Esther let out a long breath after standing in silence for quite some time, witnessing everything that had just unfolded before her eyes.
Dewi—the president director's wife—had come here not long ago. After chatting with Esther for a while, she excused herself and headed to her husband's office. Yet not long after that, Dewi suddenly ran back toward the elevator, wiping away her tears.
Before Esther could even process her shock, she heard the president director shouting, followed by the sound of hurried footsteps.
She saw the clear look of frustration on her boss's face when he failed to catch the elevator in time.
Without a second thought, he immediately turned toward the emergency staircase—rarely used and quite narrow—not far from the main lift. Arya followed shortly after.
That scene left Esther with an unsettling feeling. She hurried back to the president director's office—and froze in shock when she saw her cousin sitting on the floor in a terrible state… along with the words spoken by the man standing before her.
"It's over, and you've lost. Admit it."
The voice was cold. Sharp.
Tap… tap…
Not long after, the man turned around and walked toward her.
Esther stood still, staring at the handsome yet emotionless face she knew all too well.
Ryuji Sagara. The president director's older brother. A model who had chosen his career over the family business—and had been living in Vegas all this time.
The woman with black-rimmed glasses stepped aside, giving him space to pass.
"He just walked past like that, huh? Completely different from the president director…" she murmured softly as Ryuji's back disappeared into the elevator.
"Hiks… I—I ruined everything! T-Topan p-please...come back… hiks…"
Esther snapped back to reality when she heard Marinka's voice.
Drap… drap…
Bruk!
"Hey, Marin—"
Without saying much, Esther lowered herself to sit on the cold floor right in front of Marinka. Her cousin looked utterly broken, tears pouring endlessly from her eyes.
"I—I… why didn't you tell me Topan has changed so much?! He even pushed me away without hesitation!"
Esther slowly exhaled. Her cousin really was stubborn—always had been.
"What did you do earlier that made him act like that, hmm?" she asked, gently wiping Marinka's tears with her handkerchief.
Marinka stayed silent for quite a while, making Esther frown in confusion. Even when she helped her cousin stand up, there was still no answer.
"Marin? What did you actually do just now? And what were you talking about—"
"I-I k-kissed Topan…"
Esther's words stopped instantly. Her eyes widened in shock.
"ARE YOU INSANE?!" she yelled without thinking.
Honestly, Esther didn't even know what to say anymore. This time, Marinka had truly crossed the line.
So that was it. The president director's wife had run away in tears because of that kiss.
"Marinka, you've gone way too far," Esther said sharply.
"I did it because I had to prove whether Topan still loves—"
"OF COURSE HE DOESN'T!" Esther cut her off, her anger clear and unrestrained. She refused to stay silent this time. Marinka needed a wake-up call.
"If he loved you, he would've come for you. He would've looked for you anywhere. But look—did he? The reality is, he didn't even bother to contact you. Topan never truly loved you, Marinka. Wake up. You two stayed close only because you kept forcing your way into his life from the start. Even when he tried to push you away, you begged to stay—while all he ever did was ignore you!"
Everything Esther had been holding in finally spilled out. The words were cruel—but she didn't care anymore.
She was exhausted.
And honestly, she felt pain every time she listened to Marinka talk about her "relationship" with Topan—from their school days until now—especially after seeing with her own eyes how the president director never once truly looked at her cousin.
Taking a steady breath, Esther tried to calm herself. The woman, who held the position of GM, turned away while adjusting her slightly crooked glasses.
"It's enough that Mama and I went through that pain. You haven't forgotten how Papa betrayed us, right, Marin? I'm deeply grateful to your late parents. If it weren't for them, Mama might've completely collapsed after Papa's affair with his ex."
Esther smiled sadly when she saw Marinka flinch, her eyes glassy with tears. She and her mother had devoted themselves to protecting Marinka, making sure she never felt the lack of love after losing her parents at such a young age.
"S-sis… I—I…" Marinka's voice trembled.
Esther said nothing.
Before leaving, she glanced back at her cousin for a moment—then walked out of the room, leaving Marinka behind in silence.
Let her reflect on her own mistakes.
After all, Esther herself had once loved someone unilaterally—one-sidedly. In the end, she learned to let go. Maybe because that person was too honest… or maybe because she herself had been too afraid to take a step forward.
●●●
Median Hospital Parking Lot…
Bugh!
"Damn it! Hey—what the—?!"
Gamma hissed as he felt Ryuji's fist slam into his face.
"WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?HOW DARE YOU INTERRUPTING ME?! I WAS THIS CLOSE TO TAKING DEWI WITH ME!"
Ryuji's shout thundered through the parking area. The veins in his neck bulged, a clear sign of how uncontrollable his rage had become.
Gamma scoffed sharply and shook his head. His friend's sanity was clearly slipping.
Before they could clash again, a familiar voice came from behind them.
Drap… Drap…
"Ryu? Ryuji… my God, my son—you're finally home… hiks…"
Bruk!
Ratna—the middle-aged woman—threw herself into Ryuji's arms, breaking down in tears.
Ryuji, too, had missed his mother more than he would ever admit. His arms lifted, wrapping tightly around the woman who had given him life.
"Mother…"
Gamma smiled faintly at the scene. He stepped back, giving them space, letting mother and son release years of longing.
Ratna sniffled, forcing herself to regain composure as she slowly pulled away.
Her still-beautiful face softened into a warm smile as she looked at her eldest son, who now seemed far more mature.
Seven years. Seven years Ryuji had never come home—not even when his father passed away.
"You're not leaving again, are you, my son?" she asked, gently caressing his handsome face.
Ryuji fell silent for a moment, then shook his head.
That single motion made Ratna's expression dim.
"I came to take Dewi with me, Mother. I want her to live with me in Vegas. But don't worry—you can visit anytime. Or you could live with us too. I'd be happy if the three of us lived together."
Ratna couldn't respond right away. The obsession in her eldest son's words was painfully clear.
'No. I have to wake him up,' she told herself firmly.
Seeing the rejection in his mother's face, Ryuji's gaze darkened. Before he could say anything else, another voice cut in.
"Are you insane?"
They both turned.
A young woman with shoulder-length brown hair stood a few steps away, arms crossed, staring coldly at him.
"M-Merry…"
At the sound of her name, Merry stepped forward, grabbed Ratna's arm, pulled her slightly away from Ryuji, and held onto her tightly.
Truthfully, Merry was scared. It showed in how tightly she clung to Ratna's arm—but she tried to hide it.
"Do you think my sister is an object?! That you can just move her wherever you want, huh?! Wake up! My sister already has a husband—and that husband is Topan!" Merry snapped.
Ryuji's sharp, icy glare was intimidating—but she refused to back down. Whatever happened to Dewi, she would protect her sister to the end.
Tap… Tap…
Ryuji's expression darkened further as he stepped forward, but Gamma quickly blocked him.
"You—brat like you—shut your mouth!" Ryuji pointed at Merry.
"Hey, man, enough. You've gone too far—"
"SHUT UP!"
His jaw clenched. His emotions were completely out of control.
Ryuji hated being restrained. All he wanted was to take Dewi. That was all. What was so wrong with that?!
"Ryuji, my son… why does it have to be Dewi? She's married—to your brother, Topan," Ratna pleaded.
Ryuji scoffed harshly, running a hand through his hair in frustration.
"Do you think I don't know why you arranged their marriage, huh?! Because of Father, right?! His last request—ckk! I was the one who was supposed to marry her! Why did you marry Dewi off to Topan instead of me?!"
Drap… Drap…
PLAK!
A sharp slap landed across Ryuji's face. His head snapped to the side, eyes wide in shock.
It was Merry.
"You—"
"WHAT?! WANT TO SLAP ME BACK?! GO AHEAD! But listen carefully! You're a COWARD! Want me to say it again?! Fine—YOU'RE A COWARD!"
Merry's breathing turned ragged. She didn't care about the consequences—even if the tall man in front of her exploded further.
"Merry…"
Ratna's gentle voice made Merry turn as her arm was softly held. But this time, she wouldn't retreat.
"Did you forget what you did to my sister?! You traumatized her—drove her nearly insane with your affair! Do you feel even a shred of guilt, huh?! No—you don't! You're too selfish to admit it!"
Finally, Merry said it.
After years of silently watching Dewi fall apart—standing by her with Mommy, Daddy, and the others—her chest now felt painfully tight… yet she could finally breathe.
Ryuji stood frozen. Unable to respond. His gaze empty.
Seeing there was nothing more to say, Merry turned to Ratna.
"Mother, let's go back inside."
Ratna nodded slowly.
Before leaving, she looked at her eldest son with a gaze full of sorrow and pain.
"My son… you should apologize. Not to us—but to Dewi," she said softly, then walked away with Merry.
Tap!
Ryuji turned, meeting Gamma's flat gaze as his friend patted his back.
"Dewi is deeply hurt, isn't she? And that's because of me…"
Gamma sighed quietly, resting a hand on Ryuji's shoulder, signaling it was time to leave.
"Let's go home. You need rest, Ryu. You haven't slept since yesterday."
Ryuji didn't nod. Didn't argue.
He simply followed Gamma toward the parked car.
●●●●
A Few Days Later…
Topan POV
"Yes, I've reviewed the file you sent. Hmm, proceed with the meeting as usual and submit the results to me afterward." Click.
I exhaled slowly, rubbing my temple after ending the call.
Company matters couldn't be completely left behind—even though Arya was still handling things directly over there.
Tap… tap…
"Mr. Topan? You need to come to the room right now. Mrs. Dewi insists on leaving."
I turned when one of the nurses hurried toward me, reporting Dewi's condition. Without thinking twice, I immediately ran toward the elevator to the fourth floor—where Dewi's room was.
Earlier, I had stepped out briefly to buy coffee at the first-floor cafeteria, while also receiving an update from Arya about the company.
Drap… drap…
I quickened my steps as soon as I exited the elevator.
Cklek!
I pushed the door open roughly—and froze.
Dewi had already changed into casual clothes and was packing her belongings.
Seeing the IV line lying discarded on the floor, it was obvious—she had pulled it out herself.
"Where do you think you're going?"
Dewi flinched slightly when I approached, but she didn't stop what she was doing. She even turned her face away, refusing to answer.
Grep!
I grabbed the bag she was packing. Dewi turned and stared at me flatly.
"I've already asked Dad to pick me up. I'm going back to my parents' house."
Hearing that, my emotions surged—but I held them back.
"And who told you to do that?"
Dewi scoffed. I hated that sound.
"No one. And one more thing—over the next few days, I'll ask Mom to speak with Attorney Hendrik to handle the divorce—"
"I SAID THERE WILL BE NO DIVORCE!"
My chest thundered violently. A sharp pain spread as Dewi once again brought up separation. I had already explained everything that happened at the office that day—why couldn't she understand?!
I tried to reach for her arm, but Dewi stepped back slowly. I cursed myself for shouting earlier.
"Y-you think I'm not exhausted by this marriage, huh?! I… I lost my child…"
"I— I'm hurting too. Do you think I'm not losing my mind every day, blaming myself for not knowing anything?!"
Did Dewi think the miscarriage only hurt her?
I felt like the most useless man alive—for losing our child without being able to do anything.
I kept trying to move closer. Dewi kept backing away.
"Please… let's fix this—"
"NO!"
I stopped.
Dewi's tears fell again as she shouted. Her eyes were hollow as they looked at me.
"Why don't we just separate?! Why?! Don't force something that's already broken from the start! Hiks…"
Those words hit me hard.
It felt like my chest was struck by a sledgehammer.
Had Dewi been forcing herself to accept my feelings all this time? After everything we went through? Or was it me—who simply didn't love her well enough?
Drap…
Even as I heard Dewi's hurried footsteps leaving the room, my legs remained frozen—unable to chase after her.
"Would… letting you go make you happy?" I whispered to the silence.
Topan POV END
TO BE CONTINUED…