When Mama Told Me When I Was Young

On my birthday, my husband, Adrian Grant, suddenly showed up with my adoptive younger sister, Bella Reed, and her child, Tia Reed. When it was time to head out, he naturally arranged for Bella to sit in the front passenger seat. Then he turned to me and said calmly, "Tia gets carsick easily. The back seat is full of stuff. Since you're healthy, just take the bus." Our friends immediately chimed in, one after another, "You're the older sister. Taking care of your niece is only right." Four cars were heading out, yet not one seat was left for me, the supposed main character of the day. I sat on the bus, swallowing my grievance, and saw Adrian and Bella interacting ambiguously in the group chat. They were even talking about topics I knew nothing about. When I opened the newly sent video, nothing except leftovers remained on the table prepared for me. Adrian even treated the birthday cake I had carefully prepared as dessert, spoon-feeding it to Bella and her daughter. Someone finally couldn’t stand it anymore and asked whether this was appropriate. Adrian, who was carefully wiping Bella’s mouth, didn’t even look up. "We’re all family. Julia won’t be angry." At that point, our seven-year marriage came to its end.

MATURE CONTENT! Minsan nga lang tumibok ang puso. Doon pa sa taong hindi inaasahan. Si Cahaya Villarin, isang dalagang napilitang lumayo, matakasan lamang ang mga magulang na gusto siyang gawing pambayad utang. Napadpad sa isang liblib na lugar kung saan doon namuhay ng payapa, malayo sa mga magulang at magulong syudad na kinagisnan. Pero ang payapang pamumuhay ay bigla na lamang nagbago at gumulo dahil sa lalaking tinulungan. Ano ang dalang pagbabago ng lalaki sa buhay ni Cahaya? Ito ba ang magiging dahilan upang tuluyang makalimutan ang buhay na tikasan o ito ang magiging dahilan upang lisanin ang lugar na pinagtaguan?

In a world ravaged by global nuclear fallout, I struggled to survive alongside my fragile, sweet-faced best friend, dodging one radiation storm after another. The route to the Central Safety Zone was blocked—we had no choice but to use two detonators to blast open the tunnel. Otherwise, we would be caught in the storm, our bodies rotting away until we either dissolved into blood sludge or turned into zombies. … In my previous life, I had risked everything to secure those detonators, only for my best friend to hand them over to a complete stranger without hesitation. "They have elderly people and children on their side too," she said earnestly. "One detonator can save many lives. Iris, you can't be selfish." I was so furious my blood pressure nearly exploded, but with no other option, I went straight into a horde of zombies to steal backup detonators. I lost an arm in the process, drenched in blood and barely standing. Yet, she complained that I was covered in gore and had frightened the children. After finally regrouping with the main convoy, I rushed to deliver the formula for anti-radiation medicine to the research institute so that more people could be saved. But she accused me of stealing supplies and trying to flee, which led to my expulsion from the base, and death, my body rotting away under the radiation. When I opened my eyes again, there was still one hour left before the radiation storm hit. I looked down at the two detonators in my hand, then at my pitiful, tear-brimmed best friend—and I smiled. Since she loved being a good person so much, this time, I would let her be one to her heart's content.

Cole Patrick is merely a doorstep spawn who is reluctantly adopted by the Wyatt dynasty. He endures the mistreatment from the family but cannot speak up because the Wyatt's are powerful and influential. Zye Wyatt is an exception. She shows him kindness but is careful not to do it in front of the other members of the family. An innocent touch, a shared laugh, and suddenly, their bond blossoms into a forbidden love, ignited under the stars one lazy evening. However, their ruse comes to an end on prom night when Zane, Zye's brother finds them kissing behind the school library. He reports to their father who ships Zye abroad and kicks Cole out. At 18, homeless and determined to rise above his status, Cole forges a path of his own. Ten years later, Zye, broken and fresh from her divorce, finds herself looking for work in a small town. She is attracted to a bike gang from the town and is interested in joining as a step to her freedom. She realises that the bike gang leader is none other than Cole. Hardened by life but still her first love. However, their reunion does not last longer. A private investigator sent to find Zye's whereabouts reports them to her dad. The fragile peace they've curated shatters as shocking truths emerge: Cole wasn't abandoned; he was stolen from his mother after Mr. Wyatt brutally murdered his father. And his mother? Alive, a prisoner of the Wyatts' dark secrets all these years. Now, Cole stands at a crossroads: choose the woman who once offered him solace, or embrace the roaring vengeance for his shattered past and reclaim his stolen birthright. Can their love, forged in the fires of deception and longing, survive the ashes of Wyatt family lies?

After being pushed down the stairs by my husband's first love, I suffered a difficult labor with our second child and died in a corner of their family's private hospital. Before I died, my six-year-old son cried and begged for his father to save me. The first time, Shawn sneered. "Your mom's gotten smarter, using you to play the victim and trick people." After that, he flung my son's hand away and left heartlessly. The second time, my son told him I was bleeding uncontrollably. Shawn was clearly impatient. "She's being so dramatic, it's just a miscarriage, nothing serious. She's always made mountains out of molehills!" After chasing my son away, he even told the doctors not to care for me. "It's my fault for spoiling her. She'll know what she did wrong once I let her have a hard time for a few days." The last time, my son went to my husband's first love Jasmine, kneeling in front of her and knocking his head on the ground, begging her. Shawn flew into a rage and ordered bodyguards to throw my battered and bruised son out of the hospital room, allowing others to laugh at his misfortune. "If you come bother Jasmine while she's resting again, I'll kick your mom out of our family! She'll never see you again!" My son crawled to my side, leaving behind a long trail of blood. And so, I laid there helplessly as I felt the warmth escape both my son and I. 'Are you happy now, Shawn? You'll never see us again.'

In a sweeping tale of love lost and fate’s quiet redemption, When Love Lies follows the deeply moving, decades spanning journey of Josephine and Kenneth, two young lovers torn apart by betrayal, secrets, and the weight of family expectations.

For matured readers only (TAGLISH) "Akala ko sapat na ang salitang I love you para umabot tayo hanggang dulo..." Galing sa sawing pag-ibig si Marion. Kinse palang siya nang unang umibig. Naging masalimuot ang buhay niya sa murang edad dahil sa kapusukan at katigasan ng ulo. Nagresulta para matakot siyang magmahal dahil naging sugatan ang puso niya. Pero makalipas ang ilang taon heto at nagbabalik ang sumugat sa puso niya. Si Shin Dela Vega. "Oo nagkamali ako, nasaktan kita. Hindi rin kita naipaglaban noon, pero gusto kong malaman mo na ikaw pa rin ang mahal ko hanggang ngayon at gusto kong itama ang lahat, all I need is a second chance Marion..." pakiusap ni Shin. Pero may isang humihingi ng pagkakataon na lingunin niya. "Wala akong pakialam sa sasabihin ng iba. Manhid ka ba? Hindi mo ba nakikita na palagi akong nasa tabi mo kahit noon pa. Hindi kita iniiwan at kaya kitang ipaglaban kanino man. Hinihintay ko lang na bigyan mo ako ng pagkakataon na mahalin ka para maramdaman mong karapat-dapat din ako sa puso mo," pag-amin ni Grant Tyler sa kanya. Nalilito ang puso niya. Sino ang dapat niyang piliin? Magbibigay ba siya ng ikalawang pagkakataon para kay Shin, ang taong minahal niya o susubukan niyang muling buksan ang puso para kay Grant Tyler?

My best friend, Kahlan Ellis was invited by an online acquaintance to explore an abandoned school. I told her it was dangerous and urged her not to go. A young woman nearby overheard our conversation, got curious, and went with him instead. Later, the local news blew up with a trending story about how a wealthy heir and a village girl who met during an exploration adventure had fallen in love and lived happily ever after. Around that time, I was preparing to get married. On the night before my wedding, Kahlan pushed me off a high-rise. "If you hadn't stopped me from going back then, I'd have married rich by now! You deserve to die!" It was only then that I realized how much she had resented me all this while for stopping her that day. When I opened my eyes again, I had been reborn to the day she first asked me to go on that exploration. In the parking garage, Kahlan looked at me excitedly and asked, "Patricia, do you think I should go explore that abandoned school with Robert?"

Zoe Jensen's parents kick her out because she doesn't want to share them with Alice Reed. She ends up homeless on the streets. She ultimately dies of starvation. When she's reborn, she finds herself standing before Alice. The latter is crying and begging her. Zoe is delighted by this. Alice can have her parents if she wants them—Zoe doesn't want to lose her life because of them again!

Anastasia Kingsley has always felt like an outsider in her own home, but nothing prepares her for the ultimate betrayal. Her fiancé cheats on her,That secret will unravel as the story unfolds. Invited to a breakfast she thought would be ordinary, she walks into a nightmare. Her father’s calm complicity and the subtle hints of family deception leave her reeling with heartbreak and anger. Seeking refuge from the world she once knew, Anastasia encounters a stranger whose presence unnerves her, yet somehow feels familiar. Who is he? Why does he seem to know her? As secrets, betrayals, and long-buried memories resurface, Anastasia must navigate love, loyalty, and the shadows of her own past. Will she reclaim her life, or will the people she trusted most define her story for her?