Hazel’s POV
Andrian’s voice sounded light, almost mocking. “I just wanted to congratulate you. Your dream is about to come true, Hazel.”I shut my eyes for a moment. I tried to calm my breath. “Stay out of this, Andrian. This is enough. I don’t need your help. And I won’t interfere with anything you do.”Andrian chuckled softly on the other end. “I don’t understand what you mean. I’m just a friend helping to fulfill your wishes. You want Charlie, right? Now he’s with you.”“Stop!” I interrupted sharply. “Do you think I don’t know? Nicholas… the accident wasn’t an accident. I know exactly who did it.”There was a moment of silence on the other end, then Andrian spoke softly, “Are you really accusing me now?”I glanced around, my eyes wandering. At that moment, a loud noise came from inside the apartment, like something falling. I instinctively turned around, but from where I stood, the living room looked empty. No signs of anythiNicholas's POV I walked toward the living room window. The porch light cast a soft glow across the yard. The guards were still out there, standing alert. Yet I still felt… exposed. Vulnerable.“We almost lost her,” I muttered. “If Bima had been just a minute late…”Sabrina stood behind me and took my hand, wrapping her arms tightly around my back. I could feel her head rest gently between my shoulder blades.“You’ve done everything you could,” she said softly. “You saved her, Nicholas. You always save the people you love, even if it tears you apart.”Her words pierced something deep inside me. Even though I tried to stay composed, my tears fell—quiet, unstoppable. Not from weakness. But from the unbearable weight of helplessness.Sabrina didn’t say anything else. She just held my hand tighter, letting me cry without shame. In a world full of masks and wounds, being able to cry in front of someone who understands… that’s the rarest grace.“Somet
Nicholas's POV I sat down beside her. “It’s not a strange dream. We’ve all lived under his shadow for far too long.”She nodded slowly, eyes distant. “I used to hope he would change. Always made excuses, always told myself, ‘maybe this is just a rough phase.’ But the longer it went, the crueler he became.”“I know,” I said softly. “I was blinded too—by promises he never kept. But tonight… it all ends.”She turned to me, her eyes now glassy with unshed tears. “And you… are you really okay?”I wanted to say yes. I wanted to reassure her. But I also wanted to be honest.“Physically, I’m fine. But inside… everything’s still a mess. The damage he caused… it won’t disappear overnight.”“He might get out, Nicholas. People like him always find a loophole.”“I know. But we’re not alone in this.” I lifted her hand and gently kissed the back of it. “We’ll fight this together. I promise, I won’t let anyone lay a finger on you—or Charlie.”Sabrina exhale
Nicholas's POV I stared out at the road ahead. Midnight Jakarta felt foreign, though I once called this city home. Cars sped past. Life went on, oblivious to the fact that just hours ago, I had almost lost everything.“Bima’s legal team is en route to the prison,” Prasetya said quietly, as if he knew I couldn’t stop thinking about one name: Hazel.I nodded. “I need to know she’s okay.”“We’ll make sure of it. But for tonight, go home first. The rest of your family needs you.”I didn’t reply, only turned back to the window. Sabrina… Charlie… Those two faces filled my mind so clearly. Charlie’s smile that always softened my hardened heart. Sabrina’s eyes—fierce but always hiding unspoken worry.Tonight, I’d come close to never seeing them again.“Adrian won’t stop,” I murmured.“We know. But this time, he won’t slip away so easily,” Prasetya replied.I wanted to believe him. But people like Adrian always found a way. He wasn’t just a physical threa
Nicholas's POVMy body was still sprawled across the cold concrete floor, blood dripping from my temple and the corner of my mouth. Every breath felt like being struck by a boulder — my ribs ached, possibly cracked. But more than the pain, what consumed me was fear.Sabrina... Charlie... Hazel...I forced my hand to move, pressing against the floor to support myself. My knees trembled under the weight, but I had to stand. There was no other choice. I wasn't done.I wasn’t done. I couldn’t be.Leaning against the wall, I struggled to regulate my breathing even as my lungs burned. Somewhere out there, the woman I loved was fighting her own battle — Sabrina. And the two children who should never have known loss — Charlie and Hazel — they were waiting. They needed me.I clenched my fist, trying to stop the shaking. The wound on my temple had half-dried, but the sting lingered. This wasn’t the first time I’d ended up like this, and it likely wouldn’t be the last.
Hazel’s POV Another blow. This time to my lip. The taste of iron and blood filled my mouth. I cried silently. Pain, fear, and cold all coiled in my chest.Then Lani pulled something out of her pocket—a dirty sock, knotted tightly. I tried to fight back, to scream, but one of them gripped my neck, and Lani stuffed the sock into my mouth roughly.“Wouldn’t want your pretty little screams waking anyone up,” she sneered.I kicked, shook, thrashed with all I had left, but nothing helped. Their hands held me firm. My breath came fast and shallow. I could only inhale through my nose—and even that was labored.Lani began punching my stomach again. My back slammed against the toilet wall. The world tilted. My vision blurred. I saw red spots—blood or just the pounding pressure in my skull, I didn’t know.My hands went limp. My legs numbed. I wanted to scream, to cry for help, but only a muffled rasp came from my throat.Lani’s hand pressed around my neck. Her grip
Hazel’s POV I didn’t hate them. I was just afraid. They were human too, just like me. But perhaps the difference between us lay in how the world had treated us before we got here. I even after being broken down, still had someone out there trying to save me. But them… maybe they had no one.Still, that didn’t erase my pain.I wanted to tell them that the letter wasn’t just paper. That within it lived proof that I still mattered, that someone out there still believed I was innocent. But there was no point. They wouldn’t listen. They never did.Some of them even laughed when they saw me crawling on the floor, searching for the shredded pieces of that letter, hoping I could still read a few words. “Must be from her boyfriend,” one of them muttered. Laughter echoed down the iron corridor.I stayed quiet. My tears no longer fell because of the insults—but because I was truly, completely alone.There were nights when I pressed my face into the thin pillo