Long Way Down Rules

On my way to the bank, I stumbled across a post: [What's the most shameful thing you've done behind your partner's back?] One comment stood out: [I secretly married my first love, and my girlfriend keeps dumping money into our joint account like an idiot. She actually thinks I'm saving for a house. There's already sixty-seven grand in there. Once she hits eighty, I'm taking it all!] The flood of likes made my stomach twist. I pulled up my account balance. Sixty-seven grand. Not a penny more, not a penny less. So, my boyfriend secretly married his ex.

After I confessed to my childhood crush, he smirked and said, "If you can get that loser to drink from the same bottle you did, I'll date you." Seriously? Was I really reborn fifteen years ago? I raced over to Noah—top of the class and hot as hell—and dropped the water bottle on his desk in front of everyone. He clocked the lipstick stain, face turning crimson. Future business mogul? Right now, he looked like some poor kid waiting to get crushed. I nudged the bottle closer. "Using that genius brain to collect bottles for cash? Kinda tragic. Be my private tutor instead." He might be broke, but lucky for him, I've got money to burn.

Stuart is young, handsome, and only 24—but he has a secret. His boss, Mandy, is 48, married, and powerful… yet she keeps him as her hidden lover and sugar mummy. What starts as secret nights of passion soon turns dangerous, as Mandy uses him not only for love but also to control her business rivals. Desire, secrets, and power games—can Stuart handle it all?

Rosaline and William had never met, but their families are good friends and have arranged their engagement. One evening Rosaline and William crossed paths in a bar. “My name is Alexia. You can call me Lexi,” said Rosaline to the stranger. William retorted, “I’m Alexander. Call me Alex”. As Lexi and Alex fall in love, Rosaline and William try their best to get their families to stop the arranged marriage. When they finally succeed, they discover who they are.

My fiancé and brother hated me for ten years. They firmly believed I had bullied their beloved Linda Lowe. At my engagement party, they exposed my crimes to the world. "She's nothing but a bully who tormented her classmate!" In the viral livestream video, Linda smiled through tears: "I've already forgiven her." "What's done is done. The past is behind us now" She became an overnight sensation. Meanwhile, I was condemned by thousands, attacked with acid by fanatic fans, and in despair, I took us both down together. When I opened my eyes again, I was back in my senior year of high school. Linda was pouring water over her own head while smiling, asking me, "Have you thought about how you'll apologize to me?" I lost it right there. Grabbing her by the hair, I dragged her into the bathroom, shoving her head into the toilet. "Let me show you what real bullying looks like. Since your mouth is so filthy, make sure to wash it clean before you go telling tales."

Ashejan Araullo is the campus’ girlfriend. At a young age, she already had 11 boyfriends. She’s the type to give it all but it seems like the guys don’t really take her seriously. Because of that, her self-esteem goes down and she began questioning if there’s still the right man for her. Until she met Knighton Javier, a transferee who also happens to be her neighbor. He seems to be different from all the men she dated because he was actually a decent man—he likes books and studying. He was a model student, one that Ashejan isn’t. She thought of running away from him because he was different and he didn’t want him to be affected by her status. But Knight was adamant in getting close to her and eventually, fell in love with her. However, not to Ashejan’s knowing, Knight has a deep secret—something that would be a deciding factor in their relationship. Will they live happily ever after? Or will he just be another name on her long list of ex-lovers?

All her life, Evangeline knew only one thing: pain. Born from her father’s affair, a living reminder of a mistake, she grew up as a ghost in her own house. Unwanted. Useful only when the cameras were on. Never when love was needed. Then one morning, everything shifted. “Roman De Luca wants to marry your sister. He is too dangerous for her. So you will take her place.” A decision, not a question. And in that moment, Eva finally understood: this wasn’t about protecting her sister. It was the easiest way to erase her. On the day of the wedding, she is pushed forward like someone disposable. A stand-in. Roman De Luca, the feared mafia heir, was known for rage, for cold judgment, for destroying anyone who lied to him. So Eva walks down the aisle with trembling hands, waiting for the moment he exposes her and ends her. But when he lifts her veil, he doesn’t look furious. He looks like a man finally breathing. “I always knew it would be you,” he whispers, his voice breaking. “This was the only way I could have you.” Eva shakes, stunned. “I thought you wanted my sister.” He touches her like she’s something fragile, something rare. “You said it yourself,” he murmurs. “Whatever you have, your sister gets snatched from you. And whatever your sister hates gets dumped on you.” His thumb brushes her cheek, slow, reverent. “So to have you, my queen, I willingly let myself get dumped.”

Everyone in the city knows Nathan Cooper only agreed to marry me because he had no choice. No matter how many times I tried to seduce him over the past seven years, he would just run his fingers over his rosary beads. Never once had he shown a trace of desire in his eyes. It isn't until that night, when I see him answer a long-distance call from his first love. Upon hearing her voice, Nathan loses control. It's as if heat was surging through his body like a live wire. The next day, Lily Hunt flies back. Nathan shoves me out of the car and drives off to pick her up. As I fall from the bridge and lose my memory, news of Nathan's proposal to his beloved sets the whole city ablaze. The next day, he shows up late to the hospital. As Nathan stands by my bedside, he says he will marry me, but only if he can hold a wedding ceremony with Lily. Then, he announces the wedding date. I lean against his bitter enemy, Luke Patton, and look at Nathan in confusion. "Sorry, who are you?"

For another girl, Lex Hamilton—my fiancé of several years—dumped me in the middle of nowhere and left me to fend for myself. Three years later, he showed up with her to bring me back. "It's been three years," he said. "Even a dog would've learned its lesson by now. I did this for your own good. If you don't fix that attitude of yours, don't expect to ever become my wife." They thought I'd crumble. They thought I'd beg, cling to him, and unload all the pain and humiliation I'd carried for the past three years. Instead, I smiled. "Sorry, Mr. Hamilton. I'm already married."

I sponsored Emily Fagan from an underprivileged background just to help her get through school. She was good-looking but wasn't exactly the brightest. Despite my warning not to tamper with my things, she slipped stimulants into my water bottle. Thanks to her, I was accused of cheating in the swimming competition. Our team's score was nullified. As for me, I was banned from competing for life and kicked out of college. When I confronted her, she cried pitifully, "Julie, I just wanted you to win. I didn't know that'd happen." My boyfriend, Elijah Strauss, held her and comforted her. He even snapped at me, claiming, "Em had good intentions. Why are you giving her a hard time?" Crushed, I shut myself in at home. Feeling sorry, she and Elijah visited me and brought along some vodka as an apology. After I took ten shots, I asked her to buy some over-the-counter pain relievers for my splitting headache. Little did I know that she'd make me take a dangerous dose of Ibuprofen mixed with alcohol. The bleeding in my stomach was what killed me. Emily looked pitifully remorseful at the hospital. "I'm so sorry. I couldn't even tell what I shouldn't have given her…" During the police interrogation, my boyfriend gave false testimony to protect her. He accused me of taking my own life by mixing Ibuprofen and alcohol because I couldn't handle the mental stress from cheating in the competition. When I reopened my eyes, I found out that I was transported to the day before the competition.