Christmas Halo

Sudah tiga jam aku menunggu Eldino Marven, pacarku. Pria yang seharusnya jadi tokoh utama itu mendadak ke rumah sakit karena ditelepon oleh gadis kesayangannya. Pergelangan kaki gadis kesayangannya itu terkilir, tetapi dia malah sengaja merekam video ciumannya dengan Eldino. Saking dalamnya cinta mereka, Eldino yang kedua kakinya cacat itu ternyata sanggup bangkit berdiri dan bahkan mendorong Adena Horian ke pintu. "Eldino, kok kamu nggak kasih tahu Arissa kalau kakimu sudah sembuh?" Eldino pun menjawab. "Kalau dia tahu, dia pasti akan ribut memintaku menikahinya." "Memangnya Arissa itu siapa sih? Dia itu cuma pengasuh gratis! Apa dia pantas menikah denganku?" Eldino dan Adena berciuman dengan penuh gairah. Adena bahkan mengenakan gaun pengantin rancanganku dan melirik kamera dengan provokatif. Video pun berakhir dengan bunyi air yang menjurus. Ternyata selama ini Eldino membohongiku. Aku langsung membuang kue yang kubuat untuk pria itu ke tempat sampah. Lalu, aku menundukkan kepala dan mengirim pesan kepada ibuku. "Halo, Bu, aku mau ikut kencan buta itu."

"Lukas, jelaskan padanya!" "Baik, Tuan Muda." Pria tua berusia lima puluhan itu menyerahkan setumpuk kertas di depan Alena. "Silakan dibaca, Nona Alena." Meski tak paham akan situasi aneh itu, Alena melakukan apa yang dikatakan Lukas. Dia membawa kertas berjumlah lima lembar tersebut dan membacanya baik-baik. "Tidak .... aku tidak bisa," bisik Alena sedih. "Maaf, Tuan. Anda salah orang jika menganggap saya perempuan seperti itu!" Brak! Meja di depannya digebrak kasar oleh Harry. Lelaki bermata hijau itu menatapnya dengan sorot membunuh yang siap untuk menerkamnya seketika. Alena sampai terkejut, memundurkan tubuhnya ke belakang. "Aku memberimu satu miliar rupiah, tapi kau menolak untuk melahirkan anak untukku? Hei, gadis tak tahu diri, sepertinya kau menganggap dirimu sangat berharga!" Harry mencengkram jari-jari tangannya penuh amarah."Lukas, buang gadis sialan ini ke hutan!" perintah Harry kemudian. **** Halo, untuk lihat novel lainnya follow ig author yuk, kak. Ig : @butiran_debugn dan fb butiran debu. Terima kasih, semoga kalian suka dengan karya-karya author, ya.

I am Kira Reed and for as long as I can remember, I have worked in his company. But I had enough! He’s such a despicable man to the point I couldn’t resist his tyranny. Or maybe that's what I want to make myself believe. Who am I kidding? Besides, the holidays are coming and I really want to go home this year. ............... After submitting her resignation, Kira goes to her home village, Hollow Peak, a dreamy settlement at the foot of the mountain. All she wants is to have a quiet holiday in the company of her loving family, away from her despicable boss, Gabriel. But unwilling to let her go, Gabriel goes after her and things get complicated. In between Christmas preparations, Gabriel’s hating of the holidays, and the love that slowly ignites in his heart for his young copywriter, the two discover the miracle of Hollow Peak.

Tatlong araw pa lang nagtatrabaho sa kompanya si Cresilda ay hindi na niya maiwasan ang hindi mainis sa boss nila. Ubod ito ng sungit, at hindi man lang ngumingiti. Parating galit at perfectionist pa. Kaya naman ng dumating ang araw ng ika-78th anniversary party ng kompanya ay wala siyang balak na dumalo. Pero ipinag-utos ng boss nila na ang hindi dumalo ay walang Christmas bonus na matatanggap. Kaya naman, walang choice si Criselda. Halos ubusin na niya ang wine sa wine counter sa sobrang inis habang nasa party. Pero ganon na lamang ang gulat niya nang magising siya kinabukasan na walang suot na damit at katabi ang boss nila.

When Mia Blake arrives in Vermont for a peaceful Christmas holiday escape, she expects quiet mornings and time away from her chaotic life. Instead, she ends up stranded in a blizzard with no power, no phone signal, and no place to stay. Her rescue comes in the form of Ethan Carter, a rugged single dad living in the secluded cabin next door, and his sweet five-year-old daughter, Lily. Forced to share a roof with them while the storm rages, Mia soon discovers that the handsome dad is carrying wounds far deeper than the snow can cover. Their unexpected chemistry heats into stolen glances, slow-burn touches, and nights where the tension grows too thick to ignore. But buried secrets, dangerous shadows from Ethan’s past, and a twist that threatens their fragile bond force Mia to choose: run back to her old life, or stay and fight for a love she never saw coming.

Aku didiagnosis menderita lupus eritematosus sistemik stadium berat dan akan meninggal tiga hari lagi. Setelah 188 kali telepon permintaan tolongku ditolak suamiku, aku membawa hasil pemeriksaan dan melangkah masuk ke kantor pelayanan perawatan akhir hayat. “Halo, tolong bantu jadwalkan proses kremasiku dan ajukan juga bantuan subsidi dari pemerintah.” Sepuluh menit kemudian, mereka datang. Belum sempat aku bicara, suamiku yang seorang pengacara langsung menamparku tanpa ekspresi. “Demi merebut perhatian dari Penny, kamu pura-pura sakit parah?” Kakakku yang seorang dokter merebut hasil pemeriksaanku, lalu membuka dan menatapku, sambil mencibir, “Lupus? Kalau mau pura-pura sakit, setidaknya yang masuk akal. Penyakit seperti ini hanya diderita satu dari sejuta orang.” Aku menahan rasa sakit di tubuhku, lalu kembali ke meja petugas dan menyerahkan formulir, serta hasil medis lagi. Melihat ruam berbentuk kupu-kupu di pergelangan tanganku, petugas itu tampak iba. “Aku sudah nggak punya keluarga lagi.” “Aku ingin mendaftar layanan kremasi tiga hari lagi, lokasinya bebas. Aku hanya berharap kematianku nggak menjadi beban bagi siapapun.”

After Christmas, I went on a vacation. For the trip back, I failed to get a train ticket with a sleeping berth. Thus, I was tired and mussed when I got home. When I opened the door, someone shoved a bunch of cleaning tools at me. The man sneered at me and commanded, “Hurry up! You need to finish cleaning this place before 6:00 p.m.!” I looked at him and saw that he was wearing my father’s silk pajamas. I took a few steps back to check that yes, this was my family’s two-story mansion. It was my home, but who was this man? And what was this about cleaning? Did the man intend for me to clean? I was the son of the owners of the house! I messaged the family’s group chat and mentioned my mother. The message read, [@Mom, your boytoy is asking me to clean the place up. What gives?]

Di kehidupan lalu, suamiku tiba-tiba mengalami pendarahan otak dan meninggal. Dia juga meninggalkan sejumlah besar utang. Demi putraku yang masih SMA, aku menjual rumah yang diwariskan orang tuaku dan bekerja 3 pekerjaan untuk membayar utang. Setelah terlalu banyak bekerja, aku jatuh sakit dan akhirnya masuk rumah sakit. Di samping ranjang pasien, putraku yang sudah diterima di universitas bergengsi malah menelepon dengan gembira. “Halo? Ayah, ini aku. Wanita ini sudah mau mati. Aku ada belikan asuransi untuknya. Kita setidaknya bisa dapat kompensasi 10 miliar. Kamu dan Bibi Susi cepat kembali dari luar negeri.” Bibi Susi yang dimaksudnya adalah teman semasa kecil dan juga tetangga suamiku. Ternyata, yang disebut utang itu adalah hasil pencucian uang dalam jumlah besar yang dilakukan suamiku dan kekasih gelapnya. Demi menutupinya, mereka membuat pembukuan palsu, bahkan berpura-pura mati untuk menghindari tanggung jawab hukum. Sementara itu, demi menjadi anak orang kaya, putraku membiarkanku mati karena kelelahan. Saat membuka kembali mataku, aku sudah kembali ke hari di mana suamiku berpura-pura mati.

“A ruthless man he was, wore a halo of insanity. He made death dance on his fingers like a puppet, wings of obsession made him soar high in cruelty. Crumbled to pieces was everything that came his way and he trampled upon beating hearts, but fallen, he was at his girl's mercy who made him feel and cry at fate's cruel play and had him beg for mercy with a single dart.” . . . A two-year relationship was torn apart by a single mistake when Delilah caught her boyfriend to be with another woman. The betrayal pushed them apart and Delilah learned to live without him. But fate played its cards when Delilah was brought back to her ex-boyfriend but this time, at his mercy. Shocked by the revelation that dawned upon her, she now feared him, and the more she tried to get away, the more he was tempted to keep her with him. Never knew fate would make her cry with tears of blood when she learned the cruel side of his ex-boyfriend who wanted to keep her captive. Vicious was his way of loving, after all. . . . “Why are you doing this to me?! What’s wrong I ever did to you!?” “Oh, sweetheart, trust me, you did so wrong by walking into my life. And now, I’m not willing to let you go.”

The Bloodmoon & Incubi Anthology is a compilation of seven short stories between these two packs. This collection may contain mild spoilers to books within these series. Chosen Mate: The love story of Stephen Walterson of Bloodmoon and Amelia Furlan of Madonie. Warrior's Redemption: The redemption love story of Clement (Austin) Shelton and Suzanne Walterson of Bloodmoon. Love After 40: The second chance love story of Hale Shelton of Bloodmoon and the human Erin Carlisle. The Hybrid's Rogue: The nonbinary love story of River Carlisle of Bloodmoon and Leo Hansley of Silvermane. The Hybrid's Vampire: The LGBTQ+ love story of Sage Carlisle of Bloodmoon and the vampire Auðr. Sicilian Holiday: A D'Amore family Christmas story. The Quiet Giant's Mate: The surprising love story of Ivan Furlan of Madonie and Regina Petridis of Incubi.