Sad Story

The day before New Year's, my younger brother announced he was bringing his girlfriend home for dinner. Excited, I drove my new car to pick them up, taking my daughter along with me. However, as soon as his girlfriend got in the car, her face darkened. "Henry, you didn't tell me your sister was staying at your place—and with a kid!" she snapped. I frowned and was about to explain when my brother quickly interjected, "She's not staying. After dropping us off, she'll be heading to a hotel." Only then did his girlfriend's expression ease. I swallowed my discomfort and asked my brother what he was planning. He leaned in with a conspiratorial grin and said, "Sis, don't cause any trouble for me, okay? My girlfriend is the daughter of the Cromwell Group's CEO!" My eyes widened in shock. Was not the Cromwell Group the same company my ex-husband had just handed over to me as part of our divorce settlement?

On my 50th wedding anniversary, I took my worn, crumbling marriage certificate to City Hall to renew it. The clerk glanced at it—and froze. “This certificate is fake. Our records show you’ve never been married.” I stared. “Impossible. I’ve been married to Damien Slater for fifty years.” The clerk pulled up his file. “Well…Yes, Mr. Slater is married—but his wife’s name is Vanessa Grant.” Vanessa. His widowed sister-in-law. A military doctor who’d spent decades living among the troops. My hands shook as I returned home and confronted Damien. He didn’t even try to deny it. “I’ve treated you well all these years. Isn’t that enough? Vanessa is my true love. I only ever wanted her—our children, our life.” My son counseled me and said, “To spare your feelings, my parents kept it a secret their whole lives. You’re getting old now. What more do you want?” Only then did I learn the truth. The child I had raised with my own hands was never mine by blood. Decades ago, Vanessa and I gave birth on the same day. To ensure her child would grow up with intellect, privilege, and a future that I could provide, Damien switched our children. My own son? Damien drowned him in the pond the moment he drew breath. And I—fool that I was—raised Vanessa’s boy as my own. I even got him all the way to Claremont University. The truth broke me, and I collapsed. When I opened my eyes again—I was back. Back to the day I went into labor.

I'm an heiress who's been bound to a gossip system. Everyone reads my mind on my first day back home after being reunited with my family. "Mom sure has done a good job of maintaining her beauty. It's no wonder she became an OnlyFans streamer after divorcing Dad." My mother is about to berate me for something, but she pales and stops when she hears my thoughts. I glance at the fake heiress, who's weeping pitifully. "My, she's pregnant. Is it John's or Zach's?" My two brothers exchange odd looks. Then, my father arrives. I cluck my tongue. "Oh, it's Dad's."

Calvin and I had been married for seven years. While packing up some clothes, I found a cheap lighter in the pocket of his jacket. Everything he wore, from the inside out, had been carefully chosen by me to highlight his refined taste and status. However, in that girl’s Twitter photos, he looked like a college boy, dressed in cheap clothes and wearing a digital watch that cost only a few dollars while kissing her. Using a throwaway account, I casually liked the post and commented, "A perfect match." Then, I turned to Calvin and said, "How did I never realize you had such a thing for bargains?"

The new project was short on staff. Over everyone's objections, I pulled three former colleagues out of an overlooked department where they'd been warming the bench for years. The four of us became the project's core team. The bonus was generous, the workload light. They all said I was their lucky charm. Three months later, with delivery just around the corner, I passed the break room and overheard them talking. "The biggest credit for this project belongs to the three of us. Why should Chloe get an equal share of the bonus just because she recommended us? She barely did any real work." "Exactly. Let's talk to the director. We'll say all the core work was done by us, that she's not up to the task. We'll apply to have her removed from the contributors list." "Just thinking about not having to split those tens of thousands with her—it feels amazing." I pushed the door open. They stared at me, stunned. I smiled. They wanted to kick me out? Too bad. I was the director who parachuted in to evaluate them.

Carl Anderson doesn't show up for our engagement party. I finally find him in a bar's private room after night has fallen. "I only think of her as a sister. Who would've expected her to want to latch onto me like that? There's no way I'll marry her in this lifetime!" He downs his drink. Later, when he and Angela Moran get married, he tells his friends to stop me at the entrance. He's afraid I'll crash his wedding and ruin it. "Keep an eye on Iris, guys. Don't let her crash the wedding!" he says. As soon as the words are out of his mouth, I show up with Henry Moran. "Don't even dream of stepping in there, Iris!" Carl looks at me warily. "You're so rude! You have to call her Aunt Iris now!" Angela greets me warmly and leads me inside.

Devita, seorang gadis biasa yang harus menikah dengan seorang pria bangsawan (Andre) yang memiliki harta dan martabat setinggi langit. Tak ada yang mencintai Devita di lingkungan keluarga Andr, termasuk dari pihak keluarga Ibu dan Ayahnya Andre sendiri yang sengaja memang ingin memisahkan cinta kedua insan ini. Dapatkah Devita bertahan dengan keegoan yang dimiliki Andre serta keluarganya? Mampukah Devita mempertahankan pernikahan dalam kondisi sulit?

Lebih memilih tambatan hatinya dari pada dijodohkan oleh ayahnya, Renata Prameswari Robert seorang pengusaha muda sekaligus pewaris tunggal berusia 27 tahun itu, malah harus menelan pil pahit. Sang kekasih yang bernama Juan Xavier, seorang pria keturunan Brazil telah membuat hatinya hancur lebur dengan perselingkuhannya. Namun, siapa sangka justru pada saat itulah Renata bertemu dengan orang yang paling dia benci, Noval Sanjaya. Pertemuan antara Renata dan Noval malah membuat mereka harus bersama karena suatu kesepakatan. Apa yang akan terjadi dengan Renata ketika harus keluar dari sebuah perjodohan tapi malah harus menikah dengan laki-laki yang paling dia benci? Akankah benih-benih cinta itu akan tumbuh subur di antara Renata dan Noval? Bagaimana dengan Juan? Apakah dia akan kembali mengganggu hidup Renata?

Di dunia di mana darah lebih berharga dari cinta, Rafael De Luca tumbuh tanpa hati, pewaris kekuasaan yang dibangun dari kematian dan kebohongan. Hingga suatu malam, seorang saksi bernama Elena muncul dan mengguncang segalanya. Elena seharusnya mati, tetapi Rafael justru menunda peluru yang sudah siap di pelipisnya. Sejak itu, setiap senja menjadi saksi dari pertarungan yang tak pernah selesai, antara cinta dan kehancuran, antara nafsu dan luka yang tak bisa disembuhkan. Dalam istana yang megah namun dingin, cinta mereka tumbuh dari darah, dan berakhir dalam api yang sama yang menciptakannya. “Aku tak tahu apakah aku mencintaimu, atau hanya ingin melihatmu hancur bersamaku.”

Vivian tidak pernah tahu bahwa menikahi Maximilian Windsor akan menjadi mimpi paling buruk baginya. Setiap hari mendapat penyiksaan fisik dan batin membuat Vivian harus menahan trauma berat setiap saat. Sampai suatu masa dalam kehidupan yang begitu menyiksa, datanglah sosok pria yang mampu membangkitkan semangat Vivian untuk tetap hidup. Dia adalah River, pria lembut yang datang bagai sosok malaikat dan penyelamat, namun disamping itu pula akibat ketertarikan Max yang semakin menggila, sebuah kejadian tak terduga malah membuat Vivian harus mengandung benih dari pria yang paling dia benci selama hidupnya. Manakah yang akan dipilih? Apakah River pemenangnya ataukah Max sebagai ayah kandung anaknya? Kita akan menemukan jawabannya dalam kisah ini.