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"Why are you silent?" Alesya asked, as Nicholas suddenly stopped talking. She also couldn't find the words to continue the conversation.

"Not silent. I'm sleepy."

"Ugh!" Alesya pouted, turning away from Nicholas. Suddenly, she felt annoyed because Nicholas no longer seemed to pay attention to her.

One or two seconds, then a full minute passed. Alesya turned back around and hugged Nicholas tightly. "Don't you want to hug me?"

Nicholas didn't answer, but he hugged Alesya. And if only Alesya knew, right now Nicholas isn't ignoring her. It's just that in his heart he was considering how to confirm something to Alesya.

Nicholas wanted to ask if he could try starting a relationship with Alesya. A very simple question actually, but not for Nicholas. The man was afraid of being laughed at by Alesya, considering that their relationship was limited to brother and sister-in-law. And for what happened this afternoon….

Nicholas gulped. Instead of finding a way out to express his feelings, he instead imagined the first time he entered Alesya.

"Nik, this is the AC remote again, isn't it?"

“Eh?” Before Nicholas had time to dodge, Alesya squeezed his sister who was squirming because of her own thoughts.

Nicholas grabbed Alesya's wrist. “N-no. "That's my little brother," he whispered. Almost inaudible.

"Let's do it again." Alesya raised her face. Looking at Nicholas who was confused because of the question he asked.

“Lakukan apa?”

"Make a baby. I can't wait to have your child. That way, I won't worry about living a hard life and wandering around on the street. I'm sure everything will be fine with you, Nik."

"You are sure?"

Alesya nodded quickly. "Of course. Because you are different from Bryan.”

“Different how?”

“You would never want to use me for your personal affairs, Nik. Seeing Bryan mortgage my house made me believe that my father had no debt. Everything is just a trap, so that your father can come to power. By being pregnant with your child, all decisions are in your hands, Nik. "It's up to you whether you want to use our child as a sacrifice or not."

Alesya expressed everything that was in her heart. Even though she didn't mention matters of taste, at least Alesya had given Nicholas a signal that the life she had now depended on this man.

Realizing the signal, Nicholas lifted Alesya's chin with his index finger. Take a sip, and kiss both lips which had been opening and closing while speaking.

And in between the kisses, Alesya smiled. Tau Nicholas also welcomed the taste he had. There was no need for a confession or expression of love. Nicholas pulling off the nightgown he was wearing confirmed that the feelings they had were the same.

“Nicholas.” Alesya gasped. Instead of entering her, Nicholas pulled the blanket over her, and covered her.

Alesya was disappointed, because her expectations did not match the reality. Alesya was also embarrassed, and did not refuse when Nicholas removed all the coverings from his body, while the man was still fully clothed.

"Wait a moment." Nicholas kissed Alesya on the lips for a long time, before walking away. Turn off the main light. Leaving the nightlight on the nightstand, so Bryan couldn't see what they were going to do.

However, Bryan, who was watching them from the laptop screen, knew what was going to happen. What's more, Nicholas took everything off before getting into the blanket. For the second time, Alesya entered. Hanging a hope there.

A baby, which will unite the two of them, even though the people around them will criticize it.

Elsewhere, Shabila felt annoyed because Bryan had decided to gather his friends at a club. This was a habit he often indulged in when they were still dating, usually after they had an argument. And now, Shabila felt the need to do it again.

"What's going on? You rarely invite us to hang out, especially now that you're married," teased one of Shabila's friends.

They felt like an outlet for Shabila when she was feeling lonely or angry.

"You know I needed this," Shabila chuckled. "It's nothing, I'm just bored at home. My husband is too monotonous, not fun."

"Yeah, he's always been like that."

"No," Shabila objected. "He used to be more romantic, not like now, only caring about himself. He just works, and works, neglecting me, who needs affection."

"Well, if that's the case, enjoy your role as a wife. But don't worry, if you're feeling down like now, just call us, no need to hesitate." Her friends tried to encourage Shabila to be her old self again.

At least, with Shabila around them, they didn't have to worry too much about the expenses, as Shabila always paid.

"So, what's the plan now?"

"No plan, I just want to sit here. Please keep me company, I'm feeling down."

"No problem, we'll keep you company, but as usual, everything we order, you'll pay."

"Tsk, has it been like this all along? Whether it's today or yesterday, whether I'm single or married, it's always me who pays for everything. I wonder if you ever thought about repaying my kindness?"

"It's not that we don't want to, Sha. As you know, it's just us keeping you company here, and you're covering our food and drinks. It evens out, right?"

"Evens out, how?" Shabila hissed, annoyed by her friends' explanation.

However, there was no other choice but to go along with their wishes. Besides, Shabila didn't have any other friends besides the four women sitting in front of her now.

"Eh, Sha, do you want to release your anger like you did before?"

"What do you mean?"

"Let's have a drink!" The three of them invited her simultaneously.

Shabila shook her head. "No, I'm afraid of getting drunk. You know that if I get drunk, I can be a handful."

"Yeah, we know, but if you cause a scene, Bryan will come pick you up and take care of you at home, it's simple, right?"

"But he doesn't know how I socialize all this time."

"There's no other choice, Sha. If you keep sitting here, watching others, when will your boredom go away?"

"Yeah, I guess." Shabila's shoulders slumped as she rested her chin on the table. She gazed at the row of bottles behind the bartender. She felt like enjoying sip by sip of that drink, letting it go down her throat.

"Alright then, one for all of us," Shabila pointed to a bottle with a famous brand.

"Okay, fine." One of them got up and ordered drinks. Not just one bottle as Shabila had wanted, the girl with shoulder-length hair ordered five bottles for them.

"Let's drink!" The four of them cheered.

"Wait, why five bottles? Wasn't it supposed to be just one?" Shabila protested, not accepting this excessive amount.

"One isn't enough, Sha. One person, one bottle, that's enough," one of them insisted.

Shabila just tried to calculate and estimate how much the bill would be after this.

Before long, the five of them fell silent, enjoying the pounding music that livened up the atmosphere in the club. It led the patrons to dance and move with their partners.

And with the people they had just met there, including Shabila, who had already finished a bottle, she began to feel a mix of warmth and chills, wanting to get a touch from a man.

She tried to squint her eyes, scanning, looking for a man who could accompany her to dance. Until her gaze met with a man she recognized but only in passing, nothing more.

"Devin?" Shabila greeted.

Devin began to lose his awareness, turning to her. Trying to remember who the woman in front of him was.

"Do we know each other?" Devin asked, looking at Shabila from head to toe.

"Of course. My memory isn't that bad. If I'm not mistaken, you're Alesya's ex-boyfriend and the place where my husband, Bryan, pawned your ex-girlfriend's house."

"Ah, yes. Mrs. Bryan Baskoro," Devin snapped his fingers, extending his hand to introduce himself to Shabila.

"Small world, huh?" Devin rubbed his neck. "By the way, Sha. Are you here alone?"

"No, I'm here with my friends. Come join us if you don't mind!" Shabila invited.

"Your idea sounds good!" Devin followed Shabila to her table. They joked with each other, discussing some couples who were already drunk but still tried to dance on the dance floor.

"Let's go dance!" Shabila invited.

"I'm not used to it," Devin politely declined, trying to be a decent man in front of a woman dressed as provocatively as Shabila.

"Come on, just this once. When else will you get the chance to dance? My husband isn't here, and neither is yours."

"I'm already divorced." Devin placed his glass on the table.

"Wait, didn't you just get married this afternoon? Suddenly you regret it and divorce so quickly?" Swear to everything, Shabila couldn't believe Devin's words.