Wounds heal, but scars remain. So even with the possibility that one can accept and move forward, it's impossible to forget. Because there will always be an irremovable mark that will remind you of every bit of pain. Growing up without a mother was Zarih's first heartache. It scarred her more than anything else. She sees how her dad grieves for her mom all the time-even after years-and it breaks her. When Zarih learned about the possibility that she might have inherited her mother's heart disease, she knew she couldn't afford to love because she wouldn't want anyone to suffer at her death. She wouldn't want to love someone just to wound him at the end. It was easy not to fall in love, only if Ace Timotheo Salvador, her summer enemy, didn't dare touch her scars... as if they were the most beautiful parts of her existence. Zarih feels like losing it... She wants to love and be loved. Maybe he can heal her scars. Maybe their story is different from her dad's. Maybe they can have a happy ending. Or maybe... She should've not risked it at all. Maybe she could've not scarred her heart more. Finished: July 21, 2022

Rivalry, a basketball athlete and a culinary student had never seen herself attracted to any men. Despite her friends' persistent attempts to set her up with various men, or at least one guy, she remained uninterested. Men don't ignite her heart. Wala siyang pakialam sa mga lalaki dahil palagi niyang sinasabing, "hindi sila talo". Her heart is as hard as a rock when it comes to men. But it is as soft as bread when it comes to girls. Malinaw sa kaniya na sa babae lang tumitibok ang puso niya. When their group sailed on the third year of college, Rivalry's heart underwent a subtle shift after encountering Rue. Rue Vallejo, a feeling close, a basketball athlete, and a medical biology student. Achievers Series 1 written by huescria