What's Next Or What Next

From as far back as I can remember, I knew my mom hated me. She gives me sleeping pills when I'm three. When I'm five, she tries pesticide instead. But I'm hard to get rid of. By the time I'm seven, I've already learned how to fight back. If she refuses to give me food, I flip the table so no one can eat either. If she beats me up until I'm on the ground, writhing in pain, I go after her beloved son the same way, leaving him bruised and bawling. That's how we stay locked in battle until I turn 12. Everything changes when my youngest sister is born. I'm clumsily trying to help with her wet diaper when Mom suddenly shoves me against the wall. The look in her eyes holds both disgust and fear. "What were you trying to do to my daughter? I knew it. You take after that monster of a father. Why didn't you just die with him?" I hold my aching head. For the first time, I don't fight back. I believe she's right. My existence is a mistake. I should never have been alive.

Lumi-as someone who's being told what to believe and hope in everything as she grows up-reckons that living is a way to comply with and entrust one's entire life to serving superiors on top of the hierarchy. Who will not think of that way anyway? Being harbored in the lands of Castellanos, it is engraved in her mind that she lives to pay her debt of gratitude to the family who sheltered her, who protected her from all the cruelties the outside world has to offer behind those fences. What they're doing is to protect her life and welfare-that's what they told her. So there's no other way to live but be the gullible and obedient yokel of the Castellano clan, because they're doing everything just for her safety. But that's before her life turns upside-down as she discovers a strange note from the attic. "To whoever finds this message, they erased us. This is all that remains. Remember us, please." What does the note want to convey? Is it just one of those mundane trivial stuff found in an attic like the usual when someone decides to clean it? Or is it something connected to her... "safety?" For sure it is for her safety. That's what they always tell her. But what one hears is not always the version of reality. Most of the time, it is the most convenient scheme to twist and bend the truth. That... That's what they will never tell her.

Laya’s world is falling apart—haunted by a past she can’t outrun and a future she never chose. When shadows resurface and loyalties are tested, survival might cost her everything.

On a rainy day, I gave my pregnant neighbor a ride home since it was on my way. As a result, she became clingy and started insisting I drive her home every day. When I refused, she teared up and accused me of lacking compassion. Her husband even showed up at my door, demanding, "Why won't you take my wife to and from work? Are you looking down on us?" In the end, I sold my car and moved to a new place. If I couldn’t afford to offend them, at least I could avoid them!

In a small town, Mia, a rebellious young werewolf, finds herself trapped in a dead-end job and a life she never wanted. Running away from her pack and an arranged mating, she crosses paths with Asher, a wealthy and wounded billionaire. Despite their rocky start, Asher becomes captivated by Mia's fierce spirit and the unspoken connection between them. As the world conspires to keep them apart, Mia's past comes knocking at the door, threatening to expose her secrets. In a desperate bid to protect Asher, Mia makes a heart-wrenching decision, fleeing the city and leaving him behind. Haunted by his love for Mia, Asher embarks on a relentless search, uncovering clues and enlisting help along the way. But danger lurks in the shadows. Can Mia and Asher rewrite their destinies and forge a path to happiness, or will they succumb to the forces that threaten to tear them apart forever?

“You think leaving Victor was the end of your nightmare? Baby, you just stepped into hell.” Isabelle endures her loveless marriage with her billionaire husband Victor but cheating destroys her world. She signs the divorce papers and gets as far away from him as possible until life brings her a new love with Luther, but his many secrets and lies put her life in danger. Can she escape Luther's deadly plan or will Victor's past mistakes cost her everything? And what secrets is she hiding?

This book is principally about a girl named Izzy, a young beautiful Christain girl who has left her country of birth in search of education in a foreign land; but along the way meets her true self. The self that’s been hiding behind the curtains of her parent’s discipline. Her new found self surprises no one, even those she’s involved with and by “those”, I mean boys and men! Her parents have no idea of what her life is like without them and apparently, you’d be surprised to find out how easy it is to trick or better still “deceive” strict parents. Her parents still believe their daughter is pursuing “their” dreams with her eyes on the prize. Well her eyes are on the prize, it’s just not the prize they have in mind. Now, don’t get me wrong, she’s still all about the education, but alongside that, is what she finds pleasure in doing- changing partners when the sex is not what it used to be, cheating, being bisexual along many others. She has a turnaround in her life when she finally goes upcountry to work as a member of an NGO that provides for the poor, where she unexpectedly meets a man who changes her life and brings her back to the faith. This time, she wasn’t Izzy that followed her parents to church and not know why she went, but Izzy who understood her faith and why she loved the Lord and it inspired others in every way. People knowing who she was starts to shame her for who she is now, but she’s a goddamn QUEEN in her own way, and for her, that’s the best way and because she believes it, it’s become contagious!

The day two students got into a dispute, I ran into Morris Freeman, my ex from ten years ago. The boy who had been fighting wiped his tears and called him "Dad". Morris froze when he saw me, then finally remembered what was going on and apologized. "Ms. Langstaff, I'm sorry for causing you trouble." I handled the compensation by the book and wrapped everything up. When it was over, he lagged behind, clearly wanting to say something. "Back then, I remember you didn't want to be a teacher." I gave a faint smile and walked him to the office door. "People change. So do their ideas." Just like my feelings for him. That chapter had been closed a long time ago.

Antonius Rockwell, the enigmatic CEO of a prestigious company, leads a life of power and influence yet feels a hollow void in his existence. That changes the day he notices Kirsten Zaldua, a diligent delivery girl whose quiet determination and sincerity intrigue him. Struggling to support her ailing mother and balance her studies, Kirsten unknowingly becomes a beacon of hope in Antonius’s sterile world. One fateful afternoon, Antonius watches her collapse from exhaustion in his company lobby. Acting on instinct, he rescues her but conceals his identity, fearing the threats surrounding his life could endanger her. Instead, he sends his brother to assist her, an act he later regrets. To Antonius’s dismay, Kirsten mistakes his brother for her savior and begins a relationship with him. From the shadows, Antonius watches as his brother manipulates her into a toxic situation, leveraging her debts and her mother’s health to control her. Powerless to intervene without revealing the truth, Antonius retreats, heartbroken by his inability to protect the woman who has unwittingly captured his heart. Months later, a chance encounter reignites his connection with Kirsten, leading to an intimate one-night love affair born of misunderstanding. Though their bond deepens, Antonius remains tormented by guilt and longing. When Kirsten discovers he was her true rescuer, a spark of hope reignites between them, but Antonius’s brother, jealous and desperate, threatens her mother’s care, forcing her to break things off. Will Antonius’s love and determination be enough to rescue Kirsten from her nightmare? Or will the weight of her sacrifices pull them apart forever? Only time will reveal if their love can triumph against all odds.

After the plane crash, my body was never recovered. My soul drifted back to the home I hadn't stepped foot in for five years. They didn't know I was dead. They were still waiting for me to come home for Christmas. When my mom got the call from the airline, she froze for a long time, completely at a loss, before breaking down in tears. I followed them as they went to the memorial crash site. That was when I noticed something strange—I could see their levels of regret hovering above their heads. My brother's regret level read: 40%. My father's showed: 60%. Even my sister-in-law had 30% over her head. But my mother's regret level? It flashed a cold, unchanging 0%.