While We Were Here

My mother despised me because I was the unintended consequence of a one-night stand. She poured all her love and attention into her students, treating them as if they were her own flesh and blood. One day, when her favourite pupil confessed his feelings for me, she flew into a rage. She slapped me hard across the face and called me a whore. Years later, as Alzheimer's clouded her mind, she forgot I even existed, yet still remembered every single one of her precious students. The irony was that not one of them ever came to visit her in the nursing home. They all loathed her just as much as I did.

I quit and dipped. City threw a parade. Only Jenna Blake—my oh-so-gifted junior who claimed she could "see through killers' eyes"—lost it. At her celebration banquet, she went full drama queen: "I owe everything to Kate Mercer. Please, bring her back!" I laughed. Cold. Not happening. Last time around, I was the hotshot detective. But every clue I found? She dropped it first like she read my mind. People started saying I was washed. So I went all in—three months, no sleep, cracked a massive trafficking ring. Led the raid myself. She beat me there. Again. Place was cleaned out. Boom. She's the city's golden girl. I'm the clown with no game. Pressure got ugly. My head snapped. I died chasing the last scumbag. Then—bam. I woke up. Same day. Raid morning. Round two.

"So, take my hand now when I take yours, We are both heading to the same place." Those unassuming days as Trainees under the fictional DayBreak Entertainment were the real starting point for the two of them. While uncertain hopes had brought them there, the music they made together, and each other, had been the foundation for their driving passion. While they were dreaming of the debut that they were certain they would make together, fate played a different card for them. It led to new bonds and new beginnings. Sometimes though, all you really need is an unassuming and yet powerful reminder. "I hope you'll make me your strength as I have made you mine." The relationship between K-Pop idols and their fans have always been built upon perfectly timed happenstance that transcends rational explanations. But then again, maybe all relationships are like that?

"My beautiful Clara... now you know who I really am. You don't think I'll let you go that easily, do you?" ****** Clara Hart was never a damsel in distress that needed saving. She was the heroine herself-independent, strong and hardworking. When she met Xane through an online dating app, he turned out to be an average decent man, like she had expected and wanted. She had fallen in love with his normality. Yet, Xane Harding was far from average. He was a tech genius and a mysterious billionaire that no one knew his existence of. And when Clara discovered his pack of lies, she was heartbroken. Xane had never wanted something so bad as he had wanted Clara. So this time he pursued her, showing her who he really was. With no lies. And there was no holding him back.

When Lily Rosenfelt is eight months pregnant, Zeke Connolly brings home the woman he truly loves—Sophie Cruz, who's also eight months along. To give Sophie and the baby the recognition they deserve, he goes public with a statement saying that he and Lily are already divorced and that he'll be marrying Sophie soon. Thinking Lily is still blind, Zeke tricks her into signing the divorce papers. He even sleeps with Sophie in his own villa. What he doesn't know is that Lily has long regained her sight. When she and Sophie fall down the stairs together and Zeke, without a moment's hesitation, chooses Sophie, something in Lily breaks. She buries her love for him along with their child. It's not until she's truly gone that Zeke starts to panic.

Grace Anderson is a striking young lady with a no-nonsense and inimical attitude. She barely smiles or laughs, the feeling of pure happiness has been rare to her. She has acquired so many scars and life has thought her a very valuable lesson about trust. Dean Ryan is a good looking young man with a sanguine personality. He always has a smile on his face and never fails to spread his cheerful spirit. On Grace's first day of college, the two meet in an unusual way when Dean almost runs her over with his car in front of an ice cream stand. Although the two are opposites, a friendship forms between them and as time passes by and they begin to learn a lot about each other, Grace finds herself indeed trusting him. Dean was in love with her. He loved everything about her. Every. Single. Flaw. He loved the way she always bit her lip. He loved the way his name rolled out of her mouth. He loved the way her hand fit in his like they were made for each other. He loved how much she loved ice cream. He loved how passionate she was about poetry. One could say he was obsessed. But love has to have a little bit of obsession to it, right? It wasn't all smiles and roses with both of them but the love they had for one another was reason enough to see past anything. But as every love story has a beginning, so it does an ending.

Grayson Wyatt is the live-in son-in-law of one of the richest families in the country. He is despised by everyone around him because he is poor and picked on by his in-laws for the same reason. Things take a turn for the worse when his sister is rushed to the hospital after overdosing. He soon discovers his wife has been cheating on him and gets sent to jail after being framed for domestic violence. Just when it looks like things would keep getting worse, he is bailed out of jail and discovers that he's the heir to a billion dollar inheritance. But then the will comes with an extra clause. He would have to get married to a girl he has never met before.

Almira Sekarayu, seorang perempuan muda dengan predikat The Most Eligible Bachelorette in Indonesia, punya standar tinggi mengenai pasangan hidupnya. Yang pasti lelaki itu harus lebih dari dia; lebih pintar, lebih kaya, dan lebih tua. Almi paling benci dengan laki-laki yang (menurutnya) sok kegantengan seperti Kalandra, seorang penyanyi terkenal dengan predikat Genious Musician, yang juga artis kebanggaan stasiun TV-nya. Namun, sebuah kejadian tidak terduga membuat keduanya harus berdua selama beberapa hari di tengah lautan bebas.

Rhea adalah wanita yang dikenal dengan sebutan gadis besi. Dengan kelayakan keluarga serta bakatnya, dia menjadi wanita sombong dan tidak ramah. Reputasi buruknya telah menyebar ke seluruh penjuru kota, membuat para pelamarnya mengundurkan diri. Rhea tidak peduli akan reputasinya. Dia memiliki calon suami yang setia, mereka akan memiliki kehidupan yang bahagia setelah pernikahan. Itu sebelum selingkuhan calon suaminya menampilkan diri di hari pernikahan mereka dan membuat drama. Rhea memutuskan pacarnya saat itu juga. Hanya saja pernikahan harus berjalan. Dia membutuhkan mempelai dan dengan putus asa, Rhea mengumumkan putusan. "Siapapun pria layak yang berani maju kedepan mendatangiku, aku akan menikahinya sekarang juga!" Tak disangka seorang pria yang duduk di barisan paling akhir berdiri dan berjalan kedepan untuk mengajukan diri. "Saya Hansa Adiwinata. CEO grup Prisma. Lajang. Umur 32 tahun. Apakah saya bernilai di mata anda?" Semua orang melotot tidak percaya. Bujangan yang diinginkan nomor satu, pria yang terkenal berperangai dingin, kejam, dan tak berperasaan, petinggi perusahaan raksasa yang menguasai berbagai lapisan industri, dan pria itu sekarang tengah menawarkan dirinya sendiri pada wanita bereputasi rendah di kota. Setelah pernikahan, Rhea menyerahkan surat perjanjian cerai di hadapan Hansa. "Mari berpura-pura menikah selama satu tahun lalu berpisah dengan baik-baik." Hansa menatap kertas tersebut dan tersenyum manis kepadanya. "Cerai? Jangan bermimpi wanita, kamu akan menjadi istriku selamanya."

I met my mate, Alpha Draven, at the bonding ceremony of our classmate Raven—seven years after I rejected him. But everything had changed. He was still handsome and prestigious, with his beautiful mate clinging to his side. And me? I stood there in an old-fashioned uniform, black-rimmed glasses perched on my nose— a relic from another world. Yes. We were from two completely different worlds now. In the middle of the ceremony, I overheard some werewolves whispering and laughing. "Draven, have you finally moved on from her rejection? It's been seven years, after all." His smile faded. "Honestly, I didn't even recognize her at first glance today." Their words struck me like claws to the heart. I couldn't breathe. So I left—quietly, halfway through the ceremony—before the pain could completely devour me.