Novel-novel oleh Astraea

Alice gave a slow nod. “It was Mandy. She was never some innocent girl to begin with. I always knew she was obsessive and manipulative. She said if I didn’t leave, she’d hurt me and my sister. You know me, Jason. My sister’s the only family I have left, and I couldn’t risk anything happening to her.” She turned her eyes to the window, her voice barely holding together. “I was scared. I wanted to tell you, but I just couldn’t. Every time I tried to reach out, my mind filled with the worst possible scenarios. And I… I was too much of a coward to take that risk.” Jason lowered his head, fists clenched on the table. Anger, sadness, and relief all collided in a way that left him completely overwhelmed. “There wasn’t any room left for me in your heart anyway,” Alice said softly. “I told Claire everything. That the woman you truly loved all along was her. That you were only with me because you thought she had moved on with Leon. And after you two got married, I knew you were happy… just b

That night, Claire’s apartment felt quieter than usual. Jason and Claire had just gotten back, weighed down by more than just exhaustion. They dropped their bags with heavy steps, like they were carrying a burden far heavier than anyone could see.Suddenly, Kimberly and Calvin stood up, eyes shimmering as they looked straight at Claire.“Mom,” Kimberly said, her voice soft but steady.Claire froze. Her heart stopped. Jason looked between them, confused and overwhelmed.“Kids, we need to tell you something,” Jason said, his voice trembling, though he had no idea where to begin.Calvin stepped beside Kimberly, eyes filled with tears. “We already know. Aunt Claire… you’re our mom. We’ve known for a while.”Claire and Jason looked at each other, stunned. “You knew?”“Yeah. Calvin suspected it early on. He forced Arthur to tell us. Arthur didn’t want to, but eventually he gave in—only after we promised to pretend we didn’t know until Dad told us himself.”Claire broke down in tears. These

Jason looked down for a moment, taking a deep breath, trying to swallow the storm inside him. Then he raised his head again and looked straight at Leon. His eyes were sharp, filled with anger and questions—but also, unavoidably, a flicker of gratitude.“I got Claire out by disguising her as a corpse,” Leon said. “She had already lost consciousness, and eventually…” He glanced at Claire before continuing, “the doctors said they needed to perform an emergency C-section to save her baby. I signed the consent form, and I handed the twins over to Jason.”“So the body that burned in the fire and was claimed to be Claire Bradford’s… was someone else?” the judge asked.Leon nodded slowly. His voice shook a little as he said, “Yeah. Claire was presumed dead in that fire, and the body was swapped with another victim. After that, I took her out of the country—and disappeared.”“Did you also bribe the autopsy team to say that the body was Claire Bradford’s?” the prosecutor cut in.“No,” Leon said

The courtroom was packed. A low murmur filled the space between the rows of wooden benches, echoing off the high ceilings of the grand Manhattan courthouse. Media cameras sat in the corners, red lights blinking as they captured every second of what had become the trial of the year: the final court session for General Victor Langston and Mandy.Jason sat at the plaintiff’s table, dressed in a sharp black suit, though his face still carried the fading signs of bruises—one at his left temple, another hidden beneath his collar. His right hand looked a little stiff as he adjusted a folder on the table. His shoulder wasn’t fully healed yet. But his eyes were focused, full of determination.Claire had just entered through the side door when she froze. Her eyes widened as they landed on Jason. She had no idea someone had tried to kill her ex-husband the night before.Jason gave her a small nod, almost like he was saying, “I’m still here. Stay focused.”The prosecutor stood up. “Your Honor, we

Mandy scoffed. “You really think the world runs on good intentions? Look around, Jason. Laws can be bought. Witnesses can ‘disappear.’ Even cops can be paid off. And you... you honestly believe this ends just because you have ‘evidence’ and ‘truth’ on your side?”Jason didn’t answer.“I’m not going to rot behind bars. You know that. The system can’t touch people like me... or General Langston.”“Then,” Jason finally said, his voice barely more than a whisper, “I’ll touch you both in my own way.”Mandy narrowed her eyes. “You’ll get crushed.”“I already was,” Jason shot back. “But that wreckage taught me what to rebuild... and what to burn to the ground.”The silence between them stretched thin.Then Jason stood up. He looked at Mandy one last time—no anger this time, just certainty.“You can’t change the past. But you don’t get to use it as an excuse to run from the future you created.”He turned to leave.Right before the door shut, Mandy said softly but clearly, “You’ll regret not s

Morning had just started to creep in through the tall windows of Mandy’s fancy townhouse in Upper East Side, New York.The sky outside was gray and heavy, but inside, everything looked picture-perfect—fresh lilies in a vase on the dining table, polished marble counters, and the soft scent of vanilla hanging in the air.Mandy sat gracefully at the breakfast table, dressed in a light gray silk robe, holding a cup of black coffee in her left hand while her right flipped through a stack of confidential files she hadn’t managed to destroy yet.Her eyes were sharp, calm—like someone still in full control.Until that knock came.Three times. Quiet, but firm. Not the kind of knock you'd get from a delivery guy. And definitely not from a friend just dropping by.Mandy slowly turned her head toward the front door, eyes narrowing. Something felt... off.“Nora,” she called.A middle-aged woman—her housekeeper who’d been with her for years—stepped out from the kitchen. “Yes, ma’am?”“See who it is

One Month Later Jenna ran her fingers over the white fabric wrapping around her body. The dress she had specially asked the designer to make turned out exactly how she imagined it—simple, elegant. She’d chosen a minimal makeup look, even though the makeup artist seemed to have a slightly different definition of “minimal.” Still, the final result made Jenna look beautiful. Her hair was styled in a bridal bun, pinned with a diamond clip—a gift from the late Karen. Her chest tightened as she remembered her. The door behind her opened, and Jenna looked at the mirror. Alexa stood there with a warm smile. “You look beautiful,” she said, wearing her peach-colored bridesmaid dress. “I always do,” Jenna replied playfully, making Alexa chuckle. “You really do,” Alexa said again as she walked to the bathroom in the corner of the room. Jenna turned back to her reflection. “You miss Karen, don’t you?” Alexa asked when she returned. Jenna gave her a confused look. “You keep touching that ha

It was a scorching summer day. The kids were home for the holidays, hanging around with Jenna, who was also staying in that day because she had something to tell Sean. But Sean had to head to the office for an important business meeting. “Come home early,” Jenna said as she adjusted Sean’s tie one more time. “Of course. My family’s coming home today. I’ll be back right after the meeting,” Sean replied with a smile, then kissed her on the cheek. It had been three years since Sean started treating Jenna like she was already his, trying to win back her trust. During all that time, he never touched her without permission. Jenna only realized how much he’d been holding back when she once caught him looking really down. When she asked him about it, all Sean said was that he wanted to hug her but chose not to. That day, Jenna hugged him first and gave him permission to finally ease his longing. Even so, they still hadn’t kissed. There had been many chances, and Jenna knew Sean wanted to

After Ben's confession, before Jenna could even warn him not to tell anyone about his memory returning, the man had already sent a message to Carter and Esther. And Valeria was sure, by now, everyone already knew. "But... how?" Esther asked with her mouth full of spaghetti. Jenna shot her a look. "When I was kidnapped, I hit my head pretty hard. That impact brought my memory back. I was unconscious for almost two days," Jenna said calmly. Well, Esther hadn’t been involved in the incident, so she only knew what she'd been told. Esther herself had been hurt—turns out her mom was the one behind all this mess. And Jenna had just found out that Esther and Sean didn’t share the same mother. Sean had tried to think of Veronica as his mom, but that woman had hurt him badly. Jenna wasn’t ready to tell anyone yet, especially not Sean. After Karen’s funeral, she’d been grieving. And after that, she’d tried to move on. But now, as she saw him standing in front of the hotel in a black Arman

“Mama! Mom!” Valeria’s two kids shouted happily as they ran into her wide-open arms. “Hey!” Valeria laughed softly, hugging them one by one, soaking in their cheerful giggles that filled the air. “How are you, Mom?” Oliver asked, touching her flushed cheek. “As beautiful as you both,” Valeria replied, kissing their noses. They giggled again and kissed her cheek in return. “How have you been?” she asked, smiling warmly at Lily, who was already grabbing her coat and bag. “Mom, we played soccer at school today. I scored two goals!” Oliver said proudly, puffing out his little chest. “That’s amazing,” Valeria replied with a smile. “Mom, I planted a tree today,” Olivia added with a wide grin. “That’s great. Where did you plant it?” “In the backyard,” Olivia said, pointing toward the patio. “Nice. But you have to take good care of it. I’ll show you how to take care of a tree later,” Valeria said. The kids nodded excitedly. Valeria gently patted their heads one by one. “I’m reall

“Who’s Alice?” Valeria asked. This time, it was Veronica who decided to answer. “That’s me, sweetheart. Just a fake name to hide my identity.” “Then why did that woman call you Alice?” Valeria asked, looking at Alexa. “What woman?” Veronica frowned, then turned to Alexa. “That day, when we were at Sean’s place. I accidentally left my phone on the table, and Jenna answered it,” Alexa replied calmly. “You should’ve been more careful, sweetheart,” said Veronica. “Anyway, Alexa also used that name. But for a different reason. She used it during her charity work.” Valeria looked at Alexa, who responded only with a cold stare and sealed lips. “So it was you who sent me that note? And you’re the one behind that Halloween stunt?” Valeria asked again. Veronica chuckled softly. “Oh, come on! That was such a blast.” “Best Halloween ever,” Clara added with a smirk. Valeria clenched her fists so tightly that her nails dug into her palms, almost drawing blood. “It was so much fun watchin

“Blake?” Valeria whispered in disbelief. “Oh, Blake? He’s ours. Why do you think he never figured out who I really was? A real detective doesn’t take that long to uncover things like this. But your guy? He slowed everything down,” Veronica said casually as she pushed Karen’s body closer to Valeria. “We were this close to killing him, just like the other five guys Sean hired. But we made a deal. A little info from the inside doesn’t hurt us.” Valeria gasped. “Karen!” She reached out, grabbing her aunt’s limp hand. “Wake up! Please!” Tears streamed down her face as she looked at Karen’s pale features. The exhaustion carved into her face, those dark circles under her eyes—Valeria’s heart felt like it was being stabbed. “Shut up, you bitch!” Clara snapped before slapping Valeria hard across the face. Pain burned her skin, but Valeria didn’t flinch. She lifted her head and glared at Clara. “What did you do to her?” Valeria asked, her voice sharp. “Relax, she’s not dead,” Clara rep