What If I Never Love Again

"Just help me out this once, man. I just made it to the final round, and I can't leave the game. Help your little brother out for a change? You're the best, J." It was 2:00 a.m. Chad asked me to go downstairs and pick up his takeout. I wanted to refuse because I was still recovering from a broken foot, but he did not look capable of tearing his eyes from the screen for even a second. Thus, I agreed and stepped outside. Without warning, something like a stream of comments flashed across my mind. [No! Somebody stop him!] [That delivery guy is your brother's roommate! He's got a knife!!!] [Lil' Bro knows that already, J! He's using you as a human shield to buy himself time!] I froze. I turned to go back inside. The door would not budge. Chad had already locked it. The elevator chimed down the hall. The comments in my head spiraled into chaos. [The killer is here! Get out of there, Big Bro!]

The day my father slid that contract across the table, I should have walked away. I didn't. Instead, I signed my name next to his: Damien Blackwood. The most feared man in the city. Cold. Ruthless. The kind of man who buys companies for sport and destroys lives before breakfast. I told myself it was survival. That I was signing to save my mother and protect what was left of my family. But Damien Blackwood didn't choose me by accident. He chose me because he knew exactly who I was. Because he had been watching me for three years. Because the secret buried between our families goes deeper and darker than anything I was prepared to find. He says this is a partnership. He says we both want the same thing, to burn our fathers' empires to the ground. He says this is strictly business. But the man who shows up at my mother's hospital without being asked, the man who tucks my hair back in a dark car park and calls at midnight just to hear my voice, the man who kept a seven year old photograph and a handwritten note that says she is the one. That man isn't doing business. And neither am I. We started as enemies. We signed a contract. We were supposed to use each other and walk away. But somewhere between the revenge and the secrets, we forgot to stay on opposite sides. It was never just business. It was never going to be.

“I’m not a fool, Jagger.” Jordan’s voice is ice, his walls towering. “Everyone I’ve ever let close has betrayed me.” Jagger steps closer, his gaze locking onto Jordan’s with an intensity that makes his breath hitch. Then, in a voice low and steady, he says, "Then it’s about damn time someone proves you wrong." ******** Betrayed by his wife. Poisoned by his own brother. Killed by the two precious people in his life. But when Jordan opens his eyes, he’s not dead—he’s been reborn three years in the past, back when the poison had only just begun to eat away at him. This time, he won’t be their fool. This time, he’ll make them pay. As he begins his revenge to avoid the future, his only ally is his divorce lawyer, Jagger Walker—a man too dangerous to trust, yet too irresistible to ignore. But when Jagger starts breaking down the walls around his heart, Jordan faces a new dilemma. He came back to take revenge and claim his son. But will he dare to love again? And can he change the unfortunate future ahead of him?

During the eight years I spent by Alpha David’s side, I also raised the pup he had with my late sister. At his birthday banquet, I accidentally wore one of her old dresses. Eight-year-old Dorian grabbed a pot of freshly brewed coffee and poured it over me— right in front of the maids. The scalding liquid burned my skin, and when I looked up, I saw the same cold disgust in his eyes that I’d seen so many times in his father’s. “How dare you wear my mother’s dress?” he sneered. “You’ll never replace her. You killed her with that wicked heart of yours!” The coffee seared more than my flesh. It burned straight through my heart. I looked at the child I’d raised for eight long years. I didn’t feel angry. I didn’t even feel sad. Only a quiet kind of exhaustion. “Don’t worry,” I whispered. “I’ll leave tomorrow.”

The heart wants what it wants, but sometimes it's not what it seems. In the high-fashion world of glamor and betrayal, small-town girl Riele sets out to heal the broken heart of billionaire CEO Kim. But her plan backfires when she finds herself falling for him, only to have her love rejected. Now, as Riele struggles to untangle her feelings for Kim and the truth about his past, she must navigate a treacherous path of secrets, lies, and hidden desires. But just when Riele thinks she's lost Kim forever, she discovers that his love for her rival, Jane, might not be what it seems. With her heart on the line, Riele must decide whether to fight for the man she loves or walk away from the pain and heartbreak that come with loving him. And Kim, tormented by his past and uncertain about his future, must confront the truth about his feelings for both women. Will he choose the safe, familiar path with Jane or take a chance on the unexpected passion that Riele ignites within him?

Millie-Rose lost everything she’d worked for since the age of four in a single day; her career, her reputation, and the life she was about to marry into, when a test revealed she was pregnant… despite never being touched all her life.Scandal followed. Betrayal cut deep. And running became her only chance at survival.But there’s one truth she can’t outrun: the child she carries belongs to Alpha Braham, a werewolf king with power, patience, and a claim she never agreed to.She escaped the world.She rebuilt her life.But how will she escape him?

Gianna Anderson is adopted by the Silver Pack's Alphas family. She was only five when found alone in the woods and after countless times of searching for her family, they gave up and decided to keep her as theirs. Jace, the Alphas son immediately feels a pull towards her. He would do anything to protect Ana and they gradually fell in love. At 17 years he leaves home for alphas training and that's when everything changes. Unknown fear emerges and Jace is obliged to Protect Ana against it, even if it means rejecting her.

Di hari pertunangannya dengan Damian kekasihnya. Valerie harus melihat dengan mata kepalanya sendiri jika Damian berselingkuh dengan Ruth, kakaknya. Valerie memutuskan pertunangannya alih-alih membongkar aib Damian dan Ruth. Akan tetapi, Ruth yang tak mau jika orang-orang tahu jika dirinya telah berselingkuh dengan calon tunangan adiknya pun menjebak Valerie tidur dengan Noah yang tak lain adalah pengawal Valerie. Valerie diusir dari rumah karena dia hamil dengan pengawalnya sendiri. Seluruh keluarganya membuangnya dan tak mau mengakui dirinya lagi. Hingga Noah pun akhirnya memutuskan untuk bertanggungjawab pada Valerie dan ingin menikahinya. Akan tetapi Valerie menolak karena dia tak mencintai Noah. Hingga pernikahan kontrak pun terjadi sampai anak mereka berdua lahir. "Aku akan bertanggungjawab atas hidupmu dan anak kita. Akan kubalas perlakuan mereka terhadapmu dan membuat mereka bertekuk lutut di depanmu!" kata Noah ketika melamar Valerie. Apakah hubungan mereka baik-baik saja? Apa identitas Noah yang sebenarnya hingga dapat berjanji seperti itu pada Valerie?

.... Mali ba na mag mahal? Lalo na kung parehas kayo ng kasarian? Mali nga siguro, dahil nagmahal tayo ng hindi naman dapat at hindi nakaayon sa batas. Ngunit mas mali sigurong mag mahal kung panay panghuhusga lang ang natatanggap. Dahil kailan man hindi naging mali ang pagmamahal kahit na sa iba... ito ay kasalanan? Kasalanan na wala namang may kagustuhan. Pero hindi naman natin kasalanan na sa maling kasarian tayo nagmahal. Dahil kailan man hindi naging mali ang pagmamahal...

Whenever Rachel Cooper loses it, I know I'm about to get divorced again. I close my eyes. "We are divorcing for the ninth time." Marcus Miller massages his temples and says regretfully, "Vivian, Barry died all of a sudden, leaving his wife and her unborn baby behind. I can't ignore them. Relax. Once the baby's born, we'll remarry. We won't separate ever again!" I remain silent. I already heard this promise eight times before. Barry Miller's sudden death is the reason for Rachel's breakdown. It also caused Marcus and me to divorce for the first time. Back then, Rachel was already pregnant, prompting Marcus to divorce me. He will remarry me once he has comforted her. Over the past nine months, we have married and divorced eight times. Everyone mocks me by calling me the Eight-Ring Wonder. I also find it ridiculous. After I accept the divorce certificate, one of the court staff secretly asks me, "When are you getting married again?" I answer calmly, "There's no next time."