Ice Ice Water

At thirty years old, Alara doesn't need dreams. She has no use for it. Work, love, and family are all she needs—Until her boyfriend cheats on her. Five years later, her ex-boyfriend’s younger stepbrother sets his pretty playboy eyes on her, her work is threatened, and the balance in her life is upended. All Alara can do now is dream about desires she can't satisfy, yearn for glory beyond her reach, and hope she makes it with her life and her heart.

Aria Carter died betrayed. Her husband ignored her. Her best friend stabbed her in the back. Her family sold her off like a pawn. When she opened her eyes again three years earlier, on the night of her arranged marriage to the city’s coldest CEO she swore this life would be different. No more weakness. No more blind love. No more kneeling. Damian Cross, the ruthless billionaire everyone fears, expected a docile wife to decorate his mansion. Instead, he got a woman who met his icy stare with fire of her own. Society sneers at her as the “Cold Wife.” Her family calls her a disgrace. Her enemies plot her downfall. But this time, Aria isn’t here to beg for scraps she’s here to flip the board. Every betrayal will be repaid. Every secret will be exposed. And the husband who once ignored her? He’s falling, dangerously, obsessively, in love. Yet beneath the glittering empire lies the truth of her first death… and if Aria isn’t careful, the crown she claims may cost her heart all over again.

Out on a holiday with my boyfriend, Jack, and my good friend, Eva, a catastrophe occurred. As the floods came, we waited for the rescue helicopter to come. As I fastened the safety rope, I noticed that my metal safety clip had been swapped for a plastic ring. Climbing up the rope ladder, Jack said nonchalantly, "Eva's luggage is heavy. She needs another safety clip, so I gave her yours. You can wait for the next rescue." I replied in a panic, pointing at the water level already past my chest, "But I can't swim!" Jack replied irritatedly, "Naomi, stop causing a scene! You're a strong swimmer, what's a little time in the water? Eva is my boss's relative. If something happens to her, my promotion is gone. Why can't you understand that?" "Which matters more? My life or her luggage?" I reached for the rope ladder when he kicked my hand away. "I've studied the waters. The flood won't rise so quickly. It will at most be at the level of your neck. You won't die!" I said nothing further. Watching the floods rise crazily, I quickly pressed my family's special alarm on my wrist.

After our class reunion, my best friend naturally expected me to play chauffeur and drive everyone home. I agreed. However, halfway down the road, a limited-edition luxury car slammed into the back of my car. The owner, who claimed to be a wealthy businessman from overseas, waved off the idea of filing an insurance claim. He said the crash was fate, and with a grand gesture, handed the luxury car over to me on the spot. From that day on, I drove the million-dollar luxury car every day, until jealousy consumed my best friend. She secretly sabotaged my car, and it ended with my death in a fiery wreck. My boyfriend turned on me, insisting I had simply fallen asleep at the wheel. My parents, unable to bear the shock, both died of heart attacks. When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the day of the reunion.

Because of the incident, my life changed completely. I never thought that in an instant, I would lose everything. Family, friends, and even the man that I loved. But I met a man which I did not expect to love him. He is the mysterious one, cold as ice, introverted, anti-social but he caught my attention. But the way his voice sounds or the words he speaks makes me think that I met someone like him before. Curiosity kills me inside. Was he a part of my past? have I met him before? But I didn’t expect that one day, I would fall for him. Can we bring back our past or remain strangers?

I was about to kill my mother's murderer…until he almost killed me first. As the daughter of a respected policeman, justice burned in my blood. I watched my mother die at the hands of a Mafia Lord. And I swore to make him pay. But when I confronted Don Theron, I didn't expect to be wrapped up in his arms, his grip choking life out of me. “Say your last prayers, princess,” he growls, tightening his grip like the devil he was. I struggled, I gasped for air, my heart raced but there was no saving from this doom. I thought I was done for. But then he let me go. But my freedom wasn't a gift, it came with a heavy price–a gruesome curse. In a twisted deal with my father, the man who murdered my mother became my husband. Now, every morning I wake up beside a monster who's cloaked in charm, secrets and control. My soul still burns for vengeance, his soul thrives on possession. And with every day that passes by, I wonder… Will I ever make it out of here alive?

Ditinggal selingkuh. Mandul. Dijadikan seorang ibu rumah tangga biasa. Berujung perceraian dengan satu ton tuduhan yang membuatnya merasa kerdil. Apalagi yang kurang bagi Kala? Semuanya berkumpul jadi satu, merobek sisi kemanusiaannya perlahan. Membuatnya mempertanyakan satu hal pada Sang Pencipta, kenapa harus dirinya? Kendati demikian, ada setitik waras yang masih ia punya. Saat mata mereka mengudara, Kala sadar, dirinya sudah tertawan. Pada satu sosok polos yang kelahirannya tak diinginkan oleh sang ibu. Sosok kecil bernama Sheryl Amanta Versha. Pusarannya makin mengerucut, hingga mempertemukan pada secercah rasa yang ia tampik demikian keras. Berhasil kah, ia dengan jalan yang dipilih? *** Judul sebelumnya KALA MANTARI

After I join a new company, I keep running into problems—not from people, but from the company's equipment. The fingerprint scanner fails to recognize me every single time, and I have to submit a manual attendance appeal almost daily. When I ask the admin to change the device, they respond with thinly veiled sarcasm. "Everyone else clocks in just fine. Why are you the only one with so many issues?" The air vent above my desk blasts cold air directly at me. My hands and feet are freezing every day. I ask to switch seats. My manager looks at me like I am making things up. "Everyone else sits there without a problem. How come the AC only blows cold air when you sit there?" One strange incident after another makes it impossible for me to function at work. When I get home, I complain to my boyfriend and say I want to quit. He shuts down the thought immediately. "You're making almost 60 thousand dollars a year before benefits, with weekends off and paid leave. Where are you going to find a job like that?" I think about it and realize he isn't wrong. Just as I decide to stick it out, the company elevator malfunctions. I fall from the 33rd floor and die. In my final moments, I can't understand it—why does every piece of equipment in the company seem to target me alone? All the devices are newly installed. All my coworkers are people I have just met. I have no grudges with anyone. There's no reason for someone to sabotage me from behind the scenes. When I open my eyes again, I am back at the company. It's my very first day on the job.

I return to my hometown after becoming the wealthiest person in the world. I stand beside a luxury car I bought for my father and call him—I want him to be surprised when he picks me up. However, this backfires on me. I joke with him and tell him my company has gone bankrupt. My debtors are coming after me, so I'm home to flee from them. I end up standing under the sweltering sun until the sky goes dark and it starts to pour—my father never shows up to see his gift. I brave the rain as I head home. Before I even enter the house, I can sense my sister-in-law's panic. "Listen to me—don't tell that jinx that Dad has just won a million dollars!" My mother says, "I knew having a daughter was a bad decision. It's bad enough that she doesn't have money for us—why is she coming home when she's in trouble? She should just die out there!" My father sneers. "Well, we can sell her off to that cripple in the village. Maybe she'll fetch a good price!"

Regretting the person you once loved is the most tragic kind of love. The butterflies, the heartbeats, and the gazes are all for nothing if you had already lost without even gearing up for a fight. In this world where happy ever after ends with a seal, tragedy is just about to begin, in which crying is its real ending.