Instead Of Said

After days of torture at the hands of my family’s rival gang, they offered me one last phone call. I called my brother, Matteo. I just wanted to say goodbye—while I still had the chance. “What is it now?” he snapped. “Matteo, I—” He didn’t let me finish. “Fix your own mistakes. Until then, don’t call me again.” Death didn’t hurt as much as those words did. I felt my heart slow to a stop as my brother’s words echoed in my ears. I guess you’re finally at peace now, Matteo. I won’t bother you again. And you’ll never have to see me again.

The heart that I had waited two years for was given to the fake heiress, Diane Bishop, by my husband. The doctor said that I only had a week left to live. So, I decided to undergo cryonics. I donated my body to Diane’s workshop. The day I signed the donation papers, my son threw himself into my arms and exclaimed that I had finally made up with Diane. My parents praised me for finally being a good sister to help out Diane. My husband was pleased when he said that I had finally let go of the grudge and had become more understanding. I chuckled. They were right, I had finally learned my lesson. I would give Diane my identity as the heir of Bishop Corporation and fulfill everyone’s wishes.

Daddy brought me to Aunt Jenny’s party. As I was eating a piece of cake, I tasted a cherry between the layers and hurriedly spat it out. Once, I broke out in rashes after eating a cherry and nearly died, so I was deeply traumatized by that flavor even as a young child. However, Aunt Jenny looked heartbroken. “I hid a cherry in the cake as a little surprise, just like it’s good luck to get a bay leaf in a pie. How could you be so rude, Kenny?” Daddy did not even let me explain. He chased me out in the yard and made me stand there as punishment. Mommy said it had been more than a hundred degrees out lately, so she told me to stay home and not go out to play. Now I knew just how hot 104 degrees could be! My body was all itchy, too. I was finding it hard to breathe. I wanted to ask Daddy to forgive me, but he refused to open the door no matter how hard I knocked. He glanced at me coldly through the floor-to-ceiling window. He was not going to let me back in.

At the New Year's Eve dinner, my mom suddenly assigns some rules to me and my siblings. She claims that those who don't fit the criteria aren't allowed to eat at the table. Rule number one: One must have spent at least 50% of their time keeping Mom company at home last year. Rule number two: One must have gone shopping with Mom all the time. Rule number three: One must keep giving Mom allowance. But it appears that I, the oldest sibling, am the only one who doesn't meet the requirements. My little sister, Chelsea Cage, begins acting coquettish immediately. "All Cassidy cares about is her business, unlike me, Mom! I care about you!" Meanwhile, my younger brother, Cameron Cage, lectures me with a frown, "What's the point of you being able to earn more money than average people? No matter how good a breadwinner you are, the fact that you don't care about Mom completely nullifies it!" My mom tells my siblings to sit around her happily. Then, she criticizes me in a sarcastic tone. "As parents, when we become old, what we need is our children's company, not cold hard cash." I'm pissed off, to say the least. I'm the breadwinner of this family, and yet these freeloaders get to put on airs in front of me. The reason why I don't go shopping with my mom is that she's never satisfied with whatever gifts I've picked out for her during the times I did go out with her. That's why I gave her money straight away. I didn't give my mom any allowance at all because all the money is regularly deposited into the supplementary card, which she has. Since my long-term efforts are worth nothing compared to my siblings' sweet talk, I suppose I can quit being the ATM of this family.

My husband, Liam, got his terminally ill ex-girlfriend, Chloe, pregnant. He said it was to grant her dying wish of becoming a mother. On the day she gave birth, Liam's sister, Isabella, hired a security firm to guard the hospital, claiming it was to prevent me from causing a scene. Isabella stood by Chloe's bedside. "Don't worry, I have people posted at the entrance. If Ava dares to show up and make trouble, we'll have her thrown out immediately." Liam, seeing I hadn't come, breathed a sigh of relief. "Chloe, just focus on delivering our baby safely. Don't worry about anything else." He truly believed that since he was only fulfilling his dying ex's last wish, I would never be so unreasonable as to make a fuss. Looking at the tiny, rosy infant in his arms, he sent me a text: "Darling, I did this for you. I had her carry a child for us, so you could finally be a mother." He thought that as long as I accepted it all, this child was my ultimate reward. But what he didn't know was that I had just surrendered my residency. In one week, I would be in Kenya, working as a volunteer on a project of biomedical research. It was meant to be a final goodbye—a world away from Liam, forever. But he was searching for me like a madman, pleading for me to return.

At my son's tenth birthday, I unexpectedly gained the power to read minds. Standing before the candles, he made his wish. "I hope I score a hundred on my finals." Before I could commend his maturity, a second wish slammed into my ears. "I don't like Dad. I want Mr. Shaw to be my dad.'' My hands froze halfway through a clap.

Nat and Leo are two teenagers with a dark history behind them. Their worlds collide when they end up living next to each other but so it seems to them. Their story has begun long before everything. They fall in love but love is not easy for them. Secrets unravel and the truth is too harsh to interpret. With all these words left unsaid and time passing by, it's never too late to express your feelings. . . . . . . Is it?

Yusra Saidah. Nama yang cukup indah. Raut wajah yang mampu menggetarkan hati seorang lelaki bernama Tengku Faiz Iskandar. Sekilas pandang dia tahu gadis itu turut menyukainya. Rezeki bagaikan turut menyebelahinya. Ada makna rupanya disebalik kepulangannya ke Malaysia, cuti semester kali ini. Namun, itu 7tahun berlalu. Dan hari ini, Yusra Saidah. Meskipun hanya menatap sekeping gambar gadis itu, Tengku Fairuz tahu hatinya sudah terpaut. Kerana janji yg terpatri antara dua insan, telah mengikat satu ikatan suci antara mereka. Yusra Saidah milik Tengku Fairuz sepenuhnya. Tiada sesiapa yang mampu menidakkannya. "Bukan senang untuk aku hidup dengan dia. Hati dia ada orang lain." Luah Tengku Fairuz kepada temannya, Syed Ammar. "Aku janji Shah, aku akan cuba cintakan suami aku seperti mana aku cintakan Abang Faiz dulu. Lagipun aku tahu Abang Faiz dah lama buang aku dari hati dia." Sayu suara Yusra Saidah bersama linangan air mata di pipi. "Abang cari Idah. Merata abang cari tapi abang tak jumpa. Abang tak pernah lupakan Idah. Idah dah janji dengan abang, Idah akan tunggu abang balik tapi kenapa bila abang balik, Idah dah bahagia dengan dia?" - Tengku Faiz Dulu kita bahagia tapi bahagia kita tidak selamanya kerana Dia sudah tetapkan yang jodoh itu bukan milik kita. Betapa kuat kita menggengam, akhirnya kita sendiri yang akan terasa sakit.

في قلبي أنثي عبرية[1] رواية للكاتبة التونسية خولة حمدي تحكي فيها الكاتبة كيف تعرفت على بطلة القصة ندى التي كانت تحكي قصتها على إحدى المواقع الالكترونية واستطاعت التواصل معها لمعرفة المزيد من التفاصيل وتعرفت الكاتبة من خلال قصة الحب التي نشأت بين بطلة القصة وأحد أبطال المقاومة في ذلك الحين على مجتمع ما يسمى بيهود العرب والمقاومة في لبنان.

Adam dan Nisa, yang tak tahan lagi harus angkat kaki dari rumah Siti -Ibunya Adam. Semua berawal dari tidak kesenangan Siti, lalu merambat ke Sri -Kakak ipar Adam dan Nisa. Fitnah terus berselancar dengan indah, menghantam Nisa dengan telak. Adam yang notabenya sebagai seorang suami membela sang istri. “Aku sudah tidak mau berbasa-basi lagi, aku juga tidak mau menumpang benalu dalam rumahku. SEKARANG KELUAR KALIAN DARI RUMAH INI!” -Siti “Kami pamit, Ma ….” -Adam