Yann Martel

Carl Anderson doesn't show up for our engagement party. I finally find him in a bar's private room after night has fallen. "I only think of her as a sister. Who would've expected her to want to latch onto me like that? There's no way I'll marry her in this lifetime!" He downs his drink. Later, when he and Angela Moran get married, he tells his friends to stop me at the entrance. He's afraid I'll crash his wedding and ruin it. "Keep an eye on Iris, guys. Don't let her crash the wedding!" he says. As soon as the words are out of his mouth, I show up with Henry Moran. "Don't even dream of stepping in there, Iris!" Carl looks at me warily. "You're so rude! You have to call her Aunt Iris now!" Angela greets me warmly and leads me inside.

Mark Carlson and I had been a secret couple for three years. He was nothing but my boss at work. But at home, he treated me however he pleased, with no regard for my feelings. One day, I noticed him researching marriage. My heart leapt with joy. I prepared my proof of identity and other relevant documents, thinking he was finally ready, but he went to the marriage registration office with another woman. "You're married now. You should clean up things at home quickly,” one of his friends said, grinning. "Yeah, I should. But honestly, she does not have to leave entirely,” Mark replied with a smirk. I watched as everyone laughed, their faces filled with delight. Tears streamed down my face as I turned away. I pulled out my phone and called my childhood friend, Andy Selton. "You wanted to marry me, didn't you?” I asked, my voice trembling. Later, two weddings were held on the same day. Mark's face filled with regret as he stared at my wedding photo with Andy. In the middle of his ceremony, he left his bride behind and drove to find me. But by then, I was already married to my husband!

My biased mother brought my sister, Irene Baxter, to help me with my child. But one day, I forgot to bring a contract to work. When I returned home, I saw two bodies entwined. To cover up their secret, my husband, Sam Hodgson, and Irene pushed me off the tenth floor. It was only after my death that I realized I had been nothing more than a tool for carrying on the family name. "It's better that she's dead. Now my sweet girl can be a mom without having to go through childbirth." "Sleeping with her was revolting; she was like a block of wood. Irene is so much better." Even Irene had regrets. "Still, we shouldn't have pushed her down. She was smashed beyond recognition—otherwise, we might’ve been able to sell her corpse for a pretty penny." When I opened my eyes again, I had returned to the day they pushed me off the building. This time, I wouldn't let any of them off the hook.

My husband died unexpectedly, and my mother-in-law adopted a newborn boy. She said she wanted to keep this child by her side as a reminder of my husband. Therefore, I raised him as my own child. Later, when he grew up, I gave him the company with peace of mind. The first thing my son did after taking power was to have someone lock me up in the basement and torture me. He said, "If it weren't for you, I wouldn’t have been separated from my parents all these years." At the moment of my death, my husband, who had supposedly passed away for many years, appeared with his first love in his arms. "Sophia, how does it feel to be cheated for more than ten years? Fortunately, you raised a son for me so that we can live happily without you." Angered to death, I could only watch the three of them. When I opened my eyes again, I returned to the day when my husband died unexpectedly.

"Daddy? When are you coming home? Mommy's on the bed, and she won't wake up." Luca's voice shook, breaking up with tiny, hiccuping sobs. "If she's not getting up, wake her. She's just being lazy, " Bill barked. "Look, I'm busy. Go ask your mom if you need something, and stop calling me for every little thing!" Then he hung up, just like that. He was too busy flirting with his secretary to care. Me? Luca? We weren't even on his radar. What he didn't know was that I was already dead. But later, when reality slammed into him like a truck, he clung to my photo, sobbing and begging me not to leave. Too late.

On my husband's birthday, I poured my heart into preparing a feast and selecting the perfect gift. Yet, he didn't come home. Instead, I received a picture message—a snapshot of him at the hospital, standing outside the OB-GYN ward, his hand resting tenderly on his childhood crush's belly. Beneath the photo, a message read: [The best birthday gift and a symbol of our decade-long bond.] Furious, I called her. "Don't you know he's married?" Before I could say more, my husband snatched the phone and lashed out at me. "Yvonne just wanted to share the joy of becoming a mother. Why are you overreacting? "Yvonne and I have been best friends for over a decade. Your petty jealousy is disgusting!" I once believed his busyness was for our future, but now I knew—he had been busy supporting the girl of his dreams through her pregnancy. Clutching my own stomach, I bit my lip to stop the tears from falling. Ten years of love had drained away. It was time to let go.

I endured hundreds of injections just to give Stanley Brighton a child. He was moved to tears and held me, promising that even if we couldn't have children, he would love only me. I diligently followed the doctor's advice and underwent treatment. The day I confirmed my pregnancy, I was so excited that I wanted to rush home and share the good news with Stanley. But what awaited me was unimaginable. Stanley and the female tenant we shared the apartment with were lying naked together in the bathroom, sharing an intimate bath. He was behind her, holding her close, his lips incessantly biting at her earlobes. "I'll give you as many children as you want! Ten, eight—whatever it takes! Just divorce her!" "Alright, just give me some time. I'll divorce her for sure!" Hearing their whispered entanglement, I turned away, stepping into the rain, determined to leave. I would disappear to a place where Stanley could never find me, not in this lifetime.

Edward Martel's life was a nightmare created by his own family. Betrayed, manipulated, and forced into a loveless marriage, Edward's world crumbles when he accidentally breaks up with the only person who truly loves him, Sasha Raine Zorion. Filled with anger and remorse, he endured a cruel death, but was resurrected with a chance to correct mistakes.

Hera Leandra Bardin, 24 years old, was on the brink of death in the middle of the desert. As she felt her blood trickle, she recalled all of the past memories she had that led to this moment. She remembered her mother who died from an incurable disease. And her father who had betrayed her. She remembered leaving the place she called home at 15 years old and the moment she made the decision to join the army. The anger and hatred she felt towards liars and cheaters sparked her strong sense of justice. As she felt her life fade away, she couldn’t accept that this would be her end. Until–a business mogul, Nathaniel Orion Martel spots her abandoned figure in the desert and extends her life, by giving her his dark blood. Hera wakes up to a new way of living. Her savior, Nathaniel Orion Martel, a 300-year old vampire took her in, much to the dissatisfaction of the elders of the Martel clan. They saw her as an obstacle to their plan of marrying Nathaniel Orion to a Royal Princess to expand their influence. Hera claimed to have no interest in being part of this rivalry and was focused on getting the justice she was owed. She left in search of answers, but came to know her mother’s secrets along the way. When Hera and Nathaniel met again, she had already become a different person. She was no longer without purpose, having found a new responsibility towards her mother's clan. Hera and Nathaniel's separation pushed them to recognize their budding romance. Facing rivalry against the Royal Princess and her clan's alpha, Hera is determined to use her own strength and emerge victorious, and possibly place her trust and have the happily ever after she thought she'd never have.

Kelvin Carli needs this job. With his grandmother's mounting medical bills and no other options, landing a position as secretary at the prestigious Beaufort Company feels like a miracle. What he doesn't expect is to find himself working for Michael Chris Beaufort—the devastatingly handsome CEO who's engaged to socialite Mia Martel, yet harbors secrets that could destroy his carefully constructed life. Michael has spent years hiding his true nature behind the facade of a perfect heterosexual relationship. But when Kelvin walks into his office, everything changes. The undeniable attraction between them threatens to unravel the lie Michael has built his entire identity around. As stolen moments turn into passionate encounters, both men find themselves falling deeper than they ever imagined possible but with corporate espionage, family pressure, and a vengeful ex pulling the strings from the shadows, Michael and Kelvin must fight not only for their love but for their very survival. In a world where power and reputation mean everything, can two men from different worlds find their way back to each other?