Thirty-two

Maeluthe clearly thought she could cope alone with the child in her womb. She has planned everything well. She will support the child to the best of her ability.

She knew she would be stronger for herself and for the child.

But as she saw Isaiah for a long time, those thoughts gradually sank into the quagmire.

The sacrifice is hard to make.

Apart from their daily lives, criticism will surely rain down their lives. She would not have known, not unless her own child was affected.

She demands the quiet life for it. She wanted a type of life to be peaceful and happy. And even though the woman has a lot of self-confidence, she still insists on wanting to be with the man.

She loves him, and it was really given since day one.

Although it was not yet clear to him when the daily request that she would see Isiaah, that they would meet again after that night, she was honest with herself.

And as much as she wanted to be with him, she still didn’t know how far the love she was saying would go.

There are two kinds of love; the love that can be and the love that is released.

This time, Maeluthe knew she wanted to fight it back. She just wasn’t sure if that was what the man wanted to.

She doesn’t want him to feel responsible for the child, and if that was the only reason why the man would approach her.

She simply looked at the man who was busy talking with his friends. Since they arrived at the resort that Baste recommended, Maeluthe has done nothing but watch them. Because of the situation, he was often taken care of by men but not once did Isiaah look at her again.

‘‘Isaiah! Isaiah!’’ Ashley screamed loudly as the tip of the bottle sided with the man.

Maeluthe had already started playing with them, so she had no choice but to join. Otherwise, Ashley will definitely tickle her until her ear is broken.

This time, the end came to Isiaah, so his friends did not stop teasing him.

Kairus sipped a little of the wine before speaking, ‘‘Truth or dare?’’

They waved loudly again as if they were children, one of the things that made Maeluthe smile so much.

She may be late to make friends, but she is happy with them now. Ashley is enough for her, even bringing her together with Brylle, Kairus, and Sebastian.

‘‘Come on! Aren’t we too old for this?’’ Isiaah said, obviously avoiding the tip of the bottle in front of him.

‘‘Just choose! Truth or dare?’’ Ashley sighed impatiently.

Isiaah just sighed, then simply looked at Maeluthe. ‘‘Truth.’’

The comrades shouted one by one. Ashley’s scream and Baste’s shout were the loudest. Kairus did nothing else on the side but laugh.

‘‘We only have one question. We need to make it worthy,’’ Kairus, who will soon have a heart attack due to laughter, explained.

Everyone was silent as Maeluthe pinched her hand in nervousness, thinking that this might be her chance to find the answer to her most important question.

‘‘How are you?’’

At once, her friends turned to her.

Yes, others might laugh at her because it looks like she just wasted the question, but she’s serious about it.

She really wants to know how the man is. No matter how much she wanted to hug the young man, comb his hair like before, it was hard to do that now.

It was one of the most difficult questions to answer for Isaiah because his heart was very weak.

I miss her, he said to himself.

He also really wants to kiss her right now, but he can’t—he shouldn’t.

In that situation, he just wants to be honest with everyone. He also spent a few days hiding what he truly felt.

‘‘Isai–’’

He quickly stopped Ashley and looked at his friends, deliberately not turning to Maeluthe, ‘‘I am not okay. I miss her so much. It hurts.’’

The silence lasted before Ashley could recover from the shock, ‘‘Who?’’

Isiaah put on his mask again and taunted his friend, ‘‘One question only.’’

‘‘Isai! Such a showbiz buddy!’’

The friends went back to the game, also exchanging shots for drinking beer while Maeluthe was left with what the man had said.

‘‘I am not okay. I miss her so much. It hurts.’’

Disappointed and frustrated, Maeluthe ruffled her hair. Her companions went up to their respective rooms, sympathizing with each other due to drunkenness, but the woman was left on the beach.

It’s been over a month but Maeluthe is still very worried about the truth.

She didn’t know that the man finally confirmed the truth because of his friend, MJ.

She was still afraid of Isiaah’s reaction when he found out he was the father of the child in her womb.

‘‘It’s up to Him. . . it’s up to him. And at least, for now, I know there are still people today who support me. Maybe that is all I need.’’

She nodded, struggling to convince himself even though Isiaah’s answer bothered him.

‘‘I am not okay. I miss her so much. It hurts.’’

He’s not okay, and as much as she wanted to be with him, to comfort and make him calm, it was as if there was a big and thick wall blocking the two of them.

Isiaah’s been good to her since day one. He cared for her, supported and helped her, but she only gave him a big problem.

‘‘I’m sorry, Isiaah. But maybe, this should be like this. It’s enough that you don’t know the truth, and I can’t dare to explain. I don’t want your life to be affected by something you didn’t want and planned. I’m really sorry. . . and I promise that I will be more resilient, to shoulder everything, to face criticism and problems. I love you. That short time cannot justify how I feel, and this is just too much and true.’’ She continues talking to herself.

The woman repeatedly sighed, dipping her feet in the sand. In fact, she still wants to go back to school. She wanted to fulfill the dream, and she wanted to be a lawyer.

But that’s only for the rich, for the affluent, to support themselves.

Over time, her heart drifted away from there. It was her dream, which was also the dream of the parents for her. She might be a disappointment, but she will never regret taking over the child.

Maybe, her dream has really changed, and it is to support and love her child.

‘‘I dreamed of being the best mom in the world. I will do everything I can to make her strong,’’ she thought.

Maeluthe stiffened in her seat when she heard small steps from behind. The place is quiet, and only a breeze of cold air can be felt.

Maeluthe was afraid to turn to the person who might be behind her. She’s afraid that her thought may come true.

Is she ready to face the man again? Is she ready to talk about it?

‘‘How are you?’’

Maeluthe was not mistaken. Her words were tangled in her mind.

I’m not okay either, Isiaah. I was so confused as to what I could be done. Am I still the woman you love? Do you still like me? Can you still welcome me into your life? Are we going back to how we used to be?

I miss you so much, and I’m so sick of hiding it.

But then. . .

Not yet. . . I can’t face it yet.

The girl’s fear that she might not accept him, that she might drive him away, still prevailed. And she would be even more afraid to know the truth.

‘‘Maeluthe–’’

‘‘I-I am. . . okay,’’ she replied sparingly before standing up and seeing the man up close. ‘‘I am going back to my room.’’