When We Were Bright And Beautiful

On the day my daughter is discharged from the hospital after recovering from the flu, I run into my ex-husband, Zachary Levine, whom I have been divorced from for seven years. He is there to pick up his wife, who has just given birth. He looks a little surprised as his gaze moves up and down to take in my clothes, which is still stained from my child's vomit. I had no time to change out of it earlier. "Long time no see. How have you been lately?" he asks. I smile and say I am doing fine. As we are about to part, he grabs my arm. "Alyssa, our son misses you a lot. If you are having any difficulties, don't push yourself. The passcode for the house in the north of the city is still your birthday. You can go there anytime." I politely decline, and he lets out a sigh. "After all these years, you are still as stubborn as you were back then. Don't hate me." I smile but say nothing. There needs to be love for there to be hate. But now, he is just a stranger to me.

He was my first love. My biggest regret. And now? He's my stepbrother. Five years ago, Cade Blackwood James disappeared after one perfect night that changed everything. Now he's back, more dangerous than ever, and living under the same roof. Our parents just got married. They think we're strangers. They're wrong. Every rule says we should stay away. Every touch says we can't. And when he backs me against the wall and whispers, "You've always been mine," I know we're both going to hell. But first? We're going to burn. He was my first. He'll be my last. Even if it destroys us both. Forbidden. Explosive. Unforgettable.

Masayahin at palakaibigan si Prudence Georgina Chapman, kabaligtaran ng tahimik at malamig na CEO na si Edison Charles Henderson. Nagkakilala sila sa isang pagtitipon kasama ang kani-kanilang mga kaibigan—agad na nagustuhan ni Prudence si Edison, ngunit nahirapan siyang mapasok ang mundo ng lalaking halos walang emosyon. Sa kabila ng distansya, unti-unting nabuo ang lihim na ugnayan nila—isang tagong relasyon na puno ng pagkahumaling at katahimikan. Nang magbunga ang kanilang pagtatagpo at nabuo ang isang anak, napilitan si Prudence na ilihim ang katotohanan upang protektahan ang bata at ang reputasyon ni Edison. Paglipas ng mga taon, muling nagtagpo ang kanilang landas. Haharapin ni Edison ang responsibilidad at damdaming matagal niyang itinanggi—at doon niya matutuklasan na ang pusong akala niya’y yelo, ay kayang lumambot dahil sa pag-ibig at pagiging ama.

I was diagnosed with stomach cancer and needed a total gastrectomy. My husband, who was hailed as a rising star in the medical field, personally performed the surgery on me. However, after the operation, my health only worsened. He told me that the cancer had spread too quickly, and there was no hope left. It was not until I accidentally came across a hidden medical report and a massive insurance policy that I learned the truth—I never had stomach cancer. Not only had he removed my stomach, but he had also taken my uterus. Desperate, I confronted him, asking why he did that to me. He held his mistress in his arms, looking at me with disgust as he said, "If your father weren't the director, do you think I would've married you? You're not even worthy of being in the same room as Mabel. After one more surgery to remove your stomach, I'll be promoted to chief physician. "Didn't you claim to love me so much? I'm just using your body to help me and Mabel get ahead... I'm doing you a favor." Then, he and his mistress threw me off the building, making it look like a suicide. When I opened my eyes again, I had gone back to the day of my stomach surgery.

Caleb Villarreal lived his life in perfect control of his empire, his time, and even the emptiness in his own heart. Until Lyra arrived. The girl he should never want… Yet the only one he could never resist. Inside the Villarreal mansion, every glance between them was forbidden. Every attempt to look away only made the tension burn hotter. His cold stares. Her hidden longing. A fire they both pretended not to feel. Until one night a storm, a flooded road, one hotel room, and a temptation neither of them could outrun. One touch. One kiss. And every rule they swore to follow was shattered in an instant. That night, they learned a truth neither of them could deny: Desire may be forbidden… But it never asks for permission. And when longing turns into wildfire, Who has the right or the power to stop it?

My fiancé's junior colleague went around the hospital every day calling herself "the best girl". When a patient with acute appendicitis was admitted, she mistakenly prescribed laxatives instead of proper treatment. The patient nearly went into shock and died. After the hospital was reported by the patient's family, she simply smiled and said, "I don't even need a supervising doctor to prescribe medication anymore. I'm such a good girl!" On another occasion, she failed to order routine pre-op blood work for a surgical patient. During the procedure, a visiting senior surgeon was exposed and later contracted HIV. She actually puffed out her chest and said, "Even if everyone had to stay up all night helping me save the doctor, I'm still the best girl!" I protested more than once and urged my fiancé to dismiss her. He refused every time. He brushed it off with a laugh, saying "this good girl" just needed time and experience. Then, a prominent patient was transferred from a military hospital for surgery. She secretly tampered with the medical records, switching the pathology findings from the left lung to the right. She even revised the surgical plan, recommending removal of the patient's completely healthy right lung. Luckily, I caught the mistake in time, restored the correct pathology report, and performed the surgery successfully. After the patient recovered, he asked for our team to be recognized. To my disbelief, Elena Bakers ran to my fiancé in tears. "I wrote the entire report by myself! All by myself! I'm the best little girl! "Why do you always take credit away from me? It took so much courage for this little girl to be brave just once! "You're all horrible!" Elena stormed out of the hospital and was struck and killed by a car on the spot. My fiancé did not say a word. However, on the very day I was appointed hospital director, he produced falsified evidence accusing me of altering records and causing multiple medical accidents to advance my career. I was arrested, tried, and sentenced to death. As the verdict was delivered, he looked at me with unmistakable satisfaction. "You'll never make up for what you owe Elena. Not in this lifetime." When I opened my eyes again, I found myself back on the day Elena altered the surgical plan.

The contractions were ripping me in two. My vision was going dark. My husband, Don Vittorio, the man who ruled Chicago, squeezed my hand. His dark eyes burned with love. "Just a little longer, mia cara. You'll meet our baby soon." Sweat poured down my face. I still found the strength to smile for him. Then a nurse walked in. She held a syringe. I thought it was to stop the pain. But Vittorio’s hand fell away. He took a single step back. The needle sank into my arm. I heard Vittorio’s voice. It was cold steel. "Dose her carefully. She holds on until midnight. Not a minute sooner. Not until after Ornella delivers." And then I knew. He thought I married him for the money. He was stopping my labor. All for a sick Falcone family rule: the first son born is the next heir. Pain tore through me. I reached for him. Tears streamed down my face. I begged him to stop. He bit his lip. His voice was pure ice. "My brother is dead. Ornella carries his only heir. You will do as you are told. You and your child will not steal his birthright." The drug hit my veins. The violent squeeze in my belly, like some invisible hand, just… stopped.

Faith Hoewar, a savvy businessperson known for being cold and untouched by anyone, never expected to be trapped in a marriage with a beautiful doctor named Kasih Alayah. Initially, Faith desperately wanted to reject this arranged marriage. However, she couldn't do anything because her grandmother was seriously ill. Her grandmother wished for Faith to marry as soon as possible and give her a great-grandchild. Coincidentally, the doctor caring for Grandma Meri's illness was Dr. Kasih. Dr. Kasih couldn't refuse the arranged marriage due to her family's frequent assistance from the kind-hearted Grandma Meri. Will their marriage be successful? Especially when they don't love each other. Moreover, Faith despises women more than anything in the world. "Can Kasih bring love into Faith's heart? Or will they have to part ways?"

Bethany Cole and Shane Stafford were supposed to get married in two weeks, but Shane was thinking about postponing the wedding again. It was all because his stepsister, Yelena White, had another episode and was crying for him to drop everything and take her to Maldivea to see the ocean. The wedding had been planned for two years, and Bethany had had enough. If Shane did not want to get married, she would find someone else to take his place.

Rome has been angry with Cayson Montemayor for more than a decade now, but the young woman can do nothing but show kindness to him because her entire family works and teaches at the school owned by the young man's family. One night, she found herself at a party that would lead to her greatest misery. She got drunk and went into the wrong room. The next morning, she woke up naked beside the devil himself, Cayson Montemayor. Something happened to them that night; an incident he thought was a bad dream caused by the spirit of alcohol. She asked him to forget about what happened that night, and they agreed to never speak of it again. But thirty days later, she found herself pregnant with Cayson Montemayor's child. And her family wanted to know the truth. How could she tell them the truth without tarnishing the family name and not being forced to marry the father of the child she was carrying? She would never marry and live with that man under the same roof, she would die to be with that demon every day! But does she have any choices?