Punching Bag With Stand

She had it all—beauty, wealth, and the love of her powerful family. Raised in the lap of luxury, she never questioned the world around her, nor did she imagine the cruelty it could harbor. Her life was a fairytale until she made one unforgivable mistake: she gave her heart to the wrong man. He was nothing like the men from her world—no money, no status, and certainly no respect for her. Yet, his cold indifference lured her in, and she loved him with everything she had, only to find him in bed with her best friend. Betrayed by her lover and best friend, she faces ruin, until a surprising offer comes from the one man she despises—the arrogant playboy who never missed a chance to mock her: a contract marriage, not for love but revenge. As their game of pride and power begins, she discovers there may be more behind his cold exterior—and perhaps, a chance at something real.

On my birthday, I go out to eat with my family. I make a wish, hoping that we will always stay happily together. When I open my eyes, I see my son, Luigi Marino, holding up his tablet. On the screen, a line of text reads, "Dad, Maria says she's pregnant with your baby. Am I going to get a new mom?" Giovanni Marino is busy taking pictures of me with a Polaroid. He glances at the screen casually before writing a reply on the back of the photo. "No. I made a promise with your mom. If either of us betrays the other, we will have to disappear from the other's life forever. I can't live without your mom. So, you have to help me keep this from her. Even if Maria's baby is born, they will never appear in front of your mom." After writing that, he looks at me and asks in a gentle voice, "What's wrong, my love? Why are your eyes red? Did the smoke from the candles irritate them?" My tears are about to fall, but I force a smile and reply, "I'm fine. The birthday gift you all prepared for me is wonderful. I'm so touched that I can't help but cry." He doesn't know that my dyslexia was cured a week ago. It seems I no longer have to hesitate about the job offer from a well-known international nonprofit that teaches children with dyslexia how to read. The paperwork will be done in seven days. When that time comes, I will disappear from their world completely.

Ruby adalah gadis zaman milenial yang tidak sengaja menempati tubuh orang di masa lalu yang bernama sama sepertinya. Dan saat menjalani kehidupan barunya, Ruby tidak kuat. Ia ingin bebas dari rasa sakit yang membelenggu dan merenggut jiwa sang pemilik tubuh. Namun, di tengah rencananya Ruby dilema. Ia bimbang akan perasaannya sendiri. Entah ini perasaan murni miliknya, atau memang milik tubuh yang ia tempati sekarang.

Dokter mengatakan, tanpa terapi sel terbaru, aku hanya bisa hidup selama 72 jam. Namun, Tommy Harper memberikan satu-satunya kuota pengobatan itu kepada Anna Wilson. "Gagal ginjalnya lebih parah," ujar Tommy. Aku mengangguk, lalu menelan pil putih yang akan mempercepat kematianku. Dalam sisa waktu itu, aku melakukan banyak hal. Saat penandatanganan, tangan pengacara gemetar. "Saham senilai empat triliun ini, Anda benar-benar akan mengalihkan semuanya?" Aku menjawab, "Ya, berikan pada Anna." Putriku, Clarisa, tertawa bahagia dalam pelukan Anna. "Ibu Anna membelikanku gaun baru!" "Bagus sekali, nanti dengarkan perkataan Ibu Anna, ya," ujarku. Galeri seni yang kudirikan dengan tanganku sendiri, berganti nama menjadi milik Anna. "Kakak, kamu terlalu baik," ujarnya sambil menangis. Aku menjawab, "Kamu akan mengelolanya lebih baik dariku." Bahkan aku telah menyerahkan hak atas dana perwalian orang tuaku. Tommy akhirnya menampilkan senyuman tulus pertamanya selama bertahun-tahun. "Sofie, kamu sudah berubah. Kamu nggak lagi galak. Kamu yang seperti ini, sungguh cantik." Benar, aku yang sekarat ini akhirnya menjadi Sofie Barnes yang sempurna di mata mereka. Sofie yang patuh, dermawan, dan tidak pernah membantah. Hitungan mundur 72 jam telah dimulai. Aku sangat penasaran, ketika detak jantungku berhenti, apa yang akan mereka ingat tentangku? Apakah aku akan diingat sebagai istri baik yang akhirnya belajar melepaskan, atau sebagai seorang wanita yang menyelesaikan balas dendamnya dengan kematian?

After my husband cheats, my relatives advise me to be tolerant and forgiving. Why? Because my husband's mistress is pregnant, and I'm infertile. Even his parents hurry to our house in the middle of the night to say, "Don't worry—we won't let that woman step foot in this house. Once she gives birth, the child will be yours." Is that so? I sneer as I look at a medical report. Perhaps the child will have something to do with me, but it definitely won't have anything to do with my husband.

According to company policy, anyone who achieves the feat of being the top salesperson for three years in a row will receive a thousand-square-foot apartment as a bonus. To achieve this goal, I work day and night, chasing every order I can find. But once I finally meet the criteria, I'm told that the policy has been abolished. Saul Hurst, my direct superior, brushes me off with a bonus of 500 dollars instead. Smirking at me, he says, "Being good at sales is all well and good, but you still need to improve your understanding of the company's rules and values. "Young people need to stay humble and know their place. Don't keep trying to show off. It isn't good to constantly hog the spotlight." I don't lose my temper. Instead, I manage to stay unusually calm as I took the "massive bonus" I got in exchange for three years of hard work. Two days later, our company headquarters conducts its annual sales evaluation. When one of our clients offers me a sales deal worth eight million dollars, I turn it down on the spot. After all, I believe that part of what it means to be professional is to do as my superior says. Since I'm supposed to stay humble and know my place, I've chosen to keep a low profile and not do anything that puts me under the spotlight. Besides, even if our branch fails to meet the total sales target, I'm not the one who's going to be held accountable for that.

Si Eloisa Ferrer, isang babaeng malapit nang ikasal sa kanyang boyfriend na si Khalil. Nagkaroon ng isang hindi inaasahang pangyayari sa hotel kung saan sila magkakasal. Nang dumating si Eloisa sa hotel, natagpuan niya ang kanyang fiancé na nakayakap at nakikiapid sa kanyang assistant na si Samantha. Lubos na nagulat at nalungkot si Eloisa sa nakita niya. Dahil dito, nagdesisyon siya na kanselahin ang kanilang kasal. Marami pang mga detalye ang hindi alam ni Eloisa tungkol sa nangyari at kung bakit nangyari ang ganitong sitwasyon. Kaya tinawagan ni Eloisa ang kanyang secretary at pinacancel ang kanilang kasal.

"Anong dahilan ito ng pakikipaghiwalay mo?" tanong ni Zeus kay Maureen, "hindi kita mapaligaya sa kama? anong kalokohan ito?" "Totoo naman, hindi mo ako mapaligaya sa kama. Uuwi ka ng bahay, matapos ang ilang linggo mong pagkawala, tapos, lalayasan mo ulit ako pagkatapos. Kaya tama yang nababasa mo, hindi mo nameet ang standards na gusto ko!" sagot ni Maureen sa lalaki. "Talaga ba? Ilan ang gusto mo? makapito tayo sa isang gabi? Sige, humanda ka sa akin pag uwi---" hindi na nito naituloy ang sinasabi dahil agad niya itong sinagot. "Sino namang may sabing uuwian pa kita? ano ako, baliw?" kaagad pinutol ni Maureen ang tawag na iyon. Alam niyang galit na galit ito sa kanya. Subalit pagod na siyang habulin ang lalaki, gayong ang trato nito sa kanya ay isang basura! Tapos na ang pagiging masunurin niyang asawa. Sinayang lang nito ang pagmamahal niya. Paglipas ng panahon, naging isa siyang successful na fashion designer. Napapalibutan na siya ng mga bata at gwapong kalalakihan. Madalas niyang nakakasalamuha sa mga events ang dati niyang asawa. Minsan, kinorner siya nito sa sulok saka hinalikan. "Maureen, mahalin mo ulit ako, please.." pakiusap nito. "Gaya ng dati. Handa akong magpaalipin sayo, balikan mo lang ako."

On our sixth wedding anniversary, my cheeks burn as I dodge my husband, Ethan Grant, leaning in for a hungry kiss. I push him toward the nightstand for a rubber. What he doesn't know is that I've tucked a surprise in there, a positive pregnancy test. I can already see it, the way his whole face will light up the second he finds it. But the moment his hand goes for the drawer, his phone goes off. His best friend, Henry Miller, comes on the line in Danish. "Mr. Grant, how was last night? That new love couch our company rolled out is treating you okay?" Ethan lets out a low laugh and answers in Danish, "The massage feature's great. Saves me from having to rub Sandy's back myself." He still has me pulled tight against him, but his eyes look straight through me, like he's seeing someone else. "This stays between us. If my wife ever finds out I slept with her sister, I'm done." It feels like someone just put a knife through my chest. What they don't know is that I minored in Danish in college, so I catch every single word. I force myself to stay calm, but the arms I have looped around Ethan's neck won't stop shaking. At that moment, I stop hesitating and decide I'll take the offer from that international research project. Three days from now, I'll be gone from Ethan's world for good.

Sekelompok tamu tak diundang tiba-tiba muncul di pemakaman kerabat. Wanita yang memimpin kelompok itu mengaku sebagai pacar suamiku, ingin menghukumku yang dianggapnya sebagai simpanan. Demi menghormati pemakaman keluarga, aku tidak ingin memperpanjang masalah. Aku hanya menasihatinya untuk menunggu sampai pemakaman selesai. Siapa sangka, dia tiba-tiba bertindak kasar dengan memerintahkan orang-orang untuk merobek semua pakaianku. Kerabat di sekitarku hanya berdiri, menonton tanpa melakukan apa-apa, menyaksikan semuanya dengan tatapan dingin. Aku bertepuk tangan, berdiri, lalu mengarahkan dia untuk berdiri di dekat guci abu. "Guci abu ibuku ini juga dibeli oleh pacarmu, harganya hampir 20 miliar!" Simpanan itu benar-benar marah, lalu berteriak sambil menghancurkan guci abu itu hingga pecah berkeping-keping. "Kalian memang keluarga yang nggak tahu malu. Jangan harap dapat satu sen pun dari pacarku bahkan setelah mati!" Dia tidak tahu bahwa yang aku maksud dengan "Ibu" adalah ibu dari suamiku, yaitu ibu mertuaku. Yang dia rusak adalah guci abu dari ibu mertuaku, sementara ini adalah pemakaman ibu mertuaku.