friend. “Lillie is already set to become the future lady of the Gacira family. Are you really going to keep the act up with Nelly?” “If I can’t have Lillie, it doesn’t matter who I marry. As long as I’m with Nelly, Lillie can live peacefully.” He even gave Lillie the symbol of the Becker family’s lady. He helped Lillie build her career while letting me fade into the background. After five years of marriage, I finally understood. On our fifth anniversary, I pretended to die in a shooting so he could be with the woman he truly loved. But instead of being happy, Lloyd completely broke down.

ღ꧁ღ╭⊱ꕥ Maria Isabel Monedero fantasized about being like Shakespeare. She devoted her all life to writing romance tragedy stories. She joined many writing competitions but never won. She almost gives up her spirit, but her bubbly personality doesn’t. Until the day she graduated college. Then, Maria Isabel Monedero, known as Mimo as her pseudo name, joined Story & Life publishing incorporation to work as a creative novelist. She got admitted, and many editors demanded that she be in their lineup. Unfortunately, before she gets to designate a team, she must undergo provision training within six months. Then, finally, the publisher assigns her a personal editor named Jaime Tejedor, who claims to be a hopeless romantic. He dislikes tragedy romance stories, which is Mimo’s best field in writing. He rejected Mimo’s works twice, and she only has the last chance to stick around. If she ever gets rejected again, it’s the edge of her career. For her to evade that… She plots to seduce her editor to approve her work. Will she succeed? Or fall entirely to his charm? ꕥ⊱╮ღ꧂ღ

Rachel Larson was adamant about marrying me, and she spent ten years stealing my heart. On the night before our wedding, I overheard her conversation with her friend. "You're marrying Leonardo? What about your side piece?" A moment of silence later, Rachel answered, "That guy? He's just a cheap replacement. Leonardo's the real deal. Don't compare my side piece to him. If he stays put and keeps his mouth shut, I might let him stay around. Leonardo's a broad-minded man. He won't mind." The side piece did not stay put. In fact, he caused a scene at the wedding the next day. He shoved me off the stage, but the woman who was supposed to marry me darted over to his side instead. Why? He was holding a piece of broken glass against his throat. Gutturally, he roared, "Choose! Me or him?" Panicked, Rachel kicked me away despite my injuries, and she roared, "Get out of the way! I need to take him to the hospital! If anything happens to him, I'll kill you!" She didn't need to wait that long. My heart died right there and then. … That night, I bought a flight ticket that would take me abroad and left her.