Started: 04/27/2021 Ended: 08/24/2021 Ang hirap palang tumanda. Ang hirap magbayad ng bills. Ang hirap suportahan ng pamilyang akala ay isang milyon ang suweldo mo. Ang hirap ngumiti sa nanay na mataas ang tingin sa'yo pero hindi ka kayang ipagtanggol. Ang hirap tabihan sa hapagkainan ng tatay na pinag-uubusan mo ng pera pero hindi ka maalala. Ang hirap mag-abot ng tulong sa kapatid na baon sa utang. Ang hirap intindihin ng hipag na nakakapagpa-rebond pa kahit kapos na kapos na. Ang hirap pakisamahan ng bunsong halos ilahad ang mga palad tuwing makikita ka. Ang hirap ngitian ng mga taong tanong nang tanong kung bakit hindi ka pa nakakapag-asawa. Ang hirap humarap sa mundong isasampal sa'yo na mag-isa ka. Tulong, bigay, utang. Isang iling mo lang, madamot ka na. Kasama mo sila kapag may maibibigay ka, pero hindi mo sila mahahanap kapag wala na. Ikaw ang kakayod, sila ang tutuka. Ikaw ang iiyak sa pagod, sila ang magtatamasa. Iyon ang summary ng buhay ko. Sobra-sobra ang naririnig na paghingi, kulang na kulang ang naririnig na pasasalamat. Sobra-sobra ang pagpapasensya, kulang na kulang ang natatanggap na pagpapahalaga. Sobra-sobra ang binabayaran, kulang na kulang sa kasiyahan. Kaya nang dumating sa buhay ko ang nag-iisang lalaking hindi ako nakita bilang naglalakad na alkansya, ang nag-iisang lalaking nakinig sa mahabang listahan ko ng problema, ang nag-iisang lalaking nagbigay sa akin ng kakaibang saya, ipinangako ko sa sarili na sa gitna ng hirap ng pagtanda, magtitiis ako basta't siya ang kasama. Kahit pa ang kapalit noon ay pagtalikod sa minahal na pamilya. Kahit pa ang kapalit noon ay paglaban sa mundong pinatatakbo ng kapangyarihan at pera. Kahit pa ang kapalit noon ay ang pagdurusa't pag-iisa. Siya ang ginhawa, pahinga, at kasiyahan ko. Dumating man ang araw na tanaw ko na ang dulo. Dumating man ang araw na wala na kaming sagot sa lahat ng bakit at paano. Dumating man ang araw na pareho na kaming talo.

He - Yukio Zyde Montero, is a man with a fucked up life. The only thing and reason for him to keep holding on is his friends and his siblings. His life is miserable; his parents are at fault. Well, at some point in his life, he was given another reason to keep on going; a stronger reason to keep going. It was when he met Isaiah Gavin De Vera. As he asked a friend to give him a random number combination to call and it happened to be Sai. Kio - who was drunk at that time - happened to burst out his thoughts and let his emotions out for the first time, for it is too much to handle alone. Keeping his belief in 'strangers won't judge', he lets himself cry. Sai, who is a handler of an inspirational quote page on twitter, after that drunk call, always dedicates messages for him, together with a code. Code: Synéchise, a Greek word which means "keep going". His safe place. His haven. His strongest reason to keep going, Sai. ⨾

Three Kings Series #1 (Blake Yvo Reifler)

Arranged to be married, Althea Santillan is determined to make Yvo McKaile fall in love with her. However, everything falls apart when she unexpectedly shares a steamy night with Aristov, the man who turns out to be Yvo's father. *** To pay off her family's debts, Althea Santillan does her best to push through with her marriage to Yvo McKaile. She is determined to make him fall for her at all costs, but Yvo plans to do otherwise. Frustrated by the situation, she decides to go to a bar to unwind. There, she meets Aristov, the guy she spends a steamy night with. Despite the undeniable attraction between them, Althea believes that their connection should end there. However, fate seems to have other plans... Aristov turns out to be Yvo's father, and he doesn't want to let her go. Now entangled in this twisted situation, can Althea carry out her original plans and fix the mess that she's in? Or will she choose to set aside everything and let her feelings win? DISCLAIMER: This story is written in Taglish. COVER DESIGN: Rayne Mariano