Reading The World

I'm notoriously known for being a vile heiress in this city's elite circle. I do whatever I want just because my family is rich and powerful. If I don't like someone, I won't hesitate to slap them on the spot. If any family dares to offend me, I'll have my family terminate all contracts with that family's business. Everyone is terrified whenever they bring me up. But everything changes when my dad brings Gwen Herman, the low-income student he's been sponsoring, home with him. Suddenly, I can hear her inner thoughts. Gwen tells me that this world is actually a novel with a plot where everyone adores and dotes on the main character. Apparently, Gwen is the kind-hearted female lead loved by everyone, whereas I'm the evil side character who's destined to be humiliated at every turn. What a coincidence. I already found out about this fact ten years ago. I watch as Gwen cowers at the side delicately like some wounded angel who looks eerily similar to my dad. Meanwhile, my dad is awfully protective of her and goes as far as to be extremely mean to me to my face. That's when I begin chortling loudly. "Just because I call you 'Dad' doesn't mean you're really my father, my dear stepdad."

Lola and Bart are two best friends who have known each other for what seems like forever. The two experience loads of troubles in their individual love lives so they devise a plan to help each other find the perfect partner by going on a series of double dates with each other's colleagues, although, they are in love with each other but they hide their feelings.

What is obsession? Am I obsessed? At first, I was just his substitute, then I became his real bride, then the supposed real bride returned, and I was kidnapped, tortured, and forced to divorce. Then I committed suicide because I couldn’t handle it, but I didn’t fucking die. Then I became a stalker of my ex-husband, who barely remembers me because I was declared dead by the world, and my face got melted down when acid was poured on me. I had a surgery that changed my whole face and my entire identity. Then I started working for him again and he fell in love with the new me, yet still traumatized by the old me, so I had to reveal to him that I was the same person. He was happy and relieved, but the world wasn’t. We were chewed on, spat out, and stepped on. Then he was fired from his company by his grandmother, who adopted a new son to take over the company. Then I was kidnapped again, and bombs were planted on me. We were able to defuse the bomb and escape. Then we were shot in the head by God knows who. His surgery was successful, but mine wasn’t, so I forgot everything about him and was forbidden to remember because a damn bullet is stuck in my head that could kill me if it moves to a sensitive part of my brain. Then suddenly, he was on the TV, framed for murder. I couldn’t hold back, I found myself in prison fighting for him with a gun in my hand, and somehow ended up in a coma, because the damn bullet in my head shifted… to the wrong direction. Then, in between this chaos, the doctor announced I-was-pregnant.

At my son's tenth birthday, I unexpectedly gained the power to read minds. Standing before the candles, he made his wish. "I hope I score a hundred on my finals." Before I could commend his maturity, a second wish slammed into my ears. "I don't like Dad. I want Mr. Shaw to be my dad.'' My hands froze halfway through a clap.

"Mama keramas? Bukannya semalam Mama demam?" "Iya, Mama udah sembuh. Udah enakan karena semalam udah dikerik dan diiurut Gio." Ibu mertuaku tersenyum. "Kapan, Ma?" tanyaku heran. Semalam aku udah tidur dan saat aku bangun, Mas Gio, suamiku tidur begitu pulas. "Semalam, saat kamu tidur." Alasannya takut tidur sendirian di kamar yang besar, ibu mertuaku minta tidur bersamaku dan suami. Aneh banget, tapi itulah yang terjadi dalam rumah tanggaku saat ini.

“Kapan pulang, Mas?” “Apa aku harus menjawab pertanyaanmu itu??” Kalau boleh memilih takdir, aku ingin hidup sederhana saja asalkan setiap hari bisa bertemu dengan suami. Namun, penyesalan memang selalu datang terlambat. Mas Ares tidak akan pernah bisa pulang karena aku bukanlah rumahnya.

“Min, kalau di rumah tolong pakaiannya lebih sopan, ya. Di rumah kan ada Bapak sama mas Gema, kurang pantas kalau kamu pakai baju seperti itu," ujarku menegur Mina, asisten rumah tangga yang baru bekerja di rumahku dua bulan belakangan. Tidak bisa di pungkiri, tubuh ARTku itu memang padat berisi, sehingga menonjolkan beberapa bagian tubuhnya yang membuat mata laki-laki akan langsung menatap takjub pada kemolekannya. Tapi sebenarnya hal itu bisa diakali kalau saja Mina mengenakan baju yang lebih longgar dan sopan.  Disinilah awal mula kehancuran rumah tanggaku terjadi.

Riri dan Lili adalah saudara kembar identik. Hanya saja tubuh sang adik mengalami masalah kesehatan. Sehingga kedua orang tua lebih memprioritaskan Lili di atas segalanya. Hal itu yang membuat si bungsu menjadi egois dan merebut apapun yang dimiliki si sulung. Riri senantiasa sendirian dan kesepian. Puncak penderitaan yang harus dialami adalah ketika dia dipaksa menikah dengan Ansel, adik ipar sekaligus teman dan cinta pertama. Semua itu hanya untuk mempertahankan rumah tangga Ansel dan Lili. Lantaran Lili tidak bisa hamil.

"Aku dengannya baru satu jam menikah dan dia sudah berhasil membobolku." . "Kenapa menangis? Bukankah ini yang kamu mau? Setuju dinikahi berarti setuju ditiduri." Thalia, gadis lumpuh yang dipaksa untuk menikah dengan suami kakak tirinya lalu menjadi surrogate mother untuk bayi mereka--kakak tiri yang sangat dia benci. Ketidakberdayaan membuatnya tidak bisa menolak, namun diam-diam Thalia menyusun rencana untuk melawan dan menjadi musuh dalam selimut.

Aku terlahir tak diharapkan, hingga akhirnya aku tersisih. Langkah kakiku gontai dalam pelarian ke Ibu Kota, tanpa sanak tanpa saudara. Aku ingin sukses di Jakarta ini, agar kelak bisa kukatakan pada mereka, "Aku bisa berhasil tanpa kalian." Sayangnya, harapanku musnah saat aku justru dijebak seorang mucikari dan dipekerjakan olehnya sebagai wanita penghibur. Tak berhenti disitu, aku justru kenal dengan seorang pelanggan tampan yang semakin merubah tujuan awalku pergi ke Jakarta. "Kau memiliki istri, Mas Gelar?" "Ya, Bita, aku memiliki istri." "Lalu, kenapa kau memilih 'jajan' denganku?"