Rechazada, Pero No Rota

En el mercado negro, mi padre escogió para mi hermana mayor y para mí a dos gemelos como guardaespaldas. Mi hermana, sin pensarlo, se quedó con el hermano alto y corpulento, dejándome al “mudo”, que apenas seguía con vida. Me dio lástima y lo mantuve a mi lado. Como no hablaba, lo llevaba de un lugar a otro buscando médicos y remedios. Como tenía una severa misofobia, yo siempre mantenía cierta distancia entre nosotros. Creía que había sufrido algún trauma y por eso era así. Hasta que los enemigos de mi padre nos secuestraron a mi hermana y a mí. Él me dejó atrás, eligiendo sin titubear morir para recibir la bala por mi hermana. Antes de morir, habló por primera vez; con los ojos enrojecidos le dijo a mi hermana: —Por fin puedes verme. Y a mí, en cambio, me dijo: —En la próxima vida, te lo ruego, no me elijas. Entonces entendí que no era mudo ni tenía misofobia. Lo de “mudo” y “misofobia” era solo hacia mí. Al abrir los ojos de nuevo, había vuelto al día en que elegíamos guardaespaldas. Esta vez, cumplí su deseo.

I begged my husband ninety-nine times to go with me to Jay Boone's concert. On the hundredth time, he finally bought two front-row tickets. Dressed to the nines, I was stopped at the entrance by security because I couldn't produce my ticket. By the time the concert ended, I still hadn't been able to get through to him on the phone. News broke that my husband and his young girlfriend were at the concert, requesting "Sunny Day" from Jay Boone. The story shot straight to the trending charts. There's no rain in the lyrics of "Sunny Day." Because the only world caught in a torrential downpour was mine.

I had a cousin my age. She overslept and was late for her SATs. Yet, she pinned the blame on me, saying that I made her take some fever medication. She stole 300 thousand meant for Grandma's surgery, claiming it was to buy me a car. She even insisted I was at fault when she accidentally got pregnant and took the wrong abortion pills, leading to severe bleeding. She vehemently insisted I pushed her, causing her to fall. My boyfriend stood by her side time and time again. Eventually, he finally gave up on me, telling me it was over. My aunt shoved me down the stairs, accusing me of ruining her daughter's life. My boyfriend witnessed the whole thing, but he told them I had fallen by accident when the police came. I died without ever seeing justice for myself. When I thought my life was finally over, I opened my eyes. I had returned to the day my cousin stole the money meant for Grandma's surgery.

I had been married to Lucius Martin for three years, and in all that time, there was never a shortage of women around him. Each time he brought another woman home, he would give me a necklace worth a fortune. In just three short years, I had accumulated ninety-nine necklaces. When Lucius fastened the hundredth necklace around my neck, I no longer cried or made a scene. Because this time, the woman he cheated with was my own older sister, the one who had beaten and scolded me since we were children. The man I loved most joined hands with the person I hated most to torment me together. At that moment, my heart finally died. This time, I took the initiative and walked up to Lucius, placing a house purchase contract into his hands. "As long as you sign this," I said, "you can do whatever you want with her." A flicker of surprise crossed his eyes, but in the end, he signed without hesitation. For the first time ever, he even leaned down and gently kissed my cheek. "Good girl," he murmured. "You've finally learned to behave." I personally opened the car door for him and watched as he hurried off toward my sister. When the car disappeared completely from sight, I let out a long breath. Then I reached beneath the documents and pulled out the paper hidden there—a divorce agreement.

There isn't any cure for migraines. But my billionaire wife, Ashley Weston, has not had a single migraine for years thanks to my daily massage with both hands. On the day I get into a car accident, I beg a passerby to call her to save me. She replies impatiently, "So you're resorting to such shameless tricks just because I won't answer your calls?" Through the phone comes the mocking laughter of her childhood friend, Jordan Hanson. My right hand is permanently fractured, and my left hand suffers from muscle weakness after the accident. A lawyer helps me draft a divorce agreement. With much difficulty, I sign it and send it to Ashley. On the day her head throbs with unbearable pain, she looks at my drooping hands and remains silent for a long time.

On the surface, Connor Shaw appears to be the coolheaded, celibate follower of the Fyerian faith who lives like a monk. All of Jewelton knows that about him. Behind closed doors, however, he suffers from a severe case of compulsive sexual disorder. According to the traditions of the merpeople, a mermaid like Sylvie Waverly will have to marry the first human she meets and perform the ultimate act of intimacy 999 times. Masquerading as a lovesick doormat, Sylvie does everything she can to marry Connor. However, the only one in Connor's heart is Anna Larson, his first love. Everyone assumes Sylvie will get jealous, but all she wants is to complete her mission as soon as possible and return to her own world. Once Connor has bedded her 999 times, Sylvie leaves him without a second thought. By the time Connor realizes Sylvie is the mermaid who saved him all those years ago and that she alone can cure him of his compulsive sexual disorder, it is all too late.

Chrisanna Auburn Scott has believed her father all her life— with every decision of her life. And each decision proved to be the best for her even though she was never pressurised to obey them— until one day, she had a second thought on his decision. Get married to the son of her parents' mutual friends— Samuel Vance Gabriel— the guy who used to admire her eight years ago and left her with a bunch of unanswered questions. Chrisanna has known Samuel all her life— ever since she could remember. After eight years, when Samuel crosses her path again, she's unable to accept his cold and ruthless behaviour towards her. "Reject the alliance if you don't wanna regret it", Samuel husks with a hateful gaze. "Why can't you reject me? I have no issues with this alliance", Chrisanna fires back. "Because you're better at this work" * She's the lifeline of her family. He's far away from the name of the family. She has accepted the bitter truths of her life. He hates his past by every means. She loves to gather love. He prefers to run away from love. What happens when these two tangle into a marriage with no terms and conditions?

Llevo diez años casada con Nicolás. He conocido a cada una de sus novias. Cada vez que se aburría y quería cambiar, yo era su mejor pretexto para terminar con ellas: —Si te casas conmigo, vas a terminar igual que ella. Nos acostumbraríamos tanto el uno al otro que se perdería toda la emoción. En nuestro aniversario de bodas, yo le secaba las lágrimas a la universitaria que acababa de dejar, mientras él llevaba a su nueva conquista al cine. Cuando se acabó el paquete de pañuelos, fue como ver un reflejo de mi pasado. Así que le pedí el divorcio. Su reacción fue de una confusión genuina, algo raro en él. —¿No vas a esperar un poco más? Tal vez lo nuestro pudo funcionar. Le dediqué una sonrisa vaga, sin responder, y compré un boleto de avión para cruzar el océano. Ya no podía esperar a que cambiara, así que decidí dar el primer paso.

My fiancé is the heir to a mafia empire. For seven years, I believed our love was the one true thing in a world built on lies. Then, on the night of our engagement party, I found him holding another woman — my own half-sister, the daughter of our family’s oldest enemy — whispering words that shattered everything: "I regret everything. Come back to me, and I’ll call off the wedding." I didn’t scream. I didn’t cry. I made a phone call instead. Three weeks later, on what should have been our wedding day, I erased my identity and vanished from his world. But not before making sure our wedding would be one he — and every family in the underworld — would never forget.

For sixty-six full moons, Alpha Zephyr showered me with lavish courtship rituals, begging me to be his mate. On the sixty-seventh, I finally said yes. On our bonding night, I gave him an enchanted pouch with sixty-six moonlight crystals. We made a deal. Every time he broke my heart, I would crush one. It was the price of my forgiveness. In the six years since we mated, he has broken my heart over and over for his childhood friend, Chloe. Each time, I crushed a crystal. After the sixty-fourth crystal turned to dust, Zephyr finally seemed to notice something was off. I stopped telling him to keep his distance from Chloe. I stopped needing him around. But when he tried to leave me for that Omega one more time, I grabbed his arm. “You’re going to her. Should I crush another crystal for this?” Zephyr froze, his expression weary. “Do what you want. You have plenty left anyway.” I just nodded, watching his back as he disappeared. He still thought the moonlight crystals were endless. He had no idea there were only two left in the pouch.