The Half Of It: A Memoir

“See, malyshka, you walk in here wearing that little skirt and dare to talk about modesty?” I glanced down at my blazer skirt, heat crawling up my neck as his gaze dragged over my legs. “If I weren’t your patient…” He turned slightly, gesturing to the examination bed, his voice dropped dangerously low, “I'd put you right there and demonstrate… “Mr. Ferrari!” I snapped, leaping to my feet, my heartbeat pounding in my ear now. I had never met a man as vulgar, audacious, and devastatingly magnetic as Gideon Ferrari, especially not one wearing a hospital gown. My first therapy session with the sex-addict patient who should have been a simple case… became the moment my ordinary world spinned off its axis. I wasn’t supposed to think of him. I wasn’t supposed to dream of him. And I definitely wasn’t supposed to wake up breathless, aching, and ashamed of how desperately I wanted him. I prayed I’d never see him again. But part of me wondered, hoped, if he’d ever cross my path once more. When he did, everything changed. It became clear that there was more to this infuriating gorgeous Russian than meets the eye. He seemed too willingly to carry my weight and I had deep wounds from the past that needed healing but the problem was, he's already taken. Will we get away with satisfying our deepest dark desires in secret or will he eventually step up and claim me as his forever?

Michael Damari is a secondary school student who is about to turn 18. He is a gentleman, quite awkward around girls and very protective of his family. With only few weeks to his final exams, Michael isn't quite prepared for all life has in store for him within those crucial weeks. When his younger sister, Ola becomes a victim of bullying, he realizes he needs to do something and due to his family's financial constraint, he decides to get a part time job at a cafe. However, his new boss, Donny, seems to be selling more than just delicious coffee. He meets Cindy, a pretty socialite from a wealthy family, but is she really good for him? The bigger question is, can he get through the next few weeks in one piece and just how much will his decisions affect those he loves?

Ace breathes heavily as he stares into her eyes. The right words always leave him in her presence. He's always afraid he'll say the wrong thing and she'll turn tail and run but he has had it with all the running. "I love you," he says, noticing that she's about to say something contrary like she always does. "don't......don't speak, just listen," he says with such seriousness that she has never seen on him before. "I LOVE YOU," he reiterates louder, bolder using his hands to make gestures at himself and her. ********** Sky Baker has known love like no other, but she has also known loss- a great deal of it- and now she's afraid, afraid to let herself fall again because she knows she'll lose it just like she lost it before. what is the point of loving only to lose it in the end? Ace Reed had never known love. He was born to parents who didn't want him and cared more about their work than they did him and he has only used girls, for one thing: to satisfy his carnal need. What happens when one glance at a pair of sky blue eyes makes his heart do things his brain doesn't understand? What happens when he finally understands his feelings? What happens when the object of his affections wants nothing to do with him?

After being disfigured by a fire, Annabelle Sanchez was kicked out by her parents. Twelve years later, she was brought back, not out of guilt but out of the need of a victim of an arranged marriage. What was worse, her fiancé, disdaining her looks, dumped her in public. In desperation, she married Kendrick Gregory, her ex-fiancé's brother. After marriage, Kendrick was surprised to find that Annabelle was incredibly gorgeous. She, on the other hand, realized Kendrick was actually a cunning fox.

No fling! No way! Not now, not ever! Mackenzie Swanson is not having a fling with Wyatt Carlyle! And she has told him so… time and time again. But that's fine with Wyatt. She's not his type anyway. He's a ‘wham-bam-thank-you-ma'am’ kind of guy who believes in true lust, and she's a former virgin who believes in true love. Not a match! Nope! Not suited at all. But after their one seductive night together, Wyatt is strangely hooked. He's prepared to follow this gorgeous virgin anywhere and everywhere. He can't keep his hands off sexy Mackenzie and he can't keep out of her oh-so-tempting bed. So, he's going to prove that what she thinks isn't happening is actually the most passionate fling of his life.

My daughter, Vivian Montiago, is born with a heart condition. To protect her, I decide to spend 200 million dollars on building a prestigious preschool for her in the company's park. I don't want her to be lonely, so I also decide to allow the other employees' children to attend the preschool for free to keep Vivian company. However, on the first day of preschool, Vivian's smartwatch alert keeps going off. When I rush over to the preschool, I find out that Vivian is all tied up and left to die under the hot afternoon sun. Her skin is red and blistering, and her lips are purple as she teeters on the edge of death. "Are you all blind? Call the ambulance!" I yell in anger, grabbing Vivian and rushing out of the place. However, Hailey Lester, my husband's secretary, gets in my way. "You seduced my husband and birthed an illegitimate child. How dare you try to get away without being punished?" she screams, slapping me hard in the face. "I'm telling you that this preschool is a gift to me and my son from Rhett! And you're not allowed to step out of this place without my explicit permission!" "Her life is in danger! We'll talk about that later!" I exclaim, not wanting to argue with her. However, she kicks me to the ground and says, "So what if his bastard daughter dies? He can have a daughter with me if he really wants one!" The company employees don't seem to care about Vivian's health condition at all. They point at me and say, "Ms. Lester is Mr. Montiago's beloved wife, and she also owns this place! You're nothing but a homewrecker trying to take advantage of the free preschool program. Get down and apologize at once!" Fine. Since everyone is as blind as my husband, Rhett Montiago, in realizing who the real deal is, I decide that I am not sparing a single one of them.

Even after a full decade of marriage, my husband Rudolf and I were as deeply in love as the day we wed—an enviable couple in the eyes of all. On the day of our anniversary, I saw him lifting a little boy into his arms right outside the entrance of our neighborhood. "Daddy! Can you take me to the amusement park this time?" The boy's words were enough to stop me dead in my tracks. I instinctively hid around a corner. "Of course! I'll even take you on a trip." Rudolf smiled warmly and kissed the boy on the forehead. In that instant, something seemed to have been set off in my head, as if years of trust had been shattered at that one moment. Daddy? Upon closer examination, I realized that the boy's features were remarkably similar to Rudolf's. No one could deny they were blood-related. "Your dad's busy with work, sweetheart. Don't cling to him too much," said a beautiful woman standing next to the boy. The cruel moment before me made it clear. The man who swore he would love me forever had been cheating all along.

Loveless marriage led to the annulment of Atlas and Olive. For almost half of their life they spend it together in hell, hurting each other physically and emotionally. As the separation was granted, they both thought that it was for the best. But fate had different plans for them. A baby came, unexpectedly. Trying to be good parents, they both tried to fix their mess. They conquer their indifferences. Was it all really because of the baby? Or, was it because they already felt attachment to each other? Did love finally exist to the both of them this time?

It is in the human nature to expect things from a person. And of course, as a human, one will tend to try to reach their goals no matter how big or small it is. One will strive hard to reach those expectations, sometimes even ace it. However, not all things goes the way one planned it and that is what happening to Pharynne Mauridelle Cortés. Pharynne Mauridelle Cortés is a full of hope woman. She's a woman who will give her all selflessly no matter what and how much struggles she have in life. However, no matter how beautiful a rose can be, it wouldn't change the fact that it still have thorns. Thorns that even she herself can get hurt by it. She is beyond what the society wants her to be. For beyond what it seems to be in the strongest façade a woman can have, is her broken and wounded self that she couldn't even mend it herself. And when she reached her outmost endpoint, her world clashes with Jhariêx Ivan Romanov Strëízhnnërr IV. The man full of mystery who will be her anchor and thread of light that will help her heal and rebuild herself. But then, when things are almost at its place, she will suddenly discover the mystery behind his life. Being lied to and destructive pain she felt, causing her demons to fully swallow and win against her. No matter how beautiful and delicate a flower is, if it starts to get rotten inside, it will still wither and die.

Anita Richardson, a top model in New York City, got entangled in a scandal that threatened to end her career. She had to seek refuge from none other than the famous, Mr. Rivers, CEO of Opulence Entertainment. What happens after she made a deal with him even though several details weren't made clear to her? Something that had to do with her being a substitute mom for his twin kids, aside from her being a substitute for his runaway wife... With a past as dark as night she was desperate to keep hidden and protect, how was she to take care of others when she wasn't really doing well in taking care of herself? When love's shackles threatened to stand in the way of her plans, Anita finds herself caged between her past and present. Was she going to ignore the hurt of the past with its scars, and let love guide her? Or would she make good use of her situation to avenge her broken self and get back what had been originally hers?