nick joaquin short

My husband, Joaquin Landon, is a renowned wax sculptor. He hangs up on me when I call him to save my life so he can focus on the wax sculpture his cousin wants. Amphetamine is injected into my system, so my mind is clear as I watch my nails get removed one by one. Every inch of my skin is covered in burning hot wax. My hair and lashes are plucked off, and my organs are ground. Steel pipes are inserted into my legs, and I'm turned into a wax sculpture. Joaquin sees me during an exhibition. His colleague tells him that the wax sculpture he sees looks eerily like me, but he merely looks disgusted. "All she does is cause trouble and act unreasonably. She's better off dead." What he doesn't know is that I already am. Joaquin doesn't recognize that I'm the wax sculpture before him.

A luxurious New Year cruise tour has stood on Brynne Emerson’s bucket list for years, but when it finally happens, she’s in for a shock. She catches her boyfriend cheating on her on the first night on board. Shattered, Brynne does the unthinkable. She has a drunken mishap with a stranger, probably the hottest man on earth. It isn’t so bad since she’ll not meet him again. But she’s mistaken and collides with him everywhere. Is he pursuing her? What can he want from her? Lucian Sylvester, a reckless billionaire, has trust issues where women are concerned. Therefore, he is unable to find himself a fake bride at such short notice. After a wild night with Brynne, he knows what he wants. Can he convince Brynne to sign a deal with him on his terms?

Zoriana Gregory, a young woman of about 22 years, shares her secrets, dreams, her life experiences and desires about her future husband with her diary. Her fantasy of her ideal future husband soon turns reality when her diary somehow falls in the hand of someone she never thought she'd meet again after many long years. Her first love... Liam Whyte Liam visits his country again after closely 11 years, now a grown up and a successful young man. While on his quest to finding his childhood friends again, he came upon a diary during his meeting with an acquaintance of his brother. NOTE: THIS IS THE SYNOPSIS OF THE FIRST BOOK IN THIS ANTHOLOGY. AND IT IS TITLED 'DIARY OF ZORIANNA' IT WAS, A BEAUTIFUL BREAKUP; Is simply a collection of several short stories, combined into one. Each book in the anthology is a standalone.

Three years of marriage is such a short period of time for love, as people say. But for Seah Alxandra Garcia, three years of marriage with Mikhail De Luca was a curse. Matapos maka-graduate ni Seah sa kursong architecture ay agad siyang ikinasal kay Mikhail, isa namang italianong engineer. Malaking pagkabigo para kay Seah ang magpakasal agad, ngunit wala rin siyang nagawa dahil para ito sa ikabubuti ng kaniyang pamilya. Tatlo lang ang hinihiling ni Mikhail sa kaniyang bagong asawa para sa loob ng tatlong taon. Iyon ay ang manirahan sa Italya, matulungan siyang mapalago ang negosyo, at pagsilbihan ito — tatlong hiling sa loob ng tatlong taon para lang sa malaking pangangailangan ng pamilya ni Seah. Wala na kay Mikhail kung maisipan siyang iwan ni Seah matapos ang tatlong taong pagsasama nila, ngunit sa kabila ng lahat ay sadyang mapaglaro ang tadhana. Paano na lang kung nasanay na si Mikhail na mamuhay kasama ang asawa niya? Pero paano na lang kung gusto na niyang makapiling si Seah sa bawat araw na gigising siya? It was all clear to Mikhail they should have boundaries as a business marriage contract couple, but some things just ends up with what we don't expect. Seah didn't ask for a run, but who would've thought that her life will be in a double chase? Meeting the Ezekiel Ricci and Megan Ricci was like a lucky moment for Seah, pero ang hindi niya alam ay may trahedya pang naghihintay sa kaniya. She thought that finally, she will be stable and content with Mikhail, not until Ezekiel becomes the reason for their endless fights. Nang makilala ni Seah ang magkapatid na sina Ezekiel at Megan, para bang nabahiran ng gulo ang relasyon nila ni Mikhail. That with every bit of step she makes, their relationship fades.

“Take my last name and reck all the havoc you want, Ocean.” .. His last name alone was power, a commanding force, a force that makes even rulers bow... …. Aliyah Malvern’s life took a drastic change… a terrible one, when her step mother and brother revealed the truth about her birth, a dirty secret she feared and that was been her father's bastard child, her inheritance was also taken away from her leaving her poor. As if that isn't enough, her step sister snatched her boyfriend, a man Aliyah loved deeply and had envisaged their future together, alongside that, the whole campus was turned against her and in a short while she became the element of ridicule and bully. Drown in sadness and misery, she ended up having a one night stand with a stranger who turned out to be no other person than her ex's Uncle... Kingley Romero.. the world soughted after billionaire bachelor, greatly feared and overly mysterious. And also overnight she becomes the billionaire's wife an offer of revenge was placed right into her laps and she is sure taking it, till every one of them falls to their feet, begged, alongside worship her, she would not stop. The marriage was to serve purpose, he needed a wife, she needed revenge but then undeniable sparks began to fly, oppositions arises, but one thing is that the billionaire has vowed never to let her go, never! He would spoil and pamper so much till she becomes the envy of the world.

Ivy Coleman's post divorce journey was nothing short of focusing on her self and building her company, after finally escaping from a marriage that had almost ruined her life she finds herself falling hard for a stranger she had a hot steamy encounter with. A stranger with a lot of unknown secrets and it changes her life forever.

It is widely known that Master Mo, who can shake the entire city with a single step, was not expected to live past the age of 28. Both relatives and enemies eagerly anticipated his early demise. However, he appeared unscathed before everyone, with a girl following behind him. Rumors circulated that she was the sister of the bankrupt Mr. Liu’s master. She used Master Mo's name to deceive and swindle others, going around to predict people's fortunes. "Boss, looking at your face, your short and flat chin suggests a lack of descendants, and there are signs of bankruptcy. How about 30 million to turn your luck around?" "Rich sister, from your Four Pillars, there is no presence of the element of gold or water, which indicates a lifetime without children. If you want to conceive, I have a method..." She swindled away large sums of money from people one after another. Everyone was pushed to their limits, hoping that Mo Ye would intervene.

Alice is heartbroken after her husband, Ethan, cheats on her with her best friend. As she tries to pick up the pieces of her life, she unexpectedly has a one-night stand with Jake Astor, the wealthiest CEO in the state and beyond. Ethan soon discovers that Alice has moved on in such a short time. He confronts her, demanding to know who the new man in her life is. Alice replies that he lost that right the day he signed the divorce papers. In that moment, Ethan sinks to his knees, pleading with her, admitting he made a terrible mistake by letting her go and asking for another chance. Alice firmly refuses, telling him she has moved on. Just when Alice feels like she’s starting to heal, she learns she’s pregnant. The news hits her hard, especially since she had recently slept with both Ethan and Jake. Confused and scared, Alice struggles with the question: who is the father?

Azizah Kanyadisa, seorang ibu rumah tangga yang kesehariannya mengurus rumah, suami dan anak, tanpa bantuan asisten rumah tangga, tetapi sering dibantu oleh suaminya dan putri kecilnya. Darino Arlando, suami Azizah dan ayah putrinya yang bernama Arlin Kanyalando, ia memiliki pekerjaan sebagai dosen di 3 perguruan tinggi swasta ternama di kotanya. Sebagian orang melihatnya sebagai hot daddy dan suami yang selalu memprioritas istri. Mereka sudah menikah lima tahun, tidak ada berita buruk atau gosip tentang pernikahan mereka. Darino sangat mencintai Azizah, jadi sebisa mungkin Darino menjaga hati sang istri. Hingga akhirnya, seseorang mencoba untuk masuk ke kehidupan Darino, dan mencoba untuk merusak rumahtangga Darino. Carisa Hargantasya, perempuan yang hadir dan menjadi guru di sekolah Arlin. Pekerjaan itu membuat Carisa mengambil kesempatan untuk menarik perhatian Darino, dan menyusun rencana lainnya. “Mas, kamu tahu kan akibat dari kesalahan yang diperbuat?” “Aku tidak ada hubungan apapun sama Carisa.” “Jangan ngelarang aku buat bawa Arlin pergi, dan jangan datang kalau kamu masih berhubungan sama dia!” Sejak saat itu, emosi Darino tidak beraturan dan berantakan. Ditinggal oleh istri dan anak tanpa ia tahu sebabnya. Akhirnya, Darino memilih untuk bertemu dengan Carisa, sialnya Darino dijebak dan membuat rumah tangganya diambang perceraian. “Mas, aku atau dia?” Dikecewakan dua kali oleh Darino, membuat Azizah go-publik yang ternyata anak dari Karasya Harimtala dan Januar Andrisata, pemilik Production House yang selalu memproduksi banyak film, mulai dari short movie, series dan film layar lebar. Lalu bagaimana kelanjutan rumah tangga Azizah dan Darino? Apakah tujuan Carisa menghancurkan rumah tangga mereka berhasil?

Disaster struck during my sophomore year.  Not only did my family fall into poverty, I ended up getting diagnosed with cancer as well. I was so broke that I only had a hundred dollars left to my name. Desperate for cash, I tried to pawn off the family amulet I had been wearing since I was a child. Unexpectedly, the storekeeper of the pawn shop took a glance before refusing it with a curt shake of his head. “This amulet is cursed. Whoever wears it is doomed to lead a short life. I can’t possibly take it.”