the art of showing up

"Whose illegitimate child are you pregnant with?" My parents demand to know, looking crazed. They want to know whose child I'm carrying. I look at them and laugh. "One of the kidnappers, of course." My parents and brother are stunned, and they turn ashen. I continue softly, "Don't you guys remember? The kidnappers asked for a ransom, but you guys were only willing to save your other daughter. You wanted to teach me a lesson." Mom collapses on the couch. "That can't be. We wanted to teach you a lesson so you would stop bullying Eden. I didn't… We didn't…" I crouch before her. "You guys never expected the kidnappers to violate me, right?" I don't wait for an answer. "Do you think a few kidnappers would have morals and ethics?" She parts her lips to speak, but I don't give her the chance. "I was covered in injuries when I got home. Why didn't any of you ask me about them? "You guys took Eden away without bothering to save me. You didn't return for a day, for two days, for a month… Did you think the kidnappers would think that they could still receive the ransom?" They should be happy now—I'm about to die.

Isa si Earl Miguel Avelino Concha sa hinahangaang bachelor sa bansa. Nasa kanya na ang lahat kaya naman maraming mga babae ang naghahangad na mapansin niya. Ngunit ang binata ay may mahal na at walang iba kundi si Caroline Velasco Abad, isang sikat na modelo. Ngunit lingid sa kanyang kaalaman ay niloloko lamang siya ni Caroline sapagkat mayroon talaga itong totoong minamahal. Natuklasan ito ng kanyang kapatid na si Claire kaya naman agad niya itong sinumbong sa kanyang kuya Earl. Hindi naman naniwala ang binata sa kanyang nakababatang kapatid sapagkat alam nito na hindi talagang gusto ni Claire si Caroline para sa kanya. Alam ni Claire na wala nang magagawa ang pagsasabi niya ng katotohanan sa kuya Earl niya dahil head over heels ito sa nobyang si Claire at saka magaling ding magpaikot ang huli. Kaya naman umisip na lang siya ng paraan kung paanong hindi matutuloy ang kasal ng kanyang kuya at ng nobya nito.

I'm not really an avid fan of novels. I don't really care about them. Well, not until “Three Hearts, One Love” a reverse harem novel, was published. It became so popular that it got on my nerves. I saw and heard of it everywhere… the mall, the news dashboard, radios, TVs… literally everywhere. So, due to its popularity, I decided to try it out and check what made it so special. But that was a mistake on my part… I never should have bought it. That night I read half of it till midnight, and when I woke up, I wasn't myself any longer. I became a character in the novel I had read the previous night. And the most shocking of it all … I was the villain… Luna Graves, the jealous best friend who was fated to face her tragic doom at the end of the story. With no way of escape, I accepted my reality and played my role as the villain, waiting to be doomed, but then things began to take a turn after Luna Graves's wedding day. Scenes began to change, characters that weren't originally in the novel began to appear and instead of falling for the female lead, the male leads began to fall for me… me? The villain!

Arina De Luca is the daughter of Shadow Borne Pack Alpha. Her life was perfect until the Alpha's sudden death when she suddenly found herself treated like a slave. A seemingly unstoppable situation forces Arina to flee just as she is approaching her eighteenth birthday. For years, Lycan king Alexandre LeBlanc has been without a mate. After seeing what the bond almost did to his mother, he never had the desire to take a mate. All of that changes, however, when Arina shows up at his door asking for assistance. Both of their lives are turned upside down when fate plays a role. What secrets are hidden within the Shadowborne Pack's walls? What will Arina do when she learns the real reason for her treatment? Are Alexandre and his mate destined for each other? As secrets are unveiled, truths are revealed, and choices have devastating repercussion

My bride went missing on the night of our big day but woke up in my brother's room the next day. My parents persuaded me to ignore it for the sake of fame but scolded my wife as an easy girl. Angrily, I moved out of the villa with my wife. Soon after, my wife had a miscarriage and suffered from depression due to gossip. She jumped off from the top floor in front of me. Desperately, I followed her. Opening my eyes again, I found myself back to the time when the wedding ended.

Livia's perfect little life in the Umbra Pack Changed instantly the day her family and pack members were murdered by the bloodthirsty Nightshade's warriors, she was taken in by a group of rogues, where she tried to train her strength to become powerful so she could be able to avenge her pack. The rogue group was invaded by the Crescent pack and she was captured by the warriors. Life in the Crescent pack was soul-crushing for Livia as she felt she had lost her chance of revenge against the Nightshade Pack, but it all changed after she met Lucius. Lucius who is set to become the next Alpha of the Crescent Pack and also Livia's MATE wants nothing to do with her as he sees her as a weakling who is not fit to rule by his side. But fate always has its way.

After I announced my exit from the music industry, the public response was overwhelmingly positive. The only person who voiced his objection was my girlfriend's rumored lover, the up-and-coming songwriter Lucas Zacker. He put on a show of sincerity in front of a crowd of reporters. "It's all a misunderstanding. Matthew is an irreplaceable talent in the music industry. I sincerely hope he returns to the stage." I shut off my phone and turned a blind eye to his public plea. In my past life, one of my songs had been identical to his supposedly original single. As such, netizens accused me of plagiarism, cursing me and wishing death upon my family. Frustrated, I posted the entire creation process online, but it couldn't stand up to the timeline. His new song had been released ten minutes ahead of mine. Just because of the ten-minute difference, netizens sent me photoshopped mourning portraits of myself and even went so far as to come to my house and vandalize it with paint. The relentless cyberbullying went on for years, and it drove me into a deep depression. My parents exhausted their life savings trying to clear my name, only for crazed fans to set our house on fire, causing my parents to burn to death. In the end, when his song won an award, I jumped off a building. But who would have guessed that when I opened my eyes again, I was reborn on the very day the new song was set to release.

~When I say it's 18+, I really really really mean it.~ Fiona had been nothing but a prude in the office, her wild and happening days left far behind for her to feed herself and her sister. But one night to loosen up and have some fun leads to her doing the unthinkable, sleeping with her scary and enigmatic boss. And now suddenly, he is obsessed with her.

Growing up, Alassandra Khairi always had a passion for law. Following the death of her parents, she decides to study law to honor her father's memory. While attending one of the most exclusive colleges in the Ivy League, she meets Ikaris, whose fate is intertwined with hers. As Alassandra and Ikaris begin to uncover the school's secrets, something dark and ominous begins to emerge. They soon realize that the only way to save themselves and their love is to uncover the truth and face the darkness. What secrets are hidden in the night? Will Ikaris be able to choose between his mate or his destiny? Will Alassandra choose to bring the truth to light, or will she remain silent and keep her secrets in the shadows?

Lesley Hummer, my husband's sister, lies to me about being unable to conceive. She wants me to help her produce a child. To my shock and horror, my husband and mother-in-law agree with her! I refuse to give in, so they drug me and force me into bed with my her husband. When the pregnancy comes to term, I give birth to a daughter. My husband and his family go nuts because it's not a boy. They kill the baby before my very eyes! They even take away all my organs that can be exchanged for money. Then, they continue searching for a surrogate for Lesley. When I open my eyes again, I'm back to the day Lesley kneeled before me to beg me.