Se connecterThe sight of Aurelia disappearing beyond the gate left a weight in Gian's chest that felt impossible to carry.
The last glimpse of her back, the brief sway of her long hair before she vanished into the crowd, left him rooted to the spot.
He stood there silently, his heavy breathing the only sign that he was still present.
The airport buzzed with departure announcements and the hurried footsteps of travelers, but Gian heard only one thing:
Aurelia leaving.
He
Aurelia nodded, signaling that she accepted Baskara's offer.The decision came with a heartbeat that thundered louder than usual in her chest.She reassured herself that this man was not a complete stranger. He was Caca's father, after all. Caca had been her private tutoring student.So wasn't it reasonable to trust him?Wasn't there already a connection between them that made things feel a little safer?But when they stepped out of the restaurant, she was met with a small surprise.She had assumed Baskara would be driving himself.She was completely wrong.A sleek black car was already waiting at the entrance, and a chauffeur stood beside it, promptly opening the door for them.Aurelia felt slightly awkward.She climbed into the car and sat beside Baskara.The scent of expensive leather filled the enclosed space.Without saying much, Baskara immediately pulled out his phone. His fingers moved swiftl
Aurelia shot to her feet.Her body felt hot despite the cool air drifting from the restaurant's ventilation system. Her cheeks flushed with a mixture of embarrassment and irritation as she stared wide-eyed at the man sitting across from her."I'm sorry, but I'm married. And I don't think it's appropriate for me to hear something like that," she said, her voice trembling but firm.A few people at nearby tables glanced their way, making her even more uncomfortable.She lowered her gaze briefly and took a deep breath to calm herself.Meanwhile, Baskara let out a soft chuckle.His expression remained calm, as though he found her reaction amusing."Hey, don't get the wrong idea. That's not what I meant. I was joking," he said, raising both hands in surrender. "When I said you were interesting, I wasn't talking about you personally. I just realized you might be the perfect temporary assistant."Aurelia frowned."An assistant?"
No.She couldn't bring herself to look back toward the street.Aurelia squeezed her eyes shut, her entire body trembling as though she wanted to disappear from the world.A sob escaped her lips, soft but unmistakable."No! Don't hurt me, please!"Silence hung for a fraction of a second.The pounding of her heart roared in her ears, louder than the traffic surrounding them.Then—"Calm down. I'm not going to hurt you.""No!" Aurelia snapped as she quickly pulled her arm free.A second later, she realized something.That voice...Her eyes flew open.It made no sense, but she recognized it clearly. Not only because of its calm tone, but because...The man had spoken Indonesian.At least, that was the first thing that crossed her mind."Mrs. Aurelia. It's me."Her head turned sharply.Her gaze landed on a man with a firm, handsome face and an awkward half-smile.For a moment, she sat frozen, her mind refusing to process what she was seeing.Then she whispered, almost inaudibly,"Mr. Baska
Aurelia sat alone in a small café tucked away on a corner of Lygon Street. The aroma of freshly brewed coffee mingled with the scent of toasted bread, filling the cozy space around her. Through the large window beside her, she watched people moving through the city in its usual rhythm, fast-paced, purposeful, and seemingly without pause.She held her phone in both hands, staring at the screen that still displayed her last conversation with Sophia.She had rewritten the same message several times:My deepest condolences, Sophia. I hope your grandmother rests peacefully.Yet it still didn't feel like enough.There was something deeper she wanted to say, but she couldn't find the right words.In the end, she pressed send anyway and leaned back in her chair with a long sigh."I hope Sophia stays strong," she murmured before taking a sip of her cappuccino, which had already begun to cool.To distract herself, Aurelia slipped her AirPods into her ears. The IELTS listening practice she had r
The Melbourne air was still biting that morning. A thin layer of fog hung over Lygon Street, where the small cafés had already begun opening for the day. Standing by her window, Aurelia gazed outside, breathing in the faint aroma of coffee carried by the breeze. The clock on the wall read six-thirty, yet she was already hard at work, surrounded by IELTS practice books and a laptop filled with digital notes.Today felt important. The official exam was only a few weeks away, and she couldn't afford to let her guard down. Ever since arriving in Melbourne two months ago, she had been determined to make every moment count. The English course she had enrolled in was genuinely challenging, especially the listening and speaking sections. More often than not, she found herself tripped up by different accents, from British to Australian, all of which still sounded unfamiliar to her ears.A knock sounded at the door.“Good morning, Aurelia!”The v
Gian was just about to press his assistant for answers. Rafi had looked uneasy ever since walking into the office. But the words died on his tongue the moment his gaze shifted toward the door.The figure standing there stole the air from his lungs.His mouth parted soundlessly, as if his voice had suddenly abandoned him.“Good afternoon, Gian.”The voice was soft, yet it carried a presence that made the entire room feel different.A tall woman, nearly five-foot-ten, stepped inside.Beautiful.Her long, straight hair fell to her waist. Her fair skin, bright eyes, and graceful movements gave her an elegance that was impossible to ignore. Her smile was still the same: warm, yet somehow mysterious.In fact, she looked even more stunning than the last time they had seen each other nearly a year ago.Rafi noticed the shock on his boss’s face and hurried to explain.“Sorry, sir. I...”
Aurelia sat in her graduate class chair with a frustrated expression she could barely hide. Her face looked gloomy, and she kept tapping her pen against the desk as if she might explode but had nowhere to direct it.Fortunately, she still managed to deliver her group presentation well. Sta
“I don’t want you getting the wrong ideas.”That was the second ambiguous sentence her handsome husband had thrown her way. It only made Aurelia’s brow furrow even deeper.“My phone password,” Gian finally said. He gave Aurelia’s cheek a qui
Silence hung inside the car like a thick fog that refused to lift. Aurelia stared straight ahead, holding in a breath that felt tight in her chest. She knew she had to keep herself together. She had to be patient. Her mother-in-law’s words still lingered, stirring her emotions like waves cr
Aurelia stood frozen, unable to look away from the small yet suffocating scene before her. Kirana held Mrs. Lestari’s arm lightly, naturally, without the slightest hint of hesitation.They looked like a mother and daughter enjoying a casual outing together. Their steps were easy, the







