The Lying Game Ruth Ware

Vivienne Duarte had spent her youth supporting her husband, pouring all her time and dreams into his ambitions. Married for years and neglecting her own life and career, she believed everything would be fine as long as she remained the dutiful wife. But she was wrong. She wasn’t enough. When Vivienne discovered her husband, Marco, was cheating on her with his first love, the same woman who had once left him for another man, her world shattered. And when she confronted him, Marco didn’t even deny it; instead, he coldly suggested a divorce, breaking her heart into a thousand pieces. Devastated and numb, Vivienne drowned her sorrows at a bar, where a single reckless night led her into the arms of a stranger. And by morning, she vanished without a trace. Five years later, she returned no longer the fragile woman she once was, but a brilliant, mysterious doctor with a new name and a heart hardened by betrayal. She came back for revenge. Yet fate dealt her a cruel twist, because the stranger from that night turned out to be Marco’s uncle… the very man who had been searching for her ever since. Now, Vivienne vows to stay away from him at all costs, for she has something that belongs to him, something he must never find out. But her plans spiral into chaos when Marco reappears, claiming the same thing as his own. Can Vivienne outsmart them both in this dangerous game of love, power, and vengeance, or will she become the pawn in their deadly game of chess?

The night of our engagement party, I found my best friend playing a dangerous game with my fiancé. The casino on our family's private yacht was where I found them. Clara was sitting on the lap of my fiancé, Killian, the Falcone family heir. Killian held a sharp family dagger, its tip snagging the thin strap of her dress. The blade traced a path along her collarbone. The slightest pressure would snap the silk. It was a dangerous, intimate scene. I stepped forward with a frown, but Killian just scoffed. "It's just a little game to liven things up, Principessa. Don't be so tense." Clara's eyes narrowed, her voice dripping with false sweetness. "We're just playing a traditional family game. The knife game. You don't mind, do you, sweetie?" I was about to speak, but Killian's expression hardened. "We just got engaged and you're already trying to control me?" So I said nothing. I just drew my custom pistol from its holster on my thigh. "So, it's a game," I said. "Then let's play for something real."

Jace Carter—hockey’s golden boy, my worst nightmare… and now my unwanted obsession. He’s arrogant, smug, and hotter than sin in skates. I told myself I’d never fall for a player like him, but one accidental kiss proves he’s more dangerous off the ice than on it. The problem? Jace doesn’t play fair. And I’m not sure if I want to win… or lose to him completely.

I transmigrated into a dating-sim otome game where I was supposed to romance a soft, fragile male lead. I had finally pushed him onto the bed and was just about to make my move when the long-missing system finally popped back online. [Host, I sent you to the wrong game. This is a horror game.] [The man you’re bullying right now is the horror game final boss.] I lifted my head and met a pair of blood-red eyes staring straight at me. My smile froze. “Um… you look a little tired. Maybe we should… continue this another day?” He smiled back, calm and terrifying. “I’m not tired. Go on.”

Lila is a struggling artist living in New York City who's just been commissioned to create a piece of art for a billionaire's private collection. When she meets the mysterious and charming billionaire, Alexander, she's immediately drawn to him, despite his reputation for being aloof and unapproachable. As Lila works on the project, she discovers that Alexander has a darker side, one that he tries to keep hidden from the public eye. He's been involved in some shady dealings, and Lila soon finds herself caught up in a dangerous game of power and lust. Despite her reservations, Lila can't resist Alexander's magnetic pull. They engage in a torrid affair, but the more she gets to know him, the more she realizes that there's something sinister about him. As their relationship deepens, Lila discovers that Alexander is involved in a dangerous game of cat-and-mouse with a rival billionaire. The stakes are high, and the tension is palpable as they navigate their way through the dangerous world of high finance and cutthroat business deals.

Aku harus melakukan sesuatu! Aku tidak mau mati untuk kedua kalinya! Gadis-gadis ini sangatlah berbahaya! "Se-sebenarnya aku sudah memiliki kekasih." Tolong kalian percaya kebohongan ini! "Aku merasa kau tengah berbohong saat ini." "Benar! Aku meragukan ucapanmu kau tahu?" "Apa... kau yakin?" Mereka semua menatapku dengan tatapan tak percaya. "Jika... kalian tak percaya akan aku mengenalkannya pada kalian..." Apa yang aku katakan? Siapa gadis yang akan aku kenalkan bodoh! Bagaimana kalau mereka ingin menemuinya! "Baiklah, aku tidak sabar untuk berkenalan dengannya."

She walked away from her cold, loveless marriage... only to discover she carried the one thing they would stop at nothing to claim. Alina Hart never imagined her life would become bound to the Vaughn dynasty, Atheria’s most powerful family, where legacy mattered more than love. To the Vaughn's, she was simply the bride chosen for Sebastian, a match arranged for convenience. And to Sebastian Vaughn himself, she was a responsibility he accepted out of duty, not desire. Until one night changed everything. The only night he ever dropped his guard, and the only night she believed they had a future. By morning, he called it a mistake. By evening, a betrayal had a name: Natasha Fairfax, the socialite his mother loved, ready to take the place Alina never really had. Alina left, vanishing into the town of Marlowe. She soon learned she hadn't just left a husband; she was pregnant with the heir the Vaughn's would one day come for. Six years later, she returns. She is no longer the discarded wife, but a strong woman with her own power, her own name... and a secret that could destroy their empire. The Vaughn's want their legacy. Sebastian wants the truth. Natasha still wants her place. Alina wants only one thing: to protect what is hers. Their dynasty demanded an heir... she became their reckoning.

Angela Bailey spent six years believing her marriage was built on love, only to discover her devoted husband was nothing more than a polished illusion. When she filed for divorce and asked her daughter to leave with her, the little girl clung to another woman’s hand and called her “Mom.” Donald Turner, cold and entitled, told her, “As long as you apologize to Nina, you can still live your high-society life.” Angela scoffed. “You might not even stay in high society yourself.” She walked out of the Turner household with nothing, determined to rebuild her life from the ground up. With her own talent and grit, she joined a new company and went head-to-head with her ex. Just when Donald realized his mistake and wanted her back, another man stepped into Angela’s life—someone who protected her openly, supported her quietly, and cherished her without hesitation. Donald regretted everything and wanted her back. He appeared with their daughter, eyes red as he pleaded, “I’ll give you the entire Turner family. Please love me and our daughter again.” The man beside Angela laughed. “The Turner family? That means nothing. Angela doesn’t need it. And as for a daughter…” He looked at Angela, and together they said, “We already have one.”

After Lunara Vespirin collapses from an overtime shift, she's shocked to find out that she has transmigrated into a beast world novel. It appears that the original villainess' father, a wandering beastkin named Caius Vespirin, has kidnapped five beastmates so that he can forcibly mate them to her. Right now, said beastmates are on the verge of dying after enduring the torment the villainess has unleashed on them. Soon, they will unleash their dark sides, resulting in the villainess, a.k.a Lunara, dying a terrible death. Lunara quickly comes up with a plan overnight, which involves her clinging to Caius for survival, seeing as he's the strongest beastkin ever. At the same time, she plans on dissolving the mate contracts with the beastmates and staying away from them forever. Using the pocket dimension, Lunara soon busies herself in gathering beast crystals, planting crops, and doing her best to survive in this alien world. But the way her beastmates look at her starts to get tinted by complex emotions. Emory Nagar, a snake beastkin, coils his tail around Lunara, his gaze deep and affectionate. "Luna, you can forget about dissolving my mate contract as long as I live and breathe." Galen Tideborn, a gorgeous merman, wraps his arms around Lunara's waist, his voice extremely enticing. "I'll sing for you all the time. Just don't abandon me, okay?" Levi Janvier, a lionfolk, lowers his prideful head before he begins nuzzling Lunara on the cheek. "I will give my life to you as long as you stay by my side, Lunara." Kieran Crimsworth, known for his seductive charms of a fox, murmurs into Lunara's ear, "I'll make you pay back double for what you did to me in the past, Lunara." The cold and aloof crane beastkin, Cyril Swift, looks down at Lunara coolly. "I don't care who you are or where you're from. You're the only mistress that I will ever have." Lunara is perplexed, to say the least. "Huh? I thought you all hate me because of forced mating! Why is it that you're unwilling to dissolve the mate contracts when it's time for us to do so?"

From a campus romance to marriage, Dominic Fleming had always believed he led a perfect life. His wife, Isabella Sinclair, was dazzlingly beautiful. Their daughter, Lilith, was sweet and obedient. Dominic sometimes told himself he must have been a saint in a past life to deserve such happiness. Everything began to change the moment Isabella's so-called "sworn brother," Alexander Grant, entered their lives. Alex's name appeared more and more often, and it crept into every corner of their marriage. For Lilith's sake, Dominic endured the strain again and again until the day of the accident. As he lay on the operating table with his life hanging by a thread, Isabella was not at his side—she was with Alexander instead. That was the moment Dominic's heart finally turned cold. So why did Isabella regret it? She knelt with Alexander, who likewise barely clung to life, and wept as she begged Dominic for forgiveness. "Dom, I know I was wrong. Let's get married again. I will make him kneel and beg you for forgiveness," Isabella said. "Scram," Dominic replied. Isabella nodded eagerly. "Fine. I will throw him out right now!" "Get the fuck out too!" Dominic barked.