Like Water

Buried deep in the Aster estate was the Heartwood—ancient, sacred, mine. Told my husband, Julian Aster—back when he actually listened—that if it ever fell, I'd die with it. At first, he freaked out. Flew in glacier water, hired a whole squad of plant experts to nurture it 24/7. Then one day, just because his childhood friend—Isabella Duvall—got a scratch from the bark, Julian had the Heartwood ripped out. The second it crashed, I choked on glowing blood—ichor. My power? Gone. Barely standing, I grabbed his arm. "You knew. If the Heartwood dies, I—" He laughed. Straight-up mocked me. "Sera, come on. That fairy tale? Only Grandma still believes that crap. Is that mayo on your mouth? Relax—it's a tree. I'll buy you a forest if you want." Overnight, my hair turned gray. Skin cracked. Eyes dulled. Still, I dragged myself to his grandmother, Henrietta. "I kept your family safe for two hundred years. That's why the Asters thrived. But the Heartwood's gone. Debt's paid. One day left. Whatever happens next? Not my problem."

"You're a dangerous woman, Elena," He reached, turning on the shower beside her head. "I think your demons are making you see things wrong, Mr. Rossi," she murmured through the water spilling down her head. He laughed, "They are right; you're my trigger," his nose buried into the crook of her neck, he muttered, sending shivers down her spine. "And too bad a lot of people cross you..." ***** Her life came crashing down when she signed a contract marriage with the calm President Nikolai Rossi, who only had eyes on one woman who wasn't her. To make matters worse, she couldn't help but fall in love with him and his son, knowing he'd never reciprocate. After a terrible divorce, three years later, Elena Vero is a mother of one. She now has to return to Italy for business, unfortunately falling into the waiting palms of her ex-husband, who surprisingly wants her back. But being his wife has never been a bed of roses and never will it be, especially when she finds out he isn't all that he seems.

The beach was crowded as it was summer and many families tend to camp and have fun during this period. A young tanned skinned girl of about eight years, sat on the sand a little bit far from her family. She had a darkblue hoodie on and a headphone over her head. Her beautiful grey eyes seem to shimmer as she stared with keen interest at the water, while humming a song softly and enjoying the quiet. However, her little peace and privacy was shortlived as a lad of about ten years old, endowed with curly jet-black hair, ran along. He stopped however, on seeing her. She turned to see the one invading her quiet only to see the boy staring at her. She looked at him without saying a word, holding his gaze. Time seemed to fly by as they both continued their staring match which was eventually interrupted, when another lad of same age as the boy came by. "Jordan! There you are. Come, Mom calls for you." The blonde haired lad said, looking at the girl briefly before dragging the other along who continued to stare at the girl from his shoulders until she was out of eyesight. "Hey Elle!" A little girl of same age as the grey eyed, called as she ran towards her. "Come see the sand castle that Rosalie and I built." "Jordan," the grey-eyed girl whispered.

My mate and my brother hated me for twelve years. They believed I stole their precious Sarah's herbal research and bullied her for twelve years into silence. At my marking ceremony, they exposed my "crimes" to the entire supernatural world. "She's nothing but a bully who torments her packmates and a thief who stole the herb formula from Sarah!" But Sarah smiled through her tears: "The formula doesn't matter anymore." "As long as it saved our wolves from silver poisoning, what does it matter who created it?" "I've already forgiven her." She became the pack's angel of mercy. I was condemned by thousands, until the very wolf I'd saved with my medicine poured silver water over my head. In my despair, I dragged Sarah down with me into death. When I opened my eyes again, I was back in my second year of high school. Sarah was slicing her arm with a silver blade, smiling as she asked: "Have you thought about how you'll apologize to me?" Something in me snapped. My Alpha power surged forth, crushing her to her knees. I grabbed the blade: "Let me show you what real cuts look like."

Si Chloe Villanueva ay may isang misyon: ang iligtas ang pamilya niya mula sa pagkalugi na idinulot ng kapatid niyang si Marcus. The last thing that she needs is a distraction, in the form of a charming and mysterious billionaire she meets one night. Naghiwalay sila at buo ang desisyon na mag-focus sa kanyang career. But when she started with her new job, she found herself in the middle of a corporate warfare between his brother and its rival- Aiden, the same man from her one night stand. At habang sila ay may mga iniisip, lihim namang gumagawa si Lily- ang anak ni Aiden, ng paraan upang magkasama sila. Habang nagtatagpo ang kanilang mga landas, nabubunyag din ang kanilang mga sikreto. Chloe found out that her brother is the mastermind behind the plan to ruin Aiden's life. Habang papalapit siya sa katotohanan, she realizes that she is nothing but a pawn in this dangerous game. She loves Aiden so much, and so is her family. Will she risk everything for the man she loves, or is it true that blood is thicker than water?

After seven years of being mates with Alpha David Jones, he secretly cheats on one she-wolf after another from the Nighthowl pack. When I'm pregnant and almost due for labor, his secret lover offends the Alpha of Wildrift pack. To prevent a battle between the packs, David wants me to get to my knees before Wildrift pack's Alpha and beg for forgiveness. I refuse, afraid that it'll hurt the child. He snaps, "How can getting on your knees affect the child? We can just have another one if you have a miscarriage!" He drags me to the Alpha of Wildrift pack and forces me onto my knees. Then, he tells me to beg for forgiveness. My water breaks just then. David's lover, Sarah Lloyd, merely laughs mockingly. "Look at her, so scared that she's wet herself!" That night, I suffer from a difficult labor, almost losing my life. Meanwhile, the news of David heroically storming the Wildrift pack's territory to save Sarah spreads throughout the pack. I'm calm when David's mother, Celine Anderson, hurries to my bedside. "You promised I could leave after giving birth to an heir. Can I go now?"

“The client requested natural conception.” At night, in a luxurious villa, Adela lay naked on the bed. The room was dark. She stared at the blurry patterns on the ceiling, her palms already drenched with sweat. The sound of water flowing from the bathroom gradually stopped. Adela struggled to breathe, her heart pounding as if it were about to jump out of her chest. This was her first time, but she wasn’t here as a lover. She was here as a surrogate mother. The bathroom door was pushed open. From the narrow gap came a warm yellow light. A man, wrapped in a towel, stepped out. Adela couldn’t see his face clearly, only sensing that he was a tall and imposing figure. …… Adela initially thought this was just a transaction—she needed money to fend off the ruthless men who came knocking because of her father’s gambling debts. But what she didn’t expect was for her fate to become entangled with this man. He was a man of absolute power and dominance, yet every time she was on the brink of despair, he was the one who held her up. More importantly, as time went on, Adela began to uncover the truth about her own identity. Her real family—her true origins—were deeply connected to this man. Their destinies became even more intertwined, especially after she gave birth to their child…

Jasmine is living a life of hell. Her step father becoming abusive emotionally and physically after the death of her mother. She not only has to deal with him at home, but her fellow students at school. Being bullied and criticized for the lack of clothes she doesn't have. They don't know her step father refuses to buy her anything she needs. Calling her a leech of the earth. Telling her on a daily basis he wishes she had died along side her mother. The only person in her corner is her science teacher Mrs. Mulberry, she see the changes in Jasmines behavior, the marks she tries to hide under her torn clothes. Things take a turn for the worse when Jasmine goes missing for two weeks. Alarming Mrs. Mulberry to call child services. Believing the worst has happened to her. After being put under the microscope Jasmine's step father starts locking her away starving her and barely giving her water to drink out of an applesauce container. In the midst of her agony she meets the new boy at school causing feelings she's never felt before. Will he be her knight in shining armor or will he be the wake of destruction causing her world to crumble more around her.

“I will choke you to death till you beg for me to stop but I won’t. I will make you pour out all the water left in your body with my tongue”. In a sudden and tense encounter, I found myself desperately seeking answers from him. But his silence only fueled my frustration. With emotions boiling over, I couldn't contain my anger, clenching my fist as I shot him a piercing look. Undeterred, I pressed on, demanding a response, my annoyance growing palpable. However, his explosive reaction caught me off guard, as he silenced me with a fierce command, his grip on my face sending shivers down my spine. The chilling intensity of his eyes left me paralyzed, consumed by fear. I realized I had provoked a dangerous force, a man exuding an aura of unapproachable defiance. Tears welled up as his grip tightened, and my helplessness only deepened. The emotional storm between us unveiled a side to him that was ruthless and merciless, living up to the ominous title he bore. With a final, venomous word, he tore away a bandage and stormed out, leaving me to grapple with the unsettling encounter that had just unfolded.

My husband brings a pregnant Meryl Cleat home and lies to me, claiming that she's his stepmother. I'm wholly against the idea, but she says, "The children will call you their mother when they're born, so you don't have to go through the pain of childbirth. Think about how lucky you are, experiencing motherhood without the suffering!" I demand a divorce in the heat of the moment; Meryl is so infuriated by this that she faces labor complications and later dies. Out of guilt, I become a stay-at-home mother to care for her two super male kids. Yet they scaled me with boiling water and blind me in one eye. My health deteriorates under their intense torment, and I'm diagnosed with uremia. That's when I accidentally discover Meryl isn't my stepmother—she's my husband's mistress! I'm in despair when I return home. To make matters worse, I catch her—when she's supposed to be dead—and my husband in bed together. Her two super male sons ultimately stab me to death. When I open my eyes again, I'm taken back to the day she fakes her death!