at the existentialist cafe

FRAGMENTS OF MEMORIES 1: MARRIED AT SEVENTEEN AN ENGLISH NOVEL Thera De Marco was hated and feared by many. For inexplicable reasons, within five years of marriage to her husband Sean, she has gone from being soft-hearted and happy, to savage and ill-tempered. Despite her unhappiness, and her hate towards her husband she has refused to get her marriage annulled.Just before her 30th birthday, Thera is hit by a car, causing her memory before she met Sean to be wiped out. When she resumes her life, she begins to question why she was so unhappy in her marriage.Will her feelings change while she couldn't remember anything? Or do the secrets run deeper than she ever realized?

Noong tinanong ako ng aking ama kung sino ang gusto ko pakasalan para sa kapakanan ng alyansa ng aming pamilya, iba ang pinili ko sa buhay na ito. Hindi ko na pinili si Leonardo Vittorio. Sa halip, pinili ko ang nakatatanda niyang kapatid, si Ivan Vittorio. Mukhang naguluhan ang ama ko. Alam nga naman ng lahat sa Chicago na lumaki kami ng magkasama ni Leonardo. Sampung taon ko siyang hinahabol. Bilang nakatatandang anak na babae ng pamilya Lucien, matagal ng nakaukit ang pangalan ko sa tabi ng kanyang pangalan para sa listahan ng mga arranged marriage. Naniniwala na ang pagsasama namin ay nakatadhana. Habang inaalala ang nakaraan kong buhay, pinilit ko ngumiti ng mapait. Dati, pinakasalan ko si Leonardo tulad ng matagal ko ng hinihiling. Pero makalipas ang aming kasal, hindi niya ako ginalaw kahit isang beses. Ang akala ko may sakit siyang hindi niya masabi at nagpakahirap ako na pagtakpan siya. Sa ika-anim na anibersaryo ng aming kasal ko nalaman ng buksan ko ng hindi inaasahan ang kahadeyero niya. Sa loob, may maayos na litrato niya kasama ang ampon na babae na nagmakaawa ako sa ama ko na ampunin. Sa mga litratong iyon, may dalawang taong gulang na batang lalaki din–ang anak nila. Masaya silang pamilya ng tatlo. Doon ko napagtanto sa mga oras na iyon. Hindi sa may sakit siya. Hindi niya inisip na asawa niya ako. Para mapalayas ako, nagplano sila ng ampon kong kapatid para ako’y patayin. Ngayon at nabigyan ako ng ikalawang pagkakataon, pinili ko na ibigay sa kanila ang blessing ko. Pero noong naglakad ako sa simbahan suot ang aking wedding dress, habang nakapatong ang braso ko sa braso ni Ivan, pumasok si Leonardo bigla ng may dalang baril. Mukha siyang baliw at wala sa kontrol. “Madeline!” Paos ang boses niya at halos maputol. “Ang lakas ng loob mo?”

Dengan berat hati, demi memenuhi keinginan papanya yang sakit parah dan tidak akan lama bertahan hidup, Clarabelle Aimee memutuskan mengikuti reality show At the First Time I Meet You di kota tempat dia tinggal, Sydney. Clarabelle yakin, dengan bantuan para ahli cinta, dia akan menemukan pria yang tepat, yang akan menjadi pendamping hidupnya. Jordan Gerald, nekat ikut acara At the First Time I Meet You karena ingin memenangkan taruhan dengan teman-temannya. Demi diterima oleh para ahli, Jordan bersandiwara tentang dirinya dalam reality tersebut. Bertemu kali pertama di altar, Clarabelle terpana dengan Jordan. Jordan pun terpesona dengan kecantikan Clarabelle. Sikap manis Jordan selama masa pengenalan dalam reality show yang mereka ikuti, membuat Clarabelle mulai jatuh hati pada Jordan. Sayangnya, usai acara, menjalani kehidupan nyata, kedok Jordan mulai terbongkar. Kejutan demi kejutan Clarabelle temui dan membuat hatinya kembali kecewa. Bertahan atau berpisah? Mana yang akan dipilih Clarabelle dan Jordan? Apakah memang pernikahan dalam At the First Time I Meet You hanya permainan belaka?

Arwena never imagined surrendering to a stranger after discovering that her boyfriend, Jake, was cheating on her with her best friend, Farah. Heartbroken and disillusioned, Arwena left the country, vowing never to return. But five years later, she is back, tasked with reviving her parents’ struggling business. Arwena must face the very people who inflicted her deepest wounds. What she doesn’t anticipate is crossing paths once more with Tandre Denovan—the man with whom she shared a one-night stand and the father of her child.  Will Arwena succeed in reviving her family’s struggling business while facing the painful memories of her past, or will she dare to open her heart to a second chance at love? Can she find the strength to rebuild her life and embrace a brighter future, or will her past continue to cast a shadow over her dreams?

Si Doreena ay nakatakdang ikasal sa lalaking may malaking agwat ng edad sa kanya, at makakasama niya ng ilang taon para sa kontrata. At magmula ng makita at makilala niya ito ay isa lang ang tumatak sa isip niya. Na kailangan nito ng tulong. Tulong na makilala ang tunay nitong sarili na may hindi makontrol na emosyon.

Three years… That is how long Eunice Tsui spent in a coma after the car accident five years ago. Now that she is awake, the perpetrator must settle his debts. She's returning to the country that never gave her a warm home, and this time, she's taking matters into her own hands. She will track down every rat hiding in the sewer and eliminate them herself. No more being pushed around or feeling unwelcome—she's taking control of the situation. However, her well-thought-out revenge compromises when Jullian Lopez keeps appearing before her. What will be his role in the stage she built for the culprits to gather around? EXCERPT: “Mommy, I missed you!” A four-year-old boy rushes to her side and gives her a loud kiss on the cheek. “How’s my baby?” With an unusually delicate smile on her lips, Eunice asked softly. “Mommy, don’t embarrass me!” Eunice raised a brow and chuckled. “And why is that? You will always be my baby. Besides, we’re the only people here. Why would you feel embarrassed if I called you my baby?” Jillian pouted, folding his arms as he looked past his mom and pointed at the man who emerged from her bathroom only wrapped in a bath towel, barely covering anything. “Eunice Tsui! Why does that child look so much like me?” the man inquired. Eunice rolled her eyes and retorted, “Jullian Lopez, stop assuming. We never sleep together!” Astounded, Jillian shifted his gaze from the two adults to the bedroom, which looked like a super hurricane had passed because of how messed up the bed and every corner of the room were.

The day that I divorced my third husband, the system told me that I had completely failed my mission. I had married three times in this world and they were all targets that were supposed to fall for me. But every single one of them chose to divorce me because of Wendy Somerfield. The system pitied me for doing my best for the past 30 years, so it asked me to target my son. It said that if my son could confidently choose me, between me and Wendy, then I could live. However, it was no exception that the son I gave birth to after 40 weeks of pregnancy chose Wendy, just like my three ex-husbands. They all even pinned the cause of Wendy's illness on me. My first husband, who was my childhood sweetheart, pretended to be softhearted, but he was actually ruthless. He actually tried to convince me to donate one of my kidneys to Wendy. My second husband, who I met on a blind date, used a scalpel to personally cut open my body. My third husband, who I fell in love with at first sight, even threatened me with my son. While spitting out blood from my mouth, I agreed to their requests with a smile. However, when they saw me being pushed out of the operating room, those people who turned their backs on me went crazy.

Despised by her father, Emma Walker finds herself trapped in the net of the ruthless mafia boss in exchange for her Mother’s treatment, and revenge on her selfish father. Salvatore Barone was a nightmare everyone avoided, a man rumoured to be selfish, yet his mother was his weakness. Faced with the decision to give his dying mother, a daughter-in-law, he gets into a contract marriage with the daughter of his sworn enemy. What happens when they start to fall in love with one another? Especially when it turns out that his mother lied.

Candace and Daniel have a loveless romance... she had sacrificed her dreams to be a devoted wife, but Daniel kept ignoring her and loving another woman. After the divorce, Camille returned. After two years without hearing from her, Daniel was astonished by her beauty and great talent. From there, a story of remorse and desire begins.

Umiling si Charlotte. "Dad please... ayokong magpakasal." "That's the right thing to do, Charlotte. After one week, ang kasal niyong dalawa ay magaganap, whether you like it or not," matigas na pagkaka-saad ni Christian. "But kuya..." "That's our final decision, but if you want. Choose between marrying Elijah or file a case for what he does to you." Iyon nga ba ang solusyon, ang ikasal para sa ginawang kasalanan ni Elijah? Paano naman kung may nabuo? Magiging tunay na nga ba ang pilit na kasal, o meron pang mga tao na mas lalong sisirain ang lahat para hindi iyon matuloy?