Booktok Rings

Before our wedding, my fiancée, Sarah Hargrave—a professor of medieval history—held a private ceremony in a secluded chapel in the countryside. But not with me. Under the glow of candlelight, she cradled Benjamin Wheeler—her first love, his face gaunt from the cancer consuming him—in her arms. Her smile was soft, almost reverent, as she murmured, "In the eyes of God, vows made before the altar are the only ones that matter. Even if the law says I belong to Daniel, my soul was never his." And so, to the faint echo of hymns and the scent of old incense, they drank from the same silver cup, exchanged rings, and stepped together into the dimly lit sacristy—their makeshift bridal chamber. I watched. Silent. Motionless. No outbursts, no demands for explanation. Just the quiet dialing of a clinic to undo the vasectomy I'd gotten for our future. From fifteen to thirty, I had loved Sarah for fifteen long years. But in all that time, there'd never been room for me. That space had always belonged to Benjamin, my stepbrother. So I let her go. Afterward, I joined a geological research team bound for the isolation of Antarctica—a land cut off from the world, quiet and clean. Before I left, I handed Sarah a divorce agreement…and a final gift to mark the end. I never anticipated that Sarah, who'd always met my devotion with frosty detachment, who'd never once glanced back as I walked away, would look ten years older overnight.

Yura Azalia Hazmi tak pernah bermimpi menikah dengan duda kaya dan ternyata mantan kekasih jaman kuliahnya. Sebagai wanita yang dianggap perawan tua, kerap membuatnya terus menerus dijodohkan, banyak laki-laki sudah dia tolak. Sampai akhirnya tidak ada kalimat yang harus dia bantah. "Apa? Duda? Papa mau jodohkan Yura dengan duda? Yura nggak mau!" penolakan Yura tidak berbuah manis, adanya sarkastis untuk kehidupan dia. Hinaan, sindiran demi sindiran sudah dia dapat dari kedua saudara perempuan yang sudah jauh menikah darinya. Bahkan adik Yura sudah menikah. "Umur kamu tahun ini 30 tahun, nggak malu sama teman sebaya kamu, adik kamu dan tetangga kita yang selalu bilang kamu itu nggak laku." Lagi-lagi itu menjadi masalahnya 'MALU' "Yura tetap nggak mau!" "Enggak ada penolakan! Besok calon suami kamu datang." Hidup ini tidak ada adil! Apa ada yang bertanya kemauan Yura? Apa yang Yura suka? Atau sebaliknya? Apakah Yura bisa menerima pernikahannya? Lalu siapakah laki-laki yang akan menjadi suami Yura kelak?

Amara Lorraine Hermosa, the epitome of a loving daughter, benevolence and pulchritude, was the type of girl who you can easily be with. Just by her fascinating physical appearance, every guy can't help not to simp over her. However, she's not interested in those guys because she was already smitten with Calvin Villanueva, an Electronics and Communication Engineering student. But Calvin didn't know her existence. Kaya naman nang mag-college si Amara, hindi siya nagdalawang-isip na mag-enroll sa unibersidad na pinapasukan ni Calvin. And after years of liking him, she finally caught his attention. That's how their unexpected romantic relationship started. And just when they thought they're going stronger after years of being together, another girl entered the picture.