an echo of things to come

After three years of loveless and suffocating marriage. Alice finally realizes she can't warm Lucas's heart no matter what she does. Besides, the marriage between them was just a contract. The words that he had written on the contract were very clear: "Don't ever expect anything from me, in the future if I want, you must give me a divorce without any questions and you are not allowed to conceive my baby" Alice chose to marry him because she needed money for her father's surgery. She was the one who proposed the idea of marriage in the first place, and as a result, she was the one who suffered the most. As time passed, she discovered that he was having affairs with other women, she also discovered that his first love had returned. This broke her heart and she finally decided to divorce him. She had suffered enough and it was time for her to move on with her life. But fate had a different plan for her. She discovered that she was pregnant after leaving Lucas's house. However, even though she was carrying his child, she didn't want to stay with him because of his infidelity. When Lucas found out that Alice had left and was furious. "You belong to me, I'll never let you go" He forcefully pushed her against a cold wall and punished her with a deep kiss as a way to assert his dominance over her. It was only after she left that Lucas began to comprehend the profound impact Alice had on his life. He found himself unable to imagine anyone else filling the void she had left.

(Cerita 21+, dark romance, intrik, dendam dan plot twist) Juliet Amanda, 19 tahun, adalah seorang gadis yatim piatu dan mahasiswi yang pintar namun sangat pendiam dan tidak memiliki teman. Bukannya ia tidak mau, tapi Matthew Wiratama, walinya, yang tidak mengijinkan gadis itu untuk memiliki teman. Matthew sendiri adalah seorang seorang CEO berusia 30 tahun yang juga yatim piatu. Kedua orang tuanya meninggal karena kecelakaan lalu lintas dengan ayah dari Juliet sebagai supir mereka. Orang-orang mengira Matthew adalah pribadi yang baik hati dan pemaaf, dengan mengambil hak asuh Juliet yang yatim piatu di usia 16 tahun. Yang mereka tidak tahu, bahwa sejak Matthew mengambilnya menjadi adik angkat, sejak itu pula neraka untuk Juliet dimulai. ***

"Sign here, I have the divorce papers." Areiza Kensley had just walked in the door when Darren Venzor, her husband, handed her the divorce papers. Areiza felt an unbearable pain in her heart. Still, she tried her best to keep a straight face. She didn't want to look weak in front of this man... Areiza quickly took the paper and fished the pen out of her pocket, but Darren snatched it away. He frowned, "Aren't you going to read the agreement?" Areiza pursed her lips and replied, "No need, I know you must have everything ready for me even if I don't need it." Darren nodded. "That's right, this house is yours as well, including your mother's medical bills, which I'll continue to pay in the future, and I'll make sure you live without any burdens." How thoughtful, Areiza thought sarcastically. She grabbed the paper again and signed it forcefully. Areiza thought that once she signed the divorce papers, she would be able to start her new life without the man Darren Venzor interfering in her life... However... Did Areiza and Darren really go their separate ways after the divorce or... There is something waiting for her...

On Christmas people should be with their loved ones in the safety of their homes, but I don't have any loved ones, and I'm in the one place that I hate, where I swore never to come back, afraid that I'll get even more broken, and it seems that the more I try to get away, the more obstacles I encounter. "I know a shop not very far from here, and they have the best mechanics in town. If you want, I could come with you and give you directions, I'm heading that way anyway, and for your kindness, I'll make your biggest wish come true," Said the old crazy Santa that jumped in front of my car out of nowhere. "Can you teleport me from here? In another city, country, even on a deserted island? Anywhere but here?" I know that it wasn't nice of me to be sarcastic, but he's the reason why I have to prolong my say here. "No." His short answer was said in an amused tone of voice, but I don't find anything funny right now. "But that's just because that's not your biggest wish." He states it as a fact as if he's never been more sure of anything in his life. I bite my tongue and pray that I won't see the two people I used o love the most, and which now, I despise the most, the two people responsible for my nightmares and my broken being.

Ruth Abellana is egocentric, self-centered and ambitious. She never values anyone except for herself and her sister, Tina. Loves money and materialistic. On the night of May 25th, Ruth involved in an unfortunate event. In the halfway of a calm and tranquil night, an accident occurs in the bridge. Due to it, she was lying in a coma for a couple of months. After 6 months long, Ruth was finally awake, but something odd happened, she sees the soul of an unknown man, asking for help. He can't remember anything except the tragedy of his death, which was the accident on the bridge on the night of May 25.

Dahlia Nicholson and Dustin Rhys had been married for three years. After Dahlia’s meteoric rise to success, she abandons the useless dead weight that’s Dustin, proposing divorce. Unbeknownst to her, everything she had ever achieved was only because of him.

When you are growing up adults usually tell you that you can be whatever you want to be, right?! I was told I would be a starving artist if I became what I wanted to be. I let their words become me. All their words. I let them dictate the person I became. I kept the real me to myself after so many years of their hatred for that person. I let little bits of my soul break away and die to keep their torment to a minimum. I learned to not rock the boat, just keep my head down and do as I was told. I was the party crasher on their life that never left. Until I shocked them when I did. Out on my own, I wasn’t as strong as I thought I was. I settled for the first “nice guy” to come along. That quickly fizzled out after a shotgun wedding. After a year alone I met Prince Charming #2 at a backyard BBQ. I didn’t know my jerk radar was still broken. Then out of nowhere, the one I had always thought was a jerk turned out to surprisingly be my Prince Charming. Being the man, I need in my life. He became everything I needed, and everything I didn’t know I wanted. Allowing me to grow and blossom as a person which inspires him to do the same. And we live happily ever after.

Audrey Christine who had loved the billionaire heir, Ricky Anderson, for seven years suddenly gets a wake-up call after signing a three-year contract marriage with him. Two years into the marriage, Audrey finds out she's carrying his child, and decides to terminate the contract for lack of reciprocation. As soon as she starts changing, Ricky realizes that this woman was all he needed, but then, there will be pride, and admitting he was in need of her became hell, until he finds out about his baby...

Sophie Warner and Mitchell Warner have been secretly married for three years, but he's rumored to be with other women throughout. He doesn't care about Sophie at all.Her love for him makes her lowly, and she loses sight of herself. She puts up a cold and strong front to protect herself while thinking that her love is bound to move Mitchell one day.But she gives up hope when, one day, she lies in a puddle of her blood and begs Mitchell for help, only to see him ignoring her so he can be lovey-dovey with another woman.Later, she dies.It's only then that the city learns about Mitchell, the playboy, having been secretly married for years. After her death, he goes insane…Five years later, the mysterious daughter of an affluent family returns to the country. When Mitchell, who'd lost his mind years ago, sees her, his eyes turn red.He pins her to the wall and says, "You said you'd be by my side forever, Cherie…"

Based on the untrue writings of the Satanic Panic. The Satanic Panic was a moral outcry in the United States over supposed “satanic” influence in media that were warping the youth of America. Claims that playing an elf in Dungeons and Dragons could lead to demonic possession, that playing heavy metal music backwards would reveal satanic messages, and that therapists could uncover repressed memories of satanic ritual abuse, were all too common. Volumes and volumes of material were produced on this fake subject. These texts lead to What Hell May Come, which takes a look at what the world would actually be like if all of the claims of the satanic panic were true. Set in 1986, Jon St. Fond’s life is a living Hell. Deliberately abused and neglected by his parents, the only joy he has in life is an escape into a fantasy land of role playing games. Soon he discovers that his parents are part of a secret occult religion with hidden ties all across the world. As Jon and his friends dig, they learn more of the secret history of the world and discover the power of making deals with creatures from Beyond. However, power has its price, as Jon and his friends quickly discover. One-by-one they begin to become consumed by their own desires and hatreds. Jon learns there is method behind the madness of his life, as his Father begins to bring him closer and closer into the ways of the cult. Ultimately, Jon must make a choice between all the pleasures of the earth and the future of his soul. ©️ Crystal Lake Publishing