---

I woke up again


Among the quiet

Only the mind is busy

Cursing myself


Can't go back

Gabriella took a deep breath, then exhaled heavily, as tears spilled down her cheeks. Her hands moved quickly, wiping her eyes, though in the end tears flooded her face again.


'To change the storyline

When they ask for laughter

It turns out that being willing is not as easy as words

No need to worry, I'm just hurt

Accustomed to pretending to laugh

But can I cry just once?

Before I go back to lying to myself

"Are you seriously okay, Elle?" Wendy's tone, which was usually loud and blunt, now turned low and cautious.

"I'm fine," Gabriella replied hoarsely.

Although of course Wendy could immediately tell that it meant Gabriella was not fine and was lying.

When you're tired

Stop first

Give space, give time

They say, "Just be grateful"

But being willing isn't as easy as it sounds

Wendy turned right and entered the street area where Gabriella lived. The woman who was older than Gabriella peeked out of the corner of her eye that her best friend was crying, then wiped her own tears, cried again and then wiped them again. And so on. As much as Gabriella prevented Wendy from seeing her cry.

However, that only made Wendy worried about her.

No need to worry, I'm just hurt

Used to pretend to laugh

But can I cry just once?

Before going back to lying to myself

The car driven by Wendy finally stopped in front of Gabriella's boarding house. She turned off the engine, then looked at Gabriella who was sitting beside her. "Elle, if you need a shoulder to cry on, just tell me, okay?"

With puffy eyes, Gabriella finally had the courage to turn to Wendy. She nodded her head slowly and said, "I just need some time to myself. Kaya... being cheated on, or getting dumped, that's normal for me. It's just," she paused, then took a deep breath. She then pulled out her bag and slung it over her shoulder. "Thanks for dropping me off, Wen."

"Yes. Take Care, Darling."

Gabriella finally got out of Wendy's car. She was still feeling out of sorts, although it was a little better than before.

The twenty-five-year-old woman walked into her living quarters without heeding Wendy's presence. She leaned her back against the door that she had just slammed hard.

Gabriella's tears fell again as she remembered what Ken had done to her. Crimes in relationships such as being cheated on or abandoned without warning were familiar to her, but to be the subject of a bet? Gabriella was disgusted to think about it.

But before her feelings could improve, the sound of the cell phone from inside Gabriella's pocket disturbed her. Damn it, how could she forget to turn off the cell phone in a situation like this. It must have been Ken who called her, hoping that she would give him more time to talk, or at least explain about the ridiculous bet that Gabriella had overheard.

"Daddy?"

No, it wasn't Ken.

It was Rio, her father, who suddenly called Gabriella.

"What are you calling about?"

Without thinking, Gabriella accepted the call and put her cell phone to her ear. "Hello, Pah? What's up-"

"...."

"Wh-what?"

Like being struck by lightning in broad daylight, the news brought by someone on the other side made her knees buckle. Her body trembled violently as she finally turned around, opened the previously locked door, and then ran to her car.

She took in as much oxygen as she could when she heard Tami, her father's new wife, say, "Elle, your father... is gone," in a heavy, guttural tone.

In a frenzied state of mind, Gabriella pulled on her seat belt and started the engine. Never mind Ken and his silly bets, nothing hurt her more today because she was in twice as much pain.

While crying, Gabriella stomped hard on the accelerator. Recklessly, the woman drove through the traffic lights and overtook several vehicles in front of her. As if she didn't care about her father's advice about being careful on the road, Gabriella now only thought about getting to her father's house quickly.

At least... before Rio returned to his new home.

Her heart was in turmoil. It was like falling down the stairs. Already the subject of a favored man's bet, now she had to face another fate that her father could no longer fight the pain in his body and died.

Kriet! Srak!

The impromptu brake created by Gabriella happened because another car was about to overtake her vehicle when she arrived in front of her father's house with his new wife.

Without thinking, the woman immediately got out and ran without even thinking about her car, which was still running. A security guard who was in charge of securing the road during the funeral procession, became someone who was responsible for Gabriella's car. Meanwhile, the woman ran inside, through the crowd of mourners who were mostly wearing black.

"Elle," Tami squeaked.

Not heeding Tami's words, Gabriella was pensive where she stood. Her tanned eyes were no longer wearing softlens, so everyone around her could see her with eyes that were puffy and narrowed from crying too much. In front of Gabriella, there was an open chest with her father's picture on the top.

Her heart seemed to stop beating at that moment.

"Pah..."

Gabriella walked over to the chest, then lowered her head to look at Rio in his final resting place. Tears welled up again, her legs gave way and within seconds, the body that had been standing upright staggered to the floor.

"Elle, oh my," Tami screamed frantically.

The woman in her ankle-length black dress immediately supported Gabriella's body. She sat next to Gabriella and hugged her from behind and cried together there. As if forgetting her past hatred, Gabriella finally allowed the woman who had taken her father from her mother to hold her. Who would have thought that the embrace of a woman she hated the most would be the warmest embrace Gabriella needed.

"Daddy...,"

---

Ken paced frantically in front of his restaurant. He kept staring at his cell phone screen even though he wasn't doing anything there. Occasionally the man of Chinese descent massaged his temples, trying to relieve the pain that suddenly attacked his head.

Although he often played with women and often did not care about their feelings, somehow this time Ken felt something was wrong; the man felt guilty. Repeatedly the man sighed heavily, as if a burden had just been shouldered.

"What kind of feeling is this? Am I really in love with Gabriella? But ... I can't possibly get my hopes up again, can I?"

Ken let out a long sigh, then squeezed his cell phone tightly. He was so confused that a decision was finally made.

"I can't. I can't be like this," he said determinedly. "I have to find Gabriella right now and explain everything. I can't lose Gabriella."

Without thinking, Ken left the restaurant and headed to his car in the parking lot. Twenty-four hours after the awkward incident, Gabriella was nowhere to be seen at the restaurant. Nor had she made any statuses on her social media, as if she had simply disappeared from her life.

The feelings and emotions that were now mixed together in Ken's chest cavity made him frantic. But what made Ken's mind even darker was because when the man arrived in front of Gabriella's boarding house, the man saw Glen standing in black formal wear and a bouquet of roses in his hand, as if Glen was going to pick up his date.

Wait...

"Is Glen and Gabriella on a date?"