Chapter: EPILOGUE - PART TWO“What did he tell you? Come on, tell me,” I asked Veronica. She looked so worried and hurt, it made me want to pull her into my arms and hold her tight. “Is he bothering you?” I asked. She couldn’t meet my gaze. “Did he hurt you, Veronica?” “No,” she answered softly. I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself down. I didn’t even know what I would’ve done if he’d laid a hand on her. “Then what did he say? Why are you avoiding me? What’s wrong, baby? Please tell me,” I pleaded, looking straight into her eyes. “Hey, please look at me. What are you thinking about? Tell me, please,” I asked again, frustration in my voice. She bit her lower lip, steadied herself, then finally looked at me. “He’s angry, Lucas,” she whispered. “He still affects you this much, huh?” I chuckled bitterly. I stepped away from her and sighed, biting my lip as I felt a sharp ache in my chest. “Do you still like him?” I asked after a long silence. “I still like him, but… hm, I think I’m—” She tried to r
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2025-11-27
Chapter: EPILOGUE - PART ONELucas Andriene Clemente The first time I saw her, she was quietly waiting on a couch for her boyfriend. The vocalist of Command. She just sat there, unfazed by everyone around her. She seemed very quiet and aloof — she didn’t look at anyone, not even me. But every time her boyfriend came around, she’d light up. It was obvious she was in love with him. The only time you could read any emotion on her face was when he was near. My cousin Samantha wanted me to get close to her, but honestly, I wasn’t interested. She didn’t talk to anyone except her boyfriend. She never smiled, never even spared a glance at anyone else. I didn’t think we’d ever get along. She kept her distance from everyone, so I stayed focused on the reason I was there in the first place — to look after my cousin. She’s stubborn as hell, and I’m the only one who can keep her in check. She doesn’t really have a choice. "Lucas! You’re not even trying to talk to her. I saw you earlier — you didn’t even go near her. How
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2025-11-26
Chapter: CHAPTER FIFTY EIGHT“Veronica Marchella Berdin — from the first time I saw you, I knew you’d be a part of my life. It was just a passing glance, but I couldn’t stop myself from looking at you again. I was with my friend Gian, the CEO of the company you worked for, when I saw you with your team, joking around as you left the office. Your laugh was music to my ears, so I kept coming back to your company after that. Gian started to wonder why, but I didn’t care. I was happy just seeing you every day. I secretly followed you, always stealing glances. Even when I was supposed to be watching over Samantha, I spent my time on you. Then one day, I was shocked to see you at their studio, with Samantha’s ex — and I realized he was your boyfriend. I was furious, even though I had no right. But I still couldn’t stop. I did everything I could to be with you, to get to know you. And I was right. The more I got to know you, the more I wanted to spend my life with you. What I felt when I first saw you grew stronger when
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2025-11-25
Chapter: CHAPTER FIFTY SEVENThey were emotional, though their faces were filled with sweet smiles, and I couldn’t help but feel emotional too. We were in the middle of hugging when soft music began to play. I turned toward the path I’d walked earlier and saw Lucas standing there, smiling so handsomely at me. He walked toward me and I met him halfway. He gently touched my cheek and caressed it. His eyes were emotional, and it made me even more emotional too. I was so lucky to have him. He loved me so deeply, and I loved him just the same. I kissed him passionately, and I almost lost myself when I felt him kiss me back with the same intensity. He tilted my head to deepen the kiss even more. After a long, lingering kiss, he started kissing my cheeks and then my ear — slow, almost teasing. I bit my lower lip to stop myself from moaning… fuck. “Baby, are you seducing me?” His voice sent shivers down my spine. I suddenly felt weak, which made it easy for him to lift me and settle me onto his lap. His face was seri
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2025-11-24
Chapter: CHAPTER FIFTY SIX"Are you okay?" I asked. "I’m nervous," he admitted, which made me smile as I hugged him back. "Don’t worry, everything will be alright. I’m sure they’ll be happy to see us together," I whispered to him. We were on our way to the shelter in Bohol. He personally wanted to ask for my hand from Sister and the others. He proposed to me two days ago, and now he wanted us to go there so he could formally ask for my hand — and I couldn’t say no, because I wanted that too. Sister Mona and the others were the ones who took me in back then, they became my family and my parents in their own way, so I also wanted to show them how important they still are to me, at least in this way. After everything, we left. It had already been six months since I left the shelter after Lucas and I had that conversation. That night, when I finally decided to talk to him, everything became clear. I realized that everything I believed about him was wrong — and it was all Samantha’s plan to mess with us. When s
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2025-11-23
Chapter: CHAPTER FIFTY FIVEBack then, when I didn’t know him yet, all I ever thought about was how to please Xavier, how to make him fall in love with me. How could I make him love me when he didn’t? How could I make his heart feel something it wouldn’t? I was too hard on myself — selfish and selfless at the same time. I was blind. But when Lucas came, he changed everything. My life started to turn upside down. There were moments I felt loved, and moments when I felt I wasn’t. Before I could let Xavier go, I kept asking myself: Would I ever be able to love again after him? I didn’t know the answer. But everything changed when Lucas came. I fell for him so easily, so quickly, and so deeply. At first, I didn’t want anything to do with him. Just knowing he was Samantha’s driver — or so I thought — made me dislike him. There was an unnamed fear inside me. I chose to ignore him, to keep him at a distance. But somehow, he made his way into my life. He didn’t ask for permission. He made sure I noticed him. And befor
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2025-11-22
ATTACHED WITH HER OBSESSION
It was never part of my plan to get attached. I was just a freelance model, newly signed under a rising modeling agency in town. Everything was supposed to be simple; work, exposure, growth. Then came Dr. Aria Williams — dermatologist, surgeon, and the woman who was supposed to fix me.
Chaos started the moment I met her. The way she talked, the way she looked at me felt like she was studying every inch of who I was. Every word I said, every silence I made, she read me like I was her favorite patient. It made me uncomfortably hot, and yet... I kept coming back.
I told myself it was part of the therapy, the strange pull I felt toward her was part of it. But the way she looked at me; cold, curious, almost hungry, said otherwise. I hated her for it. I felt it every time her voice softened, every time her fingers lingered on my skin longer than they should. She called it treatment. I called it control.
What started as therapy turned into something dark and deeper. I wanted to be beautiful, to be ready for the public, but what we craved became something private, something only between us.
And the more sessions I had with her, the stronger the connection grew. Until one day, her eyes focused on someone else. And every time their eyes met, it burned through me. When she saw it, she offered something that challenged me. To be her slave and she'll be mine— alone.
Soon, I found myself following her every order, fulfilling her desires without question. Along the way, I realized her obsession had become mine too. And before I could stop, the hate I once felt for her turned into something else.
Baca
Chapter: Chapter 76Tears didn’t fall—but they gathered.“I don’t want to be the reason you stop growing,” she whispered.“You’re the reason I know what matters,” I said.Her lips trembled slightly.“And what if one day that changes?”I didn’t have an answer.Because love didn’t erase ambition.And ambition didn’t erase love.We stood there, caught between devotion and fear.I had stayed.But staying hadn’t solved anything.It had only shifted the battlefield.And now, instead of fighting my mother—I was fighting the woman I refused to lose.Not because she didn’t love me.But because she loved me enough to step back.And I didn’t know how to convince her that she was not my limitation.She was my choice.And yet she stood in front of me like she was preparing to become my sacrifice.The space between us felt fragile, like glass that hadn’t shattered yet but would if either of us breathed too hard.“Aria,” I said more softly this time, “why are you deciding what I’ll regret?”“I’m not deciding,” she rep
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2026-02-20
Chapter: Chapter 75I made my final decision the morning before the deadline. It wasn’t dramatic. No tears, no shaking hands hovering over the keyboard. Just clarity. I drafted the email slowly, reading every line twice before sending it. I thanked them for the offer. I acknowledged the prestige. I expressed sincere appreciation. And then I declined. Not because I was afraid. Not because I was pressured. But because every time I imagined boarding that plane, I saw Aria standing at a distance I could not measure. I could let an opportunity go. But I could not let her go. When I hit send, I expected panic. Instead, I felt still. Certain. I walked out of my office earlier than usual that day, the city moving around me in its usual rhythm. Cars, conversations, people rushing toward their own ambitions. For once, I didn’t feel like I was racing anyone. I was choosing. And I chose her. Aria was in the living room when I got home. She was sitting on the floor, back against the couch, fil
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2026-02-13
Chapter: Chapter 74The email came three days later. Subject line: Final Confirmation – Zuriché Executive Placement I stared at it longer than I should. Aria was across from me at the dining table, reviewing architectural revisions for her clinic. Highlighters scattered around her, glasses sliding down her nose slightly as she concentrated. For a moment, I didn’t open the email. Because unopened, it was still theoretical. Opened, it would become real. “Are you going to read it,” Aria asked softly without looking up, “or just intimidate it into disappearing?” I exhaled faintly. “You always know.” She finally lifted her gaze, calm but observant. “I can feel when you’re bracing.” That almost made me smile. I clicked. The offer was formal now. Detailed relocation package. Housing. Leadership authority. Immediate placement under a global expansion division. And at the bottom— Response required within seven days. Seven. My chest tightened. Aria watched my face carefully. “Dead
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2026-02-12
Chapter: Chapter 73That was the truth. Raw and uncomfortable. She nodded once. “Thank you for being honest.” We didn’t talk much after that. Not because there was nothing to say—but because saying it might have changed things too quickly. Over the next few days, our schedules began to overlap less. Not dramatically. Just enough to notice. She left early for meetings. I stayed up late answering emails. We still ate together when we could, still shared the same bed, still reached for each other instinctively—but something invisible had shifted. Not distance. Pressure. One afternoon, Xavier stopped by unannounced. Aria was out, meeting with a potential investor. The house felt quieter without her presence. “She’s impressive,” Xavier said casually as he watched me pace the kitchen. “Focused. Calm.” “She has to be,” I replied. “Everything’s on the line for her.” “And for you,” he added. I stopped pacing. “Do you think I’m being selfish?” He frowned. “Why would you ask that?” “Be
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2026-02-08
Chapter: Chapter 72Distance didn’t arrive all at once. It came quietly, disguised as responsibility. In the days that followed, my calendar filled up faster than I could process. Calls from brand representatives across different time zones. Emails marked urgent. Contracts that demanded answers without explicitly asking for them. Everything felt polite, professional—and relentless. Aria noticed before I did. “You’ve been staring at that screen for ten minutes,” she said one morning, handing me a mug of coffee. “And you haven’t blinked.” I smiled weakly. “Just thinking.” “That’s new,” she teased, but her eyes stayed on me longer than usual. I shrugged and took the mug. “They want a response by the end of the week.” “The Milan brand?” “Yes.” She nodded, leaning against the counter. “And the others?” “Waiting. Watching.” I hesitated. “Comparing.” She hummed thoughtfully. “That’s how they work.” I wanted to say more. I wanted to tell her that my mother had called again the night befor
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2026-02-07
Chapter: Chapter 71The first email arrived at six in the morning. I saw it before I even sat up in bed, the glow of my phone cutting through the quiet. Aria was still asleep beside me, her breathing even, her arm draped loosely across my waist like it had been there all night without thinking. I didn’t move at first. I just stared at the screen. Subject: International Brand Partnership – Confidential Offer Location: Milan / Paris / Seoul Duration: 18 months I swallowed. This wasn’t the first offer I’d received lately. Since leaving my agency and working independently under Aria’s guidance, brands had been coming in steadily—some local, some regional, some global. But this one felt… heavier. Bigger. The kind of offer that didn’t knock. It waited patiently, confident I’d eventually open the door. I turned slightly, careful not to wake her, and slipped out of bed. The house was quiet in that early-morning way that felt almost sacred. I padded into the kitchen, brewed coffee, and finally opened th
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2026-02-06
Masuk
