Pancake Brand

Drei Tage vor meiner Markierungszeremonie steckte jemand das Brautmodengeschäft in Brand, während ich drin mein Zeremonienkleid anprobierte. Alpha Marcus ließ den Brandstifter ins Rudelgefängnis werfen und verurteilte ihn zu der härtesten Strafe, die unsere Gesetze zuließen. Ich lag im Krankenhausbett, mein Körper übersät mit Verbrennungen dritten Grades, und wollte gar nicht richtig aufwachen, weil die Realität meiner Entstellung immer mehr auf mich einstürzte. In meinem halbbewussten Zustand hörte ich, wie Marcus mit der Heilhexe des Rudels sprach. „Alpha, wir können sie mit der alten Magie immer noch vollständig heilen. Wenn wir länger warten, wird Sarah diese Narben lebenslang tragen! Du willst doch nur, dass Miss Rachel an der Markierungszeremonie deine Luna wird. Das ist unmenschlich!“ „Sie soll die Narben behalten. Ich werde für sie sorgen, solange sie lebt, aber wenn sie geheilt wird, macht sie bestimmt Ärger bei der Zeremonie.“ „Ich habe Rachel versprochen, dass ihr Kind mit allen Ehren ins Rudel aufgenommen wird. Nur wenn Sarah völlig entstellt ist, wird sie dankbar genug sein, Rachels Kind wie ihr eigenes großzuziehen. Die Narben sind notwendig – so wird sie sich niemals trauen, das Kind schlecht zu behandeln.“ In der dunklen Ecke des Zimmers, wo niemand hinsah, lief mir eine Träne über die verbrannte Wange. Das war also die Wahrheit. Die Markierungszeremonie, von der ich immer geträumt hatte, war nichts als eine Lüge. Das Band, nach dem ich mich so sehr sehnte, sollte zu meinem Todesurteil werden. Wenn es so sein sollte, dann würde ich ihm geben, was er wollte.

After I was reborn, I dumped the cheating bastard and married his older twin brother. But as it turns out, I still picked the wrong man. In my past life, I married Maxwell Vaughan, the younger twin. Not long after our wedding, he started sleeping with Kelly Sloan, the maid's daughter. For her, he set the house on fire while I was sleeping. I woke up burned beyond recognition. Amoura, the world-famous lingerie brand, dropped me overnight. Just like that, my modeling career was over. This time, I chose Charlie Vaughan, the older twin. We were in sync and deeply in love. I thought I'd finally made it, that I'd rise to the top and become the supermodel I was meant to be. But the night before my Amoura runway show, my face was burned again. Charlie uncovered the truth quickly and had Maxwell arrested. For a moment, I thought I'd made the right choice this time. Six years later, I overhear something I was never meant to hear as Charlie tucks our sons, Declan and Dylan Vaughan, into bed. "Dad, Uncle Max already took the fall for Kelly. So why did she have to leave the country? Couldn't she have stayed here with us?" "Yeah, Dad. We still want Kelly to be our mom. We hate that freak!" Charlie pulls Declan and Dylan into his arms. His gaze softens with sorrow, then hardens with quiet resolve. "I already betrayed your mom once for Kelly. I'll spend the rest of my life to make it right." A rush of emotion surged through me, the pain cutting deeper than the fire ever did. For six years of marriage and eight years of love, I've been nothing more than a joke. Only now do I see it—Charlie loved Kelly all along, just like Maxwell did. Our marriage was nothing more than a matter of convenience. Even Declan and Dylan call me a freak and wish Kelly were their mother. If that's how it is, then so be it. I'm done with all three of them.

LOVE and HATE are sometimes considered to have the same feeling and effect. It requires the same amount of intensity. When you fall in love you always think about that person while when you hate someone you also do the same. Is it possible that hatred could turn into love? Can love forgive and forget the pain of the past? Queensley Hernandez ay kilalang-kilala sa industry na kinabibilangan niya. Brand ambassador kasi siya ng isang kilalang clothing line at cosmetic company. Magandang mukha, makinis, katawan na may magandang kurbada at marangyang buhay. Halos lahat ay nasa kanya na pero pakiramdam niya ay may kulang pa rin sa buhay niya. Kaakibat ng kasikatan niya ay ang panghuhusga ng mga tao sa paligid niya. Kinababaliwan siya ng mga kalalakihan samantalang sinusumpa naman siya ng mga kababaihan. Wala siyang pakialam sa sinasabi ng ibang tao dahil alam niya na wala naman siyang tinatapakan na tao. Marami ang nagagalit sa kanya at hinusgahan siya ng hindi muna siya kinikilala. Isa sa mga taong iyon ay ang nag-iisang anak ng taong kumupkop sa kanya si Mark Joseph Donovan. Kinababaliwan at hinahabol siya ng mga kababaihan dahil sa taglay niyang kagwapuhan pati na rin sa kanyang reputasyon. Wala siyang panahon makipagrelasyon dahil mas naka-focus siya sa pagpapalago ng negosyo. Kinatatakutan naman siya ng mga tao sa industriya na ginagalawan niya dahil sa pagiging matalino, agresibo at strikto. Iniwan niya ang kumpanya ng magulang niya at nagtayo ng sarili niyang kumpanya. Galit siya sa Papa niya kaya umalis siya at nabuhay mag-isa. Ngunit sadyang mapaglaro ang tadhana dahil kailangan harapin niya ang Papa pati na rin ang babaeng kinasusuklaman niya. Ano ang kalalabasan ng paghaharap nila? Posible ba na mabago pa ang pagtingin ni Mark kapag na kasama niya si Queensley?