"The situation is really serious right now, so you'd better stay out of it," Zoey warned Daisy, who could only stare at her in confusion.Daisy, who didn't understand what kind of situation was happening to River, almost ran to him when she saw the security guards pushing him out of the hotel. But Zoey, who saw her, stopped her and took her to a quieter place to explain everything.But even after hearing Zoey's explanation, Daisy still couldn't stop thinking about everything that had happened to River."He was fine yesterday," Daisy said, remembering how everything was fine when she was out with River before Sean called the guy and made him leave. "How could Rion snatch all of them in just one night?""He's obviously been planning this for a long time and it only took him one night to make it happen," Zoey said. "He took everyone who was on River's side and left him completely alone.""Sean?" asked Daisy, who doubted that Sean would ever leave River.But Zoey lowered her head languidl
"Why are you doing this to him? Let him go!"In that tense atmosphere, Daisy tried to stop a police officer trying to handcuff River. She held River's wrists tightly, unwilling if the police put on handcuffs and treated River like a criminal."We have arrest warrants and if you obstruct us, you can also be punished for defending the criminal," said a police officer.But instead of making Daisy let go of her grip, the policeman's words made Daisy hold River's hand even tighter. Glancing angrily at the policeman before her, she said, "Criminal? Who did you say—""Daisy."A soft call with a weak voice that came out of River's mouth managed to stop Daisy's words. The woman turned her gaze to River, and suddenly her heart sank when she saw that River's eyes—which usually always managed to intimidate her—now looked so resigned and helpless."Go home. Don't worry about me. I'll handle this myself," River said."But..." Daisy wanted to refute River's words, but her attention was diverted when
"He's just lying. There's no way my parents were like that."Inside his cell, River sat in a corner with both hands clutching his head. His mind was chaotic, as if all the problems were fighting a war inside his head.So far, River has lived in a harmonious family. Maybe not from a very warm family, but his parents raised him in a harmonious condition where he never once saw his parents fight.His father wasn't romantic, but sometimes he would come home from work with flowers or gifts for his mother.His mother was also not a sweet woman, but sometimes in her busy schedule, she would go into the kitchen and prepare food for her husband and son.His mother and father weren't exactly a romantic couple either, but sometimes they would go on a date to watch a movie or have a romantic dinner.Even after his mother died, River remembered how devastated his father was. The man left the house he had lived in during his married life with his wife and moved to a small house. He no longer worked
"I've freed you, so you must keep your promise to live as an insect invisible to me. If you break your promise, then I'll make you feel a hell that is far more painful than what you are currently living."River walked out of the prison building blankly while remembering the threat Rion had given him. He didn't want to be afraid of that, but when he realized he didn't have anything or anyone by his side, he realized he couldn't fight Rion.In front of the prison building, River stopped in his tracks. He raised his head, slightly narrowing his eyes when he felt a sting at the corner of his torn lips. The night sky was beautiful, with millions of stars adorning it, and the refreshing night breeze felt like a gentle caress on his scarred face. But that didn't calm River's heart which was full of worries.Right now, all River had was the suit attached to his body. He didn't have a penny of money because Rion took everything that belonged to him. He didn't know where to go home tonight beca
"No, let me go! Don't mess with me, dammit!"Daisy was already fast asleep when a panicked voice woke her up. The woman turned her head to her side, and her drowsiness disappeared and was replaced by worry when she saw delirious River sleeping next to her."Argh! Let me go!" With both eyes still closed, River brushed aside Daisy's hand that was about to hug him. Which made Daisy move quickly to hug his body tightly."It's okay. It's okay, River." Daisy whispered in River's ear while patting the man's back gently."You are safe here. No one will hurt you, so you don't have to be afraid anymore," Daisy whispered.River's breathing rate, which was previously hunting, slowly returned to normal. His grip on Daisy's arm also gradually weakened until finally, it was completely released.Daisy loosened her grip on River's body. She stared deeply at River's face, which had returned to sleep soundly, while her right hand moved gently on the man's face, wiping the sweat that flooded his face.Da
"After being imprisoned for more than 10 years for a mistake you didn't make, how does it feel to breathe free air again?"In the luxurious restaurant at the highest peak of the Golden Tree Hotel, where all the tables were vacated so that the new CEO could treat his special guests, Rion asked Andrew, sitting across from him while staring at his glass of expensive wine by a waiter."It seems you're more interested in this wine than me," said Rion while raising the wine glass in front of Andrew, making the man turn his gaze on Rion.Rion had a smirk tug at the corner of his lips as he finally managed to get Andrew's attention. He then handed the glass to Andrew and said, "Go ahead. You can drink all the wine you—""River had an accident and made everything go wrong over a drink like this. So can you get all of this out of my sight?" Andrew interrupted Rion's words with words that should have sounded like a plea but were said by giving Rion a look that implied an order.Rion raised an ey
"Are you pounding?" Zoey asked Sean, who was looking very impatient, waiting for her to open Daisy's door."No! Why do I have to be pounding? It's just River!" Sean argued, sounding annoyed with the teasing that Zoey gave him, even though his sparkling eyes couldn't lie if, at this point, he couldn't wait to be able to meet River soon."No wonder you guys are friends. It looks like you two are the same." Zoey muttered as her hand moved to open the door. "Welcome to-""I'm coming!" Without waiting for Zoey to finish her sentence, Sean barged right in. He shouted loudly while smiling broadly until the presence of a man sitting on the couch in the living room holding a gun made his body freeze instantly."What is it? Why... Oh!" Zoey looked as shocked as Sean when she saw Andrew. At the table in front of him, two suitcases were opened and filled with money."Oh, you've come."Sean and Zoey turned their heads to where the sound came from. River, who had run out of the bathroom after heari
'I went on some business. I'll be home before dinner.'Daisy read River's message on her bedroom table with a big yawn. She woke up late today, but because she still felt sleepy, she decided to lie down again and continue sleeping."You want to sleep again?"The sound of a grunt made Daisy lift her head from the pillow. In the doorway of her room, Zoey looked at her with a sullen face."I've been waiting for you to wake up since earlier, but why now do you even want to sleep again?" Zoey grumbled as she walked over to Daisy and sat down on the bed next to her."Since when were you here?" Daisy asked in a hoarse voice."Since earlier. Sean went to take care of something with Andrew, so I'm here to bother you. But you slept instead and River threatened me not to disturb your sleep," Zoey muttered."You met River earlier?" asked Daisy, which was answered with a nod by Zoey."He said he'd take care of something. Looks like everyone's busy now," Zoey sighed, making Daisy squint at her."Th
"Argh! The dress is not fit!" "No, it should fit. I'll hold my breath. Lift up the zipper in one pull. One, two, hmmph!" Zoey groaned in annoyance when Daisy couldn't successfully zip her dress. She turned her body, staring fiercely at her best friend, who wore a wedding dress with a veil. "Can't you do it right? Is it that hard to get the zippers on? If my hand reaches, I'll not ask for your help!" she grumbled. "Gosh, why are you nagging me?" Daisy put her hands on her hips, annoyed at Zoey, who had acted like a stepmother ever since. "It's my wedding day, and you're my bridesmaid. But why have I been serving you since earlier, huh?!" Hearing Daisy nagging her back, Zoey's annoyance instantly turned into sadness. "So you're going to let me go to the ballroom and meet everyone with this unzipped zipper?" Zoey asked with her teary eyes, making Daisy panic, considering how long she had to dress up and her wedding might have to be postponed if her bridesmaid, who suffered from acute
'I've prepared breakfast for you, so make sure you eat it. Remember to drink milk too. Call me after you wake up because now I miss you. See you.'"Wow..." Daisy muttered in amazement after reading the paper with Sean's handwriting. She then turned her head to Zoey, who was lying on her side on the couch, watching cartoons while munching on the sandwich Sean had prepared for her. "It feels like it hasn't been long since you envied me because River left me a handwritten note before leaving for work. Now you must be happy that Sean did the same.”"Happy, you said? I feel even more burdened if he is like this!" complained Zoey. "I've made up my mind to abort this baby. Even though Sean knew about it, and I knew he was saddened by this decision, I still kept my determination to abort this baby. But because of all his attitude to my pregnancy..."Zoey hung her words as she recalled the sweet attitude Sean had shown her in the past week since the man learned about her pregnancy and her deci
"Why does it feel like Monday is coming longer than usual? I can't wait to end this suffering soon."Zoey walked out of the bathroom grumblingly. After enjoying the bridal shower with Daisy last night, Zoey returned to Sean's house this morning. But not 10 minutes since she arrived at this house, her morning sickness attacked her again and made her feel like the most miserable person in this world."Ah, damn! Aw! Aargh, why is this here?"Zoey, who was standing in front of the refrigerator to get drinking water, suddenly turned her head to the noise that suddenly broke the silence in the house. She saw Sean walking hastily, wearing a shirt with buttons arranged carelessly so that it looked crooked, and his black hair was messy. Stepping towards her with staggered steps and bumping into a table or chair, he passed several times."Oh... Oh! Good morning!" Sean greeted Zoey with a big smile as he stood before her before advancing his body to land a peck on her girlfriend's lips.Zoey loo
"You must be very happy because your brother will be the best man at your wedding. You must—""No, Sean! For God's sake, Rion will never be the best man at my wedding!" River almost screamed when he interrupted Sean's words as his foot slammed on the brakes in front of the red traffic light line.They had gone halfway home with Sean, who kept grumbling about Rion, who would be the best man at River's wedding, making River's ears hot because he had to hear that chatter along the way."He just teased you. Because you always overreact around him, he comes to think of you as a fun toy and plays tricks on you like this. Does it make sense for him to be my best man?" River, who had been silent all along, finally turned his body towards Sean to refute the man's accusations while waiting for the traffic light to turn green."How come that doesn't make any sense? I can see that your relationship is so warm that you can laugh because of the jokes that aren't funny at all!" Sean snapped, making
"Drink this. This can help reduce your nausea," Sean said while placing a glass of milk in front of Zoey.Zoey stared at the milk. Sean came home with a can of pregnancy milk and made it for her. That means Sean has decided to end the lie she created when he comes home early."Why?" Zoey asked, looking up from the milk in front of her to look directly at Sean, who was now setting the food he bought on a plate. "Why did you-""In this situation, I'm the one who should be asking why, Zoey," Sean cut in. His words sounded as gentle as usual, but the seriousness that radiated from his eyes inevitably made Zoey's heart flutter."But as I said before, I won't ask anything and will only listen if you're willing to tell me your reasons. So that way, I won't drown in my own prejudices," added Sean.Sean then placed a plate of food in front of Zoey. "Eat. Even if it's a little and you feel nauseous, you must force yourself to fill your stomach. If your stomach is empty like this, you should go
"Dammit! He's always on his own! Just watch, if he continues like this, it's not Rion who will dethrone him again but myself!"Sean stepped out of the meeting room, grumbling, looking really annoyed that River missed work, making him take on the responsibility of chairing the meeting in his stead."It must be so much fun being the boss. He could skip work as he pleased and would later take time off for his wedding. In my next life, I'll become rich and make him my slave. I'll pay back all the shit he gave me a million times worse!"Sean was still grumbling even though he had now entered the elevator. But the man quickly erased the annoyed expression on his face and replaced it with a sweet smile when a woman entered the elevator."Good morning Mr. Marsh," said the woman."Good morning," Sean replied. His gaze shifted to the box that the woman was carrying. "Why are you packing your things? Are you changing departments?""This is my last day of work. I have resigned," the woman replied
"You were the one who accompanied Zoey to check the womb, right? Can you be honest about why Zoey lied and chose to have an abortion even though I said I would be responsible for her?" Daisy's eyes suddenly widened. Couldn't help but feel surprised when she heard a question Sean casually threw at her like this. "Does Zoey not love me?" Sean asked again because after waiting for a while, Daisy still didn't give him an answer. "Has she been forced to date me just because—" "She loves you! She said it herself, and I guarantee she couldn't be lying about it!" Daisy quickly interrupted Sean, not wanting him to be led astray by his bad thoughts of Zoey. "Then why should she do this? If we love each other and I am willing to take responsibility for her pregnancy, why did she lie and abort our baby?" Sean asked, sounding so desperate it made Daisy feel sorry for him. "Shouldn't you be asking Zoey this directly?" Daisy spoke in a lower voice than before, but her sympathy could be heard cle
"Is she not home? Why is it so quiet?" muttered Sean as he entered his house.Sean, who had previously been very excited when he entered his home area because he couldn't wait to meet Zoey soon, became a bit lazy when he found his house deserted. He stepped into his room while unbuttoning his shirt one by one, wondering where Zoey had gone when then a big smile appeared on his face when he found Zoey sleeping in their room."She's nap like a baby," Sean muttered as he gingerly climbed onto the bed. "She must have overslept while playing on her phone..."Sean hung his words, and the smile that adorned his face suddenly disappeared when he took the phone from Zoey's left hand and accidentally saw the message notification. He caught one word that immediately made his heart beat fast, but he still dared to see the entire message.'Your abortion schedule is next Monday, 2pm. Make sure you take care of your health until it's time to have an abortion. Thank You.'Sean's eyes that read the me
"Are you feeling better now?" asked Daisy after Zoey, who returned from the toilet and sat down beside her."No," Zoey said, closing her eyes. "I'm tired and sleepy. I want to sleep.""Yes, sleep. I will-"Daisy had no time to finish her sentence when suddenly Zoey got up from her seat and rushed back to the toilet while covering her mouth with her palm."She seems really really tormented," Daisy muttered under her breath. It hadn't been an hour since the plane had taken off, but Zoey had gone to the bathroom countless times due to nausea. Made Daisy very worried thinking about how her best friend had to survive the flight, which took almost eleven hours.Daisy then turned her gaze to the window on her left side. And for some reason, looking at the sight of the town that looked so small far below made her think of River.Actually, it wasn't just the view she saw from the window, whenever she was alone like this, Daisy would always think about River. Even though they had only separated