Oh No There's Melanie

The night Enzo was made boss of the Moretti family, I gave him my virginity. He was the heir I'd been promised to since before I could speak. We kissed against the floor-to-ceiling windows, tangled in the humid, twilight heat... His rough, urgent hands hurt me, but I didn't pull away. Even the pain felt sacred, a sacrifice I was willing to make for love. Lost in the heat of the moment, he promised me a pair of the most beautiful crystal shoes, so I could dance the opening waltz with him at his coronation ceremony the next day. The first dance is always reserved for the new boss and his future bride. I cried with joy, believing my years of secret pining and patient waiting would finally culminate in a fairytale ending. But I was wrong. So terribly wrong. The next morning, I dragged my aching body out to get his favorite espresso, only to overhear the guys joking as I returned: "So you finally popped the family cherry, huh? How was Vivian on your first night as boss?" Enzo's voice was lazy, mocking. "Face of an angel, body of a devil. She's a hot little viper in bed." The room erupted in sleazy whistles. "So, you really gonna marry her, young boss?" "Are you kidding me?" Enzo scoffed. "Vivian's just a warm-up. Once I get some practice in, I'll go tame the Falcone ice princess. When I get bored, I can always circle back and put a ring on her." I stood frozen in the doorway, my vision blurring, the coffee cup trembling in my hand. Before the world faded to black, I sent a coded message to the Don: "Uncle Romano, for the promotion in three days, get me a transfer. As far away from Enzo as possible."

I run into a group of rogues on my way home for my daughter's birthday. I call my wife for help, but she blocks my number. I'm dragged out of the car, stabbed a dozen times, and thrown into the bushes to die. My neck is broken, and my organs are spilling out of my body. The rogues think I'm going to die—they even mention each other's names before me. Then, they drive off in my car while whistling happily. I hold onto my head and organs as I crawl to the roadside, hoping against hope that someone will save me. Before I'm taken to the hospital, I see my wife's social media update—she and her secretary have taken a sweet photo together while celebrating our daughter's birthday. The first thing I do after being discharged is demand a divorce.

When the ruthless heir of a crime syndicate comes to collect an old debt, Jade's world shatters. His father owes money he can't repay, and his desperate solution is unthinkable. He offers Jade's underaged sister as a bride to the merciless Salvatore Domenico. But Jade won't let his sister be sacrificed. Instead, he steps forward, offering himself in her place. What Jade doesn't know is that Salvatore has been waiting for this moment. Years ago, Jade's powerful family branded Salvatore's father a traitor and had him killed. Now, Salvatore has returned, not for money, but for revenge. Taking Jade into his world of blood, loyalty, and violence should have been the perfect punishment. Yet, the closer Salvatore draws him into the shadows, the more the line between vengeance and desire blurs. Revenge was supposed to be sweet. But Jade tastes like something far more dangerous.

“Mommy, love mo ba si daddy?” Napangiti si Zylah Almendras sa tanong na iyon ng pitong taong gulang na anak—si Jaxon. Sa isang dekadang pagsasama nila ni Bryce ay masaya sila lalo na at may isang anak silang bumubuo sa kanila. Kontento siya sa buhay bilang hands-on mom sa anak at mabuting may bahay sa asawa. “Oo naman, s’yempre,” tugon niya sa tanong ng anak at masuyong nginitian ito. “Pero si daddy love ka rin ba?” “Oo naman. Love din s’yempre ni daddy si mommy.” “Eh, bakit mas masaya si daddy kapag kasama—” Tunog mula sa tablet ni Jaxon ang pumutol sa sasabihin pa sana nito. Binalewala na nito kasunod ang ina at nakangiti na sa kung anong tinitingnan sa tablet. “Mommy?” Balik atensyon nito sa ina. “Hmm?” "Kailan kayo maghihiwalay ni daddy?” *************** Iyon ang simula ng lahat. Pagdududa. Pagtataksil. Pagkukunwari. Pagtitiis. Pero hanggang saan ang kayang tiisin ni Zylah? Hanggang saan kung hindi lang ang asawa ang inaagaw sa kaniya kung hindi pati ang anak?

First thing Leah Labelle did after Andrew Fillion's funeral? Ask her husband Ian for a divorce. Why? Because Ian's entire family thought the perfect way to honor his dead brother was to knock up the widow. Naturally. "My parents are threatening to hang themselves or starve, Leah. What was I supposed to do? It's just IVF with Cecilia—we're not even doing anything. Why are you making this a divorce thing?" Leah shut her eyes. Her chest cracked open, and the tears she'd been holding finally broke free. "Ian, we're MARRIED. You seriously don't think this is next-level insane?" Her husband was about to have a baby with someone else. But sure—she was the crazy one.

For eight years, I was James Carter's secretary and secret lover. Eight years of giving him my heart completely. I truly believed he loved me back - he was always tender and attentive when we were intimate, seemingly caring about my every need and desire. But then I overheard him telling others, "She's nothing but a stand-in, just someone to satisfy my physical needs when I'm bored. Did you really think I would marry her?" In that moment, I finally found the strength to let go and stop loving him. I handed in my resignation and walked away from it all. Yet after my whirlwind marriage to someone else, why did he suddenly start searching for me desperately across the city? Now he's here with tears in his eyes, claiming I'm the one he truly loves? Wasn't I just his convenient replacement all along?

Freya, the Luna of the Moonheart Pack, becomes a target of a deadly plot set in motion by her closest friend. However, her demise is just the start of a new chapter. She finds herself reborn in the body of a woman from a rival pack, facing a life filled with even tougher challenges and responsibilities. As Freya adapts to this strange new reality, she encounters tough choices. What will she do when she learns that her deceitful friend is actually the mother of her child? Will she choose to take revenge on those who betrayed her, or will she find a way to forgive? And when her baby's safety is at stake, how far will she go to protect her loved one? To dive deeper into this story, Read Now! 'No Longer The Naive Luna.'

On New Year's Eve, I waited at home with a box of sparklers, hoping Jake Thompson would come. Instead, an earthquake struck. Trapped under fallen debris, I prayed for his safety. Little did I know, Jake was putting on a grand fireworks display across the city for his high school sweetheart who had just returned from abroad. The whole town buzzed with excitement, wishing them a lifetime of happiness together. Meanwhile, I had lost my hearing in the disaster, with no hope of recovery. When I tried to break off our engagement and leave town, Jake stood before me, his eyes red-rimmed and pleading. I couldn't understand a word he said. I simply wished him, “May you always have a day like today, year after year.”

En la manada hay una regla de oro: el heredero Alfa nunca debe tener a una humana como compañera. Pero César Oliveira, el Alfa, rompió ese juramento y me marcó. Para estar conmigo, desafió al Consejo de Ancianos sin pensarlo, recibió noventa y nueve latigazos y fue condenado a arrodillarse frente al altar durante tres días y tres noches. Aunque su camisa estaba hecha trapo por la sangre, me sostuvo la mirada y me regaló una sonrisa. —Alicia, no tengas miedo, solo te quiero a ti. Al final, el consejo cedió y aceptó que nos fuéramos, pero a cambio, César debía dejar un heredero de linaje puro para la manada. Desde ese momento, la palabra que más escuché de su boca fue: "Espera." La primera vez, me pidió que esperara porque necesitaba que otra loba quedara embarazada. Así fue. Se acostó con Gloria... hasta que ella esperó su primer cachorro. La segunda vez, me pidió que esperara una vez más, porque esa vez fue una cachorra, y el consejo se empecinaba en que tenía que ser un cachorro. Así que volvió a acostarse con Gloria innumerables veces, hasta que ella quedó embarazada de un cachorro. Justo cuando pensé que, por fin, la espera había llegado a su fin, esa cachorra, recién bautizada, ingirió acónito por accidente. Todos asumieron que yo había sido la culpable. Cuando me metieron en esa cámara de congelación, a veinte grados bajo cero, César estaba en la puerta, con los ojos inyectados en sangre. —Te dije que esperaras... —me lanzó una mirada fría, tan helada que me quitaba el aliento—. Sabes lo que significa el veneno de lobo para nosotros, ¿por qué le hiciste daño a mi cachorra? ¡Qué locura! Sentí un tirón en el pecho, como si me hubieran arrancado el alma. Mis uñas se hundieron en la palma de mi mano, y no sentí dolor. Cuando la puerta de la cámara se abrió de nuevo, abrí mi mano, que estaba bañada en sangre. Esta vez, no esperaría ni un minuto más.

On my birthday, I personally prepare 16 dishes. After setting up the candlelight, I open a bottle of red wine. I take a photo and send it to my husband, Eric Sinclair. "I'm working late tonight. Don't wait for me," he replies. I choose to believe him. But after midnight, I notice an Instagram story posted by Shirley Huxley, his secretary. Eric was there with her, dressed in the trench coat I once gave him. They sat side by side in the VIP seat of football stadium where my favorite Super Bowl take place. Entwined in a passionate embrace, they kissed beneath a sea of shimmering lights and the roar of thousands of fans. That game is the one I have always longed to experience with him. I look down at the cold food on the table. Eric's words keep ringing in my head. "I hate kissing." "Marriage is a partnership, not about love and kisses." Though we've been married for ten years, we've never shared a single kiss. Meanwhile, he's out there, kissing Shirley openly and passionately. Despite it all, not a single tear falls from my eyes. The next day, Eric settles into his chair, completely unfazed. "Return the gallery to Shelly," he commands. I nod quietly, saying nothing. Suddenly, Layla Sinclair, my daughter, comes running down the stairs and throws herself into Shirley's arms. "Aunt Shirley, you're my favorite. I don't like Mom!" In that instant, it hits me—the home I devoted my heart and soul to means nothing anymore. It doesn't matter that I've been married to Eric for a decade. Now, all I want is to find myself again. I decide to accept an invitation from the Parisoir School of Fashion Design. From this moment on, I won't wait for them to come home, and I won't look back.