when did half life 2: episode 2 come out

My girlfriend was a police officer. One day, I got kidnapped, and the explosives on my body were ten minutes away from detonating when the kidnappers ordered me to call her. Instead of worry, all I got was relentless scorn and a tongue-lashing. "Caleb, are you seriously doing this right now? How could you be so petty and jealous when a life is on the line?! Lucas' cat is in danger. It has been stuck on a tree for three days, and that cat is as important to him as his own life! "If I don't save them in time, you'll be the one at fault!" Over the line, I heard the voice of a young man that sounded, to my ears, anything but genuine. "Thank you Jamie, you're the best!" That man was my girlfriend's childhood friend, Lucas White. Before the bomb exploded, I sent her a final message. [I hope we never see each other again. Not in this life, and not in the next.

Betrayed by his fiancée Linda, Morgan faces total ruin. But his business simulation game turns into reality. Elite CEO Eve Jenkins arrives, handing him an empire. When Morgan buys out his old firm and crushes his betrayers, Linda realizes in despair: the burden she dumped is now an unreachable god.

After losing her parents, Anna was taken in by Mrs. Kane—her mother’s closest friend—and grew up alongside the Kane brothers, Gordy and Jonathan. The two boys were stars of their school's hockey club, while Anna became their manager, always cleaning up their messes and keeping everything running smoothly. For years, the three were inseparable, perfectly in sync both on and off the ice. But everything changed when Katie, the school beauty, set her sights on Anna’s position. Through carefully plotted schemes and whispered lies, she framed Anna for mistakes, drove a wedge between her and the brothers, and slowly turned them against her. Humiliated and heartbroken, Anna grew distant from Gordy and Jonathan. Eventually, she gave up and transferred to another school, where she met hockey star Ethan and became his manager instead. Only after she was gone did the Kane brothers begin to see the truth about Katie—and by then, it was far too late.

The night before high school graduation, Ethan Luciano pulled me into his bedroom. His hands were rough, his touch demanding, yet my heart overflowed with a decade's worth of unspoken longing. I'd loved Ethan for ten years, and finally, it seemed my silent wishes had come true. Afterwards, as we lay tangled in his sheets, he whispered that he'd marry me after graduation. Once he took over the Luciano family's empire from his father, he'd make me the most cherished woman in the family. I believed him. The next morning, I sat curled up against his bare chest as he casually told my foster brother, Lucas, about us. My cheeks were flushed, and my heart raced, still clinging to the sweetness of the night before. However, then their conversation shifted into Italian. Lucas smirked, leaning back against the doorframe. "Not bad, Young Boss. Your first time, and the school's 'it girl' just threw herself at you. So, how's my little sister taste?" Ethan gave a lazy chuckle. "Looks like an angel, but a freak in the sheets. Who would’ve thought?" The room erupted in low, conspiratorial laughter. Lucas raised a brow. "So, should I call her my little sister or my future sister-in-law?" Ethan’s tone darkened, his arm tightening around my waist for a moment. Then he let out a sigh. "She’s nothing. Just practice," he said, his voice dropping to a whisper. "I’m trying to hook up with the cheer captain, Sylvia Dawson, but I don’t want her thinking I’m clueless in bed. Cynthia Saville’s just a warm-up." He paused. "But don’t tell Sylvia. I don’t need her getting all emotional." They didn't know that I’d spent months secretly learning Italian, preparing for the life I thought I’d share with Ethan. I didn't say a word. Later that day, I quietly withdrew my early decision application to Caltech and applied to MIT instead.

Fifteen years ago, I casually helped a homeless kid who couldn’t afford a football. I handed him three hundred dollars and, half-joking, asked for 1% of his future company as “founder’s shares.” I just wanted to give him a push to chase his dream. Fifteen years later, the football club I built is on the verge of collapse. The three children I raised with my own hands team up to steal my company, drain my accounts, and grind me into the dirt. Players are demanding unpaid wages, my wife is dying of a terminal illness, and my most trusted friend forces me to my knees. Just to save my employees and my family, I swallow my pride and give up everything. Right when everyone’s waiting for me to finally break— A fleet of luxury cars from a thousand-billion-dollar empire rolls up to my door. That same scrawny, homeless boy who once had nothing… has come back.

Ivan Baker went to prison defending his brother, Hayden. Five years later, he hopes for a quiet life, but when Hayden is targeted over Rosen Corp's secrets, Ivan is pulled back into the underworld. With Felix Dunn and Dan Holt, he forms the Trinity Gang, dismantles Rosen Corp from within, confronts mastermind Darius Zale, and finally retires to a new life with Ruby Quinn.

After spending over a decade in the palace, Song Ruyi finally saw the light again when she was allowed to leave. However, due to an inadvertent glance from the Emperor and the jealousy of Noble Consort Chun, she was subjected to a horrific fate. Out of jealousy, Noble Consort Chun cut her hair, severed her fingers, gouged out her eyes, and slit her throat. Her sister, Song Zhiyi, waited eagerly at the palace gate for Ruyi's return, only to be greeted by a lifeless and broken body. Determined, Song Zhiyi entered the palace, embarking on a path of revenge. She navigated through various schemes and intrigues, only to discover, after exposing Noble Consort Chun's crimes, that the true mastermind behind her sister's death was someone else...

After the great war between humans and beasts, both sides agreed to let the half-beasts govern the world. Every hundred years, a union between humans and beasts would be arranged. The first half-beast child of the generation would be the next ruler of the Human-Beast Alliance. In my past life, I chose to marry the eldest son of the wolf clan, renowned for his unwavering devotion. I was the first to bear him a child—a rare half-beast white wolf. Our son was named the next ruler of the Human-Beast Alliance, and my husband, by extension, rose to immense power. My younger sister, who had chosen to marry into the fox clan out of vain admiration for their beauty, was not so fortunate. The fox clan's heir, a notorious philanderer, eventually contracted a disease and lost his ability to father children. Jealous and resentful, my sister set a fire that burned both me and my young white wolf son alive. When I opened my eyes again, it was the very day of the human-beast mating ceremony. This time, my sister was quicker—she climbed into the wolf clan heir Jacob's bed before I had the chance. I knew then: she had been reborn too. But what she didn't know… was that Jacob's nature was cruel and violent. He worshiped bloodshed, not love. And he was anything but a worthy mate.

When I turn 20, my grandfather's old friend—now the richest man in the country—lays out photos of his grandsons in front of me. He says, "Pick one to be your husband." Without hesitation, I choose Nathaniel Chapman. Everyone in the room is stunned. After all, it's no secret I've always been hopelessly in love with George Chapman. I used to swear I'd marry no one but him. In my previous life, I got what I wanted—I married George. And because of that marriage, he inherited the lion's share of his grandfather's wealth. But after the wedding, he started an affair with my sister. My parents were furious and sent her abroad to study. George thought I was the one who exposed them. From then on, he hated me to my very core. Women came and went at his side, each one resembling my sister more than the last. The betrayal crushed me. I fell into deep depression. Later, he secretly replaced my medication with slow-acting poison. I died with a child in my womb—alone, bitter, and betrayed. Now, I've been reborn. This time, I choose to let them have each other. But what I don't expect is that George has been reborn too.

Amelia is deliberately hit by a scheming woman. Lying injured in hospital, she sees her husband neglect her cruelly and tend to her attacker instead. Broken-hearted, she chooses a life-saving surgery that wipes out all her memories, leaving her painful marriage and past behind. Her husband only realizes his irreversible loss when it is too late.

Natalia Smith, a powerful businesswoman, had a very spoiled Molly Smith who kept causing trouble. One day, however, she learned Molly wasn't her real sister! Turned out someone switched Molly and Yolanda, Natalia's real sister, after they were born. In the past 18 years, Molly had lived a luxury life like a princess while Yolanda was abused by her foster parents all the time. Now, the truth revealed and Yolanda was back. Would the evil Molly just give up and leave? How would Natalia react to Yolanda's return?

Clara unexpectedly sleeps with Asher. However, Mandy later takes credit for it. Worse, Asher mistakenly believes she is the daughter of the man who saved his life. So he promises to marry her. On the other hand, Asher's stepmother forces Clara to marry Asher. So he suspects Clara to be a spy and insists on divorcing her. When will he find out the truth?

"Today's our wedding anniversary, but my husband spent it celebrating his ex-girlfriend's birthday..." Natalie resolves to end her marriage and return to her true identity. Once the misunderstanding is revealed, her ex-husband regrets what he did and tries to get Natalie back. But another man appears by Natalie's side: her ex-husband's half-brother...

Evelyn Summers is a formidable, self-made businesswoman who spent a decade building both her empire and her marriage alongside her husband, Aaron Quinn. From a modest street food stall to a publicly listed corporation, they rose together, and Evelyn took pride in what she believed was an unbreakable partnership founded on love and trust.That illusion shatters when she uncovers a devastating truth. Aaron had orchestrated a car accident that caused Evelyn to lose their child at eight months pregnant, leaving her unable to conceive again. Even more cruelly, he had been carrying on a secret affair with her younger sister, Natalie Summers. The life Evelyn cherished, her marriage, her family, her past, was nothing more than a web of lies carefully spun around her.Refusing to be broken, Evelyn fights back. She removes Aaron from his position as chairman and casts him out with nothing to his name. As the truth comes to light, Aaron spirals into madness and is confined to a psychiatric institution, while Natalie, the true mastermind behind the deadly plot, is brought to justice and sent to prison.Rising from the wreckage of betrayal and loss, Evelyn reclaims her power, her future, and her crown, proving that a queen is not destroyed by ruins, but crowned upon them.

Intern doctor, Harvey York, hit rock bottom when his girlfriend betrayed him. After inheriting his family's medical and martial arts knowledge, his life began to turn around!

After a one-night stand with a stranger, Lina gives birth to a “little pup,” only for her cruel sister to throw the baby in a dumpster. What they don’t know is that the child is the pup of Roman, an elite Alpha werewolf. Five years later, that “little pup” will bring his Alpha daddy to Lina’s doorstep, begging her to come home.

Casey, marked by a birthmark on her face, faced rejection from her fiancé. Uniting with her step-sister, they plotted against her, but fate intervened, leading her to a chance encounter with the wealthy Levi. Little did she know, Casey herself was the long-lost heiress of a prestigious family. Five years later, having taken control of the family business, Casey returns with a vengeance, accompanied by her child.

Cast out by his parents' old friend, Sean White awakens as an SSS-Rank Insect Tamer, yet is scorned by all as worthless. His engagement is broken, his inheritance seized, leaving him with only a withered mantis. However, when the system activates and the insect nest descends, his forces multiply by one every minute! On the trial grounds, his endless swarm crushes former prodigies.Before his family's gates, void-borne insects tear through space itself. Only when the entire Clark family is shrouded in the shadow of his swarm do they realize in terror: this so-called "waste" has long held the power to overturn the world.