PROMISE

"I love you."

A sentence appeared on Ceisya's computer monitor. Her eyes blinked slowly. Her heart soared. If only the person who said that was in front of Ceisya, she would immediately run to hug him tightly.

Rayanka Yagiz, the man behind the name, was someone who always presented a body facing away. In the one year of their online acquaintance, Rayanka always posted photos like that. He had never shared a photo of his face.

But for Ceisya, it didn't matter. She felt that Rayanka was the person sent by God for her.

"Crash!"

Without permission, the bedroom door suddenly opened loudly. The object hit the bedroom wall and startled the owner of the room.

"Astaghfirullahaladzim," Ceisya exclaimed, holding her pounding chest. The sharp gaze was directed at Ceisya, who was already half frightened.

"Still in contact with your imaginary boyfriend?" the woman taunted with a harsh tone in every word.

Ceisya's hand quickly moved to cover the flat object, deliberately leaving a part of the screen still visible. She had to protect this object because her stepmother had confiscated her phone for frequently contacting Rayanka.

"No," Ceisya replied hesitantly. She hugged the laptop tightly, wanting it to merge with her body. There should be no one taking away this precious possession.

"Don't lie!" scolded the woman named Sentari, full of displeasure. This incident had happened not just once, but repeatedly. Even every day.

"Should I confiscate that laptop?" threatened the stepmother, who was always cruel to Ceisya. For Sentari, this girl was the only obstacle to obtaining Ceisya's father's wealth.

"Don't," Ceisya whispered, shaking her head. "I'm working on a college assignment."

Ceisya had to lie to her stepmother. In truth, Ceisya wasn't the type of child who disliked lying.

"I don't like you lying!" Sentari scolded, feeling displeased.

The woman approached with an unwavering gaze fixed on Ceisya.

Feeling that kind of stare, Ceisya immediately leaned her back against the chair she was sitting on.

"Should I force you to open the laptop to believe me?" Sentari brought her face close to Ceisya. The girl, feeling threatened, instantly shuddered.

Ceisya immediately shook her head. "No. I'm not lying," she said, stammering.

"Should I throw that laptop away?" Sentari glanced at the object Ceisya was defending.

Ceisya's relationship with her stepmother had never been good. The woman could turn into a devil when Ceisya's father wasn't around, but she would instantly transform into an angel without wings when Ramon was home.

Initially, Ceisya hesitated to allow her father to remarry. Ever since she first saw Sentari, Ceisya's heart told her that the woman wasn't good. And it was all proven after her father's marriage. Sentari showed her true colors.

The girl's face turned pale. She tightly hugged the laptop. She couldn't let her only possession fall into the hands of her stepmother, who had disliked Ceisya from the beginning.

"Don't! This is my only possession. You can take everything else, but not this," Ceisya said, firmly defending the laptop.

What would happen if the laptop was really thrown away? There were many college assignments that hadn't been saved on a flash drive.

"Stay away from your imaginary boyfriend!" The command had often come out of Sentari's mouth, but Ceisya completely ignored it.

"He's real. He exists. He's not imaginary," Ceisya defended her boyfriend.

"You are the dumbest woman in the world. A cheap woman. Dating but never actually meeting the person," Sentari taunted with a sarcastic tone.

Blood rushed quickly to her brain. Instantly, Ceisya's face turned red from the harsh words. She couldn't bear being called cheap.

“Open your eyes wide! There are many men out there who claim to be single but actually have partners. Who knows, maybe your boyfriend is like that."

Ceisya immediately shook her head. "No. He's not like that." This beautiful girl had complete faith in her online boyfriend, even though they had never met.

"Still being fooled by his sweet promises?" Sentari taunted again with a sarcastic tone.

Both of them fell silent, lost in their own thoughts.

Especially for Ceisya, who felt that her stepmother's words held some truth.

Rayanka had made many promises. From meeting Ceisya soon, to promising to take her to the wedding altar. However, none of it had been fulfilled in the past year.

"Fine, if that's the case. Bring that guy here as soon as possible. If not..." Sentari glanced at Ceisya.

Meanwhile, Ceisya took a deep breath, knowing what would follow in the conversation.

"Marry the choice of Aunt," Sentari continued with a cunning smile.

Ceisya's body immediately leaned against the wall. The trials were getting heavier day by day, especially after her father fell for the wrong woman.

"I don't want to. I still want to continue my studies and get the job I want. I don't want to get married at a young age."

Sentari burst into loud laughter. Ceisya was terrified by the words coming out of Sentari's mouth.

"Don't end up being an old maid just because you're waiting for the wrong man," Sentari said while slamming the bedroom door shut.

Upon reflection, Ceisya would rather become an old maid than have a mother like this.

"What about the proposal to marry Ibas?"

Ceisya shuddered at the thought of the young man who had visited their house. Although he had secured a job as a project foreman, Ceisya had never been interested in him. Ibas's gaze indicated that he wasn't satisfied with just one woman.

"It seems like your father will approve if you two get married."

Ceisya didn't like it when her father was brought up. If her father knew about his new wife's behavior, he would surely end their marriage.

"No, I don't want to marry Ibas."

Sentari's eyebrows furrowed. She wanted to marry Ceisya off to Ibas so that her stepdaughter wouldn't be under the same roof anymore. "Still adamant about your imaginary boyfriend!"

Sentari intentionally nudged the clock on the table. Two small batteries fell out when the small cover came off.

"Wasn't it explained from the beginning that I don't want to get married yet?" Ceisya's voice rose because the clock was a birthday gift from Maya, her friend.

"Now you dare to raise your voice at Aunt!" Sentari felt offended by her stepdaughter's behavior.

Ceisya realized she had been rude, even though the woman continued to attack her mentally.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to raise my voice. The bottom line is, I'm not ready to get married yet. I still have a long future ahead."

Sentari was dissatisfied with Ceisya's defense. "What's lacking in Ibas? He has a stable job. He has an income. Or are you judging Ibas based on his appearance?"

The woman's voice was equally loud. Luckily, Ramon wasn't home.

"I don't judge Ibas as Aunt expected." For Ceisya, Ibas' age was already like her late mother's younger sibling. Too old for Ceisya.

Sentari forcefully pushed Ceisya. Luckily, the laptop had been secretly secured in the wardrobe.

The girl's body fell onto the bed. Sentari laughed with satisfaction, seeing her stepdaughter suffer.

The sound of the door creaking startled both of them.

"Father?" Ceisya called out, feeling relieved in her heart when her father arrived. However, Sentari was half scared to death.

Sentari quickly distanced himself from Ceisya. His face was still pale, and his mind couldn't function properly. Normally, Ramon would inform them when he was going home.

"I wonder if Ramon overheard the argument with Ceisya," Sentari thought to himself.

If that's the case, Sentari would probably be kicked out of this house because Ramon loved his only child so much.

"Why couldn't I reach your phone?" a father asked his child with a worried tone.

"For three days, Dad asked what you wanted to eat, but the message didn't go through," Ramon continued, trying to approach the two women who were still frozen in his presence.

"I...," Ceisya said, confused. She mustn't accidentally mention that her stepmother had confiscated her phone. The girl searched for a thousand excuses to ensure her father wouldn't become suspicious.

"Yes, where's your phone?"

Ramon suddenly became confused. After all, Ceisya was someone who couldn't be separated from her phone. Especially since Ramon's wife passed away, Ceisya always stared at photos of her late mother.

"I have it. I forgot to charge the battery." She felt guilty for having to lie to her father.

"Why did you forget to charge the battery for days? Is your phone broken? Or could it have been stolen?" Ramon accused, smelling suspicion.

Sentari's nape hair stood on end. She couldn't imagine what Ceisya was about to say.

"No, there's nothing wrong. Dad, just relax," Ceisya tried to dispel the tension. "I'll recharge my phone battery soon."

"Alright," Ramon replied, slightly disappointed. He had already sent pictures of Ceisya's favorite pastries earlier. His only child loved that type of cake.

Ramon's gaze now turned to Sentari. "So why are you here?"

Sentari started to panic. She rarely visited this room unless Ceisya asked her to.

"I...," the woman stammered in response.

Meanwhile, Ceisya could only turn her face away as she was tired of listening to whatever excuses would come out of the woman's mouth. They were always lies.

"I was just checking why Ceisya hasn't come out of her room. She hasn't had breakfast at all. I was just worried she might be sick," Sentari tried to put on a pleading expression to make Ramon believe her.

Ceisya's father looked at his daughter. Her unadorned face did look pale. He approached and placed the palm of his hand on her forehead, then on Ceisya's hand. It didn't feel warm, but rather extremely cold like ice.