This Kitchen Is Not The Same Without You

I wasn’t even pregnant, yet I ended up popping abortion pills like they were candy. It was all because in my past life, the moment my widowed sister-in-law got pregnant, every single side effect of her pregnancy became mine. She strutted around happily with her big belly, consuming spicy tamales, while I was rushed to the hospital for violent nausea and stomach pain; she showed off her flawless skin in crop tops every day, while my stomach broke out in hideous stretch marks. When I told my husband what was happening, he just shoved me away impatiently. “Enough with the jealousy! My brother’s dead, and she’s carrying his only child. Of course, I should look out for her. Do you really have to put on such an act?” After that, my sister-in-law went even further. She kept testing her limits during pregnancy and even ate a mango she was allergic to. And me? I went into anaphylactic shock, landed in the hospital, and nearly died. Doctors couldn’t explain it. They just brushed it off, saying I was overly jealous and it was all psychological. Later, my sister-in-law tried to brand herself as a “hot single mom”. She went live, belly and all, to show off her weight-loss workouts. She jumped around for three straight hours. And me? My uterus literally gave out, and I hemorrhaged to death. When I opened my eyes again, it was the exact day she first announced her pregnancy.

Mom accidentally adds me into a group chat called "Happy Family". In the group chat, I saw Mom, Dad, and a stranger who's nicknamed "sweetheart". They are in the middle of organizing a birthday party for him. However, the thing is, tomorrow will be my birthday, which they have forgotten for the tenth time in a row. Mom says, "The venue must be dreamy. I want him to feel like an actual prince." Dad transfers a huge sum of money to "sweetheart". "Money is no problem! Just don't let Christopher find out about this. It'll screw things up for us!" I quietly take screenshots of everything, planning to find a chance to expose my parents' true colors and end everything with them once and for all. At that moment, my younger sister, who's always been great at her studies, sends me a screenshot via our private chat. It's a screenshot of the chat history between her and Mom. "Mom, have you made preparations for Christopher's surprise party yet? You promised me that this is the last time you'd lie to him!"

Naomi Venice was a daughter of one of Florence's noble family, Venice. As someone who loves books, she would often go to libraries. While strolling, she passed by an alleyway where she saw a library. She went there with her personal maid, Lillian, to browse for some books when something strange happened. It was gone in an instant and they got home completely fine. Late at night, something strange happened and when Naomi woke up, she found herself in an unknown world and occupying an unknown body. Defenseless and no fighting capabilities to protect herself, she was almost driven to her wits end. Will she be able to survive in an unknown world despite her circumstances?

I was with Ivan Knowles for seven years. Despite the rumors that always swirled around him, he never gave me a reason to doubt his loyalty. He let me check his phone and even welcomed me to join him on business trips. I never found anything suspicious until our engagement day. The host had just shared how Ivan flew in my favorite white roses from abroad when the big screen, meant to play a video celebrating our seven years together, instead showed a hospital room. The cry of a newborn rang out. Ivan sat on the bed holding the baby. His secretary, Alba Lawson, leaned on his shoulder, wearing the same diamond ring as mine. Tearfully, she explained to me that it was a misunderstanding. "Alba is a single mom," Ivan excused. "I'm just helping her out as her boss. Don't make a big deal out of this." The room went quiet, everyone waiting for me to flip out. I didn't. Instead, I calmly slipped off my ring and handed it to him. "Of course not. I just wish you happiness."

How do you turn your life interesting overnight? No idea, but it probably doesn't involve falling through a mirror into another world after popping a pimple... Maisie was your average introvert, looking for a bit of spice in her life. That's probably why she ignored the warning signs that the mirror was more than it seemed. The $5 price tag on a full-length mirror probably should have been a hint, too.

I stood between both of them masking my son from his gorgeous daddy but my stubborn son cocked his head and gave his dad a very beautiful sunburnt smile. I couldn't help but chuckle my baby is too cute. "Mommy, is this Daddy?" Oh my God! I looked behind us at Jale who was only a few steps away from us. I bet he clearly heard what my son had just asked me. The was he was looking at me with curiousty, I knew he wanted an answer to that question too. Who am I even kidding from his viking gold hair, brown chocolate eyes, his fair skin, to proud attitude. Everything he was was the same thing my boy was. Chase was a true young version of his daddy but I would never let him know that. I crouched down in front of my angel and kissed his forehead before answering his question. My eyes shot up at Jale again who pretended like he was looking at something on his phone yet his phone's screen was blank then. After making sure he had his attention to us, I cupped my baby's cheeks and made him look into my eyes. "No honey, this man is not your daddy but uncle. He is uncle Jale." I could see Jale's face fall from the sides of my face. Suck a jerk! What did he expect that I was going to say Chase is his son. That is something I would never do in my life. I would never let Jale into my son's life. I will never let him know he is my baby's daddy because he doesn't deserve my little boy at all. He doesn't deserve us after all the horrible things he did to me five years ago.

Every girl dreams of finding her mate. The moment they turn eighteen, it becomes the hope they hold onto and the promise of love. But not for Iris. At 20, Iris has already lost her home, her pack, and the innocence that came with believing in fairy tales. After a brutal rogue attack leaves her people leaderless, she’s forced to move to Clawstone Pack, a pack ruled by Alpha Zane Theron. And that’s when she feels the unmistakable pull of the mate bond. But he doesn’t. Zane doesn’t feel anything. No bond, no spark, no recognition. He’s unable to sense his fated mate… and believes Iris is just another girl trying to lie her way into his life, like so many before her.

For ten years, I bled for my fated mate, Damian. I forged him into an Alpha. I built his pack from nothing. But on the eve of our Blood Moon ceremony, he chose her. He made his first love, Isla—the one who abandoned him—the High Priestess. Not me. He thought I was just some rogue with a knack for magic. He thought he could drain my power, cast me aside, and claim Isla as his true mate. But he forgot who I am. I brokered the treaties. I negotiated the trades. I built the wards that kept them all alive. He and his pack hailed Isla as their savior. They groveled at her feet. They tried to get rid of me. Their plan? Force me to escort a demon to the Abyss of Exile. But he never knew my secret. I'm no rogue. I am the youngest daughter of the Alpha King. I am royalty. So I gave them what they wanted. I walked away. They only started to panic when my wards shattered and their lands were overrun.

Our wedding anniversary also happens to be our son's birthday. A month in advance, I carefully plan a family trip for the three of us—me, my husband, and our son. But right before we're supposed to leave, both of them suddenly disappear on me. I'm left standing alone in the pouring rain, dialing their numbers. On the other end, my son's young voice comes through, sounding cold and impatient. "Dad's having dinner with Ms. Moore. We don't want to go anymore." The call ends, and I'm blocked. Later that night, they intentionally lock me out of the house. I'm left standing in the freezing cold all night long. Soaked from the rain, I come down with a high fever and develop pneumonia. Meanwhile, my husband and son are off vacationing with Sophia Moore, smiling for a happy family photo with just the three of them. And in that moment, I know this marriage has truly come to an end.

Nadin has sworn for revenge, as her husband of three years had betrayed her and had a thing with her stepsister. Then, before her eyes, her stepmother murdered her dad. Afterwards, she used acid on Nadin to kill her but only succeeded in damaging her face and body, which demanded plastic surgery. Fast forward to the present time, a year after she got out of a coma as a result of the acid poured on her. “I want revenge. I want all of them to go to hell.” This was Nadin trying to kill herself after she got out of being in a coma for a year, and she had been reflecting on how she had been betrayed and hurt by people that used to matter to her the most. “If you must do that, then you need at least to stay alive. Besides, the doctor didn't save you just for you to harm yourself.” Luciano, her adoptive guardian, tried to give her reasons to live. Nadin is back with a new face and identity to his ex-husband’s life with her little game of revenge, as she remembered every pain, betrayal, and heartbreak they caused her. Meanwhile, her ex-husband was desperate to do everything for her to turn heads over heels with her, as he had attained the height he wanted but lacked just one thing, which was true love. The woman he failed to cherish and love before now, currently he wants to love her unmeasurably in another face, as she reminds him of his ex-wife a lot. When revenge meets desperation for love, could Nadin's ulterior motives change along the line and her ex-husband get her love back?