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Defeated

Penulis: Callie
last update Terakhir Diperbarui: 2025-06-10 14:46:12

RAFAEL

I woke up expecting to hear the low hum of the TV or Ryan rummaging in the kitchen like he always did at ungodly hours, but there was nothing. Just silence.

Too much silence.

I sat up, blinked the sleep from my eyes, and glanced around the room. Empty.

No signs of movement.

Weird.

“Ryan?” I called out, dragging myself to my feet. No answer.

I stepped into the hallway and headed straight for the parlour. Maybe he’d fallen asleep on the couch again, TV remote in one hand, phone in the other. But when I walked in, the place was spotless. No signs of him. No rumpled blanket. No empty coffee cup. Nothing.

My stomach twisted.

Okay… maybe he stepped out?

I checked the kitchen. Bathroom. Backyard.

Still nothing.

No note. No message. No damn clue.

Where the hell did he go?

I grabbed my phone and opened my call log. Maybe he’d called. Maybe I slept through it. But there were no missed calls. No texts.

My chest tightened.

What the fuck?

I quickly scrolled to his name and hit call.

Ring.

R
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  • Stripper by Night, Doctor by Deception    It was true

    RYANThe burial was over.The mourners were gone. The flowers were starting to wilt. The air had grown quiet again.I sat on the corridor steps of my father’s house. My house now. My eyes traced the lines of the building, the smooth arch of the balcony railings, the stretch of land beyond the gate.This place.This empire.These companies.They were all mine now.But I didn’t know what I wanted to do with any of it. I didn’t feel powerful. I didn’t feel like a man who had inherited a kingdom. I just felt… lost.I let out a slow breath and leaned my head against the pillar beside me.Rafael came out quietly and sat next to me without saying a word. His hand found mine, warm and steady like always. He hadn’t left my side through any of it. Not the hospital. Not the funeral. Not even the awkward, sterile meeting with board members earlier that morning.God, I didn’t deserve him.“We can take a break now,” Rafael said softly, his thumb brushing mine. “Let everything settle before we even

  • Stripper by Night, Doctor by Deception    The knock

    RYANShe couldn’t talk.The nurse just stood there, her lips pressed together, eyes glistening like she’d already said this a thousand times and it never got easier. But she didn’t have to speak. I already knew.Still, I clung to the silence like it might somehow change things.Then the door opened again. This time, a doctor stepped out. Mid-forties, maybe. Calm face. No emotion. That kind of calm that only made everything feel worse.He cleared his throat, glanced between me and Rafael, then said it.“I’m sorry… we did everything we could.”That was it.Eight words.Eight words that shattered everything inside me.My ears rang. My vision blurred. The room tilted sideways like the walls had caved in. My knees buckled, and I stumbled backward into the chair behind me like gravity was too much. My mouth was open, but I couldn’t breathe, couldn’t speak, couldn’t cry.He was gone.Gone.I stared blankly at the doctor, as if maybe he’d realize he made a mistake. As if maybe he’d say, Wait…

  • Stripper by Night, Doctor by Deception    Tell me he’s okay

    RYANI was so disorganized, I didn’t even know what to do.My thoughts were a mess. Was this real? Or was someone messing with me?My heart was pounding so hard, I could barely breathe. A thousand questions circled in my head… Why now? Who sent this? Where the hell has she been? And most terrifying of all:What if it’s true?A sudden knock on the door made me jump like I’d been electrocuted.I fumbled to lock my phone and shove it under a pillow just before the door creaked open. My father stepped in, looking concerned.“Ryan,” he said gently, “what’s going on?”I shook my head quickly. “Nothing. I’m fine.”He stepped closer, his eyes narrowing like he could see right through the lie. “You’re pale. You’re shaking. And you rushed out of your own engagement party like someone lit a fire under you.”I forced a laugh, brushing my hand through my hair. “Dad, really. I just needed a minute. Too many emotions, you know? That proposal… it just caught me off guard.”He sat beside me, his voice

  • Stripper by Night, Doctor by Deception    That couldn’t be right

    RYANI looked up at him slowly, my thumb hovering over the screen.“…Yeah,” I said carefully. “Just a weird message.”“From who?”I hesitated. “No name. Just… anonymous.”He raised a brow, clearly curious, but didn’t press. “Probably spam,” he said with a shrug. “Come on. We’re almost there.”He turned and kept walking.But I didn’t move right away.My gaze lingered on his back, suddenly aware of how quiet the hallway had gotten… and how cold my fingers felt.Devil in sheep’s clothing.The words rang louder the second time.Was it just someone trying to stir drama?Or was there something I didn’t know?Still holding my phone tightly, I forced my feet to move.But something in my chest had shifted.I tried to shake it off.Whoever this person was, whatever they were trying to do, I wasn’t going to let them ruin the peace I’d finally found. The calm I’d fought so damn hard for.I drew in a deep breath and stuffed my phone back into my pocket.No.Not today.Not when I had Rafael by my s

  • Stripper by Night, Doctor by Deception    You're so sweet

    RYANIt’s been one week since I was almost killed.One week of blood tests, pills that tasted like chalk, and Rafael sleeping upright in a chair beside my bed like a stubborn guard dog who refused to leave my side.But more than the bruises and broken ribs… what hurt the most was Bella.She was gone.That truth still sat heavy in my chest, like a weight I couldn’t shift no matter how many times I told myself to be strong. Some nights I dreamed she was still here dragging me into her chaos. I’d wake up reaching for a voice that didn’t exist anymore.But I was healing. Slowly. Painfully.And I wasn’t doing it alone.Thanks to Rafael and my father, I’d pulled through. They both showed up for me in ways I never expected. Especially Rafael. That man had carried more of my weight than I deserved, and still, he looked at me like I was everything.As for Ricardo...We still didn’t know what happened to him. Whether he was alive, dead or vanished, no one could say for sure. But whatever was le

  • Stripper by Night, Doctor by Deception    Let’s do it

    RAFAEL “If you hadn’t come to me with that photo and his name,” he said, his voice calmer than I expected, “I would’ve never known he existed. I would’ve gone to my grave not knowing I had a son.”I swallowed the knot forming in my throat and offered a faint smile. “It’s nothing,” I murmured. “I didn’t do it for you.”His brow lifted slightly.I glanced down at Ryan’s hand in mine. “I did it for him. He deserved to know where he came from. He deserved to have something… someone outside all the chaos. I didn’t care what the outcome was… I just wanted him to have the choice. And maybe a little peace.”He was quiet again.Then I leaned forward slightly, lowering my voice. “But… if I may ask, sir… can we keep this between us?”Now that got his full attention.I cleared my throat. “Ryan doesn’t know I found you. Or that I’ve kept tabs on you since the day he told me he didn’t know his father. He doesn’t know I was the one who put everything together. And I want to keep it that way.”“Why?

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