Panic Lauren Oliver

When I'm having a meal with my family at home, I find out that my childhood sweetheart, Melanie Johnson, has given up on an opportunity to get promoted and transferred to the military base in the north for the sake of my cousin, Wilson Chandler. "Wilson's competence is only good enough for him to study at a local college in town. It so happens that Mrs. Holland is in poor health as well. I've already applied for a local college for you. We shall stay in this town together." My mom adds, "That's right. I did promise your uncle that I'll take good care of Wilson, so you need to help me take care of him too. You should just give up on Valmore College—it's useless for you anyway. When you marry Melanie in the future, you'll have to follow her to whichever military district she's going to." Before I can even speak up, Wilson's eyes redden instantly, making him look very aggrieved. "This is my fault for being a total loser. My parents aren't here anymore, not to mention I'm the reason why Charlie can't attend his dream college. Why don't you all just leave and do whatever you want? I'm fine being alone." The moment Wilson starts playing the pity card, both my mom and Melanie panic instantly and start doing their best to comfort him. Meanwhile, I return to my room quietly and withdrew the application that Melanie helped me submit. Luckily, I manage to apply to Valmore College one second before the submission deadline ends. Honestly speaking, I intend to study at Valmore College not just because I can be closer to Melanie in terms of distance, but I also want to watch the snow with her there. I want us to walk together in the snow till our heads turn white from the flakes, signifying the longevity in our relationship. But now, the person standing next to me as I watch the snowfall doesn't matter to me anymore. It's just that I need to watch the snowfall no matter what.

The day I found out I was pregnant with my second child, the impossible happened: the baby in my womb spoke. "Stupid sister, are you even listening? Mom said that as soon as you graduate, she's selling you off. That money is for my future wedding!" My daughter went still. She didn't say a word, didn't confront me, didn't even cry. She just quietly applied to study abroad. And from that day on, I never heard from her again. My husband, seeing how devastated I was, moved to comfort me. But the baby's voice cut through the silence once more. "Comfort her? You're the biggest fool in this house! When I'm born, I'm not calling you 'Dad.' My real dad is that handsome guy from the bar!" The color drained from Sean's face. Before I could utter a word of explanation, he dragged me straight to the hospital for a paternity test. The results came back quickly—my best friend had pulled some strings to expedite them. And there it was, in cold, clinical print: NO PATERNITY BIOLOGICALLY ESTABLISHED. He didn't let me speak. He filed for divorce immediately. In a panic, the baby's voice cried out from inside me again, "Why is the idiot backing out now? Did he finally figure out Mom tricked him? The one who saved his life all those years ago wasn't her—it was her best friend!" That one sentence shattered my entire world. My husband turned his back on me and married my best friend. As for me… the shock and grief hit me like a physical blow. I felt a hot, sudden gush of blood. Before the doctors could save me, I died on that cold hospital bed, my hands clutching my swollen belly, my mind still reeling, unable to comprehend how my life had unraveled so completely. It wasn't until I was reborn, and once again heard the treacherous little voice inside me, that I finally began to understand the truth.

Matapos ng tatlong taong pagiging martir at pagkakakulong sa sagradong kasal ni Alyson Samonte kay Geoffrey Carreon ay tuluyan na itong sumuko sa asawa. Sa kabila ng pagtulong ni Don Gonzalo Carreon na pigilan 'yun ay nangyari pa rin. Muntik na sanang magtagumpay ang Don, kaya lang isang pangyayari ang naganap. Nalagay sa alanganin ang buhay ni Alyson at ng mga batang nasa sinapupunan. Iyon ang naging daan upang tuluyang talikdan ni Alyson si Geoff na akala niya ay pipiliin na siya. Lumabas siya ng bansa. Pilit na bumangon, nangarap at nagsikap sa tulong ni Oliver Gadaza, sa pag-aakalang kaya niyang kalimutan ang dating asawa sa paglipas ng maraming taon. Sa pagbabalik niya ng Pilipinas bilang isa ng matagumpay na CEO ng sarili niyang kumpanya, muli kayang magsanga ang landas nila ni Geoff, ngayong nasa iisang industriya na sila? Ano ang mangyayari sa muli nilang pagkikita lalo pa kapag nalaman ni Geoff na nagkaroon pala sila ng triplets na mga anak ng dati niyang asawa na naging lingid sa kaalaman niya ng apat na taon? "Bakit ganyan ang hitsura mo? Ang payat mo. Pinapabayaan mo ba ang—" "Ano namang pakialam mo sa kung anong hitsura mayroon ako?" Napasuklay na ng buhok si Geoff upang supilin ang awang nadarama. Medyo guilty siya na baka dahil iyon sa annulment nila. "Kailangan kong makialam sa'yo Alyson dahil hindi ka pwedeng mamatay hangga't hindi pa tayo annul. Narinig mo? Ayokong gagamitin mo hanggang kamatayan ang apelyido ko!" "Huwag kang mag-alala, hindi pa ako mamamatay. Ayoko rin namang gamitin ang apelyido mo at ilagay sa magiging lapida ko."

As a dive engineer, I need to go down into the shaft to retrieve a drill bit in order to speed up construction on the 800-million-dollar construction project before Independence Day. Little do I know that I've barely made my way down the shaft when I realize I don't have enough oxygen to last the journey. Amid my panic, I completely lose my sense of direction. So, I dig out my wireless radio in an attempt to communicate with my fiancee, Viola Jenkins. But all I hear is her laughter over the radio. "Aren't you all high and mighty, Elden? I'd like to see how long you can last underwater without oxygen!" Her first love, Ron Carey, adds, "Just sit back and watch the show, Viola! He'll definitely beg you to open the manhole cover for him when the time comes!" That's when I realize Viola and Ron have allied together to kill me. Not only have they closed the manhole cover, but they've also cut off my life-saving oxygen supply. After ensuring that the manhole cover cannot be moved at all, I begin crying for help weakly into the radio. "Hurry… Open the cover for me… I'm running out of oxygen…" Viola's contemptuous voice drifts from the radio. "It's only been five minutes. Why are you playing the pity card already? This is Ron's first time in a construction site, so he's inhaling some oxygen from the canister because he's already lacking in oxygen. You can wait for a while. "If you have the time to moan about the lack of oxygen, you might as well use it to retrieve the drill bit. Stop dilly-dallying around, Elden! You seriously think I'll keep you around if you don't pull your weight around here?" With gnashed teeth, I cover 65 feet downward in the shaft. With the last bit of oxygen in my lungs, I place my hands on the drill bit that's stuck in the deepest part of the shaft that can determine whether or not the 800-million-dollar construction project will be a hit or miss. I'd like to see if Viola and Ron will be able to reap the benefits from this project just by killing me off in the shaft!