Family Secrets Novel

When I was having a heart attack, my parents, my brother, and my fiancé were all at our family casino—celebrating Eva, our adopted daughter, at her twenty-first birthday, her official debut into the mafia world. The doctor refused to operate without a legal guardian’s signature. So I called them. My father’s assistant answered. “Sorry, Miss. The Don is in the middle of a toast.” My brother and mother let it ring until it went silent. Finally, my fiancé, Adam, picked up. Music roared behind him. I could hear laughter, glasses clinking. “Cecilia,” he said, impatient. “If you can’t even show up for Eva’s party, stop causing trouble. Today is Eva’s debut. Every Don from three territories is here. Whatever drama you’re playing can wait.” I lost count of how many times they chose her over me. So after this call, I stopped calling. I signed my own name. My family thought I’d finally learned to be obedient. But they should’ve known that in our world, silence only means one thing—I was preparing to disappear for good.

Three months after my death, my brother is hospitalized due to leukemia. That's when my family finally remembers me after kicking me out. My sister, Ruby, texts me. "Caleb is sick, so get the hell back here for a bone marrow transplant. Mom and Dad will stop holding a grudge against you for stealing money." Dad calls me a few times, but they go unanswered. He curses, "How dare she! She didn't even bother calling since we kicked her out a few months ago!" Mom holds my brother, Caleb. Her gaze is full of heartache. "Jolene is an ingrate. She must be hiding because she doesn't want to save you. I'll find her, even if I have to scour the world!" None of them care about me. They have no idea that I died on the night they kicked me out of the house. When they tossed me out, my head bumped into a stone hidden beneath the snow. The snow was particularly heavy that night. It kept falling and falling. Later, when they finally start looking for me, they find my frozen body underneath the thick snow.

As the long-lost daughter of a wealthy family, I returned to my biological parents, only to watch their company collapse. Overwhelmed by massive debts, my dad jumped to his death. My brother was left crippled by vengeful creditors. My mother, unraveled, would one moment tear at my hair, cursing my existence, and the next, cling to me, sobbing and vowing to cherish me. To save them, I shredded my college acceptance letter and took every job I could find. When my brother's condition worsened, I auctioned off my virginity to fund his surgery. But when I arrived at the hospital with the money, I overheard their conversation. "Kathy works day and night to earn money. I don't think she is after our fortune," said my mom. "She dropped out of college and ruined her future for us. Maybe we should stop this." My brother, supposedly half-paralyzed, stood by the window in a crisp suit. He shrugged. "She chose to skip college and work like that. What's it got to do with us?" My "dead" father broke his silence. "We need to be careful. People like her are like leeches. Once they latch on, you can't shake them off. Let's keep watching." I listened quietly, tossing the pendant they had given me into the trash. I had repaid the debt of my birth, and now, we were done.

After six years of dating, Selena Yane is about to marry Zachary Xenakis. However, her long-lost younger sister is found and brought back to the family. While Selena tries her best to make it up to Lucine Yane, Lucine doesn't appreciate her efforts. Not only does Lucine accuse Selena of being jealous and stealing their parents' love, but she even sets her sights on Zachary. With everyone standing against Selena, even Zachary advises her, "Lucine's about to marry into the Chiton family soon. It's only right that we make it up to her as best as we can." Hence, he even takes a family photo with Lucine and buys a necklace for her—the limited-edition necklace that should have been Selena's. He then abandons Selena on a deserted road, where she nearly becomes food for the wild animals. Even so, Zachary still feels like he owes it to Lucine. It isn't till the day of the wedding that Zachary finally learns it isn't Lucine marrying into the Chiton family. It's Selena. He tries desperately to stop the wedding convoy, but Selena doesn't even look back once.

After I am diagnosed with stomach cancer, I ask for some money to buy medicine. I don't want to be in excruciating pain when I die. My three elder brothers rush into the ICU. Andy Lewis—my eldest brother—slaps me hard across my face. He scolds me for ruining his beloved younger sister, Summer Lewis' coming-of-age party. My second brother, Sherman Lewis, calls me a liar. He accuses me of pretending to be sick to swindle money from them. Jimmy Lewis, who is my third brother, calls me useless. He tells me that I deserve to die. My parents, Kenneth Lewis and Autumn Farrow, don't believe that I'm sick. They pin me with looks of contempt and ridicule. "You still haven't stopped that lying habit of yours even though you're all grown up. You even learned how to blackmail us with your death. "If you want to die, do it sooner. It'll spare us from being disgusted when we're forced to look at you day in and day out." I end up dying on the first day of the New Year. Before I breathe my last breath, I send a message to the family group chat. My entire family goes crazy after reading it.

Lenora Bennet is my first love. After we start dating, she's been nothing but caring toward me. But on the day of our wedding, my older brother, Gideon Sloane, calls her on the phone and tells her that he's sick and hospitalized. Lenora doesn't hesitate to ditch me at the altar. My mom wants me to be the bigger man and let Lenora take care of the ill Gideon. Meanwhile, my older sister, Hillary Sloane, chastises me for being selfish. She thinks I never let Gideon have his way. I don't understand at all. Gideon is the one who's stolen my life from me, but why is it that my family wants me to be gracious toward him? But after that, I've graciously decided that I don't want them in my life anymore. Surprisingly enough, they keep begging for my forgiveness.

Half a year after our divorce, my ex-husband became a trending topic online. His current wife, who had just given birth, jumped off a building. When she jumped, she was clutching a printed, 98-page copy of the "Cloves Family Code of Conduct." The reason for her suicide? She couldn’t buy discounted groceries online. A reporter came to interview me and asked, "Excuse me, were you also given the same family rules?"

Sekar, seorang menantu muda yang awalnya tertekan tinggal serumah dengan mertuanya. Sekar tidak pernah membayangkan hidup serumah dengan mertua bisa sekompleks ini. Hari-harinya penuh tekanan, komentar sinis, dan batasan yang membuatnya merasa seperti tamu di rumah suaminya sendiri.menemukan pelarian unik di loteng rumah tua itu: sebuah radio tua yang ternyata masih bisa memancarkan siaran. Dengan suara tersembunyi dan identitas anonim, Sekar mulai menyuarakan curahan hatinya lewat siaran rahasia bertajuk "Menantu On Air". Tanpa disangka, siaran tersebut justru menjadi fenomena di kalangan ibu-ibu dan menantu se-Indonesia. Curhatan-curhatan jujur tentang hidup bersama mertua, konflik kecil yang berujung besar, hingga kisah cinta diam-diam dalam keluarga, menjadi cermin bagi banyak pendengar. Namun, sebuah telepon misterius mengungkap bahwa ada rahasia besar yang disembunyikan di balik rumah mertuanya — sesuatu yang mengubah cara Sekar memandang keluarga dan dirinya sendiri. Siaran yang awalnya jadi tempat pelarian, berubah menjadi kunci pengungkapan masa lalu. Apakah Sekar siap menerima kenyataan yang selama ini tersembunyi rapat di balik tembok rumah itu? Sekar berfikir “ada sesuatu yang disembunyikan di rumah itu,” Sekar terjebak dalam dilema antara menjaga keharmonisan keluarga atau mengungkap kebenaran ...

On her sister’s wedding day, everything falls apart. Rumors swirl that the groom is crippled, poor, and an illegitimate child. Determined to protect her family’s reputation, their mother makes a shocking decision—she forces her quiet, overlooked younger daughter to take her sister’s place at the altar. Humbled, humiliated, and powerless, she steps into a marriage everyone expects to be miserable. But the man she married is nothing like she—or anyone—expects. Strange things begin to happen, whispers of wealth, influence, and power follow him everywhere, and suddenly, the life she thought she was trapped in becomes unpredictable and dangerous. Now, the woman everyone overlooked must navigate a web of secrets, betrayal, and desires—and discover whether this forced marriage is her undoing… or her greatest chance at love. And when the truth finally comes to light, what will become of her mother, her sister, and everyone who betrayed her? Will they pay the price—or be left in the shadows of her triumph?

"Ayo, menikah denganku! Aku serius. Di Indonesia seusia kita bahkan sudah banyak yang punya anak!" Tidak seharusnya Aya mendengar kalimat diluar nalar itu diusianya yang masih 20 tahun. Saat dia sedang pusing-pusingnya memikirkan kuliahnya dan kerja parttime di Adelaide, Australia. Dan lagi! Laki-laki sebaya di depannya ini tahu seperti apa masa lalu Aya. Aya yang menjauh dari Indonesia, mengubur semua ingatan buruknya, dan berperang dengan ketakutannya sendiri. Laki-laki ini pasti tahu. Jadi tidak mungkin dia sampai punya perasaan ke Aya, bahkan berniat menikahnya. Ini jelas-jelas diluar nalar. Aya tahu mereka teman SMA. Punya banyak ingatan yang bisa dijadikan bahan berdebat. Tapi, hubungan mereka bukan hubungan romantis yang penting untuk dikenang oleh otak dan hati. Jadi kenapa? Datang tiba-tiba di depannya begini. Di saat Aya sudah menjauh sejauh ini...