Rewind: The Love I Left Behind

For bubbly Dahlia Moretti, Theseus Ferrari was more than just a crush; he was an obsession, a silent inspiration that fueled her days. After years of adoration, their worlds finally collided, and a passionate love affair began. But even the strongest bonds can break. Now, with their story abruptly ended, Dahlia stands at a crossroads. Has the breakup irrevocably tainted her once-innocent heart? Will she chase after the echoes of their past, or will a new comfort lead her away? Can a love once so vibrant ever find its way back home?

On a trip to Chicily, my wife, Rosa Stone, and her first love, Jack Cud, insisted on feeding wild, starving wolves. I simply reminded them, "You might attract more hungry wolves." They turned on me, calling me a heartless monster. In the end, I was right. A pack of wolves really did show up. They circled the car, watching us hungrily. Jack was bitten by one. To my surprise, Rosa kicked me out of the car, yelling, "Jack is hurt! He needs to be taken to the hospital! Distract the wolves, I'll come back for you!" I watched them drive away, leaving me behind, surrounded by hungry wolves closing in from all sides. My heart sank. But, Rosa forgot one thing—I was a great Wolvesmith.

"Sa paglubog ng araw, ang liwanag ay naglalaho. Katulad ng mga ngiting sa kalungkutan natatago." Si Maureen Cruz ay isang masayahin na tao. Kahit na lumaki siya na hindi nakukuha ang lahat ng kanyang ninanais ay hindi iyon naging dahilan upang hindi yakapin at bigyan ng halaga ang buhay na mayroon siya. Primarya lamang ang kanyang natapos, at hindi na siya nakapag-aral pa dahil sa kahirapan. Gayunpaman, ginamit niya ang lahat ng kanyang mga pinagdaanan upang lumaban ng patas sa hamon ng buhay. Hanggang saan siya susubukin at dadalhin ng kanyang matapang na personalidad kung pag-ibig na ang sumukat sa kanyang dignidad? Mapanindigan kaya niya ang pag-ibig na itinanim nito sa kanyang puso at diwa? Hanggang kailan? Tunghayan ang k’wentong pag-ibig ng isang babaeng magtuturo, kung gaano kaganda ang buhay mula sa likod ng takipsilim. DISCLAIMER: No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the author's consent. Please obtain permission. Names, Characters, Places and Incidents are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. ️ WARNING ️ It may contain mature scenes and words. Read at your own risk.

Kepopuleran seorang artis bisa membuat banyak orang mengidolakannya, bahkan sampai memimpikan bisa bersama hidup satu atap bersama. Pasti sangat menyenangkan, kan? Itu tidak berlaku bagi Rafael, seorang mahasiswa di salah satu universitas negeri. Baginya, kepopuleran artis hanyalah omong kosong belaka. Kekesalan yang ia alami bukan tanpa sebab. Sara, teman masa kecil Rafael selalu membuatnya jengkel, padahal wanita itu berlabel artis papan atas paling populer. Sama hanya dengan teman masa kecil, Rafael mengetahui sikap, perilaku, hingga kebiasaan buruk Sara, kebanyakan dari itu tidak dipublikasikan karena ditakutkan berdampak pada popularitasnya sendiri. Hingga satu ketika, mereka tumbuh dewasa dan candaan yang mereka lakukan sejak dulu berubah menjadi taburan kisah menyenangkan. Akankah mereka tetap mempertahankan persahabatan itu atau justru mulai menjalin hubungan yang lebih serius?

“Maaari ko bang isangla muna sa iyo ang kwintas na ito kasama ng singsing ng aking mommy?” Anya ng pitong taong gulang na batang babae sa isang lalaki na nakapikit habang nakasandig ang ulo sa sandalan ng upuan sa isang waiting area ng hospital. Seryosong tumitig ang 20 years old na binata sa isang munting bata sa kan’yang harapan. “Alam ba ng mommy mo na isinasangla mo ang ang wedding ring niya?” Seryosong tanong na hindi maalis ang tingin sa mala anghel na mukha ng bata. “Ang sabi ng doctor ay kailangang maoperahan si mommy, pero wala akong pera, hindi mo naman siguro ipapaalam kahit kanino na sinangla ko ito sayo, di’ba?” Malungkot na sagot nito, bago matapang na sinalubong ng batang babae ang mga mata ng lalaki. “Paano kung kukunin ko ‘yan, paano mo ito matutubos sa akin? Hindi ako tumatanggap ng pera.” Seryosong pahayag ng lalaki. Saglit na nag-isip ang bata na wari mo’y naguluhan. “Kukunin ko ‘yan at sasagutin ko ang operasyon ng mommy mo pero sa isang kondisyon, magiging akin ka at pagtuntong mo sa tamang edad ay ikakasal ka sa akin. Kung hindi ka tutupad ay hindi ko babalik sayo ang kwintas at ang singsing ng mommy mo.” “Pumapayag po ako.” Inosenteng sagot nito. ————— Isang batang babae ang nakipagkasundo sa nag-iisang tagapagmana ng pamilyang Smith, si HARRIS SMITH. No read, no write at mangmang sa lahat ng bagay ‘yan si ZAHARIA LYNCH. Isang simpleng dalaga na sinamantala ang kainosentihan ng mga taong itinuturing niyang pamilya. Paano magkakaroon ng katuparan ang kasunduan ng dalawa kung sa apat na sulok ng kwarto umiikot ang mundo ni Zaharia?

During a battle between packs, both my adopted sister Chloe and I were injured. A Rogue tore me apart, leaving me a mangled heap of flesh and blood. My wolf was already fading from my spirit. But my Alpha mate, Damon, ran straight to Chloe. She had nothing more than a scratch on her face. He refused to use his Alpha power to save me, blaming me for the entire disaster. "Elena, if you hadn't slowed us down, none of this would have happened! How could Chloe have gotten hurt?" "You're not worth wasting the pack's resources on." In the end, I was left for dead in the forest, unclaimed and forgotten. And when the truth came out that I had died to save him? That cold-blooded Alpha who rejected me so viciously went insane.

I waited five years for him to love me. But love never came. Instead, she returned, the girl Brandon never stopped loving… and a little boy who looks just like him. A child I should have given him. I married Brandon Langford to save my father’s company. I gave him everything—my loyalty, my heart, my life. And he repaid me by suspending me from work and handing my project to her. Clara, his first love, is back, taking everything I built, everything I thought I owned. I’m done being a placeholder. This time… I’m claiming my life.

It took me ten years to become the right hand to Damian Costello, the Consigliere of the Costello crime family. From a nobody to the woman wearing his engagement ring. But two weeks before the wedding, I decided to throw that ring away. Everyone in the family knew how hard I had fought all these years just to stand by Damian's side. I gave up the chance to become a top trader on Wall Street, willingly becoming Damian's assistant, his shadow. This man was infamous for his coldness and exacting nature, keeping everyone at arm's length. So I hid my sharp edges, spending a decade wearing down his icy exterior with gentleness. I cleansed the blood from every dollar he made. I became a necessity to him, as essential as the air he breathed. I thought that after ten years, I had finally made my presence indispensable. And finally earned what looked, to outsiders, like a glimmer of his affection. The family's notoriously aloof genius actually remembered my birthday. He even made an exception, letting me spend the night in his private study when I was unwell. He didn't even push me away when, emboldened by wine, I pressed a kiss to the side of his neck. If the Don's daughter, Isabella, hadn't returned from Italy, I might have kept playing my part, clinging to that false dream forever. But sadly, there are no ‘ifs’. I am going to give up everything here and leave you.

When the factory director’s son dragged my drunk fiancee into the supply warehouse, I pretended as if I did not see them. I just turned around and walked away. In the past, I had ruined my own future by rushing in and beating the factory director’s son up. I was even framed for stealing the supplies from the warehouse. When the warehouse keeper came over with the police officers, my fiancee deliberately ripped her own clothes. She cried and said that she came with the director to stop me from committing the crime, but I beat her up and even defiled her. Everyone despised me, and I became a criminal. My fiancee’s parents could not bear the rumors, and they forced me to marry her. But that marriage was only the start of a hellish life. She lived like a queen at home, yet she told everyone I was starving her. When she got pregnant, she deliberately pushed her belly against the corner of the table. Then, she stood in the courtyard and cried. She claimed I had abused her, and I wanted to kill my own baby. My parents felt bad for me, so they borrowed money from everyone they knew to get her a job. But when she landed on the job, she framed my father for stealing the steel from the factory. Half a year after my father was imprisoned, he passed away in jail due to an illness. My mother could not bear the stress and fell severely ill. She also passed away soon after. When I was pinned under the collapsed brick wall at the construction site, she did not call for help. Instead, she picked up a brick and smashed it into my head. “If you were not so nosy, Jeremy and I’d have been together already. We wouldn’t have wasted so much time!” My head bled, and I was buried beneath a pile of rubble. When I opened my eyes again, I was at the entrance of the supply warehouse. From inside, I heard my fiancee’s soft, teasing murmurs.

After I lost the baby, I gave up everything my mate, Alpha Rhydian, hated. I stopped using our bond to sense where he was. I could sleep soundly even when he didn't come back to our bedroom all night. I didn't even tell him when a rogue's silver blade sliced my arm during a border skirmish. The pack doctor told me to notify my family. I just answered calmly, "I don't have a family." The doctor recognized me. "You're the Luna. Alpha Rhydian is at headquarters. Should I inform him?" I shook my head gently. "No, don't." But half an hour later, Rhydian came anyway. His tall frame cast a shadow over me, his voice ice-cold. "You're hurt. Why didn't you call me through the mind link?" I lowered my eyes. "It's just a scratch. No need to bother the Alpha." A low growl rumbled in his chest. The air crackled with his fury. He was about to speak when a guard whispered outside the door, "The Alpha cares so much for Isla. She just pricked her finger on a rose thorn, and he gave her the pack's most precious moonlight herb." I saw his jaw clench. His gray-blue eyes shot to me, searching for the jealous rage I always used to show. I gave him nothing. Not even a blink. I just leaned back against the cheap hospital pillows and closed my eyes. But Rhydian's composure finally shattered.