LOGINIn the middle of the night, my husband started talking in his sleep. "My little treasure, Daddy's taking you and Mommy to the new house tomorrow." But we were using protection. Where the hell did a kid come from? So I opened his phone. I saw the money transfers to another woman—spent on all kinds of luxury shit and a house. The photo album had pictures of her in a skimpy stripper outfit, a little bump in her belly. The last one was an ultrasound. Four months along, it looked like. I didn't make a sound. Just saved the evidence. They were about to learn the price of betraying a mafia princess.
View MoreSeorang gadis menjatuhkan bokongnya di sofa empuk di ruang keluarga rumahnya. Ia menarik nafas panjang lalu menghembuskannya dengan kasar. Rasa pegal dan lelah mulai terasa setelah pulang dari acara Graduation SMP. Jari kelingking kakinya agak memerah karena sepatu heels yang ia pakai, sebab ia tidak biasa menggunakan sepatu berhak seperti itu. Ia memejamkan matanya sebentar sebelum pergi ke kamarnya untuk bersih-bersih.
Badannya lengket penuh dengan keringat. Ia beranjak pergi ke kamar, menenteng heelsnya.
Beberapa menit kemudian, ia keluar dari kamarnya dengan keadaan segar setelah mandi dan berganti pakaian. Perutnya lapar, ia langsung pergi ke dapur untuk mencari makanan. Sepertinya mie instan cocok untuk sore ini.
Ia berjalan menuju dapur melewati ruang keluarga, ia melihat ada kedua orangtuanya sedang bersantai di sana. Ayahnya fokus memperhatikan tayangan berita di televisi, sedangkan Mamahnya fokus memainkan ponsel.
"Qiya... kesini sebentar," panggil Ayahnya.
Gadis yang diketahui bernama Qiya itu berbelok menuju ruang keluarga dimana Ayahnya berada. Kemudian ia duduk di sofa. Ternyata disana juga ada Yasir, kakaknya.
"Ada apa, Yah?" Tanya Qiya dengan santai.
Henri -Ayah Qiya dan Yasir- mengubah posisi duduknya agar bisa kenghadap ke arah putrinya. "Kamu mau lanjut sekolah kemana?"
Qiya tersenyum mendengar pertanyaan Henri, ia yakin Ayahnya akan mempersiapkan pendaftaran untuknya. Qiya sudah sedikit telat untuk mendaftar SMA, hampir semua teman-temannya sudah tinggal menunggu waktu tes masuk ke SMA pilihan mereka, bahkan tidak sedikit yang sudah melakukan tes.
Sedangkan Qiya? Ia masih dilema, ia tau orangtuanya menginginkan Qiya masuk SMA Swasta sama seperti kakaknya.
"Kan Qiya udah bilang Yah, Qiya mau ke SMA Negeri, Ayah mau daftarin Qiya kan?" Kata Qiya dengan antusias.
Laras -Mamah Qiya dan Yasir- yang sedari tadi diam, mulai berbicara, berharap Qiya akan mengerti. "Mamah sama Ayah berharap kamu mau sekolah di SMA Swasta seperti kakakmu."
Qiya menghempaskan punggungnya ke senderan sofa dengan sedikit kasar, hembusan nafas berat terdengar keluar dari lubang hidungnya, ternyata keinginan orangtuanya masih belum berubah.
"Mamah percaya kalo kamu sekolah sama Yasir, kamu bakal aman, Qiya. Lagi pula, sekolah Swasta bisa bikin kamu lebih enjoy karena peraturannya tidak seketat di Negeri. Tanya kakakmu, gimana sekolah dan lingkungannya," jelas Laras dengan perlahan.
Qiya cemberut, "Qiya gak mau Mamah.." lirihnya.
"Ayah udah daftarin kamu. Kamu tidak perlu tes apapun, langsung masuk nanti. Seragam sekolahnya nanti Mamah ambilkan, kamu tinggal sekolah," kata Henri tegas.
Tanpa mengatakan apapun, Qiya beranjak pergi meninggalkan ruang keluarga. Ia merasa sangat kesal, Ayahnya begitu egois, tidak memperdulikan keinginan anaknya. Mamahnya pun tidak mengerti dengan perasaan Qiya. Kakaknya juga, tidak membantu sama sekali, malah sibuk memainkan game di ponselnya.
Qiya pasrah, keputusan Ayahnya sudah tidak bisa dibantah lagi, terlebih Qiya sudah didaftarkan, yasudahlah.
Qiya melanjutkan niatnya untuk memasak mie, perutnya tetap lapar. Ia tidak akan melakukan hal bodoh seperti kebanyakan orang, mengurung diri di dalam kamar dan melakukan aksi mogok makan. Qiya cukup cerdas untuk tidak melakukan hal bodoh itu.
Qiya memakan mie dengan perasaan tenang, tidak seperti ketika memasak, hampir saja jarinya terluka terkena gunting ketika membuka bungkus bumbu mie.
The conference room doors burst open and Carmen stumbled in. Her face was pale, her eyes filled with tears and fury. She was clutching a medical report."Isabella! You monster!" she shrieked, her voice cracking with despair. "How could you do this to me?!"Vincent stared at her in shock. "Carmen? How did you—""The genetic report!" Carmen slammed the papers on the floor. "I went to the hospital, Vincent! The report was a fake! It was forged! There's nothing wrong with our baby!"The room fell dead silent.I turned to her, a slow, cold smile spreading across my face. "Looks like you finally put it together.""It was you!" Carmen pointed a trembling finger at me. "You faked the report! You tricked Vincent on purpose!""That's right," I admitted, without a hint of shame. "It was all a setup. A test, to see the kind of man Vincent really is."Vincent looked back and forth between us, horrified. "Isabella… you… this was all an act?""An act?" I chuckled softly. "No, Vincent. Carmen's tears
The dining room was all candlelight and the smell of the dinner Vincent had so carefully prepared. He was in his best suit, a pathetic, pleading smile plastered on his face. You'd never know he was the same cold bastard who’d turned his back on his own kid just yesterday."Isabella, my love." He pulled out my chair for me, all phony chivalry. "I think we need to talk."I took my seat, watching him fuss around the table. The fool really thought he was still running the show, that the crisis was over."You look pleased with yourself, Vincent," I said, taking a small sip of wine. My voice was even."Of course. Because we can finally have a fresh start." He sat across from me, a scheming glint in his eyes. "Isabella, I have to be honest with you. About Carmen… I admit it, she got to me. A man gets his head turned by something new, you know?""Something new?" I repeated the words, a cold smile touching my lips."Yeah, something new. We've been married three years, life needs a little… spice
"A paternity test? Why?" Vincent’s voice shook."Since you're questioning the child's paternity, let's let science settle it," I said, guiding Carmen to a sofa. "It's for the best. For everyone."Wiping her tears, Carmen nodded. "I agree. I'll prove this baby is Vincent's!"Vincent opened his mouth to object, but then closed it. Refusing the test now would only make him look guiltier.Dr. Martinez arrived quickly with his equipment."I'll need blood and a buccal swab from both of you," he explained. "The results will be ready by tomorrow."Throughout the process, Vincent was a nervous wreck. He knew the baby was his, which meant his entire performance was about to be exposed as a lie."You seem tense, Vincent," I said, handing him a glass of water. "If the baby isn't yours, wouldn't that be a good thing?""I just don't like all this drama," he said with a weak smile.Carmen stared at him, the love in her eyes now curdling into suspicion and rage.The next afternoon, the results were in
Four Seasons Hotel, Presidential Suite.Carmen arrived on time, wearing a pink maternity dress that did little to hide her growing belly. She looked nervous, fidgeting with the designer bag in her lap."Please, sit," I said, gesturing to the sofa across from me."Mrs. Romano, thank you for agreeing to see me.""Call me Isabella. After all, we share a man, don't we?"All the bravado she’d had with her friend was gone. Her face turned red. "I know this is complicated, but I love Vincent, and he loves me. Our baby is a product of that love.""Love?" I let out a soft laugh. "Carmen, do you have any idea what happened at Vincent's casinos yesterday?"She shook her head."He lost all his protection. All his funding. His business is about to go under. He probably won't even be able to keep that villa in Malibu."The color drained from Carmen's face. "That's impossible. Vincent said business was great—""Men like to brag, especially to their mistresses," I said, pulling a file from my bag. "As












Welcome to GoodNovel world of fiction. If you like this novel, or you are an idealist hoping to explore a perfect world, and also want to become an original novel author online to increase income, you can join our family to read or create various types of books, such as romance novel, epic reading, werewolf novel, fantasy novel, history novel and so on. If you are a reader, high quality novels can be selected here. If you are an author, you can obtain more inspiration from others to create more brilliant works, what's more, your works on our platform will catch more attention and win more admiration from readers.
reviews