"Bound by a prophecy, our love was never ours to keep. It was written, a passion cursed to consume us both—destined to ignite, destined to destroy, and never to be undone." Have you ever looked at your stepbrother and been like, Damn, I wanted him? For Ahvi Thatcher, life as a step-sibling has never been easy. She remembered the first time she saw him and the attraction that nearly knocked herself off her feet. It was strong—too strong, almost unnatural. But he was her stepbrother and the feelings were wrong and she knew it, yet she couldn't resist the lure of the forbidden fruit that was her step-brother. One forbidden bite and she found herself in a whirl of passion and intrigue, torn between the forces of love and lust that battled inside her heart. Will Ahvi be dragged into the shadows by her stepbrother, her sinful desires, and her own forbidden passion, or will she break free and find a brighter road ahead? What if there was no bright road ahead? What if everything and everyone she knew was a lie and now she must save herself from a world she never knew existed in the first place? only if she hadn't given in to her desires.
Lihat lebih banyak“Anak saya ... mana, Suster?”
Seorang wanita paruh baya yang baru siuman setelah persalinan, bertanya lirih ketika melihat suster muncul di ruangannya.“Sebentar ya, Bu?” sahut suster sambil tersenyum. “Saya cek dulu.”Wanita bernama Virnie itu hanya mampu terbaring lemah dan nyaris tidak memperhatikan apa yang sedang dilakukan suster itu kepadanya.Beberapa saat setelah menyelesaikan pekerjaannya, suster itu permisi keluar dan meninggalkan Virnie sendiri di ruangannya.“Selamat pagi,” Tidak berapa lama kemudian, salah seorang suster masuk sambil menggendong seorang malaikat kecil yang tertidur pulas.“Ini anak saya, Suster?” tanya Virnie dengan raut wajah seakan tidak sabar untuk segera menimang buah hatinya.“Betul, Bu. Mari, saya bantu pelekatannya agar bisa menyusui dengan nyaman.” Suster itu meletakkan bayi Virnie dalam gendongannya dengan posisi senyaman mungkin.“Saya tinggal dulu ya, Bu?” kata suster. “Kalau butuh apa-apa, silakan pencet belnya.”“Terima kasih Suster,” angguk Virnie sambil memangku buah hatinya dengan bahagia.Setelah beberapa saat menyusui anaknya, Virnie baru ingat bahwa dia belum menanyakan tentang jenis sang bayi.“Perempuan apa laki-laki, Ma?” tanya Sony, suami Virnie begitu dia memasuki ruangan istrinya.Saat awal kehamilan, mereka berdua memang sepakat untuk tidak menanyakan jenis anak mereka setiap kali pemeriksaan kehamilan.“Biarlah ini jadi kejutan di hari kelahirannya nanti,” kata Virnie saat itu.Namun, sekarang ini Virnie justru menyesal karena lupa menanyakannya. Ditambah lagi dia sempat pingsan setelah bayinya lahir.“Maaf ya, papa terlambat datang?” ucap Sony yang sedang berada di luar kota saat mendapat telepon dari istrinya.“Nggak apa-apa, ayo kita cek sendiri, Pa?” ajak Virnie yang mendadak jadi bersemangat untuk mengungkap jenis anaknya.“Iya,” angguk Sony sambil membongkar selimut yang membungkus tubuh mungil buah hatinya. Dia hanya perlu melihat sekilas keseluruhan tubuh bayi itu untuk memastikan jenisnya.“Anak kita perempuan,” kata Sony memberi tahu istrinya. “Lihat Ma, benar-benar bayi perempuan yang cantik.”Virnie tersenyum begitu mendengar ucapan suaminya.“Siapa namanya, Pa?” tanya Virnie ingin tahu.Sony tersenyum sembari memandangi putri mungilnya yang sedang tertidur.“Sebenarnya papa sudah siapkan nama cowok, Babyanz Avinskie.” Sony menjawab pelan. “Tapi karena ternyata lahir cewek, aku ganti jadi Babyolla Zavinska.”Virnie tersenyum dengan mata berbinar-binar mendengar nama putri pertamanya.“Babyolla ... nama yang cantik,” ucapnya sambil mengecup kening sang malaikat kecil.Dua puluh lima tahun kemudian ....Babyolla tumbuh dengan limpahan kasih sayang dan materi dari kedua orang tuanya, hingga menjadikannya orang yang manja dan semena-mena.“Yolla?” panggil Virnie begitu dia tiba di rumah dan tidak melihat putrinya.“Apa sih, Ma?” Yolla muncul dengan wajah malas. Dia baru saja membersihkan kuku-kuku di jemari tangannya saat sang ibu memanggil.“Kamu nggak bantu papa di kantor?” tanya Virnie sambil menatap Yolla. “Papa belum dapat pegawai baru, setidaknya bantulah dulu.”Yolla menarik napas, dia memang pernah diminta ayahnya untuk membantu pekerjaan di kantor. Namun, euforia setelah dia diwisuda masih terasa efeknya sampai sekarang.“Malas ah Ma, kalau Cuma jadi pegawai.” Yolla berkomentar sambil duduk di sofa.“Kan enak dapat gaji dari papa,” sahut Virnie. “Kamu juga masih dapat uang bulanan dari mama. Kurang apa lagi, coba?”Yolla meniup-niup kukunya sebelum menjawab.“Gaji karyawan paling berapa sih, Ma?” katanya. “Aku itu mau pegang posisi yang bergengsi dong, apa gunanya aku jadi anak pemilik perusahaan?”“Yol, semua itu kan ada prosesnya.” Virnie menarik napas. “Semua jabatan tinggi pasti berawal dari bawah dulu ...”“Ma, kalau begitu mendingan aku cari kerja di luar.” Yolla menukas. “Masa aku jadi karyawan di perusahaan papa aku sendiri. Malu aku, Ma.”Virnie tidak menjawab, percuma. Yolla terkenal dengan sikap keras kepalanya, semakin dikerasi maka dia akan semakin membantah.Awalnya, keinginan Sony sangatlah sederhana. Dia tidak mau melihat putrinya jadi pengangguran setelah lulus sarjana. Untuk itulah dia mengarahkan Yola untuk membantunya di kantor.“Aku mau kerja di kantor papa,” kata Yolla setelah dibujuk berkali-kali oleh orang tuanya. “asalkan aku dikasih jabatan bagus.”“Contohnya?” tanya Sony sambil lalu.“Manajer atau apa,” jawab Yolla seenaknya. “CEO, apalah ... yang penting jangan pegawai bawah Pa, malu.”Sony menarik napas, sementara Virnie mengusap bahunya sebagai isyarat agar dia memaklumi sikap putri semata wayang mereka.Seminggu setelah itu, Yolla muncul di perusahaan ayahnya dengan rok sepan dan kemeja kerja serta riasan di wajahnya. Satu tas bermerek menggantung di lengannya dan sesekali berayun kala wanita muda itu melangkah anggun ke dalam ruangannya.Seharian itu Yolla hanya sibuk bermain gawai sambil duduk di kursi kebesarannya karena dia akan mengusir siapa saja yang berani masuk untuk mengantar pekerjaan ke ruangannya.Di bagian belakang, para petugas kebersihan terkadang membicarakan kelakuan putri bos mereka.“... kamu saja yang membersihkan ruangannya ...”“... aku aja malas, galak banget dia ...”Seorang pria muda muncul dengan seragam office boy sambil menenteng ember dan sebuah alat pel di tangannya.“Ada yang belum dibersihkan?” tanyanya dengan suara yang sangat santun.“Ruangan CEO baru kita,” sahut salah seorang petugas kebersihan yang tadi ngobrol.“Oke, aku akan ke sana.” Pria muda itu mengangguk dan berbalik.Yolla menoleh ketika seorang pemuda memasuki ruangannya yang terbuka.“Permisi Bu,” ucap pria itu sopan sambil mengangguk sungkan ke arah Yolla yang sedang asyik bermain gawai.Yolla tidak menjawab dan hanya menganggukkan kepalanya.Office boy itu lantas mulai menyapu dan mengepel lantai di ruangan Yolla.“Bu, tolong jangan berdiri dulu ya?” kata office boy itu sopan sebelum berlalu. “Lantainya masih licin, takutnya nanti Ibu jatuh.”“Ya,” sahut Yolla pendek.Office boy itupun berlalu karena merasa tugasnya sudah selesai.Tak lama kemudian, Yolla berdiri dengan ponsel di tangan. Dia baru melangkah sebentar ketika sepatunya tergelincir dan membuatnya jatuh seketika.“Aduhh!” pekik Yolla. “Siapa sih office boy yang bersihin?”Sambil menggerutu, Yolla berjalan hati-hati dan mencari office boy yang tadi membersihkan ruangannya.Beberapa petugas kebersihan langsung berdiri saat Yolla mendatangi mereka.“Siapa yang tadi bersihin ruangan saya?” hardik Yolla dengan mata melotot.Beberapa pasang mata saling lirik sebentar.“Baby ... kalau nggak salah tadi ...”“Mana, panggil Baby cepet ...”Mendengar mereka menyebut ‘baby,’ Yolla pikir dia adalah cewek.“Nah, itu Baby!”Yolla menoleh dan melihat office boy yang tadi membersihkan ruangannya, seketika dia tertawa meremehkan.“Cowok kok namanya Baby,” ejeknya sambil memandang si office boy.“Byanz, kamu kan yang tadi bersihin ruangan Bu Yolla?”“Masih kotor tuh, Bu Yolla sampai ke sini ...”Office boy itu memandang Yolla dengan tatapan sungkan sementara Yolla balas menatapnya dengan mata yang berapi-api.Bersambung—(VANCE’S POINT OF VIEW)5 years. It feels like a lifetime, and yet it feels like no time at all. Only a few days and nights of silence and regret stretched so endlessly until now. 5 years and she's standing in front of me again, like a dream that seems far reached and unachievable.She’s here. Standing right in front of me, her presence feels surreal, like a dream I’ve replayed countless times but never dared hope will come true.Ahvi.She looks different, yet the same. Stronger, maybe. There’s a fire in her eyes I don’t remember seeing before, but there’s also exhaustion. Her hair is short and falls in soft waves around her face, and though her expression is guarded, I can still recognize the girl I once knew and literally, there goes the beating of my heart again. It throbs painfully yet it is alive again after 5 years.I don’t move. I don’t dare breathe too loudly, afraid this moment will shatter and I’ll wake up in that endless slumber again.Her voice breaks the silence and ends
(AHVI’S POINT OF VIEW)“What do you mean you didn’t get a call for a missing child?”I strain not to lose my patience as I look at the airport manager, who looks like he’s freaking depleted of his job, and if he doesn’t find my child in the next few minutes, he’s going to wish he never existed.Isleen stands beside me in the office. We rushed here the moment the plane landed at Chicago airport, and now this idiot is standing here spouting nonsense.“I’m telling you, Miss,” the manager says, rubbing his temples like I’m the one giving him a headache when it’s my child that’s missing. “We didn’t get a call from Ireland about a missing child. Perhaps the call didn’t come through. But…” He pauses like he’s skeptical if he should continue as my glare amplifies. “There was a child here yesterday, brought to us by security. I can take you to the CCTV room to confirm if it’s your child.”I give a glance at Isleen and her expression mirrors mine, uneasy and terrified. We watch as the man stan
(VANCE'S POINT OF VIEW)I follow Scar and Damein aimlessly from behind, like a child forced to step out of his comfort zone; the only difference is that I'm not a child. Scar and Damien are talking but I can barely hear a single word that left them. Everything feels like it's from a distance. The busting of the airport, the rolling sound of suitcases, the mutters of people, and the sound of beeping machines sound like they are all fading.“Dad!“Realty welcomes me back with the sound of Scar's voice; her worried eyes dance over my face. “How long are you going to stay in your head? she's gone; move on already.“ she almost snaps. I can never move on from her. “You shouldn't worry about me, Scarlet. Go and have fun in Italy. Live your life." I try to curl my lips into a smile but the muscles refuse to move. She sighs in frustration. “You think I'm going to stop worrying just because you say so. You wouldn't have left your dark room if you weren't forced out; is that how you're going
(AHVI'S POINT OF VIEW)The airport is buzzing with energy, a symphony of rolling suitcases, overlapping announcements, and people in transit. The last time I was in an airport was five years ago, running from my demons.I walk beside Andre, his suitcase trailing behind him, as he glances down at his phone. His brow furrows for the nth time. I want to ask what’s on his mind, but I don’t want to start anything heavy. Not now. Our little date is still fresh in our minds and we decided to talk more about our relationship when he returns from the conference. “You’re sure about your gate?” I ask instead, scanning the signs above us. I'd left the twins with Isleen at the entrance.He nods and tucks his phone into his jacket pocket. “Yeah, Gate 14. Thanks for walking me in.”He slows down near the security checkpoint and adjusts his tie—a navy blue one I bought him on a whim last month. I can remember how delighted he was that he almost bounced on his feet like an excited child. The memory b
[VANCE POINT OF VIEW]The walls are closing in again.They've been doing that a lot lately—pressing closer, shadows tightening around me until I can barely breathe. I lie here, barely able to see through the darkness filling the room. Five years. Five years since she vanished from the surface of the earth and took the last of the light with her. I made promises I couldn't keep and swore things I had no right to swear.'I'll protect you,' I told her once. 'I'll never let anything happen to you.' And yet here I am, all these years later, a prisoner of my own empty words. Five years of being tormented by everything and everything around me. I feel like everything is mocking me, laughing at me for how weak I have been. I had one job yet I have failed even before I could do shit. I laugh at how pathetic I sound.Then I hear it—a knock, soft and hesitant, like someone doesn't want to wake the dead—probably. Everything is still around me, and everything is so quiet that I can hear only th
(AHVI'S POINT OF VIEW)I agreed to Andre's date, and the day came sooner than expected. It is strange dressing up for a man. I remember always trying to look pretty, hoping my stepbrother would notice me. Looking back, I remember looking like a love-struck puppy anytime Vance was near. How naive.I shake my head and clear my mind to keep all thoughts of Vance at bay and focus on what is in front of me; Andre taking me on a date to a fancy restaurant.I am dressed in a sleeveless crimson dress that hugs my curves and falls over my knee; Isleen made me wear it. My makeup is well-done. I feel and look pretty when Andre is dressed in a fine black suit, as opposed to the casual clothes and doctor's coat that I usually see him in; he even brushed his hair back.“I have only dreamt of this day.” He looks excited as he sits across from me at the table.“Please don't tell me you spent all your savings for this?” I jest, yet with a hint of seriousness.He chuckles. "I believe there is nothing
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