"Brother! Brother!"Slowly, Ethan's closed eyes began to open, finding the face of his sister, who was now the only family he had left.The face that clearly showed concern for him managed to make Ethan smile at the corner of his mouth."Don't worry, I'm fine," Ethan said to his sister.Amel nodded, even though it was clear that she had just stopped crying. She then helped her brother get up from his sleep."Wait a moment. Let me get a basin of water to compress your wounds, Brother," Amel said and then left.After the woman's departure, someone approached Ethan, making the man lift his face to see who was coming towards him."I'm Melati. Thank you for the help you gave. I'm very grateful and indebted to you," said the woman, whose name turned out to be Melati. She was the woman Ethan had saved."Ethan. Just call me Ethan," Ethan replied, seeming to respond as a mere sign of respect."I promise I'll pay back the money you lent. I'll pay it all back in installments," Melati replied to
Ethan took a long breath. His face looked creased, once again he had lost control when he found his sister touching his phone."I have to apologize to her," Ethan thought to himself.His body, which had started to recover and get better, immediately stepped outside, though still limping.He then found his sister curled up on the porch chair."Amel," Ethan called, touching his sister's shoulder. "I'm sorry. Again, I got angry with you," he continued, feeling guilty.Ethan understood if his sister would be upset with him. But what else could he do? There were too many secrets he had to keep to himself.He had no other way."Is that phone more important than me, Brother? Am I not more valuable than that phone?" Amel asked in a trembling voice. Her tears were still streaming.Ethan closed his eyes, feeling uncomfortable having to see Amel crying, especially because of his own actions."It's not like that, Amel. You're precious, more than anything. Forgive me, okay? I was wrong," Ethan sai
That tense night was truly felt, managing to make the hair on the backs of everyone's necks in the rice field stand up in horror.They all looked scared and sympathetic but didn't have the courage to defend him. They also didn't want to be affected by it all."Where are you going?!" Ethan asked, immediately holding back his sister's arm. At that moment, Amel was about to go forward to see closer. The thing was, the girl's body was small and short, so it's no wonder she couldn't see anything. Unlike Ethan, who clearly had a tall physique."Ish! It's okay, bro. I just want to see it closer. If I stay here, I won't be able to see anything," Amel replied, feeling annoyed.The crackling fire was the only sound Amel could hear, she could only stare at the billowing smoke starting to fly into the air."No. You can't go far from me. This is dangerous, I don't want to take any risks with you," Ethan insisted firmly.For some reason, he felt he just had to be possessive of that woman's safety
"Do you want a drink?"Ethan, who was trying to regain consciousness at that time, tried to get up from his sleep, then was helped by someone he initially thought was Amel."Thanks, Amel.""I'm Melati, Sir."Ethan frowned, looking towards the voice that had just stated her name.Ethan's gaze immediately widened, finding the person beside him was not Amel."Who are you?! Amel? My sister? Where is she? Where's Amel? Did that bastard take her? Amel! I have to go...""I'm here, bro! I'm okay," Amel said, just returning from the kitchen.Seeing his sister's face, Ethan's heart finally felt at ease. He was grateful his sister was fine."You're not hurt, are you? Are you injured anywhere? Did that person hurt you earlier? Show me where he hurt you," Ethan said, clearly very worried about his sister.Amel smiled, happy to hear the attention from her brother."No, bro. I'm okay. Luckily Melati helped earlier. If not, I would have been taken by that person," Amel said, smiling at the woman befo
The farewell party was held so grandly.For the first time, Citra attended such an event not as someone who was part of it, but as a guest.She really didn't expect it could be this different if she played the role of a guest.A radiant smile naturally bloomed on her beautiful face.Everyone seemed to applaud excitedly when it turned out that the woman Citra had succeeded in creating became the center of attention among all the children and guests there, ranking number one among the 3 kids present.Joy clearly emanated from Amel's face as she raised the trophy she was holding towards Ethan and Citra.Before they knew it, the event was over and everyone started to go out to take photos with their parents.The same went for Amel, who then came over carrying her trophy and certificate."Big Bro Ethan! Big Sis Citra! Look what I just got!" Amel exclaimed, showing off.The two of them then smiled and nodded, agreeing that they were also very proud of the girl."Happy graduation, Amel."Cit
As Citra had told the two people with her, before nightfall, they had already arrived at their new residence first.One apartment unit that truly looked luxurious and magnificent. Ethan didn't understand how Citra could get an apartment so easily. Maybe it was also because she used to be a celebrity, which made it easy for her to get a place to live like this.It was also a coincidence that the news about Citra being disowned was surely intentionally kept secret by her family. No wonder no one knew about it."Here is the room key, Miss. There are two bedrooms in here," said the apartment manager.Citra nodded her head while Ethan, as usual, was the one paying the room rent.The smile on Amel's face had not faded since earlier, she was constantly in awe of the entire building and atmosphere, which was truly different from her village."Which room do you want?" Citra asked, looking at the girl."Hmm...I'll take the one at the end here. So later when I want to go to the kitchen, it's c
"Do you want to sleep together?" Citra asked, seeming to feel bad upon seeing Ethan deciding to sleep on the sofa."Hmm...I mean, in the same room. But we'll have different sleeping places," Citra clarified. She looked flustered by her own words.Ethan chuckled before finally shaking his head."You go to sleep. I'm used to sleeping anywhere. So, don't worry about me," Ethan replied, appreciating the woman's offer."Okay, then I'll go to my room first. Good night.""Night. Sweet dreams," Ethan said, waving his hand.The woman then entered her room, leaving Ethan alone outside that room.Citra immediately shook her head, dismissing any thoughts she felt were strange, and tried to control her mind."What's wrong with me?! No! I can't be like this. What was I just thinking?" Citra muttered incoherently. She then went to the bathroom to wash her face, then took a lying position on her bed.Just as Citra was about to close her eyes, suddenly the memory of Ethan speaking came to her mind.
Citra parked her car at one of the quite well-known cafes in her city. It was a good distance from Citra's new office, where the woman worked."Why did he even ask me to meet him? So annoying," Citra muttered, making an irritated expression.She then shifted her gaze, looking around the area. There was no one she recognized there.Citra's irritation grew, as she couldn't find the person who had made her make an excuse to be there.Actually, Citra also didn't understand why she had to keep secret from Ethan who she was meeting. She shouldn't have done that because that man had absolutely no connection to Citra's life.But when that man had asked earlier, suddenly Citra's mouth felt sealed shut, and she could only say that she had a brief errand."Excuse me, Miss. Are you Miss Citra?" the waiter asked, approaching Citra.Citra, who had just been about to type something on her phone to curse the man who had wasted so much of her time, abandoned that intention."Yes, I am."The waiter the