When It Hurts So Good

The day Stella Jameson was released early from prison for good behavior, my husband Samuel Xenos, who was always so calm and collected, lost control. He did everything he could to please Stella in her bed. He said that our marriage was nothing but fake. He never had any real feelings for me. And that lawsuit, for which he risked his life to win for me three years ago, was nothing but a complete setup. [Zara, the man you love most is just my dog. He comes whenever I call. He has always been like this. He’s no different from Victor back then.] That was the message Stella sent me to taunt me. I wiped my tears and prepared a big surprise for them.

After I announced my exit from the music industry, the public response was overwhelmingly positive. The only person who voiced his objection was my girlfriend's rumored lover, the up-and-coming songwriter Lucas Zacker. He put on a show of sincerity in front of a crowd of reporters. "It's all a misunderstanding. Matthew is an irreplaceable talent in the music industry. I sincerely hope he returns to the stage." I shut off my phone and turned a blind eye to his public plea. In my past life, one of my songs had been identical to his supposedly original single. As such, netizens accused me of plagiarism, cursing me and wishing death upon my family. Frustrated, I posted the entire creation process online, but it couldn't stand up to the timeline. His new song had been released ten minutes ahead of mine. Just because of the ten-minute difference, netizens sent me photoshopped mourning portraits of myself and even went so far as to come to my house and vandalize it with paint. The relentless cyberbullying went on for years, and it drove me into a deep depression. My parents exhausted their life savings trying to clear my name, only for crazed fans to set our house on fire, causing my parents to burn to death. In the end, when his song won an award, I jumped off a building. But who would have guessed that when I opened my eyes again, I was reborn on the very day the new song was set to release.

Aurora’s family was on the verge of bankruptcy. Forced by circumstances, she entered a secret shotgun marriage with Leon Kingsley, a friend from her childhood with whom she has slowly drifted apart. Leon proposed to give Aurora a comfortable lifestyle if she would marry him to get his family off his back, manage his family obligations and ward off the advances of his admirers. Aurora agreed to a three-year fake marriage with him, wherein they maintain the illusion of a joyful couple in front of their family, friends and relatives, but everything goes haywire when Aurora’s rumored crush, Owen, along with Claire, the woman who holds a special place in Leon’s heart, return from overseas, sending ripples in the fake pair’s relationship, leading them to abandon all pretense of affection, reducing their marriage to a hollow performance. Aurora signed. “Leon, let’s get a divorce. It's time for us to find our own happiness.” Leon growled. “Not a chance! I’m not letting you go!”

Life can be very unpredictable and upsetting. That's what happened to Shanon Wilson. Her sister was sold to a rich man to pay off her stepmother's debts. But, her sister had an accident and was declared in a coma. As her younger sister, Shanon had to replace Avery in marrying the rich man. And in an instant, she was completely the bride of a stranger. While walking down the aisle, Shanon was shocked to find out that her groom was Anthony Bruce, her professor. He is famous as a handsome young professor on her campus and all of Shanon's friends adore him. Shanon hid her face behind a veil during the wedding process until the priest asked Anthony to kiss his bride... Shanon knew she was in big trouble.

My once best friend posted a photo on her social media account on the tenth anniversary of my marriage. In the photo, her daughter and my son were wrapped in my husband's and her arms. The caption said, 'The perfect pair.' I commented, 'Perfect indeed.' Soon, the post was deleted. The next day, my husband rushed home and asked me, "Sophie is finally recovering. Why are you provoking her?" My son even pushed me and accused me, "It's all your fault for making Tammy cry." I took out the divorce papers and threw them in their faces. "Well, it's my fault, so I quit your perfect family of four."

Book #4 Wright-Petrov Series At the age of twenty-two, Skye Monticello lives her life in reckless exploration, even at the cost of her innocence during a one-night stand. However, upon discovering the identity of her mysterious fling and refusing to relinquish her freedom, she decides to flee and make a fresh start. Fate, however, has other plans, as she finds herself pregnant. Despite her predicament, she courageously chooses to raise her child alone and has been successful, almost. After years in hiding, she comes face to face with the man who fathered her child and claimed her first. As she navigates this challenging encounter and grapples with the uncanny resemblance her child bears to his father, she stubbornly struggles to evade the man who seems to be an indomitable presence in her life. Moreover, with him being the most influential man in the country, escape seems even more implausible. Xander Voulker Wright, the third heir of the Wright and Petrov family, adds another layer of complexity to Skye's peace of mind.

My daughter, Vivian Montiago, is born with a heart condition. To protect her, I decide to spend 200 million dollars on building a prestigious preschool for her in the company's park. I don't want her to be lonely, so I also decide to allow the other employees' children to attend the preschool for free to keep Vivian company. However, on the first day of preschool, Vivian's smartwatch alert keeps going off. When I rush over to the preschool, I find out that Vivian is all tied up and left to die under the hot afternoon sun. Her skin is red and blistering, and her lips are purple as she teeters on the edge of death. "Are you all blind? Call the ambulance!" I yell in anger, grabbing Vivian and rushing out of the place. However, Hailey Lester, my husband's secretary, gets in my way. "You seduced my husband and birthed an illegitimate child. How dare you try to get away without being punished?" she screams, slapping me hard in the face. "I'm telling you that this preschool is a gift to me and my son from Rhett! And you're not allowed to step out of this place without my explicit permission!" "Her life is in danger! We'll talk about that later!" I exclaim, not wanting to argue with her. However, she kicks me to the ground and says, "So what if his bastard daughter dies? He can have a daughter with me if he really wants one!" The company employees don't seem to care about Vivian's health condition at all. They point at me and say, "Ms. Lester is Mr. Montiago's beloved wife, and she also owns this place! You're nothing but a homewrecker trying to take advantage of the free preschool program. Get down and apologize at once!" Fine. Since everyone is as blind as my husband, Rhett Montiago, in realizing who the real deal is, I decide that I am not sparing a single one of them.

My sister abruptly returns to the country on the day of my wedding. My parents, brother, and fiancé abandon me to pick her up at the airport. She shares a photo of them on her social media, bragging about how she's so loved. Meanwhile, all the calls I make are rejected. My fiancé is the only one who answers, but all he tells me is not to kick up a fuss. We can always have our wedding some other day. They turn me into a laughingstock on the day I've looked forward to all my life. Everyone points at me and laughs in my face. I calmly deal with everything before writing a new number in my journal—99. This is their 99th time disappointing me; I won't wish for them to love me anymore. I fill in a request to study abroad and pack my luggage. They think I've learned to be obedient, but I'm actually about to leave forever.

Anita Richardson, a top model in New York City, got entangled in a scandal that threatened to end her career. She had to seek refuge from none other than the famous, Mr. Rivers, CEO of Opulence Entertainment. What happens after she made a deal with him even though several details weren't made clear to her? Something that had to do with her being a substitute mom for his twin kids, aside from her being a substitute for his runaway wife... With a past as dark as night she was desperate to keep hidden and protect, how was she to take care of others when she wasn't really doing well in taking care of herself? When love's shackles threatened to stand in the way of her plans, Anita finds herself caged between her past and present. Was she going to ignore the hurt of the past with its scars, and let love guide her? Or would she make good use of her situation to avenge her broken self and get back what had been originally hers?

It is in the human nature to expect things from a person. And of course, as a human, one will tend to try to reach their goals no matter how big or small it is. One will strive hard to reach those expectations, sometimes even ace it. However, not all things goes the way one planned it and that is what happening to Pharynne Mauridelle Cortés. Pharynne Mauridelle Cortés is a full of hope woman. She's a woman who will give her all selflessly no matter what and how much struggles she have in life. However, no matter how beautiful a rose can be, it wouldn't change the fact that it still have thorns. Thorns that even she herself can get hurt by it. She is beyond what the society wants her to be. For beyond what it seems to be in the strongest façade a woman can have, is her broken and wounded self that she couldn't even mend it herself. And when she reached her outmost endpoint, her world clashes with Jhariêx Ivan Romanov Strëízhnnërr IV. The man full of mystery who will be her anchor and thread of light that will help her heal and rebuild herself. But then, when things are almost at its place, she will suddenly discover the mystery behind his life. Being lied to and destructive pain she felt, causing her demons to fully swallow and win against her. No matter how beautiful and delicate a flower is, if it starts to get rotten inside, it will still wither and die.