Gloane Alcaraz never dreamed of more than a quiet, survivable life. If the world would grant her one mercy, it would be a future where she and her younger sister, Cianna, could wake up without fear. Far from violence, far from hunger, and far from the man who once called himself their father. She did not believe life had to be grand to be worth living. To be flawed, to be ordinary, to be poor, these were not failures to her. What broke her was that escape alone was never enough. Ang kolehiyo ang naging lugar kung saan kailangan niyang patunayan ang sariling halaga. Ang paggraduate ay hindi na simpleng pangarap, kundi isang pananagutan para kay Cianna. Pero sa likod ng mataas na pamantayan, mas kilala siya bilang pariwarang estudyante, dahilan ng init ng ulo ng mga propesor, laman ng discipline record. Then Sinan Noam Alfaro came into the picture. He was her opposite in every way: precise where she was guarded, polished where she was worn thin. An English major with near-perfect scores, he moved through academia as if he belonged there. She found herself allowing him into the parts of her life she had learned to hide. With Sinan, the weight of the world did not need explanation. She tried to disappear. She always did. Pero hindi nakaligtas kay Sinan ang mga bakas na iniwan niya, ang mga lamat na dulot ng bigat ng mundong ginagalawan niya, at ang mga alaalang inakala niyang sapat nang ibaon para takasan. She ran. He always followed. There's always something left to trace. Bittersweet Series #1: Catching the Wind's Traces

Have you ever wished just to have someone see you in the midst of the bustling crowds? For Claudia Lois Joie Monreal, that had been her greatest wish since she was a child. Growing up in a family that expected her to carry their burden, she had been put under the constant eyes of everyone. Waking up felt like a test she had to perfectly ace to avoid the heartless insults thrown at her. She never felt like she belonged. In their church ministry, she always felt the tension with her seniors. In her class, she had always felt they hated her. In her family, she felt like dust they would wipe off a crystal frame to make it seem perfect when displayed. Even in her friend groups, she felt like she was always distant from them. Araw-araw na yatang pinaparamdam ng mundo na wala siyang halaga sa kahit kanino. She felt like a feather being blown by the wind, anywhere that nobody was able to see. Claudia felt like a plume with its ink dried out on the tip. She almost crumbled the paper that held her fading presence. Not until she met the man wearing their usual uniform with his brown hair flowing in the wind. Melchizedek Lovero stood tall in the bustling crowds, holding only his camera. Everything about him calmed Claudia. She knew she had found her home by how he hummed the hymns and how his beautiful smile matched the hues of the silver sky. Everyone didn't expect that she would gain back her passion for writing. Hindi nila inaasahan na posible pala nilang makitang nakangiting muli si Claudia. But just as she thought she found someone who could spot her in the midst of the bustling crowds, the lenses of their camera blurred. Once again, Claudia felt like a plume with its tip unable to bleed more ink, fading into smithereens before his broken lenses.

Kaleigh Millan craves escape and thought she'd find it in Middletown Cafe, her cousin's coffee shop. But her fresh start is obliterated the moment she sees him: Jenkin Carter. He's the man linked to her brother's death five years ago, now working behind the counter, serving coffee and apologies she refuses to hear. Forgive Jenkin Carter? Kaleigh would rather drink poison. Forget how he disappeared after her brother died? Impossible when he's now standing inches away and pouring her coffee. She won't forgive. She can't forget. When their encounters bring feelings she thought were long dead, how long can she hold out against it? DISCLAIMER: This story is written in Taglish. BOOK COVER DESIGN: Rykell Arriola

"His life had nothing but black, white, and the color of blood, until he found her." First Published: May 2023 Republished: October 2024 Finished: --