Karma Akabane Cool

"Hi there, I'd like to emigrate." Christina stood at the counter and handed over the neatly prepared documents to the clerk on the other side of the glass. The clerk quickly stamped each page. The red ink spread like tiny ripples on still water. Then, without looking up, he pulled out another form and passed it back to her. "Ma'am, your paperwork will be processed in fifteen days." Christina nodded, turned on her heel, and headed for the exit. But before she could step outside, whispers trailed after her. "Did I see that right? Mrs. Waldorf is applying for emigration? Did she have a squabble with Mr. Waldorf?" "Even if they argued, would it go this far? Mr. Waldorf practically worships her. What could possibly make her leave so decisively?" "Exactly. Five years ago, their wedding was the event of the century. Even someone like me, who barely goes online, heard about it. And three years ago, after her car accident, the blood bank ran out of stock. Mr. Waldorf ignored everyone's objections and nearly drained himself to save her. Then, just last year, when she disappeared for an hour, he mobilized every media outlet worldwide to find her. Now she's leaving without a word—won't that drive him insane?" The murmurs swirled and lingered, but Christina only smiled faintly. Her expression was calm, but her eyes darkened with a bitterness that deepened with every step. Yes, she thought. Everyone knew just how much Lucien Waldorf loved her.

"Mrs. Gardner, are you sure you want to hire our team to stage a fire and fake your death in ten days?" Camellia Shaw paused for a moment. Just as she was about to reply to the message, a video call suddenly popped up. "Camellia, look! Andres is spending a fortune on you again!" The video was of an auction in progress. At the front, a man of striking elegance and charm was decisively bidding on several antique collectibles worth hundreds of millions. The crowd was already abuzz with excitement. "Mr. Gardner is so good to his wife! He bought all these antiques just to make her smile!" "$400 million is nothing! I heard Mr. Gardner even built her a private estate and named it Eterna Haven. Just the name alone is proof of how much he loves her." A wealthy businessman nearby sneered. "It's all for show. Who knows what he's really like behind closed doors?" That comment immediately sparked a wave of backlash. Many argued back, talking about how devoted Andres Gardner was to his wife. As she listened to their murmurs, Camellia forced a bitter smile.

Aku benar-benar kelimpungan ketika Rania--istriku tidak lagi bekerja, dia berubah drastis. Apalagi suasana di rumah seringkali mencekam. Kenapa dia berhenti berkerja? Padahal selama ini baik-baik saja dan dia juga tahu kalau kebutuhan pokok di rumah ini mengandalkan gajinya.

Sejak hamil, suamiku tidak mau menyentuhku lagi. Sementara itu, hasrat dalam diriku makin besar. Setiap malam, pikiranku menjadi liar. Sampai suatu saat, seorang pria bertopeng menyelinap masuk ke rumahku.

Karena permintaan istrinya yang sedang sakit keras Abraham Wijaya, terpaksa meminta pembantunya menjadi istri kedua. "Tolong menikahlah dengan saya, Jihan agar Mikhaela bisa tenang di saat-saat terakhirnya. Apa pun yang kau minta akan kupenuhi. Setelah dia pergi, kau bebas melakukan apa saja!" ratap Abraham. Awalnya Jihan menolak. Namun, dia ingin balas Budi pada sang majikan dan menikah dengan kesepakatan yang mereka buat. Namun, Abraham mulai berubah setelah istri keduanya hamil. Membuat api cemburu pada istri pertama, sehingga Mikhaela meminta Jihan pergi dari kehidupan mereka selamanya. Lantas, akankah Jihan pergi dengan keadaan hamil? Atau tetap bertahan. Karena, susah mencintai sang suami?

Hari ketika aku memutuskan untuk mendonorkan tubuhku untuk kajian ilmiah, keluargaku justru berkumpul mengelilingi adik angkatku, Halida, merayakan diterimanya dia dalam sebuah program perawatan eksperimental paling canggih. Seharusnya akulah yang menderita kanker otak. Tapi Halida menggunakan posisi suamiku, Zafran, di rumah sakit untuk menukar catatan medisnya yang sehat dengan diagnosis terminalku, merebut satu-satunya kesempatan yang kupunya untuk bertahan hidup. Dan bagian terburuknya, semua orang bersorak mendukungnya. Rasanya sakit sekali. Aku berusaha tetap kuat, sampai tanpa sengaja mendengar para perawat berbisik, "Bagus sekali Dokter Zafran bisa mengamankan tempat itu untuk Halida. Mereka bilang dia hanya punya tiga hari lagi." Jadi, dalam 72 jam terakhir hidupku, aku perlahan melepaskan segalanya. Ketika aku memberikan naskah asli novel-novelku yang sudah kutuang seluruh hati dan jiwaku kepada Halida, ayah dan saudaraku menatapku dengan senyum puas. Ketika Zafran memutuskan untuk memenuhi permintaan terakhir Halida dengan menikahinya, dia menyerahkan surat cerai padaku. Aku menandatanganinya tanpa ragu sedikit pun. Dia menghela napas dan memuji aku karena akhirnya bisa berpikir begitu rasional. Dan ketika akulah yang membujuk putri kami, Olivia untuk memanggil Halida Ibu, Olivia justru berseri-seri mengatakan bahwa ibu barunya adalah yang terbaik. "Jangan khawatir." Zafran menenangkanku. "Kami hanya menjaganya untuk sementara. Setelah dia tiada, semuanya akan kembali padamu." Aku memberikan pada Halida segalanya yang kupunya, persis seperti yang mereka mau. Lalu kenapa, ketika mereka akhirnya tahu semua ini hanyalah kebohongan kejam Halida, mereka datang padaku sambil menangis, berkata akulah yang mereka inginkan sejak awal?

Even after being married for three years, my husband treats me like a stranger. When I throw up blood from pregnancy complications, he's in the prayer room chanting for his foster sister, Yvie Springton. He accuses me of being dramatic. If Yvie so much as gets a headache, he drops everything and flies overseas to be by her side. When his parents are in critical condition after a car crash, I beg him to go see them one last time. But what does he do? He claims I'm cursing Yvie. When I go into early labor and cling to life after giving birth to our son, he posts a photo of his international boarding pass on social media. At his parents' funeral, he returns to the country with Yvie and demands I leave the marriage with nothing. The day our divorce finalizes, he holds a wedding ceremony with her. I bury his parents alone. Then, at an exclusive auction, dead set on winning the famous painting for Yvie, he offered a staggering price. Even his accounts are frozen. That's when he finally realizes he's been disowned by the Springton family. His eyes are bloodshot, and he's furious as he demands answers. I simply gesture for my lawyer to step forward. He says, "Mr. Springton, take a look at this will."

No one knew that I was the Thorn pack’s head Alpha’s soulmate. He and Carol, who had been best friends since they were kids, were very close. Everyone in the pack thought they were soulmates while I was just a mistress threatening their bond. To protect Carol’s reputation, Barnett lied to the pack, claiming Carol was carrying his pup. This made our child illegitimate. When I confronted him in pain, demanding why, he explained, “Carol is known for her gentle and quiet nature. If our packmates knew she was pregnant without a mate, they would shame her. She's too fragile to go through all this.” For the first time, I looked at the man I thought was my mate and questioned if the Moon Goddess had made a mistake. Later on, while Barnett was away gathering herbs for Carol, the elders forced me to terminate my pregnancy, branding our pup as a disgrace to the Thorn pack. By the time Barnett returned, our pup was gone, and so was I.

Ketika kapal pesiar tenggelam dan hanya tersisa satu tempat di perahu penyelamat, Zayden memilih untuk menyelamatkanku. Aku berhasil diselamatkan, tetapi Caitlyn tidak sempat menunggu perahu penyelamat kedua dan akhirnya meninggal karena tenggelam.  Zayden berpura-pura tidak peduli dan tetap memilih untuk mengadakan pernikahan denganku. Lima tahun setelah pernikahan kami, dia membuat hidupku sengsara dan menyalahkanku atas kematian Caitlyn. Ketika aku sudah tidak tahan dan ingin bercerai, dia malah memilih mati bersamaku. Saat membuka mata lagi, aku sudah kembali ke hari terjadinya kecelakaan kapal pesiar. Kali ini, aku memutuskan untuk memberikan kesempatan hidup kepada orang yang paling dia cintai.

Aku mati, tapi tidak mati total. Aku tidak tau bagaimana keadaanku sekarang, aku tidak perlu makan, ataupun tidur. Aku sadar, tapi tidak bisa menggerakkan tubuhku. Sekelilingku gelap gulita, tidak ada yang bisa kuajak bicara. Aku hampir gila! Aku tidak tau keadaan seperti ini berlangsung berapa lama. Ketika aku kira keadaan bakal terus begini, tiba-tiba terdengar suara ketukan.