Masuk109“You told her to ask me?”Miguel’s furious voice echoed across the living room.Ethan stood near the fireplace, his jaw tight as Miguel stormed toward him with blazing eyes.“What the hell were you thinking?” Miguel snapped.Ethan looked exhausted already, like he regretted everything but was too stubborn to admit it.“She deserves to know the truth.”“Not like this!” Miguel yelled.The veins in his neck tightened as he ran an angry hand through his hair.“You practically pushed her toward the secret yourself!”Ethan’s eyes darkened.“And how long exactly were you planning to keep lying to her?”Miguel laughed bitterly.“Lying?”He pointed toward the staircase angrily.“You think I wanted this? You think hiding everything from my own sister was easy for me?”“She’s living in the dark, Miguel!”“She’s alive because she’s in the dark!”Miguel threw.Silence crashed heavily between them. Ethan clenched his fists.Miguel’s breathing turned uneven as frustration burned across his face.
108The wind at the beach was cool. Isabella stood near the water, watching as the waves came and went. She liked the wash, pull, wash pull sound of the rain. It made her head feel a little lighter.Her arms were crossed over her chest, and her eyes stared at the horizon, where the sky met the sea. It was blue on blue, no dead end.This was exactly what she needed after the argument between her and Ethan.Ethan’s words were still in her ears. “This is how you pay me back?”And right now, alll she wanted was quiet, which she was getting from the waves until footsteps came on the sand behind her. Slow and careful.She turned around slowly.“Andrea?” Issabella called, surprise etched on her face.“We meet again,” a voice said.Isabella let out a sigh. Andrea stopped a few steps away from her. “What are you doing here?” Isabella asked.“Same as you,” Andrea said. “Tryna calm my mind.”Isabella glanced at him from the corner of her eyes. “Family matters?” she asked.Andrea no
107The door flew open with a bang and Ethan marched inside.“Isabella!”He screamed, his voice was loud and sharp, cutting through the quiet of the room like a knife.Isabella immediately turned fast. She was standing by the bed, folding a small shirt. Her hair was tied up, and her face was calm, until she saw him.“Ethan?” she said. “What’s wrong? Why are you—”Ethan did not let her finish.He stepped into the room and threw the phone onto the bed. It bounced once and landed face up.Isabella picked the phone and froze.Her eyes went wide, and her mouth opened, but no sound came out.For a second, the whole room stopped breathing.“Ethan, wait—” she started.“What is this?” Ethan’s voice was low and dangerous.He pointed at the phone with a shaking finger. “What is this?”Isabella felt her heart drop to her stomach. She had told Lucas to delete that picture and hadn't bother to check.Why would she? Lucas always obeyed her.But now, the photo was here, in Ethan's hands. How is
106The living room was warm and aternoon light came through the big window and made patterns on the floor. The sound of cartoon voices filled the room. Bright colors flashed on the phone screen.Lucas sat on the big sofa, legs pulled up under him. His eyes were fixed on the phone and his thumb moved fast. Footsteps came from the kitchen. And Sofia walked in. She had a white cloth in her hand which she used to wiped her palms with it, one by one, like she always did after cooking. There were flour still stuck on her fingers. She stopped near the dining table and looked at Lucas who didn't even notice her.Sofia stood there for a few seconds, watching him. His small face was serious, even though it was just a cartoon.She gave a small, yet tired smile“Lucas,” she said softly.No reply. “Lucas.” She was a little louder this time.Lucas jumped. “Ah!” He said, turning his head fast. “Sofia! You scared me.”Sofia raised an eyebrow. “I was standing here for one minute. You did not
105The soft ticking of the wall clock filled the quiet office.Issabella sat on the gray couch with one hand pressed lightly against her forehead.Another headache.The third one this week.And this one felt worse.Across from her, the therapist watched calmly while writing something down in a small notebook.Dr. Helen was a woman in her late forties with a gentle voice and patient eyes that somehow made people feel comfortable enough to talk.But today, Issabella looked exhausted.Mentally exhausted.“You don’t have to force yourself,” Dr. Helen said softly.Issabella let out a frustrated breath.“That’s easy to say.”“You’re putting too much pressure on yourself.”“Because everybody keeps acting like there’s something I need to know.”Dr. Helen remained calm.“There is nothing wrong with you issabel, just calm down.”“Then why can’t I remember anything?”The frustration in her voice was obvious now.Issabella rubbed her temple again as another sharp pain hit her head briefly.Dr. H
104Andrea’s voice echoed sharply through the mansion.The staff froze in fear around them.Only Andrea’s father remained exactly the same.Silent and still.Watching everything without a single word.***The next morning. Vanessa’s eyelids twitched weakly before slowly opening, as the soft morning light filtered through the curtains.For a few seconds, her vision remained blurry.Everything around her felt heavy.Her body.Her head.Even breathing felt painful.She frowned slightly, she was in her room.Then slowly, the memory returned.The fall.The blood.The pain.Vanessa’s heartbeat instantly quickened.She tried sitting up immediately—“Aah!”A sharp pain shot through her lower abdomen and head at once.She gasped and fell back against the bed weakly, breathing hard.“What the hell…”Her hand moved shakily toward her stomach.Fear crawled slowly into her chest.Then the bedroom door opened gently.Vanessa quickly looked up.Andrea walked inside carrying a tray of food and a glas
034Isabella’s fingers twitched first, It was faint, so faint it could have been mistaken for nothing. But then it happened again.Beside her, Ethan slept in an awkward position, his head resting on the edge of the bed, one arm folded beneath him. Isabella’s eyelids fluttered open, and the lights
032Isabella lay on a hospital bed. She looked pale yet peaceful. Machines beeped steadily around her. She had just gone through her surgical operation and had gone into a coma, as pronounced by the doctor.At the far end of the ward was an incubator, with Isabella’s premature baby lying inside. Et
027Andrea slammed the door open so hard it crashed against the wall.He stormed into the living room, brushing past his guards without even sparing them a glance as they greeted him.He dropped heavily onto a chair, dragging a shaky hand through his neatly styled hair. His fingers clawed through i
024“The number you dialed is not available at the moment.”Andrea angrily dropped the phone on the table. He had been trying to reach issabella again and again, but her number was not connecting. Did she block him?He picked up the phone again and stared at the screen. “Isabella,” he muttered.







