Pastel Echo Surabaya

The top-tier charity auction in Manhattan is about to begin when my boyfriend’s stepsister spots a pearl necklace she likes. Wanting to buy it as her birthday gift, my boyfriend reserves a bidding seat. But due to a mistake by the organizers, the seat had actually been reserved by someone else before he booked it. An elderly lady dressed plainly says the seat is hers, yet they show no intention of yielding. I force my boyfriend to give the seat back to the woman. But Amy storms out in a fit of anger. That night, gunshots echo through the neighborhood. A stray bullet hits her, and she bleeds out on the spot. He calmly arranges her funeral, yet still keeps his promise and marries me. Soon after, my father dies in what is ruled an accident. On the day of my father’s funeral, he storms into the church with his men. Looking at me kneeling before the coffin, he smiles arrogantly. “Olivia, this is what you owe Amy! If you hadn’t stopped me that day, the seat would’ve been hers! She wouldn’t have run out in anger, and she wouldn’t have been shot! Let me tell you something—your father was killed by me. And now it’s your turn!” Right in front of everyone, he shoots my younger brother—who had been kneeling beside me, begging for mercy—dead with a single bullet. His bodyguards pin me down and drag me out of the church as I watch helplessly, his blood pooling before my father’s coffin. When I open my eyes again, my boyfriend is glaring angrily at the waiter, about to explode. What he doesn’t know is that the plainly dressed old woman in sunglasses is the mother of the current Don of the most powerful Mafia family in New York—the Morretti family. And that Don is famously devoted to his mother.

"Ma, ano ba? Pagod na pagod na akong maging sunud-sunuran sa inyo! Sa buong buhay ko, wala akong ibang ginawa kundi sundin ang lahat ng utos at nais ninyo. Bakit ngayon, isang hiling ko lang, bakit ayaw niyo akong pagbigyan?" Hindi ko na mapigilang umiyak, ang sakit sobra. Anak niya ako, bakit kailangan niyang magdesisyon na ako dapat? Isang malakas na sampal na naman ang natanggap ko galing sa kanya, na hindi ko na ikinagulat pa. Sanay na ako sa pananakit niya simula noong bata pa ako hanggang ngayon, na 23 years old na ako, lalong lalo na pag hindi ko sundin ang gusto niyang mangyari. "How dare you na sagutin ako ng ganyan? Ako ang bumuhay sa'yo kaya ako ang magdedesisyon. Kaya wala kang karapatan na kalabanin ang nais ko!" Inis na sigaw niya sa akin, kulang na lang sabunutan niya ako. "Ma, mali naman kasi kayo, ayaw ko pa pong magpakasal. Ipakasal niyo ako nang hindi niyo man lang ako tinatanong? Ma, please babalik na lang ako ng Paris," pagmamakaawa ko, ngunit tanging titig lamang ang pinupukol niya sa akin at walang bakas na naawa ito sa akin. Bakit, Ma? "Enough!" Isang malakas na sampal ulit ang natamo ko sa kabilang pisngi ko na ikinabagsak ko sa sahig. "Belphoebe Sinclair, sa gusto mo o hindi, magpapakasal ka sa lalaking 'yun." Parang echo ang boses niya na paulit-ulit sa tenga ko. Bakit ganun? Pakiramdam ko, parang ginawa akong bayad sa hindi ko alam na utang. Ano ba ang kasalanan ko? Bakit kailangan ipakasal ako sa taong hindi ko kilala at hindi ko naman mahal.

"Laurette, you are not qualified to have a child." Hearing these words from her husband, Laurette's heart shattered into a million pieces, leaving her wondering if she'd be enough. Every time they had sex, he'd remind her to take her contraceptive pill, making sure she never got pregnant. For five years, Laurette found herself trapped in a loveless, secret marriage with Bryce – one that forbids pregnancy. No one knew about it – not even her family. It's been five years already; everyone expected children, especially her mother-in-law, who couldn't wait to cradle her grandchild. But the truth was, she'd had a miscarriage years ago, and the doctor said she couldn't get pregnant again. The memory still lingered, a painful echo of what could've been. She kept it a secret, hiding behind a mask of compliance, letting her mother-in-law cling to hope of carrying her grandchild one day. But today was different. Her mother-in-law, Mrs. Ava, fueled by years of frustration, called Laurette "infertile." Bryce stood there, silent. He knew the truth. He knew about the contract, and he didn't defend her. Instead, he handed her divorce papers and said coldly, "Let's get divorced. My first love is back." Bryce Rodriguez chose Irene – his childhood sweetheart – over the woman who'd stood by him for five years. Laurette couldn't compete when her husband's first love returned. Heartbroken but dignified, she walked away without looking back. But fate had other plans. Months later, Bryce accompanied Irene to a prenatal checkup... only to run into his ex-wife, holding triplets! He went crazy and shouted, "Whose children are they?" he demanded, his voice shaking. "I thought you're infertile?" Laurette only smiled. Too late, Bryce realized the truth. He didn't just lose his wife... He lost his entire family.