Sandra Cisneros

Saat hamil tujuh bulan, suamiku, Ben Harsono, menganggap aku kotor. “Jangan sentuh aku!” Di depan pintu masuk, ia mendorongku dengan jijik. “Bau minyak dapur, menjijikkan.” Mertuaku keluar dari kamar setelah mendengar keributan. Ia pun menyerahkan semangkuk sup sarang burung yang baru direbus kepada Ben. “Sandra, kamu tidak tahu kalau Ben punya germofobia? Sudah hamil begini masih tidak bisa menjaga kebersihan?” “Ben sudah lelah bekerja, tidak bisakah kamu membuatnya lebih tenang?” Aku memandang ibu dan anak itu dengan perut yang terasa mual dan bergejolak. Saat aku berbalik, layar ponselku menyala. Sebuah foto terpampang jelas. Itu adalah asisten baru Ben, Lina. Di foto, wanita itu bersandar mesra di bahu Ben, tersenyum cerah. Latar tempatnya ... kamar tidurku.

Alessia dachte, sie hätte alles … eine Karriere, die sie sich selbst aufgebaut hatte, einen Ehemann, den sie liebte, und ein Baby unterwegs. Dann erzählte ihr ihre beste Freundin Sandra die Wahrheit: Sie schlief seit sechs Monaten mit Edward. Auch sie war schwanger. Alessia ließ sich noch am selben Tag von ihm scheiden. Fünf Jahre später hatte sie ein neues Leben begonnen. Neuer Ehemann. Neues Leben. Ihr Sohn Davison kann sich nicht einmal mehr an Edward erinnern. Bis Davison krank wird. Leukämie. Die einzige Heilungsmöglichkeit ist eine Knochenmarktransplantation von einem Geschwisterkind. Die Ärzte geben ihr nur eine Möglichkeit: ein weiteres Kind mit Edward zu bekommen. Alessia willigt ein, denn sie würde alles tun, um ihren Sohn zu retten. Doch die Abmachung ist klar: Sie trägt das Baby aus und gibt es dann zur Adoption frei. Sandra zieht es auf. Alessia geht. Es sollte so einfach sein. Ist es aber nicht. Denn Edward hat nie aufgehört, sie zu lieben. Jeffrey kann ihr nicht verzeihen. Sandras Eifersucht gerät außer Kontrolle. Und Alessia steht zwischen den Fronten eines Konflikts: zwischen ihrer eigenen Familie und der Familie, die sie einst zurückließ. Als das Baby geboren wird und Davison überlebt, glaubt Alessia, alles sei vorbei. Doch zwölf Jahre später treffen die Jungen aufeinander. Sie werden beste Freunde, ohne zu wissen, dass sie Brüder sind. Als Davisons Krebs zurückkehrt, kann ihn nur der Bruder retten, von dessen Existenz er nichts wusste – der Junge, den Alessia weggegeben hat, um sein Leben zu retten. Nun droht jedes Geheimnis, jede Lüge, jedes Opfer ans Licht zu kommen. Und diesmal gibt es kein Entrinnen mehr.

My husband's beloved lover suffered from menstruation complications. A traveling doctor claimed that a fresh placenta was needed to cure her. His gaze fixated on my seven-months-pregnant baby bump. And thus, I was pinned down on the bed as they ripped the placenta from my body. My son was carelessly tossed aside. He didn't even get the chance to cry before his tiny body fell silent forever. My husband pinched his nose in disgust, frowning as he looked at me—bleeding out, feebly reaching for my child. “It’s just a premature baby. He'll be fine after a few days of care. Why are you making such a fuss? Sandra is waiting for her medicine." He left and locked the door behind him without looking back. He claimed it was a lesson I needed to learn. By the time he finally remembered us, my son and I had long since bled dry, our bodies cold and stiff.

For five years, I thought our marriage was solid. Then, my husband, Lionel Franco’s first love, Sandra Howard, posted a photo of a property deed on her social media. The caption read: [Thank you, Lionel, for transferring the house to me.] I stared in disbelief and left a single comment: [WTF?] Lionel called within minutes. “She’s a struggling single mother. Transferring the house to her makes it easier for her son to get into school. It doesn’t affect where we live,” he snapped. “How can you be so lacking in compassion?” In the background, I heard her muffled sobs. Half an hour later, she tagged me in another post.  This time, she flaunted her Mercedes worth over a million dollars, with the caption: [Paid in full. As the saying goes, ‘Where a man spends his money, that's where his heart is’.] I knew he bought it to soothe her temper. But this time, I had enough. I decided to divorce him.

Si Tajiana Caprice Fuentes ay sinaktan at niloko ng fiancé niyang si Jared Villaluna kasama ang ahas niyang best friend na si Sandra Samaniego sa mismong anibersayo nila kaya naman naisipan niyang maglabas ng sama ng loob sa Kaiser Club at dito niya nakilala si Giovanni Maxence Regio na nag-pa-part time bilang isang Disk Jockey sa bar na ‘yon. Nalasing si Tajiana at dinala siya ni Xence sa condo nito at dala ng kalasingan, may nangyari sa kanila. Pagkagising niya ay agad siyang umalis dahil ayaw niyang maabutang gumising ang estrangherong nakatalik niya at nakakuha ng kaniyang virginity. Everything was a pure accidental lust. Kailangan niyang kalimutan ang pangyayari na ‘yon at ibaon na lamang sa limot ngunit hindi niya ito magagawa dahil nagbunga ang isang gabing paniniig nila ng binata na sadya namang itinadhana para maging boss niya.

Prologue La nuit tombait sur la vieille demeure des Smith, drapant ses murs austères d’une ombre épaisse. Le vent murmurait entre les branches des arbres centenaires, comme s’il portait les échos d’un passé que tous avaient préféré oublier. Il y a bien des années, alors que la fortune des Smith était encore fragile, un pacte avait été scellé dans le plus grand secret. Deux patriarches, liés par une dette de sang et d’honneur, avaient échangé une promesse : un jour, leurs lignées s’uniraient par le mariage. Mais avec le temps, la prospérité des Smith avait grandi, tandis que celle des Anthony s’était effritée. Et lorsque Levy Anthony, le dernier héritier d’un nom autrefois puissant, avait hérité de ruines, les Smith avaient feint d’ignorer l’existence de cet accord. Pourtant, les mots tracés sur ce vieux parchemin n’avaient jamais perdu leur pouvoir. Dans l’ombre, une jeune femme aux yeux froids observait. Sandra, la méprisée, l’invisible. Celle qu’on avait reléguée aux marges de la famille, comme si son sang était moins noble. Elle savait ce qu’ils ignoraient : un pacte ne meurt jamais. Il sommeille, attendant son heure. Et cette heure venait de sonner. Lorsque les Anthony franchirent le seuil de la maison Smith, ce ne fut pas en suppliants, mais en créanciers. Leur présence réveilla une vérité que les Smith avaient enfouie : on ne rompt pas impunément une promesse faite aux morts. Et alors que les voix s’élevaient, que les accusations fusaient, Sandra se tenait immobile, un sourire glacé aux lèvres. Car elle, l’oubliée, allait devenir leur seul salut.

Alessandro Romano has it all money, power, and a future already planned for him. In a few days, he’s getting engaged to the perfect woman. At least, that’s what the world sees. But Alessandro is living a lie. He has never loved a woman. He has never even wanted to. And the night before his engagement, one kiss with a stranger makes him feel more alive than ever. That stranger? Micah Hartwell. His soon-to-be fiancée’s older brother. Micah is everything Alessandro isn’t: bold, unafraid, and tired of hiding. Their connection is dangerous, messy, and impossible to ignore. But secrets have a way of surfacing. Sandra, the bride-to-be, is hiding something too. She knows Alessandro’s truth and she’s using it. The engagement is fake. Love is fake. But the damage? That’s very real. When everything blows up in public, Alessandro has to choose between the life he was raised for… and the love he never saw coming. He Said He’s Straight is a story about lies, love, freedom, and the fire it takes to be yourself even when the whole world says you can’t.

Just because I point out a mistake in the intern, Lester Hale's proposal that can cost the company millions of dollars, he feels embarrassed and goes straight to Sandra Wendell, the CEO, threatening to quit. The next second, she storms into my office and starts grilling me. "Couldn't you have spoken to him privately? Lester's young, and his ego's fragile. Why did you have to humiliate him in front of everyone? Don't forget, his dad's a major shareholder. I'm giving you two options now. "One, I'll promote Lester, give him a raise, and you'll become his assistant. That way, I'll agree to officially announce our relationship. Two, keep acting like this, and we break up." When I remain silent, she smirks triumphantly. "I knew you'd never pass up a chance to go public with our relationship. Now, you can clear your office for Lester. Later—" But I calmly cut her off, "Sorry, but I choose the second option, and I'm resigning. I wish you and Lester a happily ever after."

Spin Off dari novel PENGANTIN TUAN HAIDAR "Sebelum taruhan itu, aku udah mencintaimu dalam diam. Bahkan Andin pun nggak tahu kalau aku menyukai kakaknya," jelas Sisil pada laki-laki yang baru saja menikahinya. Dia adalah Aldin Putra Pradipta, seorang pria yang dingin terhadap wanita, tapi berhasil diluluhkan oleh gadis mungil sahabat adiknya sendiri. Tapi, ia sangat kecewa dengan istri yang baru dinikahinya setelah tahu bahwa cintanya dijadikan sebuah taruhan oleh gadis mungil yang menjadi cinta pertamanya. Kekecewaannya terhadap sang istri membuat ia dingin dan mengabaikan istri yang sangat ia cintai. Dialah Sisilia Sandra, seorang gadis yang mencintai Aldin dalam diam yang menerima taruhan adik dari laki-laki yang dicintainya untuk lebih dekat lagi dengan sang pujaan hati. Akankah Aldin membuka hatinya kembali untuk sang istri? Atau ia mencari cinta yang lain? Ikutin terus kisah keluarga gesrek. Spin off dari novel Pengantin Tuan Haidar.

"Take me, please." This time into his ear. He sat up some and grabbed my hips pulling me on to him harder. The deeper he went the more I lost control. I could tell he was holding back. Maybe he was afraid to hurt me. The bruises, because of what he knows about my past, He thinks he has to treat me like I'm fragile. I looked straight into his eyes. "I can take it, please, I want you to make me yours." I was begging him now. I saw his face change as he sat up and pushed my legs up higher. Suddenly he was slamming into me… ***** When Sandra married Ryan she thought she had married her hero. A young bright police detective on his way up. It wasn't long before she realized she was wrong. A narcissistic abusive man with the support of the city and the police department. She was trapped. Caged. Until the night of her monthly trip to the movies with the friends she was allowed. The other police detective’s wives. She saw his eyes as he leaned against the wall. A tinge of recognition as she walked past him. Then everything went dark.