Buku Ten

Arumi menemukan sebuah diary di gudang milik mertuanya. Awalnya, ia mengira jika itu adalah milik Hana, adik bungsunya. Namun siapa sangka, ketika ia membuka dan membacanya, ada sebuah puisi yang sepertinya ditulis oleh Haris, suaminya. Senyum yang ia sunggingkan sejak awal membaca, tiba-tiba hilang saat matanya menangkap sebuah nama di bagian paling bawah. Memang benar Arumi, namun nama panjang dari nama itu, bukanlah miliknya. Ada apa ini? Apakah Haris salah tulis namanya?

Bagaimana rasanya jika menjadi guru dari anak mantan? Ya, itulah yang dirasakan oleh Ai. Terpisah selama beberapa tahun, sekuat tenaga melupakan justru kini bertemu dengan situasi yang berbeda.

It was our tenth anniversary, and I thought Joseph Lynch was finally going to propose to me. However, I accidentally saw the texts on his phone and realized what a joke I had been these past ten years. [It’s our first anniversary. Darling, I want you to spend time with me.] That woman uttered such sweet and intimate words, which I rarely said to Joseph. [I’ll give her some sleeping pills before I see you.] I could not believe Joseph would say such a thing. My fingers trembled as I scrolled down their conversation. [Don’t marry her. Marry me instead!] Then, she sent him a cute and attractive photo of her. She looked like a student. [Let’s see how you behave tonight. I bought you some new lingerie. Be good and put them on. Wait for me next door.] I was wearing some ill-fitting undies while sitting in bed. Right then, I was filled with bitterness. It turned out that Joseph had bought these undies for someone else.

“Jayden! For heaven’s sake, we can’t make love. I’m way above your age!!” “We both know we want this,” he whispered against my earlobes, his fingers crawling under my skin. He doesn't want to take no for an answer. “You’ve been my secret crush right from when I met you, up until now.” ——— I was supposed to marry the man I’d loved since I was a child. But one brutal truth destroyed everything and I walked away from the altar — humiliated, broken, and alone. That night, my world fell apart again. But when I opened my eyes in the hospital, the first thing I saw was Jayden Sterlings. A twenty-five-year-old. Intelligent. Insufferably arrogant and far too young for me. Yet— somehow, he’s dangerously charming for my mental health. He offered me protection when I needed it most. “A secret marriage with no emotions and no strings attached. Just my own safety.” But living under the same roof with Jayden is dangerous in a different way. The kind that tempts you to forget every rule you’d sworn you’d follow. His touch burns through every wall I’ve built around myself. His voice makes my heart race too fast. And the way he looks at me makes me completely forget my own name. But when a terrifying secret about Jayden comes to the surface, I'm left with a difficult choice. Walking away from everything again… Or falling for the man I was never supposed to want.

My life was simple. Boring, even—until my mother married the richest alpha in the pack… and I met him.Felix Dimitri.He’s my stepbrother. He’s my fated mate. He’s everything I shouldn’t want and the most infuriatingly irresistible wolf I’ve ever met.Felix Dimitri’s stormy eyes ignite a fire I can’t control, a pull I can’t resist. Every glance, every touch, every heartbeat threatens to undo me—and I know he feels it too.School. Family. Friends. Nothing is safe when desire runs deeper than reason. Staying away is impossible. Falling for him could destroy us… but resisting? That’s even harder.

In my tenth year of marriage, my old childhood friend, Joshua Sears, posts a photo on social media. Both Joshua and my wife, Sabrina Lawson, are hugging his son, Andy Sears, and my daughter, Tiana Jenkins, in it. The four of them look very close to each other. The caption accompanying the post says, "Blessed to have the perfect son and daughter." I leave a comment below the post, saying, "Looking good together." A few seconds later, the post is deleted. The next morning, Sabrina rushes home and yells at me. "Ashton Jenkins! Joshua was finally feeling better for once. Why did you have to trigger him again?" Tiana shoves me hard and snaps in an accusatory tone, "It's all your fault that Andy's crying now!" I take out a copy of the divorce agreement and slam it down before them. "Yes, it's all my fault. That's why I'm stepping out of the picture now. Then, the four of you can form the wholesome family you've always wanted."

When my husband learns of his first love's death, he jumps from the cruise ship where we are spending our honeymoon, ending his life. Only then do I realize he has never gotten over Clara Levine. Reborn back to his teenage years, he resolutely lets go of my hand and walks toward his first love. I watch them leave together, then turn and walk away. From that moment on, our lives become nothing more than two parallel lines that will never meet. Ten years later, we run into each other at a banquet in Oceanus City. He has become a rising star among the elite, with Clara appearing on his arm, intimately holding onto him. When he sees me accidentally wander into the banquet, he can't help but give me advice. "Stop obsessing over me. Even if you wait for me for ten years, I still won't fall in love with you." I ignore him and pull my son out from the corner where he's sneaking cake. His eyes suddenly turn bloodshot as he grabs my hand tightly. "How dare you try to make me jealous on purpose? Didn't you say you would only love me for your entire life?" he says.

I'm about to get married under the witness of the Goddess of the Moon. However, Carl Erickson, my partner of ten years, doesn't know it yet. Carl has recently hired a new assistant—Ivy Keating. Everyone in the wolf pack knows something amorous is going on between them; they frequently "discuss work" until the wee hours of the night. A celebration that's supposed to be for our anniversary turns into Ivy's birthday celebration. Carl orders a ten-layer mango cream cake for the celebration—it's Ivy's favorite. They get cream everywhere, but they've forgotten I'm seriously allergic to mangoes. A regular mango is as lethal to me as wolf venom is. I'm taken away by an ambulance to be rescued, and I'm alone when I wake up. Carl is still at the party, celebrating Ivy's birthday. My wolf growls unhappily, and my love for Carl dies. It's then that I agree to the marriage my family has arranged for me. I'm going to marry a true Alpha.

Hasna, ialah seorang istri yang hidup serba kekurangan bersama sang suami. Memiliki suami yang tempramental membuat Hasna yang saat itu sedang hamil menjadi sering merasa frustasi hingga ia mengalami pecah ketuban sebelum waktu kelahiran dan menyebabnya bayi perempuan yang dikandungnya meninggal ketika dilahirkan. Sejak saat itu dunia Hasna seketika berubah menjadi begitu suram, hingga setelah beberapa tahun berlalu, akhirnya Hasna bisa kembali tersenyum saat ia kembali melahirkan seorang bayi perempuan yang begitu cantik yang ia beri nama Melati. Hasna begitu bahagia memiliki Melati, pernah kehilangan anak perempuan pertamanya, membuat Hasna menjadi begitu over protektif pada Melati, ia juga begitu memanjakan Melati dan meskipun mereka hidup dalam keadaan serba kekurangan, sebisa mungkin Hasna berusaha untuk selalu memenuhi kebutuhan Melati. Hal itu pun membuat Rio, adik lelaki Melati menjadi iri hati karena perlakuan berbeda yang diberikan ibunya. Karena itu pula Melati pun tumbuh menjadi gadis remaja yang manja dan pemberontak. Bagaimana kelanjutannya????

Suara lenguhan dan desahan itu terus didengarkan tanpa henti. “Dengan siapa lagi kali ini Ibu bermain, sih?” pertanyaan ini selalu saja berulang kali diajukan Grace pada dirinya sendiri. Menjadi anak seorang pramuria merupakan tantangan hidup yang luar biasa. Tidak ada yang bisa memilih akan dilahirkan oleh Ibu seperti apa, Ayah seperti apa dan lingkungan yang seperti apa. Hari-hari Grace selalu banyak diwarnai dengan kemarahan dan kesedihan saja, hanya dua warna tersebut yang selalu hadir pada harinya. Sampai suatu hari petir menyambarnya tanpa aba-aba, membuat Grace mematung. Ibu kandungnya berhasil menjualnya pada laki-laki tua yang kaya dan sudah diakui kekayaannya oleh banyak orang di sana.