When Love Betrays

My daughter, Wendy Lawson, was a rising star in the piano world. But on the day of the piano competition grand finals, someone locked her in a restroom. She was so shaken she missed her chance at the championship. I checked the CCTV footage and found out exactly who was behind it. I was ready to file a formal complaint for malicious sabotage. But my husband stepped in and shut me down cold. “It was just a squabble between two kids. If you report Theresa’s sister, I’ll make sure Wendy doesn’t even get second place!” I was so furious my whole body trembled. I never imagined Phillip would go this far to bully his own daughter to protect his secretary’s sister! Just then, Wendy held onto my hand as she fought back tears. “Mom, I don’t want the championship anymore… and I don’t want Dad either.” I tightened my grip around her small hand. “All right. If you do not want him, then I do not want him either!”

“I never believed in love and marriage. But when I set my eyes on you, everything changed. For without blinking an eye, I fell in love with you…” TEASER Nang dahil sa sugat na idinulot ng ama ni Dannah sa buhay-pamilya nila, nagkaroon ng lamat sa puso at damdamin niya. She vowed never to fall in love and be committed to any man. Natatakot siyang makahanap ng isang lalaking katulad ng kanyang ama na iniwan ang sarili nitong pamilya para sa babaeng gusto nitong makasama. Till such a moment came na hiniling ng kanyang butihing-ina ang isang apo mula sa kanya. She’s the only daughter and she loved her mom very much para ipagkait dito ang simpleng bagay na alam niyang makapagpapaligaya rito. Sa tulong ng kaibigang si Sandy ay nakahanap siya ng lalaking handang mag-“donate” ng sarili nitong “semelya.” Iyon ay si Gunther de Guzman! Tila nakiayon naman ang tadhana, for Gunther only desired sex without commitment and love. On her part, she only yearned for a baby without having a husband. Iyon ang bagay na nagbuklod sa kanila. Kaya naman they’ve shared one-night stand together. Okay na sana ang lahat para kay Dannah sa pag-aakalang iyon na ang kahuli-hulihan nilang pagkikita. Subalit ang hindi inaasahan ng dalaga ay ang pagbabago ng isip ng binata. “I want to have the custody of my child, Dannah. Kahit saang husgado ay lalabanan kita!”

Every Thanksgiving, my husband, Salvatore, brings home a showgirl from one of his clubs. He makes me kneel and serve them drinks. A lesson, he calls it, in how to please a man. This was the eighth Thanksgiving, and this time, he brought back a girl poured into a tight leather dress. "She doesn't have any decent jewelry," Salvatore announced. "Give her your heirloom diamond ring. Your grandmother's pearl earrings, too. And take off that silk choker for her." He smirked. "And listen, she's young, doesn't know the rules. You'll have to show her the ropes. Especially how to handle a man in bed." Every member of the Genovese family was watching, waiting for my humiliation. I didn't disappoint. I opened my mouth and asked Salvatore for a divorce. Salvatore let out a sharp, ugly laugh, his eyes full of contempt. "Francesca, you pull this same shit every time," he jeered. "Your act is pathetic. Even more dramatic than your performance in bed." He leaned in. "You really want to divorce me? Fine. I'll give you five million in cash if you actually walk out that door." The living room erupted in laughter. They all said I was playing hard to get, that I didn't know my place. But they didn't know. This was the 88th time I had asked for a divorce, and it was the first time I truly meant it.

Diana is the eldest granddaughter of the Winchester Family. She has lived her 22 years of life as her twin, Chantal's shadow. She thought she has become immune to the hurt caused by her own family until one revelation revealed in anger, turned her world upside down. Thinking that she has lost the piece of home, she was proven wrong when a helping hand, led her to discover an amorous side of her. Lucas is the 30-year-old President of Forrest Research Institute and a descendant of one of the 7 great families in the country of Great Blackhampton. He has always been good at reading people's personalities so when this beautiful goddess of a woman gave him a look asking for help, he didn't hesitate. Their first meeting, their first kiss. She thought it only ended there, until they met two months later. She had never imagined meeting one of the descendants of the Great families, even more so meeting the heirs. Not only was she welcomed, they even became acquainted with her own friends. They never expected that Lucas and Diana's encounter was the beginning of love blooming for them as well.

On the way to a dance competition, a massive truck rammed into me. My legs were shattered, and my mother was sent flying from the impact after she tried to protect me. My stepbrother, who was also my secret boyfriend of six years, went crazy after hearing the news. He had the driver dragged off to a lawless borderland and called in the best doctors in the country to save me and my mother. Not many people knew, but I was born with a rare sensitivity to pain. The more it hurt, the clearer my mind became. That was how I ended up lying wide awake on the bed, listening to Luke Quinton and his friend, Harvey Lane, talking just outside my hospital room. "Luke, are you sure about this? You really want to let Queenie practice on Natalie's mother's heart?" "She deserves it. That vile woman seduced my father and drove my mother to her death. If not for revenge, do you think I'd stomach being with her daughter for six years? "She should be honored that Queenie is dissecting her heart. Keep it from Natalie for now. If she loses it, she might ruin my wedding with Queenie. What would I do if that happened? The only woman I'll ever have as my wife is Queenie. No one will ever take her place." So, that was the truth. What I thought was a love strong enough to defy the world had been a lie from the very beginning—just a carefully crafted act of revenge.

On the day Yara Cullen was released from prison, it was raining. A chilly wind carried the drizzle, striking her as the media swarmed the prison gates. "Ms. Cullen, in the Crestwood Estate sexual assault case, your client lost the lawsuit and took her own life six months ago. Her mother is demanding accountability. Do you have anything to say?” "Ms. Cullen, your attorney's license has been revoked, and your mentor was forced to retire. What are your thoughts on this?" No matter how the reporters pressed, Yara kept her head down and pushed forward, forcing her way through the crowd. A black G-Wagon was parked by the roadside, where Westley Langston leaned against the car, smoking a cigarette. Beside him, Elena Cullen tugged at his arm. He turned, glancing toward the prison gates.

When we were about to head to the amusement park, my Beta boyfriend, Drew, brought along a woman and her daughter. There happened to be one seat short in the car. Drew told me to get out and give my seat to the two of them. “Laura has a kid with her. Let them go first. I’ll come back for you later,” he said. I calmly stepped out and watched as the car slowly pulled away from the pack. Three hours later, they arrived at the amusement park for the fireworks and feast. When a friend asked Drew why he still hadn’t come back to get me, Drew was patiently helping Laura light a giant firework. He wasn’t in a rush at all and even said, “It’ll be fine if I pick Sienna up later. She won’t mind. I’ll coax her a bit, and she’ll stop being mad.” Anger only worked on people who cared about someone. My dad, mom, and brother never cared, and now, not even Drew cared anymore. It was time for me to leave for good.

My sister accompanies me when I go for my premarital medical checkup. When I'm preparing a urine test, I hear embarrassing sounds coming from the cubicle next door. I'm about to leave when I hear the conversation. "Keep it in you, Willow. We're doing this again if it slips out." The voice belongs to my fiancé, Zachary Hilton. The woman to whom he's speaking is Willow Langley, my sister. I dial his number hysterically to see whether it really is him, but my calls go unanswered. All I hear is the incessant ringing of a phone next door and moans alongside it. I'm rooted to the spot, too stunned to do anything. Zachary once vowed to love me for life, yet he's doing something like this with Willow prior to our wedding. The moans and pants next door take a long time to subside. Once I hear them leave, I call home, my face wet with tears. "Mom, change my husband-to-be to Thomas Hilton, Zachary's youngest uncle. I don't want to have anything to do with Zachary anymore."

All my life, I’ve watched love happen to everyone but me. My sister, my friends… they were adored, spoiled, cherished. I thought I’d found my own happy ending—until the man I loved for five years betrayed me. And he didn’t just betray me… he did it with my best friend. On my birthday. Now, I’m drowning my heartbreak in the dim glow of an expensive club, my best friend Dante by my side, then i bump into him Damien Kings. Cold, devastatingly handsome, and the kind of man who makes the air feel dangerous. He offers to sober him up . I should say no. I should walk away. Instead, I let him pull me into his world—into his arms—just for one reckless night. By morning, I’m gone. I think I’ve escaped. But then my father, Senator Quinn, drops a bomb: I’m getting married. And my groom… is the man from last night. Damien Kings. He doesn’t look surprised. I, on the other hand, see nothing but a trap. A game I didn’t agree to play. I’m not ready to love again—not him, not anyone. But Damien doesn’t seem like the kind of man who takes no for an answer. And as much as I want to hate him… my heart might not survive what happens when love comes calling.

She is Nasha Atlas, the first of her name; optimistic laced with beauty and brains. Getting admission into the University of Cambridge, to study her dream course, was her greatest desire; it came cos whatever she desires, she gets. But how did she feel when her boyfriend who she wants to share in her joy, betrays her by sleeping with another woman? Would she breathe fresh air when she became a prime suspect in the murder of her new neighbor? Would George Powers: a strict officer et billionaire be able to find out who the culprit is when he fell in love with the suspect and make love to her at a supposed investigatory dinner night? And amid the many deaths, would his prowess as a detective be proven? What happens when Nasha's ex-billionaire lover keeps coming back when she already has a new love life? Would she revenge or accept him back?