Menolak Interview

Sebuah tradisi keluarga yang mengharuskan anak perempuannya menikah bila sudah genap delapan belas tahun membuat Zakia muak dan berontak. Gadis remaja itu secara terang-terangan menolak permintaan sang nenek, tetapi nahasnya ia malah mendapat malapetaka.Terjebak ruang dan waktu, Zakia jatuh koma pasca menjatuhkan diri di lantai dua. Sebuah fakta mengejutkan terungkap, kala sesosok perempuan cantik yang selalu menghantui siang dan malamnya menunjukkan sesuatu.Apakah yang ditunjukkan sosok itu? Lalu, bagaimana Zakia menghentikan tradisi leluhurnya jika ia sendiri terjebak di dimensi lain? Mari kita susun potongan puzzle yang berserakan dan membantu Zakia menemukan jawabannya dalam novel Darah Sang Dara!

"Cinta bukanlah tentang status atau kesempurnaan, tapi tentang keberanian untuk saling menjahit luka—satu jahitan pada satu waktu." Dalam hujan malam yang menggigil, Lestari dan putrinya diusir tanpa belas kasihan. Saat mereka hampir menyerah, sebuah perkebunan kopi megah menjadi tempat pelarian terakhir—namun juga awal badai baru. Di sana, Lestari menarik perhatian Tora, pria kaya yang menyimpan masa lalu yang kelam. Ketika cinta mulai tumbuh, ancaman datang dari dua arah: suami yang ingin merebut kembali apa yang telah ia buang, dan keluarga yang menolak perempuan “tak berstatus”. Demi melindungi anak-anak, Lestari dan Tora harus mempertaruhkan segalanya—bahkan nyawa.

Cinta pertama suamiku terkena gagal ginjal akut dan akulah satu-satunya orang yang cocok untuk menjadi donor. Demi menyelamatkan cinta pertamanya, suamiku memaksaku menggugurkan kandungan ketika kandunganku berusia enam bulan. Suamiku berkata dengan suara yang sangat lembut dan menusuk, "Bisakah kamu sedikit berbaik hati? Kamu cuma kehilangan seorang anak. Tapi, dia kehilangan hidupnya!" Aku berusaha menolak, tetapi suamiku mengancam akan bunuh diri. Aku dan anakku pun tidak selamat di meja operasi. Sementara cinta pertamanya berhasil menjalani transplantasi dan bertahan hidup. Segalanya berjalan seperti yang suamiku inginkan, tetapi setelah dia tahu bahwa aku sudah meninggal, dia pun menjadi gila.

Setelah lima belas tahun menikah, kami tetap bercinta setiap hari. Apakah itu salah? Bagi Rati, istriku, iya. Dia bilang cinta bisa dibuktikan dengan cara lain, selain seks. Bagiku, cara semacam itu hanya dilakukan oleh pria lemah. Karena segala hal di dunia ini didasari oleh ketertarikan seksual dan bercinta adalah bukti cinta yang paling kuat yang bisa ditunjukkan seseorang kepada pasangannya. Jika memang Rati tidak percaya, aku akan membuktikannya. Lagi pula, sejak status sosialnya meningkat, dia semakin bertingkah di hadapanku dan selalu menolak ketika kuajak bercinta. Kalau tidak mendapatkan darinya, bukan salahku jika aku mencari di luar, kan?

Siapa bilang cinta datang hanya dari mata turun ke hati? Bagaimana kalau lewat ASI, meresap ke hati, dan tak mau pergi? Nayla nekat ke Jakarta untuk melupakan luka setelah bayinya meninggal. Tak disangka, ia justru menjadi ibu susu bagi bayi seorang duda kaya, Leo Prakasa Utama, yang baru saja kehilangan istrinya saat persalinan. Masalah muncul ketika keluarga Leo menolak cucunya disusui oleh wanita asing. Solusinya? Nayla harus menjadi istri sah Leo. Maukah Nayla menerima pernikahan kontrak dengan Leo hanya sampai bayinya lepas ASI? atau justru hatinya malah terjebak pada pria itu? "Bayi saja tahu susu saya enak!" – Nayla

Sebagai laki-laki, aku tidak mau munafik, aku bukan tipe laki-laki yang akan melewatkan hubungan suami istri karena tidak cinta, karena itu aku akan meminta hak aku sebagai suami," ucap Rain, ia pikir harus memperjelas semuanya. Dania tau di dalam agama, hukum menolak suami adalah dosa besar, tapi dia benar-benar belum siap secara mental. Baginya berhubungan badan itu musibah karena kehidupan dan masa depannya hancur karena hal itu. "Apa aku boleh menolak? Kalau pak Rain tidak tahan, maka nikahi saja Bu Monika, aku akan membantu menutupinya untukmu." ucap Dania dengan hati-hati. Ia asal bicara saja agar Rain bisa menahan diri. Ia sengaja menyebut nama Monika agar Rain teralihkan. "Sekalipun aku mau menikahinya itu masih membutuhkan proses dan waktu yang lama, kenapa tidak memanfaatkan yang sudah di depan mata saja dan sudah halal tentunya." Rain tidak mau mengalah begitu saja, ia bangkit dari tempat tidur lalu mendekati Dania. "Aku benar-benar tidak siap, Pak." ucapnya dengan suara bergetar bahkan sudah mulai menangis. "Aku mengerti ketakutanmu tapi kamu harus menghadapinya." Rain tahu caranya menghadapi wanita seperti Dania, cukup berikan kenyamanan saja. Ia mengangkat dagu Dania, menatapnya sebentar walaupun Dania berusaha menggeleng untuk menolak. "Dania, coba lihat aku, apakah wajah tampanku ini terlihat mengintimidasi? Apa aku terlihat seperti laki-laki yang akan menodaimu?" Dania melemah, ia menatap Rain dengan mata basahnya, ia merasa sedikit aman dan nafas yang tadinya terasa berat dan tidak beraturan menjadi lebih ringan. Rain menghapuskan air matanya lalu perlahan mencondongkan tubuh untuk menciumnya.

The year my family goes bankrupt, I cling to Ewan Rivera for one last night. When I wake up, I throw my final bit of money at him. "You can go cozy up to some other sugar mommy now. You don't need to degrade yourself by serving an ugly woman like me." I'm kicked out by the people liquidating our assets, and everyone points and laughs at the birthmark on my face. Meanwhile, Ewan's friends are busy celebrating his fresh start. "With a face like yours, tons of wealthy, gorgeous women are lining up for you. Why torture yourself with that ugly chick?" "Now that she's bankrupt, she won't cling to you anymore, right?" Five years later, Ewan has gone from being a broke campus heartthrob to a rising star in business. In the interview room, he flips through my application and pauses on my photo. He asks coolly, "You're 28? You already have a child?" I meet his probing gaze and introduce myself. "Yes. I'm Ingrid Landeau. I'm married with a daughter." I've changed my name and removed the large birthmark on my face. Ewan can't recognize me anymore.

The life of the lonely bachelor became a rollercoaster ride when he met the innocent and forgetful woman writer who was eager to interview him. He thought that it's just a harmless interaction, not untile he realized that welcoming her means unraveling his secrets. ••• Gedeon Aris Calviet, was one of the country's most sought bachelor. He's rich, powerful, handsome, and— he's immortal. It was his punishment for the mistake he had done in the past. He almost got everything but, he's lonely. On the other hand, Viana Myrie "Vivi" Javier was a ghostwriter of a popular writer. She grew up in a humble home and happy family. She's energetic, hardworking, and she's willing to do everything for her family. Until one job offer came, to create a biography of Mr. Calviet. Due to the big offer of her so-called "boss", she acceptes it. Their paths crossed and they started hating each other, then hate turned into something special. Later, they developed a connection between them. Little did the knew that everything is not a coincidence—it's fate. When Gedeon secrets started to unfold and spilled, curse that moon gave to him. A lot of chaotic things happened and more questions were left unanswered. Can Vivi accept him? Is there any chance to break the moon's deadly curse that he is carrying for a long time?

Mom, Dad, and Jesse—my younger sister—went out to sea on a trip, but they were caught in a tsunami, and all three perished in the accident. I was left all alone—just as I was about to start university—burdened with nothing but a mountain of debt. In the end, everything I had saved for my university tuition, along with the house Mom and Dad had left me, was taken by debt collectors. I was then forced to work in a shady factory, laboring 16 hours a day, sleeping in a shabby ten-person dorm, and surviving on nothing but thin, flavorless broth. I finally cleared the last of the debt when I accidentally discovered that Jesse—who was supposed to be dead—had appeared on television and become a famous dancer. Mom and Dad even gave an interview about her success. It turned out they had taken out a massive loan and faked their deaths to flee to Pravia for Jesse's dance studies, leaving the entire debt for me to deal with just as I was supposed to start university. I went to confront them, demanding the truth, but they threw me out like trash. I was then hit and killed by a speeding truck at the side of the road. "How could Lorraine be such a nuisance, not even having the decency to die far away from our doorstep?" I have been given another chance, reborn on the day they faked their deaths.

Mindy Horton and I got married on Thanksgiving. Coincidentally, her assistant went abroad to further his studies that day. I did not pay much attention to it until the eve of another Thanksgiving three years later. I was browsing TikTok and came across Mindy, who was in a street interview about couples. The reporter stopped her and asked, "Excuse me. Could I have a second of your time? Who would you like to spend today with?" Mindy paused for a moment. She struggled to answer after a long while, "With my lover." "Call him now. He should know how you feel!" I smiled as I sat up, ready to pick up Mindy's call. However, when I looked up, I saw Mindy sobbing to another man on the screen. "I know you've returned, and I still can't forget you after all these years. Do you know how much I regret not marrying you and marrying another man? We missed our chance with each other three years ago. Let's spend Thanksgiving together this year!" I sat in bed all night and booked a flight out of the country the next morning. "When are you leaving?" my assistant asked. I replied, "On Thanksgiving."