Novel-novel oleh Nayko Ayasame

“It’s still her.” Three words. That was all it took for the carefully constructed world of my last five years to shatter into dust at my feet. Zane didn’t even have the decency to look away as he said it. For twenty years, I had been the third wheel. The reliable shadow to Jovienne’s brilliant sun. I had buried my own feelings for Zane so deep I almost forgot they existed, only daring to dig them up and confess them after Jovi had left the country and broken his heart. We built a life. A marriage. I truly believed, in my foolish, hopeful heart, that it was my happy ending. Now Jovienne was back, and the illusion was gone. The love of my life saw me only as a consolation prize. As my world collapses, the last person I expect comfort from is her husband—a man as cold and polished as he is powerful. Vance sees the same betrayal in my eyes that he sees in his wife's. Leaning in, his voice a dangerous whisper, he proposed the unthinkable: "They are living in the past. Let's be each other's revenge. What do you say, Nerissa?" I should avoid at all costs. It was a game that could burn our broken worlds to the ground. But as I looked into his eyes and saw the same raw, humiliating betrayal reflected back at me, the answer poised on my lips wasn't "no." It was a terrifying, thrilling question. “What,” I whispered, my voice steadier than I felt, “did you have in mind?”

„Sie ist es immer noch.“ Drei Worte. Mehr brauchte es nicht, um die Welt zu zerstören, die ich mir in den letzten fünf Jahren so mühsam aufgebaut hatte. Zane sah mir nicht einmal aus. Ohne Zögern sprach er die Wahrheit aus. Zwanzig Jahre lang war ich nur die Dritte. Der unscheinbare Schatten neben Joviennes strahlendem Licht. Meine Gefühle für Zane hatte ich so tief begraben, dass ich selbst fast vergessen hatte, dass sie existierten. Erst nachdem Jovi das Land verlassen und ihm das Herz gebrochen hatte, fasste ich den Mut, ihm meine Liebe zu gestehen. Wir bauten uns ein gemeinsames Leben auf. Wir heirateten. Und ich glaubte wirklich – naiv und voller Hoffnung –, endlich mein Happy End gefunden zu haben. Doch dann kehrte Jovienne zurück. Mit einem einzigen Augenblick zerplatzte meine ganze Illusion. Der Mann, den ich mehr liebte als mein eigenes Leben, hatte mich nie als seine erste Wahl gesehen. Ich war nur sein Trostpreis. Als meine Welt in Trümmern lag, rechnete ich am wenigsten mit Trost von ihrem Ehemann. Vance. Ein mächtiger CEO. Kühl, kontrolliert und unnahbar. Doch in seinen Augen erkannte ich denselben Verrat, der auch mein Herz zerrissen hatte. Er trat einen Schritt näher. Seine tiefe Stimme war kaum mehr als ein gefährliches Flüstern. „Sie leben beide in der Vergangenheit. Lass uns ihre Rache werden. Was meinst du, Nerissa?“ Ich hätte sofort Nein sagen sollen. Dieses Spiel konnte uns beide vernichten. Doch als ich in seine Augen blickte und denselben Schmerz, dieselbe Demütigung darin sah, blieb mir das Wort im Hals stecken. Stattdessen stellte ich die einzige Frage, die mir noch einfiel. „...Und was genau schwebt dir vor?“

Yerin had always been a cold and self-centered woman, preferring to keep her distance from others. She believed emotions were a trap, something she could easily avoid. Her life was structured, predictable, and safe from the chaos of human entanglements. However, all this began to change when Elliot, her first love from high school, appeared at her workplace. Twelve years prior, Yerin had been a silent observer, watching Elliot from the shadows, captivated by his charm and warmth. She yearned for more than just friendship, but her timid nature kept her from expressing her feelings. Instead, she treasured the moments they shared as friends and buried her hopes deep within her heart. The unexpected reunion with Elliot stirred emotions Yue thought she had long buried. Their friendship rekindled, and Yerin found herself hoping once again for something beyond friendship. However, her hopes were dashed by the appearance of Hazel, Elliot's ex-girlfriend. Hazel and Elliot had a tumultuous yet enduring romance since college, a cycle of breaking up and reuniting that seemed unbreakable even after 7 years. Yerin realized she was on the outside looking in, and it seemed impossible for her to enter Elliot's heart when Hazel occupied such a significant space in it. Jayden, a handsome and charming man who was also Hazel's childhood friend suddenly approach her. With his keen perception, quickly caught on to Yue's secret, long-lasting crush on Elliot. Then, with a perceptiveness that caught her off guard, he quietly remarked, "I noticed the way you look at Elliot. You care about him a lot, don't you?" He offered a surprising proposition: for Yue to join him in becoming a third wheel in Hazel and Elliot's relationship.

"Aku masih mencintainya" Tiga kata. Hanya itu yang diperlukan untuk menghancurkan dunia yang telah kubangun dengan susah payah selama lima tahun terakhir hingga berkeping-keping di kakiku. Zane bahkan tidak punya cukup hati untuk mengalihkan pandangan saat mengatakannya. Selama dua puluh tahun, akulah orang ketiga. Bayangan setia bagi matahari Jovienne yang cemerlang. Aku telah mengubur perasaanku sendiri pada Zane begitu dalam hingga hampir lupa bahwa perasaan itu pernah ada, dan hanya berani menggalinya kembali lalu mengungkapkannya setelah Jovi pergi ke luar negeri dan menghancurkan hatinya. Kami membangun sebuah kehidupan. Sebuah pernikahan. Dengan hati bodohku yang penuh harapan, aku sungguh percaya bahwa itu adalah akhir bahagia untukku. Sekarang Jovienne telah kembali, dan ilusi itu pun lenyap. Cinta dalam hidupku memandangku tak lebih dari sekadar hadiah hiburan. Saat duniaku runtuh, orang terakhir yang kuharapkan memberiku penghiburan adalah suaminya - pria yang sedingin dan sehalus penampilannya, sekaligus sekuat pengaruhnya. Vance melihat pengkhianatan yang sama di mataku seperti yang ia lihat dari istrinya. Sambil mencondongkan tubuh, dengan suara lirih yang berbahaya, ia mengajukan sesuatu yang tak terpikirkan: "Mereka hidup di masa lalu. Mari menjadi balas dendam bagi satu sama lain. Bagaimana, Nerissa?" Seharusnya aku menghindarinya bagaimanapun caranya. Ini adalah permainan yang bisa membakar dunia kami yang telah hancur hingga menjadi abu. Namun saat aku menatap matanya dan melihat pengkhianatan yang sama - telanjang dan memalukan - terpantul kembali kepadaku, jawaban yang tertahan di bibirku bukanlah "tidak." Melainkan sebuah pertanyaan yang mengerikan sekaligus mendebarkan. "Apa," bisikku, suaraku lebih mantap daripada yang kurasakan, "yang ada dalam pikiranmu?"

First love is supposed to fade. Yours became an obsession. Liam Thorne was everything to you—his warmth, his kindness, his adorable quirks. You risked it all and confessed, only for him to break your heart with three devastating words: "This is my girlfriend." Ten years later, you've painstakingly rebuilt your life, securing a prestigious job at the Aethelgard Corporation in the gleaming city of Aethelburg. But on your first day, your past walks through the door. There he is, your first love, now your cold, demanding boss who treats you like a total stranger. Blinded by a decade of pain, you unleash your fury on him… until a shocking revelation changes everything. The man in front of you isn't Liam. He's his older brother, and your fresh start just became a beautiful, complicated nightmare.

She belongs to a wolf. She's married to the hunter. To the world, Elira Malven is the villainess who stole a princess's betrothed. But her gilded marriage to the legendary war hero, Kael Rennar, is a cage, and her husband has a deadly secret: he is a Wolfhunter, the sworn enemy of her kind. “Why?” The word was a crack in her composure. “Why did you push for this marriage? What do you want from me?” He didn’t turn. A faint, hollow smile touched his lips. “I don’t know why I insisted,” his voice was barely a breath. “I don’t know why I didn’t kill you the moment I suspected what you are.” Her only hope seems to lie with Thane, her true mate, whose touch awakens a primal bond in a dusty library. But he is the one who shattered her heart. “Then why leave?” she asked, raw and painful. “After I begged you—” “Because I was protecting you!” The words tore from him. “You were nobility. The Wolfkiller's wife. And I— I was nobody.” Torn between a hunter haunted by his mercy and a mate haunted by his sacrifice, Elira must choose: remain in a marriage built on a tragic mystery, or risk a love that demands a price neither of them may survive.