I Was Never There

Serakah.. Itulah sifat manusia kebanyakan yang tak pernah puas dengan apa yang dimilikinya hingga ketika mereka menemukan cara salah agar mampu meraih kesuksesannya dalam memenuhi standar hidup dan pada akhirnya semua menjadi malapetaka. Tidak pernah cukup meskipun ada bintang dan bulan di dalam genggaman yang telah berhasil dicuri. Setidaknya manusia seperti itulah yang memberikan pelajaran bagi manusia lainnya untuk terus hidup dengan cara yang seharusnya, Bekerja keras dan membuahkan hasil. Sekarang Devan mengerti mengapa Iva tidak begitu menyukainya, sosoknya mengingatkan pada Vania dan terpenuhilah kebelengguan iri padanya. Iva... Kejadian ini telak memukul harga dirinya ke paling dasar dimana ia akhirnya tahu kenapa tidak perlu repot-repot berusaha terlihat baik di depan mendiang mertuanya. Yudhi memilih jalan seperti ini pada akhirnya, memfokuskan pada kedua anaknya dan masih mencoba untuk memberi semangat pada istrinya. Ya. Semuanya berlalu dan Yasmine sudah menyelesaikannya berkat Hana, satu-satunya orang yang ia percaya. Bukan berarti, keluarganya sendiri adalah pengkhianat. Yasmine teramat dalam mencintai keluarganya dan tidak ingin menambah banyak beban disela kesibukan mereka. Sekarang tak perlu mengkhawatirkan apapun, semuanya sudah selesai dan keluarga Adiwijaya mulai memfokuskan diri mereka mengurus wasiat ini. Begitupun dengan Hana, tugasnya sudah selesai dan membayar balas budi pada Vania. Ia harus kembali ke tempatnya. Dan Devan? Ia tidak siap dan tidak akan pernah siap tentang kepergian Hana. 4 tahun sudah waktu yang cukup lama memberinya pengaruh akan keberadaan gadis itu. Ketulusannya pada keluarga Adiwijaya sudah cukup membuktikan bahwa Devan menginginkan Hana seperti Yasmine -mendiang eyangnya. Dan 4 tahun bukan waktu yang cukup dan tidak akan pernah cukup akan kebersamaan mereka. Devan ingin Hana tetap berada di Indonesia, dalam jangkauannya dan berjalan beriringan. Bagaimana Devan bisa menahan Hana untuk tetap tinggal?

One week before our wedding, my fiancé, my father’s own consigliere, sold him out.He set him up for a FBI raid. My father died in a pool of blood, his eyes wide open, and the once-great Moretti family collapsed overnight. In my darkest hour, Dominic, the Don of the New York Luciani family, showed up with a crew of mercenaries. He didn't just take care of the rat; he gave me total protection. He obsessed over me for three years, even tattooing my name over his heart. I fell for it. I believed he loved me. I let my guard down and stayed by his side, serving as the lead perfumer for the coldest man in the city. Until today. Outside the wine cellar, I overheard him talking to his rival. "Old man Moretti died never knowing who had leaked his location," Dominic said. "But imagine if that stupid woman, Elena, found out," the rival mocked. "If she knew the man who killed her father was the same husband kissing her forehead every night... would she lose her mind?" My hand froze on the cellar door. The rival’s laughter came through the cracks: "You’re cold-blooded, Dominic! Elena thinks you’re her savior. She even wants to give you an heir. She’d never dream the raid that destroyed her life was actually your offering to Sienna."

After years of heartbreak and loneliness, Amara has convinced herself that love is not meant for her. Growing up surrounded by loss and disappointment, she builds walls around her heart and focuses only on surviving each day. When she moves to a new city hoping to start over, fate leads her to Daniel, a quiet but kind man who sees through the pain she tries so hard to hide. Their connection begins as friendship, but slowly Daniel shows Amara something she has never truly felt before—a love that is patient, genuine, and healing. But the past refuses to stay buried. Old wounds, secrets, and fear threaten to pull them apart. Amara must decide whether to keep running from love or finally believe that she deserves it. As their lives intertwine, she begins to understand a powerful truth: sometimes love arrives when you least expect it—and when it does, it reminds you that no matter how broken you feel, you are never truly alone.

“Please sweetheart, I’m sorry for how I treated you, you know this has always been my dream job. I can’t lose it please, I’ll do anything you want please sweetheart”, came Cooper’s disgusting voice. The audacity of this man, he even had the guts to call me sweetheart, the name he had stopped calling me during our marriage. “Don’t you ever call me again in your pathetic little life and from now on, refrain from calling me inappropriate names, I am your boss’s wife. The next time you disturb my peace or call me inappropriately, you’ll be hauled off to jail”, I replied coldly and hung up. After Mila catches her husband, Cooper having sex with his “shortcut to a better life” in their matrimonial bed, he divorces her then throws her out in the middle of the night. Mila is shocked to discover Cooper also cleared their joint account leaving her penniless. Mila thought her life was over but she is swept off her feet by Ryan Anderson, the richest billionaire in New York, one who happens to be Cooper’s boss and maybe something more. Now Mila can make those that hurt her pay. Mila is finally happy but like they say good things don’t last forever. Will she be able to save herself and her family when danger starts lurking? Will she finally get her happy ever after?

Everyone in the underworld knew Rosalie Thorne, the "Thorn Principessa" of the North. Wild, rebellious, notorious. Street racing, high-stakes gambling, guns, and drinking, she had mastered them all. The rose-and-thorn tattoo on the nape of her neck drove countless men wild. But what they didn't know was that for Rocco, the new mob boss of the South, a single sentence, "I prefer a more obedient woman," was all it took. At his word, I had the tattoo lasered off and swapped my leathers for long, conservative dresses. I am Rosalie. For five years, I hid my identity and played the porcelain doll Rocco wanted. Until the night he eliminated all his rivals and was crowned the new Don of the South. That was when he let his men bow to another woman, hailing her as their "Donna." I watched Rocco. The same hands that had just executed a traitor were now gently placing a pair of red high heels on the feet of his adoptive sister, Vivian. "Rosalie, she has a temper. She'll make a scene if she doesn't get the title." "You're the good one, the obedient one. Just let her have this." That day, I walked straight out into the rain and never looked back. I was never truly obedient. I just made myself smaller for him. My family had already chosen a husband for me. They had been waiting five years, just for me to say yes.

I had been married to Matthew Zackman for 20 years, taken care of my bedridden mother-in-law for ten years, and supported him as he transformed from a rural teacher to a well-known professor. Everyone called me a model of a virtuous wife and a great contributor to the Zackman family. When my mother-in-law was on her deathbed, she held my hand and said that she still wanted me to be her daughter-in-law in her next life. Matthew had held me in his arms and said gratefully, "Jamie, you've worked so hard all these years. I'll make it up to you in the future." I thought the hard times were finally over, but my mother-in-law had just passed away when he handed me a divorce agreement and embraced my best friend, who had grown up with me. He said, "Jamie Lingsworth, I've endured this marriage for 20 years and am finally free. Rosie is the one I've loved all along." I left the marriage empty-handed and was forced to wander the streets until a car accident ended my life. When I reopened my eyes, I had returned to the day of my blind date 20 years ago. The matchmaker was enthusiastically praising Matthew, "This young man is a diamond in the rough! He's kind and filial. Whoever marries him is one lucky woman!" I looked at the polite and sincere-looking man across from me and smiled. Then, I threw the matchmaking document in my hand into the trash can. "Sorry, I don't think we're a good match."

“I’m pregnant too.” Sonia, my husband’s girlfriend said to me with a voice lifts with theatrical innocence. “Chase doesn’t know yet,” she continues casually. “I wanted to wait till the divorce is finalized. That way everyone will know I didn’t need to trap him with a baby… like you did.” There it is. The knife twist. Her eyes glitter with triumph as she walks out. I open my tote bag. The divorce agreement slides out easily. A thick stack of paper demanding my complete surrender of any claim to the Warren empire. In exchange for freedom. The woman who fractured herself trying to build a family out of dust is gone. I slide the signed documents into the top drawer of Chase’s desk. Let him find it. Let him choke on it.

Limang taon si Clyde at isang taon si Christine nang pareho silang ikasal sa isa’t-isa. Isang kasunduan ng pamilya na kapwa nila tinutulan. Ngayong bente na si Christine, kailangan nilang tumira sa iisang bubong sa loob ng isang taon… bago tuluyang maghiwalay. Si Christine, nagtago sa likod ng maskara upang protektahan ang pusong takot masaktan. Si Clyde, itinulak ang sarili sa piling ng iba, para lang huwag mahulog sa babaeng buong buhay niyang tinanggihan. Ngunit paano kung ang babaeng gusto niyang mahalin… ay siya ring asawang gusto niyang kalimutan? At paano kung ang planong wakasan ang lahat… ay mauwi sa simula ng tunay na laban, lalo na’t may isang babaeng handang sirain ang umuusbong nilang pagmamahalan? Sa mundong puno ng lihim at pride, may pag-asa pa bang magtagumpay ang pusong nagsisimula pa lang magmahal?

Pagmamahal na walang iwanan, pagmamahal kung saan nagsumpaang hindi ka pababayaan, marami mang pagsubok ang dumaan, mananatiling ikaw ang laman, mananatiling ikaw ang sinisigaw at tanging sayo lamang may pagtingin ang pusong simula palang ay pag-aari mo na at hindi nino man. ‘Pinakawalan na kita noon, hinding-hindi ko na hahayaang maulit pa ‘yun.’

CEO vs Doctor Kung kailan gising na yung taong totoo mong minahal saka naman... makikita mo ang pagmamahal niya. Paano mo malalabanan 'yon?