That morning, Claire understood one thing for sure. It's not easy for someone to run from their past. Because when the time comes, the shadows of the past will return to trap and try to destroy them. Reminding them of who they really are and where they should be.For Claire, the trap appeared when her mother and Lucas waited in front of the university gate, screaming her name. Claire saw two shadows of her past that she no longer wanted to remember, and her heart felt like it stopped. She quickly hid behind a university building pillar."Claire!!! If you don't come out now, I'll find you and kill you," Lucas shouted frantically in all directions. The man had been repeating his threats for some time. "If you don't come out, I'll come in and search for you! You can't run from us."Fear gripped Claire immediately, she felt suffocated, and her hands trembled violently. Her face turned pale. She knew Lucas could enter the university, search for her, or beat anyone who tried to stop him. Th
"Claire, listen to me," said Alex, his two legs already powerless on the floor. The man stared sharply at Claire and strengthened his grip. Alex swore not to let go of Claire's arm."Let me go," shouted Claire frantically, trying to pull away, hitting Alex's hand and even attempting to walk out, dragging Alex's body on the floor.Alex now felt genuine fear. He felt like he would lose the girl forever if he let her go now. Claire could hit him or hurt him or even kill him, but he would never let her go. Because he was truly afraid of losing her. Alex tightened his grip.Never!Don't leave me.Claire finally stopped hitting Alex's hand and suddenly burst into loud sobs. Sitting on the floor, tears streamed down her face, and sadness was audible from her mouth.She didn't know what to do anymore. She didn't want to go back home, didn't want to go to a strange place she didn't know. She didn't want to leave this place, where she had started to feel comfortable with her life, finding peace
On the first day of Claire's parents' arrival, which ended with them being detained by university security, Alex and Claire managed to escape with the help of some university security guards. Upon reaching home, Alex immediately contacted Keaton."Keaton, quickly investigate Claire's parents. They recognized me the first time they saw me; I'm sure they have been investigating me before coming to the university. They want something from me."That night, Keaton was seen waiting inside a dimly lit café, a place known for selling cheap alcoholic drinks in a prostitution area. The café, a favorite spot of Lucas, provided Keaton with information that Lucas had invited all his companions to gather there.Shortly after, Keaton was surprised to see Markus entering the café and quickly lowered his head to hide. Markus, not noticing him, went straight to a table with some of his friends.After waiting for a few hours, Keaton finally saw Lucas arriving with Claire's mother. They joined their frie
Alex didn't answer. He knew Sergei, a journalist from a small newspaper company. Sergei was a former chairman of one of the community organizations — if you don't want to call him a former chairman in disguise of a community organization.He used his job as a journalist to uncover the wrongdoings of various government and private institutions, instead of writing about them, he used the opportunity to extort money from them. He also often threatened various government parties to give him money.At one point, Alex's chemical company had a confrontation with him. Sergei tried to extort money from them and got nothing, which ultimately led the journalist to rally the community around and spread rumors that Alex's chemical waste was very dangerous to the public and was disposed of recklessly.As a result, Alex's company faced quite a serious problem and ended up innocent after the police investigated the truth behind the rumored chemical waste.The chemical waste never existed because Alex
Claire's life started moving again after her mother left town. She made some friends who lived near Alex. Like a dark-skinned woman named Marzee, a final-year pharmacy student, and medical students named Winda and Faisal. However, Claire wasn't very close to them.For her right now, she just wanted to focus on studying, becoming a nurse, and doing her best for her future. She didn't want to disappoint Alex, who had already given her a lot of help and guidance. She wanted to make Alex proud of her, although her feelings for Alex were hard to describe."Alex loves you," Marzee said one day in the kitchen while cooking.Claire was surprised, "How is that possible?"Marzee rolled her eyes, "Don't you see how the cold professor only smiles at you? His eyes soften when he looks at you, and besides, his cold aura warms up when he's by your side. He's like a fierce dog growling and showing his fangs to everyone else. But when he's with you, he sticks out his tongue and wags his tail happily.
At the end of the second year since Claire's arrival, Alex sat at the piano and his fingers played a classical piece in the silence of the night. His entire family could play musical instruments because his grandfather required them all to.The notes of the piano filled the entire living room. Most of the students living with them had gone back to their hometowns for the semester break. Alex played the piano only on holidays when most of the house's occupants were not around. Alex was afraid of disturbing their studies.Claire came out of the kitchen after finishing cleaning their dinner plates, and she chose to sit next to Alex on the piano bench. Alex smiled softly at her."Do you have a music request?" he asked.Claire laughed softly, "I don't know much about classical music. Just play something soft."Alex's fingers immediately moved, pressing the piano keys and producing soft, flowing notes. Claire closed her eyes, listening to the captivating rhythm of the music. Alex also close
Once, when Claire was taking a bath, she felt like someone was trying to peep at her. When she glanced outside, she found no one except Alex pushing his wheelchair down the hallway, away from the bathroom.Throughout that day, she kept wondering whether Alex was trying to peep at her, or was it someone else? Because Alex seemed to respond to everything as usual. Or maybe she was just being too paranoid.On a night after dinner, a few months after the incident, Alex and Claire sat on a simple sofa while listening to classical music coming from the gramophone in Alex's study. The man appeared to be lost in thought and said, “I think, in this world, there will be things I can never obtain. No matter how hard I struggle.”Claire saw a look of sadness in Alex's eyes. “What is that?” Alex weakly looked at Claire, causing her heart to beat faster.“Women.” Alex continued with a smile, staring blankly at the books lined up on his shelf, “I spent my time working and pursuing my dreams, trying
After that incident, Claire felt something very different. Alex seemed to be avoiding her, even Claire, who always used to drive him to the university, was now replaced by one of Alex's personal drivers.Alex simply said, "My teaching duties are becoming more demanding. We can't synchronize our schedules anymore."Claire didn't believe it. She would have been thrilled if Alex asked her to take her anywhere. They had been doing it for years. Claire clearly felt Alex was trying to avoid her after yesterday's incident. Moreover, Alex was burying himself more often in his workspace and locking the door. The door was now locked.One day, Claire dared to knock on the door of his office. She had brought all the cleaning tools for the workspace. Alex responded shortly, "I'm busy.""I just want to clean the room," Claire replied. "I won't disturb you.""Another time." Alex still didn't let her in as before. After a long silence, Alex added, "Claire, try to socialize more with your friends. It
That morning I received a phone call. The loud ringtone voice woke me up."Hello?" I answered, picking up my cellphone."It's Claire," came the voice on the other end of the phone. "I've read the book you left behind.""Really?" I asked as I sat up in bed. "Did you like it?""I'm afraid you forgot to include something," Claire said with a slightly choked voice, sounding like she was holding back tears. "Would you come to my place to finalize it?"I glanced at the clock, still showing eight in the morning."Okay," I replied. "I can catch the 11 o'clock flight.""I'll be waiting for you here." Claire hung up the phone.Around three in the afternoon, I arrived at Claire's clinic with Chrisna in a rental car. The nurses who knew me let us find Claire's office on our own. I let Chrisna explore the beautiful garden at the clinic as Claire seemed to want to talk privately."Are you looking for me?" I asked as I saw Claire. I could see her eyes were swollen, and she seemed to be carrying a he
In the final meeting with Claire, I asked her, "Is there any meaning behind Alex taking off the engagement ring?" Claire shook her head and looked sad. I wasn't sure if Claire didn't want to answer or didn't want to think about it. But finally, she whispered softly with wet eyes and trembling lips, "Maybe he hates me," Claire replied softly. "Because I didn't come back to him immediately. I was the one who left him alone and let him die. If I had married him, he wouldn't have died."Claire's tears flowed more heavily, "I've helped so many people, why can't I help the one who helped me so much. The most precious person to me." Claire's sadness was evident in her tone.I could only stay silent and sigh. Perhaps only Alex knows why he took off the ring.Could Alex be angry and hate her in his final moments?"Weren't you married after that?"Claire tried to stop her tears and forced a gentle smile on me, "From the start, love was never in my favor. Besides, I'm too busy with all this and
In the fourth year of Claire's departure, Alex's life felt increasingly burdensome and torturous. His weight had significantly decreased compared to four years ago. He smiled less often and was more engrossed in all his work. Some people said Alex had become more easily angered, and even Jackson and Michael couldn't persuade him to come out of his hiding place. In his spare time, Alex continuously reread Claire's letters multiple times. He always tried to convince himself that after Claire had satisfied her wanderlust, they would soon live together and have many children. Children who would run in their house's yard...Tears streamed down Alex's face. He truly wanted to see Claire return as soon as possible and be with her. Only one year remained from their agreement. After that, Claire would never leave him again. Alex often wanted to write a letter asking Claire to return immediately. However, he quickly abandoned the idea.That morning, two soldiers knocked on Alex's door in unifor
Jean looked confused."Claire is currently sure about marrying me. But sometimes I see her sitting with eyes staring into the distance. As if she wants to spread her wings and fly high, trying to reach something greater than her current life," Alex added. "I know her, and I know she has a dream inside her that she's reluctant to share with me and everyone else.""A dream?"Alex sighed. "I'm not so sure, maybe her desire to see the wider world and seek meaning in her own life. I want the Doctor's help.""What's that?" Jean asked, guessing if Alex would ask her to advise Claire."I want the Doctor to invite her as a volunteer nurse to see the world. In return, I'll make an annual donation to the Doctor."Jean became more confused, "Don't you want to marry her?""Indeed, my desire to marry her is very strong. But my biggest wish has always been for her to be happy. I want to fulfill her dreams." Alex's eyes looked moist. "She is everything to me.""I'm not sure about that," Jean replied,
Alex closed his eyes and sighed, "Go to France." The words that came out of his mouth ultimately pierced his own heart, causing immense pain.Claire looked at Alex with a hurt feeling, "But what about us? What about our marriage? What about my feelings?""You don't love me. You're just too afraid of losing a place to return to. Besides, going to France and working won't take this place away from you," Alex said. "Claire... This is your home and will always be your place to return. Nothing will change."Claire wiped her tears, "What about our wedding invitations that have been sent out?""I'll take care of it." Alex's hand took the wedding documents and crumpled them into a ball of paper before throwing them into the trash, "From the beginning, all of this was too fast and rushed. You haven't even seen the world when I forced you to marry me. I asked you to marry me because I was too afraid of losing you. I knew someday you would soon leave this place, especially after you graduate and
Alex has been sitting in his office since early morning. It's rare for him to get lost in deep and prolonged thoughts that end up with a resolution that's entirely disadvantageous. Usually, no matter how bad the situation he faces, he should still get something beneficial, even if it's just a little.Even in the worst investments, he would at least try to exit with half of the invested capital. He wouldn't be so reckless as to come out empty-handed and suffer huge losses. Alex finally let out a long sigh.There's always a first time for everything.Claire knocked on his open door, "Alex, do you have a moment? There's something I want to discuss."Alex silently stared at Claire for a long time, before finally saying, "Sit down, I've been waiting for you since earlier.""Really?" Claire entered and sat on a chair in front of Alex's desk.Alex sighed again and interlocked his fingers on the table, leaning back on the chair, "Claire, sometimes it feels scary when I can understand you as i
About twenty-four years ago, Jean had just become a volunteer doctor in that town. One night, she was suddenly awakened by a nurse to go immediately to a red-light district. The area looked rundown with houses built of wood, tripleks, cardboard, and old corrugated iron scattered without order. Jean thought she would treat someone injured, sick, or anything until she saw a pregnant woman about to give birth. She was truly surprised because until that moment, she had never assisted in childbirth."I can't..."The nurse, named Margie, looked at the doctor with a slightly patronizing look and said, "Doctor, there's always a first time for everything."Jean reluctantly suppressed her reluctance and proceeded with the delivery process. She was completely at a loss when the pregnant woman started screaming hysterically and the baby's head was about to appear.Nevertheless, Margie continued to provide support in limited Indonesian, using only a few words. "Push, push, push..."Jean tried to h
After that day, Alex and Claire were hardly ever apart. It was easy for anyone to see that they had a special relationship. Alex and Claire didn't hide their relationship. A few weeks later, Alex experienced many new things.For the first time in his life, Alex could sleep leaning on a woman's thigh. And for the first time as well, Alex let someone touch his small feet.For Claire, the happiness felt so sweet and enjoyable. For the first time in her life, she was sure there was someone who truly loved her and made her feel meaningful. For the first time as well, she truly felt at peace with her life.On top of a hill, a pair of human beings could be seen sleeping in the afternoon on a mat facing the sky. Their hands were clasped, and their faces looked peaceful and happy. A disabled man and a young girl."Will you marry me?" Alex asked Claire one day while she was in the kitchen."Clangg...!" The empty pan in Claire's hand fell and made a loud noise."Sorry," Claire quickly said, bend
"Who is it for?" Keaton asked."I'm planning to move. Please help me find a place.""Alright, I'll provide the information as soon as possible."Alex hung up the phone and sank into his thoughts. He wouldn't be able to give Claire complete freedom if he wasn't far from her. It would be better if he found a new place and let Claire stay here. Maybe over time, he could forget about Claire and accept if she's with someone else.For now, I still love her too much.That night, Claire went to a party, leaving Alex in his office. Alex secretly watched Claire leave through the window. Feeling helpless and resigned. He was the one who started this, distancing himself from Claire, and he had to accept the consequences.Several hours later as the night grew late, the sound of a car stopping in front of the house could be heard, followed shortly by the sound of the front door being slammed very loudly. The sound startled Alex, who had been staring at his work papers. The same papers that had been