The Finally

If it was my sister being bullied, Mom and Dad would have believed her right away and fought for her without a second thought. However, it did not matter anymore. In my next life, I would pick parents who really cared about me.

"SA TINGIN mo papayag ako sa divorce na gusto mo, Amanda? Never. At tsaka ito naman ang gusto mo noon pa man, hindi ba? Gustong- gusto mong maikasal sa akin..." Humalik ang labi nito sa balat ni Amanda na siyang nagpatindig ng kaniyang balahibo. "Ngayon, hindi ka na makakawala pa. Magdurusa ka habang buhay bilang asawa ko..." *** Noon pa man ay mahal na ni Amanda Fabregas si Theo Torregoza. Lahat ay kaya niyang gawin para sa lalaki maging ang pagbitaw sa sarili niyang pangarap. Kaya naman nang makasal si Amanda kay Theo, wala siyang ibang ginawa kundi maging masunurin at perpekto sa lalaki. Naging mabuti siyang asawa kay Theo. Ibinuhos niya ang pagmamahal niya rito ng buong puso pero sa huli... iba pa rin ang nasa puso nito. Nang sa wakas magising si Amanda sa kahibangan niya kay Theo, naisip niyang makipagdivorce na sa lalaki. Pero ayaw ni Theo. Gusto niyang magdusa si Amanda sa kasal at pagmamahal na ni minsan nasuklian. Gusto niyang pahirapan si Amanda. Hanggang saan aabot ang pagtitiis ni Amanda kay Theo? Hanggang saan aabot ang pusong paulit-ulit lamang sinugatan at kailanma'y hindi napahalagahan?

After my sister's death, I signed a five-year contract marriage with her mafia husband, Horton Falcone. I became the stepmother to my five-year-old nephew, Luca. On my birthday, I wore my late sister's diamond cross necklace, not realizing what it was. At the family dinner, Luca walked up to me with a glass of red wine and threw the wine in my face. The red wine dripped down my cheeks, its sharp scent stinging my eyes and staining my white dress. He tilted his head back to look up at me, his eyes as cold and cruel as his father's. "Don't think you can replace my mom just because you married into the Falcone family," he said with a malicious grin. "You're the reason she's dead." "I wish you were the one who died. Then I could smash your gravestone instead of celebrating this stupid birthday." "I swear, when I grow up, the first thing I'll do is dump you in the Hudson River myself!" The memory stung as sharply as the wine, and all I could taste was despair. I stared at the child I had spent five years raising as my own, a sharp pain pulsing in my chest. I had thought I could devote myself to the Falcone family, that I could win him over with my love. But now, I was just so tired of it all. It was a family with no love, a child who saw me as his mortal enemy. I stopped deluding myself. It was time to let go. But after I left, that arrogant father and son came crawling back to me like whipped dogs, begging for my forgiveness.

“Who the hell changed the screw tolerance by 0.007 mm?” “I did. Is there a problem?” Kimmy Zabel, our department’s “good-luck charm” and full-time slacktivist, did not even look up from her compact mirror, where she was carefully applying lip gloss. “It just didn’t look right, so I tweaked it. Do you really have to yell at me?” The production line had been running on the wrong spec for twenty-four hours. I hit the emergency stop. Keeping my voice steady took some effort. “These parts no longer meet export standards. If we miss tomorrow’s shipment, even a month of overtime wouldn’t cover the penalties.” “It’s one tiny number. You’re being so dramatic!” Kimmy snapped her makeup case shut. “Anyway, it’s New Year’s Eve. I’ve got a date. I’m not staying here to suffer with you people.” Before she even reached the door, I gestured to the staff to pull the shutters down. “For precision components like these, one number translates into a million-dollar loss. You can take these defective units and explain them to the regulators.”

The heart that I had waited two years for was given to the fake heiress, Diane Bishop, by my husband. The doctor said that I only had a week left to live. So, I decided to undergo cryonics. I donated my body to Diane’s workshop. The day I signed the donation papers, my son threw himself into my arms and exclaimed that I had finally made up with Diane. My parents praised me for finally being a good sister to help out Diane. My husband was pleased when he said that I had finally let go of the grudge and had become more understanding. I chuckled. They were right, I had finally learned my lesson. I would give Diane my identity as the heir of Bishop Corporation and fulfill everyone’s wishes.

On the day Moon Spencer received the Medal of Honor, she made a public declaration of love on live television to her accompanying military medic, Xavier Quinn. “If it weren’t for Xavier, I’d have died in that storm at sea. He is the most important person in my life.” At the same time, her husband, Nathan Johnson, was lying on his deathbed at home. For years, he had taken care of Moon’s parents and raised their child alone. The strain destroyed his health, and he had little time left. He never expected that after twenty years of sacrifice, he would not even hear a word of thanks from her. What truly broke him was their daughter’s comment. “Dad, don’t you think Dr. Quinn and Mom are perfect together? You should leave sooner and make room for him.” Nathan collapsed in fury and regret. He died that night. When he opened his eyes again, he was back to the night before Moon left for her coastal deployment. This time, he refused to stay behind as the forgotten man who kept everything running. In this life, he would pursue his own dream.

"You were promised to me, Alessia, not even death can change that." Alessia Capone was born a mafia princess, powerful last name, perfect future and zero control. At just fourteen, her parents sold her into a blood-soaked engagement with Rino Lombardi, the cold, dangerous heir of Italy’s most feared criminal empire. He was obsessed from the moment he saw her. She hated him before he even spoke. To escape that fate, she ran straight into the arms of another man. A man who turned out to be worse than her worst nightmare. Now, decades later, Rino Lombardi is back. Widowed. Ruthless. More powerful than ever. And still maddeningly obsessed with the one woman who got away. He made a vow to himself. If he can’t have her willingly, he’ll burn the world until she begs to come home. But Alessia is no longer the young girl he once knew. She’s a queen in her own right. She’ll never kneel, never submit, not even to the devil she once escaped. ...Or will she? Because the man she swore to hate may be the only one she’s ever truly belonged to. And this time, he’s not asking.

My mother hated me, to the point that she wished I were dead. I knew I deserved to die. Sixteen years ago, if I hadn’t insisted on going out, my brother wouldn’t have died while trying to save me. Eventually, both of us got what we wished for. I got brain cancer. She had become a stranger to me as I forgot everything and went to die in blissful ignorance. Then, she went mad.

Alpha Dominic Baine's life is a constant torment, cursed to share his destined mate, Elizabeth, with his brother, Alpha King Alaric. Overwhelmed by despair and Elizabeth's blatant rejection, Dominic confronts his ancestor, the Moon Goddess Serene, who reveals the curse was cast by the witch Rosalynn's bloodline—which includes Alaric's true mate, Liza. Dominic rejects Elizabeth after discovering she faked the mate bond, but not before she kidnaps Alaric and Liza's son, Aero. Dominic is critically wounded saving the boy, and Liza's inner dragon executes Elizabeth. After waking from a coma, Dominic learns his sister, Aura, and over ninety other females have vanished in a mass kidnapping. He realizes his recurring dreams of a beautiful white wolf—a "dream angel"—are shared prophetic visions with Liza, and the Moon Goddess confirms the wolf was the first taken and must be saved. A bloody note threatening Liza and Aero reveals the kidnappers are insiders targeting the royal family. The true purpose of the ancient curse is revealed when Liza realizes it can only be broken if Dominic finds his true mate: Liza's long-lost twin sister, Samantha, the white wolf in his dreams. The brothers unite, turning their attention from personal heartache to a desperate war against the monstrous forces holding the captured females.

Isolde Vancrest had witnessed the ultimate betrayal. Her long-time fiancé, Alan Princeton, had gotten his own sister-in-law pregnant, and he had the audacity to defend it. Alan: "You can't have children. The family can't end with me." How ironic. This was the same man who had once knelt nine times to propose, swearing he would rather be sterile than ever hurt her. If love was a joke, then pride had lost all meaning. That night, Isolde called the one man in Southbridge whose name most people feared to speak. By morning, she was his wife. When Alan saw her again, it was at her wedding. He dropped to his knees, eyes red. Alan: "Honey, I was wrong. Please… look at me." Isolde took a step back and fell into the arms of the man behind her. "The Prince," the ruthless ruler of half the city, wrapped an arm around her waist. "Seems you've forgotten your place." His voice was biting cold as he looked down at Alan. "Now she’s someone you don’t deserve to even look at."