In front of the dressing table, Lyra sat in silence, staring at her own reflection in the mirror. A soft and thin nightgown wrapped around her body, and her long silver hair cascaded freely, falling on her shoulders and touching her exposed back.

 

Her hand supported her chin, but her mind was far away at this moment.

 

"I didn't expect time to pass so quickly," she murmured softly, her voice almost a whisper. "And also, why do I have to do this...?"

 

Lyra's thoughts then drifted to the figure of a man she hadn't even met in person, the main character of the novel she used to read to accompany her days in the hospital. Now, that man would become her husband one day in the future.

 

Marriage.

 

It was a word not unfamiliar to Lyra. She had done it, lived it, and then lost it just like that. The memory still lingered in her mind, like a wound that hadn't fully healed.

 

Slowly, she shifted her gaze to the window, staring at the night sky illuminated by the moon, which hung perfectly in the night sky. Its light reflected softly on her face, adding a quiet and profound impression to her figure.

 

Her gaze was sharp and piercing, her face looked calm as she stared at the night sky, but her eyes held something that could not be expressed. There was firmness in her jaw as if she was holding something in her mind at this moment.

 

Lyra's gaze was sharp and piercing, as if trying to penetrate the thick curtain of night. Her face looked calm, so calm that it was almost like a porcelain statue. But behind her eyes, something inexpressible was hidden. Complicated, heavy, and too deep to be voiced feelings.

 

Her jaw tightened, showing unusual firmness. There was something she was holding back, something that kept swirling in her mind. As if carried by the summer night breeze, her thoughts drifted back to the past, to the world she had lived in before.

 

 

 

Earth, Indonesia, Jakarta City.

 

In a dense corner of the world filled with the hustle and bustle of human life, Lyra Martha was in it. This was the story of her life.

 

There weren't many beautiful things she could remember from her past. Lyra's life was not a story of luck like other children her age. She grew up never knowing who her father or mother was. Their names, faces, even their voices were just empty spaces that were never filled.

 

As far back as she could remember, her days were spent within the walls of a small orphanage on the outskirts of the city. The place wasn't bad, but it wasn't home either. She slept in a narrow bed, ate from the same plate every day, and learned not to expect too much.

 

But among all the inhabitants who came and went, only one person truly settled in her heart, Atika.

 

Atika was Lyra's only true friend. They grew up together, sharing laughter, tears, and small stories that filled the quiet nights in the dormitory. For Lyra, Atika was not just a friend, but also family. Someone who made the orphanage feel warmer than it should have.

 

Days at the orphanage passed with the same activities every day, until she finally turned eighteen. Lyra decided to leave the orphanage and continue her education while working to support her daily life.

 

That was her daily life, until finally, a new light came into Lyra's life. It all started when she entered college, a new life for Lyra that she went through alone.

 

There, she met her first love.

 

The man was like a warm ray of sunshine that crept into the darkness of Lyra's life, he was not only intelligent and warm, but also had a calming way of speaking that made anyone comfortable with him.

 

It started with a casual friendship, until they both became close. Until finally, love grew between them. The man was the first person who treated Lyra not as someone to be pitied, but as someone worthy of being loved and appreciated.

 

With him, Lyra felt like she had finally found a true home.

 

Three years after graduation, Lyra and her first love decided to build a relationship in marriage. Their marriage was not luxurious, only with simple vows and the hope that they could build a future together.

 

But, the human heart sometimes changes easily.

 

Five years after their marriage, the life that was once filled with love somehow slowly became bland. Although they had spent days together, something never came into their lives, a child.

 

For some reason, even though Lyra and her husband had tried various ways, the longed-for child never came. At first, they only strengthened each other, her husband always said that he only needed to love and cherish Lyra. However, as time went on, Lyra began to see changes in her husband's eyes and attitude, perhaps due to external factors, the sneers from neighbors and pressure from her husband's family also made their relationship increasingly strained.

 

The distance between them grew wider, but Lyra herself didn't care, because she always believed that every effort made would definitely yield results, whether quickly or slowly.

 

However, one day Lyra felt a little strange with her body. At first, she didn't think much of it, perhaps because of work that had been distracting her lately, she felt her body was a little more tired than usual. Her appetite had decreased more than before, and every night she became more sensitive.

 

Until finally, she realized something. It had been almost two months, her monthly period still hadn't come.

 

Could hope really come? Lyra couldn't conclude that directly. So finally the next day, she was determined to check directly and buy a pregnancy test kit.

 

After checking, Lyra's heart pounded so fast while waiting for the result shown by the device. Not long after, when the red line finally appeared clearly in front of her.

 

Lyra was instantly silent for a moment, her tears slowly falling because she saw something she couldn't fully believe. "Is it true...?" she whispered, almost inaudibly.

 

However, doubt still lingered in her heart, she had hoped for too long so she decided to check directly at the hospital and get direct testimony. However, no one told her to prepare her heart that day.

 

On the way to the hospital, as she passed a minimalist cafe, her steps suddenly stopped. She saw someone she knew very well chatting happily with a young woman, it was her husband. The man who had made a promise to her to always protect and love her for the rest of his life.

 

Lyra stood in the distance, frozen in place. Her heart was broken, not only because of the betrayal, but because the promises they had made, the dreams they had built, were now shattered in an instant. Her hand reflexively touched her stomach, which she believed contained a life within it.

 

"Sorry, dear, I have some business to finish now." Said Raditya, the man who was Lyra's husband at the moment, he looked at the woman in front of him gently.

 

"I'll call you later," he continued, then bowed slightly to kiss the woman's forehead with a gentle movement, a movement he used to always do to Lyra.

 

Lyra, who was watching from a distance, was very surprised to see what her husband was doing. Tears somehow slowly flowed down her cheeks at this moment. Raditya then turned his body to leave his current spot, but when his steps left the minimalist cafe, his eyes narrowed after seeing Lyra across from him at this moment.

 

"Is that...?" He muttered, narrowing his eyes, making sure what he was seeing was a reality he couldn't avoid. Panic began to engulf him after seeing his wife's face standing across the street.

 

"Oh my god, why do I have to meet her now, she didn't see me when I was in the cafe, right...?" Raditya thought, then he gritted his teeth.

 

"Lyra!" he called out loudly enough, then ran across the street with hurried steps.

 

Lyra didn't turn, she continued her steps walking away from the man.

 

"Lyra, wait!" Raditya's voice echoed amidst the roar of vehicles and the hustle and bustle of the city that afternoon.

 

But Lyra didn't stop. She kept walking, pushing through the crowd without looking back. Her left hand pressed against her stomach as if trying to protect the only hope left in her life.

 

"Ly, please listen to me first!" Her husband finally managed to grab her arm, forcing Lyra to stop.

 

Lyra then turned around, her dark eyes trembling, holding back tears that wanted to fall from her eyes. Her lips trembled, as if wanting to say something but she held it back. Her hands clenched tightly, then she shifted her gaze away from the man in front of her.

 

"There's nothing more to explain," she said with a trembling voice, "So this is why you've been changing lately...?"

 

Raditya turned his face away for a moment, as if he couldn't bear to look into Lyra's eyes any longer. He ran his hand through his hair, then snorted lightly, not out of annoyance at Lyra, but more at himself for not being able to avoid being caught like this.

 

"I'll explain everything at home," he said flatly, trying to regain control of the situation. "For that, let's go home now." His hand reached out, then gripped Lyra's arm, trying to drag her gently but forcefully.

 

However, Lyra immediately shook off her husband's grip and stared at him sharply, "Why..? What other excuses are you going to make this time, Dit? Client? Employee? If it's just that, you wouldn't kiss her forehead and look at her so deeply, Dit!"

 

For a moment, silence hung between them, only the sound of horns and the friction of vehicles on the road breaking the silence between them. Raditya took a deep breath, then lowered his head for a moment before looking back at Lyra, this time his expression was different from before, cold and intimidating.

 

"I've been patient enough, Lyra." His voice was cold, almost emotionless. "You want to hear my reason, right? Okay. Fine. I'll tell you now."

 

He roughly ran his hand through his hair, as if trying to sort out his tangled thoughts. Then, he looked at Lyra sharply, but there was a faint uneasiness behind his eyes.

 

"That woman, Nadira... she's carrying my child."

 

After he said that sentence, time between the two of them seemed to stop instantly. Lyra's chest tightened immediately. She didn't say anything but, her eyes widening at this moment and her hand that had been pressing her stomach now just fell, already representing the answer she was about to give.

 

"I... I also just found out a few weeks ago," Raditya continued, shifting his gaze. "I have to take responsibility."

 

"Besides, if I wait for you to get pregnant, who knows when it will happen," he continued with a small laugh, "oh... or maybe, you—"

 

Before Raditya could finish his sentence, Lyra suddenly raised her hand and slapped her husband's cheek. Her palm was still raised after landing on Raditya's right cheek. Her eyes trembled violently as if holding back all the emotions in her mind.

 

Raditya was stunned for a moment, he touched his reddened cheek, his eyes glaring at Lyra.

 

"Damn it...! Why did you suddenly slap me?" he exclaimed with a voice full of emotion. "Isn't what I said true?! Nadira can carry my child, but you can't!"

 

He then stepped closer to Lyra and his index finger touched Lyra's chest at this moment, "You... can't have children!"

 

Lyra still stood there silently, her eyes wide, staring at the face of the man she loved so much. Her breath caught, her hands trembled, and her whole body suddenly felt cold.

 

However, Raditya only snorted and turned his face away in annoyance.

 

"Enough, talking to you makes my head hurt." he said, running his hand through his hair roughly, his voice cold and full of irritation. "I was going to allow you to take care of my child later, but it turns out you're acting like this."

 

Lyra wanted to laugh at this moment, but she was too tired to utter a single sound within her.

 

"Lyra, let's get a divorce," Raditya said casually, "don't worry, I'll take care of everything. You just need to sit still and wait for the letter to come to you."

 

After saying that, Raditya left Lyra at that moment, and for some reason, rain suddenly fell as if sympathizing with the feelings she was experiencing at that moment. Lyra remained still in her place, her vision began to blur and her body lost its balance.

 

Everything felt heavy, her head felt spinning at this moment, then suddenly her body fell onto the sidewalk asphalt, her head hit the edge of the roadside barrier pot. People began to crowd around her and slowly, her eyes closed and her vision instantly turned dark.