The Second Marriage 83

ang kasalan kung saan pinagtagpo ang landas ng isa't isa. kasal ma kala'y peke lang, pawang gawa-gawa lang—iba pala ang inaakala. ang kasal na akala'y pagpapanggap lang, humantong sa katotohanang aksyon na akala'y acting lang. ang totoo ay...may nangyayari ibigan sa pagitan nilang dalawa na dahilan ng pagbunyag ng ibat-ibang sekreto.

“But… but what about the contract?” I whispered against his lips. “The contract?” He responded, pulling my face closer to his. “It doesn't matter, it's only on a piece of paper.”  ****** Lenora Prescott signs a marriage contract with The prestigious CEO of the popular brand The House of Osvaldo; Richard Osvaldo, when he rescues her from a brothel, the contract holding several conditions but the most crucial one being that she wasn't allowed to fall in love with him. But what would happen when she falls for him, and he also for her?

After six years together, Serena Kline discovered the love she trusted had been nothing but a lie. Her husband seized her father’s company and coldly handed her the divorce papers, as if she had never mattered at all. “You never loved me?” she asked. Nathaniel, her husband, looked at her with no trace of love left in his eyes and said, “Never.” With no hope left for her marriage, Serena walked away with empty arms and a fierce will to rebuild her life. *** Nathaniel Thorne believed he was prepared to lose anything to get retribution. But vengeance came with a cost he never understood until it was too late. When fate brought him into the same room with Serena again, he prepared himself for the rage, for her retaliation, but instead, Serena calmly asked, “So… was it worth it? Your ultimate revenge?” “I’m doing well,” he answered plainly, hiding the truth behind his commanding facade. Serena smiled, beautiful in a way that made his chest tighten. “Then, I’m happy for you. Peace and closure look good on you.” Her words landed sharper than she intended. Because the truth was, he had never found the peace she spoke of.

My mafia husband, Vincent Santoro, was born a monster, incapable of loving anyone. But one day, I discovered he was hiding a ‘forbidden fruit’. A girl from the slums, Claire Murphy. Scarred by life, yet as beautiful as a wildflower growing through concrete. For a man who'd waded through blood his whole life, she was a fatal attraction he never saw coming. He thought he'd covered his tracks. He was wrong. At the Santoro family's annual dinner, I confronted him about Claire, tears streaking down my face. He just lightly frowned, then had his consigliere slide the divorce papers across the table to me. "Isabella. Sign it. The three North Side docks and the shipping lines are yours." I tore the papers to shreds. He just kept raising the offer. He had me thrown into the freezing waters of Lake Michigan. He blew up my family's distillery—the Romano family's legacy. Finally, he took my parents. Tied them in an abandoned warehouse and made one watch as he set the other on fire. "Sign, or watch them burn. Your choice." I begged him on my knees, but a roar of flames consumed the world— The heat seared my skin, the ash of my parents clinging to my face. "No... NO!" When I opened my eyes, I was back. Back on the day I first learned about Claire. This time, no tears, no drama. That night, I called my family in Sicily and set my escape in motion. But the moment I vanished from his world… Vincent Santoro went insane.

Mikel Rysdale needed an escape after a devastating blow to her heart and lifestyle. The number of people she can trust can be counted on one hand. Escaping to the one place she was free, she finds the most unlikely person to lean on. In his eyes, he was a broken man incapable of rejoining society. Army Veteran Killian returns home to live on his family's land in peace. Happy to see his sister again, he wasn't prepared to welcome a guest. What started as a tolerable relationship, the two found the need to be there for each other. Old wounds are hard to heal especially the ones in your heart. “Who are you?” His question was meant to be gentle but they came out as an angry ogre. She laughed at his question. The first chord of that sweet laugh was now trapped in Killian's mind and heart. Slowly she stood up and walked towards him. She was within four steps of him and her scent was intoxicating. Vanilla and the scent of fruit he had to know of. Up close she was perfection in his eyes. Unconsciously he stepped forward wanting to be close to her for some reason. The pain, the memories none of it was on his mind. His sole focus was on her. “Name's Mikel Rysdale. You can call me Mik for short.”

Nelly is a girl whose biggest dream is to marry the man she loves and they will live together in a beautiful mansion with many cute kids surrounding them. She is twenty years old, beautiful and very curvy. She is the daughter of Roddy Willows a rich business man and owner of Willows enterprise. She felt her world crumbling when her father told her that she will get married Bill Kent the youngest billionaire in New York a person she has not met before, she only heard about he on the news and from what she has heard about him, he is very rude, arrogant and proud. she hoped her father was joking when he told her she will be getting married to a person she doesn't know, but no he was very serious. She begged her father not to put her through everlasting unhappiness by forcing her to get married to a person she does not love but there was nothing he could do because a deal has already been made, her father made a deal with Bill's father that they will get their children married when they came of age. He would pay dearly if he should back out of the deal. Bill of the other hand would have non of it, he already had a girlfriend, a person he loves so much and would love to get married to only to be told by his father that he will be getting married to a person he has never met before. He initially refused to accept the marriage but his father threatened to disown him and take away his inheritance. He had no choice but to comply but he swore to make the marriage hell for whoever the unlucky lady is.

Princess Claire Zhuan is running from her faith. Binebenta siya ng kanyang Chinese na ama sa mga mayayaman na Chinese at dahil ayaw niya sa mga matatanda na mababaho at mga kuripot ay naging hide and seek ang buhay niya. Tinatakbuhan niya ang mga Chinese. Her hide and seek life led to her to meet the well known and one of the respectable lawyers of the Philippines. Napagmalan niyang taxi ang sasakyan nito dahil sa pagtatago sa mga tauhan ng isang mayaman na businessman na magiging asawa niya. Claire wants to get out of her fate, which is why she asks Attorney Kienzo to be her husband. She knows she’s being desperate but she doesn't want to regret living. Kienzo is not stupid to be get married to a stranger but he change his mind. He doesn't know how this crazy woman changed his mind.

Amaraiah “Aya” Reyes’s success as the Senior Marketing Manager of Madriaga Enterprises stands as proof of her skill and dedication. That’s what the public sees—her confident smile, her flawless image. But behind it all, she carries a secret that could change everything. She is secretly married to the company’s CEO, Zedrick “Zed” Madriaga. He was the man she first fell in love with. It was a marriage born from complicated circumstances, a binding agreement that both connects and divides them. Through the years, Aya learned to play the role expected of her—prim, proper, and untouchable even at the cost of her true feelings. But now, Zed wants more than shadows and silence. He wants to live in a world where they no longer have to hide from each other. With Aya’s growing success drawing public attention—and with people ready to expose the truth. So, she must make a choice. Will she keep living the perfect lie, or will she finally fight for who she really is… even if it costs her everything?

"Tell me why you're so insistent on marrying me.""Because I love you, of course." Celeste York's words are sweet as honey, but her eyes are cold as ice and devoid of emotion.Damon Bishop snorts. No one on this earth has ever had the nerve to treat him as their prey. He admires Celeste's pluck.Yet to his surprise, the day after he turns her down, Damon finds Celeste is able to watch him and his fiancée walk past her without batting an eye.This pisses Damon off. Is this how Celeste acts when she loves someone?

For the nursery's Family Day, my husband, Gary Lane, said that he was busy at work and told our daughter, Emily Lane, and I not to participate in the event. I looked at Emily's disappointed face, my heart ached. Therefore, I decided to take Emily to the event myself. As soon as we arrived at the nursery, we saw Gary carrying a little boy in one hand and holding his childhood sweetheart, Shannon Harvey's hand in the other. They looked like a family of three and were very happy. That was until they saw me and Emily. Gary furrowed his brows a little and then let go of Shannon's hand. "Don't get me wrong, Jasmine. It's not easy for Shannon to raise a child as a single mother. It's the child's fifth birthday today. She wanted him to experience some fatherly love." I looked at him meaningfully, squatted down, and held Emily's hand. "Honey, say hello to Mr. Lane."