LOGINKehlani found out two things in one day; one, her soon to be husband was cheating on her, and second, that there was someone she looked so much like in this world and that same person was meant to get married but somehow, she was mistaken for that person. She ran away from a marriage, but ended up running into another one. Why does she have such a bad luck in choosing marriages?
View More"Ibu dengar dari orang-orang, kalian masih belum dapat kabar baik, ya. Padahal sudah lima tahun loh." Suara Bu Maria, ibu mertua Melia, terdengar ringan, tapi langsung menusuk tepat ke hati.
Melia menelan ludah, mencoba mempertahankan senyumnya. "Iya, Bu. Kami masih berusaha..."
Tiba-tiba Anin, adik ipar perempuan Melia, menimpali dengan nada geli, "Lho, di keluarga kita nggak ada yang susah punya anak, kok. Aku aja, begitu nikah, langsung hamil."
Melia meremas jemarinya di pangkuan. Napasnya terasa berat, tapi ia tetap berusaha tenang. Di ruang tamu keluarga Jordy yang seharusnya hangat, udara di sekeliling Melia terasa berbeda, penuh tekanan yang tidak diucapkan.
"Iya, mungkin Melia perlu periksa lebih lanjut," Bu Maria menambahkan sambil tertawa kecil. "Siapa tahu ada sesuatu yang perlu diperbaiki."
Melia menoleh sejenak ke arah suaminya, Radit, berharap dia akan membela dirinya. Namun, Radit tetap sibuk berbincang dengan Pak Darma, ayahnya, juga Jordy, pamannya, seolah tidak peduli dengan apa yang sedang terjadi di depan mereka.
Dengan suara tertahan, Melia tersenyum kecil. "Kami sudah periksa, Bu. Dan hasilnya... yang perlu lebih berusaha sebenarnya Mas Adit."
Hening. Suasana ruangan tiba-tiba berubah sunyi. Ekspresi kaget tampak di wajah Bu Maria, dan Anin hanya terdiam. Radit, yang sedang menyeruput teh, tiba-tiba terbatuk kecil.
"Ah, masa?" Bu Maria terkekeh, tapi wajahnya terlihat tidak nyaman. "Dokter bisa salah, lho. Adit itu sehat dari kecil sampai remaja, nggak pernah sakit parah."
"Iya, Bu, tapi yang diperiksa bukan soal itu," Melia menjelaskan lembut tapi tegas. "Dokter bilang, faktor kualitas benih juga mempengaruhi peluang kehamilan."
Radit menatap Melia dengan tatapan peringatan, seolah meminta istrinya untuk berhenti berbicara. Namun, kali ini Melia tak peduli. Sudah terlalu lama hanya dia yang menanggung beban dan tekanan. Kali ini, ia ingin suaminya juga merasakan tanggung jawab itu.
"Ah, dokter zaman sekarang terlalu banyak maunya. Mungkin Mas Adit cuma kurang makan yang sehat aja," Arin terkekeh, mencoba mengalihkan.
Melia tersenyum getir. Rasa sesak dalam dadanya semakin dalam. Di sisi lain, Radit tetap diam.
Di tengah ketegangan itu, pintu depan terbuka dan Bude Yati, kakak ipar Bu Maria, masuk tanpa mengetuk. "Lho, kok tegang gini? Lagi ngomongin apa?" tanyanya sambil duduk di sebelah Bu Maria.
"Ini lagi ngobrolin Melia sama Adit yang belum dikasih momongan," jawab Bu Maria sambil terkekeh ringan.
Bude Yati tersenyum lebar. "Kenapa nggak bilang ke Bude dari dulu? Ada Gus Bokis di kampung sebelah, lho. Banyak yang sudah berhasil. Begitu datang ke sana, langsung hamil dalam hitungan bulan."
Melia menatap Radit, berharap kali ini suaminya akan segera menolak usulan tersebut. Tapi seperti biasa, Radit tetap diam.
Melia menarik napas dalam-dalam, lalu berkata dengan tegas, "Maaf, Bude. Saya dan Mas Adit lebih percaya pada pengobatan medis. Kami sudah periksa ke dokter dan tahu apa yang perlu dilakukan."
Namun, Bude Yati tidak menyerah. "Jangan sombong, Neng. Usaha kan bisa dari berbagai cara. Tetangga Bude yang divonis mandul sama dokter aja akhirnya bisa punya anak setelah ke Gus Bokis."
"Iya, kenapa nggak dicoba, Mel? Jangan terlalu kaku," sahut Bu Maria setuju.
Melia menggigit bibir. Ini sudah kelewatan. Tapi sebelum ia sempat berkata apa-apa, Radit akhirnya angkat bicara, meski dengan nada ragu. "Kami akan tetap jalani pengobatan sesuai rekomendasi dokter, Bude. Terima kasih sarannya."
Melia sedikit terkejut, namun merasa lega karena setidaknya Radit akhirnya bersuara. Tetapi Bude Yati hanya mendengus, "Ya sudah, kalau nggak mau nurut, semoga aja nggak nyesel."
Suasana menjadi canggung setelah itu. Tak lama kemudian, Radit mengajak Melia pulang.
Dalam perjalanan pulang dengan motor, Melia duduk diam. Tangannya tak melingkar di pinggang suaminya seperti biasa. Angin malam menerpa wajahnya, tapi tak cukup dingin untuk meredakan panas di dalam dadanya. Ia menatap lurus ke depan, seolah mencoba menahan lautan emosi yang siap meledak.
Radit bisa merasakan perubahan sikap istrinya. Tapi seperti biasa, ia memilih diam.
Sesampainya di rumah, Melia langsung turun tanpa sepatah kata. Langkahnya cepat masuk ke dalam, membiarkan pintu terbuka begitu saja. Radit menghela napas berat, lalu memarkir motor dengan perasaan tak menentu.
Di ruang tengah, Melia berdiri dengan tangan gemetar, melepaskan kerudungnya dengan kasar. Matanya merah bukan karena ingin menangis, tapi karena marah yang sudah mencapai puncaknya.
"Kenapa kamu diam aja tadi, Mas?" tanyanya. Suaranya pelan, tapi tajam seperti pisau yang menyayat.
Radit menutup pintu perlahan dan menguncinya. "Aku nggak mau ribut sama Ibu, Mel."
Melia tertawa pendek, getir. "Oh, jadi biar kamu tetap kelihatan anak baik, aku harus terus-terusan dijadikan sasaran? Kamu denger sendiri kan tadi mereka bilang apa? Seolah-olah aku ini... mandul!"
Radit mengusap wajah. "Aku cuma nggak pengin keributan di rumah orang tua sendiri, Mel."
Melia mendekat, matanya menyala. "Tapi kamu tega biarin aku dilecehkan begitu? Lima tahun, Mas. Lima tahun aku disindir, dibanding-bandingkan. Dan kamu selalu... DIAM!" Melia tak kuasa lagi menahan gejolak dalam dadanya,
"Aku capek, Mel," jawab Radit, nada suaranya mulai meninggi. "Kamu pikir aku nggak ngerasa bersalah? Aku juga malu!"
"Kalau kamu malu, kenapa kamu biarin aku terus yang dihina?" suara Melia mulai bergetar, tapi bukan karena tangis, karena kemarahan yang tak lagi bisa ditahan. "Aku ini istri kamu, Mas. Tapi aku merasa seperti orang asing di keluargamu sendiri!"
Radit menunduk. "Aku nggak tahu harus gimana..."
"Kamu tinggal ngomong! Satu kalimat, Mas. ‘Tolong jangan salahin Melia, ini bukan salah dia.’ Sesederhana itu! Tapi kamu nggak pernah punya nyali!" Suara Melia makin meninggi, dadanya naik-turun.
Radit terpaku. Suara Melia menggema di antara dinding yang dingin.
"Setiap kali kita pulang dari rumah orang tuamu, aku selalu ngerasa kecil. Terhina. Tapi kamu... kamu selalu bilang 'biarin aja', 'nggak usah dipikirin'. Apa kamu pikir hatiku ini batu? Aku ini manusia Mas, punya perasaan? Coba kalau kamu dihina dan direndahkan oleh keluargaku, terus aku diam saja, kamu mau gimana?" Melia benar-benar lepas kontrol.
Radit menggigit bibirnya. "Aku cuma... bingung harus hadapin mereka gimana."
Melia menatapnya dalam. "Kamu itu laki-laki, Mas. Kamu cuma takut jadi anak durhaka. Tapi kamu nggak pernah takut kehilangan aku sebagai istrimu, kan?"
Radit menegang. Tidak ada bantahan.
Melia menarik napas panjang, suaranya melemah, tapi lebih dalam. "Aku butuh suami, Mas. Seseorang yang berdiri di sampingku, bukan di belakang ibunya. Bagaiman kalu hinaan itu datang dari orang lain, apakah kamu juga akan membiarkanm istrimu direndahkan?"
Melia berbalik, melangkah ke kamar, meninggalkan Radit yang berdiri membeku, diliputi rasa bersalah dan kekosongan yang menggigit.
Ketika Radit mengetuk pintu kamar, Melia justru memberikan Ultimatum, “Kalau kamu belum siap menjadi suami, sebaiknya kita tidak perlu tidur bareng, Mas!”
“Melia….”
“Aku ingin sendirian dulu, Mas!” potong Melia tegas.
Radit hanya bisa pasrah.
^*^
Kehlani’s POVThe flash of Finn’s camera still burned behind my eyelids. Noah’s labored breathing filled the silence between us, each exhale a jagged reminder of what Finn was willing to destroy. Finn pocketed his phone, his smile a blade. “Alec’s going to love this. ‘Wife caught in secret rendezvous with ex-lover.’ The tabloids will feast.” “You’re pathetic,” I spat. The ropes bit deeper as I strained against them. “He’ll see through this. He’ll know it’s staged.” “Will he?” Finn crouched, gripping Noah’s hair and yanking his head back. Noah’s eyelids fluttered, a groan escaping his bloodied lips. “How *convenient* that you’re here, alone, with him. How… *intimate*.” “Let him go, Finn. This is between us.” “Us.” He released Noah and stood, circling my chair. “There *is* no ‘us’ until you admit the truth. You belong with *me*. Not with some corporate puppet who married you out of spite.” “Alec’s ten times the man you are.” Finn’s fist slammed into the wall beside my head
Kehlani’s POVThe warehouse door creaked as I pushed it open, the sound echoing through the hollow space. Dust swirled in the dim light filtering through broken windows. My pulse hammered in my throat as I stepped inside, my boots scuffing against the concrete. "Noah?" I called out, my voice bouncing off the walls. Silence. Then—a muffled groan. My breath hitched. I followed the sound, weaving between stacks of crates, my hands clenched into fists. And then I saw him. Noah. Tied to a chair, his head slumped forward, his dark hair matted with sweat and blood. His arms were bound behind him, his skin raw where the ropes bit in. *"Noah!"* I rushed forward, dropping to my knees in front of him. My fingers fumbled with the knots, but they were too tight. "Hey—hey, wake up. It's me. It's Kel." He didn’t stir. I pressed two fingers to his neck, relief flooding me when I felt the steady thrum of his pulse. He was alive. Just unconscious. Okay. Okay. Think. I stood, scann
Kehlani's POV“You should go back to bed,” Alec said, his voice low, yet laced with something more than concern—guilt, maybe.I stood frozen in the middle of the living room, phone still clutched tightly in my hand. My palms were damp with sweat. The words on the screen still echoed in my head: I’m watching you now.“I can’t,” I whispered, not trusting my voice to hold up if I said more.Alec moved closer. “I’ll keep tracking the number. I’ll stay up and work through the night.”I turned to look at him, studying his face. He looked so sure—like if he just clicked the right combination of keys, the answer would appear. But this wasn’t a math problem. It was a nightmare.“Alec…” I swallowed hard. “What if they hurt him again tonight?”“I won’t let that happen,” he replied firmly, placing a reassuring hand on my shoulder. “I promise you. But you need to rest, Kel. Just for a few hours. You’re running on fumes.”I hated that he was right.I hated that I had no choice.“I’ll try,” I murmur
Kehlani's POVI could barely think. It had been days since Noah went missing, and I felt like I was losing my mind. Sleep was a distant memory, replaced with endless worry and a growing pit of frustration in my stomach. Alec, on the other hand, was buried behind his desk, endlessly combing through files, calls, and whatever else he was doing to track Noah down. But nothing had changed. Noah was still gone.And I was still waiting.When Alec finally returned home that night, his face was lined with exhaustion. He loosened his tie as he walked in, but I didn’t care about how tired he looked. I cared about the fact that he was moving too slowly. That every second wasted was a second Noah spent in some unknown place, alone and afraid.“You’re late.” My voice was sharper than I intended, but I didn’t take it back.Alec sighed, rubbing his forehead before setting his briefcase down. “Kelhani, I told you, I’m doing everything I can.”“That’s the problem!” I snapped. “You keep saying that, bu






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