LOGINMy girlfriend, Madison Carter, claims that men's hearts will rot when they start gaining wealth. Out of love toward her, I give her all of my money. But on my birthday, my severe illness has relapsed due to me not bearing to spend money on medication. So, I can only borrow money from Madison, who's also a CEO. But she begins berating me without asking me the reason why. "You really are an ingrate! I've been sustaining you for so long, and yet you never pledge your loyalty toward me! All you care about is money!" Naturally, Madison refuses to lend me even a single cent. But the next day, she doesn't hesitate to give her first love, Lucas Whitfield, a few million dollars just so he can start a business of his own. I feel my blood turn into ice as I stare at the woman I've loved for ten years. Only now do I realize that she has never loved me before.
View MoreDi pagi yang cerah, sinar matahari menyelinap melalui tirai tipis di dapur kecil mereka. Aroma kopi yang baru diseduh memenuhi ruangan, berpadu dengan suara gesekan spatula Alena yang sibuk memasak telur dadar untuk sarapan mereka. Reno, dengan rambut acak-acakan, duduk di meja makan sambil membaca koran usang yang ia dapatkan dari tetangga.
“Makanannya hampir siap, ya,” kata Alena sambil menoleh ke arah Reno. Wajahnya yang berseri-seri adalah hal pertama yang membuat Reno merasa harinya akan baik-baik saja.
“Kalau kamu yang masak, apa pun bakal terasa enak,” balas Reno sambil menyeringai, mencoba mencairkan suasana.Mereka duduk bersama di meja makan kecil itu, menikmati sarapan sambil berbicara tentang rencana sehari-hari. Reno berbagi tentang tugasnya di kantor, yang mulai terasa berat akibat tekanan dari atasannya. Alena mendengarkan dengan penuh perhatian, menggenggam tangan Reno untuk menenangkan kegelisahannya.
Namun, ada sesuatu yang tak diucapkan Reno. Perusahaan tempat ia bekerja sedang mengalami masa sulit, dan ada kemungkinan besar pengurangan karyawan. Reno tahu bahwa ia harus mempersiapkan diri untuk kemungkinan terburuk, tetapi ia tidak tega mengkhawatirkan Alena.
Setelah sarapan, Reno bersiap berangkat kerja. Ia mengenakan kemeja sederhana yang sudah mulai memudar warnanya, tapi ia tetap terlihat rapi di mata Alena. Sebelum pergi, ia mencium kening Alena dan berkata, “Jangan lupa istirahat, ya. Jangan terlalu banyak kerja di kebun.”
Alena tertawa kecil dan menjawab, “Kamu juga hati-hati di jalan.”Setelah Reno pergi, Alena mulai membereskan rumah kecil mereka. Ia menyapu lantai, mengelap jendela, dan merapikan bantal-bantal di sofa. Pekerjaan rumah mungkin terlihat sepele bagi sebagian orang, tetapi bagi Alena, itu adalah cara untuk menjaga keharmonisan rumah tangganya.
Siang itu, Alena duduk di meja kerjanya yang sederhana. Ia mengeluarkan bahan-bahan kerajinan tangan yang sudah ia persiapkan sebelumnya. Tangan Alena yang terampil mulai mengukir pola-pola halus di atas kayu kecil untuk membuat gantungan kunci. Meski pekerjaan ini melelahkan, ada rasa puas yang ia rasakan setiap kali melihat hasil karyanya selesai dengan sempurna.
Sambil bekerja, pikirannya melayang pada Reno. Ia tahu betapa keras suaminya bekerja di pabrik untuk mencukupi kebutuhan mereka. Alena ingin membantu lebih banyak, tetapi ia juga tahu Reno tidak ingin ia terlalu lelah.
Saat sore menjelang, Alena memutuskan untuk berjalan ke pasar kecil di dekat rumah mereka. Ia membawa beberapa kerajinan tangan yang telah selesai untuk dijual kepada pelanggan tetapnya. Pasar itu adalah tempat yang ramai, penuh dengan pedagang yang menawarkan berbagai barang, mulai dari sayuran segar hingga pakaian murah. Alena mengenal banyak orang di sana, dan mereka sering kali menyambutnya dengan senyuman hangat.
Ketika malam tiba, Reno pulang dengan langkah lelah. Ia disambut oleh aroma masakan Alena yang menggugah selera. Di meja makan, Alena sudah menyiapkan hidangan sederhana namun lezat: sup ayam hangat dan nasi putih.
“Kamu pasti lelah. Ayo makan dulu,” kata Alena sambil menuangkan sup ke mangkuk Reno.
“Terima kasih, Lena. Kamu selalu tahu bagaimana membuat hariku lebih baik,” jawab Reno dengan senyum tipis.
Setelah makan malam, mereka duduk bersama di ruang tamu. Reno bercerita tentang pekerjaannya di pabrik, sementara Alena mendengarkan dengan penuh perhatian. Mereka saling berbagi cerita, mencoba melupakan sejenak kekhawatiran mereka.
“Aku tahu semuanya tidak mudah sekarang, tapi aku yakin kita bisa melewati ini,” kata Alena sambil menggenggam tangan Reno.
“Aku juga percaya itu, Lena. Selama kita bersama, aku merasa kuat,” balas Reno dengan suara pelan.
Malam itu, sebelum tidur, mereka berbaring di tempat tidur yang sederhana namun nyaman. Reno memeluk Alena dengan erat, seolah-olah ia tidak ingin melepaskannya. Meski banyak kekhawatiran yang membayangi pikiran mereka, cinta yang mereka miliki tetap menjadi sumber kekuatan utama mereka.
I watched Emilia standing there with a wide smile, waiting for me, and rushed over to pull her into a tight hug.Madison witnessed the entire scene. She stood still as she watched me hold Emilia and kiss her. Looking completely defeated, she didn't come over. Instead, she walked away with her head down.…After Emilia returned, she immediately threw herself into work, and we made our relationship official.One day, out of nowhere, Rosalie showed up at my door. She looked worn down, unlike the confident woman I had last seen. She stared at me in disbelief. "Cassian, I heard from Madison that you've fully recovered. Is that true?"I hadn't forgotten what Rosalie had said about me. But she was an elder, and my life was in a good place now, so I no longer held onto resentment over her past insults. "Mrs. Carter, I've recovered."When she heard my words, regret spread across her face. "I came here to tell you that Madison has never stopped caring about you. I was the one who forced he
It was a wedding invitation from Madison and Lucas. That explained why Madison hadn't contacted me after returning home. Her determination to stay by my side didn't last long.It was possible she simply couldn't stand up to Rosalie. Either way, she had made her choice.I closed the invitation. I had taken her off my blocked list at her insistence, yet she had hidden her wedding post on Instagram specifically from me.She sent me a message on WhatsApp. "Cass, how have you been lately? My mom hasn't been doing well and needs someone with her. I miss you."I looked at her hypocritical message and didn't reply. Still, I noticed that her stomach was slightly rounded in her wedding photo.That was a good thing for her. Madison had always loved children. Now she was finally going to have one of her own.…Six months into my new job, I ran into Madison.She stared at me, clearly caught off guard. "Cassian, what are you doing here? I thought—"Her stomach was noticeably swollen. She wa
"Don't tell Madison about this yet," I said to Emilia.Over the past few days, Madison had stayed by my bedside, taking care of me, but I still hadn't changed my mind. I told her that even though the surgery had gone smoothly, my condition hadn't fully improved, and the doctor said I had at most a year left to live.Madison held my hand and said softly, "Cassian, I want to be with you through whatever time you have left."But she didn't keep her promise. In less than two days, she came to me in a rush and said, "My mom has been admitted to the hospital. I have to go back and take care of her immediately."I didn't try to stop her. Before she left, she lingered at the door and told me she'd be back to see me soon.After Madison left, Emilia stood beside me and couldn't help snorting. "She's not coming back to see you."I watched Madison's figure disappear into the distance and felt nothing but relief.…I cooperated fully with my treatment and stayed in the hospital for another
Madison said, "It was my mom who insisted on setting me up with Lucas. You know how hard she worked to raise me. I didn't want to upset her, so I just went along with everything."I turned my head away, feeling that her constant talking was getting on my nerves."Once you're done with this surgery, let's go back and get married, okay?"When I heard Madison's words, I suddenly remembered that she had said the same thing the last time I had surgery.She always talked about marriage, but the timeline kept getting pushed back. First, it was when the company got on track, then when it grew bigger, then when we had saved up enough money for a house, then after my surgery.She didn't want to lose me, yet she couldn't bring herself to commit to marrying me.This time, I gave a different answer. "I'm not going to marry you."I lay in the hospital bed and watched her sit quietly beside me. Memories from the past came rushing back one after another, but what we were now felt completely dif
I didn't expect the caller to be Madison. I had already blocked her number, so she had borrowed someone else's phone to reach me.Her voice was thick with tears, and the urgency in it was clear. "Cassian, I heard from a friend that your condition has gotten worse. She also told me that you don't ha
Madison didn't know how to reply to me, and tears began streaming down her face. Seeing her cry made my chest ache, but I still turned away and left without looking back.I hailed a cab. As soon as I got in, I coughed up a mouthful of blood before I could even speak. The driver was startled and ins
"I already have someone right by my side," Madison said.As I listened to her, a sudden wave of discomfort hit me. I rushed into the bathroom and coughed up a mouthful of blood. The sadness that washed over me made me let out a few weak, hollow laughs.By the time I rinsed the blood away, Madison
The clock chimed in the early hours of the morning. I stared at the sky-blue cake on the table as its frosting slowly melted. My birthday had come and gone in silence.I walked slowly to the table and looked at the forgotten cake. I picked it up and took a bite. "Happy birthday," I told myself.Th












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