Too Stupid To Die

On New Year's Eve, I returned home. At the welcome party, my boyfriend, Grayson Caldwell, suddenly appeared, holding a bouquet of red roses and a diamond ring, dropping to one knee. "Although this proposal comes a full three years late, our love will never be late," he said. "Alexa, marry me!" Friends cheered from the sidelines, all expecting me to nod through tears and say yes. But they had forgotten that three years ago, on New Year's Eve, he had promised to propose. That night, I dressed to the nines and waited until dawn—but he never showed up. Instead, there was only a cold phone call. "Tanya is sick. I'm busy taking care of her. You'll have to wait a little longer for the proposal." And so, on New Year's Day, I left the country alone, bound by a family-arranged marriage. I had already married someone else three years ago.

In a world where the gods of legend have become actual fact, a few misnomers from another planet seek to simply live their lives in peace. If you could choose one word from the dictionary, one that simply defines you to the core of your soul, what would you say your definition is?

Venus’s life shatters the night her husband of seven years chooses his ex-lover over her, a woman who vanished on their wedding day and left him broken. For seven years, she believed she was his forever, but discovered she was just a placeholder. Humiliated and heartbroken, she walks away… only to suffer a devastating accident that erases her memory. She was found and protected by a powerful underground magnate, Leo’s most dangerous enemy and nemesis. In his world, Venus is reborn stronger. As her memories return, the man who betrayed her is pulled back into her orbit, old passion collides with buried pain. Will she destroy the man who broke her, will he survive her wrath, or will she lose her heart to him all over again?

Die Familie Rossi hatte eine Regel. Wer die nächste Donna werden wollte, musste sich beweisen. Innerhalb eines einzigen Jahres dreihundert Millionen Euro verdienen. Sauberes Geld. Ganz allein. Ohne jede Hilfe der Familie. Ich hatte zehn Jahre lang dafür gekämpft. Für Vincent. Ich hatte zehn Firmen aus dem Nichts aufgebaut. Und jedes einzelne Mal, kurz bevor ich die Ziellinie erreichte, lief etwas schief. Alles brach einfach ... in sich zusammen. Dieses Jahr hatte ich es endlich geschafft. Mit dem Prüfbericht in der Hand rannte ich in sein Arbeitszimmer. Mein Herz schlug mir bis zum Hals. Ich glaubte, ich hätte endlich gewonnen. Stattdessen erfuhr ich, dass mein ganzes Leben auf einer Lüge aufgebaut hatte. Er übergab mein gesamtes Imperium Ava Rossi. Der Bastardtochter meines Vaters. Nur weil sie ihm angeblich einmal das Leben gerettet hatte und er deshalb sie zur wahren Donna machen wollte. In diesem Moment gab ich auf. Ihn. Und auch den Traum meiner Familie, gemeinsam mit seiner aufzusteigen. Dann nahm ich das Telefon in die Hand und rief das Outfit in Chicago an. „Dein Heiratsantrag“, sagte ich. „Ich nehme ihn an.“

I have claustrophobia, yet Luther Jansen abandons me in a stopped elevator so he can bring some flu medicine to his assistant. I ask for a divorce after that. He signs the papers without hesitation and laughs about it with his friends. "She's just throwing a tantrum—her parents are dead, so there's no way she'll leave me. "Besides, there's a 30-day cooling-off period for divorces, right? I'll generously let this matter slide once she regrets this, and she'll be back." The following day, he shares an intimate photo of himself with his assistant. "I want to record every moment of your shyness." I count the days until I'm free. Then, I calmly pack my stuff and make a call. "Can you buy me a flight ticket to Nanderton, Uncle David?"

My CEO wife insists on taking a young, fresh intern under her wing. She wants to train him personally. She says to me, "Don't overthink this. I just value his potential." She's always been stern and stoic, but she starts dressing in pink and pulling her hair back in high ponytails. On our third wedding anniversary, she and the intern even willfully disappear for 48 hours. When others are searching for her like mad, she shares photos of her riding a carousel and holding cotton candy. She captions them, "I found the purest of joys in the most joyful of places—all because of you!" Our company loses a huge project because of this, and I lose my wife. I slip a divorce agreement between the pages of the intern's application to become a permanent staff member. My wife signs it without even looking and says, "Knowing what Elliot can do, he's more than capable of carrying out the role of a vice president." I calmly hand her my resignation. "You're right. That's why I'll make way for him."

My fiancé’s first love Chloe had returned. Rumor had it she’d been overseas, treating some rare disease. I hadn’t believed it—until the day she showed up at my engagement party. And I watched as the man I’d been hopelessly in love with since I was sixteen left our party with her. “Wait for me,” Nathan said, “She is fragile. I need to make sure she is well.” He ignored me, but accompanying her to everywhere. I threw away the rings, trashed the wedding gown. When I was pale and trembling from a heart failure later. Nathan finally showed up. “Don’t you dare die on me, Emily,” His hands were shaking. His voice cracked. “We still have a wedding.”

Sa loob ng limang taon ng kasal, buong puso at kaluluwa na ibinigay ni Theariza Huston ang sarili upang maging karapat-dapat na asawa ng makapangyarihang si Alexander Huston. Tiniis niya ang malamig na tingin ng pamilya nito, ang mga bulong sa likod ng kanyang likod, at ang sakit ng paulit-ulit na tanong—“Bakit hanggang ngayon wala pa rin siyang anak?” Araw-araw niyang pinilit maging perpektong asawa. Nagdasal. Umiyak nang palihim. Umasa na balang araw ay muli siyang titingnan ng kanyang asawa tulad ng dati—na may pagmamahal. Ngunit habang lumilipas ang mga taon, unti-unting naging malamig ang lalaking minsang nangakong siya lamang ang mamahalin. Hanggang dumating ang araw na tuluyan siyang sinukuan. Sa utos ng pamilya Huston, napilitan siyang tanggapin ang isang surrogate mother—ang perpektong si Althea Montoya. Maganda. Elegante. At may kakayahang ibigay ang tagapagmanang hindi niya kayang ibigay. Ngunit ang babaeng iyon ang naging simula ng kanyang pinakamadilim na bangungot. Sa kanyang unang buhay, ninakaw sa kanya ang lahat—ang kanyang dignidad, ang kanyang asawa, at maging ang kanyang karapatan bilang legal na asawa. At sa huli, pinatay siya ng mismong mga taong pinili niyang mahalin at pagkatiwalaan. Ngunit hindi doon nagtapos ang kanyang kwento. Nagising siyang muli… sa nakaraan. Sa kanyang ikalawang buhay, sinubukan niyang baguhin ang kapalaran. Naging maingat siya. Lumayo. Nanahimik. Ngunit kahit anong gawin niya, tila nakatakda pa rin ang kanyang kamatayan. Muli siyang pinatay. Ngayon, sa kanyang ikatlong buhay, bumalik siya na may dalang galit, alaala, at katotohanan. Hindi na siya ang mahina at umiiyak na babae na umaasa sa pagmamahal ng isang lalaking hindi marunong magmahal. Sa pagkakataong ito, hindi na siya magmamakaawa. Gaganti siya. Makakamit nga ba niya ang paghihiganting matagal niyang inaasam? O ang kanyang ikatlong buhay ang magiging huling pagkakataon para sa isang pagmamahal na matagal na niyang inilibing?

I've painstakingly prepared a nice feast for my son's fifth birthday. My wife, Cheryl Bennett, looks a little impatient. She complains, "You really love making things hard for yourself, huh? How are we supposed to finish everything with just the three of us?" I just smile at her. Then, I whip out a birthday cake and get my son, Jasper Ford, to make a birthday wish. After the candles are lit, I close my eyes as well and make a sincere wish in my mind. When I open my eyes again, I hear Cheryl's system exclaiming in surprise, "Congratulations, Cheryl! You've completed the quest! You and Jasper can now leave this world!" Yes, both Cheryl and Jasper have already made up their minds to abandon me so that they can return to their original world. That's great news. After all, I no longer want them by my side either.

Limang taon. Ang akala ni Agatha ay makakaya ng panahon para umibig din sa kanya si Noah, pero sa paglipas ng limang taon na kasal siya dito ay hindi nagbago ang pagtingin nito sa kanya. Naghintay siya, ngunit dumating na sa puntong hindi na niya kaya, napagod na siya sa paghihintay kay Noah. Sumuko na siya lalo na at bumalik na rin ang babaeng una nitong minahal bago siya nito pinakasalan. Ngunit kung kailang handa na siyang ibigay ang kalayaan nito, kung kailan gusto na niyang makalaya sa kasal nila ay ayaw naman nitong ipawalang bisa ang kanilan kasal. At ang lagi nitong dahilan kung bakit ayaw siya nitong palayain; Isa lang siyang tagapagligtas sa paningin nito at ang kabayaran ng pagliligtas niya sa buhay nito ay ang manatili silang kasal kahit na pareho na silang nasasakal.