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Just when I thought I had successfully moved on from a loveless relationship, I realized I made the same mistake again. I fell in love with a kind and handsome billionaire, and I thought he was already the perfect man. However, I learned about his deep secret--the secret evolving around my identity and the secret that shattered my respect for him. I broke off with him and claimed everything that belonged to me. I hated him like he was the fiercest criminal in the world. I accused him as a thief, stripping him off from his once dazzling glory. But then, a particular event led me to the truth. Only to know that I was already too late!
Author's Note:
I got the inspiration to write this book when the COVID-19 outbreak started to hit my country. I just imagined a love story that grows amidst the virus outbreak, but I realized later that this storyline could be a sensitive issue to those who are affected. So, I changed the name of the virus to make it fictional and diverted the course of the story from what I originally created in my mind.
"Red, can you please spare me a box of face masks?"
I frowned at this message from a friend as I opened my messenger app. I crossed my leg over the other as I slumped over the couch in our physician's lounge as soon as I finished writing orders. I was already exhausted from those non-stop admissions. It was already past three in the morning when I returned to the quarters, and yet, all the ER beds were still full. Others were even helping themselves into the chairs while waiting for vacancies in the medical-surgical ward.
"Why can't she just go to the nearest pharmacy or medical supplies outlet?" I grumbled to myself as I opened another message, shaking my head for this nonsense stuff. Having scanned my other unread messages, I shifted to YouTube Channel to watch my favorite music videos.
Just as I was halfway through my first video, a message notification popped in, and in a few seconds, another came in, so I hurriedly opened it. To my dismay, it was another annoying asking-for-help messages to facilitate their mask procurement.
"Dr. Red, is your hospital still selling masks?"
"Of course."
"If you don't mind, please spare me even just one box."
Soon, the succession of similar messages alarmed me. I reached over the phone and connected myself to the Central Supply Room.
"Sir, good morning. Dr. Red here. Can you please charge to my account twenty boxes of masks?"
I heard him gasped and giggled before he replied, "Doc, I'm sorry. We are no longer giving out masks except for staff on duty. All companies are not accepting orders anymore, so if we continue selling out, we wouldn't have enough for our needs."
"What?" I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I then began to understand why I received those many desperate messages asking me to spare them a box. The people must have gone frantic in buying masks.
True enough, I opened my Google browser, and the alarming newsfeeds about people's panic buying of masks, Vitamin C, hand sanitizers, and bottles of alcohol greeted me. As a person who doesn't care about reading news, even if news portals were buzzing loudly about the same headlines that went around for almost a month already, I was shocked to see posts from social media that masks were no longer available anywhere. Posts about long lines of people queuing up in pharmacies to buy masks had gone viral and online sellers of N95 or plain earloop masks were enjoying their price hike.
I made another cup of coffee as I browsed through the headlines about the Bronc X virus. I opened one and learned that at that moment, the death toll from the outbreak in Sama island increased to hundreds, causing a worldwide threat.
Bronc X virus had originated in late 2019 in Sama, an island in the southwest region of Philippine territory. The source of the virus was still unknown but the epidemic started in this place.
Being a famous destination swarmed by tourists from all over the world, the status in this place had caused the fast spread of the virus to more than 300 countries worldwide. It then led to more than a thousand deaths in the Philippines alone, forcing retailers and travel operators to close stores, cancel flights, cruises, and warn investors about the inevitable financial crisis. To prevent the spread of the virus, thousands of people across the world had been placed in quarantine, especially those tourists coming from Sama Islands, and those people they were having close contact with.
My thoughts were still on those infected children and those quarantined travelers when a friend of mine, who was also a resident physician, appeared in the doorway.
"Red, have you saved a box for your family?" she asked, and through her worried looks, I could tell that she was also concerned about the shortage of masks.
I shrugged my shoulders off and stretched out my palms open. "Duh! Our existing infectious diseases here are more threatening than that. We don't even wear masks all the time even if we know that 70% of the air we breathe contains Mycobacterium tuberculosis."
Mycobacterium tuberculosis is one of the species of pathogenic bacteria that also appeared as a serious worldwide health problem. It is an airborne bacteria, causing an infectious disease that primarily affects the lung.
"Yes, it's true. Our measles outbreak was also deadly, but since this infection is a worldwide threat now, we should also take precautions, especially if we have children and elderlies in the house. School administrators even require children to wear masks."
As soon as my friend left, I leaned my head on the backrest and closed my eyes. The caffeine in my third cup of coffee no longer did its task in keeping me awake. I still had a few hours to complete before I could finally leave and spend the rest of my day off.
Just when I drifted into sleep, having vivid dreams about the earlier events in my duty, a frightened voice, and a hand that shook my shoulders vigorously, woke me up. I opened my eyes but gathered my brows right away, hoping to show her that a simple tap could wake me up. I was sure I did not sleep well because I just had a boost of caffeine in my system.
"Doc, wake up!"
"What is it, this time?' I asked in a lazy tone.
"Doc, I'm sorry to wake you up soon. I know you're already exhausted, but we have a Bronc X virus suspect here."
I sprang to my feet at the mention of the virus. My eyes flew wide, and all my grogginess slipped away. I reached for my white coat and instructed the nurse to hand me the PPE. It stands for Personal Protective Equipment like gloves, goggles and glasses, gowns, head covers, masks, respirators, and shoe covers to protect one against the transmission of germs through contact and droplet routes.
"Give me the history," I asked while slipping into the set of protective gear; and she, assisting me in donning my gloves and in wearing my gown.
"A 30-year-old businessman, single, and on his vacation leave."
I didn't know why, but I got amused when she stated the word 'single'. It should have meant nothing because we always take notes on the history and personal details of every patient.
"What else," I proceeded, concealing the tickling sensation I foolishly felt inside. It was so silly of me.
"He went to Sama a month ago, four weeks after the declaration of the outbreak."
"Was he quarantined?"
"No, doc."
"I wonder how he escaped from it," I thought hard. As far as I knew, the government is strictly imposing the rules of quarantine.
"He is a wealthy businessman, doc. When he dropped on one of the destinations, he came here via his private chopper."
Before I entered to check him up, I looked at him first through the glass that separated the isolation room from the central ER. Dear skies, his tall and lean built captured my eyes. I stared at him to get more of his features, but for what seemed like mental telepathy, he turned in my direction and noticed me. I stepped back when he also stared at me, and for a moment, our eyes locked.
Left with no choice, I gave in to the enemy's demand. I agreed to dance with the alpha's daughter from Midwinter's pack on the night of my mating ceremony. I swayed with her. Spin her gracefully around the dance floor. The horrified eyes of my entire pack burn on me, demanding an explanation. I didn't just break the sacred rule we held on to for generations. I also ripped my mate's heart apart. Not giving her the honor of that last dance could mean one thing – it's over between us. .
We're both heartbroken. Ella lost a fiancé, and I lost a wife. Our paths crossed when I was trying to move on, and she in her denial stage. I thought we could help each other heal our broken hearts, so I tried to remove the guards I had been trying to secure around myself. And before I knew who she really was, I found myself falling in love again. However, fate always slaps me with its irony. Because I found out that all along, she was the secret enemy that had set out to destroy me. All because I was the one who caused her heartaches — the one who killed her fiancé.
Yen found out that she had been into a traumatic incident five years ago that caused her to forget a huge part of her past. And that past included her marriage to Kim, the CEO of the company she was working for. She may not have recognized him right away, but there was something about Kim that drew her emotionally to him. But having already married Zed, an almost perfect husband to her except for his sexual flaw, Yen found it hard to let him go. She tried to convince her boss to move on and let her live in peace with Zed, but Kim wasn't the kind to concede. What would happen then? Who would win the fight? And who would she choose in the end?
Indebted to Jim who accepted and loved her unconditionally despite her dark past, Jia vowed to forever give her life to him. She had no reason not to; Jim loved her and her son like his own. She thought she was over with Anthon, the man who caused her so much pain. Yet one day, their paths crossed again, and her heart began beating for him again. Torn between the sense of indebtedness and her own heart's desire, choosing then became so complicated. As both men were fighting for her love, who would she choose? Would she listen to her heart's desire, or would she keep her gratitude?
I stepped out of the prison doors towards the road of freedom. I should be happy because I had been here for five wretched years. All the pieces of evidence that my fiancee's lover set up to drive me out of her life pointed to me as the murderer. Little did I know that behind those bars inside the cell, my heart remained trapped. I stopped and turned to take a final glimpse of the building that had been my home for a long time. My lips twisted into a bitter smile, mocking at life's irony. All because of the truth that I no longer wanted to be free.
After marrying Zed, Yen soon realized that her perfect life was not what she expected. Zed harbored a dark flaw, a disorder that impacted their lives, creating insecurities and emotional turmoil. Committed to her marriage, Yen set about trying to solve their issues but this was soon challenged when she found herself having recurring dreams about another man. This man in her dreams was her boss but to Yen, they seemed more like memories than actual dreams, causing her to question her life and her very marriage to Zed. Did Yen have a forgotten past with her boss? If she were to search for answers, could they cause conflict or could it lead to happiness?
"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?"
Linsey was stood up by her groom to run off with another woman. Furious, she grabbed a random stranger and declared, "Let's get married!" She had acted on impulse, realizing too late that her new husband was the notorious rascal, Collin. The public laughed at her, and even her runaway ex offered to reconcile. But Linsey scoffed at him. "My husband and I are very much in love!" Everyone thought she was delusional. Then Collin was revealed to be the richest man in the world. In front of everyone, he got down on one knee and held up a stunning diamond ring. "I look forward to our forever, honey."
To the public, she was the CEO's executive secretary. Behind closed doors, she was the wife he never officially acknowledged. Jenessa was elated when she learned that she was pregnant. But that joy was replaced with dread as her husband, Ryan, showered his affections on his first love. With a heavy heart, she chose to set him free and leave. When they met again, Ryan's attention was caught by Jenessa's protruding belly. "Whose child are you carrying?!" he demanded. But she only scoffed. "It's none of your business, my dear ex-husband!"
There was only one man in Raegan's heart, and it was Mitchel. In the second year of her marriage to him, she got pregnant. Raegan's joy knew no bounds. But before she could break the news to her husband, he served her divorce papers because he wanted to marry his first love. After an accident, Raegan lay in the pool of her own blood and called out to Mitchel for help. Unfortunately, he left with his first love in his arms. Raegan escaped death by the whiskers. Afterward, she decided to get her life back on track. Her name was everywhere years later. Mitchel became very uncomfortable. For some reason, he began to miss her. His heart ached when he saw her all smiles with another man. He crashed her wedding and fell to his knees while she was at the altar. With bloodshot eyes, he queried, "I thought you said your love for me is unbreakable? How come you are getting married to someone else? Come back to me!"
When Zora was sick during the early days of her pregnancy, Ezrah was with his first love, Piper. When Zora got into an accident and called Ezrah, he said he was busy, when in actual fact, he was buying shoes for Piper. Zora lost her baby because of the accident, and throughout her stay at the hospital, Ezrah never showed up. She already knew that he didn't love her, but that was the last straw for the camel's back, and her fragile heart could not take it anymore. When Ezrah arrived home a few days after Zora was discharged from the hospital, he no longer met the woman who always greeted him with a smile and cared for him. Zora stood at the top of the stairs and yelled with a cold expression, "Good news, Ezrah! Our baby died in a car accident. There is nothing between us anymore, so let's get a divorce." The man who claimed not to have any feelings for Zora, being cold and distant towards her, and having asked her for a divorce twice, instantly panicked.
After three secretive years of marriage, Eliana never met her enigmatic husband until she was served with divorce papers and learned of his extravagant pursuit of another. She snapped back to reality and secured a divorce. Thereafter, Eliana unveiled her various personas: an esteemed doctor, legendary secret agent, master hacker, celebrated designer, adept race car driver, and distinguished scientist. As her diverse talents became known, her ex-husband was consumed by remorse. Desperately, he pleaded, "Eliana, give me another chance! All my properties, even my life, are yours."