When We Were Strangers Novels & Stories

When disgraced journalist Elliot Dorne receives an anonymous invitation to Wintercroft Hall—a decaying mansion on a fog-shrouded island—he is promised the story of a lifetime. But upon his arrival, Elliot finds himself among six strangers, each with their own shadowy past. Their enigmatic host, the frail and reclusive Vivienne Ashworth, claims she has summoned them to reveal a deadly truth about the Ashworth family legacy. Before she can confess, Vivienne collapses, and chaos ensues. A violent storm traps the guests on the island, and the discovery of a gruesome murder sets paranoia ablaze. As Elliot uncovers cryptic messages, hidden rooms, and a chilling photograph that ties him to the Ashworth family, he realizes that nothing about this gathering is random. With the mansion’s dark history unraveling and secrets surfacing at every turn, Elliot must confront the ghosts of his own past to survive. But the deeper he digs, the clearer it becomes—someone inside Wintercroft Hall is playing a deadly game, and not everyone will make it out alive. When disgraced journalist Elliot Dorne is invited to the remote and crumbling Wintercroft Hall, he’s promised the story that could save his career. But the mansion’s sinister halls conceal more than just secrets—they harbor a legacy of betrayal, murder, and lies. Elliot is joined by six strangers, all summoned by the enigmatic Vivienne Ashworth. Frail and reclusive, she claims to know the truth about their darkest sins. Before she can reveal anything, a violent storm cuts them off from the outside world—and the first body is discovered. As cryptic messages and chilling clues emerge, Elliot realizes that his connection to the Ashworth family runs deeper than he could have imagined. Someone in Wintercroft Hall knows the truth about his past, and they’ll stop at nothing .

It has always been him, he was my first love, and so, I had to let him go. He wasn't made for this life. He, was made for greater things. He was too much of a tornado for this small town, that doesn't mean I miss him any less. It's been 9 years since we last saw each other. Nine years of hatred on his part and self-loathing on mine, why did I let him go? Now, he is a successful billionaire, living the life one could only dream of. I wish things were different now that he's back but that just seems like a foreign concept to him. He doesn't want me anymore, but I can't blame him either. It was me who broke us and it is going to be me who will put all the pieces back together. Even if it is the last thing I do before death comes knocking at my door.

Her world collapsed when she received a divorce text on her wedding anniversary and then her husband went ahead to pretend he didn't know her. Miguel Valente, heir to one of Spain’s most ruthless conglomerates ended their secret marriage with a single text. The same night, she lost everything… including the child she thought he wanted. Two years later, Inés wakes in a foreign alleyway, broken and alone until a stranger saves her. Emilio Cortez, the charming Italian heir with a gentle touch, nurses her back to life. With him, she rebuilds her life into a woman the world would never again break. But fate isn’t done with her. At a glittering gala, her past and present collide when Miguel colder, darker, and untouchably powerful stands before her again. He claims he never betrayed her. Emilio vows he will protect her from him. And Inés? She’s caught between two men, one fire one that burned her alive, and one that promises to consume her whole. As lies unravel and hidden truths surface, love turns into war. But Inés is done been chosen, she will now do the choosing. And in the end, only one heart will survive the fire.

I was never a mother. Never been in love. Never even kissed a man. But the day two children called me "Mummy," My world turned upside down. Ethan Stark, a cold, powerful, and ruthless billionaire, believed I abandoned our kids and forced me into a loveless marriage with him. All I have are my words... and no proof of my innocence. How can I explain to him I don't know what he was talking about when there is a picture that says otherwise and my striking resemblance with the kids?

I built my wife’s family business from the ground up, sacrificing everything so that her world could thrive. The night I collapsed from stomach bleeding after too many business drinks, she was out laughing with her childhood sweetheart. She even had the nerve to call me dull and uptight. I smiled when I finally handed her the divorce papers. “I wish you both a happy life together.” But instead of signing it, she tore it to pieces, tears in her eyes. “I’m not letting you go,” she said.

Sebastian ‘Baste’ Paner was a jock of hotel services and master of client pampering, especially for rich old women. When his best friend who was running a dating agency enlisted his help to fulfill a dying woman's wish, the greedy Baste accepted the offer right away. Who wouldn't be anyway if you're bound to inherit a massive land in the province after her death? However, it wasn't as easy as Baste had initially thought. “When I called and told your orphanage that I want a family, I didn't mean I need a husband. I need a child,” clarified 61-year-old Filomena Geronimo who mistakenly dialed the agency instead of the orphanage. By the way, it's not a love story. It's something more profound than that. It's... something only we know.

"I married you out of pity! Yet you dared to betray me right under my nose and, worse, murdered my sister. Today, I sever every tie I have with you. You'll pay for this with your life in prison, you witch!"-words dripping with venom, are the last that Maxon utters to the woman he once loved. Maxon Adams, the heir to the vast Adams empire, had it all-power, wealth, and a marriage to the woman he cherished. But in one moment, his world comes crashing down when he discovers an unimaginable betrayal: his loved wife in the arms of another man. But that is not enough; devastating news follows that his only sister has been murdered and all evidence points at his wife as the culprit. Could this nightmare be real? How could the woman he loves do this?

Because Nicole wants to escape reality, she often uses her ability to Lucid dream every time she wanted. Lucid dream. Nicole's ability. A Lucid dreamer can control his dream. She can do whatever she wanted in her dream. She can be a mermaid, she can be rich, she can control the character's feelings and emotions in her dream, she can build an Eifel tower, and anything she wanted. She even wakes up anytime she wants to stop dreaming. Nicole was working as a secretary in a company where her ex-boyfriend was her boss. Complicated? Well, her boss was her best friend's boyfriend. Kate was her best friend and steal her ex-boyfriend, Jacob. But it was five years ago. She said she moved on but she was a good liar. Nathan Lee. He was comatose for ten years after a car accident and he became a dream traveller. One time, Nathan travelled in someone's dream and saw his best friend Jacob. Jacob was with a girl. It's not an ordinary girl. A beautiful, gorgeous, and stunning woman. Her name is Nicole. After Nathan meets Nicole, he wants to come back to reality. How will Nathan come back to reality when the dream goddess told him that there's no way? If there's an only way, would they sacrifice their lives, dreams, and love for each other? Reality, hope, love, and sacrifice. That's what they can give to each other.

When Valentina met Matteo in 2019, they both felt as if they’d known each other before. Everybody knows Matteo Giudice is the first son of a billionaire who is probably, but not surely, the head of the Sicilian mafia. Everything he does seems to be for his own pleasure even though there’s a certain darkness to him that seems to follow him everywhere he goes. Burnt-out from a young age due to his generational wealth, being bored is his biggest problem in life. Valentina is the daughter of a successful Russian businessman and has always flown under the radar at school but now seems to be everywhere and nowhere at the same time. There’s something a bout her, as if she has something nobody else possesses, that stirs up Matteo’s interest in the first place. Somewhere along the way of trying to figure each other out they unintentionally fall in love. When buried secrets come out, their lives turn into a deadly game of power, in which love and war have no choice but to co-exist. A slow-burn coming of age mafia romance novel, in which the only thing the protagonists know for sure is that fate doesn't care if you're ready for the love of your life. Part 1 of the Games We Play works.

It has been 8 years but Hailey Greene was still haunted by her past. The past that she dreaded the most. It wasn't her intention to hurt Nick Smith, the love of her life but due to her family's debt she has no choice but to sacrifice everything even the love she had for him. Moving on, Hailey left without a word, bringing only good memories of them together. And who would've thought that leaving Nick will eventually lead her to a life that she never knew existed. A life of motherhood. And to that, she felt reborn. And years passed, she met an old friend, Mikan Grey, Nick's best friend. Mikan learned everything about her, even Annie as Nick's daughter. They would meet every now and then. Mikan always had this thing with Hailey but he knew that he couldn't replace Nick in her heart. He wanted to give Hailey and Annie a good life which led to a marriage proposal. Hailey would always shrug off the thought of Mikan's proposal but Mikan would always say that he just wanted Annie to have a good life and that its been three years since Hailey and Nick saw each other. And that's why here they are getting married not because she had moved on but because this is what's best for Annie. There's no better man than Mikan, she thought. But the idea of seeing Nick again after three years, gives her shivers. Will everything change if they meet again?