Andrew's face now turned cold along with rising emotions. Without warning, Andrew forcibly pulled Alice's hand to enter the room. Andrew opened the backpack he brought to Surabaya yesterday to take out something that made his life uneasy."Explain to me, since when have you been taking these contraceptive pills?" Andrew said with a hardened jaw. His eyes looked reddened as he stared into Alice's eyes, which were clearly surprised."Oh, that...," Alice replied before continuing her sentence, "Remember, Andrew, we have no relationship whatsoever. You always refuse to use protection when we make love. Besides, I don't want to get pregnant out of wedlock. I don't want to have illegitimate children," Alice admitted honestly, which only made Andrew angrier. Andrew didn't realize that Alice was also hurt after saying those hurtful words. Alice didn't want her child to be called illegitimate, just like herself.Andrew grabbed the vase of white tulips that Alice had just bought yesterday. He s
In the morning, Alice still went to the photo studio. Fortunately, her pale face and swollen eyes could be perfectly covered. As usual, Alice completed her work smoothly according to the photographer's instructions. As the ambassador of a well-known brand, Alice had to appear flawless in front of the camera.After the photo session, Alice didn't immediately return to Andrew's apartment. She invited Lexy to go to her regular beauty salon for her routine self-care. Lexy gladly accepted her boss's invitation. Lexy also wanted to pamper herself after various problems hit Alice. Although the issues were Alice's, Lexy couldn't just stand by and leave Alice alone in her sadness.Actually, Lexy didn't know the reason for the argument between Alice and Andrew. Seeing the chaos in the room and Alice's condition earlier, it was certainly not a trivial matter that triggered the couple's quarrel. Lexy intentionally kept her lips sealed before Alice herself would talk. But Lexy speculated that the
Andrew lifted the vanity table chair and placed it carefully on the bedside. He sat down, scrutinizing everything about the woman in front of him with teary eyes. The once black hair was no longer the same; the woman's firm skin showed signs of aging as an indication that she was entering the twilight of her life. Feelings of guilt crept into Andrew's heart as he recalled their conversation a month ago about her desire to see him get married. If he had been indifferent to the seemingly unimportant discussion at that time, now it was undoubtedly different. If getting married could make his mother happy, Andrew would do it.With hesitation, Andrew reached out, stroking the long hair now almost dominated by white."Andrew?" murmured Melinda with her eyes still closed. Due to the influence of the medicine she had taken, Melinda felt a heavy drowsiness."I'm home, Ma," Andrew replied, successfully making Melinda open her eyes forcibly.Now, she looked at Andrew with a smile. Melinda held A
Tonight is truly Alice's first night without Andrew by her side. While Alice usually knows Andrew's whereabouts even when he doesn't come home to the apartment, tonight she has no idea where he is. But Alice has one conviction: Andrew will come home tonight, just as he always does. Their quarrels have happened several times, and Andrew always comes home in the early hours, and the next day everything returns to normal. Alice believes that tomorrow morning, she'll wake up in his embrace.Alice fell into contemplation again, replaying the morning argument in her mind. The sharp, angry, and disappointed gaze of the man continued to haunt her thoughts. As a sense of regret began to creep into her heart, suddenly flashes of her past turned uncontrollably in Alice's mind."Enough!" Alice whispered while hugging her knees tightly. Tears slowly wetting her cheeks, she uttered, "I'm tired," once again. Then, with trembling hands, she opened the bedside drawer, took out the bottle of medicine s
Early in the morning, Andrew was already getting ready in his work attire. Before six in the morning, Andrew had to head to Setiadi's residence to pick up Gibran, his boss, before the traffic got bad. Melinda, who appeared busy in the kitchen, was taken aback when a hug and a kiss on the cheek greeted her morning."No breakfast yet, Ton?" Melinda asked, adjusting her position to greet her son."Not now, Ma, I might be late. You know how Gibran is, right? He's really strict at the office," explained Andrew, ending with a small chuckle."Hasn't he visited here for a long time?" Melinda replied with a smile, placing a cup of coffee in front of Andrew."He's busy with wedding preparations," replied Andrew, pulling a chair to sit."Thank God, he's finally getting married," Melinda's response surprised Andrew. Thick eyebrows shot up, creating subtle wrinkles at the base of his nose."What do you mean, Mom?" Andrew asked, full of curiosity."Well, Mama's happy to hear that one of you has dec
Alice appeared to be thinking hard about her old friend's invitation to meet. Earlier, Aldrich had called during the break in his photo shoot. He said there was something important he wanted to discuss. Moreover, their last meeting at the police station last night didn't leave a pleasant impression. How could it be pleasant if the two long-lost friends had to end up at the police station? To make matters worse, it wasn't the first time; it was the third time Aldrich caught her violating traffic rules."Lexy, let's stop by Pondok Sedap Malam," Alice said to Lexy, who was driving the car.Lexy turned to Alice as the traffic lights turned red. "Surprising? Usually, we just do a delivery order if we want seafood," Lexy replied, a little surprised because, as far as he knew, Alice didn't really like seafood."I have something to do for a moment," Alice replied briefly.Lexy had to comply. Shortly, they arrived at their destination. However, Lexy was again puzzled when Alice asked him to st
Alice stared at the ceiling of the room, her hands clasped tightly over her stomach. Anxiety now dominated her heart as three days and two nights passed without any news from Andrew. He seemed to be completely ignoring her. Various questions began to fill Alice's mind. Was Andrew truly no longer concerned about her? Could it be that he deliberately punished her like this? Or was it just an excuse because he was bored with her? Perhaps Andrew had found a new woman who was far more attractive and sexy than she was?Alice let out a heavy sigh and glanced around the room. Every moment she had shared with Andrew in this room started to replay in her mind. The room that always resonated with sweet melodies of suppressed moans and murmurs almost every night now felt silent and empty. Maybe before their recent argument, that was what Alice had longed for. But now, she only needed the warm embrace of that man. Then, with calls like "Baby" or "darling" that initially meant nothing, now her audi
Andrew walked hurriedly through the apartment corridor. Before swiping his apartment card, Andrew paused for a moment to regulate his breathing and calm his racing heart. He looked at Lexy meaningfully. Then, slowly, Andrew took something out of his jacket pocket. Now, a black handkerchief with an anesthetic was ready in his hand. Without waiting, Andrew immediately covered Lexy's nose to make the man unconscious.Knowing that Alice was affected by sleeping pills, Andrew calmly entered her room. Andrew's eyes immediately fell on the woman lying under the thick blanket before him. Andrew lay down beside Alice and gently caressed her cheek." I miss you so much Liz," Andrew mumbled, then leaned in to kiss the tempting red lips that always teased him. Alice's body didn't react as Andrew gave her a second kiss. Then, without hesitation, Andrew gently sucked Alice's lips. When it got to this point, Andrew wouldn't resist touching Alice's body. While undressing Alice piece by piece, Andrew