Once Upon A Time There Was

“Are you crying?" She shook her head and wiped at her face as more tears were falling. “I’m so stupid.” she groaned. "Now I am truly and utterly alone. If I had just said yes to marrying him, none of this would’ve happened. I wouldn’t have dragged you into this mess.” Without warning, I turned sharp to the side, putting the car to a sudden stop close to the curb. “Don’t ever say that again. You think marrying a man you don’t love, a man who doesn’t care if he hurts you, just to please your family is the right thing to do?” I turned to her slowly. “That would’ve ruined you.” “But I would’ve had a home to go to, I would’ve been taken care of. Now I have nothing,” she looked away. I reached over and gently took her bruised hand in mine. “You did the hardest thing anyone in your position could have done. You saved yourself. That takes more guts than standing there and pretending to be happy.” I tucked a hair behind her ear. “You think you are alone? You’re not… you have me.” ___ Alina Etienne has always lived a life dictated by her parents. She is groomed to be an obedient daughter, a perfect public image, and now, a bride to a man she doesn’t know or love. On her wedding day, crushed by the weight of expectations, Alina does the unthinkable... she says “I don’t” and flees the altar. On the run and scared with nowhere to go, she crosses paths with Mikhail Antonov. A cold, guarded man with a past he doesn’t talk about. What began as a reluctant act of kindness turned into something neither of them expected.

When I turned eighteen, I completed my shift and finally gained my wolf. The Lycan King of the Northern Tribe—Karl Gilmore, my father's close friend—handed me photos of his sons and told me to choose a mate. Whomever I chose would become the next Lycan King. Without hesitation, I pointed to his eldest son, Sven Gilmore. Everyone was stunned because everyone knew, for years, I had always loved the third son, Erik Gilmore. I'd trailed after Erik like a shadow, declaring loudly to the whole world that I'd marry him someday, that I'd be his mate. In my previous life, I did marry Erik. And he did become the next Lycan King. But a year into our marriage, he betrayed me with my stepsister and got her pregnant. Furious, the old Lycan King forced her to abort the pup and exiled her to another pack. From that moment on, Erik despised me. He started bringing home a different mistress every night. I was furious, helpless, and eventually, I died in the dead of winter. I never expected that when I opened my eyes again, I'd be back at eighteen, standing at the very moment I was meant to choose my mate. This time, I won't choose Erik. This time, I'll step aside and let him have his love with my sister. But why did Erik break down in tears when I chose someone else, begging me to come back?

Sebagai jurnalis, Kirania Sakti Raffardan harus memburu berita-berita sensasional. Ditambah rasa ingin tahunya yang besar, menjadikan Kiran acapkali bersinggungan dengan bahaya. Bahkan, ia sampai bertemu Demitrio Atmanegara--polisi berdedikasi negeri ini--yang sering berseteru dengannya karena kode etik profesi keduanya berseberangan! Lantas bagaimana kisah keduanya? Terlebih, cinta timbul di antara Kiran dan Demitrio kala mengungkap kasus-kasus ganjil yang dibungkam pihak-pihak luar biasa.....

Two weeks ago, my family and I went hiking and camping. When the storm hit and the mudslide erupted, my adopted sister shoved me into a ravine. My parents and fiance only cared about my sister. They remained completely unaware of my predicament. A week later, when the rescue team finally finds me, my parents accuse me of being selfish and malicious. They claim I pushed my sister during the chaos, causing her to fall and fracture a bone. "You're selfish and reckless. Not only do you refuse to donate a kidney to your sister, but you even tried to kill her!" they yell. "The bride for next week's wedding will be your sister. She has end-stage kidney cancer, and her dying wish is to marry Ethan. You have to agree to this!" My parents expect me to throw a tantrum and refuse the idea. But to their surprise, I simply nod and say yes. They don't know I have a brain tumor and only three days left to live. At this point, a wedding means nothing to me. Neither does my kidney. If she wants it, she can have it. If she wants everything I own, she can have that too. I'm dying. Clinging to anything now is meaningless. In my final three days, I will give them everything they want and leave behind a perfect image. And when I die, I hope they won't cry, mourn my death, or feel guilty about the way they treated me. After all, isn't it humiliating to weep for a disobedient daughter who only ever sought attention through manipulation?

Walang choice si Darine kundi tumakas. Dahil sa ipapakasal siya ng kanyang Lolo sa apo ng kanyang matalik na kaibigan. Handa niyang iwan ang lahat, pagod na rin siya lagi siyang kinokontrol ng kanyang Lolo. Ang mahalaga ay hindi siya makasal sa taong hindi niya kilala. Jasper Guillermo, 34 years old. Business Tycoon, wala sa kanyang vocabulary na mag-asawa mula ng niloko siya ng unang babaeng minahal. Kung hindi niya masunod ang kagustuhan ng kanyang Lolo ay mawawala sa kanya ang kumpanya na inaalagaan niya. Dahil labag kay Jasper ang kagustuhan ng kanyang magulang kaya gumawa siya ng sariling paraan. Hindi siya papayag kung ano gusto ng kanyang Lolo ay masusunod. Yes mahalaga sa kanya ang kumpanya pero hindi siya papayag pagdating sa sarili niyang buhay ay panghimasukan ng kanyang magulang lalo na ang kanyang Lolo. Pagkalipas ng isang linggo ay muling nagtagpo ang landas ni Jasper at Darine. Naglakas loob si Darine na kausapin ang binata kung pwede siya nitong tulungan. Hindi naman nagddalawang isip ang binata tinulungan niya si Darine. "Be my girlfriend sa harapan ng mga magulang ko," sabi niya kay Darine. Paano kung nasa kay Darine ang katangian na taglay na hinahanap ni Jasper sa babae? Kaya bang panindigan ni Jasper ang lumabas sa bibig niya na hindi niya kayang lumagay sa tahimik? Isip o puso ba ang susundin ni Jasper? Paano kung ang darating ang isang araw na ang lalaking pinakamamahal ni Darine ay bigla siya nitong hindi maalala. Kung sino ba si Darine sa buhay niya? Matatanggap ba ni Darine ang biglang pagbabago ni Jasper sa kanya? Lalo na ibang-iba na sa dati ang pakikitungo ni Jasper sa kanya.

Sophia Grant is desperate to save her marriage to Julian who's drifting away under the spell of his seductive employee, Vanessa. With their baby on the way, Sophia fights to rekindle Julian’s love, but as his betrayal becomes painfully clear, she must confront a harsh truth: love alone may not be enough. Heartbroken and humiliated, Sophia walks away, vowing to reclaim her life and her power. But what secrets lie in her past that could change everything? How can she do her revenge if she leaves with nothing but heartaches?

Aria, who has been tormented all her life by her father and members of the Silver Crest pack, faces rejection from the one person she had hoped would be her savior—her mate. Feeling devastated, she ran away from the pack. In an unexpected twist of fate, she stumbled upon the Alpha King Knox’s pack, Blood Moon pack. The seemingly stoic and cold-hearted Alpha King turned out to be her second chance mate and her life takes a drastic turn. Despite Knox's powerful demeanor and his aversion to love, an unexpected connection begins to form between them and he finds himself falling for the omega. As Aria and Alpha King Knox navigate their blossoming love, they face formidable opposition. Shadows of manipulation and an unforeseen vengeful force emerge, testing their bond and threatening the balance of the werewolf world. Together, they confront betrayals and engage in battles that shape their destinies. In a dance between destiny and free will, Aria undergoes a profound transformation. From a once fragile omega, she evolves into the resilient and powerful Luna Queen, navigating the complexities of love, betrayal, and restoring the balance of the werewolf world.

"Echoes of Forever" is a captivating anthology of love stories that transcends time and space. From ancient Rome to modern-day New York, each story weaves together the threads of love, fate, and destiny, proving that true love can withstand the test of time.

Matilda, a young lady living in Oxford in 2015, sees no harm in reading a poem about true love that she finds in an antique bookstore. Matilda is confused when she wakes up and finds her self transported back in time to the 15th century. Her situation is made worse when she finds out that in this new life of hers, she has a husband. She tries to explain her predicament to him but he thinks she is his wife that lost her memory. Will Matilda find her way back to the 21st century or will she remain in the 15th century where she finds everything strange?

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.