"Why are you me?" I demanded, my hand reaching to wipe my lips. "Jessica..." He called me by that name again. "Can you stop calling me that? I am not Jessica." I corrected him, exasperated. "My name is—" __ What would Lillian do when she gets by a stranger on the way to the slaughterhouse? For three years, she had been married to Dustin, a monster, disguised as a husband. In the third year, he attempted to destroy her life. He hurled divorce papers at her and wanted her kidney for his lover. On the way to the slaughterhouse, she met Alexander who swore to protect her with his life. And when he her, he called her a name she had never heard before. But Dustin came crashing on them again, was he able to protect her? Alexander loved another woman in Lillian’s image. What would he do when he found out the woman he loved, wasn't Lillian. Was Lillian bound to be cast aside again?
View MoreArtan Narendra melihat dengan seksama secara jeli wanita yang kini duduk di depannya. Malam ini, untuk yang ke-sekian kalinya ia melakukan kencan buta atas permintaan sang mama.
Seperti malam-malam sebelumnya, kencan buta yang ia jalani gagal begitu saja akibat ulah dan ucapannya sendiri yang tak bisa terkontrol.
Artan sendiri adalah sosok pria dingin dan terkenal angkuh. Keras kepala, mulutnya juga terkenal pedas dalam berucap.
Tapi tak di pungkiri jika ia sosok pria yang sangat tampan dan perfeksionis. Sikap rasa kurang percaya terhadap orang lain yang di miliknya lah yang membuat ia sampai saat ini masih melajang.
Cinta?
Oh, jangan pernah tanyakan pada Artan apa itu cinta? Karena sepertinya ia sendiri pun tak mengerti apa arti dari kata cinta itu.
Apakah Artan pernah jatuh cinta dan menjalin sebuah hubungan dengan wanita?
Ya, Artan tentu saja pernah menjalin suatu hubungan yang di sebut berpacaran. Tapi, bagi Artan itu hanyalah sebatas rasa saling suka dan cinta-cintaan. Alias cinta monyet.
Sudah lama sekali Artan tak pernah merasakan hal itu lagi. Terakhir kali
Artan menjalin sebuah hubungan saat dia duduk di bangku SMA kelas dua.Selebihnya Artan lebih banyak menghabiskan waktunya sendiri. Melajang adalah pilihan terbaiknya sampai kini umurnya menginjak 30 tahun ia tetap sendiri.
Rasanya Artan tak bisa lagi merasakan perasaan saat seperti waktu sekolah dulu. Entah saat itu mungkin bisa di sebut sebagai kenakalan remaja. Tetapi, yang pasti ia sangat menikmatinya.
Lalu, apakah Artan tak menikmati kehidupannya yang sekarang? Tentu saja tidak, ia bahkan sangat suka hidupnya yang seperti ini.
Namun ketenangan Artan akan terus di ganggu sang mama yang terus merengek memintanya untuk segera menikah dan memberinya cucu. Artan juga sudah bolak-balik menegaskan jika ia tak ingin terikat ataupun menjalin komitmen yang namanya pernikahan.
Kerena prinsip hidup Artan sekarang ialah sendiri dalam ketenangan.
Apakah Artan punya masalalu buruk yang menyakitkan sehingga membuat ia tak ingin mengenal cinta dan wanita?
Tidak, sama sekali tidak. Intinya, pilihan hidup Artan sekarang adalah melajang menikmati hidup dalam kesendirian.
"Artan!" panggilan itu menyadarkan Artan dari lamunannya dan kembali pada kenyataan saat ini.
"Ya?" tanyanya cuek.
"Apa kamu melamun?"
"Tidak!" lagi Artan menjawab singkat dan terkesan sangat cuek. Kentara sekali aura dingin yang keluar dari nada bicaranya sehingga membuat wanita teman kencannya itu terdiam seraya menggigit bibirnya.
"Ehmm, siapa namamu? Aku lupa." kata Artan enteng, karena sebenarnya ia memang lupa nama wanita itu.
"Suzan,"
"Ah iya, Suzan. Sejak tadi kita duduk di restoran ini tapi hanya diam dan tak memesan makanan. Apa kau tidak lapar?"
Suzan terkekeh. "Sebenarnya, aku belum makan dari tadi pagi."
"Oh ya?" kaget Artan bertanya. "Bagaimana mungkin kau bisa melupakan makan. Apakah kau tidak merasa lapar dari pagi belum makan?"
"Aku tipe orang yang jarang makan sebenarnya."
"Kau sedang dalam program diet?" Suzan menggeleng.
"Aku kadang suka kelupaan waktu. Seperti makan saja aku bahkan sampai lupa jika ke asyikan melakukan hal yang ku suka."
"Uhm, begitukah? Pantas saja tubuhmu kurus sekali seperti orang yang kekurangan gizi."
Sengaja Artan mengeluarkan kata ultimatum pertama yang menyakitkan. Hal itu tentu saja agar Suzan marah dan membenci dirinya serta membatalkan acara kencan buta gila ini.
Sialnya Suzan malah tertawa menanggapi ucapan Artan. "Aku bersyukur dengan diriku seperti apa. Aku juga tak suka gendut Artan."
"Sayang sekali, padahal orang gendut itu menurutku enak. Badannya terasa montok untuk di peluk, iya kan?"
Suzan tersenyum. "Sepertinya begitu."
"Jadi, apakah kau tidak suka bentuk tubuh seperti diriku?" tanya Suzan.
Artan menatap perhatian penuh pada diri Suzan seraya mengelus-elus dagunya. Gaya dan tatapannya seakan sedang menilai penampilan orang tersebut. Suzan harap-harap cemas menunggu reaksi dari penilaian Artan padanya.
Disaat Artan sedang mencari celah dari diri Suzan, saat itu juga mata Artan menangkap sosok wanita yang sepertinya malam ini bisa di jadikannya sebagai alat bantu untuk dirinya keluar dari lingkaran kencan buta ini.
Oke, Artan selesai pada penilaiannya dan bersiap untuk menjawabnya.
"Suzan, aku harus bagaimana mengatakannya padamu?" ucap Artan dengan wajah sendu.
"Tak apa, katakanlah Artan." pinta Suzan penasaran.
Artan melirik wanita yang sedari tadi telah ia incar, wanita itu seperti sedang mencari-cari keberadaan seseorang. Terlihat dari gaya celingak-celinguknya yang menatap ke segala arah tempat di restoran ini.
Artan menunggu wanita itu yang berjalan hampir dekat dengan mejanya sekarang.
"Kau tidak membuatku bernafsu padamu, Suzan. Oh, maafkan aku." kata Artan dengan mimik wajah sedih dan penuh penyesalan.
"APA?!!!" teriak Suzan kuat seraya berdiri dari duduknya.
Suzan marah sekali mendengarnya, ini termasuk penghinaan atas harga dirinya. Berani sekali pria ini merendahkannya, apakah ia pikir kencan buta ini dilakukan agar Suzan bisa membuatnya bernafsu pada dirinya.
Shitttt!
Plakkkk.
Dengan rasa amarah yang luar biasa merasuki diri Suzan, wanita itu melayangkan kuat tangan kanannya menampar pipi kiri Artan.
"Berengsek kau! Apa kau pikir aku seorang jalang, huh? Dasar bedebah."
Segala cacian, makian, dan umpatan pun berhasil Suzan keluarkan untuk Artan. Dengan cepat dan tak ingin membuang waktu lagi karena saat ini mereka sedang menjadi tontonan para pengunjung restoran lainnnya. Suzan meraih tasnya dan bersiap pergi, namun suara Artan menghentikan langkahnya di tambah suara pekikan seorang wanita.
"Dasar kau wanita gila!" itu suara Artan yang sengaja memancing kemarahan Suzan.
Suzan berbalik dan melihat senyuman seringaian Artan yang sedang menggenggam tangan seorang wanita. Wanita itu sendiri yang belum di ketahui namanya meronta-ronta minta untuk di lepaskan.
"Jika kau berpikir aku menyesal maka kau salah. Karena wanita ini!" tunjuk Artan ke arah wanita yang memang sudah di incarnya itu.
"Dia adalah kekasihku!!!" teriak Artan mengumumkan jika wanita yang tak di kenalnya itu adalah kekasihnya.
Suzan geleng-geleng kepala dan langsung melesat pergi dari tempat itu tanpa mempedulikan apapun lagi. Ini jauh lebih menyakitkan dan Artan tersenyum puas penuh kemenangan.
Tanpa Artan sadari, inilah awal dari segala kekacauan selanjutnya.
Tbc...Lillian's POV.A month later. “How many times are you going to watch that?” Alexander laughed, sitting beside me. “As many times as possible,” I replied, bursting into laughter. I was watching a video of Jessica and her mother confessing everything they had done before disappearing. That was what they had to do, so Alexander wouldn't press charges against them. They knew they had no chance against especially since, Dad, as I called him now, wouldn't be able to help them. Dad had divorced Gianna, and left her with nothing, while he just left a bit of money for Jessica and disowned her. Since he found out that I was his real daughter, he had been more than sweet to me and our relationship had gotten so much better with time. Meanwhile Mrs. McQueen, though kept at arms length, has been so supportive through this pregnancy. She would call me sometimes and give me some tips on how to eat right and stay healthy. Her husband was also remorseful about his harsh judgment but was too bu
Author's POV. Days later, Jessica went to the same hospital that she had been going to for her check up. As she stepped into the building, she touched her face and winced a little in pain. “Fuck,” She cursed. She walked over to an office and slipped in without knocking. In a few hours, she slipped out as if nothing had happened. She touched her face again and there was no pain anymore. This discovery made a smile appear on her lips. As she headed to the parking lot, she pulled out her phone to call her mother. “Hello?” Sha muttered as her mother answered. “How was it?” Her mother asked. “Ma, everything went well,” Jessica smiled, getting into her car. “Are you sure? Is there any pain left? Do you want to go abroad again?’ Mrs Sinclair inquired, her voice tinged with worry.“Ma, I'm trying to get Alexander back and returning to Singapore isn't something I want to do. Why do you give the worse ideas?” Jessica gritted, closing her car door and turning on the engine. “I just gave
Author's POV. Lillian lifted her head from the sink and looked, really looked at Mrs McQueen. She could not understand how a loving gentleman like Alexander had been born by such a bitter mother."What? Why are you staring at me like that?" Mrs McQueen snarled, hands perched on her waist. "I don't know if you know this but Alexander really loves you. He respects you too as his mother but I don't think you love or respect anyone but yourself. You are trying to ruin his happiness with your own hands," Lillian said. "What happiness? Do you think life with someone like you is happiness? Alexander will be miserable if he gets married to you and he will regret choosing you over me," Mrs McQueen accused. Lillian leaned against the wall, suddenly realizing what the matter was all along."You are jealous. That's it, right? You don't even care about Jessica, not really. You are jealous of how much Alexander loves me and you get afraid everytime he considers my feelings before your own." Lil
Lillian's POV. "Baby, you are glowing," Alexander pointed out breathlessly, bending his head to run his tongue across my chest. He licked the chocolate stain, licking his way to a nipple and curled his tongue around it.My hands went high above my head, and he tossed the empty chocolate wrapper behind him, holding my hands in place. I arched my back, moaning when he sucked on me lavishly."Alex. . .the bed. . .I can't. . ." Even with him holding me up, my knees were beginning to shake. "I got you," he whispered, his hot breath sending chills all over me. He started walking backwards with me attached to him, scattering kisses all over my neck.When he got to the bed, he sat on it, lifting me and placed me across his hips. He didn't break concentration, continuing to tease me while dragging the rest of the teddy down to my waist."My baby is going to have a baby," he said, drawing the leftover chocolate on my chest down to my stomach. "When I think of your belly round with my baby,
Lillian's POV. In the taxi, I was still thinking about my near encounter with Jessica. She wouldn't know why I was in the hospital but I didn't want her suspecting anything. Too much was at stake for me to be careless."We are here, Miss," the driver informed me and I alighted his taxi after paying him on the app. I sent a text to Alexander to let him know I was home and stretched out on the couch in the living room. Doctor Malcolm said stretching was good for me anyways. He also told me to exercise more and eat more healthy.Alexander called instead of texting back and I was already smiling even before I heard his voice."Hello, darling. How did your appointment go?""It was okay. You really didn't have to call, Alex. I know you are very busy." Yet I was smiling so hard my cheeks were hurting."Don't say that. I can never too busy for my freckles. Have you had something to eat? If not, you can ask the chef to make you something."I glanced at the meal plan chart Doctor Malcolm had
Lillian's POV. Doctor Malcolm was explaining all the things I had to start doing as am expectant mother when Alexander came into the room. He had been excited when he left the room before but now, he wasn't."Why was the lawyer calling, Alex?" I inquired. He suddenly remembered he was not alone in the room, forcing himself to smile. But I knew him well enough to know that it was not a real smile."It's good news actually but I'll tell you in the car. Let's finish up with Doctor Malcolm first," Alexander replied, keeping me in suspense. "Okay. Sit down then." I still kept my eyes on him, unable to relax when I knew he was hiding something from me."So, Doctor, how soon can she get registered for antenatal classes?" Alex asked and the good doctor laughed at his eagerness."You both just found out that you are expecting a child. Don't be in a hurry to get her registered for anything, Mr McQueen. For today, just go home and have a talk with each other, celebrate. . . you do want this c
Welcome to GoodNovel world of fiction. If you like this novel, or you are an idealist hoping to explore a perfect world, and also want to become an original novel author online to increase income, you can join our family to read or create various types of books, such as romance novel, epic reading, werewolf novel, fantasy novel, history novel and so on. If you are a reader, high quality novels can be selected here. If you are an author, you can obtain more inspiration from others to create more brilliant works, what's more, your works on our platform will catch more attention and win more admiration from readers.
Comments