MasukLangit stared at his phone. He kept looking at the message he had sent to Bintang earlier, which still hadn’t been replied to. He had already contacted Anta and was told to wait, but hours passed and Anta still hadn’t given him any news.“Did something happen to her?” Langit wondered to himself anxiously.In the end, he decided to send another message to Bintang to ask about his fiancée’s condition. Being used to meeting and being together, now both he and Bintang were secluded before the wedding, forcing Langit to endure his longing, even if it was only for two days.[Bin, what are you doing? Why hasn’t my message been read?]Langit waited for a reply, but the message was still unread. His restlessness grew, and he sent another message.[Are you resting? If you are, that’s fine. But once you read my message, please reply right away.]Langit placed his phone on the table and brushed his hair back. For some reason, he suddenly felt extremely uneasy and afraid. His heart was beating fas
The day of Bintang and Langit’s wedding finally arrived. One day before the ceremony, Bintang’s parents’ house was already bustling with family members who came to prepare everything for the upcoming event. “Where is Bintang, Aunt?” Anta asked as he had just arrived and picked up some fruit from the table. He asked Annetha, who was talking to Kate—Anta’s mother. “She’s in her room. Just go upstairs like usual if you want to see her,” Annetha replied without looking at Anta, as she was busy discussing tomorrow’s reception. Anta nodded and walked away while biting into the apple he had taken. He headed to Bintang’s room to see how nervous his cousin was about getting married. As he walked up the stairs, Anta ran into Cheryl, who didn’t look heavily pregnant, even though she should have been close to giving birth if counted from the time everyone found out about her pregnancy. “Going to see Bintang?” Cheryl asked when she met Anta. “Yes,” Anta replied, then glanced at Cheryl’s stom
There is no night without day, just as there is no life without contrast. There is no suffering without happiness; everything comes in pairs and walks side by side. “I’m so happy to know that you’re finally getting married,” Laras said as she looked at Bintang, who was choosing a gown for her wedding to Langit. Six months after Orion and Cheryl’s wedding, Bintang would finally marry Langit as well, after Langit formally proposed and expressed his desire to marry her, following everything they had been through together. “It feels like a dream, doesn’t it?” Bintang let out a heavy sigh, as if she were imagining something, before turning to Laras and smiling at her best friend. Seeing Bintang this happy made Laras feel guilty for having once taken her best friend’s happiness away. She stepped closer with her arms open before finally hugging Bintang. “I’m sorry. If only I hadn’t been selfish back then, maybe you and Langit would never have been separated,” Laras said regretfully. She
“Was it really Orion who did it?” Langit turned to Bintang. Since earlier, they had been sitting in silence after Bintang openly declared her anger at him. At first, she had been unable to speak because of the shock. However, once she found out that Langit was no longer going to marry Cheryl, an unexpected sense of relief arose, allowing her to finally vent her anger at him. “What do you think? Orion isn’t that despicable,” Bintang replied curtly. “Hm … that’s true. But then why did he admit to doing that to Cheryl?” Langit asked again. Bintang and Langit were sitting on the stretch of sand, both gazing at the rolling waves crashing against the shore as they talked. Bintang turned her head at Langit’s question. “What do you think?” she shot back, making Langit frown. “Because of you?” Langit guessed. “Of course it’s because of me. If not because of me, then because of you?” Bintang scooped up some sand and tossed it forward, though her gaze remained fixed on Langit. Langit was
Bintang looked at Orion, who was sitting in the same car as her, while their parents were in a different vehicle. That day, their family was heading to Cheryl’s house to propose. Regardless of whether Orion had truly done it or not, Arlan and Annetha chose to follow Orion’s wishes, even though Arlan strongly objected, as Orion was still in college and would be marrying a woman older than him. “Ion, are you sure about everything you’re doing?” Bintang asked to make sure. She simply did not want her brother to regret it later. Bintang gazed at her younger brother with sorrow, wondering why everything had to end like this. She was absolutely certain that none of this was Orion’s doing, even though he kept convincing her otherwise. “Of course I’m sure, Bin. Isn’t it a man’s duty to take responsibility for what he’s done? If I chose to stay silent, I’d be considered a coward,” Orion said as he turned to his sister. He gave her a gentle smile, as if what he was about to do was entirely h
“I’m sorry, Bin. I truly never wanted to hurt you,” Langit said with deep regret. He was still holding Bintang, and her illness almost relapsed if he had not quickly urged his lover to take her medicine. Bintang was still in shock. She remained silent with her eyes closed, resting her head against Langit’s chest, feeling as though everything that had happened was nothing more than a dream. She wished that when she opened her eyes, everything she had just experienced would vanish as if it had never happened. However, that was only her wish. In reality, it was not a dream, it was a reality that felt like a nightmare to her. Bintang took a deep breath and slowly exhaled after the tightness pressed heavily against her chest. What woman could watch her lover marry another woman? Even if the reason was to help and protect someone’s reputation, it would still hurt deeply. “Only until Cheryl’s baby is born, Bin. After that, I’ll divorce her and propose to you,” Langit said again, since Bin







