Completed • First Draft - not edited. || "You gonna sit there all night?" Luka glances at me, smirking. I glare back. "I was enjoying the last few seconds of peace before having to spend an evening pretending to like you." "That's funny," he says, unbuckling his seatbelt. "Why?" I snap. "Because I was thinking the same thing." || The rules? Easy enough. 1. Pretend to be the perfect couple. 2. Keep it professional. 3. And whatever you do, don't. catch. feelings. Simple, right? Sofia Calloway never planned on going viral for throwing a drink in Luka Mikhaylov's face. But one video, one pissed-off hockey star, and one furious university later... she's suddenly stuck in a fake relationship with the guy she can't stand. He needs to clean up his image before the NHL draft. She needs the free tuition that comes with the deal. All they have to do is smile for the cameras, hold hands at the games, and act like they don't want to strangle each other. Then come the late-night arguments that last too long. The stolen glances that feel too dangerous. The moment where "pretend" starts looking way too real. Because when you break the rules, someone's bound to lose. And this time, it might be both of them.

Isang babaeng nagmula sa kasalukuyan ang mapupunta sa ibang mundo at nakaraan. Sa ngalan ng kaniyang pagbabago, kaniyang masasaksihan ang lahat ng nakatakdang kaganapan. Ngunit sa kabila ng inaakala niyang mundong walang bahid ng problema, ano kaya ang mga sikretong nakakubli sa bawat isa?

Sa taong isang libo, walong daan at siyamnapu't anim, ang pag-ibig ay hindi isang marikit na tula o malambing na kundimang iniaalay sa ilalim ng buwan, ito ay isang kalapastangan, isang mapanganib na lason na ang tanging pangako sa mga lumalasap ay dusa, luha, at isang malamig na himlayan. Sa pag-aalimpuyo ng sigwa ng kasaysayan, si Ysabel Villareal-isang binibining namulat sa sinag ng araw ng isang malayang kinabukasan (taong 2025)-ay tinangay ng malupit na tadhana pabalik sa isang bayang nilulunod ng mga prayle sa kamangmangan at nakagapos sa tanikala ng pagkaalipin. Paano nga ba paluluhurin ang isang isipang sanay sa liwanag ng kalayaan sa harap ng isang lipunang ang turing sa kababaihan ay mga maamong palamuting walang karapatang magka-tinig? Siya ay wari'y isang ibong dating malayang naglalayag sa himpapawid na ngayo'y nagpupumiglas na makawala mula sa gintong hawla ng kasaysayan. Ngunit sa kaniyang marubdob na pagnanasang kalagin ang gapos ng panahon, kaniyang nasumpungan ang isang maginoong nakabilanggo rin sa sariling kasalukuyan-isang liyag na may dalisay na pusong handang magbuhos ng huling patak ng dugo sa dambana ng nagdurugong Inang Bayan. Sa ilalim ng alapaap na pinapula ng papalapit na poot ng himagsikan, paanong pagtatahiin ng pag-ibig ang dalawang kaluluwang pinaghiwa ng malupit na batas ng kalikasan at panahon? Ang isa ay pilit hinahabol ang bukas upang patuloy na mabuhay, habang ang isa ay malugod na niyayakap ang kamatayan sa kasalukuyan, matamasa lamang ng kaniyang iniibig-at ng mga susunod na salinlahi-ang isang malayang kinabukasan. Ad Te Repetam Anno 1896.

She hated the villain. She knew how the story would end. But suddenly she wakes up inside of it. After a freak accident, Celestine finds herself trapped in the world of The Heneral's Lie-a tragic historical tale she once read (and hated). But she's not the heroine. Not even the sidekick. She's someone who wasn't supposed to exist. How can she change a story that's already been written? And what if her every choice is only making things worse? Because sometimes, rewriting fate means becoming part of a story that was never yours to begin with. And in the end... whose story was it?

This work of fiction may include potentially disturbing readings, scenes and discussions around topics such as self-harm, physical violence, emotionally triggering materials, death and suicide. Please engage in self-care as you read this work. Names, characters, business, events and incidents are the products of the author's imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. Project M #ProjectM1 31/12/17