renee carlino before we were strangers

In his previous life, Felix Quick was neglected by his family and killed by his foster brother Harold. Before his death, Felix felt disheartened by his family, but when he woke up again, he found himself back on the day of his twelfth birthday, ten years ago. At the age of twelve, Felix was adopted by the Quick family, thinking he finally had a family, only to realize that they valued another foster son, Harold, much more, leaving him with only coldness and misunderstanding. In his previous life, Harold falsely accused Felix of adding an allergenic jam to the cake. This time, Felix did not deny it; instead, he cut ties with the Quick family on the spot and ran away from home.

Jess Willis gets sucked into a novel set in the 1980s where she's the villainous ex-wife of a disabled big shot who dies early. She's stuck with a "villain system" that says she has to stir up drama and be awful to everyone before she can go home. Jess's like, "Play the villain? Hell no!" But then she's like, "Actually, you know what? Villains have way more fun!"She rolls up her sleeves and starts living her best chaotic life—except she doesn't know her whole family can hear her thoughts. The family grows closer than ever, and even her disabled husband recovers and becomes completely devoted to her!

My parents once treated me like a princess, buying me a lavish home, braving the rain to get me cake, and filling albums with my smiles before I turned five.After my sister was born, I lowered the air conditioner by just one degree to keep her cool, only for my mother to slap me and lock me in the refrigerator, saying, "Stay in there until you've learned your lesson." They forgot to unlock the lock, but at five years old, I couldn't escape, just as I couldn't escape being forgotten. It was our neighbor who broke down the door to save me. My parents thought I had died, and when they saw me return, they broke down in tears, begging for forgiveness.

Eve, the nation’s top doctor, saved Dante from a gunshot five years ago, but the severity of her injuries left her infertile. Then Lilith pretended to be the one who saved Dante to try and steal him from Eve. She even faked having cancer so she could artificially inseminate herself with Dante’s child. The night before her wedding to Dante, Eve discovered that Lilith was pregnant. Despite Lilith’s lies, Dante sided with her over Eve. Heartbroken, Eve left for Italy to pursue her career in medicine. Only once she was gone did Dante realize Eve was the one who actually saved him. Now, he’ll do anything to win her back and won’t take “no” for an answer.

Noah Linsey wakes up in a world where humans form bonds with magical beasts, and he's one of the beasts.He is a lowly F-rank spider, promptly abandoned by the girl who contracted him when he proved too weak to be worth keeping. Left for dead, something inside him activates. A system that lets him devour other creatures and evolve without limit. Noah crawls out of that near-death experience and never stops climbing. Shadow Lair, demon beasts, Overlords, all fall before him or kneel to him. When foreign species begin invading and ancient mythological monsters descend on his homeland, Noah has become something that rewrites the definition of power. No one crosses his country and walks away.

After the great war between humans, vampires, werewolves, and elves, an agreement was made that hybrid offspring would rule the world. Every century, alliances through marriage between humans and those three clans would decide the next ruler. Whoever bore the first hybrid child would claim power for their line. In my previous life, I chose to marry Jax, the eldest son of the werewolf pack, known for his fierce loyalty. I gave birth to our hybrid son, a white-furred pup we named Zeal. Our child became the next world ruler, and Jax gained immense power. My sister had lusted after the elves' beauty and married into their clan. But the elf prince slept with every female in the forest. In the end, my sister caught a disease that left her barren. Jealous and bitter, she set a fire that burned me and my young pup alive. When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the day of the racial alliances. My sister had already slept with Jax first. I knew she had been reborn too. But she didn't know that Jax was brutally savage with his mates, having torn countless she-wolves apart in his bed during his ruts.

While they slice me apart, I desperately call my brother, Nathan Slade. He finally picks up as my consciousness starts to slip and answers in an annoyed voice, "What now?" "Nathan, help—" I don't get to finish before he cuts me off. "Can't you ever go a day without drama? Gemma's graduation is at the end of the month. Miss it, and I swear I'll kill you!" Then, he hangs up without a second thought. The agonizing pain swallows me whole, and my eyes close for good, tears still trailing down my cheeks. Well, good news, Nathan… You won't have to kill me because I'm already dead.

While delivering food, Miles accidentally walked into a conflict between Clare and her uncle, Baron. Baron coveted Clare's family's goods and intended to seize them. Miles not only ruined his scheme but also selflessly shielded Clare, taking a fatal bullet for her. As a result, Clare developed feelings for Miles, believing he was meant for her. However, Miles was already engaged to Winnie. Winnie and her family were greedy, constantly demanding money in the days leading up to the wedding. Miles' mother, Martha, invested everything she had for her son's marriage but still couldn't satisfy their insatiable greed. After learning that Miles was being tormented by Winnie's family, Clare intervened without hesitation. Using her strength to intimidate everyone, she successfully took Miles away, and they held their wedding.

My parents once treated me like a princess, buying me a lavish home, braving the rain to get me cake, and filling albums with my smiles before I turned five.After my sister was born, I lowered the air conditioner by just one degree to keep her cool, only for my mother to slap me and lock me in the refrigerator, saying, "Stay in there until you've learned your lesson." They forgot to unlock the lock, but at five years old, I couldn't escape, just as I couldn't escape being forgotten. It was our neighbor who broke down the door to save me. My parents thought I had died, and when they saw me return, they broke down in tears, begging for forgiveness.

In his previous life, Felix Quick was neglected by his family and killed by his foster brother Harold. Before his death, Felix felt disheartened by his family, but when he woke up again, he found himself back on the day of his twelfth birthday, ten years ago. At the age of twelve, Felix was adopted by the Quick family, thinking he finally had a family, only to realize that they valued another foster son, Harold, much more, leaving him with only coldness and misunderstanding. In his previous life, Harold falsely accused Felix of adding an allergenic jam to the cake. This time, Felix did not deny it; instead, he cut ties with the Quick family on the spot and ran away from home.

William Coffey and Shelly Richards had been together for years, deeply in love. But just before they could get married, tragedy struck—William's sister Lea died in an incident involving Shelly's younger brother. The Coffey family was devastated and blamed Shelly, their grief turning into resentment. While William was in the hospital, his mother forced Shelly to leave. At the time, Shelly was already pregnant, but with nowhere to turn, she had no choice but to leave the country. Five years later, Shelly returned and ran into William again. The feelings he had buried for so long came rushing back. He still resented her for disappearing without a word, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't stop loving her.

When Landon Scott gets dropped into a supernatural apocalypse overrun by terrifying female anomalies, everyone else runs. Landon does not run. Red Bride haunting the wedding hall gets kissed before she can scream. Ruby Dreadlord of the Bloody Hospital, fearsome sovereign of the undead, is spoiled so relentlessly she forgets to be terrifying. The spider goddess Lady Arachnid of Silken Inn? His new favorite, naturally. He isn't fighting his way through this cursed world. He's charming it, one horrifying entity at a time, until the most feared anomalies in existence are squabbling over his attention. Everyone calls this the age of the bizarre apocalypse.The anomalies have started to suspect the real danger was him all along.

Noah Linsey wakes up in a world where humans form bonds with magical beasts, and he's one of the beasts.He is a lowly F-rank spider, promptly abandoned by the girl who contracted him when he proved too weak to be worth keeping. Left for dead, something inside him activates. A system that lets him devour other creatures and evolve without limit. Noah crawls out of that near-death experience and never stops climbing. Shadow Lair, demon beasts, Overlords, all fall before him or kneel to him. When foreign species begin invading and ancient mythological monsters descend on his homeland, Noah has become something that rewrites the definition of power. No one crosses his country and walks away.

Luis Earl and his three siblings were born into a poor rural family, where despite their humble existence, they found happiness together. However, tragedy struck when their parents drowned unexpectedly, leaving the already struggling family shattered. At just 10 years old, Luis found himself unable to care for his younger siblings alone. In desperation to ensure their safety, he endured great pain and begged others to take them in, a decision that would separate them for 20 years. Over the next two decades, Luis lost contact with his siblings due to life's changes. Consumed by guilt, regret, and remorse, he blamed himself for their separation and dedicated 20 years to finding them again. Their paths converged once more when Luis's younger sister, Anna, returned as the chairperson of the Earl Group.

Maggie Duncan transmigrates into a classic revenge novel as the story's nastiest female antagonist, immediately saddled with a system that demands she accumulate hatred levels or face the consequences. Then the system glitches. Every unspoken thought she has broadcasts directly into the minds of her entire family. Her scheming inner monologue—the complaints, the calculations, the bewildered asides—plays live in real time to the people she's supposed to be tormenting. The plot derails immediately. Her three brothers, who were meant to despise her, become fiercely protective. The cold fiance Trent Stevens, scripted to regard her with contempt, starts hovering in ways that aren't contemptuous at all.The Duncan family's tragic ending quietly ceases to be inevitable. Maggie watches her villainy progress bar drain to zero and has no idea how it happened.

Jana was the ultimate admirer of the school heartthrob Zell for three long years. She brought him breakfast, bought him medicine,and was on call 24/7, 365 days a year. On New Year's Eve, after her 1,081st confession was publicly humiliated, she declared "game over" and walked away. It turned out that she was actually the heir to the Carter Group. Three years ago, to win a bet with her childhood friend Zed, Jana had pretended to be a poor girl to pursue Zell. Three years later, with the bet concluded, Jana reclaimed her identity and left Zell. When Zell learned the truth, he was filled with regret. He teamed up with the malicious Wendy to seek revenge at Jana and Zed's wedding, but their plan backfired and they were utterly defeated!

I'm Isa Borgia, the daughter of the most powerful Don in Corvina. My father worries I'll marry the wrong man on a whim, so he arranges for me to be engaged to Luca, the rising heir of the Marino family. It's an arranged marriage, but that doesn't mean I've lost all my say. The very least I can do is choose a ring I genuinely like. So, I go to the mafia auction. When the diamond ring appears as the final jewel of the night, I lift my paddle. Just before the gavel falls, an arrogant voice comes from behind me. "A country bumpkin like you thinks you can compete with me? Do yourself a favor and leave." The auction hall goes quiet for a few seconds. The only sound comes from the camera shutters clicking around the hall. I turn and see a woman in a gold couture gown. Her mouth curves in a casual smile, as if she owns the place. Before I can say a word, the auctioneer rushes to close the bid.
"Sold! Congratulations to Ms. Sofia Lopez for winning the final lot, the Eternal Star!" My brows pull tight, and a hot spike of anger rises in my chest. "You ended the bidding early! Do you even follow the rules here?" Sofia turns around and gives me a once-over, her gaze sharp as a blade. 
"Rules?" She lets out a cold laugh. "Come on. I'm Luca Marino's favorite godsister. Around here, I make the rules!" I can't help but laugh. What a coincidence. So, she's my fiance's godsister. I pull out my phone and call him. "Luca, your godsister just snatched the engagement ring I picked out. How are you going to handle this?"

At nineteen, Nova Lowell rescued the injured CEO Justin Penn in the mountains, and a fleeting encounter left them intimately connected. After she left, Justin discovered her bracelet and immediately launched a search for her. But before they could reunite, Nova was betrayed by her parents and younger sister Ellie, and wrongfully imprisoned. In prison, she gave birth to a son, Aiden.Six years later, Aiden accidentally encountered Justin's mother at a hospital.Struck by the boy's striking resemblance to her son and his rare medical condition, she secretly arranged a paternity test.Determined to hide the truth, Ellie repeatedly attempted to harm Nova and the child. It wasn't until a singing competition that Aiden's identity was finally revealed, leading to a long-awaited reunion between the father and son.