Novel & Cerita The Midnight Lie

They said love was supposed to be beautiful. They lied. Janelle Peters was sold to a man she fears… to pay a debt she never owed. Damian Cooper—ruthless billionaire, cold-hearted, untouchable—doesn’t believe in love. Only control. Their marriage is nothing but a contract. A year. One condition. No escape. But the deeper Janelle is pulled into his world of power and secrets, the more dangerous things become. Because Damian isn’t just hiding enemies… He’s hiding truths that could destroy her. And the closer she gets to him— the harder it becomes to tell if he’s her protector… or her greatest threat.

To take care of my paralyzed mother-in-law, I quit my job and spent three years as a full-time househusband. That day, after cleaning up her waste, I hid in the bathroom with a cigarette between my fingers and came across a post on my wife’s boss’ Instagram. [You’re meant to be with me in the end. Since that freeloader can’t give you happiness, let me take you to the paradise of Maldev.] Above the caption were two plane tickets. Someone commented below. [That homemaker husband of hers is definitely clinging onto her. After all, she’s his meal ticket.] The boss replied. [Don’t worry. Tonight she’ll go home and come clean. She’ll say the company was caught falsifying accounts and is facing massive fines, and that she might need to serve jail time. [To keep that guy from getting dragged into it, the only option is divorce. He’s as timid as a mouse and will take any chance to flee.] I stared at the screen, stunned, until the cigarette burned my fingers. Ten minutes later, my wife rushed home, panic written all over her face. She dropped her bag on the floor. “Honey, something’s gone wrong with the company’s finances. They’re accusing us of falsifying accounts. I was solely responsible for the accounts. I might need to serve 10 years in prison, plus fines of more than ten thousand dollars. “We need to sign the papers before they seize our house. I don’t want to drag you and mom into this.”

A fake engagement. A dying billionaire. A truth that could destroy them both. Eva Monroe is drowning in debt, desperate to save her ailing brother from loan sharks and hospital bills. When she’s offered a life-changing deal—to pose as the fiancée of terminally ill billionaire Cassian Vale—she takes it without asking questions. It was supposed to be temporary. A lie. Until he lives. The treatment works. Cassian survives. And now he wants Eva by his side—for real. To the world, they’re a power couple. To Cassian, she’s the only person who ever saw him as a man, not a wallet. But Eva is hiding more than just her heart. She’s not just a waitress. She’s the daughter of the man who tried to expose Cassian’s corrupt company—and paid with his life. Now the same empire that saved Cassian is hunting her. When the truth explodes, Cassian must choose: Protect the woman who lied to him… Or save the legacy that nearly killed him. One built an empire of lies. The other holds the truth that could burn it all down. And love? It may not survive either. ---  

Ava Sinclair had two rules for her dream New Year's cruise: no heartbreak and no impulsive flings. But when she catches her boyfriend cheating and a charming stranger, Ryan Carter, offers a deal she can't refuse, pretend to be his girlfriend in exchange for revenge. Her carefully laid plans are tossed overboard. What started as a harmless charade turned into a whirlwind night of passion. But when the cruise ends, Ava and Ryan return to their lives, leaving their connection behind. Ryan showed up months later needing Ava's help to maintain a facade for an Important business deal. Ava agreed again despite her better judgment only to find herself thrust into the spotlight when their photos went viral, branding her as Ryan's girlfriend to the world. Caught between her desires to stay out of the limelight and her undeniable feelings for Ryan. Ava must confront the truth: was their connection always just an act or is there something real worth fighting for?

The night before our wedding anniversary party, my husband—Harvey Clarke—receives constant calls from his first love, Cassie Moss. He responds by holding me closer, and I ask, "Aren't you going to pick up? What if it's urgent?" He firmly shakes his head and says he has already moved on. But when he receives news of her at the party, he breaks down right there and then, oblivious to the room of staring guests. When he tries to leave, I stop him in a panic, but he turns to me with a pure look of disgust. "Cassie's dead. Happy now?" The words hit me like a lightning bolt.

I always thought my husband, Ryder, was forced to marry me. For six months, he wouldn't touch me. I tried everything. I wore my sexiest lingerie. I guided his hands over my burning skin. I could feel how hard he was, completely out of control. But at the last second, he'd always push me away, gasping. He'd finish me with his fingers instead. My hope died. I decided to leave him. I was ready to accept a top dog trainer position in Europe. The night before I planned to hand him the divorce papers, I heard voices from his study. Ryder, talking to his best friends. "Ryder, you're dying for her, man. So why won't you touch her? Another man's going to snatch her up!" "But she's so fragile..." Ryder's deep voice was filled with pain. "You know... I'm a monster. If she sees what I really am... it will terrify her." His voice dropped to a raw whisper. "If she really needs... comfort... from another man... I can take it. As long as she comes home to me in the end." His friend growled. "Stop! Then maybe stop posting on that encrypted dark web forum, asking for help!" Monster? What did that mean? Late that night, I used his computer. I found a hidden forum called "The Den." A pinned post at the top. Thousands of replies. User ID: Midnight_Howler. One sentence. Dripping with desperation and frantic obsession: "I finally married the girl I've loved for years, but I'm terrified to touch her. How can I survive my rut without hurting her, without her discovering my secret?"

Because of a last-minute business trip, my husband missed the Thanksgiving family dinner. I spent the entire day helping out at my in-laws' place in the countryside with our five-year-old son, only to receive a complaint from the downstairs neighbor just before dinner. "Ari, could you please close your kitchen window when you're cooking? I can smell the hot sauce from all the way here. My husband has a lung condition—he can't handle it." My neighbor's words shocked me, and I immediately called my husband, who was allergic to chili peppers. "Honey, did someone break into the house? The neighbor said there was smoke coming from the kitchen." His breathing hitched for a second before he let out a casual laugh. "No break-in. My flight got canceled, so I was home alone cooking. When are you two coming back? I really miss you." I smiled and told him we'd stay a couple more days, but in the middle of the night, I packed up our son and drove straight home.

“You are my step-sister and I want you to be my girlfriend.”A Christmas luxury cruise was supposed to be Sabrina’s dream getaway, not a nightmare come true. First, she catches her boyfriend cheating. Then, in a moment of heartbreak-fueled spontaneity, she shares a steamy, unforgettable night with a mysterious stranger.But the real shocker? That stranger is Blaze—the soon-to-be stepbrother she didn’t know she had. And he has a tempting offer: a fake relationship for the rest of the cruise to help Sabrina get revenge on her ex and give Blaze a convenient cover to avoid family drama.

My younger sister, Celine Lowen, always goes home with her boyfriend, Jeffrey Burton. The thing is, she never uses any contraception when it comes to physical intimacy. When I ask her for the reason, that's when I find out that she gets her back entrance pounded all the time. I tell her that her anal region is very vulnerable, and that it's easy for her to pick up STDs if she keeps using it. In the modern times, everyone is very open-minded about physical intimacy. The one who truly loves Celine won't care about her virginity or lack of. Celine takes my advice very seriously. Later on, after she breaks up with Jeffrey, our mom introduces her to a rich scion named Gabriel Tate. On their wedding night, Gabriel gets into a fight with Celine simply because she doesn't shed any blood during their consummation. The next day, everyone knows about this incident. Feeling very humiliated, Celine pins the blame on me. She dunks my head into a pot of boiling water, her expression already twisted into one of ruthlessness and violence. "This is all your fault! I'd definitely be a rich wife by now if I were still a virgin! No one would make fun of me at all!" When I open my eyes again, I've returned to the day Celine tells me she doesn't use any contraception at all.

I was six months pregnant when my husband's childhood sweetheart showed up on Christmas Eve, pregnant too, demanding her place in his life. Smiling, I welcomed her in. "Come on in. Make yourself at home." In my previous life, I had forced my husband to kick Shirley out. She collapsed from low blood sugar and froze to death that very Christmas Eve. Matthew did not hold it against me. On the contrary, he softened, stayed by my side and took care of me while I waited to give birth. However, when the baby came, despite being an obstetrician himself, Matthew sent our healthy newborn son straight to the morgue. I begged him desperately, but his face was twisted with hatred. "If you hadn't been so petty and dramatic, Shirley wouldn't have died along with her baby!" "You're heartbroken over your son? Then go freeze to death too. Pay for Shirley’s life with your own life." Just like that, I opened my eyes again, back to the moment Shirley arrived on Christmas Eve.