Semua Bab LOVE BEYOND THE PAIN: Bab 21 - Bab 30

“Don… please,” Aurelia whispered, lowering her voice as she glanced around nervously before looking back at him. “I promise I’ll tell you everything later. But right now isn’t the right time.”Doni stared at her for a few seconds before finally raising both hands in surrender. “Okay, okay. Your secret’s safe with me,” he chuckled. But the smile on his face hinted at more than a simple promise: there was amusement there, curiosity… and a hint of disappointment he tried to hide.The day went by like any other. Gray clouds hung low, and the classroom felt colder than usual. But nothing felt colder than her own thoughts. Aurelia sat near the window, book open in front of her, though not a single word actually registered.Her mind kept drifting back to the apartment, her new home with her husband. Not to the shopping list she forgot or the laundry she hadn’t done. But to Gian the man who, someh

“Shit!” Gian hissed, his fists clenching hard at his sides. The word “wait” that had just left his mouth echoed into nothing. No one heard it. No one would turn around.Because Aurelia was already gone.Out of the apartment in a simple black dress that still burned in his mind. A dress that showed the lines of her shoulders. A lightly made-up face. And that soft trace of her perfume lingering in the living room.Gian tightened his jaw. He wasn’t about to sit still.“Get the car. Now,” he ordered sharply to his driver waiting in the basement.Meanwhile, across town, neon lights and heavy bass bounced off the dark walls of the nightclub.Aurelia stepped into the dim room bathed in strobe lights and purple-blue disco beams. The EDM beat pounded so loud her heart felt like it was dancing along. Warm air, alcohol, and expensive perfume mixed thick in her lungs.“Liaaaa!” her friend screamed, waving a soda bottle in the air. “You actually came! Oh my God, no way! This is your first time, ri

“You’re still asking me that after everything I did to you?”Gian’s voice cracked like a whip. His gaze was sharp, and the crooked smile on his face looked flat, almost painful. He stared at Aurelia with an expression she couldn’t read: disappointment, exhaustion, and… irritation.“Seriously, you,” he muttered, letting out a dry, tired laugh. Without waiting for her response, Gian turned around and strode straight into the bathroom.Aurelia stayed at the doorway, hugging herself. Her lips trembled; her eyes glistened. For a moment, she stared at the spot where Gian had stood, then drew in a long breath. She knew there would be no warmth tonight. No understanding either.The next morning, the sun had barely touched the horizon when Aurelia opened her eyes. Her body still felt heavy, but her mind was already fixed on one thing: apologizing.She felt guilty. The way she spoke last night, too emotional

“Liar.”“I’m serious. I really do have something to do here,” Gian said casually, gently squeezing the empty milk carton before tossing it into the plastic bag on the dashboard.Aurelia turned her head. “What kind of ‘something’? Don’t tell me..”“Workshop,” Gian cut in.Aurelia frowned. “Which department? What year?”“Economics. Final semester. Undergraduate,” he answered calmly. “I’m the speaker.”“…WHAT?!”Gian glanced at her. “Why are you yelling?”“Oh my God, you..” Aurelia shut her eyes for a moment, then looked at him like she was two seconds away from punching the air. “Why didn’t you say that earlier?”“Because you were already acting all tough,” he replied flatly.Aurelia let out a long exhale. “So, everyone’

The sound of the slap shattered the silence. Even the ticking clock seemed to stop. Gian didn’t move. His head tilted slightly from the force of his mother’s hand, yet his eyes stayed steady, cold, burning, unshaken.Aurelia covered her mouth, her whole body trembling as she witnessed a line finally being crossed: Mrs. Lestari had slapped her own son.Gian slowly turned back to his mother. His jaw tightened, but his expression didn’t change. Not anger. Not rage. Only… disappointment. Deep and sickening.“Don’t compare my wife to a past you yourself couldn’t face,” he said quietly, each word landing with a weight that made Aurelia’s breath hitch.Mrs. Lestari froze. For a moment, the aura of power that usually surrounded her seemed to crumble.“I’m not the son I used to be,” Gian went on. “And I won’t let anyone even you lay a hand on my wife or belittle her again.&