When We Were Strangers Book

My sister had struggled with depression since childhood. The doctor warned that she could not tolerate any kind of stimulation. As a result, my entire life fell silent. To avoid upsetting her, I never dared to laugh at home. I never dared to cry. When I got hurt, I did not even have the right to say it hurt. My parents would hug me with apologetic expressions and say, "You're the good one. Your sister's illness requires the whole family to work together. You're healthy. You're strong. Let her have more, okay?" One day, I accidentally knocked over a cup. The crash sounded enormous in the quiet room, and my sister's emotions shattered at once. My father struck me for the first time. He roared, "Can't you be careful? Do you have to push her until she dies before you're satisfied?" He shoved me to the floor. The back of my head slammed against the corner of the table, and blood poured out. But my whole family rushed to my screaming sister. No one even glanced at me. I lay on the cold floor as my vision blurred and my consciousness began to fade. To them, my sister's feelings were the only emergency. My small injury could wait. They did not know that bleeding inside the skull does not wait.

“I never believed in love and marriage. But when I set my eyes on you, everything changed. For without blinking an eye, I fell in love with you…” TEASER Nang dahil sa sugat na idinulot ng ama ni Dannah sa buhay-pamilya nila, nagkaroon ng lamat sa puso at damdamin niya. She vowed never to fall in love and be committed to any man. Natatakot siyang makahanap ng isang lalaking katulad ng kanyang ama na iniwan ang sarili nitong pamilya para sa babaeng gusto nitong makasama. Till such a moment came na hiniling ng kanyang butihing-ina ang isang apo mula sa kanya. She’s the only daughter and she loved her mom very much para ipagkait dito ang simpleng bagay na alam niyang makapagpapaligaya rito. Sa tulong ng kaibigang si Sandy ay nakahanap siya ng lalaking handang mag-“donate” ng sarili nitong “semelya.” Iyon ay si Gunther de Guzman! Tila nakiayon naman ang tadhana, for Gunther only desired sex without commitment and love. On her part, she only yearned for a baby without having a husband. Iyon ang bagay na nagbuklod sa kanila. Kaya naman they’ve shared one-night stand together. Okay na sana ang lahat para kay Dannah sa pag-aakalang iyon na ang kahuli-hulihan nilang pagkikita. Subalit ang hindi inaasahan ng dalaga ay ang pagbabago ng isip ng binata. “I want to have the custody of my child, Dannah. Kahit saang husgado ay lalabanan kita!”

Eight years into marriage, and Fabian's mom finally gave me and my son her stamp of approval. Invited us to spend Christmas in his hometown. My son—Luca--and I were hyped. We picked out a gift for her and hit the road with Fabian. Right as we pulled into the village, Fabian's old friend called—crying, claiming she'd crashed her car. Fabian panicked. Left me and Luca in some random snowy mountain town and sped off. It was pitch black. Snow dumping down. Then Luca screamed. He'd stepped on a trap and dropped into a pit. Blood everywhere. I called Fabian, totally panicked. He goes, "Stella, Roxana's in a wreck. I need to be with her. Stop making everything a competition." Then he hung up. Blocked me. No time to fall apart. I wiped my face, called an ambulance. Too far out. By the time they got there, Luca was already gone. Cold. Broken. Gone. I held him and screamed until my lungs gave out. Meanwhile, Roxana's posting in the social media. All smiles in Fabian's arms. His face soft. Loving. [Highway jam turned into truth or dare. One word—"accident"—and he came flying. So happy.] I exhaled. Tagged Fabian. [Let's get a divorce.] This joke of a marriage should've ended forever ago.

A month before Wendy Johnson and I are set to marry, she tells me she wants to have another man's baby. Following my refusal, she keeps bringing it up daily. Half a month till the wedding, I see her pregnancy report. Just like that, I find out she is almost a month pregnant. It turns out she has no intention of seeking my agreement on this matter. At that very moment, my love for her for so many years dissipates for good. I'm calling off the wedding and destroying all our shared memories. On the day we are supposed to get married, I join a sealed-off research lab without a second thought. From now on, Wendy and I no longer have anything to do with each other!

My sister accompanies me when I go for my premarital medical checkup. When I'm preparing a urine test, I hear embarrassing sounds coming from the cubicle next door. I'm about to leave when I hear the conversation. "Keep it in you, Willow. We're doing this again if it slips out." The voice belongs to my fiancé, Zachary Hilton. The woman to whom he's speaking is Willow Langley, my sister. I dial his number hysterically to see whether it really is him, but my calls go unanswered. All I hear is the incessant ringing of a phone next door and moans alongside it. I'm rooted to the spot, too stunned to do anything. Zachary once vowed to love me for life, yet he's doing something like this with Willow prior to our wedding. The moans and pants next door take a long time to subside. Once I hear them leave, I call home, my face wet with tears. "Mom, change my husband-to-be to Thomas Hilton, Zachary's youngest uncle. I don't want to have anything to do with Zachary anymore."

Olive Perez is known as the lousy b*tch troublemaker. She comes from a wealthy family and can easily obtain anything she wishes. Though Olive is often seen as a "troublemaker" due to her rebellious nature, she was a kindhearted and sweet young woman. She had a strong sense of justice and was never afraid to stand up for what she believed in. She was also generous and treated people with respect, regardless of their social status. Pero paano kung ang katulad ni Olive na walang kinakatakutan at inaatrasan ay biglang manlumo nang makita mismo ng dalawang niyang mga mata kung paano binawian ng buhay ang kanyang mga magulang na walang kalaban-laban? It was a traumatizing and emotionally draining experience for her, and she's never been able to get over it. Sino ang magiging sandalan niya? Sino ang mananatili sa tabi niya para damayan siya? Aragon Hudson, a handsome and clever guy, who hates troublemakers like her showed up in her life amid her tragic life. Ang binatang ito ang magiging balikat niya sa sandaling paghihinagpis niya sa pagkamatay ng kanyang mga magulang. Ngunit paano kung ang inakala niyang mananatili sa tabi niya kahit pa ano ang mangyari ay iwan rin siya sa kadahilanang isa siyang troublemaker? What could be the destined faith waiting for the both of them? Would it be love, hate, or destruction in each other's lives?

My family was the wealthiest in River City, with assets worth trillions. On my eighteenth birthday, my brother, Calvin Chester, gifted me an entire jewelry production line while my parents built a private museum and named it after me. The greatest hardship I’d ever faced? Learning how to spend my inheritance. Then I met Dario Darwin. For him, I cut ties with my family and helped him build his empire from scratch. But when I was three months pregnant, he demanded I drink on behalf of his assistant, Fran Fallon, a woman “slumming it” as an intern while secretly being the heiress to another fortune. “Stop pretending,” he sneered. “You’re not like Fran, raised in pampered luxury. You’re older, so act like it and take care of your juniors!” Then, to the clients leering around the table, “My wife’s just being dramatic. She can hold her liquor. Don’t hold back—pour her another!” Amid their jeers, he left with Fran, abandoning me to a room of drunken men. Years of sacrifice, only to be humiliated. I scheduled an abortion and called him. “We’re done.” Through the phone, Fran’s simpering voice chimed in, “It’s my fault that Clea is upset… I should quit and go home to my family’s billions.” “Ignore her. She’s faking it,” Dario cooed back. On the day Dario signed the divorce papers, my parents and Calvin came to take me home. Our marriage came to an end, but his tragedy was about to begin.

Elara Vienne hanya ingin bernyanyi. Tapi satu tawaran dari produser ternama menyeretnya ke dunia ketenaran penuh manipulasi. Di tengah gemerlap Jakarta malam, antara janji-janji manis dan ancaman tersembunyi, Elara harus memilih: mengikuti permainan mereka, atau menghancurkan sistem yang ingin mengendalikan hidupnya. Ketika lampu sorot meredup, siapa yang akan tetap berdiri?

Lydia Hart loved Adrian Wolfe for three years. Three years of silence. Three years of coldness. Three years of hoping he would love her back. Instead, he gave her a divorce. Humiliated and heartbroken, Lydia leaves without looking back. Until one shocking discovery changes everything. She’s pregnant. With Adrian’s baby. Determined to protect her child from a father who never wanted her, Lydia disappears and starts over with a new job, a new life… and a dangerous secret. But Adrian Wolfe isn’t the kind of man who ignores mysteries. When he begins to suspect Lydia is hiding something from him, he starts digging for the truth. And when he finally discovers what she kept from him… It might already be too late. Because the woman he divorced… Is the only one who ever owned his heart.

Mitsuha is a businessman who recently found out that he would be a father, it will be a new challenge for him because until now he had only been aware of his little sister Aya. Ria has been his girlfriend for two years and the woman with whom he wants to spend the rest of his life, but partner problems and jealousy will make the relationship a little worse. When Mitsuha meets his baby, he tries to be a good father and give his best, but Ria is a very demanding woman who wants her attention to be only for her baby.