Karma Hex

The hotel called, politely reminding me that the condoms used last night were unpaid and had been charged to my membership card. I was stunned. I'd been working late until midnight and hadn't set foot in any hotel. I confronted my husband, the only person who knew my card code. Nathan Phelps looked at me, bewildered. "Honey, that hotel costs over $10,000 a night. I'd never go there. It's probably a system error. Someone must have mistyped the card number. I'll file a complaint tomorrow." Unconvinced, I called my best friend, who managed the hotel. "Tracy, check who Nathan was with at the hotel last night. I'm catching him red-handed."

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."

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.

My husband sponsored a poor female college student. While I was being dragged into an alley by a criminal, he was helping her pick out lingerie. While I was hospitalized with serious injuries, he used the money my mother left me to buy her a limited-edition handbag. I confronted him in a heated argument, but he accused me of being unreasonable. "I thought your injuries were so serious, but look—you didn’t even die! Besides, your money is my money. I’ll spend it however I want!"

Saat longsor salju di arena ski, aku didorong ke bawah oleh adik sepupuku sendiri, Julia Luandi.Kekasihku, Billy Juman, menggendong adik sepupuku, lalu membalikkan tubuhnya berjalan pergi begitu saja. Dia bahkan lupa bahwa masih ada aku yang terkubur di dasar salju, meninggalkanku sendirian selama tujuh hari di lembah. Saat mereka menemukanku, Billy berkata dengan emosi, “Seharusnya kamu bersyukur kedua lengan Lia baik-baik saja. Kalau nggak, kamu mesti mati di gunung salju ini untuk menebus kesalahanmu!” “Pernikahan pada seminggu kemudian dibatalkan. Kapan kamu menyadari kesalahanmu, kapan kita adakan pernikahan kita.” Tadinya Billy mengira aku akan menangis dan merengek lantaran tidak menyetujuinya. Namun, aku hanya mengangguk dengan perlahan. “Oke.” Billy tidak tahu aku telah melakukan sebuah transaksi dengan Dewa Bulan. Enam hari kemudian, aku akan menukarkan barang paling berharga bagiku, yaitu cinta dan ingatanku terhadap Billy. Mulai saat ini, aku akan melupakan semua tentang Billy, lalu memulai hidup di tempat baru. Menikah sudah tidak penting bagiku. Siena yang mencintainya itu sudah meninggal di dalam gunung salju.

The day I found out I was a match for my dad—stage four leukemia—I bailed. Mom tore the world apart looking for me, but yeah, she had to watch him go. After that, she drowned herself in research, built a name, even adopted this perfect little angel. We crossed paths again at some fancy leukemia conference she was hosting. I was on the demo table. She took one look and scoffed. "Charlotte Stein, not the time for your crap. Get up and go." The host blinked, stunned. "Dr. Cooper... you know this cadaver?" She actually laughed. "What, she paid you for this stunt?" The host turned ghost-white. "M-Miss Stein passed three days ago..."

No dia em que meu pai apareceu no banquete com a ex-namorada, a notícia se espalhou na internet, e todos riram da minha mãe. Ela tinha abandonado uma carreira promissora para entrar em uma família rica, mas após trinta anos ela continuava sendo uma anônima, sem posição, sem sequer a coragem de confrontar a amante. Após chorar uma noite inteira, minha mãe me olhou exausta. — Foi ele quem me traiu primeiro. Então, eu também não o quero mais. — Ela disse. — Lili, você vem comigo? Nesse mesmo instante, meu celular vibrou com uma mensagem do meu namorado com quem eu estava há sete anos: [Lívia, é só uma certidão de casamento. Não está bom só sendo minha namorada?] Permaneci em silêncio por alguns segundos e, por fim, assenti com a cabeça. Assim, no dia do casamento deles, minha mãe e eu desaparecemos no incêndio da mansão.

The 99th time my fiancé, Draven, hung up on me, I dragged myself to the family's church, my diagnosis of end-stage renal disease clutched in my hand. "Father, I wish to renounce the Rocci family and break off my engagement to Draven Frost." The words had barely left my lips when my parents burst in with my adopted sister, Bianca. My father, the family's Consigliere, didn't hesitate. He slapped me across the face, right there in front of the priest. "Your fiancé is a respected Capo in our world, and you choose to insult him like this!" "You're dragging our family's name through the mud in front of the whole organization!" My mother snatched the diagnosis from my hand, sneering after a brief glance. "Playing sick for attention again, are you? What is it you want this time?" My adopted sister, Bianca, clung to our parents' arms, her voice choked with tears. "I'm so sorry, sister. You can have my place at the gala. Please, just stop making trouble for Mom and Dad!" I wiped the blood trickling from my nose and calmly repeated my words to the priest. "I am no longer a daughter of the Rocci family. I am not worthy of an alliance with the Frosts." "I will be dead in three days. I want this engagement broken before then."

“Terima wanita itu sebagai madu atau bercerai!” Kalimat bagai sambaran petir di siang bolong yang dilontarkan Arman. Aisyah, wanita sederhana rela berkorban demi menikahi Arman. Namun, kebahagiaannya diuji ketika ibu mertua dan iparnya, terus merendahkannya karena dianggap tidak bisa memberikan keturunan. Bahkan menuduhnya sebagai pelacur. Tidak berhenti di situ, Aisyah semakin terpuruk dalam pengkhianatan dan penghinaan dengan kehadiran Farah, wanita licik yang menjadi pelakor, memperburuk keadaan. Dengan tipu daya dan manipulasi, Farah berusaha merebut Arman. Aisyah dihadapkan dalam perceraian, lalu beberapa mobil menghampiri dan orang-orang berjas hitam memberi hormat pada Aisyah. Siapa orang-orang itu? Apakah Aisyah akan merebut Arman kembali atau memilih melepasnya?

Married to Jasper Brook for six years, I found out that he was keeping a mistress under his wing. She was stunning but timid, shrinking back at the slightest raised voice. Because of this, Jasper never lost his temper around her. He indulged her fragility and treated her preciously. However, the mistress wasn’t as obedient as she appeared. When she stirred up trouble with me, Jasper’s patience snapped, and he unleashed his fury on her. The next day, she sent me a photo of her neck covered in hickeys. “Selena, Mr. Brook is so scary. I’m terrified.”