Stranger Than Heaven

On the day we were supposed to get our marriage license, Michael Robertson ghosted. I sat outside the County Clerk's Office for hours. Instead of him, I got a pic from his secretary, Kallie Clunt. She was in his lap, arms wrapped around him, making out like it was the hottest scene in a drama. [Sorry, Elsa. Michael said he had to comfort my broken heart. You don't mind, do you?] When I asked him about it, he just looked annoyed. "She gave me blood once. What's the big deal if I hang out with her? Can't you be a little more understanding?" My stomach dropped. I turned away and called his older brother. "Leon, do you still want to marry me?"

My daughter, Annabelle Turner, was diagnosed with hereditary heart disease. I spent the past five years searching for a compatible heart donor for her. Now, I finally found one. Right before Annabelle is sent into the surgery room, my husband and renowned cardiologist, Gabriel Turner, tearfully makes me a promise. "Don't worry, sweetheart. I'll make sure Annabelle gets a shot at life again." Yet halfway through the surgery, Gabriel suddenly leaves in a hurry without giving any explanation. I stumble into the surgery room and see Annabelle lying on the operating table, covered in blood. Her chest is cut wide open, laid bare for all to see. Tyler Rotwell, Gabriel's assistant, stammers out, "Dr. Turner said… that Anna can still hold on a little longer, but Ms. Byron's son can't. "Dr. Turner took the heart that was meant for Anna and left…" I immediately break down and repeatedly call Gabriel's number, but Gabriel never answers a single call, not even when Anna's blood has completely dried… While settling my daughter's post-mortem affairs, I happen to see a newly posted update on Gabriel's childhood friend, Suzanne Byron's social media. "Turns out it was just a misdiagnosis," was what the caption read. "In that case, let's give this useless little thing to our good boy Oscar as a treat!" The video attached depicts Suzanne's dog Oscar tearing into the heart that was supposed to be donated to Annabelle. As I turn to look at Annabelle's cold body, the last shred of love I have for Gabriel starts crumbling apart. By the time Gabriel finally remembers Annabelle, whom he left on the operating table, only an empty bedroom and an urn containing her ashes would greet him…

For four years, I worked three jobs to support my husband, Edward Godfrey, while he chased his PhD and battled ALS. And somehow, in all that time, I'd never stepped foot on his campus. Not because I didn't want to. Every time I brought it up, he had some excuse ready. When graduation came, I asked to go to his hooding ceremony. He shut it down fast. "It's just a formality. A bunch of lab nerds. You'd be bored. Once I bring the diploma home, we'll have a candlelight dinner." I didn't argue. Just helped him straighten his doctoral gown. But I couldn't hide how excited I was. So I dressed up. And secretly followed him. Onstage, Edward stood beside his wheelchair, voice thick with emotion. "I want to thank my wife. She stood with me in the lab, even while pregnant, helping me grind out countless precious data points." I froze. My hand pressed against my flat stomach. Cold crept down my spine. For four years, I'd busted myself raw to support his PhD. I went from the girl everyone on campus admired to a fish seller, reeking like seafood every day. Worked so hard I miscarried twice. So who exactly was this "wife" he was thanking?

"Satu...Dua...Tiga...Em...".Hitungan Olin berhenti seiring dengan telunjuknya yang ia biarkan mengudara di atas langit yang mendung. Dia sedang menghitung bintang yang masih bertahan digelapnya awan, sesekali terdengar suara isak tangis yang coba ia tahan, bintangnya satu-persatu menghilang tertutup awan gelap di atas langit sana.Airmatanyapun mengalir tanpa bisa ia cegah, bertepatan pada hitungan terakhir pada bintang yang masih bertahan.Hujan yang turun seolah ingin menemani airmatanya agar tidak terlihat banyak orang.

Ethan Miller, a waiter at a fancy restaurant, was suddenly kidnapped by unknown assailants and brutally beaten. After being rendered helpless, he was thrown onto the street in the pouring rain. As he felt he was about to die from the pain in his body, especially in his back, which was getting worse, he was rescued by one of the richest businessmen in the country. Even more surprisingly, he was told that he was likely the heir to the dragon king's knowledge, which could cure all diseases.

Athanasia Joyie Widyatama, gadis manja naif yang selalu di kekang oleh papa nya. Papa Sia yang sangat overprotektif kepadanya dan selalu melarang Sia mengetahui dunia luar. Athanasia lelah dikekang tanpa pernah mengetahui apa rasanya melangkahkan kaki di dunia luar. Sementara ada seorang Arsa Putra Pangestu yang mengulurkan tangan padanya untuk mencicipi segala keseruan duniawi. Sanggupkah seorang Athanasia yang terbiasa dimanja dan naif bertahan di samping Arsa yang penyuka alkohol dan senantiasa dikelilingi wanita? Bagaimana mereka di pertemukan oleh garis takdir? Apakah perjalanan kisah cinta mereka berjalan mulus sesuai yang di inginkan? Penasaran bukan, ayo simak ceritanya!

Ariadne Harper thought her brother couldn't get any worse than just turning into a bad guy, but Jaxon Harper did something Ariadne never expected before by sold her to marry a billionaire. After being dumped to marry a stranger man 10 years older than her, Ariadne's life was no different from a precious bird in a luxurious cage. Everything was available for her, but the freedom was taken away, her life was confined in the mansion, even her husband treated her so coldly as if he didn't care. Ariadne slowly hatee her life, but what if something dangerous was hidden behind the reason for her marriage? Ariadne didn't know much about her husband, and why he was interested in marrying her even though he had another woman he loved. A long journey awaited Ariadne to uncovered the secret behind her marriage, and when she opened the secret box, Ariadne would find the reason for her to love Maximilian Leander Milton, or hated him to death.

No connection. No acquaintance. In one night of passion with no expectations, strangers become intimately acquainted. Will one night of lust turn into their happy ever after? Is it simply lust or could it possibly be love at first site? A collection of short stories: four couples, one day, twenty-four passionate hours. "Strangers" is created by Stephanie Walls, an eGlobal Creative Publishing author.

About a pact that the boy said to the little girl who had naturally red cheeks led them to the true reality. Without realizing it, their respective families are already planning something for their future. An event that caused them to separate for years made the former covenant lost in time. When they meet again in a very changed situation because the little girl who has grown up has lost half of her memory. The boy who previously gave the agreement is now an adult when he finds out that his girl has lost her memory. He promised himself that he would never let go of his little girl again. The hot story created by the man to ensnare his little girl and enter his unusual life. Will the little girl recall the events of the past? How would he react if he had remembered? Will she go away from him or stick with a man who doesn't know she has fallen in love with him?

This Thanksgiving, Elmer Fuller finally agrees to go on a trip with me. But when I wake up in the hotel, I don't see him anywhere. I spend the entire day desperately searching for him, only to stumble across a social media post from his first love. It's a selfie of her and Elmer having a cozy family dinner with her parents. The caption reads, "Someone's finally meeting the parents on Thanksgiving night. Mom and Dad can stop pressuring me to get married now!" Around her neck is the scarf my mother knitted for me before she passed. I left a comment. "Stop using my things to flirt with my husband. Take the scarf off—you can have him." Not long after, she posts an update. The scarf is shredded into pieces and tossed into a dog bed, with the caption, "What trash—too filthy even for a dog!" Elmer likes the post.