Burn After Reading

Entah Kinan harus bahagia atau merasa terkurung ketika ia dijodohkan dengan pria yang sempat ia taksir sebelumnya. “Mas?” Kinan memanggil pria yang sudah menjadi suaminya itu perlahan. Sembari menjawilnya dengan jari telunjuk.   “Apa, sih, Nan?!! Astagaaa!” Alan rupanya juga belum tidur pulas.   “Kenapa? Kamu grogi!?”sindir Alan lagi.    “Eh?”   Alan kemudian berbalik menghadap pada istrinya.    “Kamu mau aku ngapain kamu???”   “Ng-nggak kok, Mas. Aku nggak minta apa-apa,” ucap Kinan gemataran. Ia menarik selimutnya hingga sebatas leher.   Alan malah semakin mendekatkan kepalanya pada Kinan. “Kamu mau malam pertama seperti pasangan pada umumnya?” tanyanya. Apakah mereka akan menyesali ini semua nantinya? ==================== Published in March 2022 Cover by Canva Pro Follow Instagram dan Facebook Page @novelbyreb

Rosemary believed her marriage to Adrian was everything. Until one night, a mysterious message led her to the Grand Aurora Hotel—where she witnessed her husband celebrating the anniversary of his first love with another woman. Before a room full of guests, Adrian placed a diamond necklace around the woman’s neck and, without hesitation, divorced Rosemary. Humiliated, ridiculed, and laughed at in public, Rosemary’s world shattered in an instant. But could she rise again from the depths of her despair?

Dua-duanya sama-sama sayang, bahkan sayang banget. Namun, apa jadinya jika kedua orang yang sama-sama menjadi budak cinta itu harus berakhir karena masalah dari salah satu pihak. Apakah yang akan terjadi setelah hubungan mereka berakhir? Akankah mereka benar-benar mengikhlaskan atau tidak?

I used to be the apple of my family's eye, but Suzanne Nilson changed that when she showed up on my birthday with a DNA test result. The Nilson family cruelly kicks me to the curb and throws me back to my biological parents, leading to me being sold off to the village idiot. Xavier Gubbens, with whom I've grown up, kicks the door down and saves me. Later, he etches a word on my face. "Do you think you're done repenting for your sins with this, Suzanne Nilson?" Later still, his eyes are red as he pleads, "Can't we go back to how things used to be?" How things used to be? There's no such thing. Everyone has to look to the future.

On the day of the mating ceremony, I'm supposed to be marked by William Ernst and become the Luna of the Shadow pack. However, Annie Denver, my younger twin sister, suddenly comes back from abroad. Dad, Mom, and William end up abandoning me, choosing to pick her up from the airport. While Annie posts a family photo on Facebook, flaunting how everyone in the family loves her, my family cuts me off whenever I try to contact them through mind-link. They end up closing the mind-link. After calling countless times, William finally accepts my call and asks me to stop rushing him. He tells me that today's mating ceremony is canceled and will be rescheduled on another date. My dearest parents, brother, and the man I love the most all turn me into the laughingstock of the entire pack—and the most ridiculous bride of all. Despite being laughed at, I didn't cry or make a scene. After taking care of everything, I write a number in my journal—the 99th time. This is the 99th time they have disappointed me. From this moment on, I won't beg for their love anymore. I fill out an application for Arcetic expedition, ready to leave them. They all think that my silence and constant compromises with Annie mean I've matured. They fail to realize that I'm disappointed to the core. I am leaving for good.

On the day of my divorce, my ex-mother-in-law updates her social media with a photo. It's my husband's mistress' ultrasound—she's pregnant. Their friends and family congratulate her. Meanwhile, I share a premarital medical report. It belongs to her son, Owen Wade. It also clearly indicates he has congenital necrospermia. There's no way I'll want a man who can't have kids!

Vania's family pressured her to get pregnant as soon as possible, but her husband, Devandra, refused to touch her. Instead, Devandra forced Vania to conceive a child with another man, all so they could have an heir and secure the Montgomery family inheritance. Horrified by such a twisted idea, Vania made the painful decision to file for divorce.

The last time I mentioned my engagement to Walter Reagle, everyone in the room went quiet at first. However, after seeing Walter's annoyed look, they all started laughing. "Who still believes in old-fashioned childhood betrothals these days?" "Is Ms. Lawson feeling insecure?" I ignored their teasing. I just looked at Walter, who was lounging on the couch with his shirt collar open, showing off the lovebites on his neck and collarbone. My heart felt like it was being stabbed. The pain came slowly. "We were too young to agree to something so silly," he said. Walter looked up with a faint, mocking smile. He gave me a lazy look. "We're grown up now, Emma. "Let's just forget about the past."

My fiance, Victor Blackwood, is a mafia boss who rules the country's underworld with an iron fist. To the rest of the world, he is the epitome of power. Yet to me, he is the embodiment of love. But I do not realize the cost of loving a man like him. On Valentine's Day, I cook his favorite dishes and wait for him to come home. However, time passes, and his chair stays empty. Uneasy, I go to Queenie Stone's social media page. She is Victor's foster sister. She posts, "All I said was that I felt lonely, and he came right away. "Even when I accidentally spilled wine on him, he didn't mind. Victor is still someone who puts family first, even if it means neglecting his lover. "He never lets me down. I hope things stay that way." In the photo, Victor's shirt is soaked at the waist. Queenie's handkerchief lingers near his most private parts, but he doesn't pull away. He merely looks at her affectionately. I do not make a fuss and give Queenie's post a like. Then, I send Victor a message that reads, "Let's break up." Victor ignores it as always. Later, I discover that when my breakup message popped up, he had said offhandedly, "Vivienne can't live without me. She's just acting out. "If I ignore her for a few days, she'll come crawling back by herself. She's easy to please." What he doesn't know is that I was easy to handle only because I once loved him. But now that I have decided to leave, he cannot make me turn back, no matter how he tries to win me over.

Seven years after my death, a young man starts using the phone number I used in life. When he signs in to my Facebook account, he sees the things I've written on my timeline. He sees the unspoken love contained in those words and wants to help me find my beloved. He wants to help me fulfill the wish that I couldn't before my death. Later, he manages to find the person I love, but I'm about to fade from existence. Why? Because my lover has almost forgotten about me.