Puisi Ping Pong

“Suamiku masih di samping, jangan diteruskan lagi….” Di atas ranjang pengantin yang baru, sahabat suamiku melakukan pose yang memalukan tepat di depan suamiku yang sedang mabuk. Setelah perlawananku yang sia-sia, aku hanya bisa menggigit bibir sambil mengerang tertahan…. Di luar jendela, rentetan petasan mulai meledak. Suasana riuh di dalam ruangan pun semakin memuncak, bahkan lebih berisik daripada suara petasan.

Shawn Hansen, Wigston's most notorious playboy, always has a thing for dazzling women. This time, his eyes are set on Carrie Myers, my fiance Harvey Anderson's close friend. And now, he decides to marry her on the same day as my wedding. When I go to Harvey to discuss the wedding details, I walk in on him holding Carrie and promising, "Don't worry. I'll marry you. Our churches are side by side, and with your face hidden under the veil, I'll swap you in for her. No one will ever notice." Carrie sobbed, her voice filled with concern. "Angelina is clever. She will undoubtedly notice something is wrong." He kisses her forehead gently and comforts her, "I'll drug her so she won't be able to think straight or resist." Only then does she relax, yet she asks curiously, "You really don't mind letting her marry Shawn?" Harvey thinks seriously before replying, "I love you and must marry you first. Shawn is my good friend, so even if he marries her, he wouldn't touch her. I'll bring her back once he realizes the bride has been switched. By then, the two of you can serve me together." I can't bear to listen any longer, and I turn to leave with a broken heart. Despite the sorrow, I am determined to become Shawn's wife.

Isang lihim ang nabuksan nilang magkakaibigan. Lugar na nasa ilalim pa ng basement na matagal ng nakakandado. Isang napakagandang babae ang natagpuan nila doon, na natutulog lang at dahil sa kapangahasan nila, nagising nila ito at napakawalan nila ang sumpa na lumulukob sa dalagang naandoon. Sa pag-gising ng dalaga sunod-sunod na kababalaghan ang nangyari sa bakasyon nilang iyon at sinisisi ng dalagang si Cassandra, na natagpuan nila sa ilalim ng basement, ang mga kababalaghang iyon sa mangkukulam na nagkulong sa kaniya sa sumpang pagtulog sa mahabang panahon. Paano nila matatakasan ang kababalaghang kalakip ng dalagang nagising nila? At sino nga kaya ang mangkukulam na gumugulo sa kanila at pati buhay nila, ay nasa bingit na ng kamatayan? Makakatakas pa nga ba sila kapahamakang iyon? O kamatayan din nila ang kahihinatnan ng kapangahasan nila? Dark Fantasy CollectionSLEEPING BEAUTY@KamijoMican

When Eden discovers that her cruel father had decided to sell her off to a rich old billionaire for the benefit of his business, she decides to resort to desperate measures to get out of the nightmare marriage. Eden and her friends, Grace, Natalia, and Sophia, all hormonal and wild, come up with a plan to kidnap a young rich man and convince him to pay Eden's father enough money to change his mind and let her marry him. This, obviously being a deliriously stupid plan, goes wrong when they kidnap two brothers, Bennett and Theo, heirs of the biggest diamond industry in the country. The four of them fall into a swirling loop of desire, betrayals, heart-break and sex - can true love emerge from this mess? How long will it be before Bennett falls for the bully that is his kidnapper, Eden?

In the two years since we got married, my husband, Kieran Zucker, has pampered me like a princess every day. However, I want to escape from him because he's an extreme control freak. I've been forced to behave exactly like a living doll, and I can't leave his sight for a single second lest he deprive me of dinner. I've run away from him 16 times, but he's accurately predicted my location and dragged me back every time. I've eventually been driven to desperation and slit my wrists in search of liberation. When I next open my eyes, I find that I've actually been reborn back on the day Kieran proposes to me. This time, I resolutely turn him down and decide to escape far from him with his arch-enemy, Scott Quinlan. I assume that I'm finally free of Kieran, but then I discover Scott having a friendly conversation with him…

Trapped in a sweltering 40-degree sauna room, I overheard my older brothers talking outside. My second-oldest brother, Sean Lambert, remarked, "This kid is too stubborn. We need to teach her a lesson." My third-oldest brother, Jacob Lambert, replied, "The temperature has been adjusted. She won't die." I was locked up alone for 72 hours. It was their way of punishing me because of my stepsister. Yet, they were the ones who used to love me the most. My father was a business tycoon, my eldest brother, Axel Lambert, was skilled in finance, Sean was a legal expert, and Jacob was a medical prodigy. My mother passed away after fulfilling her mission, leaving these four men to look after me. They once showered me with love like I was their precious gem, until I turned five. That's when my stepmother and her daughter came into the picture, and I was banished to the housekeeper's room. Their attention shifted entirely to my stepsister. Whenever she cried, my father would bring out the punishment box for me to draw lots. 72 hours passed, but no one came to open the door. Before I blacked out, a few lines of small text popped up before my eyes: [The minor character is about to die. Once she dies, she can be reunited with her mother.]

I'm married to Don Antonio Gallo for ten years. My hands, which are originally meant to play the piano, have learned to assemble guns and take apart bombs for him. I was there with Antonio when he was just a lowly criminal, and I witnessed his entire journey to the summit, where he claimed the throne as the king of the underground casino. But right after Antonio becomes successful in life, he gets infatuated with a pure and innocent maiden from the slums. That maiden is Silvia Bianchi. She was delivered to Antonio's bed like cargo. A maiden like her is as pure as an angel, yet so delicate like porcelain. For the first time ever, Antonio, who's already used to bloodshed and violence, gets a taste of addiction. He's really good at hiding her presence. I only find out about it when I accidentally come across him and Silvia attending a prenatal checkup together. When I break down and demand an explanation from Antonio, he just hands over a divorce agreement nonchalantly. "Silvia doesn't have anyone to rely on, nor does she have a home to go back to. Once she has a proper title, she and her baby won't get bullied anymore. "If you sign this document, I'll give you 20% of my shares. Once Silvia gives birth to her baby, I'll make sure that the baby acknowledges you as their mother as well. Consider this my compensation to you." Of course, I can't accept it at all. I end up slapping Silvia on the face during her baby's first party. That night, my younger brother, Paolo Romano, gets crippled and strapped to the front of an armored truck. "This is the lesson you shall learn for hurting Silvia, Valentina!" I kneel on the ground and beg Antonio to stop. But the moment the engine starts, I feel Paolo's blood being sprayed all over my face. Sharp pain flares from my abdomen immediately. I can only clutch it while screaming hysterically before passing out. When I open my eyes again, I've returned to the day Antonio and Silvia are attending a prenatal checkup together. This time, I no longer ask Antonio any questions. Instead, I secretly sell all of the jewelry I've secretly kept and buy myself two plane tickets. Now, I just want to escape from Antonio with Paolo by my side.

After I came back to life, the first thing I did was hand that five-carat diamond ring—yes, the one my husband gave me—to his mother. The very woman who spent years picking me apart like it was her favorite pastime. In my last life, that ring was a custom New Year's gift. He paid a ridiculous amount for it. I actually thought it meant something. One afternoon, I was out shopping when I walked right into a bridal party taking pictures. The bride glanced at my hand, saw the ring, and her entire expression changed. She stormed over and slapped me, accusing me of being a shameless mistress trying to steal her man. I stood there, completely stunned. She was wearing the exact same ring. Before I could explain, her friends grabbed me. They dragged me aside, tore my clothes, hit me, and stomped on my hand until I couldn't move my fingers. They carved the word "mistress" into my face and paraded me through the street like some kind of public disgrace. I died there on the pavement. When my husband finally appeared, he didn't fight for me. He just signed off on a settlement, as if my life were nothing more than a piece of paperwork. Widowed that morning, married to the bride by nightfall. His mother instantly welcomed the new woman, all because she was pregnant. And then I opened my eyes again… back on the very day he first placed that diamond ring in my hand.

My husband finally keeps his promise to take me on a trip abroad after I've given birth to his child. However, he disappears the moment we get off the plane. I roam the foreign land alone, unable to reach him. Two hours later, I stumble upon his childhood sweetheart's social media update. It's a photo of her and my husband sweetly feeding each other ice cream. It's captioned, "Someone who cares about you has you in their heart wherever they are." After a long silence, I comment, "Now you can live in his heart forever." I walk away after leaving nothing but a divorce agreement behind. That's when my husband, who's always been cold and aloof, panics.

Nayla rela melepas segalanya—kenyamanan hidup, kemewahan keluarganya, bahkan status sosialnya—demi mendampingi pria yang ia cintai, Galan. Sejak awal, Nayla percaya bahwa cinta yang mereka miliki bisa menaklukkan dunia. Ia membantu Galan membangun bisnis dari nol, menjadi kekuatan di balik layar yang tak pernah diperhitungkan. Ia menjual asetnya, meninggalkan keluarganya, dan hidup hemat demi satu tujuan: melihat Galan sukses. Namun, ketika puncak kesuksesan itu akhirnya tercapai, Galan berubah. Lelaki yang dulu begitu bergantung padanya kini bersikap seolah Nayla tak pernah ada. Dengan mudahnya Galan menggandeng wanita lain—putri seorang pengusaha kaya—dan mencampakkan Nayla seakan ia hanya bayangan masa lalu yang memalukan. Hancur, dikhianati, dan dibuang tanpa perasaan, Nayla nyaris kehilangan arah. Tapi takdir punya cara mempertemukan kembali seorang wanita yang tersakiti dengan kekuatannya yang lama dilupakan. Nayla kembali ke pelukan keluarganya, yang ternyata adalah salah satu keluarga paling berpengaruh di negeri ini. Dulu ia memilih menjauh karena ingin membuktikan diri tanpa nama besar keluarganya. Kini, ia kembali dengan satu tujuan: **balas dendam.** Tak lagi menjadi wanita yang mudah ditindas, Nayla bangkit. Ia membangun kembali dirinya—lebih kuat, lebih berkelas, dan lebih berbahaya. Dengan kecerdasan, pengaruh, dan kekuasaan yang ia miliki, Nayla perlahan-lahan menghancurkan dunia yang dibangun Galan. Tapi di tengah pembalasan, Nayla dihadapkan pada dilema yang lebih besar. Di antara dendam dan luka lama, muncul pria lain yang mampu melihatnya sebagai wanita yang utuh—bukan bayangan masa lalu siapa pun. Namun, bisakah cinta baru tumbuh di atas puing-puing pengkhianatan? **“Aku mungkin bukan wanita pertama yang kau lihat saat kau mulai meraih sukses, Galan. Tapi aku adalah wanita terakhir yang akan kau sesali karena pernah kau tinggalkan.”**