Dum Spiro Spero

“I killed his secret lover.” “Does he know?” “Yes, but he pretends not to know it in front of me.” A gun shot sounded outside the mansion and Alvah didn't bother to check. “What is going on?” Alvah chuckled, a smile spread across her face, “My husband. He's here to kill me.”

Demi menghilangkan kegelisahan sang ibu, Selena Brawijaya, gadis berusia 24 tahun yang merupakan seorang novelis, akhirnya menikah dengan seorang lelaki asing yang sama sekali tak dikenalnya. Lelaki berparas menawan yang memiliki karir gemilang sebagai seorang tentara. Yang sayangnya, ia memiliki trauma mendalam yang telah mengakar kuat dalam dirinya. Janji suci di depan penghulu pun seakan hanyalah ritual belaka, layaknya cangkang kosong tanpa isi. Lantas, apa yang akan dilakukan Selena dengan status ikatan suami-istri yang mereka miliki di saat ia memiliki keyakinan kuat bahwa apa pun yang terjadi dalam hidupnya bukanlah suatu kebetulan? Tak butuh waktu ribuan tahun bersama untuk menyadarinya. Karena di detik yang sama saat ia tahu dirinya tak lagi mampu menolak takdir yang telah ditetapkan untuk dirinya itu, ide cemerlang langsung muncul di benaknya. Sebagai seorang novelis yang telah memiliki ratusan juta pembaca di seluruh dunia, tentu ia tidak akan mau dirugikan baik secara mental maupun fisik karena pernikahan yang sama sekali tak ia inginkan ini. Dan menikah dengan seorang tentara yang kehidupannya syarat akan kedisiplinan dan kerja keras, mengangkat senjata menantang maut, bergerilya di rimbunnya hutan belantara bersantap ular, tentu akan memberinya gambaran utuh yang tak semua orang mengetahuinya. Ini adalah harta karun. Ide itulah yang membuatnya tak lagi menyuarakan protes tentang perjodohan mereka, alih-alih, gadis itu justru mengangguk mantap tanpa sedikit pun keraguan. Apa yang ia khawatirkan dengan pernikahan yang memiliki berlembar-lembar poin kesepakatan? Terlebih lagi, kesepakatan tentang tak akan saling menyentuh tanpa persetujuan. Dan dari yang ia lihat dari sosok menawan Arjuna, lelaki itu adalah lelaki sejati yang tak akan pernah melanggar janji yang telah disepakati. Di sisi lain, Arjuna sama sekali tak menyadari tentang akal bulus calon istrinya itu. Ia sama sekali tak pernah berpikir jika gadis bar-bar itu akan dengan begitu riang gembira mengikutinya ketika tengah menjalankan sebuah misi rahasia, dan tentu saja, tanpa sepengetahuannya.

The day I went into labor with the twins, I bribed the family doctor to shoot me up with every heavy-duty suppressant he could get his hands on. Anything to stall the birth. Why? Because in my last life, Vincent—my husband, the Don—claimed to have a low sperm count. To guarantee an heir, he lined up ten mistresses and told the whole house: whoever popped out a son first, her kid would be the next Corleone Don. He promised if I delivered first, he'd ditch the others. Said our baby would inherit the throne. I bought every word. When I found out I was carrying twins, I couldn't stop shaking—I thought I'd won. But after I gave birth, he tossed me and the babies into the freezing wine cellar and locked the place down. "Lucy came from nothing. I just wanted to give her kid a name. You started rumors, pushed her into despair, and now she's dead—her and the baby. You're vile. Not fit to be the Don's wife. Think about what you've done. I'll open the door in three days." Then he had the butler seal it shut. What he didn't know? That night, the cellar caught fire. Me and my babies? Burned alive. When I opened my eyes again, I was back—right before labor. This time, I'm not staying. Soon as I deliver and get back on my feet, I'm taking my kids and disappearing for good.

After being reborn, I'm taken back to the day I confessed my love for my childhood friend. In my past life, I had to plead and beg before he begrudgingly agreed to marry me. "You look pathetic when you beg me for anything, Annabelle." That was what Hayden Gulman always said to me. He was so cold to me that he even canceled the part where we read our vows to each other during the wedding. When I was eight months pregnant, he took a photo of my belly covered in stretch marks. Then, he complained to his true love about the unhappiness he faced after marrying me. When I went into a difficult labor due to my agitation, he and his true love were on vacation. At that moment, my heart finally died. It turned out my one-woman show couldn't be considered love at all. Now that I've been reborn, I smile when I see the disdainful look in his eyes. I say, "We have nothing to do with each other from this moment on. I only wish to be happy."

Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall Humpty Dumpty had a great fall All the king's horses and all the king's men Couldn't put Humpty together again.

Emily Denver believed she had been married to Chuck Morrison for three years. It wasn't until she was planning their third anniversary that she made a horrifying discovery: the marriage certificate she'd cherished was a complete forgery. Her husband's real wife turned out to be… her best friend. For three years, Chuck and his entire family had played her for a fool, weaving an elaborate lie to keep her trapped. And it was all because a car accident—the one where she'd saved his life—had left her unable to have children. Chuck had the nerve to say, "I do love you, Emily. I just want us to have a child." Her "best friend" Catherine simpered, "I never meant to hurt you. I just want to be part of your lives, part of your family." Emily looked at them, her heart turning to ice. "You're both insane." Fine. If they wanted to play a twisted game, she would play—and she would win. They tried to steal her business project? She turned around and married the heir to the most powerful conglomerate in the city, becoming the very client they had to grovel to. They denied her the wedding of her dreams? Her new husband offered a bride price worth billions, and their ceremony was the social event of the decade. They whispered behind her back about being barren? She gave birth to beautiful, healthy twins and watched them choke on their envy. When news of the heir's marriage first broke, the social elite collectively pitied his new bride. Everyone knew he carried a torch for a woman he could never have—a lost love who was already married to another man. The rumors said he was so heartbroken when she walked down the aisle that he tried to take his own life. They whispered that he still watched films she had starred in, weeping in the dark. So when Emily, after having his children, decided to "set him free" for the sake of his legendary first love, the heir clutched her desperately, his voice raw with emotion. "Who is spreading these vicious lies? Darling, you have to believe me! There has never been anyone but you!"

The CEO of the biggest mall in the Philippines and heir to a billion dollar company marries a housekeeper's daughter. Sunny's back in Buencamino to take care of her sick mother and to rekindle her old love only to find out that her ex-boyfriend already married someone else. Heartbroken, she

After regaining my hearing, I happily march over to the room of my arch-rival, eager to flaunt in front of him—only to hear him moaning my name as he does what all guys do for pleasure.

Fransisca Ryle is forced to seek a job at the prestigious company owned by Alexander Smith due to the urgent need for funds to cover her seriously ill mother's medical expenses. She secures a position as Alexander's secretary, but she also has to endure the cold demeanor of the CEO and his infuriating girlfriend, Veronica. Unexpectedly, a one-night stand between Fransisca and Alexander leads them to realize that love is blossoming between them. As their relationship deepens, Alexander rekindles his relationship with his ex-girlfriend, leaving Fransisca feeling betrayed and humiliated. She decides to leave Alexander's life and vows to seek revenge in her heart. How the next?

Isabella’s world shatters when her longtime boyfriend, Damon Sanchez, publicly proposes to her best friend. Humiliated and heartbroken, she drowns her sorrows in a bar—only to wake up on the bed of Matteo Moretti, the city’s most powerful billionaire. Their one-night stand should have been the end of it. But when her brother Alan's illness and Damon's vengeance leave her jobless, fate delivers Isabella straight into the jaws of her most dangerous mistake—Matteo Moretti, now her ruthless new boss. Caught between Damon’s vindictive games and Moretti’s dangerous allure, Isabella must decide—is survival worth the cost of her heart? Especially when Matteo’s seven-year-old son, Noah, starts calling her "Mom."