Udang Tak Tahu Bungkuknya

Mulanya ia tak pernah pacaran. Ia tak ingin dikecewakan lelaki, seperti halnya sang mama. Namun, takdir berkata lain. Di usianya yang ke-26, untuk pertama kalinya ia jatuh cinta. Lelaki itu bernama Alex. Sayangnya, ia sudah beristri ....

My parents’ adoptive daughter took three kids hiking with her, and they ended up dead. They wanted me to take the blame for her. My father forced me to kneel before the families of the victims and crushed my calf with his hiking pole. “These were the legs she used to take your kids hiking. I’ll make sure she never gets to hike again.” My mother legally disowned me. “Jenny will be breaking hiking records one day. I won’t let anyone bring up her shameful sister when that happens! She’s sacrificed so much for you all these years, and it’s time you paid her back.” My boyfriend promised me, “Jenny has nothing. She would not survive if she had to endure all this, but at least you have me. I’ll be here for you no matter what happens. They’re just angry, but they won’t send you to jail. You can come home once everything settles down.” To defend the reputation of my adoptive sister, he and my parents worked together to falsify evidence and send me to jail. “It’s to protect you,” they promised, “so the families don’t take revenge on you.” They did not know I had already given up on them.

Ketika sedang membantu suami membersihkan laptopnya, aku tak sengaja membuka sebuah folder. Ada ribuan video vulgar di dalamnya. Pemeran utamanya adalah suami dan sahabat baikku. Setelah melahirkan, suamiku bilang ada masalah kesehatan pada tubuhnya, sehingga tidak bisa berhubungan intim. Jadi, dia tak pernah menyentuhku dan kami hanya menjalani cinta platonis selama empat puluh tahun. Aku menghabiskan sepanjang hidup dengan kerja keras, melahirkan dan membesarkan anak-anak. Pada akhirnya, semua ini ternyata adalah sebuah kebohongan besar.

Naila begitu percaya pada takdir. Baginya, takdir itu sebuah jalan dan dia akan melangkah pada jalannya. Perempuan berwajah manis ini hanyalah seorang pelayan warung. Meskipun begitu, semua lelaki yang dia kenal mengakui pesonanya, tak terkecuali seorang Ammad, lelaki berumur 40 tahun, seorang perantau yang terkenal setia dengan istri dan keluarganya. Akankah takdir menyatukan mereka atau malah memisahkan serta menghempaskan semua harapan?

"Dulu kita pernah berjanji untuk menua bersama, bukan?! dan kini Allah mewujudkan impian kita, tak mungkin Ibu akan mengingkari janji kita, aku yakin Bapak pasti juga seperti itu?! Imbuhku kembali memberi tekanan. Lelaki di hadapanku itu kini nampak manggut-manggut sembari menutupi rasa bersalah yang sangat kentara dari deru nafas tuanya. "Percayalah Pak, sejengkal pun tak akan pernah kulupakan apa yang telah Bapak perjuangkan demi kebahagiaan kita dan aku yakin Bapak pun pasti juga seperti itu. Bapak ingat, kala Bapak dikantor masih sebagai pegawai magang, seringkali kita menunda untuk pulang kampung hanya karena memilih untuk membeli susu Rama daripada untuk tranportasi? Bukan hanya itu, kita juga harus menekan kebutuhan kita demi cukupnya keperluan Rama yang saat itu masih bayi, Bapak ingat kan?!" Jelasku mencoba menekannya yang tanpa terasa juga menggiring derai air mata sendiri.

Samuel Curtez is the kind of man you'd walk past on the streets and look back to take another glance. He is everything you should fear and everything you should stay away from. At least, that was what Rose told herself until Her father sold her off to him to clear a broken debt. Roselle Grasso was firece as she was timid. She was water and He was fire. They should never cross paths, or one would have to succumb. But he has sworn to never love a woman. Again. But Rose would thaw his frozen heart and give him purpose.

Just because my sister, Yvonne Lindell, claims I swapped Grandma's medicine with sugar pellets and caused her death, Mom locks me inside the cremator. I kneel and beg, but Mom spits at me in disgust. "You wretched girl, stay still! You killed your grandma by secretly switching her medicine. Now go repent to her properly!" Dad hesitates, unable to bear it. "Maybe we should let her out. What if—" "What are you afraid of? Don't forget that she killed your mother! If we don't teach her a lesson this time, who knows who she'll kill next!" The voices outside the door gradually fade, and my heart sinks to the bottom. The flames slowly begin to lick at my body. In despair, I clutch Grandma's cold hand beside me. "Grandma, I'm sorry. I should've taken better care of your medicine. But I swear, I didn't replace it with sugar pellets. Maybe only in death, can I truly atone for this sin…"

"Apa? Saya harus menikahi anak Bapak?" Wajah tampan Liam seketika jadi merah padam, ketika orang yang menolongnya tiba-tiba meminta imbalan yang tak pernah dia bayangkan. Kepala Liam yang terasa berat dia tundukkan sejenak, mencerna dan memikirkan masak-masak perihal perjodohan sepihak yang ditujukan untuknya oleh orang yang terkapar tak berdaya karena telah menolongnya. Manik hitam Liam menoleh ke arah gadis lugu yang sedari tadi menunduk tak berani mengangkat wajahnya, apalagi menatap wajah judes yang sejak awal Liam tampilkan di depan Adistia. Sedangkan di sudut lain, ada Pak Latief yang makin terengah nafasnya seolah menunggu ajal datang. Sedih, kecewa, marah, kasihan bergemuruh jadi satu. Ketika harapan besar diserahkan Pak Latief di pundak Liam untuk menikahi putrinya. Lalu apakah Liam akan setuju dengan permintaan terakhir Pak Latief? sedang jauh di sana ada seorang wanita sudah yang menjadi tanggung jawabnya menanti kepulangannya.

Her mother-in-law forced her to cheat on her husband. The only condition so that her parents can be saved her husband's evil mother...

My husband forces me to donate my remaining kidney to his true love. He wants to save her from death by uremia. I try to tell him that I have kidney failure—I'll die if I donate my kidney. However, he roars, "Stop playing your jealous games when Shawna is so gravely ill! Don't you have a heart?" Under his forcefulness, I'm taken to the hospital to get my kidney removed. Ultimately, I die in a corner of the hospital.