Adelia was getting more and more confused as the situation changed rapidly. She wanted it herself, but things would not be as easy as they seemed.
However, her stomach suddenly chimed loudly, making their current situation unromantic in an impromptu way.
“I'm hungry!”
Those were the words that came out of Adelia. She hadn't had any breakfast at all at home earlier.
Edward laughed then released his embrace and replaced it with a warm grip on Adelia's hand.
Gently, Edward led Adelia to the hotel near the beach, where on the first floor of the hotel there was a cafe.
Just as they stepped into the cafe, a woman's voice suddenly called out to Edward.
“Edward?” called a middle-aged woman with a surprised look.
Edward and Adelia both turned their heads in the direction of the voice which was only one meter away not far from where they were standing at the moment.
“Mom?” replied Edward.
Their argument sounded increasingly heated, and Adelia felt like she was in the middle of a complicated situation. She was unsure whether or not she should interfere, but seeing that Ward looked like he needed support, she desperately wanted to come out of her hiding place.“Listen, Mom. I don't want to get caught up in a Forced Marriage. It won't work out well for happiness,” Edward said in a soft tone after a while. The man tried to explain to his mother once again.Maya Ofel only snorted and folded her arms across her chest, hearing Edward's words.“Adelia, the woman I love is also involved in a Forced Marriage with an Arrogant Heir, Afgan Al-Futtaim by name. She's not happy, Mom,” Edward continued as he took his mother's hand in his.“What are you saying, she's Al-Futaim's wife? You're crazy!”Maya Ofel said as she glanced around with a look full of annoyance. unintentionally, Maya saw Adelia who was hiding.
Adelia was unconscious, but could still hear the voices of the group who wanted to harm her. With the remaining consciousness, faintly, Adelia was horrified when one of the men in the group tried to pin her down, she tried to resist with what strength she had left, but the cruel act was stopped abruptly. The sound of quick steps approached, and Afgan appeared among them.Adelia's hand reached out to Afgan, who was staring at her with the piercing eyes of a hawk. “To ... long!” exclaimed Adelia with sweat already drenching her body that was filled with a strange passion.“What do you think you're doing? RELEASE HIM!”The man on the bed chuckled and then gave the code to the other two men to take care of Afgan while he began to launch his action.“Don't...” Adelia tried to resist with all the strength she had left.Without giving them a chance to say more, Afgan launched his attack.Bugh!!! A punch was
Adelia was breathing heavily and her sweat soaked almost all of her upper body. The upper garment Adelia was wearing was also wet so that the curves of the woman's upper body were clearly printed. Such a sight made Afgan's heart flutter and he felt awkward.Afgan immediately laid Adelia down on the bed, then stepped into the bathroom.He quickly filled the bathtub with cold water. He had to cool down his wife's body, which was already under the influence of the medicine dissolved in the drink.After it was filled quite full, Afgan returned to the room and found Adelia already undressing herself without full awareness.“Hot ... very hot. Help me,” whimpered Adelia as she twisted her body in a brazen fashion.Gluck!Afgan was dumbfounded and frozen where he stood at the sight of the very sight that aroused him as a normal man.His own breathing began to quicken and his pants began to get tight. “Shit!” he screech
The hot night is back, both of their breaths rushing. Afgan, consciously enjoying the sensitive spots on Adelia's body, made Adelia sigh involuntarily. In their minds flashed a night they had once experienced without realizing it.Occasionally, Afgan would furrow his brow, but every time he stopped his movements, Adelia would guide him back into a strange passion.“No, this is wrong!” Afgan exclaimed suddenly. Meanwhile, Adelia was still babbling incoherently because her body still felt hot despite the cold shower.“Adelia, we can't have a relationship like this. We're going through...” Afgan's words stopped, looking at Adelia who looked at him with watery eyes.She knew what he wanted to say. A divorce!Adelia pulled the blanket over her exhausted body. The hot night that was about to happen was canceled. Adelia turned her body to face Afgan. The man's words rang in her ears. “Even in my
Sunlight streamed in through the cracks in the curtains blown by the coastal breeze, the sound of the roaring waves that greeted her made Adelia feel very comfortable in her sleep.She smiled and hugged her pillow with a sense of utmost contentment. It seemed as if she was dreaming of making love and having another hot night with the mysterious man who had once taken away her honor.“It's so comfortable, as if it's not a dream,” Adelia murmured while stroking Afgan's broad chest in her arms.Suddenly Adelia stroked the body of the man she felt so real and was holding in her sleep.“Why does it feel so real? The curves of the chest and the boxy stomach.” Adelia muttered to herself, still with her eyes closed.“Have you touched me enough? Don't provoke anymore, usually men won't be able to resist passion, especially in the morning,” Afgan's arrogant baritone voice sounded very clear and close.Adelia immedia
Arriving home, Adelia was eager to lay down her tired body, but she got a call on her cell phone.The phone screen showed the name Mrs. Smith-CEO of the hotel. Lazily, Adelia picked up the call from Mrs. Smith.[“Yes, Mrs. Smith. What's up?”]["What are you doing? Why didn't you come to work today? Hasn't your leave run out?"]Adelia put her ears away as Mrs. Smith's loud voice was deafening.“I ... I'm sick,” Adelia lied.[Mrs. Smith] “Sick? You're lying, someone saw you taking a walk with our guest, Edward Ofel. You're heading to the beach!"]Mrs. Smith's voice made Adelia even more annoyed and then turned off the call.“Edward? who said that?” asked Adelia in confusion. How could she have a stalker when she never felt important.However, her cell phone rang again.[“Anyway, you have to go to the office today, you have an honored guest to take care of
Before Adelia could answer the question from her two in-laws, there was a loud banging from outside the door.Achmed furrowed his brow and said, “Who would dare to be insolent like that?”To prevent her parents-in-law's anger from escalating further, Adelia immediately raised both hands.“I'll open the door, there might be something important,” said Adelia as she stepped towards the door.How surprised Adelia was when she opened the door, because at the door was Afgan, who had a murderous aura on his face.“Afg...”Afgan roughly pushed Adelia's body backwards while saying in a high voice, “Who is the honorable guest you are serving now, you woman...”Afgan's words were cut off as his eyes caught sight of his parents who were also staring at him with astonished faces.“Bye, Dad ... Mom ...,” Afgan shouted then stepped hugging the mother with a style as if innocent.
Adelia and Afgan were silent in the luxurious square car. There was nothing they could do because Afgan's father and mother were in control at the moment.Afgan had to obey when his mother insisted on everything, just like tonight.“We're going to enjoy our vacation with you, I hope you can spare us even if it's just for a week,” Kanya said as she patted the back of Adelia's hand with a warm smile on her face that twinkled with pleasure, while Adelia sat next to Afgan. Achemed sat in the front, next to the driver's seat.They chatted amiably except for Afgan and Adelia who preferred to remain silent.“Why don't we go to the movies tonight, Mom wants to see the latest action series,” Kanya said suddenly.“No need, isn't there a movie room in the mansion too? Papa has a lot of work, you can watch it at the mansion while Afgan and Papa can discuss some office issues,” Achmed said.However, his words were met
Melinda approached him, gritting her teeth. "Time? It's been a year!""Shintya needs her father, now! You're going to ruin her first birthday with her father's absence?"Afgan growled, "You don't understand!""You don't understand, Afgan! You make Shintya and me feel insignificant!" Melinda shouted, eyes glazed over.Afgan felt stabbed by those words, but he persisted. "I'll be gone for a while, Mel. This is important to me.""And what is important to you, Afgan? What did you choose to miss this moment for?" Melinda tried to get his attention by grabbing the sleeve of Afgan's shirt."Let go!" she exclaimed.Afgan shook his head. "You can't just force me to leave Adelia.""She's dead, Afgan! Please come to your senses!"The argument escalated, and a tense atmosphere pervaded their home. Melinda felt disappointment and frustration growing inside her. Afgan, fixated on his inability to let go of the past, decided to leave w
Melinda felt a change in her relationship with Afgan. Although their home was again full of laughter and jokes, there was an ice that had slipped between them. Every day, Melinda felt like she was facing a cold wall that she couldn't break through. The once beautiful landscape became increasingly bleak.Melinda tried to find answers within herself. She brooded in the middle of the night, sitting on her bed with her mind in turmoil. The silence of the house was only interrupted by the wind tapping on the windows. "Why has everything changed?" she muttered to herself."Why is there no love from Afgan at all even though I got rid of that pesky woman?"Melinda always slept alone without Afgan. The cold nights were shared only with her little daughter who often woke up at night to ask for milk.A message arrived on Melinda's cell phone in the middle of the night, as she was giving milk to the little one.[Already asleep?]Melinda simply read the
That morning, the sun shone down on their house. Afgan sat on the terrace, gazing at the garden that was slowly recovering from its sadness. Today he wasn't working because it was the first day of 2024.All employees were closed and Afgan had no reason to work. The gaze of the man looked pseudo and passionless.Even though the house was quiet with most of the servants on leave, there was still the occasional sound of little Shintya crying.However, the man did not respond to the cries at all.Melinda came out of the house, realizing that their conversation last night still left a wound in Afgan's heart.“I'm sorry, Afgan,” Melinda said regretfully. Her hands made a tray of tea and glasses. Melinda stepped closer to Afgan and tried to soften the heart of the man who became her husband.“I know it's complicated, and I want to make you ha
“What do you mean?”Afgan begins to tell Achmed about Bayu and Melinda having an affair. However, Achmed didn't fully believe him until Afgan showed him the evidence from the recording.“Let's do a DNA test!”“Okay! Do as you wish, Dad!” Afgan refocused on his work and didn't respond to his father's words anymore.The DNA test was conducted, but Melinda cunningly managed to trick the test employee by taking a sample of Afgan's own hair left in her comb.A few days passed, and the DNA test results finally came out. Achmed held the results tremblingly, seeking reassurance over the doubts that crept into his mind. Afgan, who had kept his distance from the situation from the start, finally agreed to speak.“Dad, what's the result?” Afgan asked, his face determined.Achmed stared at the DNA test results, then nodded with disappointment. “This... this is impossible. The results show that
“You want to visit his grave? Yes! Go to the Sanjaya Cemetery in South Jakarta. Look for Adelia's name in block 7!” exclaimed angrily through the speaker on the cell phone. The man did not allow the security guard to open the door at all.Hearing the answer from Edward, Afgan's heart was like being struck by lightning and then slashed by several sharp daggers.“Go back to your country. I really hate you for letting Adelia's body go up in flames like that!”Edward switched off the call from the security cell phone. With languid steps, Afgan stepped back into his car.The fact that Adelia was dead made his life feel shattered. With his left hand, he called his father to check the whereabouts of Adelia's grave.The driver drove the car back to the airport. Afgan did not wait any longer, but went straight to the private plane that his father had prepared.“Go home, Afgan,” Achmed said wearily.“Adelia's grave is indeed there and the death
“What's going on, is she awake?” asked Afgan with his breath caught in his throat as he ran from the hospital parking lot to his mother-in-law's room.“No, she's not conscious yet, but we heard her delirious.”“Edward and Adelia?”Kanya nodded her head confidently, as did Achmed.“It seems that Adelia's loss has something to do with Edward.”Afgan snorted harshly then said, “that man has been gone since before the fire. He's already engaged to Emily and they've returned to Dubai.”“How could he be involved?” Afgan asked himself.“It's good you're investigating, Afgan. All the possibilities are there, after all you've been looking all this time.”“By the way, what about Melinda, have you forgiven your wife?” Achmed asked his son.Afgan looked at his father meaningfully. He couldn't bear to tell him the secret abou
“I'm sorry for everything I did that was unfair to her, Father.”Afgan's voice was hoarse and his chest felt tight.Achmed looked at his son with compassion. “We cannot control fate, Afgan. Life sometimes gives us difficult trials, but we must fight through them together. We will find a way out, and we will be stronger than ever.”Afgan nodded, the man wiping away tears with the back of his hand as he absorbed his father's words. Although there were still many questions and uncertainties ahead, he felt that his family would find a way to get through all the obstacles and rebuild their lives.The two sat together in the hospital waiting room, embracing each other in an emo-laden silence. They realize that in order to achieve happiness in the future, they must unite and support each other, even though the road ahead may still be difficult and full of challenges.“I'm going to go calm down, D
Achmed Al-Futtaim and Kanya, Afgan's parents, heard news that shook the peace of their lives. The news of their in-law's sudden shock and illness left them with a deep sense of anxiety. Their faces were etched with expressions of worry and fear as they walked at a brisk pace towards the hospital.On the way to the hospital, Achmed and Kanya's minds were full of questions and worries. They looked at each other, and their eyes reflected deep worry. They couldn't imagine that their lives would change in an instant due to this unexpected situation.“Really, what happened?” said Achmed in a hoarse voice, trying to calm himself and his wife Kanya's heart. “Hopefully this is just a temporary incident and everything will be fine.”“True, I can't imagine how Adelia would feel if she were still alive. We as a family owe so much to that poor woman who is nowhere to be found.”Kanya clasped Achmed's hand tig
“No! Bik Minah!”Brak!Afgan felt like his spine was broken. The pain of the wooden beam hitting his small body.He could feel the searing heat and hear the sound of small explosions. The scene grew darker, until Afgan felt as if he was drowning in a sea of fire.He vaguely saw in the flames Adelia waving with a warm smile. Next to her was Bik Minah and on the other side was Adelia's father.“No! Don't leave me!” Afgan shouted frantically.Afgan woke up with a gasp, his body covered in cold sweat. The morning sun shone brightly through the window of his spacious bedroom. He sat bolt upright in bed, still struck by the nightmare he had just experienced.His heart was racing, and his face was pale. His nightshirt was also stained with sweat. Afgan tried to push the shadows of the dream from his mind, but the memories of the extravagant events in his house continued to haunt him. The licking flames, the panic, and