After I announced my exit from the music industry, the public response was overwhelmingly positive. The only person who voiced his objection was my girlfriend's rumored lover, the up-and-coming songwriter Lucas Zacker. He put on a show of sincerity in front of a crowd of reporters. "It's all a misunderstanding. Matthew is an irreplaceable talent in the music industry. I sincerely hope he returns to the stage." I shut off my phone and turned a blind eye to his public plea. In my past life, one of my songs had been identical to his supposedly original single. As such, netizens accused me of plagiarism, cursing me and wishing death upon my family. Frustrated, I posted the entire creation process online, but it couldn't stand up to the timeline. His new song had been released ten minutes ahead of mine. Just because of the ten-minute difference, netizens sent me photoshopped mourning portraits of myself and even went so far as to come to my house and vandalize it with paint. The relentless cyberbullying went on for years, and it drove me into a deep depression. My parents exhausted their life savings trying to clear my name, only for crazed fans to set our house on fire, causing my parents to burn to death. In the end, when his song won an award, I jumped off a building. But who would have guessed that when I opened my eyes again, I was reborn on the very day the new song was set to release.
View More"Kapan terakhir kali kamu haid?"
Ummu Hilza menanyaiku yang baru saja menyudahi sarapan. Mendadak aku gugup mendengarnya, dengan lirih suaraku menyahut, "Tanggal 26 bulan Agustus lalu, Ummu." Helaan napas Ummu Hilza terdengar. Wanita itu menyusun wadah sisa makanku, lalu pergi keluar dari ruangan tanpa berkata sepatah katapun.
Setelah ditinggal sendiri lagi di kamar megah ini, aku langsung merasa kesepian. Sudah sebulan lamanya aku terkurung di ruangan ini. Kamar yang ada di ujung bangunan rumah, yang jauh dari peradaban depan yang biasanya dikumpuli orang-orang.
Sebulan yang lalu Tuan Harraz menalakku. Sesuai aturan agama yang diterapkan di keluarga besarnya, sebelum meninggalkan rumah suamiku dan benar-benar menjadi mantan istrinya, aku yang sudah berhubungan berkali-kali dengannya selama menikah harus menjalani masa iddah.
Ummu Halsa bilang, aku akan dipersilahkan pergi setelah menyudahi tiga kali masa suci. Tapi sudah sebulan lebih aku di sini sebagai istri yang tengah menyelesaikan masa iddah, haid pertamaku belum kunjung datang. Membuatku sedikit gugup, takut ada anugerah di ambang perpisahan kami.
Karena jujur saja, lepas dari Tuan Harraz, pergi dari rumah ini sebagai wanita yang bebas dari jeratannya adalah impianku setelah lima tahun menjadi istrinya.
Jika aku hamil, masa iddah itu kata Ummu Hilza akan diperpanjang sampai aku melahirkan. Bagiku itu ide yang buruk, karena aku tidak mau berlama-lama di sini.
Apalagi Ummu Hilza juga mengatakan, hak rujuk ada di bibir Tuan Harraz. Selagi masa iddah-ku belum usai, lelaki itu bisa merujukku kapan saja untuk sah kembali menjadi istrinya. Dan impianku untuk terpisah darinya benar-benar pupus. Tapi kuharap Tuan Harraz teguh pada pendiriannya dan tidak berubah pikiran untuk merujukku. Demi Tuhan, aku sangat ingin lari dari sini.
"Apa kamu pernah merasa tidak enak badan, Talita?" Ummu Hilza kembali lagi dan menanyaiku. Dengan anggukan ragu aku mengiakan, akhir-akhir ini aku memang sering merasa mual dan tidak enak badan. Karena tidak mau berpikir yang aneh-aneh, kukira aku masuk angin dan hanya mengusapkan minyak kayu putih ke perut.
"Sudah pernah kujelaskan sebelumnya 'kan?" Ummu Hilza bertanya yang kuiyakan lagi. "Ini ambil," wanita itu menyerahkan sebuah test phack untukku. Aku menerimanya dengan tangan gemetar, karena takut dengan apa yang sama-sama terbersit di kepala kami.
"Coba periksa dulu, aku juga menakuti apa yang kamu takutkan Talita."
Aku patuh dan masuk ke dalam kamar mandi. Hasilnya membuatku shock. Ummu Hilza yang terlalu lama menunggu di luar menyusulku masuk dan sama shocknya.
"A-aku hamil ...." bisikku frustrasi. Impianku untuk cepat terbebas dari sini pupus sudah. Masa iddahku diperpanjang, aku harus melahirkan bayi ini dan sampai itu terjadi, aku takut karena bayi ini Tuan Harraz mengurungkan niatnya untuk menceraikanku.
"Aku harus memberitahukan ini pada Tuan Harraz Talita," Ummu Hilza berujar merasa bersalah, membuatku gelagapan.
"T-tidak, Ummu. Jangan beritahu dia. Aku tidak mau terpenjara lebih lama di sini. Aku ingin terbebaskan dari Tuan Harraz sesegera mungkin. Bagaimana jika nanti dia urung melepaskanku? Aku tidak mau menjadi istrinya lagi, Ummu."
Ummu Hilza yang masih terlihat sama merasa bersalahnya mengurai cekraman tanganku dari lengannya. Wanita itu mengusap rambut halusku, "Maaf, Talita. Aku sudah diamanahkan untuk melakukan ini. Memberitahukan sedetail mungkin tentangmu pada Tuan Harraz dan tidak menyembunyikan apapun selama proses masa iddahmu. Apalagi kehamilanmu."
Aku gagal membujuk wanita itu. Ummu Hilza mengabaikanku yang menangis dan meninggalkanku sendirian di kamar. Aku merutuki kehamilanku di atas kasur raksasa yang indah. Kupukul-pukul sendiri perutku yang berisi.
Lima tahun lamanya kami dulu menikah, kenapa bayi kecil ini harus hadir di saat-saat yang seperti ini? Bukan aku membenci anugerah, tapi jika nyawa baru hadir di saat aku tengah menantikan sebuah kebebasan, kusebut ini petaka!
"Dia di dalam?" Suara bariton yang amat kukenal, terdengar dari luar.
"Iya Tuan," suara Ummu Hilza menjawab membuatku gemetar.
Pintu kamarku akhirnya terbuka. Aku menyesal tidak sempat mengunci benda itu sebelumnya. Di ambang pintu, kudapati Tuan Harraz berdiri tegap. Lelaki itu menatapku dingin dalam diam, lalu berjalan mendekat.
"Kamu hamil?" Padahal dia sendiri sudah tahu jawabannya, Tuan Harraz tetap bertanya. Aku mengiakan pertanyaan lelaki itu, membuat helaan napas kasarnya terdengar.
"Apa keputusanmu, Harraz?" Harraz Ilham Ghazalah menoleh pada sepupunya yang menanyai. Aku gugup menantikan jawaban lelaki itu.
"Maksudmu?" Tuan Harraz balas bertanya pada Fauzan.
Fauzan dengan bibir terkatup rapat melirik kami berdua, "Maksudku, setelah mengetahui kehamilan Talita, bukankah lebih baik kamu merujuknya? Kalian tidak hanya berdua saja sekarang, kalian sudah bertiga. Dan setiap anak pasti mengharapkan keutuhan rumah tangga orangtuanya, bukan?"
Raut Tuan Harraz menjadi dingin setelah mendengar jawaban Fauzan sepupunya. Mendadak aku grogi jika lelaki itu setuju.
Perkataan Tuan Fauzan memang ada benarnya, tapi aku yakin anakku bisa kubesarkan sendiri tanpa seorang Ayah. Sekalipun Tuan Harraz yang menginginkan hak asuhnya, anakku masih bisa bahagia dengan ibu yang lain, asal wanita baru yang mungkin akan Tuan Harraz nikahi suatu hari setelah kami benar-benar berpisah adalah perempuan yang baik.
"Tak ada getaran hati yang ingin melontarkan kata rujuk untuknya Tuan Hakim," Tuan Harraz menjawab.
Seharusnya aku bahagia, karena nyatanya aku hanya perlu menunggu lebih lama, tidak akan lagi terjebak. Tapi kalimat jujurnya entah kenapa membuatku terluka, hati ini seperti teriris-iris karena untuk ke sekian kalinya sadar ... lelaki ini tidak lagi mencintaiku. Atau memang tidak pernah mencintaiku sedari awal.
"Baiklah jika itu keputusanmu, tadinya aku berniat membantumu di pengadilan andai kamu ingin membersamai Talita lagi," Tuan Fauzan terlihat kecewa. Hati kecilku juga merasakan hal yang sama. Tuan Fauzan seakan menyadari hal itu, membuatku mati-matian mengendalikan ekspresi dan air mata agar tidak kebablasan terlihat sedih.
"Lahirkan anakku," Tuan Harraz berujar. "Setelah kelak dia lahir, kamu akan kupulangkan ke rumah orangtuamu—"
"Anda lupa Tuan, tiga tahun yang lalu ayahku meninggal. Saya yatim-piatu sekarang." Lelaki itu terdiam mendengar jawabanku. Binar penyesalan terlihat di sepasang matanya yang setajam elang.
"Maaf," sahutnya merasa bersalah. Memang tidak seharusnya seorang menantu lupa ayah mertuanya telah tiada. Karena selama kami menikah, lelaki ini memang tidak pernah memulangkanku ke kota asalku, bahkan hanya untuk sekedar bertemu Ayah. Saat Ayah meninggal saja, aku tidak bisa kemana-mana. Tanpa izinnya, aku tidak bisa pergi.
"Kalau begitu, semua biaya kehidupanmu meskipun kita sudah bercerai, masih aku yang tanggung. Akan kuberikan rumah yang berada di dekat sini, uang bulanan dan semacamnya. Hak asuh anak kita, aku yang ambil. Jika kamu tidak setuju, kita bisa rundingkan nanti jika kelak dia lahir." Rasanya memalukan jika mengiakan kesanggupan pria itu. Tapi karena aku tidak punya apa-apa, bahkan keluarga, aku hanya bisa mengangguk.
"Anggap saja, meski kelak kita bukan lagi sepasang suami-istri, sampai kamu menikah lagi atau sampai kamu dengan yakin percaya sudah mandiri, kamu itu tetap tanggungjawabku."
My dad had arrived in Terak ahead of us and had arranged for someone to pick us up from the airport."You've definitely been set up, Matthew. I've asked around, and no one has heard of this kind of spell. Then, a businessman told me that he knows a master who understands these things. We'll meet him tomorrow to find out more," he said.I nodded silently, thinking that there was no need to rush.When we reached the hotel, there were only a few hours left until dawn. I started scrolling through short videos. Just then, a music blogger I followed posted a new video. When I clicked on it, it turned out to be an expose about Lucas.The blogger claimed that Lucas was not a student at a prestigious international music academy but attended a diploma mill where anyone could get in by paying."I took a close look at his social media. He hasn't posted anything related to music and only follows a bunch of rich kids who flaunt their lavish lifestyles. I suspect that his so-called original song
After what happened, Anthony never brought up the idea of me working behind the scenes again. At the same time, I gave up on songwriting and just focused on helping my dad manage the company.Over the past few months, Lucas had released three new songs, and each one dominated the charts. Whether it was on TV programs or shorts, his songs were used as background music everywhere. Riding on the wave of success, Lucas made a high-profile announcement of his comeback, and Winnie openly confessed her love for him on Twitter."The leading actress and the creative genius. What a perfect match!""I support you! Lucas is the best!""This is what I call a top-tier couple. I'm all for the Wincas ship!"As I passed by a giant LED screen, it was playing Lucas' latest music video. I wrapped my coat around me and ignored it as I walked by.When I got home and opened the door, my mom was sitting in the living room watching TV. It was playing that very music competition show Lucas had participate
"Anthony, you know that my dad is going to retire soon, so my plates are full. I don't have any more energy to write new songs even if I want to."Anthony's face grew gloomy after hearing that. Then, I carefully probed, "Tell me the truth, Anthony. Are you here on a mission?"Hearing my words, Anthony glanced out at the busy employees through the glass and pursed his lips. "Fine, I'll be straight with you. Sarah's contract with her former agency is about to expire, and she said that she'll only sing the songs you write. She'll sign with whichever company that gets your original songs. This is a huge opportunity for the company, so there's no way they will give up on this. That's why they sent me here."His words helped me piece things together.Sarah and Winnie were best friends, and she always thought I wasn't good enough for Winnie. Hence, there was no way she would ask me to write songs again out of the blue. Something was fishy!"Why don't you just write a song, Matthew? It do
Three days later, my mom and I went on a trip.First, we went to Estania and visited the pyramids and the Sphinx. Then, we headed to Murrock to see the city of Casabulaca. In winter, we even watched auroras in Nornia.Under the vast sky full of stars with blue and pink lights swirling around, I felt a surge of inspiration. However, I no longer dared to create any more music.Noticing my mood was foul, my mom patted my shoulder and said, "Life isn't just about that one thing in front of you. Sometimes, you need to look back and see what's behind you. Just remember that your dad and I are always here to support you."After four months of traveling, I had adjusted my mindset and committed to working at my dad's company. The overwhelming workload left me barely any time to catch my breath, but my dad seemed to be in high spirits every day.One night, while my dad and I were attending a dinner with some suppliers, I got a call from Winnie."Matthew, don't you think it's time for you t
When I got back, I went straight to Anthony. The moment he heard I wanted to leave the music industry, he started panicking."The company isn't going to just let you go like that. You still have three years left in your contract. Are you sure about this, Matthew?"I nodded in silence, and Anthony sighed heavily. "Alright then, the sky's high, and birds must fly free. I won't stop you. I just hope we get a chance to work together again someday."I grasped his outstretched hand, and a smile of relief spread across my face as I finally felt a burden lift. A few days later, the company put out a statement on Twitter announcing our contract termination. Shortly after, I posted my own message, declaring my departure from the entertainment world.The haters who had trashed me online were overjoyed."It had to be him. Lucas said there was a plagiarist. Who else would back out so quickly unless they felt guilty?""At that celebration party, he tried to act all high and mighty toward Lucas
Anthony's words hit me like a truck, shattering every ounce of courage I had built since my rebirth. 'Why, even with a second chance, can't I change anything? Will I never be able to pursue music again? Am I destined to live forever under Lucas' shadow?' I mused in despair.To avoid unnecessary trouble, I left my usual phone on the balcony this time, and I didn't use my computer to compose. How did Lucas still get his hands on my original song?On Twitter, Lucas' back-to-back release of two original singles dominated the trending list for three days straight. His tracks soared to the top of every major music chart, taking the number one and two spots.His popularity even eclipsed the superstar whose secret marriage had been exposed recently. Fans flooded the comments beneath his new song, asking him why his style had suddenly changed."My previous song was plagiarized. Fortunately, I released it ahead of schedule, or I wouldn't have been able to defend myself. This new release is
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