“I will never agree to live under the same roof as that demon of a woman.”
Glenca’s tiny hand reached for the gold-carved photo frame atop the nightstand. Her trembling fingers brushed the glass framing Kirana’s warm smile.
Glenca sobbed violently. She slammed her suitcase shut. Hurrying down the marble staircase, she dragged its wheels behind her.
“Miss, where are you going at this hour?”
Lucas spread his powerful arms directly in front of the main door. The former special forces soldier stared at Glenca with unmistakable concern.
“Move, Uncle Lucas. I’m getting out of this hell right now.”
“Mr. Hendra will be furious if he finds out you left. It’s dark and dangerous outside for you.”
Lucas caught Glenca by one arm. His grip was firm but extremely careful.
“What does that old man care? He’s too busy catering to Sintia upstairs. He’s dancing on my pain and my late mother’s. Let go of me!”
“I’ll escort you wherever you go. That is my primary duty.”
“No. I want to be alone.”
Glenca stared straight into Lucas’s eyes. Her defenses crumbled. Tears welled up in her eyes again.
“Miss Caca, please don’t be stubborn. I can’t let you wander the capital’s streets without protection.”
“Uncle, please. I’m begging you. Just let me breathe tonight. This Adiwangsa family home is choking me. I only want to find some peace of my own, without my father’s shadow hanging over me. Please let me go.”
Lucas’s grip slowly loosened. The middle-aged man’s heart broke at the sight of the despair in his employer’s daughter’s eyes. Glenca didn’t waste the opportunity. She grabbed her suitcase and ran into the darkness, leaving behind the splendor that felt like a prison.
Glenca now sat curled up on the grass in a city park. The roar of traffic on the highway was the only sound breaking the silence.
“Mom, Caca misses you so much.”
Glenca buried her face against her knees. Her shoulders shook violently.
“I made the right decision running away from that house, didn’t I? Dad really is a terrible man. He was willing to destroy every last memory of Mom for that woman.”
Glenca lifted her head and stared at the starless sky.
“Big Sis, Caca really needs you right now.”
A long vibration from inside her crossbody bag interrupted Glenca’s sobbing. Her phone screen lit up and flashed. Hendra’s name was clearly displayed. One call. Two calls. Ten calls in a row. Glenca let the flat device continue vibrating. She had sworn never to set foot in that house again.
The phone screen lit up once more. This time, a string of unknown numbers filled the display. Glenca’s brow furrowed sharply. A strange premonition crept up her spine and wrapped around the back of her neck. Hesitantly, she slid her finger across the green answer button.
“Hello?”
“Is this a relative of Ms. Keyna? We’re calling from the emergency room at Central Hospital.”
Glenca’s heart seemed to stop beating. Her eyes widened in shock.
“Yes, I’m her close friend. What happened to Keyna? She isn’t due to give birth this month.”
“The patient is suffering from severe bleeding. Her condition is extremely critical. We need you to come to the hospital immediately.”
“What? Bleeding? Please save her. Do whatever it takes to save her life. I’m on my way right now.”
Glenca stood up. She pulled the large suitcase across the grass with what little strength she had left. Wearing nothing but house slippers, she ran along the dusty sidewalk, searching for a taxi willing to stop.
The sharp smell of liquid medicine mixed with antiseptic immediately assaulted Glenca’s senses. Her footsteps echoed down the empty white corridor as she ran, dragging her suitcase behind her. She looked like a complete mess. Her long hair was tangled from the wind, and her beautiful face was horribly swollen from crying.
At the end of the delivery-room corridor, a man sat rigidly against a chair in the waiting area. His expensive white shirt was wrinkled and disheveled, covered in bloodstains. His head hung low, resting in both hands.
“Greynard.”
Glenca’s hoarse call made the man slowly lift his head. Greynard’s usually arrogant, flawless face was now utterly shattered. His dark eyes were red and brimming with tears. His jaw was rigid with unbearable pain.
“Tell me what happened.”
Glenca closed the distance between them in a rush. Her hands gripped Greynard’s bloodstained collar tightly.
“Keyna’s in there, right? She had someone scare me because she wanted to surprise me with the birth. That’s what happened, right? Answer me!”
Greynard remained silent. His mouth was clamped shut.
“Open your mouth and tell me my best friend is okay in there!”
Greynard rose very slowly. His large hands wrapped around Glenca’s tiny body. He hugged her tightly, hiding his broken face in the crook of her neck.
“Keyna’s gone, Ca.”
Greynard’s baritone voice trembled violently. That brief sentence was like a steel hammer, smashing the walls of Glenca’s sanity into pieces.
Glenca’s sobs exploded into a thunderous wail that night. Her cries were utterly heartrending. Her tiny hands pounded mercilessly against Greynard’s broad chest.
“You’re lying. You’re lying to me. How could she be so cruel as to leave me all alone? Why is everyone I love always ripped away from me without a trace?”
“Why did she have to go so soon? It isn’t fair to her. It isn’t fair at all.”
Greynard loosened his embrace. He guided Glenca’s unsteady steps into the freezing room.
An iron gurney covered with a white sheet dominated the center of the room. A body lay rigidly atop it, its face as pale as marble. The lips that had always been quick to curve into a warm smile were now pressed shut and white.
“Keyna… you really are the cruelest woman in the world.”
Glenca’s knees struck the hospital’s tiled floor. She knelt beside the bed, her fingers clutching the white sheet covering her friend.
“You promised you’d call me directly from the delivery room. You promised we’d raise your child together. Why did you break your own promise?”
Glenca pressed her forehead against the edge of the iron gurney.
“Wake up, Key. Please, open your eyes right now. I need your shoulder so badly tonight. I just ran away from Dad’s house, and you’re the only person I have left in this city.”
Greynard crouched down beside Glenca. He pulled her shoulder toward him and hugged her from the side.
“You have to let her go.”
“Why is God so cruel with my fate? Yesterday, Mom was taken from me. Today, it’s my best friend. Who will it be tomorrow? Why doesn’t God just take my life too, so I can peacefully follow them there?”
Glenca struggled in Greynard’s arms. Her despair had completely taken over her reason.
“Don’t you dare say something like that again!”
Greynard tightened his embrace. His eyes fixed sharply on the side of Glenca’s face.
“You’re not alone tonight. Open your eyes and look at me right now. You have me, Ca. You have me.”