Bukan Wanita Pilihanmu (Hanya Istri Pengganti)

The hospital smelled of antiseptic.

Cold.

Silent.

Lifeless.

Anna Reed sat in front of the doctor, her fingers tightly gripping the edge of her chair.

Her palms were sweating.

Something felt wrong.

Very wrong.

The doctor’s expression had changed the moment he looked at her scan results.

That expression terrified her.

It was the kind of face doctors made when they didn’t know how to say something terrible.

Anna forced herself to speak.

“Doctor…”

Her voice shook.

“Please tell me what’s wrong.”

The doctor sighed.

He removed his glasses slowly and placed them on the desk.

Then he looked straight at her.

“Mrs. Reed… I’m sorry.”

Anna’s heartbeat stopped.

Three words.

Just three words.

But they shattered something inside her.

The doctor slid the scan results toward her.

“There’s a tumor in your brain.”

Anna stared at him.

Her lips parted.

But no sound came out.

The doctor continued.

“It’s malignant.”

Her breathing became uneven.

No.

No.

This had to be a mistake.

Her voice came out as a whisper.

“What… does that mean?”

The doctor hesitated.

Then he said the words that destroyed her world.

“Stage four brain cancer.”

Silence.

The room spun.

Anna felt as if someone had ripped the ground from beneath her feet.

She stared at the doctor blankly.

She heard his voice.

But his words felt far away.

Like she was underwater.

Stage four.

Cancer.

No.

No.

This couldn’t be happening.

Not to her.

She was only twenty-six.

She was healthy.

She didn’t smoke.

She barely drank.

How?

How?

Tears burned her eyes.

“There must be a mistake.”

Her voice cracked.

The doctor’s face softened.

“I’m sorry, Mrs. Reed. We ran multiple tests.”

Anna shook her head.

“No…”

Her hands trembled violently.

“No…”

The doctor lowered his voice.

“The cancer has progressed too far.”

Anna’s chest tightened.

She could barely breathe.

She forced herself to ask the question she feared most.

“How long?”

The doctor went silent.

Anna stared at him.

Her heart pounded.

She already knew the answer would destroy her.

Still…

She needed to hear it.

“How long do I have left?”

The doctor looked down.

Then back at her.

“Six months.”

Anna froze.

Six months.

Just two words.

But they crushed her.

Her world ended in two words.

Six months.

She had six months left to live.

Tears rolled down her cheeks.

Her body shook.

She covered her mouth, trying to stop herself from breaking apart.

But she couldn’t.

Everything hurt.

Everything.

The doctor handed her tissues.

“Spend time with your loved ones.”

Loved ones.

Anna thought of one person.

Noah.

Her husband.

The man she had loved for seven years.

The man she married three years ago.

The man who never truly loved her.

Fresh tears rolled down her cheeks.

Even now…

Even now, Noah was the first person she thought about.

Funny.

Painful.

Pathetic.

Anna laughed bitterly through tears.

The doctor looked at her with sympathy.

“Do you want to call someone?”

Anna shook her head.

“No.”

Her voice was small.

Very small.

“No… I’ll go home.”

Anna walked out of the hospital like a ghost.

The world outside was alive.

Cars moved.

People laughed.

Life continued.

Everything looked normal.

But her world had ended.

She stood by the roadside, holding the medical report with trembling hands.

Stage four brain cancer.

Six months.

Her vision blurred again.

She wanted to scream.

She wanted to cry.

She wanted someone to hold her.

She wanted Noah.

Without thinking, she reached for her phone.

Her fingers shook as she dialed his number.

Ring.

Ring.

Ring.

No answer.

Anna swallowed.

She called again.

Ring.

Ring.

No answer.

Tears gathered in her eyes.

She called a third time.

This time…

The call connected.

Relief flooded her chest.

“Noah…”

But a female voice interrupted.

“Hello?”

Anna froze.

Her fingers tightened around the phone.

She knew that voice.

She knew it.

Her blood ran cold.

Clara.

Clara Hayes.

Noah’s first love.

Anna’s breathing stopped.

Why was Clara answering Noah’s phone?

Silence filled the line.

Then Clara spoke again.

Her voice was soft.

Sweet.

Mocking.

“Oh.”

She laughed quietly.

“Anna.”

Anna’s throat dried.

“Why are you answering Noah’s phone?”

Clara chuckled.

“Because Noah is in the shower.”

Anna’s heart dropped.

The world went silent.

Noah.

In the shower.

Clara.

Answering his phone.

Anna felt sick.

Her fingers trembled harder.

“Noah is busy right now,” Clara said casually.

“Call later.”

The line went dead.

Anna stood frozen.

Still holding the phone.

Still staring ahead.

Her face had gone pale.

Her entire body felt numb.

Then tears fell.

One after another.

Uncontrollably.

She laughed.

A broken laugh.

Even now.

Even today.

The day she found out she was dying.

Noah still chose to hurt her.

Anna slowly lowered the phone.

The medical report slipped from her hand.

It fell to the ground.

She didn’t pick it up.

She just stood there.

Broken.

Completely broken.

A cold wind blew past.

But Anna felt nothing.

Her heart had become numb.

After a long time, she bent down and picked up the report.

Her eyes landed on the words again.

Stage four.

Six months.

Anna wiped her tears.

Then something changed inside her.

A strange calm settled over her.

No crying.

No screaming.

No begging.

Just silence.

Deep silence.

She looked at the sky.

Then whispered softly.

“Six months…”

A bitter smile touched her lips.

She had spent seven years loving Noah.

Seven years.

She gave him everything.

Her love.

Her loyalty.

Her heart.

And what did she get?

Loneliness.

Coldness.

Neglect.

Pain.

Anna closed her eyes.

When she opened them again—

Something inside her had cracked.

Maybe this was enough.

Maybe she was tired.

Maybe she had loved long enough.

She whispered to herself.

“Noah…”

A tear slipped down her face.

“This is the last time.”

Then Anna turned and walked away.

Slowly.

Quietly.

Toward the end of everything.

Miles away, inside a luxury penthouse—

Noah Reed stepped out of the shower.

Tall.

Cold.

Handsome.

Water dripped down his chest.

He grabbed a towel.

Then noticed Clara sitting on the bed.

She smiled.

“Noah.”

He frowned.

“Why are you holding my phone?”

Clara smiled casually.

“Anna called.”

Noah’s expression hardened.

Clara tilted her head.

“She sounded desperate.”

Noah’s eyes darkened.

Clara stood and walked toward him.

“You know…” she said softly, “she calls too much.”

Noah said nothing.

Clara wrapped her arms around him.

“You promised to spend today with me.”

Noah’s face remained unreadable.

But his voice was cold.

“I did.”

Clara smiled.

Satisfied.

Noah looked at his phone.

Three missed calls.

From Anna.

His thumb hovered over her name.

For a second.

Just one second.

Then he locked the phone.

He put it aside.

And chose silence.

He chose not to call back.

He chose Clara.

Again.

Far away, Anna sat alone in her car.

Silent tears rolled down her face.

She stared at her wedding ring.

Then slowly…

She removed it.

Her hands trembled.

But she did not stop.

The ring sat in her palm.

Cold.

Lifeless.

Just like her marriage.

Anna stared at it.

Then closed her fingers around it.

Her voice came out broken.

Soft.

Barely audible.

“I’m tired, Noah.”

A tear fell.

“I’m so tired.”

She leaned back and closed her eyes.

For the first time in years, 

Anna stopped hoping.

And somewhere deep inside her heart…

Love began to die.