Novels by Cedar Karamy

Gwen rushed home with Felix. She hurried straight into her bedroom and opened the bottom drawer of her wardrobe, where she kept old clutter.The golden comb was still there. Gwen picked it up slowly, then closed her eyes.'For Hans and my mother-in-law. I can't just let them go without putting up a fight. I love you, Hans. Mun, I love you too!' Gwen whispered, her heart in total turmoil.Gwen immediately left for Sienna's house."Excuse me, is Sienna home?" Gwen asked.Braddy, who saw how beautiful and attractive Gwen looked despite her simple attire, eyed her up and down."Hello, is Sienna home?" Gwen asked again, growing impatient."Oh, um, Sienna stepped out with Mum and my sister. Is there something you need?" Braddy asked with a wild gaze.'Oh, what should I do? I need to hurry! Where did they go? Will combing my hair in this house work if Sienna isn't around?' Gwen thought anxiously. Ah, might as well try!"Will they be back anytime soon?" Gwen asked, unable to hide her impatien

Gwen lounged lazily in her bedroom, pacing back and forth in the slippers Halimah had given her. They were lovely, and Gwen adored them. She hadn't bothered cooking today either, as Hans and Hannah had left for Sidney.How she wished she had a TV in the house. Why hadn't she bought Hans one yesterday while she was still living as Sienna? With nothing to do, Gwen drifted back to sleep, slumbering until late afternoon. A loud, relentless pounding on the front door jolted her awake."Gwen, Gwen! Are you home? Are you sleeping? Open the door, hurry!"Gwen opened her eyes, straining her ears to listen."Daisy?" Gwen muttered raspy-voiced, her senses not yet fully awake."Gwen, there's terrible news! Hurry up and open the door!"Gwen glanced at the wall clock, which showed half past four. She rushed out of the room and yanked the door open."What's going on?" Gwen yawned, her hair a tangled mess."Your husband and mother-in-law are in the hospital—they're in the ER!" Daisy blurted out, acco

Gwen caught up with Sienna before she could kick-start her motorbike."Sienna, aren't you still taking me out for dinner at that restaurant?"Sienna knitted her brows, but fragmented memories of Gwen living in her body flashed through her mind."Why on earth would I take you out for a meal?" Sienna muttered in confusion."If you cancel, I'll be so disappointed. I'll definitely tell everyone that you're nothing but empty talk!" Gwen threatened.Sienna could only nod along, unwilling to let her reputation take a hit.All the way home, Sienna was utterly baffled as to why she had been acting so friendly toward Gwen. Buying her clothes, and even buying pounds of beef for Hannah?Upon arriving home, Sienna hurried straight to the kitchen to prepare dinner for the entire family."Sienna, you're cooking again?" Jacky piped up from behind her out of nowhere.Sienna gasped and immediately stepped away, her face laced with anxiety as she realized no one else was home.Jacky was bewildered. Hadn

"Gosh, I wish someone would buy me some beef too!" Husna chimed in wistfully.Sienna merely waved her hand dismissively and turned her attention back to the wide assortment of patterned sandals."I'll take three pairs. I'm paying cash upfront, no credit, no installment plans. Cold, hard cash!" Sienna opened her purse, pulled out a stack of banknotes, and handed them to Husna."My goodness, buying three pairs all at once? That's quite a fortune, especially at a hundred and twenty thousand apiece!" Daisy exclaimed."One pair for me, one for my sister-in-law, and one for my mother-in-law, of course." Sienna smiled with pride.'Oh, Sienna, Sienna! If only they knew how rotten your real family life actually is. You put on this arrogant front as a shield, don't you? At home, you're treated like nothing more than a maid,' Gwen thought to herself with a tinge of pity.Meanwhile, Hannah was still busy picking out sandals for Gwen."Try these on, dear! They match your fair skin beautifully," Ha

In the end, Gwen came to accept that her choice had not been a mistake. It felt wonderful to bask in the warm affection of Hans and Hannah once more.After stashing her golden comb among the pile of discarded junk, Gwen immediately made her way to Hannah's house. Her mother-in-law's temperament and genuine love were a night-and-day contrast to Susan's."Mum, what are you cooking today?" Gwen asked playfully, clinging to her side just as she usually did.Hannah welcomed Gwen with open arms and a bright smile."I'm making beef stew. The beef Sienna bought us the other day is still filling up the freezer. It's perfect timing that you came by. You love beef stew, don't you?""I love it, Mum!" Gwen chimed in."Alright then, go watch TV in the living room. Once it's ready, we'll eat together, and then you can take some home for you and your husband." Hannah spoke to her daughter-in-law with pure affection.'I was the one who bought that meat, Mum, not Sienna,' Gwen thought silently to herse

Gwen felt weak to her bones, the fortune she planned to use as capital to start a business and buy a house was completely gone. Fortunately, her magical golden comb remained, spared from the bizarre disappearance.She spent the entire day pouting, obsessing over her vanished fortune. It was mind-boggling. How could it simply vanish into thin air? Had Sienna secretly carried it back home? Or had Hans hidden it somewhere?Gwen's head throbbed with frustration. Her heart burned with rage, driving her to kick at anything in her path as she walked.Driven by sheer desperation, Gwen rushed toward the market to find the old man who had sold her the golden comb. In the alley leading to the market entrance, his stall was nowhere to be found. Undeterred, Gwen pushed deeper into the market toward the exact spot where she had first purchased the comb.Yet there was no sign of any stall there either. Gwen's legs felt completely leaden.'Where is that weird old man? Why does he keep vanishing and s

Liana cemberut di dalam mobil yang dikemudikan Alex. "Sudah, mau bagaimana lagi? Suamimu orang sibuk!" ucap Alex seraya melirik Liana."Untuk apa dia membawaku ke kantor jika di sana aku hanya menghabiskan waktu dengan percuma. Dia berjanji mengantarku pulang tadi sore," gerutu Liana.Alex berkali-kali melirik Liana. Lipstick merah muda nan cerah yang dipakai Liana membuat bentuk bibir Liana semakin indah dipandang. Alex juga mengagumi penampilan Liana yang kini terlihat berkelas. Sungguh, Pram berhasil menyulap Liana yang lugu menjadi sosok Alena yang glamour. Liana bingung saat Alex tiba-tiba menghentikan mobil di depan sebuah taman kota. "Kenapa berhenti di sini?""Mau jalan-jalan sebentar di taman? Menenangkan hatimu yang kesal?" tawar Alex."Aku mau pulang, bukan mau ke taman!" sungut Liana. "Pram tak mengizinkanku mengantarmu ke rumah Mami Inggrid, Li," sahut Alex pelan.Liana mengembuskan napas kesal. Kedua bola matanya mem

Pram menoleh pada Liana."Ayo, Sayang!"Liana mendongak."Kemana?""Makan siang!" sahut Pram.Liana gegas meraih hand bag-nya lalu menggandeng Pram keluar dari ruangan. Liana sama sekali tidak melirik ke arah Indriani, ia merasa kesal karena Pram membelanya di depan Kamila."Kenapa wajahmu muram?" tanya Pram di dalam lift."Ti-tidak, kenapa? Aku biasa saja!" sahut Liana sedikit gugup."Mau makan di mana?" tanya Pram."Kafe Ririn!" jawab Liana pelan."Tidak ingin makan di restoran lain?" tanya Pram lagi.Liana menggeleng.Pram menuruti keinginan Liana.Setibanya di kafe, Pram memilih ruangan vip. Ia ingin makan dengan tenang tanpa keramaian. Kafe Ririn selalu ramai jika jam makan siang tiba."Setelah makan aku ingin tetap di sini. Kau bisa jemput aku saat pulang," pinta Liana."Baiklah!" jawab Pram.Keduanya makan tanpa banyak kata. Liana dan Pram sibuk dengan pikirannya masing-masing.Pram sed

Di ruangan Pram, Liana duduk dengan wajah tegang. Ia masih memikirkan ucapan Pram. Tapi suami pura-puranya itu malah terlihat santai dan nyaris tanpa ekspresi. Liana mengembuskan napas keras."Kemarilah, sebentar lagi Indriani akan masuk. Untuk apa kau duduk terus di situ? Dulu, saat kau minta ganti rugi ponselmu, wajahmu sungguh ketus dan tidak bersahabat. Kenapa sekarang kau tegang sekali?" tanya Pram.Liana memejamkan mata sesaat, ia merapal doa agar hatinya berhenti berdebar tak menentu."Cepat kemari!" perintah Pram.Liana menghampiri Pram, berdiri kaku di sebelahnya."Peluk aku dari belakang. Lingkarkan kedua tanganmu di leherku. Sesekali kau harus mencium pipiku!Liana terpaku. Masih betah mematung.Lalu tak lama terdengar ketukan di pintu.Pram menatap tajam ke arah Liana.Liana gegas memeluk Pram dari belakang."Kau jangan gugup dan tak usah pedulikan Indriani!" perintah Pram.Liana tak menjawab.Kembal

Liana melambai kecil pada Alex lalu duduk di sebelah Pram."Kapan kalian bulan madu?" tanya Nyonya Sekar tiba-tiba.Liana dan Pram berpandangan."Oh, ayo kita sarapan dulu. Nanti kita bahas tentang bulan madu kalian!" ucap Nyonya Sekar lagi.Bulan madu? Kemana? Bagaimana ini? Kenapa aku tidak tanya sampai kapan aku harus berpura-pura jadi istri orang angkuh ini? Liana membatin."Lena? Kenapa diam? Tak suka dengan menu pagi ini?" tanya Nyonya Sekar lembut "Ti-tidak, Ma. Hanya saja aku pikir, kalau kami berbulan madu bagaimana dengan pekerjaan Pram di perusahaan," jawab Liana sedikit gugup."Oh, itu bisa diatur. Kau tenang saja. Kalian harus berbulan madu, Biar segera punya anak," goda Nyonya Sekar.Liana menelan ludah kering. Pram terbatuk. Sementara Alex semakin gelisah mendengar ucapan Nyonya Sekar.Setelah sarapan selesai, Alex mencoba berbicara dengan Liana."Kau yakin mau pergi bulan madu dengan Pram?"

Malam hari saat semua sudah berada di kamar masing-masing, Alex gelisah di kamarnya. Ia resah karena Liana harus berada satu kamar dengan Pram. Entah sampai kapan Liana akan berpura-pura menjadi istri sepupunya itu.Alex akhirnya memutuskan untuk mengirim pesan pada Liana. Gayung bersambut, Liana membalas dengan cepat pesan-pesan Alex.Setengah jam Alex dan Liana menghabiskan waktu berkirim pesan. Alex senang karena Liana dan Pram ternyata tidak menjalin komunikasi apa-apa di kamar. Ia tahu Pram tidur di sofa sementara Liana di atas tempat tidur.Setelah jeda beberapa saat. Alex merenung. Ia khawatir bagaimana jika Pram terus-menerus berada di dekat Liana, bukan tidak mungkin Liana bisa membuatnya jatuh hati. Wajah Liana dan Alena begitu mirip bahkan suaranya sekalipun. Entah mereka saudara kembar yang terpisah atau bagaimana.Ponsel Alex berdering. Tertera nomor Liana di layar ponsel.[ Halo! ] seru Alex senang.[ Kenapa kau belum tid

"Kamila?" tegur Pram yang sudah berada di belakang Kamila.Kamila seketika berbalik lalu mengecup kedua pipi Pram. Pram lekas menepis."Tolong hargai aku dan Alena!" Pram menunjuk Liana yang masih bingung dengan kedatangan Kamila."Oh, aku lupa kalau dia itu istrimu!" sahut Kamila melenggang masuk lalu duduk santai di sofa ruang tamu."Aku akan panggilkan Mama. Aku harus ganti baju!" sahut Pram pada Kamila. Lalu ia memberi kode pada Liana untuk menggandeng lengannya.Liana segera menghampiri Pram dan menggandengnya mesra. Ia hanya tersenyum ramah pada Kamila.Pram dan Liana berlalu dari ruang tamu.Kamila sedikit mengerutkan kening melihat penampilan Liana yang memakai baju tak seperti biasanya. Tapi dia lalu tak terlalu peduli dengan apa yang Liana kenakan.Pram bertemu dengan Tuti di koridor menuju kamar."Tuti, tolong panggilkan Mama. Ada Kamila di ruang tamu!" perintah Pram.Tuti mengangguk d