Semua Bab Dear husband I can live without you : Bab 151 - Bab 160

“It’s okay now,” Gerald whispered, his voice low and soothing, almost like a lullaby. His fingers threaded gently through Anna’s soft brown hair as his other hand rubbed slow circles on the small of her back. Each motion was steady, grounding her.Anna clung to him as if letting go meant falling apart. Her hands gripped his firm shoulders, trembling. Her face pressed into his chest, wet with tears and the faint scent of his cologne — a mix of cedarwood and something darker, masculine, familiar. Her sobs came in shallow breaths, shaking her body like wind through frail leaves.The flashing blue and red lights sliced through the night air. The police arrived just in time — Big Kay lay sprawled on the ground, bleeding, groaning, unrecognizable. The pavement beneath him was stained in crimson.“I heard someone was assaulting Miss Anna Marie,” the inspector said, his tone more statement than question. His sharp eyes flicked from the broken man on the ground to Gerald — whose knuckles were

Brittany stared at Anna, her eyes wide and confused. The hall still buzzed with whispers and camera flashes. She couldn’t believe that, out of everyone there—out of all those glittering, well-dressed faces—Anna was the only one who’d bothered to help her. The rest had laughed, some even raised their phones to record her humiliation. Even Trisha hadn’t moved a finger. Maybe she’s ashamed of me too. Maybe she’s embarrassed to be seen helping me, Brittany thought bitterly, her chest tightening as shame crept up her neck like heat. Vivian suddenly shot up from her seat, her heels clacking against the marble floor as she hurried to Anna. She leaned close and whispered sharply, “Why are you helping her?” Anna’s hands trembled slightly as she draped her shawl over Brittany’s shoulders. “C’mon, Viv, don’t be cruel,” she whispered back. “Help me get her on her feet.” Vivian frowned so hard her forehead creased. “What? You can’t be serious.” Her voice came out half hiss, half groan. “I won

“Hurry up, Aiden. Your mom said we can’t be late,” Nora urged, clutching the little boy’s hand as her voice trembled slightly. But Aiden yanked his hand away with a stubborn pout, his eyes still fixed on the Lego castle he was building on the living room rug.“I don’t wanna go anywhere,” he muttered, stacking another block on his tiny tower.“Stop being stubborn. Let’s go,” Nora said, tugging him up by the arm, her tone sharper than she intended. Her pulse was racing—she couldn’t risk staying longer. Penelope had ordered her to bring the boy to a certain address. No questions asked.And Nora never dared to ask Penelope why. The last time she tried to defy her, the punishment had been merciless—her back still carried faint scars from it. Penelope had promised that next time, it wouldn’t just be Nora who suffered—it would be her baby sister, the only family she had left.Nora’s throat tightened at the memory. She raked her trembling hand through her hair, her conscience screaming. Somet

Anna kept her promise. Early the next morning, she sat at her fluffy pink couch, signing a check for ten thousand dollars in her neat, slanted handwriting. The sound of her pen scratching against the paper echoed softly through the quiet room. She tore the check from the booklet and handed it to Nora, who stood a few steps away, both hands trembling as she received it. Nora’s eyes widened. For a moment, she just stared at the amount printed on the slip of paper as if she couldn’t believe her eyes. It felt unreal—almost dreamlike. “Thank you, ma,” Nora whispered, her voice shaky with disbelief. “Thank you so much.” Tears pooled in her eyes, spilling down her cheeks before she could stop them. Anna gave her a small, gracious smile. “It’s okay, Nora. You’re welcome.” She uncrossed her long legs and rose from the chair with elegant ease, picking up her designer handbag from the counter. Her crisp white V-neck shirt was tucked neatly into a pair of high-waisted black pants that sc

Vivian lay sprawled on her bed, yawning into her pillow. It was the fourth time she’d gone back to sleep since she called Anna that morning.The afternoon sun slipped through her half-open windows, painting lazy streaks of gold across her sheets. She rubbed her face with both hands, groaning.“Gosh! I can’t keep sleeping like this,” she muttered, voice rough with sleep.Her hand reached blindly for her phone on the nightstand. The screen lit up and her eyes widened. “Midday?!” she gasped, almost jumping up. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”She scrolled through her notifications—no missed calls, no texts.Erick didn’t call? she thought, staring blankly at the screen. He always called. Every single morning. Just to say “good morning, beautiful,” or “did you sleep well, baby?” while she blushed and rolled her eyes, pretending not to care.She sighed and dropped the phone on the bed. “He’s probably just busy,” she whispered to herself, stretching her arms until her shoulders cracked.Draggi