The day I received my medical report and found out I was pregnant, my husband—Alpha Scott Hansen—held a small wedding ceremony in the hospital garden with his first love and former mate, Gillian Boyd. He explained, “Her final wish in this life was to be my bride.” But what about me? What was I to him? A replacement? It finally hit me—ten years of unwavering devotion and sacrifice meant nothing compared to a single tear shed by his first love.
View MoreBau obat-obatan masih tercium jelas, kepala wanita itu bahkan masih terasa pusing. Namun, dia tetap memfokuskan diri untuk mendengar penjelasan dokter di depannya.
Dokter cantik itu tersenyum hangat, tapi hal itu tidak bisa menutupi kilat kesedihan di matanya. Mengingat berita yang akan dia sampaikan adalah berita buruk, "maaf, Bu. Anda keguguran."
Satu kalimat yang diucapkan oleh wanita berbaju dokter itu, membuat dunia Aara seakan runtuh. Kebahagiaan yang kemarin dia rasakan ketika melihat dua garis biru, kini lenyap tidak tersisa. Kini bagaimana dia bisa bertahan jika satu-satunya penguat dalam hidupnya kini telah pergi?
"Yang sabar, Bu. Insya Allah ini yang terbaik dari Allah." Dokter dengan nametag Annisa itu, mencoba menguatkan sang pasien yang terlihat terguncang. Pasien yang dari data pribadinya diketahui bernama Aara Farhana, adalah korban tabrak lari semalam. Karena itulah dia harus kehilangan janin yang baru berusia tiga bulan.
"Terima kasih, Dokter," lirih Aara.
Suara pintu diketuk, membuat ketiga orang di ruang bercat putih itu menoleh secara bersamaan. "Maaf, Dokter," ucap suster yang baru masuk ruang rawat Aara.
Aara memperhatikan suster itu yang terlihat membisikkan sesuatu pada Dokter Annisa. Kemudian bergegas keluar setelah tersenyum pada Aara.
"Begini, Bu Aara. Dari semalam kami berusaha menghubungi suami Anda, tapi belum ada respon sama sekali. Tapi barusan Suster Ita mengabarkan kalau suami Anda sudah berhasil dihubungi, dan sekarang suami Anda sedang dalam perjalan ke sini."
Wanita berbalut pakaian rumah sakit berwarna putih itu, hanya tersenyum menanggapi ucapan sang dokter. Dia terlalu lelah, hingga berbicara saja terasa enggan.
"Kalau begitu kami permisi dulu, Bu Aara istirahat saja dulu. Semoga cepat sembuh."
Pandangan Aara mengikuti langkah dokter dan juga suster yang berjalan menuju pintu, lalu dia alihkan pandangan pada langit-langit kamar. Dia teringat ucapan Dokter Annisa, suaminya tidak bisa dihubungi? Senyum miris muncul di bibir pucat itu. Jelas dia tahu apa penyebabnya.
Dia juga yakin, seandainya saat ini dia sekarat sang suami juga tidak akan peduli. Aara menarik napas panjang, berharap dengan itu rasa sesak yang tiba-tiba membelenggu dadanya segera menghilang.
Mengalihkan pandangan pada jendela, Aara memegang pipinya yang terasa basah. Senyum miris terbit di bibir pucat itu, bersamaan dengan air mata yang mengalir semakin deras.
***
Aara yang menatap layar televisi di depannya dengan kosong. Acara komedi yang sedang ditampilkan tidak lantas membuatnya ikut tertawa. Bukan hanya pandangannya yang kosong, tapi juga jiwanya.
Wanita cantik itu merasa lelah. Kenapa ada saja masalah yang dialaminya beberapa waktu belakangan ini?
Saat Aara sibuk menganalisa kehidupannya, tiba-tiba pintu kamarnya dibuka secara kasar. Kemudian muncul suami, ibu mertua, adik ipar serta seorang wanita cantik yang kehadirannya membuat hati Aara terasa nyeri.
Kepala Aara menoleh ke samping saat sebuah tamparan mendarat di pipinya. Disusul kemudian lemparan beberapa foto jatuh di atas pangkuannya.
"Berani-beraninya kamu selingkuh di belakang anakku!" ucap mertuanya yang tadi menampar pipinya. Wanita paruh baya itu memandang tajam pada Aara.
Aara menatap suaminya yang tidak melakukan pembelaan apapun. Laki-laki hanya diam, rautnya datar. Seakan menjelaskan kalau dia tidak peduli jika istrinya disakiti oleh sang ibu.
"Saya tidak selingkuh, Bu," bela Tari dengan nada lembut. Dia masih sadar untuk bersikap sopan pada orang yang lebih tua.
"Jangan ngeles kamu! Lihat semua foto itu adalah buktinya!" bentak ibu mertuanya sambil menunjuk foto yang belum Aara sentuh sama sekali.
"Mas, kamu percaya padaku, 'kan?" Mata bulat itu memandang penuh harap pada suaminya. Namun, sayangnya Dafa—suaminya—malah mengalihkan pandangan pada tiang infus di samping ranjang.
"Mas," lirih Aara. Ini kesempatan terakhirnya untuk mempertahankan rumah tangganya.
Panggilan lirih itu berhasil membuat Dafa kembali menoleh pada istrinya, dia bertanya dengan nada yang datar, "dia, anakku?"
"Astaghfirullah, Mas. Dia anakmu, Mas!" Aara menatap tidak percaya pada suaminya. Sehancur apapun hubungan mereka, tidak lantas membuat laki-laki itu bisa berpikir buruk seperti itu.
"Jangan percaya lagi pada wanita munafik ini. Sudah pasti anak itu adalah anak selingkuhannya. Itulah kenapa anak itu mati, karena mungkin dia tidak mau dilahirkan dari hasil perselingkuhan." Wanita dengan potongan rambut bob itu memandang menantunya penuh cemoohan.
"Tolong jaga ucapan Mama. Tidak sepantasnya sebagai seoarang ibu, Mama berkata seperti itu!" tegas Tari.
"Apa yang Mama katakan benar, Mbak. Aku malah kasihan seandainya anak itu selamat. Dia pasti anak dibully sebagai anak tukang selingkuh." Wanita seusia Aara itu, memandang sinis kakak iparnya.
"Percaya padaku, Mas. Aku tidak mungkin melakukan itu." Aara menghembuskan napas, ketika tidak ada jawaban apapun dari suaminya.
"Sudahlah. Percuma juga ngomong sama wanita ini. Dia pasti akan terus ngeles. Dasar wanita munafik. Lebih baik sekarang kita pulang, lagipula Mama jadi pusing berada di sini terus."
Tidak mempedulikan ucapan mertuanya, Aara memandang lurus pada suaminya yang juga tengah menatapnya.
"Kamu juga mau pergi, Mas?"
"Iya. Tapi kamu tenang saja semua biaya rumah sakit ini aku yang akan menanggungnya."
"Kalau begitu tidak perlu, Mas. Aku masih mampu membayarnya sendiri," ucap Aara tegas.
Dafa kembali menatap tajam pada istrinya. Terbesit rasa tidak tega melihat wajah pucat itu, tapi dengan segera dia buang perasaan itu. Dia tidak akan lagi tertipu wajah polos yang sudah menipunya habis-habisan.
"Terserah kamu. Sekalian saja setelah ini kamu tidak perlu pulang lagi."
"Kamu mengusirku, Mas? Apa karena wanita itu?" tanya Aara menunjuk wanita yang sedari tadi hanya diam. Aara bisa melihat wanita berkulit putih itu tersentak, sebelum kemudian menunduk.
"Jelas di sini kamu yang salah! Jangan mencari kambing hitam! Atau—"
"Atau apa, Mas? Atau kamu akan mengancam menceraikanku seperti kemarin, begitu, Mas?" tanya Aara berani. Karena dia tidak akan lagi memohon pada seseorang yang jelas-jelas sudah tidak mengharapkannya lagi.
"Iya, aku akan menceraikanmu."
Sudut hati wanita berambut hitam legam itu, terasa nyeri. Meski sudah mempersiapkan hal ini akan terjadi. Namun, tetap saja rasanya begitu sesak saat pertanyannya dibenarkan oleh sang suami.
Wanita itu menghela napas sebelum menjawab, "silakan, aku akan menunggu surat panggilan dari pengadilan." Aara tersenyum tipis melihat raut wajah terkejut suaminya.
Beberapa saat tadi dia masih berharap hubungan ini bisa bertahan. Namun, setelah penolakan sang suami, kecurigaannya dan juga perlakuan keluarga laki-laki itu. Aara bertekad tidak akan lagi membiarkan mereka menginjak-injak harga dirinya lagi. Dia ingin membuktikan pada mereka semua, kalau dia bisa bertahan hidup di atas kakinya sendiri.
Sementara itu dari balik jendela, seorang laki-laki berjas putih menatap nanar pada salah satu wanita di ruangan itu. "Kenapa kamu harus bertindak sejauh ini?" gumamnya sedih.
Later, Alpha Scott still came to find me. In fact, he had already found out my address some time ago. One night not long ago, I woke up in the middle of the night and groped my way to the bathroom in the dark. For some reason, I took a glance downstairs. Just then, I saw him standing downstairs in front of my house. The dim yellow light fell on him. His figure looked lonely. I didn't know how long he had been standing there. There was a circle of cigarette butts at his feet. I immediately drew the curtains and didn't look anymore. This time, he had lost a lot of weight. He seemed to have dressed up carefully, but his tiredness still couldn't be hidden. On his ring finger, he still wore that wedding ring. "Eva, can I come in and take a seat?" I crossed my arms and blocked the door. "Just say what you have to say here." Seeing my firm attitude, he didn't insist. "Eva, I miss you so much." He sighed, and his tone was rather weathered. "On the day Julie passed away, I
Julie had gone missing.Again.Blair was lounging on my couch, legs draped over Leroy’s lap while he dutifully pitted cherries for her like the doting wolf-dad he was. She popped one in her mouth and made a face like she’d just smelled something rotten.“She’s still playing the drama queen,” Blair said, chewing with unnecessary force. “She really thinks disappearing will make Scott love her more? Please. The more she pulls this crap, the faster he’s gonna lose whatever patience he’s got left.”I raised an eyebrow, sipping my iced coffee. “She’s not acting out. She’s scared.”Blair paused. “Scared of what? ”“No,” I said quietly. “Scared of what comes next.”I’d done my reading. Mid-stage ALS meant her body was betraying her piece by piece—couldn’t walk, couldn’t dress, couldn’t even hold a spoon without trembling like a pup during their first shift. Dignity doesn’t go down easy, especially not for someone like Julie who’d built her whole image on being beautiful, perfect, untouchable.
After arriving at the hotel, I realized that Julie was also there. She was sitting in a wheelchair, with no makeup on and her lips looking a bit pale. She still had that pitiful look. She called softly, "Alpha Scott." Alpha Scott frowned slightly without being obvious, but still rushed towards her. Blair looked at Leroy beside her. Leroy quickly distanced himself. "I didn't invite her here." He glanced at me. "Maybe she's afraid that Alpha Scott will be taken away. After all, a thief is most afraid of meeting someone of the same kind." I raised my eyebrows. "I'm not of the same kind." Leroy shrugged. "People with a dirty mind think everyone else is dirty." Blair sneered. "Fine. Since she has no shame, I won't hold back either." Soon, the auspicious time arrived. The background music of "Love Story" started playing. Blair, wearing a white wedding dress, walked slowly towards Leroy. Standing below the stage, I couldn't help but feel tears welling up in my eyes. I didn't
After weeks of licking my wounds,I finally accepted an invitation to transfer packs. A fresh start. A clean slate. So, I packed my bags, signed the transfer scroll, and moved to the Eclipse Pack.Mississippi’s not huge, but it’s big enough that if two wolves go their separate ways, the Moon has to really want them reunited.Funny how things work out. Back when I first mated with Alpha Scott, I left Eclipse behind like it was nothing. Abandoned a secure spot in the packhouse just so I could help him build his little empire.Then, once he was basking in status and power, I slunk back into my own field, hoping to salvage what was left of my career.Looking back now, all I can think is: damn. That was dumb.Still, setting heartbreak aside, the professional experience had been decent. I’d led a few inter-pack negotiations, helped draft treaties between rogue enclaves and mid-tier packs, even did some fundraising for the Moonstone Orphanage.But none of it went the way I planned. My career
The days that followed were quiet—eerily so. I stayed in the rental den Leroy found for me. Cozy. Smelled like fresh pine and overpriced candles. Healing, they called it. More like hiding.Blair visited often, usually barging in with snacks and complaints.“Scott’s been pestering Leroy every day, asking for your location. Like a mutt chasing a scent trail,” she huffed, plopping onto the couch and tossing me a protein bar. “ I'm really annoyed!”I spooned another bite of orange pudding into my mouth and smiled. “Let him sniff around. He lost our mate bond the moment he chose her.”Blair narrowed her eyes. “You’re way too calm about this.”“Side effect of betrayal and mild blood loss,” I said sweetly.But of course, peace never lasts long in a wolf’s world.One afternoon, my phone buzzed—and guess whose name lit up the screen like a bad omen?Julie.She wanted to meet.And I? I said yes.Maybe I was curious. Maybe I was bored. Maybe I wanted to see if she really sparkled in the sunlight
The operation was over quickly. Too quickly.When I woke up, the lights were too bright, the sheets smelled too clean, and the room was too quiet—until I saw Leroy sitting beside me, his jacket wrinkled like he’d been pacing for hours.“Leroy…” My throat was dry as sand. “There are two rings in my bag. Can you return them to Scott?”His brows furrowed, but he didn’t question it. Just nodded once and left the room like a silent shadow.Those rings? They meant nothing. He’d picked them out completely distracted, probably imagining Julie instead of mine.Blair slipped into the room with a scowl already on her face. “Eva, listen to me. Alpha Scott isn’t worth it.”I knew that she had deliberately revealed the news of my pregnancy to Leroy. I gave her a tired smile. She didn’t know it yet, but I’d already made peace with it. Sort of.She still believed this whole mess was because of Julie. Like, if Julie vanished tomorrow, Scott and I would suddenly have fallen in love again.But she didn’
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