Middle England

Limang taon ng matinding pag-ibig ang nagwakas sa pinakamapait na paraan. Iniwan ni William Ferrer si Erin sa araw mismo ng kanilang kasal—para sagipin si Menchie, ang kababata nitong nagtangkang magpakamatay. Sa puntong iyon, napagtanto ni Erin ang isang masaklap na katotohanan: hindi niya kayang tunawin ang pusong yelo ni William. Buong tatag niyang tinapos ang lahat ng koneksyon sa lalaki at nilisan ang Cebu, patungong Maynila upang magsimula ng bagong buhay. Ngunit sa isang gabing puno ng alak at pangungulila, napunta siya sa isang hindi inaasahang sitwasyon—nagising sa kama ng isang cold-hearted billionaire na kaaway pa ng kanyang kapatid na si Randell. Walang iba kundi si Blake Gener! Sa pagsikat ng araw, tahimik siyang gumapang papalayo upang makatakas sa lalaki. Ngunit bago pa man siya makalayo, hinatak siya pabalik sa kama ng lalaki. Ang tinig ni Blake, mabagal at mapanukso, ay bumulong sa kanyang tainga, habang ang mga daliri nito ay dumadampi sa sariwang marka ng kiss mark sa sariling leeg: “My Little Erin.., akala mo ba makakatakas ka matapos mo akong angkinin? Hinalikan mo ako nang ganito— kailangan mo akong panagutan.” Sa mataas na lipunan ng mga mayayaman, kilala si Blake, ang nagmamay ari ng B&G corporation, bilang isang lalaking malamig at aloof. Ngunit walang nakakaalam ng kanyang lihim—ang kanyang pagmamahal sa kapatid ng kanyang mortal na kaaway. Mula noong may mangyari sa kanila ni Erin, bumaba siya sa kanyang pedestal. Ang paghanga ay nauwi sa obsesyon. Bilyun-bilyon ang ginastos niya para bilhin ang isang buong isla para lamang sa babae. Gulat man, hindi naiwasang magtanong ni Erin sa lalaki.. “Bakit ginagawa mo ang lahat ng ito para sa akin, Blake?” “Para sayo, my Little Erin.. Handa akong magpakababa, at bilhin ang mundo, basta, mahalin mo rin ako..”

To ensure fairness, my daughter said that she would draw lots to choose whose family to spend the New Year’s with every year. However, for the past nine years, she had spent the New Year’s with her in-laws. The latest draw was no different. On New Year’s Eve, my daughter gave me specific instructions. “Mom, we’re spending the New Year’s with my in-laws. We’ve made a reservation at the most expensive restaurant in town. Please help me save some money. You can just make some food at home for your dinner.” Hence, on New Year’s Eve, I ate alone while watching TV at home. When I stood up, I accidentally knocked over the raffle box. All the lots inside the box had my daughter’s handwriting. The words ‘in-laws’ were clearly written on every single one of them. For the past ten years, the lots had been fake. My daughter was willingly spending the New Year’s celebration with her in-laws, and she had never once thought of spending it with me, her biological mother, who had spent so much money on her. At the same time, I got a notification on my phone. Her mother-in-law posted something on social media. [My daughter-in-law is so lovely. She bought me so many gifts and chose to spend the New Year’s with us. It’s as if she’s our own daughter!] They smiled brightly in the video. On the table were gifts that she bought using my retirement fund. I did not sleep for the whole night. The next morning, I called the bank. “Please remove all the auto-debit accounts from my retirement account.” From then on, I would only spend my money on myself.

When Peter, my father-in-law, suffered a heart attack and needed an urgent transplant, the hospital miraculously had a compatible heart. Helen, my mother-in-law and I were overjoyed. We thought it was a blessing from above. However, just as we were getting ready for surgery, Nate, my husband, disappeared with the compatible heart. When we finally reached him by phone, it was Camile, his first love. “Nate is busy prepping for my dad’s heart surgery. Stop distracting him!” Helen was trembling with fury. On her way to confront Nate, she got into a car accident and ended up in a critical condition. I begged Nate to come back and operate on her, but he walked into another operating room. In the end, my in-laws died. Their bodies were donated for organ transplant. It was not until later that I found out that their organs had been donated to Camile’s family.

On my mother’s seventieth birthday party, I ran around handling various matters, paying out of pocket and putting in all the work. I did not even have the time to sit down and drink a sip of water. When I finally found the time to surprise her, I prepared eighty-eight grams of gold jewelry as her gift. Just as I was about to give it to her, I heard her talking to the other relatives. “See that? My daughter is truly my sweetheart. She woke up so early this morning to bake me this cake. I wouldn’t trade this cake for gold.” Our relatives immediately began praising my younger sister, Jessie Radley, for being so devoted. Only a couple of them pushed back. “Why aren’t you praising your eldest daughter, Mary? I heard she handled the entire birthday party.” “Tch. She only knows how to muddle through things. None of it had been done to my liking. Jessie is the good one. She got up at seven in the morning just to bake me this cake.” I turned around and walked away from the doorway. Since she loved Jessie so much, she could pay for this birthday party, worth eighty thousand dollars.

The day before I am supposed to move into a nursing home, my daughter-in-law, Emily Freeman, cancels the deposit I have already paid without my permission. "It's not easy for Ryan to earn money. Instead of helping us save money, you want to stay somewhere so expensive," Emily complains. I frown and explain that I paid with my own money. Her expression darkens as she rants, "Isn't your money our money? Besides, how much money can you possibly have? Didn't you get all of it from Ryan anyway? "You don't help take care of the kids or do any housework. Now, you're just bleeding us dry so that you can enjoy yourself!" My son, Ryan Pratt, sides with her and criticizes me as well. "Mom, this is such a waste of money. If you ask me, you might as well go to a senior community and get a bed there for ten dollars. Someone will still take care of you." I am so furious that I faint on the spot and am rushed to the hospital. With the refunded money, Ryan takes Emily and goes on vacation abroad with his in-laws. After being discharged, the first thing I do is put the apartment I once gave my son as a wedding gift up for sale with a real estate agent.

I took my parents-in-law, Edmund and Macy Hale, out to a restaurant. When it was time to pay, we ran into my husband’s female assistant, Vera Rhodes. Seeing Mrs. Hale packing up the leftover bouillabaisse she had been drinking, Vera marched over and slapped the takeaway bag out of her hands. The soup splashed all over Mrs. Hale in an instant. "If you can’t afford to eat here, then don’t come," she sneered. "Look at you, reeking of poverty. How do people like you deserve to be Mr. Orion Hale’s in-laws? Don’t embarrass him." I asked the restaurant to prepare a fresh portion of fish soup to go. Before anyone could respond, Vera slapped me to the ground. "This is a members-only restaurant. You’re using Mr. Hale’s card, aren’t you?" she mocked. "Can’t you earn your own money? You need his money to support your hillbilly parents?" Mr. Hale was so enraged that he was rushed to the hospital. I called Orion and asked him to come sign the surgery consent form. He laughed coldly. "Vera already told me everything. Your dad even needs to trick me into paying medical bills now? Has your whole family gone insane from poverty? "If you’re going to die, then hurry up and die. Just don’t die in front of me. It’s bad luck."

"Mamili ka, siya, o ako?" tanong ni Danica kay Jethro. Natatawa pa ang lalaki ng bahagya sa kanyang sinabi, "anong kalokohan naman ang naiisip mo at pinapapili mo ako?" "Puro ka na lang. Lovely, lovely.. lovely! ni hindi mo nga naalala ang birthday ko eh. " may hinagpis sa kanyang tinig. Tiningnan lang siya ni Jethro, at tumalikod sabay labas ng bahay. Hindi siya makapaniwala na pipiliin nito ang babaeng iyon. Agad siyang nag alsa balutan, upang iwanan ang lalaki.

Limang taon. Limang taon na minahal ni Jazz ang isang lalaking hindi naman siya pinahalagahan. Lahat ibinigay niya—oras, tiwala, at puso. Pero isang iglap lang, nawala ang lahat. Isang car accident ang bumura ng kanyang alaala. Pagmulat niya ng mata, wala na ang babaeng marunong magmahal. Ang natira na lang ay isang estranghero sa sariling buhay. Nagkaroon siya ng amnesia. At habang wala siyang maalala, ang dating kasintahan niyang si Damon ay wala ring konsensya. Sa halip na umamin sa kanilang relasyon, niyakap nito ang kanyang nakababatang kapatid na babae at iyon ang ipinakilala nitong kasintahan. Itinuro nito ang telebisyon at walang emosyon na sinabi, “Iyan ang boyfriend mo. Siya ang habulin mo.” Nalito si Jazz. Pero naniwala siya sa sinabi nito. At sinunod niya iyon. Ang lalaking nasa TV ay si Malachi Robles— ang CEO na tito ni Damon. Malamig. Tahimik. Hindi madaling lapitan. Mula sa isang kasinungalingan, nagsimula ang isang habulan. Isang babaeng may amnesia. Isang lalaking hindi niya dapat mahalin. At isang katotohanang handang wasakin ang lahat kapag nabunyag.

“Alam ko kung ano ang pinagdadaanan mo,” sabi niya kay Hannah, habang nakatitig sa mga mata nito. “Alam mo?” napamaang na lang si Hannah ng marinig ang sinabi niya. Ang mga mata nito ay unti unting nabasa na parang binubukalan ng tubig. “Oo– alam ko ang lahat ng nangyayari sayo, Hannah.. At marahil.. Natatandaan mo na kung sino ako,” sabi niya sa babae. “Ni-ninong Edward–” halos pabulong lang ang tinig na iyon, subalit puno iyon ng pagsusumamo at parang paghingi ng tulong. “Anong nais mo?” tanong niya kay Hannah, determinado siyang tulungan ito sa abot ng kanyang makakaya. “Nais ko silang magdusa.. At magsisi sa mga ginawa nila sa akin. Nais kong lumubog sila at masaktan, gaya ng mga ginawa nilang kahayupan sa akin ninong. Gusto ko silang gumapang sa putik kung saan sila nagmula. Nais kong bawiin ang lahat ng pag aari ko!” umiiyak nitong sabi sa kanya. Nahabag si Ed sa babae. Pinagmasdan niya ito ng husto. "Pwede kitang tulungan, pero may kondisyunes ako sayo.." sabi niya dito. "Kahit ano ninong, gagawin ko, sabihin mo lang!" determinado ang mga mata ni Hannah habang nakatingin sa kanya. "Pakasalan mo ako.. Nais kong magkaroon ka ng karapatan sa kayamanan ko, upang makalaban ka ng patas sa kanila. Sa papel lang tayo magiging mag asawa hannah.. nais ko lang na makapaghiganti ka.."

WARNING!!! May bembangan dito, bawal sa mga minor.. Iwasang magbasa kung feeling mo, demure ka! Kapag di mo bet, skip mo na lang, pero pag bet mo, eh di go!!! Isang misteryosong lalaki, ang naghanap ng isang babae, para magkaanak naturally. Meaning, eh di ano pa nga ba.. alam niyo na yun!! Kinakabahan si Roselynn habang nakapiring ang kanyang mga mata, at nasa loob siya ng isang mabango, malamig at magandang silid. Bagong paligo siya. Sinabon niyang maigi ang kanyang "bataan!" "Lord, bakit naman kasi ngayon na agad? kung kailan hindi ako nakapag shave?" Saka nanlalamig ang kanyang kamay, ng marinig niya ang langitngit ng pintuan.. "Wag kang matakot, wala akong gagawing masama sayo.." grabe ang boses ng lalaki, parang pang DJ! Sa isip isip ni Roselynn, "eh di wow, ikaw na! bebembengin mo ko, kukunin mo ang virginity ko, tas wala kang gagawing masama? OMG!" "This is it! magready ka na.. aararuhin ka na niya.." kasabay ng isang dalangin na sana, hindi siya masyadong masaktan.