Ask Anna

Istriku sangat cantik, di manapun berada aku tidak pernah malu untuk menggandengnya. Akan tetapi, berawal dari kejadian itu istriku mulai berubah.

Everyone envied my marriage to Luca Moretti, the ruthless mafia king who ruled the city with blood and power. To the world, I was the one woman he would never betray. For five years, he put me above everyone else. Protected me. Chose me. Worshipped me. Until I found out even a man like him could cheat. I tricked him into signing the divorce papers and disappeared overseas, determined to cut myself out of his empire for good. But Luca refused to let me go. He used the full reach of his underworld network to find me, then begged me for another chance. He swore he had been drugged, that the other woman meant nothing, that I was the only one he had ever loved. He promised he had already cut her out of his life. And for a year, he proved it. He chased me across countries, tore down every wall I built, and in the end, he asked me to marry him again in front of the whole world. Under fireworks and a global livestream watched by millions, I said yes. I thought this time we would finally get our forever. Then I went in for a prenatal checkup… and found him with them. Sofia Romano. And the little boy. A perfect little family I was never supposed to see. In that instant, every promise he had made turned to ash. So I arranged a fatal car crash. If a divorce still wasn’t enough to escape a mafia king’s obsession, then I would vanish the only way he could never drag me back. This time, I’m not leaving alone. I’m taking our unborn child with me—and disappearing from his world forever.

After running away from home seven years ago to escape a loveless arranged marriage, Kyra Wilder has finally mastered up the courage to be back in her small town of Ruthwell in Washington DC. She’s ready for a second chance with her parents and the people who used to be her friends back in high school and most of all, she’s ready to tell her parents that she’s about to become a bride. But the small town she lived in hasn’t changed all that much in the past seven years and no one seems to have forgotten her betrayal, or seems anywhere near ready to forgive her for her past mistakes. Everywhere she goes, she’s met with hostility and anger and it’s thinning out her chances of redemption ever second. Now, how does she tell her parents and her friends that not only has she moved on in her life, further than anyone had ever anticipated, but she’s happy and successful in what she does? And amid all the truths and revelations, how does she tell everyone that she isn’t marrying a man, but the woman of her dreams?

Kai Hunter is H University’s biggest player and heartbreaker. Known for his good looks and for being one of the brightest students on campus, he is one of the most eligible bachelors that everyone wants to ‘tame’. However, everything changes when freshman Night Winters becomes his new dorm mate. Kai is instantly attracted to the hot, young freshman who he had caught having a one-night stand at a bar and hasn’t been able to get out of his mind ever since. Night is openly gay, but Kai has been into girls his whole life…or so he thought. Can he let go of his pride and accept Night for who he is? Or will Night forever be forced to be just his dirty little secret, under the sheets, inside the closed doors to their dorm? However, Night is hiding secrets that can break the fragile foundation of their relationship at any time, and if Kai waits any longer…he just might end up losing the only person precious to him.

Lydia McKenzie used to be just like any other normal, seventeen year high school girl, fretting over what to wear for school, struggling to get good grades and dealing with boy trouble, until one day, a dangerous incident at school and a severe brain injury, made her turn off her emotions completely. Three years later, she’s a complete robot who works with utmost efficiency without showing any emotions. But things start to change when she arrives at Rosewater University for higher studies. David Lyric Donovan is the quintessential bad boy of Rosewater. Be it getting into useless fights, getting arrested for beating someone to an inch of their life or any other crimes around campus, and not to mention going through girls like a person goes through their clothes, he’s done it all. He’s also a professional street fighter. Girls want to ‘fix’ him and guys want to be him. But nothing bothers him as much as the presence of the new girl, Lydia. She’s upfront and outspoken and she does not have the patience to deal with his , and moreover, she gets under his skin without even a slight change in her expression. Who is she and what’s in her past? He’s just as fascinated with her as he is annoyed. Can romance bloom between such a mismatched pair? And will Lydia ever let herself feel again, after what she’d endured?

I was dying of kidney failure. Henry Colombo—the ruthless Mafia heir who once swore he’d burn the world to keep me alive— found me a donor. But the price… was her. Susan Miller, the woman who’d always lingered between us, smiled as she set her terms: “Be mine for one month. Pretend you love me—and I’ll save her life.” He agreed. He said it was just to save me. But every lie, every kiss, every photo she posted online was another nail in my coffin. Each time the surgery drew near, she invented a new delay—a fever, a nightmare, a tender bruise. And Henry believed her. He always believed her. The night my heart flatlined on the operating table, he was across the city, feeding her grapes under candlelight, whispering her name—the name of the woman who had let me die. When he finally learned the truth—that every tear she shed was rehearsed, every promise she made was poison— he destroyed everything. Her lies. Her wealth. Her family name. His own empire. But none of it brought me back.

When Leila stumbles into the territory of the Blood Moon pack—shot with silver, broken, and with no memory of her past—she is a stray with nothing to her name. But Kai, the fearsome young Alpha, refuses to cast her out. Instead, he takes her in, protects her, and ensures her education. But by doing so, he unlocks an ancient curse with cruel enemies that will test loyalties and love. Dagger of the Blood Moon is a gripping romantasy of fated mates, fierce loyalty, and a love powerful enough to forge a new world from the shadows.

—Necesito que me ayudes a simular un accidente de jet privado —dije en voz baja—. Es la única forma en que podré dejar a Luca Moretti. La gente decía que él había renunciado al trono de la Mafia por mí. Lo llamaban el hombre que cambió el poder por amor: el heredero que renunció a la sangre y al oro con tal de casarse con una mesera de los barrios bajos. Durante años, hizo que el mundo creyera en nosotros. Construyó imperios a mi nombre. Me enviaba rosas todos los lunes. Le dijo a la prensa que yo era su salvación. Pero el amor no siempre significa lealtad. Mientras yo me hacía la idea de que el “para siempre” existía, él construía un segundo hogar a mis espaldas: uno lleno de risas, juguetes y dos gemelos que tenían sus ojos. La noche en que desaparecí, su imperio ardió. Destrozó ciudades, sobornó gobiernos y enterró hombres vivos con tal de encontrarme. Pero para cuando lo hizo...ya me había ido. Y la mujer por la que una vez había muerto, ya no lo amaba lo suficiente como para mantener su vida anterior.

Pada hari yang seharusnya menjadi hari pernikahanku, pengantinnya malah bukan aku. Upacara yang sudah kutunggu selama lima tahun berubah menjadi lelucon ketika Valentina, adik perempuanku, melangkah menyusuri lorong marmer dengan gaun pengantin putih. Lengannya melingkar di lengan Luca, pria yang seharusnya berdiri menungguku di altar. "Maafkan aku, Bianca," kata Valentina pelan. "Tapi hari ini kamu bukan lagi pengantinnya." Kemudian, dia menyentuh perutnya, matanya berkilat penuh kemenangan. "Aku hamil anak Luca." Kata-katanya meledak di dalam kepalaku dan seluruh duniaku seolah-olah mendadak sunyi. Seakan-akan takut aku tak akan memercayainya, dia mengangkat sesuatu yang mengilap ke arah cahaya. Gambar USG hitam putih. Tertulis jelas, usia kehamilan 12 minggu. Mataku terasa panas dan perih. Dengan mata berkaca-kaca, aku menoleh ke arah Luca, mati-matian mencari apa pun. Penyangkalan, penjelasan, ataupun penyesalan. Namun, dia hanya menghela napas, lelah dan pasrah. "Bianca, aku minta maaf," katanya tak berdaya. "Valentina nggak punya banyak waktu lagi. Pernikahan ini ... adalah permintaan terakhirnya." "Aku akan menebusnya," tambahnya. "Kita bisa mengadakan pernikahan lain nanti." Ayahku, Moretti, berdiri di belakangnya dengan ekspresi dingin yang sama seperti yang selalu dia tunjukkan sepanjang hidupku. Aku tak pernah melihatnya tersenyum kepadaku, bahkan sekali pun. "Bianca," katanya tajam. "Adikmu sekarat. Biarkan dia yang menikah hari ini." Kakak laki-lakiku mengangguk tanpa mengatakan sepatah kata pun, seolah-olah itu sudah cukup sebagai jawaban yang tegas. Sepanjang hidupku, mereka selalu memilih dia. Air matanya, keinginannya, kebutuhannya, semuanya lebih penting daripada aku. Hari ini pun tidak berbeda. Sesuatu di dalam diriku ada yang retak. Baiklah. Jika tak ada seorang pun di keluarga ini yang peduli padaku, aku akan pergi.

„Ich brauche deine Hilfe, um einen Privatjetabsturz vorzutäuschen“, sagte ich leise. „Es ist die einzige Möglichkeit, Luca Moretti jemals zu verlassen.“ Man sagte, er hätte für mich auf den Mafiathron verzichtet. Sie nannten ihn den Mann, der Macht gegen Liebe eingetauscht hatte – den Erben, der Blut und Gold aufgab, nur um eine Kellnerin aus den Slums zu heiraten. Jahrelang ließ er die Welt an uns glauben. Er baute Imperien in meinem Namen. Er schickte mir jeden Montag Rosen. Er sagte der Presse, ich sei seine Rettung. Aber Liebe ist nicht immer gleichbedeutend mit Treue. Während ich noch an „für immer“ glaubte, baute er hinter meinem Rücken ein zweites Zuhause auf – eines voller Lachen, Spielzeug und Zwillingssöhne mit seinen Augen. In der Nacht, in der ich verschwand, brannte sein Imperium. Er zerriss Städte, bestach Regierungen, und ließ Männer lebendig begraben, nur um mich zu finden. Doch als er es endlich tat – war ich schon längst fort. Und die Frau, für die er einst gestorben wäre, liebte ihn nicht mehr genug, um am Leben zu bleiben.