Best Of David Baldacci

"Cleonne Marie Deigmen, do you accept Ashton Kleid Ditfreid as your lawful husband?" tanong ng pari habang nakatingin sa akin. Nakabibinging katahimikan ang umalingawngaw sa loob ng simbahan. Tila ba lahat sila ay takot na magsalita dahil alam nilang masama ang kahihinatnan niyon kung sakali. "I-I do..." garalgal ang boses ko na sumagot. Ramdam ko ang panginginig ng buong katawan ko habang nakatayo sa harap ng altar. Buong buhay ko, wala akong ibang pinangarap kundi magandang buhay para sa pamilya ko, at mahanap ang lalaking pakakasalan ko balang araw. Iyong lalaking makatatabi ko sa altar sa at kasama kong susumpa sa harap ng maykapal. Pero hindi ko akalaing ang araw ng kasal ko, ang siya ring magiging pinaka-masalimuot na araw sa buhay ko.... "I now pronounce you, husband and wife. Mr. Ditfreid, you may now kiss your bride." Ang panginginig ng buong katawan ko ay mas lalo pang nadagdagan nang sabihin iyon ng pari. Unti-unti ay humarap ako kay Ashton na seryosong nakatingin sa akin. Iniangat niya ang veil mula sa ulo ko at doon ko nakita ang mga mata niya. Hindi pagmamahal ang nakikita ko sa mga iyon, ang tanging nakikita ko lamang ay galit, poot, at paghihiganti. "You are mine now, Cleonne. At ito ang tatandaan mo, habang nabubuhay ako, hinding-hindi mo mararanasan ang salitang kaligayahan." bulong niya sa akin bago niya tuluyang ilapat ang labi niya sa mga labi ko. Magmula nang araw na iyon, alam kong ang buhay ko ay hindi na sa akin. Dahil magmula nang araw na iyon ay nakatali na ako sa lalaking hindi ko naman mahal, sa lalaking walang ibang gustong gawin kundi ang makapaghiganti sa akin, at iyon ay walang iba kundi si Ashton Kleid Ditfreid.

Innocent and naive. That's how Paula was always described. Just an innocent woman who believed in prince charming, but her husband made her see her cruel reality when he cheated on her with her stepsister. But then, the car accident came along and shattered her whole life. Her face was completely disfigured when that doctor found her. Begging on her knees to change her face, he agreed. It is said that nothing comes for free, and this was no exception. Montenegro, the most successful doctor in town whose life had been stolen by the same person who destroyed Paula, had another plan to make him pay for his mistakes. "You stole my life, I'll steal your woman. Finally, I've decided to play your game."

Since childhood, Erish is the one Angela loved dearly and her dream came true when he proposed to her on their last day of graduation. A few years later, the wedding finally took place and she became his wife. By marrying him, she felt like she had achieved everything. Her love story is just like a dream. Now she needs nothing from her god. However, soon she realized everything was her illusion… The man she's married to is not the same one whom she fell in love with. He is not Erish but his identical twin brother Eric. He is the one who married her. And this realization hit her hard. Her world was destroyed and she felt betrayed by her own second family. Now, what would she do? Will she leave him or forgive him? Can she fall in love with her husband after knowing his identity? What would be her response when she came to know Eric always loved her? Even before she knew what true love is!

The New Year was just around the corner. While I was doing a thorough cleaning, I stumbled upon something beneath the couch. It was a damp, used condom, and it still had a faint lipstick stain on the edge. One thing I was sure of was that I didn't use this brand, but the lipstick color? It matched perfectly with my girlfriend Lindsey Stirling's.

Angel lived by her name, well behaved, considerate and caring. She was swept away in a College romance until her world came crashing down around her. Can she find love again or is she doomed to be alone watching others rise while she stays still

Dominica Falcon, a Senator's rebellious daughter, wants to identify who should trust or not in a world full of cruelty and torture. And meeting Alesandro Estevan, the blue-eyed hot devil in human form made it more intense for her to live the life she always wanted... no rules, no limit. And crying to be release is the only choice to be free.

Jey Azenaiah is an average girl. She knows that being a beautiful girl is far from the description of her face. Pero pagdating naman sa patalinuhan ay nangunguna siya. She is brave and she never let someone drag her down. She always do what is right and do what she wants. Ngunit sa panibagong eskwelahan na papasukan niya malaking pagbabago sa buhay ang makakaharap niya. One glance at Darius Flint Hicayo, she knows that her heart is crazily like someone. Mabilis siyang nahulog at nadala sa tibok ng kanyang puso. But in life, there are circumstances that even yourself can't control and for Jey Azenaiah it was Jax Atticus Grayse. In the play of flames three hearts will be the player but only one will be the winner. Would destiny help Azen to determine her own flames? Or would she rather let herself find what her heart admires?

“You love my heart, but not me.” ---- Living in this world is hard, but living in someone’s heart is more difficult. Arranged Marriage is a thing in a business industry kaya naman hindi na kagulat-gulat na ipapakasal si Freigivel sa isang lalaki para sa business. But, she was going to marry the boyfriend of her heart donor, the daughter of the people who adopt her legally. Makakaya ba niyang pakasalan ang lalaking hindi naman talaga dapat sakaniya? Or she will fight for the freedom she wants even by the means of betraying the people around her. 

Si Veronica Smith, isang dalagang matalino at mabait mula sa probinsiya, ay nagpunyagi upang maiahon ang kanyang pamilya. Ngunit ang isang aksidente ay magbabago ng lahat, matapos tulungan ang matandang si Venus, inialok siya ng kasal kay Jarred Heart, isang matagumpay at napakasupladong CEO, at guwapong apo ni Venus. Wala sa plano ni Veronica ang magpakasal sa isang estranghero, ngunit sa halagang isang milyong piso para sa operasyon ng kanyang ama, pinirmahan niya ang kontrata—bawal mainlove, bawal makakaalam ang kanilang kasal, at bawal makialam sa buhay ng bawat isa. Ngunit sa kabila ng lahat, lihim na nahulog ang loob ni Veronica kay Jarred, habang para kay Jarred, ang kanilang relasyon ay isang simpleng kontrata lamang. Habang papalapit na ang araw ng annulment, nagsisimulang magbago ang lahat—may bagong manliligaw si Veronica, si Kenny Bill, isang katrabaho na may tapat na pag-ibig para sa kanya. At doon, nagising ang puso ni Jarred na mahal na pala niya si Veronica. Pero para kay Veronica, nagsimula nang mag-give up, natatakot na madurog ang kanyang puso. Maagaw pa ba ni Jarred si Veronica mula kay Kenny, o tuluyan na bang magkakahiwalay ang kanilang mga landas? Ang isang kasal na nag-umpisa bilang isang kontrata, magtutuloy kaya sa isang tunay na pagmamahalan?

If you started having hyper realistic dreams about a boy you've never met, living in a land you've never visited, your first reaction probably wouldn't be to leave home and everything you know just for the small chance of finding him, right? You would just convince yourself they were just dreams, and you were going crazy. I mean, no rational person would swim through a portal, enter another world, and discover not only is their dream boy very much real, but they have another soul mate anxiously waiting for the day you save their people and lead them in the new age. Right?