O Re Piya

My sister had struggled with depression since childhood. The doctor warned that she could not tolerate any kind of stimulation. As a result, my entire life fell silent. To avoid upsetting her, I never dared to laugh at home. I never dared to cry. When I got hurt, I did not even have the right to say it hurt. My parents would hug me with apologetic expressions and say, "You're the good one. Your sister's illness requires the whole family to work together. You're healthy. You're strong. Let her have more, okay?" One day, I accidentally knocked over a cup. The crash sounded enormous in the quiet room, and my sister's emotions shattered at once. My father struck me for the first time. He roared, "Can't you be careful? Do you have to push her until she dies before you're satisfied?" He shoved me to the floor. The back of my head slammed against the corner of the table, and blood poured out. But my whole family rushed to my screaming sister. No one even glanced at me. I lay on the cold floor as my vision blurred and my consciousness began to fade. To them, my sister's feelings were the only emergency. My small injury could wait. They did not know that bleeding inside the skull does not wait.

Liam, my stepbrother, has been a pain in the rear for three years. We fight every time we talk. Every time we see each other, we remember that moment, which we never talk about. The one in the yard behind where our parents had their wedding dinner. The event that almost made everything bad. Our parents are now going for a trip to celebrate their first anniversary, leaving us all alone in the house. Simple plan: we'll stay on different sides, ignore each other, and act like we're working. But then there's a fire on my side of the house, and all of a sudden I have to share a floor, a hallway, and a wall that is too thin to be safe with him. The worst times are at night. I hear him. I can feel him. And every disagreement ends too close. Every stare stays too long. Every breath turns into heat I can’t escape. We’re supposed to protect our parents’ happiness. We’re supposed to act like good brothers. But how do you pretend you hate someone when all you want is to drag him into your bed? Then the holidays arrive with our whole extended family. We’re forced to play perfect boys while nearly pulling each other apart behind locked doors. And just when I think things can’t get worse, Liam’s cheating ex shows up begging to take him back. The jealousy nearly wrecks me… and reveals everything. But the real disaster hits one night with a broken condom and a hurried hospital visit. Two scary weeks that make us imagine a life we’re not supposed to want. A future that feels too good to lose. The test is negative. But the damage is done. We want each other.

The day my cancer is diagnosed, my husband slaps me across the face. "You're vicious! You're even pretending to have cancer just to look more pitiful than your sister!" My son shouts, "Mom is horrible! I hate Mom!" I don't cry or make a scene. I quietly put the test results away and choose a grave for myself. In 15 days, I'll leave this city to die somewhere else in peace. I won't even give them the chance to regret it.

Alyia Lyra Vega; a model and a successful businesswoman. She believes that success means being able to show the world what you're capable of. What you're best at. She can be described as a tough woman, a woman that can do better than man. An independent woman. But what if all of those judgements from people are wrong? What if the tough woman that many people is inspired of can be weak sometimes? Or even all of the time? Will Cosmos Alexandrus fulfill his purpose? Can he melt the cold heart of the great Alyia Lyra Vega?

It started with a stolen wallet and turned into something neither of them could’ve imagined. What began as a game of cat and mouse has turned into something more. They're no longer just trying to outsmart each other; they’re going deeper, and it’s setting off sparks in all the wrong places. As they get closer, the truths they’ve kept hidden start to unwind, tearing through the lives they’ve built. The illusion of control slips away, and now, everything’s on the line — their lives, their secrets, and their hold on each other. The question is, can they survive it all — or will they destroy each other in the process?

"Yes, us. I don't want to marry you," Luna stated, her gaze fixed on Lucas's face, devoid of expression. "So, you're going to marry the pianist then?" Lucas guessed, causing Luna to become more certain that the man in front of her was already aware of everything. "Of course. I love him, so I will marry him," Luna replied, observing Lucas's reaction carefully. "But this time, I need this marriage," Luna continued, dismissing Lucas's scoffing smile. "And?" Lucas asked. "We'll make a prenuptial agreement," Luna declared. "Do you think I'll agree?" Lucas responded dismissively. "You have to agree. Whether you like it or not, we're going to make a prenuptial agreement," Luna insisted, prompting a threatening smile from Lucas. "Luna Estrada, you're too confident. Do you think I'd agree to this marriage? I even declined it," Lucas replied, belittling her. "We're not going to make a prenuptial agreement because we're never going to get married," Lucas added, causing Luna to clench her fists as if she had been rejected by the man before her. How could Luna Estrada face rejection? She couldn't allow it to happen. "Hahahahah." Luna forced a laugh, attempting to make it sound mocking to Lucas, although at this moment, she wished she could throw her heel at Lucas's head. "Then why did your grandfather force my grandfather to persuade me to accept this marriage, huh?" Luna said with traces of laughter in her voice, emphasizing each word. "Are you serious?" Lucas asked, his face showing mockery. "Didn't you ask your grandfather who would marry you? Weren't you suspicious? Who knows, maybe your grandfather was referring to my own grandfather, trying to match us," Luna's inner thoughts raced, attempting to calm herself.

My grandmother only knows how to draw one thing—infants. They're ugly, but people line up to buy the paintings. I watch as she takes those women into unlit rooms. Then, their bloodcurdling screams will ring out. Oddly enough, they always thank my grandmother when they're leaving. One day, I finally find out what exactly my grandmother paints. I discover the truth when I see an infant crawl out of one of the women's bellies—it looks just like the one my grandmother has painted.

"She needs me, Alyne. I've told you thousand times. Don't be selfish!" The boy's hand reached the girl's hand in front of him. "We're both struggling, Alyne," the boy continued, trying to soften his voice. The girl nodded harshly causing the tears that welled up in her eyes to fall. "Yeah, Herrin. We're both struggling." "I struggled desperately to beat my ego to maintain our relationship. And you ..." "You struggled desperately to win over your ego to end our relationship."

"What's your problem?" Morgana asked, frustrated. "You don't get it. You're like the most beautiful woman I've ever seen and I seriously can't let you go. I mean it." Drake replied, his eyes scanning everything that would be his to explore after she says 'YES'. "You're being creepy, you know. Want us to get violent? Cuz I'm all for it." She wasn't loosing her cool now. Drake just chuckled at that. "You know there's a way to solve this." He said. She rolled her eyes, but he took it as a clue to move on. "Let me kiss you." "What!" "I'm serious. If you surrender yourself to me for five minutes and you don't feel like you want more of me, I will get off your back." He said, faking a serious expression. "You're crazy." "You're curious." "Shut up!" "Try it. The best way to get rid of me. Cool deal." He coarsed. After a few minutes of contemplating, she finally agreed, folding her arms across her chest and closing her eyes. How cute, he thought staring at her. "If you disturb me after this, then you're dead." She said, wondering why he hasn't gotten the clue that she's ready. ........... One minute..... Two...... Three....... Four..... five..... "Why did you stop?" Eyes misty and breath ragged, Morgana's gaze continued to hold his own. His smirk made her realized what had just transpired. Damn it! "Baby, five minutes are over. It's up to you now. Should I continue?" He asked, his hands still playing a few magic to keep her in mood. "There are so many stuff we would explore together. Believe me baby, you're gonna enjoy them." He added, seeing how she was about to get herself together. "You asshole!" She cursed. "What did I do?" "Go on." "Hmm?" "Kiss me." She glared at him, but reached for his lips this time. The damn CEO is a good kisser and this cat couldn't resist the temptation.

I suddenly stop screaming when I felt something wet slide into my neck. My eyes grew wider. "Did you just licked me?!" He realeased a deep chuckle. I kept on fighting to get away from his grasp but he tightened his grip on me instead. Then I felt his breath traveled to my ear and then he whispered something that sent a surge of electricity all through out my body. "You can't run away from me. You're my mate. You're mine."