"I gave everything you asked of me! I gave you all my fortune, the prestige you dreamed to have, my love, and my whole life! I gave everything to you! How can you do this to me?!" Rhianne Cartel shouted at the man standing in front of her in despair. "I... I even sacrificed my relationship with my family just to make a stepping stone for you to succeed! Andrew, you're heartless!"
Andrew, the man in a black suit standing in front of the weeping woman was looking at her with a cold look in his eyes. He's looking at Rhianne as if he was seeing a nasty pest lingering in his sight.
This woman was once a beauty that every man loves to have by their side. Her long, silky hair was now too short and looked like a bunch of shaggy fur of a boar. Her fair jade-like skin was now full of ugly scars and bruises. Her caramel-colored eyes that can stir the hearts of every man had become like those of a rotten fish in the trash.
Rhianne felt bitter, betrayed, lost, and hurt. She only wanted to be loved by this man. Rhianne once dream to have a happy and peaceful life with the man who loves her as much as she loves him. She thought she finally saw the man of her dreams in Andrew. He showed her compassion and love which moved her feelings. But who would have thought that it was just an illusion made to make her fall in deep despair?
Andrew only used her to get everything he desires. Money, fame, and prestige. Andrew accomplished all of the things he desired. And it was all thanks to a foolish puppet he obtained named Rhianne Cartel.
"You're disgusting." Andrew said as he kicked the woman away from him. "Your presence is just making me sick."
Rhianne whimpered in pain, but she ignored it as she tried to stand up again and stare at Andrew. She truly regrets it all. If she did not fall for his lies, maybe Rhianne is still living happily up until now. If only she did not force her family to accept Andrew, maybe her parents were still alive and her brother will not be in jail. If only she did not blindly followed this man, maybe she is now truly living full of peace and happiness just like what she once dreamed to have.
If only she did not love this monster...
She put her bony hand inside her pocket to get the pocket knife she brought with her today. Andrew deserves to die! She runs towards Andrew fast with the idea of killing this monster in her mind. But the reality was really disappointing her.
Andrew grabbed Rhianne's free hand and twisted it on her back. Before Rhianne can react, she felt something that stabbed on her abdomen. She lowered her eyes only to see Andrew holding her hand that holds the knife. He gave much force from his hand to stabbed the knife deeper in her abdomen before he lets go of her.
Rhianne staggered in her step before dropping on the floor with a thud. Her warm blood kept on flowing from her open wound. Her breathing was getting harder every second that passed. Andrew kneeled his one knee in front of her just to gave her a sneer.
"Let me tell you something. There is one more thing I benefitted when I met you." Andrew said.
He did not wait for Rhianne's response and continue to talk.
"It is when you introduce Donna to me. She is the one I truly want, not some foolish and dumb woman like you."
Then Andrew stands up and removed the dust from his black suit. He walked towards the door and closed it without turning his head to look at her dying figure.
Rhianne was left inside the room alone. Rhianne knows that she was near the death's door. She lost literally everything. No one is now standing at her side. This may be the punishment for being a foolish woman.
'This is the end of my life. After my long existence, only hatred, despair, and bitterness is what I only gained in this life.' This is what Rhianne thought before her consciousness completely disappear.
Rhianne slammed the book in her bag after reading the middle part of the story. She tried to calm herself down by grabbing her bottle jug and drank the content of it. She can't believe that the character with the same name as her met that tragic ending.After finishing her work as a saleslady in a department store, one of her workmates asked Rhianne to joined her in a bookstore to buy a romance novel to read. Since she does not have anything to do after her shift, Rhianne agreed to join her workmate.While waiting for her workmate, Rhianne randomly browsed the bookshelf in the bookstore to kill some time. A black, hardbound book caught Rhianne's attention so she reached for it. When she discovered that one of the characters in the story has the same name as her, Rhianne decided to buy it without looking at the book's title or synopsis.After buying their books, Rhianne and her workmate had separated at the bu
"Rhianne, can you hear me? Rhianne!" Rhianne felt like there was a fire burning in her chest. She forced herself to take a deep breathe a few times that made her cough dry, which result in her feeling pain in her throat. Not to mention that her head was also hurting so much. When she heard that someone was calling her name in a panicky voice, she forced herself to open her eyes. But Rhianne's body was not cooperating with her so she closed her eyes again and motionlessly laid her body flat on the floor. Rhianne tried to recall the things that happened in the accident. When the bus suddenly crashed with the truck, her body was squeezed and her head hardly hit on the pole. At that moment, Rhianne knew that she will die. But maybe luck was on her side this time since she can still feel herself breathing even though it's kinda hard for now. "Quick! F
At her question, Francis stiffly stare at his sister. He was trying to find anything from Rhianne's expression. The two of them are very close so it was natural for Rhianne to prank her older brother sometimes. But seeing Rhianne's confused expression, he knew that she was being serious. Panicking, Francis ran outside to call her doctor again. When he came back, Rhianne saw the teenage boy has a nervous expression. The doctor he brought asked Rhianne some questions again. The doctor asked questions like if she knows her name, age, her relatives, and the details of her accident. This makes her really confused. 'Why has the doctor asked me this question? And why did the teenage boy looking at me with that anxious expression?' Rhianne tried to think if she met this teenage boy before. As far as she can remember, the first time she met him was when he saved her with the middle-aged woman from the accident. Because
Rhianne remained seated on her bed while Francis was silently watching her. He also put a considerable distance between them thinking that he might scare her. When the door opened again, two unfamiliar people entered her room. Rhianne's body flinched and unconsciously became alert again. The middle aged-woman suddenly burst into tears witnessing how the girl became alert the moment they saw them while the stern-looking man on her side tried to comfort her. The woman was calling her sweet endearments suited for little girls, but Rhianne intentionally ignored it. They also tried to explain to Rhianne that they were her parents, hoping to see any reactions from her. Rhianne remained silent, giving them a look full of wariness. This makes the woman, or rather her 'mother' cried. After that, Rhianne did not talk again. Even when her 'family' tried to talk to her, she did not give them a response. When Dr. Calvin asked her if remembered anythi
The scene where Rhianne was crying while crouching on the floor was what Francis saw when he opened the door. He panicked a little while yelling loudly to call their parents into her room. Seeing her dear daughter in that state, Carmie quickly hugged Rhianne trying to calm her down. Rhianne did not know who held her body, but she wrapped her slender arms on that person as she cried louder than before. It took them a whole hour before they managed to calmed down the youngest member of their family. Her eyes were a bit red and swollen while some of her tears were still hanging on her eyelashes. Her cheeks were also swollen and her lips were slightly trembling. Francis intuitively brought a glass of water to his sister. Carmie reached for the glass and helped Rhianne to took small sips of water in the glass. After a few more minutes, Rhianne finally settled her emotions and stopped crying. Rhianne lowered her head, trying to hide her messy
Carmie never left Rhianne's side as they started eating their breakfast that morning. She always asked Rhianne what food she wanted to eat and Carmie will personally put it on her plate. Even if she was not used to it, Rhianne just let her mother do whatever she pleased. Rhianne had already forgotten how it feels like to have a mother. To see her new mother being caring and attentive towards her feels weird. "Do you still want another pancake? You can also try this waffle. You like eating these waffles with chocolate cream and sliced strawberry-" Carmie stopped herself from speaking and quickly looked at Rhianne's expression. "Sorry. I just got carried away." "No. It is okay." Rhianne said. "Uhm...Can I say something?" "Of course, dear. What is it?" Carmie softly said. Rhianne took a deep breath first before looking at the three people sitting with her at the dining table. "As you all
Months had passed after Rhianne's accident. During those days, Rhianne was trying to get to know her family more. Her attempts to get closer to them were never in vain because they welcome her antics with open arms. If Rhianne will give one step closer to them, then her family will give three steps to be closer to her.Every morning, Rhianne will help her mother to make their breakfast. Even though they have maids, the whole family was fond of Carmie's cooking, that is why they do not hire any chef to cook for them. As they cook in the kitchen, Carmie always shares a lot of funny stories which makes the mother and daughter pair laugh. This activity became a regular bonding time between Rhianne and Carmie.After eating their breakfast, Rhianne and Francis will go straight into the study room and help her brother to give some ideas about cars. Rhianne discovered that her brother is fond of cars. It is also one of their business for years. Si
'The hell is going on here?!'The boy named Andrew looked at Rhianne with a small smile on his face. Andrew bowed his head a little to greet them, but Rhianne did not bother to think about his actions. Rhianne felt like she will think that Andrew is a sensible and a good boy if she did not know his real color.'You mean this is 'that' Andrew who will be the cause of Rhianne's misfortunes?!'Is this the scenario where Rhianne fell in love with Andrew at first sight?! The book mentioned that they were childhood friends, but the book did not give more details about it. It turns out they became childhood friends because he is the son of her mother's friend.Rhianne unconsciously hid her body behind his brother and clutched his shirt so tight. Francis and Carmie glanced at each other before Francis held Rhianne's hand to reassure her. They thought that Rhianne was acting like this because she
"For our success, cheers!""Cheers!"Rhianne, together with Keith, Candice, Andrew, and their families, clink their glasses together and give themselves a toast. The soft clinking sounds of glasses can be heard inside the party hall they rented for tonight. Happiness is evident on their faces.Tonight, they are having a graduation party with their loved ones. Rhianne, Keith, and Candice had finally graduated from college with flying colors. As for Andrew, his graduation will be next week but they decided to celebrate its advance. It's because Andrew's professor at his university informed him that he's the one who got the highest mark in their class.Similar to him, the three other graduates tonight are also the students who got the highest grading mark in their courses. When Rhianne heard it for the first time, she can't help but shed a few happy tears. The Cartel family is naturally proud of their little princess. All of her hard work has paid off.It is also the same with the Lances
"For our success, cheers!""Cheers!"Rhianne, together with Keith, Candice, Andrew, and their families, clink their glasses together and give themselves a toast. The soft clinking sounds of glasses can be heard inside the party hall they rented for tonight. Happiness is evident on their faces.Tonight, they are having a graduation party with their loved ones. Rhianne, Keith, and Candice had finally graduated from college with flying colors. As for Andrew, his graduation will be next week but they decided to celebrate its advance. It's because Andrew's professor at his university informed him that he's the one who got the highest mark in their class.Similar to him, the three other graduates tonight are also the students who got the highest grading mark in their courses. When Rhianne heard it for the first time, she can't help but shed a few happy tears. The Cartel family is naturally proud of their little princess. All of her hard work has paid off.It is also the same with the Lances
When Donna woke up, the things she saw in her dreams were still vivid in her head. Donna can remember even the smallest details from that dream. It was as if she experienced it herself. But of course, that would be impossible since Donna was only fifteen when she saw all of it.But her dreams led her to believe that all of them were true. It is because of Rhianne Cartel and Keith Lancester. Aside from the fact that she saw both of them in her dreams, Donna had also met them in her previous school. Although they act differently in reality, Donna knows they are still the same people in her dreams.But she frowned after remembering that this man named Andrew Gartin was not staying close to Rhianne Cartel. When she was still her classmate, Donna heard from the class that Andrew Gartin transferred to a school abroad. It was said he will be staying there until he graduates. That information alone made her feel more suspicious if her dreams are indeed prophetic or not. Donna remembered that
It is already dark and the lamps around the park are now giving light to their surroundings. The people who visited this place are starting to leave one by one. Still, there is a certain person who hasn't left the park yet. Donna remains in the same spot where Andrew left her earlier. Her eyes are unfocused and she looks lost right now. Donna ignores the soreness she feels on her legs and waist as her mind tries to replay the conversation she had with Andrew earlier.'Enough! Stop speaking nonsense to me!''I suggest that you should wake up now.''This is the reality.'Donna closes her eyes tightly and thinks about where did it go wrong. Or rather, when did it start? This is not what is supposed to happen. These things did not appear in her dreams.Yes, dreams. It may sound silly to others, but Donna completely believes in the things she saw in her dreams. Donna truly believes she can see the near future in her dreams. It is because of the people she met in it as well as the possible
Soon, Donna brings Andrew to a quiet place away from the park where the others are gathering. Andrew feels confused and skeptical about this woman but he did not yet voice out his thoughts. He decided to wait for what does she needs from him. Soon, Donna turns around and gives him a smile."I think this distance is enough for us to talk. No one can hear us from here." Andrew heard her say."Huh?"In an instant, Donna's expression changed. Although she is still smiling, but it is no longer polite and kind. Instead, she is looking at him with a confident smile on her lips."So Andrew, what were you planning to do now?" Donna asked."...What?" Andrew asked her late."Oh, please. Stop pretending, Andrew. I know that you can also remember everything.""..."Andrew gives Donna a weird look. Keith had already warned him about the woman yesterday. Keith told him that Donna looks suspicious and he doesn't want her approaching Rhianne a lot. He also shared with him the story of how Donna tried
"Please don't leave me...""Karl, I need to go.""Then what about me?! Are you going to leave me? Just like that?! Catherine, you know how much I love you.""But it's not enough!""...What?""It's not enough, Karl. Love is never enough in this world. You should know that.""Catherine, I can't understand. Why—""Is love enough to feed us in the future? Is it enough to make this world move on its axis? Is love enough to make all things better? Is it the only thing we need?!"Karl tries to open his mouth to speak but he doesn't know what to say. "You can't say anything, right? It's because you know that I have a point.""Catherine, I will—""Enough with your promises, Karl! I'm so tired of it." He looks at the woman in front of him. Karl wants to touch and hug her. He wants to tell Catherine that everything is gonna be alright. But he also knows that it is something that she didn't want right now. "Karl, you know that I love you so much. You should know how much I truly care for you.
"Andrew, you really surprised me! I did not expect that you would be back today.""That is my intention. And besides, I already told you that I'm going to have a vacation here in our city for a few weeks, right?""You should have told us your schedule so Keith and I can fetch you at the airport.""You are missing the point here, Rhianne. If I told you my flight schedule, then my surprise would be a total failure.""Hmm, alright. You win now.""That's more like it, Little Auntie Rhianne.""Hey!"Rhianne is really happy to see Andrew again. It has been a long time since they saw each other like this. Although they always communicate through video calls, emails, and voice calls, nothing can still beat seeing your friend up close like this. To her happiness, Rhianne can't help but give Andrew another hug."I really miss you, Andrew!" Rhianne said with a smile."Well, this is nice. I feel so welcome now." Andrew joked as he returned her hug. "And yes. I miss you too, Rhianne."After their
"Is it really okay?" "Hmm... I think so." "But what if that woman tries to sabotage your project?" "Then Donna is also sabotaging her own grades. We're groupmates, after all." "What if she put all of the blame on you? You are the group leader of your group, right?""I think she's not that bad. And besides, we have our own things to do for our project to become successful." Candice just looks at her friend who looks so carefree right now while eating her pizza. They are spending their time break together in the cafeteria. Keith will not be joining them today because he has a long examination today in one of his major subjects. While Candice is busy cleaning the tupperware where her mother put the food she brought for Rhianne, she mentioned that her class will be having a group project and it will be submitted by next week. Their group project can be called as easy to make. Their class was divided into five groups.
"Rhianne!" Turning around, Rhianne sees Keith rushing towards her. When he finally reached her, Keith suddenly put his hands on her shoulders and starts looking at her from head to toe. He even moves her body from side to side as if looking for something. Soon, Keith let out a relieved sigh before looking at Rhianne who has a confused look on her face."What is it?" Rhianne asked. "Did something happen?""Rhianne, are you alright?" Keith asked instead of answering her question."Yes. Why? Do I look like sick to you?" Instead of answering, Keith just let out another relieved sigh before he tries controlling his breathing. "Are you done tossing and spinning Rhianne like a life-sized doll?"Both Rhianne and Keith look at Candice who is standing beside them with crossed arms. Candice shakes her head before gently pulling Rhianne towards her. She is now thinking that it was wrong of her to send a text message