The Second Husband

On New Year's Eve, I prepare a feast. The clock strikes twelve, but my husband, Vincent Porter, still isn't home. My daughter, Lorelei Porter, tugs at my sleeve and holds up my phone. "Look Mommy, Daddy is at this lady's house!" Vincent has posted an update on Twitter. He is with Christine Snow, his childhood sweetheart. They are smiling at the camera, with a boy who looks about ten standing between them. In front of them sits a swan-shaped cake. The caption reads, "The most special day for the most special you." My heart sinks into my stomach. A marriage that came later in life can never compete with a pair of childhood sweethearts. I accept defeat.

Dahil sa pangba-blackmail ng tiyuhin ni Lilac ay pinakasalan niya ang binatang mayaman at 25 years old ngunit ang isip naman ay 15 years old teenager na si Fugo Clemente. Inapi-api niya si Fugo para kusang makipaghiwalay ito sa kanya. Nang hindi na makayanan ni Fugo ang ginagawa niya ay lumayas ito sa bahay nila at hindi na nagpakita pang muli sa kanya. Ngunit nang wala na ito ay saka naramdaman ni Lilac na nagkaroon na pala ng puwang sa kanyang puso ang kanyang asawa nang hindi niya namamalayan kaya hinanap niya ito ngunit hindi niya ito natagpuan. After three years, nakilala ni Lilac si Falcon na pinuno ng mafia sa Pilipinas at kamukhang-kamukha ito ng kanyang asawang si Fugo. Ngunit magkamukha man ang dalawa ay magkaiba naman sila ng pag-uugali. Aloof, rude at higit sa lahat ay wala itong pakialam sa kanyang nararamdaman. Malayong-malayo ito sa asawa niya na bagama't batang mag-isip ay sobrang mahal na mahal naman siya. Ngunit malakas ang kutob niya na si Fugo at Falcon ay iisa kaya gagawin niya ang lahat para maalala at ibigin siya nito. Magawa kaya niya itong paibigin kahit na may ibang babae nang nagmamay-ari sa puso nito? O kailangan pa bang malagay sa panganib ang buhay niya bago nito ma-realized na mahal pa rin siya nito?

I thought finding my mate would be the start of my happily ever after. I was wrong. It was the beginning of my misery. Cassius Slade, the son of the Alpha, my tormentor for years, claimed me in front of the entire pack. For one breathless moment, I believed the Moon Goddess had given me a blessing. Then I found him in another’s arms… whispering love to someone who wasn’t ME. To hide his shame, he asked for my life but I ran, broken and ready to let the sea swallow me whole. But fate wasn’t finished with me. I woke in the arms of Dante Steele. The dangerous, magnetic Alpha and he claimed me as his second-chance mate. His gaze burns hotter than the sun, his touch makes me forget my scars, and his vow to protect me makes my wolf purr. But Cassius isn’t done with me. And the Moon Goddess doesn’t grant second chances without a price. Now, I stand between two Alphas, two fates, and one choice that could save me… or destroy me. I am given a chance, to rewrite my horrible story and make it beautiful.

Shortly after we said "I do," the Family sent my husband, Dario, down to the Mexican border. He told me it was a meat grinder down there—cartel territory. where guys were zipped into body bags every day. He said he had to go—to expand the territory, for the glory of the Family. He claimed it was too dangerous and that his enemies would paint a target on my back, so he wouldn't take me with him. I believed him. I stayed behind in his old, rot-infested house in New Jersey, taking care of his bitter, spiteful parents. I spent my days and nights in the Family's moldy laundromat, washing bills stained with blood. He told me he sent every dime he made down there to the widow of a brother who took a bullet for him. He asked me to be understanding. I never complained. Day after day, I pressed expensive suits in that humid laundromat, waiting for him to come home. It wasn't until the eighth year that a mobster came back drunk. When I asked about Dario, he froze, then sneered at me through a haze of alcohol. "Dario? Are you kidding? He’s been a King in Manhattan for years. He’s the youngest Underboss of the Corleone family." I stood frozen, the iron in my hand burning a hole right through a shirt. "And he got married seven years ago. Biggest cathedral in New Jersey. Half the mob was there to toast the groom..." He pulled a crumpled photo from his leather jacket. Snuggled up against my husband was a woman in a high-end couture gown—the very same "poor, widowed sister-in-law" he had told me about. The next day, I contacted a fixer who specialized in fake IDs. On the application for a one-way ticket to Europe—a ticket to vanish off the face of the earth—I filled in the fake name I had prepared long ago. He trapped me for seven years with a sham marriage. From now on, I’d be done with this damn loyalty.

The day after my best friend, Sarah Blunt married Patrick, the second son of the Brosnan family, I too became a bride and wed Matthew, his older brother. She married a swimming champion, and I, the rock-climbing coach. We thought we had our futures all figured out. Then, something happened that summer. The four of us planned a getaway but Matthew and Patrick’s baby sister, Megan joined us and our peaceful trip became a crowded affair.  While rock climbing, disaster struck—the rope snapped, and all five of us plummeted into the river below. The brothers rushed frantically to save Megan, leaving Sarah and me at the mercy of the river’s current, battered and tossed like driftwood. By the time the rescue team pulled us from the water, we were bruised, scraped, and utterly spent. In the hospital, Megan and I received devastating news that would change everything.  “You’ve been pregnant for 40 days, Ma’am. How could you put yourself in such a risky situation? Your baby survived, but your friend lost hers.” Shaken, I called Matthew to tell him about the pregnancy. His anger cut through the line. “You’re angry that I went to Megs first and now you’re trying to fool me with a fake pregnancy? She’s my sister—it’s my duty to protect her!” Sarah faced her own storm. Patrick practically scoffed at her grief. “Miscarriage? Do you expect me to believe that? The doctors said you only had a 30% chance of conceiving. I can’t stand women who create drama out of nothing.” Both calls ended abruptly, leaving us stunned as we stared at each other in the sterile light of the hospital room. In that shared silence, we made our decision—we would leave these men behind and start anew, launching a business together. But when the brothers received our divorce papers, they showed up at my door in the middle of a storm, kneeling in the pouring rain, crying through the night for a second chance.

Chloe is destined for greatness, but her first officer rejects her, leading her to fall into the clutches of her second chance: a powerful werewolf who would move heaven and earth to protect her. Bradley doesn't care that she doesn't have a strong wolf: he loves her unconditionally. But their love can only become reality if she manages to overcome the dark secrets of King Lycan. Could she let go of what she once hated for love?

Nagluluksa si Amara Alcantanra sa burol ng kaniyang ina habang abala ang kanyang asawa sa pagdiriwang ng kaarawan ng unang babaeng minahal nito—punong-puno ng kasiyahan at engrande ang selebrasyon. Klarong-klaro ang lahat kay Amara. Kung hindi siya mahal ng lalaki, ayaw na rin niya dito. Iniwan niya ang kasunduan ng diborsyo sa ibabaw ng mesa at piniling ipalaglag ang dinadala, at lumakad palayo nang mag-isa. Limang taon ang lumipas. Sa isang marangyang subastahan, lumitaw ang chief auctioneer nakasuot ito ng isang hapit na makabagong Filipiniana na backless, may mataas na slit sa hita, at natatakpan ng puting belo ang kanyang mukha. Lahat ng mata ay kusang tumigil sa kanya. Napasimangot si Argus De Luca, bahagyang nanliliit ang mga mata. "Ang pangalan niya'y Reina?" Tumango ang kanyang assistant. "Yes, Sir. May nabalitaan rin akong minsan may nag-alok ng sampu-sampung milyon kapalit ng pagkakataong makita ang tunay niyang mukha pero tinanggihan niya." Sa wakas, natagpuan na ni Argus De Luca ang babaeng matagal na niyang hinahanap sa loob ng limang taon. Kinagabihan ay hinarang niya ito sa isang kanto. "Auctioneer Reina, hanggang ngayon ay tinatakbuhan mo pa rin ako o mas tamang sabihin kong Amara?" "Argus, hiwalay na tayo." "Hindi ko kailanman sinang-ayunan 'yon. Nasaan ang anak ko?" "Mukhang nakalimot ka, Argus… ikaw mismo ang dahilan kung bakit nalaglag ang bata, limang taon na ang nakalipas!" Ngunit ngumisi si Argus, at may inilantad sa harap niya. "Kung gayon, ipaliwanag mo ito." Triplets na limang taong gulang ang nakatayo sa harap nila.

Revenge is a dish best served cold, and for Orla, it's a dish that has been brewing for years. Her once-happy life was shattered when her mate, Ryker and adopted sister, Ophelia, betrayed her in the worst way imaginable. Alone, Orla’s dying wish was for a second chance, a chance to right the wrongs that had been done to her. And the moon goddess has granted her that wish. Reborn into the past, Orla now has the opportunity to rewrite her own history. But will she be able to resist the temptation of revenge? The Alpha position of her pack may have been Ryker’s ultimate goal, but it's Orla who holds all the cards now. Will she choose to forgive and forget, or will she use her newfound power to exact the ultimate revenge? Would she also find her real mate and fall for him? Only time will tell.

“I didn’t mean leave the house; I meant leave the pack. I don’t want you here; you should be grateful because I am doing you a favor.” Damon said. “What?” I exclaimed, my eyes threatening to bulge out. Roxanne, an orphan, and Damon, the son of the Alpha, have been best friends since childhood. They have a one-night stand when Damon is crowned as the alpha, even though they're not fated mates. However, Damon finds his fated mate two weeks later and chooses his mate as Luna, which breaks Roxanne’s heart. He orders her to leave the pack, and she leaves the pack and melts herself into the human world. However, she finds herself pregnant with twins… Years later, Roxanne has become a successful, famous doctor who raises her triplets. She's dated with Kylian for 2 years. One day she gets orders from Damon to go back to the pack. The fact is Damon is cheated on and rejected by his fated mate after their 6-year marriage. His father falls sick and he needs her help. Roxanne is unwilling to go back but is kidnapped by the pack. Upon they meet again, Damon finds Roxanne is his second chance mate, but Roxanne can't recognize the mate bond because she gets wolf bane. As secrets surfaced and old wounds reopened, Roxanne and Damon found themselves confronting their past, navigating through love, betrayal, and the hope of second chances. Can they overcome the hurdles standing in their way, or are their destinies forever intertwined in heartache?

Three months, she was supposed to live with her sister's family for three months but how will she survive living in the same house with him when she harbors those nasty thoughts? How will she survive living in the same space with him when he was the reason she left for Paris three years ago? How will she hide the love and lust she has for her sister's husband?