Once Upon A Time There Was

Cover by @tiadesign_ Ini adalah cerita tentang diriku. Kisah kebahagiaan dan kesedihan menutupi perasaan saya. Menyembunyikan perasaanku padanya. Dia? Ya ... Dia. Orang yang selama ini membuatku terus berambisi, meski aku tahu itu semua sia-sia. Aku tidak berambisi apa-apa dari dia. Tidak masuk akal rasanya kalau aku berharap dia juga suka sama aku. Mengapa aku tahu, itu hal yang tidak bisa terjadi. Setelah itu, aku dan Ardian sering jalan dan menjalankan hubungan dan melanjutkan ke jenjang pernikahan.

Mikel Rysdale needed an escape after a devastating blow to her heart and lifestyle. The number of people she can trust can be counted on one hand. Escaping to the one place she was free, she finds the most unlikely person to lean on. In his eyes, he was a broken man incapable of rejoining society. Army Veteran Killian returns home to live on his family's land in peace. Happy to see his sister again, he wasn't prepared to welcome a guest. What started as a tolerable relationship, the two found the need to be there for each other. Old wounds are hard to heal especially the ones in your heart. “Who are you?” His question was meant to be gentle but they came out as an angry ogre. She laughed at his question. The first chord of that sweet laugh was now trapped in Killian's mind and heart. Slowly she stood up and walked towards him. She was within four steps of him and her scent was intoxicating. Vanilla and the scent of fruit he had to know of. Up close she was perfection in his eyes. Unconsciously he stepped forward wanting to be close to her for some reason. The pain, the memories none of it was on his mind. His sole focus was on her. “Name's Mikel Rysdale. You can call me Mik for short.”

23-year-old Megan Spencer is on the brink of giving up on love after her break up with her fifth ex-boyfriend. That was the plan- until she met Mr. Flamin’ Hot Cheetos after entering his car uninvited. And worse? He’s literally one hallway away from her apartment unit.What about plan B, though? Nope, there isn’t any.

They buried her with lies... They mourned her with guilt... But Alira was never truly gone. When Alira discovers the affair between her sister and her husband,the man she once built her entire world around..confrontation turns to tragedy. Her life is stolen in a single, cruel moment but fate gives her what death denied: a second chance. Reborn in the past, before she ever said yes to his proposal, before she gave him her loyalty, her love... her power, Alira is no longer the devoted wife... She's the architect of vengeance. With every calculated step, she weaves a web of betrayal, seduction, and secrets. This time, she'll wear the dress not of a bride, but of a widow-to-be. And when the final match is lit, no one will be safe from the fire she’s come to unleash. In the ashes of the life they stole, she will build a funeral of flames.

Five years ago, Carla left her soul mate in their rumpled bed in a rented house in Mykonos, convinced she doesn’t deserve him, and he comes back to her life the secret lover of her best friend. Carla’s childhood friend Thera is visiting Greece after ten years, bringing Jake Winters with her, her boss whom she has been a long time secretly in love with. But Jake turns out to be Tom Sawyer, the pseudonym he used as a male escort five years ago – and he is still hotter than sin. It did not take long to see that the passion that drove them that blissful whole week together drives them still. He remains the only man who makes her feel that happiness is possible, but giving in to him means betraying her best friend, even though it’s evident that they aren’t lovers. That Thera made it all up. Billionaire programmer Jake Winters took over a gigolo trip for a friend once five years ago and that changed his whole life. But the culprit in doing so left him without a goodbye. When he finally finds Carla again, she turns out to be the childhood friend of his sweet secretary. As fierce as she is in bed, she is as loyal to people she cares about and he has to clear the air between him and Thera because the only thing he’s thinking about is becoming Carla’s gigolo again. For life. And as soon as possible. Like yesterday.

When my pilot boyfriend canceled our wedding for the 18th time, I finally snapped. The first time, his trainee got her period, and he bailed on me just to take care of her. The second time, she messed up a task, and all he said was, "Jan's upset", before walking out and leaving me to face our wedding guests alone like some kind of joke. We've been together for three years, and every single time she had an issue, he dropped our wedding plans to rush to her side. Finally, it hits me—maybe I never really mattered to him. So I make up my mind to see the world on my own and book a flight to Pavrielle. At least this way, no one will get the chance to leave me behind again.

They said I was beautiful — but not real. That my smile was perfect — but my past made me broken. I spent years trying to prove I was more than the girl who changed her face to survive the world’s cruelty. I married Julian Vale, believing love would finally see me. I called Serena Blake my sister, trusting her more than my own reflection. And when my world collapsed under secrets, silence, and the weight of never being enough — I disappeared. Then I opened my eyes… Ten years earlier. Before the surgery. Before the vows. Before I forgot who I was beneath the makeup and the mask of confidence. This time, I don’t need to be fixed. This time, I don’t need to be forgiven. I remember every lie. Every betrayal. Every time I silenced my voice to keep the peace. So I’m not here to win back love. I’m not here to punish the past. I’m here to become the woman I was always meant to be — unedited, unafraid, and finally, completely seen. I was more than pretty. This time, I’ll live like I believe it.

Before my boyfriend, August Cadwell, marked me, we went to register our mate bond at the Pack Affairs Department. Without a word of explanation, he unexpectedly had someone throw me out of the office. Then he walked in with his childhood sweetheart. He didn’t even blink when he saw me sitting there on the ground, shaking with disbelief. "Hailey's pup needs to be part of the Aurelis pack. The best and quickest method is for her to register a mate bond with a werewolf from the Aurelis pack. As soon as we sever the mate bond, I'll form a mate bond with you." Everyone assumed the lovesick version of me would wait just one more month for him. After all, I'd already waited seven long years. But that night, I did something unexpected too. I accepted my parents' arranged mate bond and quietly left for the Lymerian pack, disappearing from his life entirely. Three years later, I returned to my original pack to visit my family. My mate, Ryder Weyland, was now the lycan chairman. Because of an urgent council meeting, he arranged for someone to collect me from the airport. I never imagined that “someone” would be August. The moment he spotted me, his eyes immediately landed on the sparkling bracelet on my wrist. "Isn't this a knockoff of the bracelet Ryder Weyland, the lycan chairman, spent two million dollars on for his mate? Didn't expect you to turn this vain after just a few years. "You've caused enough chaos, haven't you? It's time to return. Hailey's pup is now of school age. You can take on the responsibility of pick-ups and drop-offs." I gently ran my fingers over the bracelet on my wrist. Little did he know that this was the cheapest one Ryder had ever given me.

After being saved by a Stygian Beasts lord Stan Indelcio from death, Cami now was a part of the Stygians and promised to serve and devote herself to Stan. Dylan is with Stan that time, so the two of them became her hero, Dylan is one of the Stygians member, offer her a shelter and care. Noong una di siya naniwalang maging mabuti si Dylan sa kanya dahil na rin sa mga napagdaanan niya na sa ibang tao lalo na sa sariling pamilya. Mas naging malapit siya kay Dylan, dahil narin siguro sa nakatira sila sa isang bahay. Napakabuting tao ni Dylan, gentle, caring, passionate at charming but grumpy sometimes. Nagustuhan niya na ang binata. Pero alam niyang malabong magustuhan siya nito, mabait lang ito sakanya dahil sa mabuting tao ito. Palagi siyang nakamasid sa binata mula sa malayo, Dylan is quite close to Stan's sister Zaneah because Dylan is Zaneah's protector. Ang gusto niya lang ay ang protektahan si Dylan pero ito naman ay walang pakialam, which is nakakasakit. Sa pagmamasid pala niya kay Dylan, nakamasid din sakanya si Gabe, ang tinitingalang prince charming ng Crown University. Walang araw na hindi siya kinukulit nito. Isang araw magkasama sina Dylan ng iwanan siya nito para kay Zaneah, nalungkot at nasaktan siya ng husto, biglang dumating si Gabe offer her his comfort. Mula nung araw na yun, sa tuwing nalulungkot siya, isang tawag niya lang kay Gabe dumadating agad ito para icomfort siya. He become her comforter. Dylan is her unrequited love and Gabe is always there for her. Sino ang pipiliin niya?

She was the good girl, the kind who went to church, held onto hope, and believed love was patient, kind, and safe. He was the golden boy, a charming athlete with a dangerous edge and a past full of secrets. When their worlds collided, it wasn’t gentle. It was wild. All-consuming. Addictive. From the very beginning, he swept her off her feet , with compliments, promises, and intense affection. She fell hard. He changed her, slowly pulling her away from her values, her friends, and herself. But behind the sweet messages and stolen kisses was something darker: cheating, manipulation, and obsession. When she made one mistake, one moment of weakness, he unraveled. Possessive. Cold. Punishing. Their love turned into a battleground of blame, silence, and control. She finally found the strength to walk away. Two months of no contact. Healing. Distance. She went overseas to find space from the chaos. But just as she began to breathe again, he messaged her. They reunited. Briefly. Just long enough for her to realize the truth: he hadn’t changed. But she had. This is the story of a girl who lost herself in someone else’s world, and slowly, powerfully, found her way back. It’s about love bombing, heartbreak, emotional survival, and becoming your own safe place. She meets other men, learns new lessons, and begins to understand that what she really wants isn’t chaos disguised as passion… It’s peace. Wholeness. Companionship built on truth. He was never her forever. But he was the lesson she needed to meet the love she deserved.