Ruby A Novel

On my way home from the night shift, a patient who held a grudge against my husband, the hospital director, forced half a bottle of pesticide down my throat. Terrified, I called my husband, Jasper Flint, for help. He rushed over and saved me. I survived by sheer luck. But tragically, his first love, Ruby Gray, died in a car accident on her way home that same night. After Ruby's funeral, Jasper carried on as if nothing had happened. I thought he had finally let her go. But on New Year's Eve, he poisoned our food, tied up my parents and me, and took us hostage. Through tears, I begged him to spare my parents. He killed them right in front of me. Their blood splashed across my face. "If you hadn't been so jealous of Ruby, if you hadn't pretended to drink pesticide just to lure me away, she never would've driven off like that. She'd still be alive!" he snarled. "How does it feel to watch your parents die? When Ruby died, what I felt was a thousand times worse than this! Since you like drinking pesticides so much, go ahead. Drink up!" Jasper forced my mouth open and poured the poison down my throat. I died in agony beside my parents' bodies. And then I opened my eyes—only to find myself reborn alongside Jasper. This time, Jasper chose to save his first love.

Ang araw na inakala ni Ruby na magiging pinakamasayang sandali ng kanyang buhay ay nauwi sa isang bangungot. Iniwan siya sa altar ng lalaking pinakamamahal niya—si Haven Davidson—walang paliwanag, walang mensahe, walang bakas. Sa loob ng maraming taon, tapat siyang naghintay. Kumapit sa pag-asa, sa pag-ibig, na unti-unting naging sugat sa puso. Hanggang sa dumating ang araw na nalaman niya ang katotohanan—at tuluyang gumuho ang kanyang paniniwala. Ang lahat ng paghihintay... ay nauwi sa wala. Ang pagmamahal niya... matagal nang namatay. Pagkalipas ng apat na taon, bumalik si Haven. Ngunit hindi yakap ang sumalubong sa kanya—kundi isang demanda ng diborsyo. At si Ruby? Nawala na lang na parang bula. Doon lamang napagtanto ni Haven: mahal pa rin niya si Ruby. Mahal na mahal. Ngunit huli na ba ang lahat? Sa pagitan ng pag-ibig at konsensya, determinado si Haven na hanapin si Ruby at itama ang lahat ng pagkakamali. Pero... maaari pa bang buhayin ang pusong matagal nang nawasak? Ano nga ba ang tunay na nangyari noon? At ano ang nagtulak kay Ruby para tuluyang lumayo at tapusin ang lahat?

My twin sister, Ruby Stone, and I split up after our parents' divorce. She stays with Mom, while I went with Dad. Since the divorce, he's sunk into a deep depression, gambling away every penny we have. We move into a dark, damp apartment, and life becomes an endless struggle. Every day, I go to school and quietly work a part-time job to keep us afloat. Then, out of nowhere, Ruby—whom I haven't heard from in forever—sends me a link to a live stream. "Check this out, Aria. There's a surprise waiting for you." I click it, and my jaw drops. I'm the one topping the trending live streams. The screen splits in two. On one side, I sit in my dingy apartment, hunched over homework under the dim light. On the other side, Mom and Dad cuddle with Ruby on the fancy couch of their sprawling villa. The comments came pouring in. "Let's see what happens when twins are raised on opposite sides of fortune all the way to 18." "Aria still doesn't know, right? Her parents never divorced. They're loaded and perfectly happy. Ruby's life has been like a dream too." "Poor Aria. She's always starving and never has anything decent to wear. Isn't that basically abuse?" "She's the more sensible one, so her parents decided to raise her poorly."

Kinan mengira pernikahan adalah tentang membangun rumah baru. Namun, setelah lima tahun bersama Aris, ia sadar dirinya hanyalah "penduduk kontrak" yang sewaktu-waktu bisa diabaikan. Aris adalah suami yang nyaris sempurna di mata orang lain—mapan, sopan, dan sangat berbakti pada ibunya. Namun di balik pintu kamar, bakti itu menjadi racun yang perlahan membunuh jiwa Kinan. ​Setiap tetes keringat Kinan untuk mengurus rumah dianggap kewajiban yang tak perlu diapresiasi, sementara setiap rengekan ibunya adalah titah raja yang tak boleh dibantah. Puncaknya adalah ketika Kinan menyadari bahwa di balik kemesraan fisik yang mereka lakukan tiap malam, Aris menyimpan rahasia besar: sebuah masa depan yang dirancang tanpa melibatkan namanya sedikit pun. Kinan bukan pendamping hidup, ia hanya fasilitas untuk mempermudah hidup Aris dan ibunya. ​Dihadapkan pada pilihan antara bertahan dalam kehampaan atau hancur untuk merdeka, Kinan mulai meracik "pembalasannya" sendiri—bukan dengan amarah yang meledak, tapi dengan kepergian yang paling sunyi.

+623867xxx ok: Suami lo di apartemen gue.    “Nara?” ketik Keisha pada pesan dari kontak baru yang masuk ke ponselnya.   +623867xxx: Yaps, pacar suami lo. Kasihan, lo tidur sendiri.   Keisha menghdia napas berat membaca pesan dari Nara. “Lagi?” gumamnya pelan. “Sampai kapan kamu mau seperti ini, mas?”    Tidak ingin terlihat lemah di mata Nara yang Keisha tahu adalah pacar Rendra—suaminya, Keisha membalas pesan Nara dengan tenang.   [ Ambil aja buat lo! ] Sent.   Hai, ini adalah kisah Keisha dan Narendra aka Mas Rendra.. Ikuti yah, sebangcat apa Mas Rendra di mata Keisha dan seberapa banyak rahasia yang Rendra simpan dari Keisha?  

Sebuah konspirasi berhasil menjebak Theodora ke dalam pernikahan dengan pria bernama Alexander Noah Smith, sepupu dari kekasihnya sendiri. Sebagai aksi balasan, perempuan itu kabur di tengah resepsi pernikahan mereka, mempermalukan sang mempelai pria di tengah sorotan wartawan dan kolega bisnisnya. Sayangnya, hanya dalam seminggu ia dipaksa kembali, karena ayahnya terkena serangan jantung. Sang suami gadungan tak meloloskan keinginannya untuk bercerai, sebab ia ingin membalas tindakan Theodora yang telah mencoreng mukanya di hadapan umum. Namun, bukan hukuman dari Xander yang Theodora takutkan. Gadis itu tak berani menghadapi perasaannya sendiri.

Cinta Pertama memiliki kesan yang sangat mendalam. Hal itu pun yang di rasakan oleh Seina Aluna Putri. Setelah tujuh tahun berpisah, Seina dipertemukan lagi dengan Darel Danu Atmaja, cinta pertama saat masih SMA. Namun, tujuh tahun berlalu tiba-tiba Seina di pertemukan lagi dengan Darel yang ternyata tetangga baru apartemennya. Sudah lama tak bertemu ternyata rasa cinta diantara keduanya pun masih tersimpan di hati masing-masing. Meski sama-sama memiliki tunangan, tak menyulutkan cinta terlarang di antara keduanya. Lantas, akankah Seina kembali dengan Darel, ataukah keduanya memilih untuk bertahan dengan pasangan masing-masing?

I thought he was my savior. I didn't know he was the heir to a blood empire that had been stalking me for months. The life of Ruby Lane, a reserved art restorer, is shattered the night she witnesses a mafia execution in the shadows of a prestigious gallery. But the man who "rescues" her is no fairy-tale hero. He is Nevan, a lethal mercenary with ice-blue eyes and a dark, dangerous fixation. After being kidnapped and locked away in an isolated cabin, Ruby discovers a terrifying truth: Nevan is no stranger. He has been her shadow long before that night, watching her every move, knowing her secrets and the dangerous legacy her father left behind. As an army of assassins closes in, Ruby is caught between a killer who wants her dead and a man who is not only her protector, but also the future head of a criminal syndicate that claims ownership over her. In this game of survival, the line between protection and possession is blurred, and the forbidden heat of Nevan's touch becomes more dangerous than any bullet. He was hired to protect her. He decided she belongs to him.

"Master, do you miss this apprentice?" Lips painted in bright red ticked up in a sharp smile. Her eyes were a pool of dark red, like a swirl of the finest wine. One jaded hand in his throat, nails slightly digging in the skin there, the other was on his cheek carefully caressing. The clashing of both gestures were confusing, but Rion's mind only provided one instinctual response; to run away as far as possible. ----- Rion Ren, one of the strongest sword masters in the world, had to make a difficult decision to hand over his apprentice, Ruby, to the Demon Master when Ruby's real identity as a descendant of Demon Sovereign was revealed. Three years later, Ruby who had successfully taken the reign of the Demon Realm, came back to take revenge on her master that had betrayed and abandoned her in the hand of cruel demons. Rion swore on his life as a sword master, he only wanted to protect those who were precious to him, but how did it manage to turn the whole world into chaos? How would Rion face his own apprentice in a battle between life and death?!

A century ago, the head of the powerful Gilbert family in the capital made a cruel remark: "A woman who can't bear sons is nothing but a hen that lays no eggs." His words provoked forces beyond his understanding, and brought a generational curse upon his bloodline. Since then, every Gilbert man has faced the same fate: on his 30th birthday, he begins to grow feathers and wings... until he fully transforms into a clucking, egg-laying hen. The only way to break the curse? Marry a girl born on a rare, fated date, the Cursebreaker. Both my sister, Ruby Larson, and I were born under that date. In my previous life, Sean Gilbert, the cursed heir to the Gilbert fortune, asked for Ruby's hand in marriage. To protect her, I took her place and married into the Gilbert family myself. However, Ruby thought I had betrayed her for money. She livestreamed her suicide. Sean never forgave me. From that day on, he despised me with everything he had.