Chapter: Chapter one hundred and forty threeMelody’s POVThe corridor back to my room felt colder than usual.It was not the kind of cold that comes from air-conditioning, but the kind that seeps into you slowly and personally.Every step resounded way too loudly, as if the walls themselves were listening.I passed the nurses’ station, nodded when one of them called my name, and smiled the way I’d learned to , small, polite,and empty. The kind of smile that convinced people you were a very nice person.Inside, my pulse was trembling.When I reached my room, I shut the door and leaned back against it, breathing in the faint smell of bleach and flowers. Someone had replaced the vase on the table with fresh lilies again. I used to like their scent, but now it only made my stomach twist.She wanted me to kill the child.No, wanted wasn’t even the right word. She’d said it so casually, like she was asking me to help rearrange the furniture in his mind. I mean I had attempted to do it before but I landed in this hospital, if I did i
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2026-01-05
Chapter: Chapter one hundred and forty twoMelody’s POVIt had been three days since the last session.Three long, quiet days where the hospital walls seemed absolutely no different to me.I’d counted the hours on the clock, the minutes ticking by like a heartbeat that didn’t belong to me.Something in me had changed since that talk with Dr. Halpern.I couldn’t explain it, not even to myself.It wasn’t fear exactly, more like the faint vibration that lingers after lightning strikes nearby, the kind you feel under your skin long after the thunder fades.No one had called me in since then.The world outside my window moved without me. I wondered if Max ever thought about me when he looked up.Then I reminded myself he didn’t and that reminder burned less each day.I tried to read, but the words slipped apart in my mind. I tried to sleep, but my dreams came loud and broken, all mirrors and reminding me of painful memories.By the fourth morning, I’d begun to think they’d forgotten about me entirely.That was when the knock came.
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2026-01-05
Chapter: Chapter one hundred and forty oneMaximilian’s POVThe rain hadn’t stopped since morning.It had a rhythm of its own, it was soft, relentless, the kind that reminded me of the first time she came into my life. I stood by the window, watching the city dissolve behind the curtain of silver drizzle, the glow of traffic lights bleeding through it like fading embers.She was still asleep.For a long time, I didn’t move. There was something about the way she slept that quieted everything in me. The small rise and fall of her chest, the way one hand always reached out for the space beside her as if making sure I was still there.I’d spent half the night watching her, rehearsing what I would say if she asked about the call.But she hadn’t.And that was both a relief and a knife twisting quietly beneath my ribs. I knew that she was listening on me. I turned away from the window and picked up my phone from the table. The message thread was still open, the florist confirming the final order. I scrolled down, checking every det
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2026-01-03
Chapter: Chapter one hundred and fortyGianna’s POVThe morning light in the penthouse was pale and gentle, the kind that slid in quietly through the tall windows and kissed the floors. I stood barefoot in the kitchen, the hem of my silk robe brushing my ankles as I stirred the pot in front of me.The scent of warm tomatoes and basil filled the air. I didn’t usually cook, the staff always did, and Max preferred me to rest but I wanted to do this myself today. Maybe because I needed to feel useful. Maybe because the silence had become too heavy lately, and I thought a small act of care might soften it.I wanted him to come home to something warm. To me, waiting with a smile, pretending that nothing between us had changed.The doctor had said I was early in the pregnancy, that I needed more rest, less worry. He didn’t say how to stop the worry. It was everywhere, the taste of morning tea, in the rhythm of the clock, in the empty chair across from mine at breakfast.Max had gone before dawn again. No note. No call. The habit
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2026-01-03
Chapter: Chapter one hundred and thirty nine Melody’s POVWhen the car stopped, the air that met me was too clean, and too cold. The faint scent of disinfectant clung to my coat as I stepped inside. A nurse led me down the long corridor, white walls, humming lights, everything bright enough to sting the eyes.“Dr. Halpern would like to see you before you rest,” she said.Of course he would.His office door was half-open. I heard the rustle of papers, the careful, deliberate click of his pen before he looked up.“Melody.” Her smile was the same practiced calm I had seen a hundred times. “You did well today.”I didn’t answer right away. I stood by the door, waiting for something else, some official phrase, maybe a mention of discharge. Instead, she gestured for me to sit.“You kept your composure,” she continued. “No incident. No visible distress. That must have been… difficult.”“It wasn’t,” I said, though the words came out too flat.She watched me a little too long, then leaned forward, elbows on his desk. “You see, that’s what
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2025-12-11
Chapter: Chapter one hundred and thirty eightMelody’s POV The murmurs faded when he arrived. Even without looking, I felt the hush that always followed max. He walked beside Gianna, with one hand at the small of her back as if the world itself needed reminding she was fragile. The gesture was practiced, gentle, and it made my chest ache in a way I didn’t expect. Gianna’s black veil brushed her cheeks when the wind shifted. She looked up at him, and he bent slightly, saying something only she could hear. Whatever it was drew a faint smile from her, and it made me feel so damn pissed off. I stayed where I was, just a few paces from the grave. The attendant hovered near me, ready to intervene if I so much as swayed. I didn’t. I watched instead, watched the way max’s coat moved, the way he refused to look in my direction even once. When the priest closed his book, people began to leave in small clusters. I waited until he and Gianna passed near. Her hand rested on his arm; their steps matched perfectly. “Max” My voice surpris
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2025-12-11
Masuk
