Voice

In the coastal quiet of Baler, a studio is born—not of architecture, but of intention.* Founded by Yam, a poet whose words cradle pain gently, and Franc, an artist who paints tenderness into walls, the studio becomes a refuge for those learning to stay—with grief, love, longing, and themselves. As visitors arrive, they leave behind more than footprints: a sigh recorded in bamboo, a poem tucked into the “Found Letters” shelf, a mural painted in crooked lines. Through zines, tea, silence, and sketchbooks, the studio teaches softness as revolution. Ren creates the *Window of Soft Returns*, an installation of anonymous voice recordings—each whisper forming a community of echoes. Drew builds the *Staircase With No Wrong Turns*, inviting people to walk through emotions without shame. Franc offers brushstrokes as brave work, and Yam curates writing circles that map healing in half sentences. Together, they host festivals that feel like hugs, and they begin traveling their archive, letting softness cross oceans. Even those who once left—like Miguel—return, discovering that some doors never truly close. Others, like Tala, capture the studio’s sound and turn it into a podcast of breath and becoming. Over seventy chapters, the studio transforms into something larger than itself: a mural of memory, a sanctuary for second chances, a place where return is sacred and voice is proof of survival. In the final bloom, the studio stands not as a monument—but as a reminder: > *“Staying isn’t easy. > But chosen together, > it becomes home.”*

After two years of marriage, I believed I was living the dream—until the day I gave birth to our long-awaited heir. The house was filled with joy as my husband's family arrived, bearing gifts and ready to bestow a name upon our child, as tradition dictated. But the happiness of the day shattered in an instant when my husband walked in, hand in hand with his childhood sweetheart. In front of everyone, he announced not only our divorce but also his engagement to her, as if I had never mattered. *** "I’m divorcing Stacy," Jason announces, his voice unwavering, "to marry Nicole Cruz, my childhood sweetheart." He points to the woman standing before him who smiles and waves at everyone in the room. My world tilts on its axis. The words echo in my mind, louder and louder until they drown out everything else. What is going on?? "But why?" I whisper, my voice barely audible, even to myself. I'm unable to believe his betrayal. Jason doesn’t even glance at the child in my arms. "Because this has been a long time coming, Stacy. I’ve only stayed this long out of obligation and not love." Important Author’s Note: This is a rewritten version of my book The Alpha’s Betrayal: Reclaiming His Rejected Luna. From Chapter 12 onward, the story takes a new turn with fresh twists and drama. Thank you for reading—I hope you enjoy this new version!

"I'll do whatever it takes... I'll be a good servant." I spoke to him with a trembling body. The man looked at me with sharp eyes that stirred my feelings into turmoil. "You only need to serve me on the bed." He always looked confident. His heavy voice made my body tremble, and I could not say anything. "I've bought you fifty million, Elin." Of course, I still remembered that he was the man who had bought me from the auction house for an incredible price, Thane.

"Why are you hiding from me? you can hide all you want, however, it won't stop you from being mine," his voice echoed throughout the entire hall, making my heart almost fall out of its cage. Regardless, I stubbornly remained in my squatting position. But like they say, you can't change your destiny, you can't change what's meant to be, because before I could fathom what was going on, he was standing right before me.

Emily was the mute wife of Eric Wilson who treated her like trash. He kept her as his sex slave and maid, refusing to let her go until she steals away one night, unable to bear it anymore. Fate reconnects their paths years later, after she had become a successful designer and she has to plan his wedding. Tainted by memories of the past, she is determined not to let the jerk walk over her anymore, especially after she has found her voice!

WARNING : Matured contents !!! 18+ This book contains a lot of steamy contents and profanities, it doesn't get boring, it only gets hotter. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK. "You know," Octavia mused, "we both have these intense sexual urges, but we're terrible at picking partners. What if we just became friends with benefits? No strings attached." Keir raised an eyebrow, his piercing blue eyes meeting hers. "Friends with benefits, huh? Are we sure we can keep it that simple?" Octavia Cosmo and Keir Hydra are childhood friends, they come to a compromise that after being in a series of unhealthy relationships with their past partners, they should be friends with benefits to satisfy their sexual urges. But as weeks of intense passion and lustful acts turned into months, Octavia's heart began to betray her. She found herself thinking about Keir not just in the heat of the moment, but at the most unexpected times. Love had stealthily crept into their friendship, but she was afraid to admit it. One night, as she lay on Keir's chest after a night of pleasure, she finally mustered the courage to speak. "Keir, there's something I need to tell you," she began, her voice trembling with vulnerability. But before she could continue, Keir gently interrupted, his voice laced with regret. "Octavia, we need to talk. I've been thinking... I want to call off our agreement." "What?"

Everyone in Oceanton knew that mob boss Jared Pierce was deeply in love with me. No one feared my disappearance more than he did. Even if bullets were raining down on him, he'd still find a way to contact me, just to make sure I felt safe. But on the night before our wedding, he didn't come home. When he finally returned, he dropped to his knees, a bruised and weakened woman cradled in his arms. "Rosalia! Melody took the drug just to save me! I can't just watch her die! So I had no choice but to sleep with her." Terrified that I wouldn't forgive him, Jared drew six wounds into his arm. Blood soaked through his shirt in an instant. As soon as the wedding banquet ended, I heard his men chuckling and teasing. "The boss didn't even take off his wedding outfit before rushing to see Melody. Just how seductive is his lover?" Jared’s low, sultry voice followed. "Last time I stayed with her, I didn’t come back for three days and nights. Take a guess." In shock and despair, I called out the system. "I want to leave this world!" The system's cold voice replied, "After your exit, this world will erase all traces of your existence. Counting down… Seven days."

" I'm talking to you Serena." Gerald said, his voice cool. Too cool it made shivers run down her spine. " I know, I heard you the first time." She replied. For the first time, she was grateful at how calm her voice sounded. It did a good job of masking the fear she felt. Gerald walked closer till he was towering above her. Placing a finger under her chin, he raised her head up, his eyes boring into hers... " Look at me when I talk to you." ****** Serena was arranged to marry Gerald, a duke who has been running away from the commitment that comes with being married. When she meets him for the first time, she falls in love with him and hopes that he will reciprocate as well. Unfortunately, she is raped a few days before her wedding, making it impossible for her to consummate her marriage with her new husband. Gerald doesn't want to get married but when his mother gives him a bride, he has no choice but to do her bidding. He hates her at first and begins plans on how to divorce her after the marriage. But the longer he spends with her, the more he notices things he shouldn't notice.... They both have secrets that they are unwilling to share and this causes a huge strain in their marriage. Will love be enough to solve the underlying problems or is thier marriage just a recipe for disaster??? Read on to find out.....

Katherine Salazar. A girl from Spain whose life changed the day she first held a knife. She learned early that silence can be sharper than any blade. Her weapon a slender knife, always hidden beneath her clothes. Her adopted parents named her "Ghost Knife". She moved like a shadow—silent, precise, deliberate, clean. As she grew into a woman, her beauty captivated—and haunted— people around her in ways almost impossible to resist. When she took a mission she wasn’t supposed to handle herself, it tore her world apart, everything changed. She was caught by two brutal twin—opposites in behavior, different in power, identical in blood. Instead of ending her life, they chose to use her skills for their own dirty work. But then things got complicated. When both twin fell in love with her. A forbidden love, dangerous and consuming. Her next mission was supposed to be simple: eliminate the twins’ greatest enemy. But the target… was her “dead” father. "Dad?” My voice barely escaped, thick with disbelief, my vision blurred by unshed tears. “Kat?" His voice trembled with shock, more startled than I had ever seen him. In a fluid motion, he lifted his left hand, swift, precise—and the guards froze, stopped as if caught in a web of unseen power. " Y..You , I saw..." My words faltered, the knife quivering in my grip.

“I don’t want you. I hate you.” Those words from her only son slice deeper than any blade. Sarah returns from the hospital expecting love, only to find her place at the family table stolen. Her husband, James, stands arm in arm with Tiana — his late brother’s widow, while her son clings to the other woman’s waist, rejecting his own mother. The betrayal does not end there. After a confrontation with Tiana, she woke up in an abandoned building, her hands tied, and mouth taped. Beside her was Tiana too. Tied. James stood, his confused gaze darting from Tiana to Sarah. And then came the baritone voice from one of the kidnappers: “One life. One choice. You can only save one. Choose!” Sarah turned, seeing how Tiana was communicating with the kidnappers with her eyes. She struggled to let James see the truth; that this was all a setup. But she couldn’t. Her mouth was tapped. But then, like a match striking steel, James’ voice came brittle and final. “Tiana.” He chose his ex over his own wife. Over the mother of his child. Sarah was abandoned in the warehouse. Immediately they left, the warehouse exploded, covered in flames. And Sarah’s screams and cries inside, filled the night. Did Sarah survive the fire outbreak? If she did, can they stand her revenge when she finally returns?