"Enough!"Her hand lifted as a sign that she no longer wanted to hear any excuses. She grabbed the haphazardly placed shoulder bag on the table, then walked away without looking back at her interlocutor. Her steps were brisk as she headed towards the visitor cafe's parking area, where her beloved automatic blue motorbike patiently awaited with its white-striped design and Bugs Bunny sticker.Yes, only the blue automatic motorcycle with the cherished Bugs Bunny sticker faithfully awaited her, never thoughts of infidelity or deceit. It was the only companion accompanying her wherever she went without demanding elegance or a beautiful dress with high heels."Celine!" the man she left behind in the cafe shouted."Celine, wait!" Since Celine showed no intention of turning, the man called her name again, hurrying to catch up with the girl.Celine held back the tears with all her might, not wanting them to spill now. Not now, she thought. She couldn't afford to appear weak in front of that j
She saw her mother walking toward the door, where Gina held her."Back home already? Why so late? Overtime, huh?" Her mother bombarded her with questions, worried that Celine was coming home late due to meeting Leo after work."Um... yes, Mom. Just a little overtime, chasing the targets," she lied."Seems like Celine just cried, Mom," Gina added, observing her sister.Celine shook her head vigorously and quickly replied, "No, Mom. It's just that I opened the helmet visor, and a bit of dust got in my eyes."Gina and her mother exchanged glances without suspicion. Celine was too introverted to be open about her problems, even to her mother. She left her naughty sister, who was still nodding knowingly. There was a slight sense of guilt in her heart for lying. But what can she say? She didn't want her mother to know the actual situation.She hurriedly went to her room. It was the safest place to pour out all the heaviness in her chest. She threw herself onto the bed with a Bugs Bunny-them
Celine Andrews is what her father named his firstborn. She was born on July 11, 1996, during the beautiful twilight on the western horizon. She was born after her mother endured the pains of contractions since dawn at a nearby midwife clinic.Firstborns are always a special surprise. Back then, there weren't widespread ultrasound examinations to determine the baby's gender. However, the elders in the family, her maternal grandmother in particular, believed in predicting the baby's gender based on the signs exhibited by the pregnant mother.At that time, Celine's maternal grandmother believed their future grandchild was a boy. Consequently, the family prepared a name for a boy. But, when the baby was born, it turned out to be a girl. With little planning about the character, her father quickly decided."Let's name her Celine; what do you think, Dear?" Mr Felix suggested to his wife while cradling the tiny baby. He was enchanted by the hues of the sunset that infiltrated through the win
"Celine, please come to my office for a moment?" Mrs. Jane, the Head of Department, approached her desk a few minutes after the start of work.Celine, who had just started arranging the shoe materials from the preparation department to be checked and then deposited to the sewing department, looked up and replied, "Sorry, Ma'am. Can I call Kylie to continue checking this material first? Because today it have to enter the sewing job line."Line is a term for the division of the sewing department because of the shape of the work team, which is lined up lengthwise. Mrs Jane nodded as she said she was expecting Celine soon."Yes, Ma'am. I'll follow you right away."She hurried towards the sewing department room and called Kylie, one of the Line members who often filled in for her when Celine was assigned to another department or helped her when multiple jobs came up. Celine was overwhelmed by checking alone."There, Kylie! The boss came calling." A person Celine later found out was named E
"Where are you, Kylie?" Celine briefly supervised Kylie's work at the materials check table, which she usually occupied. Kylie looked up briefly and answered smoothly as she refocused on the shoe materials she was arranging by series. "I only have sizes 37 and 36 left. Tomorrow, I can finish and help Eva with her new job.""Sip, you're my favourite," Celine said as she pinched Kylie's arm anxiously. Kylie, who has an adorable chubby body with fair skin and curly hair that is always put in a bun, pouted her lips cutely.Celine chuckled as she left her desk to go to Eva's desk on the other side. The owner was taking the materials to the Cutting department, so Celine only checked the book containing the size report table and the amount that had been reviewed and deposited to the Line. For the past two days, Celine has never sat at her desk. She had to go around constantly to supervise the performance of the team working on the new job carefully to avoid any mistakes."Eva already got two
A barrage of message notifications and missed call lists immediately filled the top screen of Celine's phone as soon as it was turned on.Sure enough, all of them were from Leo, and some were labeled with Kate's name. She had no intention of reading Leo's messages. Immediately, she aimed at the chat from Kate, which only read, [Test]At length, she typed a message in the chat column explaining the actual incident.At the bottom of the explanation, she ended it with a question sentence,[Well, if you were in my position, would you break up with him? You would too, right?"] She also put an angry emoticon. Sent. Two black ticks."Huff, what a relief ...," sighed Celine as she put her cell phone on the table and leaned her very sore back on the back of the wooden chair with soft foam. It was too much if Kate defended Leo just because they were neighbors. She is a fellow woman; she should know how painful it is when the one she loves turns out to be a cheat behind her, Celine thought si
"Honey," Celine squinted in surprise at her mother's soft voice. She had been there for some time in the corner of the living room. "M-Mom ... you surprised me," Celine stammered, wondering if her mother had overheard her conversation with Leo or not."Are you alright, Dear?" the usually chatty mother asked gently as if she knew her daughter was struggling to contain her inner turmoil.Celine let out a weak sigh. Her mother must have heard her argument with Leo just now. There was no point in denying it, she thought.Wordlessly, Celine slammed into her mother and burst into tears in the warm embrace of the middle-aged woman. She shed the tears that had been welling in her eyes since she saw her mother's worried face.Mrs. Maggie stroked her back and also stroked her long black hair, trying to give her peace. She let Celine cry contentedly so that she could be relieved and lose the burden in her heart."It's okay, just keep crying until you're satisfied," she said wisely. Usually, sh
Mrs. Maggie, sitting next to Celine, immediately poured water from the teapot into a glass and held it out to her. Celine immediately drank in one gulp."Oh, I'm so satiated. I go to the room first," she excused herself, trying to avoid Gina, who was starting to bug her. She thought she would let her mother explain it to her father and Gina later. She didn't want to bring it up or hear about it again.She continued collecting items and photos of her memories with Leo in her room. After blocking Leo's number and account, he deleted digital traces from his cell phone and social media accounts.As soon as possible, she had to move on. Life must go on. She will find other happiness out there. The family she loves, the job she loves, and the achievements she is striving for all deserve more attention than just remembering the past with her cheating ex.After collecting all the prints, Celine put them in a cardboard box to be taken to the back storeroom."Well, now this room is clean from t
About 5 years later ...."Don't run around, Dear. You might fall."Celine tried to catch Eve, who was happily running around in the yard, though she struggled a bit due to her bulging belly. Despite the difficulty, Celine continued to chase after her princess. Witnessing this from inside the house, Zack quickly walked over to them."Sweetheart, don't make Mama worried," Zack said, catching and holding Eve in his arms."Papa, why haven't the others come yet? It's taking so long," Eve said amusingly.At the age of five, Eve was already very smart. Celine and Zack never expected their firstborn to be chatty like her mother but wise like her father."They'll be here soon, don't worry. That's why Eve has to be a good girl. No mischief, no running around, be kind to Mama," Zack continued, pointing towards Celine.Celine smiled while gently rubbing her growing belly. She was truly grateful that, in this second pregnancy, she didn't experience the same difficulties as her first. Even the docto
Not hearing Joe's response to her question convinced Kylie that it was true. That the real reason was Joe being tempted by the charm of the karaoke hostess. "Oh God...," Kylie moaned. She was still accompanied by sobs that seemed endless from her red lips. "You're so heartless!" she protested angrily. Honestly, Kylie never expected that her husband, who in her mind was always gentle and deeply in love with her, would have intentions to betray their sacred love! Her mind refused to accept it. "I can't believe that you have such rotten behaviour. At home, I pretend to be gentle and full of love for myself, but outside, I shower the same love to another woman. Even a karaoke hostess gets a share of your affection!" Kylie continued to curse while seeking forgiveness repeatedly. Her heart was in pain. Very painful, indeed; she couldn't describe how hurtful it was when the fleeting temptation of a karaoke hostess overshadowed her pure love and dedication! For a wife, there is no more s
After fully understanding her husband's intentions, Kylie's body automatically rose. Even the table in front of her shifted due to her movements. With an unconsciously gasping breath, Kylie looked towards Joe with a poignant and sharp gaze."You want to get married again? Hahaha! Don't joke!"Kylie tried to laugh, although it felt like the laughter coming from her mouth was very bitter. She tried to think positively, assuming that Joe was joking or trying to surprise her with some emotional twist. Unfortunately, Joe still looked very serious.The man stood up. His eyes glanced anxiously at Kylie as if afraid that the woman before him would explode."Kylie, please listen to me first. I am not joking at all. There is a woman who needs my guidance, so I want to marry her to ensure that our closeness doesn't turn into a sin."Kylie blinked her eyes several times; a thousand pains seemed to pierce her heart. Yet, what Joe revealed might not even be true. She gazed at the face of the man wh
Spontaneously, Monica covered her mouth, unintentionally shocked by what had just been said by the man who had been filling her days recently—the man whom she had targeted to be her life support."Did I hear it correctly? Do you want to marry me?" That was the only question her tongue could muster, suddenly feeling stiff.Joe stared into Monica's eyes intensely,"Listen first. I mean, I want to ask permission from Kylie first, whether she allows me to marry you—""But of course, she has to agree. You have the right to make choices. Besides, religion doesn't prohibit it, right?" Monica interrupted with great joy.She almost couldn't contain herself from jumping with happiness.However, in front of her, Joe shook his head, making Monica pout because she didn't understand what the man meant by being so elaborate. Wasn't it the man's right as the husband to make decisions in his household?"That's not the correct concept, Monica. I am indeed the husband and have the right to decide the di
"Darling, where were you? I've been looking for you!"Kylie asked as she met her husband in front of the office building. Surprisingly, this made Joe, who had just returned from Monica's place, panic.With a tense expression, Joe immediately embraced Kylie's shoulders and said, "Darling, I had lunch outside. Lately, you've been so busy and always eating in your room. So, I thought you didn't want to eat with me!"It was okay if they didn't eat together because of Kylie's recent busyness. However, knowing that her husband had eaten elsewhere, Kylie felt confused.The woman, who always appeared in public wearing a hijab, asked, "Where did you eat? I had prepared your lunch as usual. Why didn't you eat that?"Joe grimaced, just remembering the packed lunch. When he went for lunch at Monica's place, Joe would usually ask his colleague to eat the packed lunch prepared by Kylie. But yesterday, Joe forgot to do so, and Kylie must have noticed the untouched lunchbox.Guiding his wife back int
On that afternoon during lunchtime, Joe was startled by the noticeable transformation in Monica's appearance. He spontaneously stared at the beauty of God's creation embodied in Monica's figure, now adorned in a soft salmon-coloured modern gown with a simple design that perfectly complemented her body.Her beautiful face was covered with a matching ssawl, styled how Kylie usually wore her pashmina. Instantly, Joe felt as if he were seeing Kylie's twin but in a more attractive package, as Monica's curves were still entirely exposed.For a moment, the time he seemed to stand still. Joe's desires, which he had been trying to suppress, ignited passionately. The sight presented by Vioan tempted his faith to its core. It seemed as though he was genuinely captivated by Monica's undeniable charm."Joe? Do you think I look good in this outfit?" Monica asked with an uncertain gaze. She intentionally displayed a shy smile to appear like a maiden seeking approval from her beloved. My goodness! Mo
"Hello, Honey. Have you finished your overtime?" Joe spoke into the phone as Kylie called him. Remembering, he told Monica to be silent. He couldn't let Monica make any noise that Kylie might hear.On the other end, Kylie replied, "Darling, it seems like I'm going to work overtime until 09:00. Is it okay if I add an hour? Because my work is not finished yet, and if I pile it up for tomorrow, I'll be overwhelmed."Joe took a long breath, but he felt a bit happy. If Kylie extended her overtime, Joe could spend more time with Monica. Finally, he replied, "Yes, that's okay. When you're done, call me, Honey!"After that, their phone conversation ended. Joe put his phone back in his pocket. Kylie was busy; even coming home had to be postponed. But it didn't matter for now because Joe was at Monica's inn."What's your wife's position in the company, Mas? Why does it seem like she's so busy, working overtime almost daily like this?"That was a question posed by Monica as she took her seat nex
Joe firmly emphasized to Monica that he did not want to betray Kylie. A sense of guilt immediately overwhelmed him. After returning from the mall, Joe promptly dropped Monica off at her accommodation. For now, that place was the safest for Monica.Joe then prohibited Monica from going back to the karaoke place. Instead, he always gave her money and had already bought her a phone for everyday use. Joe didn't want to label what he and Monica were doing as an affair, but he realized that what he had done couldn't be justified.A shiver ran down his spine as he thought about the possibility of Kylie finding out about his actions. Indeed, she would be deeply disappointed."Aren't you coming in? Although it's an inn, I'm free to bring guests inside! Because people staying here often bring their friends in freely, the owner never minds!" Monica offered before getting out of Joe's car.The invitation Monica gave sounded very tempting, and there was a strong desire in Joe's heart to nod his he
"Oh my God! You're so absurd!" Joe retorted, refocusing on driving. They were on a quiet road, so he had pulled over easily to recover from the shock of Monica's statement."How am I absurd? I do want to be your wife. I believe I can live a better life under your guidance. I'm sure because I see, Joe, you're so good as a husband," Monica elaborated, emphasizing her words. Joe, in turn, shook his head in disbelief, wondering about the basis of her thoughts."But there are still many single men out there who would want you, Monica!" Joe, once again, expressed his disapproval. He believed Monica should not dare to speak like that to a married man. Yet... why did he feel a sense of pride and joy when he first heard it? Oh God! Something was wrong with his heart, Joe pondered."I've met many men. Most of them only wanted my body," Monica lamented with a bitter tone. "They didn't care about my job. I want a life like other women, sheltered by their husbands, feeling safe and guided to becom