O With A Line Through It

My once best friend posted a photo on her social media account on the tenth anniversary of my marriage. In the photo, her daughter and my son were wrapped in my husband's and her arms. The caption said, 'The perfect pair.' I commented, 'Perfect indeed.' Soon, the post was deleted. The next day, my husband rushed home and asked me, "Sophie is finally recovering. Why are you provoking her?" My son even pushed me and accused me, "It's all your fault for making Tammy cry." I took out the divorce papers and threw them in their faces. "Well, it's my fault, so I quit your perfect family of four."

It is in the human nature to expect things from a person. And of course, as a human, one will tend to try to reach their goals no matter how big or small it is. One will strive hard to reach those expectations, sometimes even ace it. However, not all things goes the way one planned it and that is what happening to Pharynne Mauridelle Cortés. Pharynne Mauridelle Cortés is a full of hope woman. She's a woman who will give her all selflessly no matter what and how much struggles she have in life. However, no matter how beautiful a rose can be, it wouldn't change the fact that it still have thorns. Thorns that even she herself can get hurt by it. She is beyond what the society wants her to be. For beyond what it seems to be in the strongest façade a woman can have, is her broken and wounded self that she couldn't even mend it herself. And when she reached her outmost endpoint, her world clashes with Jhariêx Ivan Romanov Strëízhnnërr IV. The man full of mystery who will be her anchor and thread of light that will help her heal and rebuild herself. But then, when things are almost at its place, she will suddenly discover the mystery behind his life. Being lied to and destructive pain she felt, causing her demons to fully swallow and win against her. No matter how beautiful and delicate a flower is, if it starts to get rotten inside, it will still wither and die.

The richest man in the country, Sebastian Vance, has a ring custom-made to my exact measurements, worth billions of dollars, for the woman who will be his bride. In the first life, my stepsister, Mia Lowe, slips on the ring and marries him. Sebastian claws her face, shouting, "She's not the one!" In the second life, my other stepsister, Lorraine Lowe, loses 30 pounds before marrying him. He shoves her down the stairs anyway and says, "She's not the one either." In the third life, my stepmother, Vivian Cole, grits her teeth and slices off a piece of her own flesh just to force the ring onto her finger. Sebastian sneers and pushes her under the bathwater, holding her down until her body goes limp. By the fourth life, out of options and terrified, they finally send me. I slide the ring on, and it fits perfectly. My entire family lets out a sigh of relief. But the second Sebastian lays his eyes on me, he draws a knife and stabs me to death. "Why is it still not her? Where is she?" In the last life, he has his assistant, Owen Hayes, deliver a ring to us. All four of us insist that it won't fit. Owen shoots us a strange look. "Mr. Vance said the rightful owner of this ring is among you."

My sister abruptly returns to the country on the day of my wedding. My parents, brother, and fiancé abandon me to pick her up at the airport. She shares a photo of them on her social media, bragging about how she's so loved. Meanwhile, all the calls I make are rejected. My fiancé is the only one who answers, but all he tells me is not to kick up a fuss. We can always have our wedding some other day. They turn me into a laughingstock on the day I've looked forward to all my life. Everyone points at me and laughs in my face. I calmly deal with everything before writing a new number in my journal—99. This is their 99th time disappointing me; I won't wish for them to love me anymore. I fill in a request to study abroad and pack my luggage. They think I've learned to be obedient, but I'm actually about to leave forever.

During the long National Day holidays, I planned a Golden Highlands trip for the whole family. I even booked tickets for a luxurious train ride so we could enjoy the scenery. But on departure day, my husband and son vanished. I called my husband. I could hear an airport boarding announcement in the background. My voice trembled. "Where are you?" He panicked and mumbled that the company had an emergency before hanging up. I tried calling again, but the line was busy. The next day, he posted an update on his social media. In the photo, he stood beneath the snowy peaks of Wintercrown with one arm around his old love while the other held our son. The caption read: [If we had been a little braver back then...] A friend commented: [Where is your wife?] I stared at his reply: [She's sick and resting at home.] Three expired train tickets sat on the table as my eyes welled up with tears. A decade of marriage. A pack of lies. It was time to bring it all to a close.

It was our wedding anniversary when my husband's high school sweetheart posted a sonogram picture on her social media, with her captioning a public thank-you to my husband: [Thank you to the man who's been there for me for ten years, and for giving me a son.] The room spun, and anger surged through me as I quickly commented: [So, you're proud of being a homewrecker?] Almost immediately, my husband called, his voice full of rage. "How can you think such disgusting things? All I did was help her with IVF, fulfilling her dream of becoming a single mom. "And by the way, Ruby only needed one try to get pregnant, while you’ve been through three rounds with nothing. Your body is useless!" Just three days ago, he told me he was going abroad for business—ignoring my calls and messages the entire time. I thought he was just busy. However, it turned out he was with her, attending her prenatal checkup. Half an hour later, Ruby posted again, showing off a table full of delicious food. [I got tired of French food, so Ash made me all my favorite dishes. He’s the best!] I stared at the pregnancy test in my hand, the joy I had felt earlier now completely gone. After eight years of love and six years of swallowing my pride just to keep the marriage alive, I’m finally ready to let go.

Michael Damari is a secondary school student who is about to turn 18. He is a gentleman, quite awkward around girls and very protective of his family. With only few weeks to his final exams, Michael isn't quite prepared for all life has in store for him within those crucial weeks. When his younger sister, Ola becomes a victim of bullying, he realizes he needs to do something and due to his family's financial constraint, he decides to get a part time job at a cafe. However, his new boss, Donny, seems to be selling more than just delicious coffee. He meets Cindy, a pretty socialite from a wealthy family, but is she really good for him? The bigger question is, can he get through the next few weeks in one piece and just how much will his decisions affect those he loves?

Axel Ammen has a one night stand with an alpha in heat, and 5 years later, he's visited in his bakery by the same Alpha, who happens to be part of a Mafia gang. But he comes with an offer that Axel isn't entirely sure she can resist.

"Two Years. No Emotions. No Strings Attached." Emma Carter’s life is a constant battle of resilience and hard work. As an executive assistant to Adrian Steele, a billionaire playboy with a reckless streak, she’s used to managing chaos but when her aunt’s medical crisis leaves her desperate for help, Emma is forced to make an unthinkable choice. Adrian offers her a lifeline: a two-year contract marriage. No strings, no emotions, just business. For him, it’s a means to an end. For her, it’s survival. But as Emma navigates Adrian’s world of luxury and deception, she begins to see the man behind the mask, a scarred soul yearning for redemption. When lies, betrayal tears them apart, could a secret child bring them back together? Can Adrian win back the woman he walked away from? Or will Emma protect her heart and the life she’s built at all costs? Read further to unveil a story of love, betrayal, redemption, and second chances.

Ace breathes heavily as he stares into her eyes. The right words always leave him in her presence. He's always afraid he'll say the wrong thing and she'll turn tail and run but he has had it with all the running. "I love you," he says, noticing that she's about to say something contrary like she always does. "don't......don't speak, just listen," he says with such seriousness that she has never seen on him before. "I LOVE YOU," he reiterates louder, bolder using his hands to make gestures at himself and her. ********** Sky Baker has known love like no other, but she has also known loss- a great deal of it- and now she's afraid, afraid to let herself fall again because she knows she'll lose it just like she lost it before. what is the point of loving only to lose it in the end? Ace Reed had never known love. He was born to parents who didn't want him and cared more about their work than they did him and he has only used girls, for one thing: to satisfy his carnal need. What happens when one glance at a pair of sky blue eyes makes his heart do things his brain doesn't understand? What happens when he finally understands his feelings? What happens when the object of his affections wants nothing to do with him?