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Semua Bab A Time Will Come When Suffering Ends: Bab 1 - Bab 10

10 Bab

Chapter 1

At Unity Hospital, I screamed hysterically, “Callum, if you walk out that door, we’re over!”He froze mid-step. He rushed back, wrapped me in his arms, and kissed my forehead.I instinctively grabbed his hand and was unwilling to let him go.He gently pushed my hand away and murmured, “Babe, don’t overthink it. I’ll go check on her and come right back.”Then, he turned and broke into a run.He left me standing alone with tears streaming down my face.It was disgusting and absolutely abhorrent. How dare he call me “Babe” and then sprint off to another woman without hesitation? ‘Callum, we are over. This time, I would not forgive you,’ I thought.My mother, Martha, had come looking for Callum. She grabbed my hand and pleaded, “Mira, please understand. Catherina has severe depression. She’s very ill. Let Callum comfort her, alright? I’m begging you as your mother!”I was heartbroken. It felt as if a knife had been plunged into my heart.My own mother was asking me to be the b

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Chapter 2

Upon returning home, the sight of the empty rooms made me realize that Callum had gone to the hospital to tend to Catherina.I pushed open the nursery door and stared blankly at the pastel pink interior. A delicate pink crib loomed in the space. It was adorned with toys: a pink rattle drum and a strawberry-shaped plushie.The wardrobe was fully stocked with frilly pink dresses from the size of a newborn to a three-year-old kid.When I first learned of my pregnancy, I was momentarily stunned and unprepared for motherhood.Callum, however, was over the moon.One midnight, when I woke up to use the bathroom, I noticed he was missing. I found him sitting at his computer in the study.The monitor’s glow softened his sharp features as he researched how to care for a pregnant wife. He had filled an entire page with handwritten notes.Only then did it hit me that I was going to be a mother.Honestly, all my excitement for this child came from Callum.Because I carried my beloved hus

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Chapter 3

At night, I dreamed again of those years of terror. I woke up from the nightmare drenched in cold sweat.The memories of that living hell flooded back and made me cry.The traffickers had sold me to a destitute village, where an old man purchased me to serve his mentally disabled son, John, and marry him when I grew up.From that day onward, I woke before dawn daily to work, which ranged from washing mountains of filthy clothes, feeding pigs, toiling in fields, and spoon-feeding John.They even bought an iron chain to tie me to him.After each day’s work, I became his shadow. I was forced to endure the bullying he suffered from village children.For every bruise found on his body, they repaid me with twice the beating.Every night, I curled up to sleep beneath John’s bed.After six months of sharing meals and living space with him, a strange bond formed between us.I tricked him into unlocking my chains and tried to escape, only to be recaptured at the village outskirts.They

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Chapter 4

I looked down at the oatmeal in my bowl as a tear rolled down my face.“Guess you were thinking about your ex, huh? I’ve always hated cilantro.”Catherina loved cilantro.“Let’s get a divorce.”I was exhausted from feeling this way. What use was a husband whose heart belonged to someone else?Panic flashed in his eyes as he tried to explain, but his phone rang and completely distracted him.“We’re not getting a divorce. Don’t even think about it. We’ll talk when I get back.”With those words, he grabbed the lunchbox and hurried out.I rested a hand on my belly and smiled bitterly. “See? He’ll never prioritize us.”I lost my appetite, but I still bought milk and bread and managed to force down a few bites.Then, I hailed a taxi to the hospital.It was time to visit my dear cousin Catherina.At her hospital room door, I paused outside the glass window.There sat my biological mother, who was peeling an apple for Catherina with affection.Catherina leaned against Gale’s sh

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Chapter 5

There was no doubt that Catherina had won yet again, and I suffered a crushing defeat.To be honest, this was not the first time I had lost so miserably.From the very first day she entered our home, I had never won against her.When I was ten, my uncle and aunt died in a car accident, so my parents took in the orphaned Catherina.At first, I was happy to have gained an older sister.But Catherina disliked me. I could see the unmistakable malice in her eyes.On her very first day in our home, she faked a fall and tearfully accused me of pushing her.For the first time, my parents scolded me.She then played the martyr and “forgave” me with false magnanimity to win their favor.From then on, she repeated the same tactic. She would frame me and turn my parents against me.My parents always told me that Catherina had lost both her parents, so I should cut her some slack.They would also say she was perfect and wished I were more like her.They would often scold me that I had b

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Chapter 6

I stumbled out of the hospital room in a daze. When I reached the elevator, the world spun violently. I blacked out and collapsed on the floor.When I awoke in a hospital bed, the first thing I saw was my best friend, Joey.The moment she saw I was awake, she fired questions at me.“How could you collapse alone in a hospital? You’re heavily pregnant! Do you realize how dangerous that was? If I hadn’t been on shift and found you, you could’ve lost the baby! Where’s Callum? Why isn’t he here?”My eyes stung with tears when I saw my only friend who genuinely cared about me.“He’s with Catherina...”“That piece of trash! He vowed to take care of you when you married him. Now he’s nostalgic and running back to his ex?”She sighed when she saw my teary eyes. “Look, Mira, if that trash chose someone else, forget about him. You need to take care of yourself now.“Your stress has been affecting the baby, you know?” She wiped my tears gently. “You and this baby matter the most. Worst c

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Chapter 7

The doctor told me that my frequent emotional agitation during pregnancy had caused some fetal hypoxia. This risked premature birth.There was even a chance of difficult labor endangering both my life and the baby’s. They insisted I stay hospitalized to protect the baby until delivery.Yet Callum, my parents, and Gale were saying I was exploiting my pregnancy to manipulate them, to vie for their attention, and to compete with Catherina for favor. They were determined to teach me a lesson, so none of them came to see me.I had long stopped thinking of them as my family. As for my irresponsible husband, I might as well be a widow.That afternoon, I finally managed to leave my bed and go downstairs for some fresh air. But in the garden below, I spotted my parents, Gale, and Callum strolling with Catherina.They surrounded Catherina, who stood at the center and beamed with a radiant smile. Her face was glowing. There was not a trace of illness to be seen.She clung to Callum’s

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Chapter 8

I had been walking for quite a while. On top of that, the swelling in my legs during my third trimester left me completely exhausted.All I wanted was to get away from them and go home to rest.For my baby’s sake, I prepared to swallow my pride yet again.But something unexpected happened. Chaos erupted when a family member of a patient who had died from a failed surgery ran toward us.The attacker was overwhelmed with grief and rage. He pulled a knife out of his backpack.“You so-called doctors killed my daughter! Give her back to me!”He charged toward us with a knife in his hand. He immediately spotted Catherina, who was standing in the middle of the group.He ran straight to her and took her hostage with the knife to her neck.My parents and Gale rushed forward and tried to pull Catherina away, but the man threatened them and forced them back.Even my father, usually calm and composed, panicked.“Let my daughter go! I’ll give you whatever you want!”My mother was shake

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Chapter 9

Callum felt a sense of momentary relief when he noticed a nurse discreetly helping Mira leave the place.Unease gripped him. It was the feeling of losing something precious forever.Suppressing his discomfort, he seized the chance to rescue Catherina. He wanted to repay her for saving his life in their childhood.When he tried to leave to check on his wife, Catherina clung to him desperately.“Don’t go, Cal! I’m scared, please don’t leave me!”Seeing Catherina crying, Callum wavered between pity and irritation before choosing to stay.He told himself this would be the last time. After that, Mira and their baby would come first.Yet his unease only grew stronger.After Catherina was sedated, Callum rushed to the maternity ward to inquire about Mira.Though he assumed she was feigning illness to stop him from saving Catherina, he could not ignore how pale she had looked earlier.He made a horrifying realization: Mira was eight months pregnant, practically full-term.He recalle

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Chapter 10

When news of Mira’s death reached her family, the once brightly lit and luxurious mansion fell into a heavy silence.Martha wept softly. Tears streamed down her cheeks as Catherina gently wiped them away.“Mom, don’t be sad. You still have me.”Martha was about to say something when Gale burst in. His head was covered in blood.“Mom, Dad… who’s my actual sister? Why did Callum say Mira is actually my sister?“We got into a fight. I hit my head. Why do I now recall that Mira was my actual sister?”Even George, who was always the calm one, teared up. He did not know how to answer Gale.Back when Mira was kidnapped by traffickers, Gale cried and pleaded relentlessly to look for her.George and Martha were worried they might lose their other child too, so they locked both Gale and Catherina inside the house.But Gale sneaked out on his own to search for Mira. He then fell into a river by accident.Although someone managed to rescue him, he caught pneumonia and a high fever.Afte

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