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Chapter 2

Penulis: Alisha
Serena's POV

I thought back to past gatherings. How many times had this happened?

Adrian would remove my hearing aids and speak to me with tender eyes. I couldn't hear anything. I could only watch his lips move and see the knowing smiles on everyone's faces. When he put my hearing aids back in, everyone said he'd been whispering sweet promises to never betray me.

If I hadn't secretly gotten my hearing fixed.

If I hadn't heard his vile words tonight after he removed my hearing aids—words hidden beneath his gentle mask—I would have never known the truth.

Daniela dropped her arm from Adrian's shoulders. "Sorry, Serena. Adrian and I just joke around like this. Don't be jealous."

Her fingers had been tracing his shoulder. The gesture was too practiced.

Adrian laughed. "You act like such a dude. Where's your feminine side?"

They started chasing each other around the room. Everyone went back to drinking and chatting, as if I—the birthday girl—didn't exist.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. The room reeked of perfume, cigars, and alcohol. My stomach turned. I headed for the door.

"Where are you going?" Daniela blocked my path. Her red nails dug into my wrist. Annoyance flashed in her eyes. "Everyone came to celebrate your birthday. And you're just leaving?"

Adrian walked over and reached up to touch my hair—that gesture used to make my heart race, but now it just made me sick. He frowned, "You haven't even opened everyone's birthday gifts yet. Don't be difficult, okay?"

I stepped aside to avoid his hand.

"We're done." I said coldly, "Don't contact me again."

Then I pushed past Daniela and walked out of the room without looking back.

Behind me, voices erupted in shock and disbelief, but I didn't stop.

My phone wouldn't stop buzzing on the drive home.

Adrian's messages came one after another: [What's wong with you? Everyone came all this way to celebrate your birthday and brought you gifts, and you just leave them hanging like that?]

[Daniela was just excited, okay? That's how she is—fun and easygoing, not dramatic like other girls. So what if she had her arm around me? She let go right away and apologized to you, didn't she?]

Then the group chat exploded with messages from the others: [Serena, don't you think you're being ridiculous?]

[You just stormed off for no reason. What did we ever do to you?]

[Ungrateful much?]

I stared at those messages, and suddenly I started laughing.

I laughed so hard I could feel tears burning at the corners of my eyes.

I typed back just one line: [Who's really being ridiculous here?]

Then I blocked every single one of them and left all the group chats.

Thunder rumbled across the sky outside my car window.
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  • The Day I Should've Died   Chapter 9

    After I took over the company, I secured several major deals that had previously eluded Adrian.Each one felt like a slap across his face."Ms. Lombardi, the Colombo family called again." My assistant Mia pushed through the door, and her voice couldn't hide her excitement. "They want to terminate their arms deal with the Falcone Group and switch to us."I didn't turn around, just let a smile curl at the corner of my mouth.The Falcone Group.What an ironic name. The Falcone name used to mean unshakable power—smuggling, money laundering, arms dealing, they had their hands in everything.Too bad, Adrian, the one who threw away his dignity over Daniela, didn't inherit any of Vincent's brains."Tell Colombo," I turned around and set my glass down on the desk, "we can talk business, but I want to meet with their Capo. Not some errand boy—someone who can actually make decisions."Mia nodded and left. I walked over to my desk and pulled open a drawer, taking out a thick file.This was Adrian

  • The Day I Should've Died   Chapter 8

    The next day, Adrian was gone from downstairs.Back in my dorm, one of the girls who always got up early to work out told me, "He said he's going back to school and won't bother you anymore."I nodded my thanks and went back to my own business. Not long after, I found out through a mutual friend's social media that Adrian and Daniela were dating.Our mutual friend kept digging around for information about me, trying to be subtle but not really pulling it off.But I was genuinely swamped with things, so every time we chatted, I kept it short and brushed them off.Soon enough, though, this same friend called me up and said, "Adrian and Daniela broke up!"I was surprised.I mean, that was fast."Daniela found out she was pregnant in her second month of school! That bastard Adrian just transferred her thirty thousand dollars and told her to get an abortion. And guess what? Daniela refused, and she actually had the nerve to ask him if he was worried about her health, what if the abortion da

  • The Day I Should've Died   Chapter 7

    When I heard through mutual friends that Adrian was looking for me, I wasn't surprised at all.Maybe he'd finally found out that my hearing was fixed, and it hit him—a little too late—that I'd heard every cruel word in that private room that day.But none of that mattered anymore.My life in Kayby was whole and vibrant. Sure, adjusting to a new place was exhausting, but I'd never felt this light before.I'd joined tons of clubs at university and made so many new friends.I even went to some mixers and exchanged numbers with a few guys.So when I spotted Adrian's familiar figure downstairs at the girls' dorm, I was genuinely caught off guard.I thought about taking a detour and leaving.But Adrian saw me first and strode over, his tone almost wheedling. "Serena, I've missed you so much. Can we talk? Please?"My roommates thought we had something going on, and they gave me knowing looks before leaving together, giggling.I tilted my head back, let out a long sigh, and then looked at him

  • The Day I Should've Died   Chapter 6

    I'd been wound so tight during those months with Adrian and the others.Now that I'd finally relaxed, I even made plans to travel with Angelina.Whenever Adrian's messages or calls came through, I cut them off and deleted them immediately.He took my refusal to communicate as a sign of jealousy.He texted: [How long are you going to stay mad? Isn't this enough already? If you keep ignoring me, I swear I'll take Daniela abroad instead.]I didn't respond. I said nothing and just kept blocking and deleting.Once all my things arrived at home, I booked a flight straight to Kayby.Meanwhile, Adrian stood nervously outside my door, clutching two hand-knitted dolls—one blue, one pink, representing us in his mind.'She's going to love this,' he thought, already imagining the delighted surprise on my face. He could barely contain his excitement.But when the door opened, the person he'd been picturing wasn't there."Mr. Lombardi, Mrs. Lombardi—is Serena home?" he asked reflexively. "I haven't s

  • The Day I Should've Died   Chapter 5

    "What did you say?" Adrian's face drained of color. His voice shook. "When did this happen? Why didn't you tell me?""Does it matter?" My voice was eerily calm. "You know exactly what you did behind my back, Adrian. You thought I couldn't hear you."His fists clenched. He stood frozen. The veins on his hands bulged."Well, Serena," Daniela cut in, her voice sharp and grating. "Didn't know you were such a good actress. Everyone knows your hearing loss is permanent. An explosion caused it. It can't just magically get better."Her eyes widened dramatically. "You don't think Adrian will fall for you again just because you're not deaf anymore, do you? That's some serious scheming. Adrian, don't let her fool you."Deaf. That word hit me like a bullet.But I didn't let it show on my face.Adrian's eyes lit up. He dropped the guilt act instantly, that smug smirk sliding back onto his face. "Daniela's right. Serena, stop causing drama. I never said I looked down on you for being deaf. Why are y

  • The Day I Should've Died   Chapter 4

    I packed up my things with Monica's help, getting ready for the move to Kayby, and had my college there.I thought I'd be up all night, but I slept like the dead instead. Maybe I was just exhausted, or maybe my heart had finally given up caring.When I woke up, it was already afternoon. I reached for my phone.The screen lit up. Two WhatsApp voice messages—both from Adrian.I should've deleted them right away, but I clicked on the first one anyway.His familiar deep voice came through. "Serena, stop being childish and take me off your block list. You're a grown woman—what's with these games?"The second one played automatically. "Daniela felt so guilty about you leaving yesterday that she ran up to the rooftop and threatened to jump. I barely managed to stop her. I'm taking her to Aspen this month so she can unwind. Serena, don't be jealous—if she's like this, you share some of the blame."That last line actually made me laugh. 'Daniela would never actually die,' I thought. 'The whole

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