"Use this to treat your scars," Reno suggested. My mouth muffled in stun as soon as a plaster moved to my palm, and in a response to my silence, he trudged to the lift with both of his hands buried beneath his pants pockets. "Surviving without scars in the toxic world is beyond healing, " I mumbled to myself. *** As fate never renders her with bliss but woes, Ilana, an impoverished seventeen-year-old teenager has to endure the adversities her father caused for ruining her world with his tortures; the bullying she suffers at school deteriorates her life without hope of escaping the ravines of misery. It was only her dreams which bolstered her until two strangers, the nerd yet the smartest boy at school, Reno, and Vera, the energetic girl with her secret no one knows, step into her life and change the compass of her destiny. Their constellation draws a line that connects them through their scars. However, the villains jump in their line and loot their propinquity when the intruders manifest their existence into their life; can spite conquer veracity and let it fall with their downfall? Will Ilana survive the hells created by her father and her bullies and accomplish her goals after all the disasters and agony?
The rushing footsteps shrieked behind me; once I turned around, a glistening moving object in the dim light triggered apprehension in the corner of my heart, prompting me to wonder what it was.
The rustling wind and the black-turning leaves in my surroundings created a more terrifying atmosphere that sent shivers up my spine. My brain warned me to flee the danger that might lurk behind the blanket of the night yet my feet were firmly planted in their place, defeated by my fear.
"W-who's t-there?" A trembling yell of words from my mouth cracked the silence of the dusk and stopped the human being-like object a few feet away at my rear.
"Do not worry. I am one of your classmates and have no bad intentions for you."
The man's voice confessed as my friend broke the fear of my surroundings.
"Why are you stalking me? Are you a pervert?
"No...no...it is not like what you are thinking about? I..."
"You better leave." My harsh, sudden response cut him off in his tracks. I didn't wait any longer, forcing my feet to collide with the pebbles paving the dark road under the dim moonlight
"My name's Reno. You are Ilana, right?" His yell of mentioning his name meant nothing to my ears other than the breeze that caressed my hair; I resumed my journey and he had no the nerve to follow, I bet.
What a pitiful life a poor girl like me had to live, born as a child in an unfortunate family with a drunkard father and a miserable mother. I never regretted my fate, but life was not always fair to me, pushing me into the ravine of hardship with no way out
Even my ragged, full-of-stitches shoes couldn't keep me from skidding and slipping into the hole that my eyes couldn't see. As a reaction to my bad luck, my mouth muttered only a groan of pain
I grumbled not because no one came to help me, but because fate had dragged me here. If I didn't have to scavenge and sell junk after school, I wouldn't have had to deal with limb fatigue or swelter all over my torso at this hour when others slurped the delicacy of the soup or chewed the tender beef. I pushed that wild imagination to the back of my mind, knowing that despite being at home at the time, I would not be able to enjoy those amenities.
As impoverished people, my parents and I resided in a tiny hut-like house in a slum area where ragged clothe inhabitants and bed-smelled rubbish were our companions. The only access to get to this area was the muddy cramped road which could slip your feet when you didn't carefully step on it
The gloomy-faced woman under the thin covering lay on the deflated mattress with her chest moving up and down in her sleep. Her mouth in a while mumbled random equivocal words while her hands in her unconsciousness clapped the mosquitoes which partied around her ears. Even in her slumber, my mother showed her sorrowful life.
An hour had passed since I arrived home; I couldn't sleep despite my exhaustion. It was not because of my mother's snore or the blood-sucking insects dancing around me; many things stuck in my mind that I could not define or express in words.
"Please...don't hurt her," my mother murmured with her closed eyes, she was dreaming. Her fingers scratched the itchy skin of the mosquitos' bites causing it to redden the area. To give her comfort and protect her from more bites, I rolled up the disheveled gauzy bedding on her body.
"Ilana...why haven't you slept yet?" In her half-opened eyes, a question erupted in her mouth as soon as she noticed me fixing her blanket. My lips formed a smile before revealing a lie.
"I just woke up, Mom."
"Go back to sleep then." I obeyed her instruction and laid my body next to her, then pulled the thin cloth functioning as a coverlet over my torso.
I had no idea how long I had dozed; my eyes were dazzled by the light penetrating through the ventilation of my windowless room which jolted me awake. I got out of my bed in an instant at my mother's call in her raised tone.
She handed me a plastic bag full of clean clothes and asked me to send it to Mrs. Ali, one of her customers. My mother made a living as a laundress but it was not kind of a big laundry corporation where she worked. She offered her service of doing laundry for the rich people door to door. And Mrs. Ali was her most loyal customer who had trusted her for the laundry for almost one year now.
With a heavy big plastic bag in my small hand, I propelled my hasty steps over the tarnished stench narrow street toward Mrs. Ali's house located in the other housing, one kilometer from the slum area where we lived. The fog still caged the area around me which required me to carefully walk the path ahead of me. The cold breeze stung the skin under my flimsy t-shirt which made me cuddle myself with one of my arms wrapping around my chest.
After a long stride, the enormous building surrounded by the tall iron fence welcomed me with its loftiness. An elegant corpulent lady about my mother's age in a lavish cherry dress who was no other than Mrs. Ali greeted me with her sweetest smile. Her plump lips motioned the word to thank me upon receiving the plastic of the laundry from my hand.
Despite being born in the same year, my mother looked older than this pretty lady; I didn't spot any flaws on her cheek, and not even a single acne dared to linger there with the beauty product she applied to it. My mother, on the other hand, sucked all the drawbacks as if fate didn't spare her a little beauty. A black spot layered most parts of her face with acne spreading here and there on her sun-kissed skin. Only a thin crumpled dress covers her skinny body.
I threw my gaze at my feet, swallowing the comparison I created in my head while cursing myself for what I did, comparing this woman to my mother whose life had been pathetic since she was a baby.
"I am sorry to keep you waiting. Here is the money. And this is another dirty cloth to wash." I saved the money in my pants pocket without counting the amount of the money for my trust in her honesty.
The drama of a fight and quarrel between two human beings, my father who just returned home after a month of disappearance, and my mother who was kneeling in her sobs, welcomed my arrival at the door of my wooden house. In a rush and with no further wait, I ran toward my weak mother whose hair had masked her countenance.
"Mom... Dad...please stop it" My husky voice in a sad tone didn't gain my father's sympathy.
His reddened eyes fell on me and in no time, one of his rough hands grabbed my shoulder harshly like I was a non-living object and shoved me to the wooden wall. Pain coursed through my back and seeped into my heart induced by his action. The corner of his eye caught the gallon of water my mother used to cook and poured it all over my body while cursing me as a jinx to his life.
"You are a curse. Why are you still alive?"
My drunkard father didn't stop there; he kicked, punched, and hit me with his bare feet and fists without bothering my wail of begging for his mercy. Even though I got used to his brutality, it still hurt and dumped me into a chasm of misery.
I surrendered under his brutal blow and collapsed to my knees. What I heard was only my mother's scream before my swoon knocked me down and turned everything around me dark.
Esma Ozkan, the only daughter of Ahmet Ozkan, a president director of a construction company as well as the wealthiest person in his city, lived the life of a princess. She possessed everything every girl wished for: beauty, intelligence, a happy family, not to mention a handsome billionaire fiance who was also a famous astute doctor in the country, Erhan Durmaz. Erhan - who had admired and adored Esma since their adolescence - was the only heir of the Durmaz family, the owner of the biggest hotel in the city of Istanbul. Aside from his job as a doctor in the hospital, he was also the CEO of his father's hotel. This fact made Esma's life perfect. However, perfection was just camouflage, for mundane life lingered temporarily and promised nothing but a bummer. Fate looted Esma's bliss in the blink of an eye when a girl named Yara Baiq entered her life and confessed to the real Esma Ozkan. Not only did her existence kick Esma out of her luxurious world but it also revealed the biggest secret and betrayal hidden behind the perfect image of the Ozkan family. Yara Baig was once an impoverished girl who had faced adversity since childhood. Her life deteriorated for having a toxic mother who had always tortured her physically and mentally. But, her destiny, like a fairy tale, crushed all her misery overnight and showered her with joy she never expected after taking over Esma's position in the Ozkan family. When Esma had lost all in her hold, to whom Erhan would devote his heart and love; the real Esma or the fake one he had put his adoration in for so long? *** "From today onward, I shall live as Esma; and you will be Yara. Thus, Erhan is mine." At the assertive decision the girl in front of her made, instead of defensive words, sobs escaped Esma's mouth in response. "There is only one girl in my heart now and forever, Esma; and you know who she is," asserted Erhan in vexation.
Ayu, a simple girl, had fallen in love with her childhood best friend Ali, a devout, intellectual, and kind man. Her status as the daughter of a prisoner and an ex-prostitute, on the other hand, caused a great chasm between her and Ali, the only child of the village's most revered person. Their friendship created enormous hurdles in Ayu's life rather than happiness until Dave, a blue-eyed and blond-haired lad, entered her life and love blossomed in their hearts. Unfortunately, their disparity in faith created a significant barrier between them. Who would Ayu prioritise, her love or her faith?
The day Raina gave birth should have been the happiest of her life. Instead, it became her worst nightmare. Moments after delivering their twins, Alexander shattered her heart-divorcing her and forcing her to sign away custody of their son, Liam. With nothing but betrayal and heartbreak to her name, Raina disappeared, raising their daughter, Ava, on her own.Years later, fate comes knocking when Liam falls gravely ill. Desperate to save his son, Alexander is forced to seek out the one person he once cast aside. Alexander finds himself face to face with the woman he underestimated, pleading for a second chance-not just for himself, but for their son. But Raina is no longer the same broken woman who once loved him.No longer the woman he left behind. She has carved out a new life-one built on strength, wealth, and a long-buried legacy she expected to uncover.Raina has spent years learning to live without him.The question is... Will she risk reopening old wounds to save the son she never got to love? or has Alexander lost her forever?
In their three years of marriage, Chelsea had been a dutiful wife to Edmund. She used to think that her love and care would someday melt Edmund's cold heart, but she was wrong. Finally, she couldn't take the disappointment any longer and chose to end the marriage. Edmund had always thought that his wife was just boring and dull. So it was shocking when Chelsea suddenly threw divorce papers at his face in front of everyone at the Nelson Group's anniversary party. How humiliating! After that, everyone thought that the formerly-married couple would never see each other again, even Chelsea. Once again, she thought wrong. Sometime later, at an award ceremony, Chelsea went onstage to accept the award for best screenplay. Her ex-husband, Edmund, was the one presenting the award to her. As he handed her the trophy, he suddenly reached for her hand and pleaded humbly in front of the audience, "Chelsea, I'm sorry I didn't cherish you before. Could you please give me another chance?" Chelsea looked at him indifferently. "I'm sorry, Mr. Nelson. My only concern now is my business." Edmund's heart was shattered into a million pieces. "Chelsea, I really can't live without you." But his ex-wife just walked away. Wasn't it better for her to just concentrate on her career? Men would only distract her—especially her ex-husband.
Everyone was shocked to the bones when the news of Rupert Benton's engagement broke out. It was surprising because the lucky girl was said to be a plain Jane, who grew up in the countryside and had nothing to her name. One evening, she showed up at a banquet, stunning everyone present. "Wow, she's so beautiful!" All the men drooled, and the women got so jealous. What they didn't know was that this so-called country girl was actually an heiress to a billion-dollar empire. It wasn't long before her secrets came to light one after the other. The elites couldn't stop talking about her. "Holy smokes! So, her father is the richest man in the world?" "She's also that excellent, but mysterious designer who many people adore! Who would have guessed?" Nonetheless, people thought that Rupert didn't love her. But they were in for another surprise. Rupert released a statement, silencing all the naysayers. "I'm very much in love with my beautiful fiancee. We will be getting married soon." Two questions were on everyone's minds: "Why did she hide her identity? And why was Rupert in love with her all of a sudden?"
Lucia Balstone thought she had chosen the right man to spend the rest of her life with, but he was the one who ended her life. Their ten-year marriage seemed like a joke when her husband stabbed her with a dagger. Fortunately, God is never blind to people's tears. Lucia got a second chance. She was reborn at the age of 22, before all the terrible things had happened. This time, she was determined to avenge herself and let those who hurt her pay! She made an elaborate list of her goals, and the first thing on her list was to marry her ex-husband's enemy, Alonso Callen!
“You need a bride, I need a groom. Why don’t we get married?” Both abandoned at the altar, Elyse decided to tie the knot with the disabled stranger from the venue next door. Pitying his state, she vowed to spoil him once they were married. Little did she know that he was actually a powerful tycoon. Jayden thought Elyse only married him for his money, and planned to divorce her when she was no longer of use to him. But after becoming her husband, he was faced with a new dilemma. “She keeps asking for a divorce, but I don’t want that! What should I do?”
"There will be no falling in love, we will only act as a loving couple when we are in public, we will share a room to make it believable, but no intimacy, touching is off-limits. We'll only have sex once a month, and that's solely to produce an heir. You won't interfere in my business, and I won't interfere in yours. You will be my wife in every sense and you will not be involved with any other man," he said, arrogance seeping from every word. I watch his mouth move, I'm not ready to fall in love with any man, especially not one as arrogant and egoistic as him. I can handle acting as a loving couple, and as for intimacy once a month. I can agree to that just to satisfy my sexual cravings with no strings attached. "Where can I sign?" I asked since I had nothing to lose. *** Nadine's wedding dreams turned to nightmares when she caught her sister and fiancé cheating! With a secret recording, she's ready for revenge. But then mysterious billionaire Logan West offers a deal: A Contract Marriage to take down her ex's empire. But what Nadine doesn't know is her life is getting complicated as she takes her chance to get revenge or risks everything for a chance at love?"