Sapo From On My Block

When you are growing up adults usually tell you that you can be whatever you want to be, right?! I was told I would be a starving artist if I became what I wanted to be. I let their words become me. All their words. I let them dictate the person I became. I kept the real me to myself after so many years of their hatred for that person. I let little bits of my soul break away and die to keep their torment to a minimum. I learned to not rock the boat, just keep my head down and do as I was told. I was the party crasher on their life that never left. Until I shocked them when I did. Out on my own, I wasn’t as strong as I thought I was. I settled for the first “nice guy” to come along. That quickly fizzled out after a shotgun wedding. After a year alone I met Prince Charming #2 at a backyard BBQ. I didn’t know my jerk radar was still broken. Then out of nowhere, the one I had always thought was a jerk turned out to surprisingly be my Prince Charming. Being the man, I need in my life. He became everything I needed, and everything I didn’t know I wanted. Allowing me to grow and blossom as a person which inspires him to do the same. And we live happily ever after.

Isang simpling pamumuhay ang mayroon s'ya ngunit nagulo ang lahat ng biglang dumating sa buhay n'ya ang isang lalaki at sapilitan s'yang kinuha para dalhin sa bahay nito. Gusto n'yang tumanggi ngunit paano n'ya gagawin iyon kung nakakawala sa huwisyo ang kagwapohang taglay nito. Kaya n'ya kayang labanan ang taglay nitong karisma kung sa umpisa pa lang ay parang hinihigop na ng mga mata nito ang kan'yang buong kaluluwa? Paano kung sa pagsama n'ya rito ay may matutuklasan s'ya tungkol sa kan'yang pagkatao? Ano ang mestiryo na dala ng lalaki na kumuha sa kan'ya? Kakayanin n'ya kaya ang kan'yang matutuklasan?

For ten years, Autumn Lewis and Julian Carter were childhood sweethearts. After three years of marriage, all she got in return were injuries, neglect from her brothers, and betrayal from her husband. When Autumn found out she had stage-two stomach cancer, something in her finally let go. She picked herself up and rose from an unnoticed employee to a powerhouse in the tech world. As soon as the divorce cooling-off period ended, she tricked Julian into signing the papers and made a clean break. The next time they met, the ever-calculating Julian’s eyes turned red as he tore up the divorce certificate. “Autumn, I was wrong. We’re not getting divorced. If I could give you my stomach, I would—just please don’t leave me.” Her once-proud brothers now pleaded, “Autumn, forgive us. Your sister-in-law is filing for divorce. Could you spare us some money?” Just then, a man stepped out from behind her, lifted his shirt slightly, and sneered. “Autumn, why waste your time on these jerks? Look at me instead.” Indeed, affection that came too late was worth less than dirt. She didn’t care for it anymore.

Aria Moonvale was born to be Luna—until the night her mate chose her best friend. Humiliated before her pack and betrayed by the bond she trusted, Aria shattered her mating bond and fled, carrying scars that would never heal. The Moon Goddess stayed silent. Fate turned cruel. Wounded and hunted, Aria crossed into forbidden Lycan territory, where mercy was rare and kings were monsters. There, she met Ronan Blackfang—the Lycan King feared across all lands. Cold. Ruthless. Untouchable. One night destroyed the walls she built. By morning, Aria ran again—this time carrying a secret powerful enough to shake kingdoms. Five years later, Aria lives in hiding with her triplets, children born with ancient power and the unmistakable blood of a king. She believes she has escaped fate. She is wrong. When Ronan finally finds her, he doesn’t beg. He doesn’t ask. He claims. Betrayals resurface. War brews. The Moon Goddess reveals the truth too late. And Aria must face the mate she never wanted—and the destiny she cannot outrun—as the Lycan King’s secret triplets awaken their true power.

I’d just bonded with my mate, Alpha Damien, when he brought home an orphan to repay a “life debt.” From that day on, I came second to the girl, Lila. Always. Lila framed me, claiming I forced her to lose control of her wolf. For that, Damien locked me in the silver cells for three days and three nights. "The silver will teach you how to be a tolerant Luna!" Silver poisoning is torture. My wolf withered. I begged for mercy, drowning in agony. Lila just snuggled up to him, her voice dripping with fake concern. "Serena is your mate, after all. When she's in pain, you're in pain. It hurts me to see you suffer." Later, to make Lila happy, Damien publicly gave my seat on the Pack Council to her—a girl who knew nothing. This time, I said nothing. I just severed our mate bond. Days later, while he was writhing in the agony of our broken bond, he finally heard the news. I had joined the royal’s elite unit, The Talons. And I was never coming back. He shattered.

“I hate you for bringing me here! I hate you for forcing me to live among wolves when I'm the only human. They all hate me! I am a prey, a pet, a weakling waiting to be devoured. How could you do this to me?” I cried as I stared the Alpha in the eye. I had just tried to escape again, but he caught me as always. There was something in his eyes. It was rage. Possessive and protective rage. “If anyone makes you feel insecure because you're human, I'll make sure their heads roll at their feet. Nobody is permitted to hurt you. Because you're mine. My mate. My Luna,” he replied. *** For 18 good years of my life, my father has kept me hidden from the outside world. Everything I wanted, he provided... Except to interact with people and live outside the walls of my wing in his mansion. All of a sudden, one night, he wants us to leave everything behind and flee. Flee from what? He won't say. Until strange men barge in and the leader of them has the face of the monster who has plagued my dreams every night for a decade. And then the monster proclaimed me his mate and took me away from the world I’ve ever known.

During the holidays, Ellie Harper, my wife who's a hospital director, tells me once again that she has taken on a few operations at the last minute, so she can't go home with me to spend time with my parents. But soon, I see her assistant, Jaiden Roth's social media feed. Apparently, Ellie is slaughtering pigs at Jaiden's village in preparation for a holiday party. The caption writes, "Dad says having a daughter-in-law who works as a doctor is amazing. To think that she's this skilled in slaughtering pigs as well!" With a cold smirk curling on my lips, I leave a like on the post. I also comment, "That's her major, after all." My colleagues keep gossiping among themselves in various group chats. They all think I'll definitely get into a huge fight with Ellie this time. Ellie wastes no time in calling me. I can already imagine the impatient look on her face and the way her brows are drawn into a tight frown. "Jaiden's village is hosting a huge party for the holidays, so I'm there to lend them a helping hand! What's with that passive-aggressive tone of yours, huh? "There isn't anyone who can help out in his household, you know! Do you know how badly it'll reflect on his family if no one from his side helps out at all? I was just helping him out as a friend! What's there to kick up a fuss over? "Hurry up and remove the like and the damn comment! Don't make life difficult for Jaiden at the hospital, you hear me? "Once I get back from the village, I'll pick a good date to go back to your hometown with you, okay?" Another empty promise from Ellie, it seems. All she does is making empty promises that she can never keep nowadays. I'm completely stuffed with those promises, and I can't afford to wait for her anymore. Once the holidays are over, I'll receive the divorce certificate marking the end of our seven-year marriage once and for all.

On the train back home, I found a scathing post online. [My sister-in-law is pushing thirty but isn’t married yet. She comes home all the time. Would you be bothered by it?] The comments were numerous and ran the gamut of opinions. The post got wildly popular, and there was an argument between the poster and commenters. [It’s bad enough that she won’t get married. She wants to stay with us when she’s home. Shouldn’t she feel ashamed? I’m at the end of my rope. She even drank all my lemonade last time she was here. I really hate her. [She has no boundaries. I’ve been wanting to teach her a lesson for ages. I turned her bedroom into my walk-in closet. Let’s see if she can still stay here.] When I got to this point, I closed the post. It was lucky that I bought the house where my parents and brother live. Because of that, I would not be at risk of losing my own room. But when I got out of the train station, I received a text from my mother. [Sweetie, I booked you a hotel room. You don’t have to come home and stay this time.]

“Tomorrow morning, I’ll leave. It’s raining thunderstorm outside..,,” “No,” he thundered, taking me by surprise. My head snapped up. “What?” “You want to divorce me right?” he bellowed. “Then leave this instant. We are no longer married.” He spat, looking at me with rage and fury burning in his eyes. He looked nothing like the calm gentleman I fell in love with. “Adrian—” “I hope you get torn into pieces by an unknown creature you homeless parasite!” he spat. “Huh?” I gasped. Me? Homeless? “I'll give you few seconds to change your mind Elara…” he sneered. “Because the moment you set your feet off this mansion… you will be worth nothing!” ******* Three years ago, Elara Sanz-Alonso walked away from a billion-dollar legacy to marry for love. But when she discovers she is nothing more than a shadow of another woman in her husband’s eyes, her perfect world shatters. Betrayed and heartbroken, Elara makes a choice that will shake the nation’s elite—she reclaims her place as heir to the Alonso dynasty, but the price of her return is an arranged marriage to the one man she once ran from: Killian Dreven, the Ice Monarch. They meet again and Elara sets firm boundaries, but what happens when the man who was rumored to be ruthless, starts to shower her with care and attention, so much that it scares her. Why is Killian keen on marrying her even though she ditched him in the past? What secret does he hold and why the hell does he treat her like she's the only person that matters? Will Killian break down her walls? Or will she end up breaking his?

"Hubby, kiss me. I miss you so much. When are you coming home?" Out of nowhere, I received a text. The sender was the cold, untouchable CEO who was currently scolding us in a meeting, Veronica Starling. What shocked me even more was the timestamp on the message. It was sent five years in the future.