Xavier and Nadira's marriage, arranged by their families, made their relationships even more complicated. Whether it was between Nadira and Xavier, Xavier and Nadira's overprotective older brother, or Nadira and Anita, all these relationships colored Xavier and Nadira's future marriage. "Has Dad gone to London?" Xavier asked, sitting right next to Nadira. Nadira nodded in response. "Yes, Dad was taken to the airport by Kenzo, and Kenzo left for the office early this morning as he had to take over the meeting that Dad was supposed to lead," Nadira explained, making Xavier nod. Xavier then took a piece of bread prepared by Nadira. For a few moments, they remained silent, until a waiter approached and handed a small piece of paper to Nadira, making both of them look towards the waiter. "What's this?" Nadira asked, and Xavier also glanced at the paper. "A message from the young master, Miss," the waiter replied, making Nadira immediately realize that it was a message from Ditrian. Nadira opened the message, which contained instructions to go to Ditrian's room where he had stored a gift. Nadira found it strange that Ditrian didn't send the message via phone, but she promptly responded. "Thank you. You may return to your duties," Nadira said, and the waiter nodded before continuing with his work. Xavier looked at the paper held by Nadira. "Your siblings seem to be very attentive," Xavier said as he took a bite of his bread. "Yes, because I'm their only sister," Nadira replied without looking at Xavier. "But your father is a bit distant and strict," Xavier added. "That's because that's just his personality," Nadira replied briefly, making Xavier gaze at her for a moment before getting up from his chair. "I'm heading straight to the office. You can go back home with the house driver, right?" Xavier asked as he adjusted his tie. "My brother asked us to stay for two more days," Nadira said, making Xavier immediately look at her with a displeased expression. "Didn't you promise that we would only stay for one day?" Xavier asked, and Nadira nodded. "Yes, initially that was the plan, but my brother suggested it would be better to stay here for a few days. Besides, he doesn't ask this of us often. Just consider it as a return favor because he has been staying at our house for a few days," Nadira said. Xavier was about to speak, but Nadira interrupted him. "If you don't like it, you can go back to Anita. I'll stay here, but I won't give my brother any reason as to why you didn't stay. He must also know that you're accompanying your first wife," Nadira said before leaving Xavier behind. Xavier rubbed his face roughly. How could he be so petty? That would surely tarnish his reputation in the eyes of his siblings. Although Xavier had no intention of being a good brother-in-law in their eyes, he still had his pride and didn't want to be looked down upon as a man.
Chapter 1 Stop worrying about us
Xavier gazed towards a woman holding a bouquet of flowers in
her hands. The woman slowly approached, wearing a simple white dress that clung
to her petite frame. The onlookers witnessing their wedding admired the woman's
beauty. However, Xavier showed no reaction. He just stared straight ahead with
no expression or admiration for his bride.
Until finally, the woman stopped in her tracks when she
reached the altar, where Xavier stood upright, staring at her. Even the woman
hesitated to respond to Xavier's current cold gaze. Similarly, Xavier forced
himself to reach out when he saw the woman's trembling small hand, trying to
respond to her gesture. Especially when Xavier began to grip her hand, as if
her delicate fingers could shatter with the strong grip he gave.
They then stood in front of the altar to exchange their
sacred vows, promising to be faithful to each other and to love each other
forever. Her soft voice, which sounded like whispers at times, occasionally
made Xavier shift his gaze towards the side of the woman's face who would
become his wife. Xavier didn't know why he had to deceive himself, marrying a
woman he didn't even want. This made Xavier sigh or grunt several times.
Xavier didn't even seem to focus at all while reciting their
vows; it was as if it were just a sentence he had to read aloud. Xavier's
current focus was on a woman sitting in one of the chairs as a witness to their
wedding, his first wife.
His first wife displayed a stoic expression that seemed to
conceal her sadness. This left Xavier clenching his fists as he felt powerless.
Of course, his heart was deeply wounded seeing Anita could only reluctantly
accept her husband marrying another woman.
Until they finally finished the vows they had pledged to each
other, causing Xavier to finally turn back to face the woman named Nadira, who
was now his legitimate wife. The next step to complete their marriage was to
exchange rings on their respective ring fingers.
Even for their wedding rings, it was Xavier's mother who
chose them. Xavier had no knowledge of the preparations for his wedding with
Nadira. He simply arrived and now stood in front of the altar. That's all he
did.
After the wedding rings encircled their ring fingers, Xavier
finally, for the first time, looked towards the woman who still seemed
reluctant and fearful to meet his gaze. Xavier had no other choice but to grasp
her wrist firmly and press their lips together.
Xavier didn't care if it looked rough or not overly sweet.
He just needed to end this wedding ceremony as quickly as possible because
Xavier couldn't stand staying silent and suppressing his frustration any
longer. With the kiss that Xavier gave, which was more of a mere pressing of
their lips, their wedding ceremony finally concluded. Xavier even hurriedly
stepped down from the altar and distanced himself, leaving Nadira holding the
bouquet of flowers.
Until another woman approached, extending her hand and
gently touching Nadira's face. That was the last thing Xavier saw as he left his
bride at the altar. Meanwhile, he immediately pulled Anita's hand to leave,
making Anita feel slightly uncomfortable as the other guests stared in her
direction. Her husband's wedding did not invite outsiders; only close family
and friends were present, but they still looked down on Anita.
Xavier immediately pulled his wife into his embrace,
rendering Anita silent. "Forgive me," Xavier said, and that was the
only sentence he could utter to soothe Anita's heart. Anita immediately
returned the embrace from her husband.
"Why do you have to apologize? Isn't this what I wanted
too?" replied Anita with her soft voice, causing Xavier to release his
embrace and look at his wife, who smiled gently at him. But Xavier knew that
the pain Anita was enduring at the moment couldn't be healed by anything.
Xavier then extended his hand, gently caressing Anita's face, causing her to
grip Xavier's hand tightly.
"Don't show that expression; pity your bride over
there, whom you left behind just to comfort me like this. Don't you see how
they were looking at us earlier?" Anita said, making Xavier sigh in
frustration.
"Stop worrying about what other people think. Can't you
just think about my feelings? How I stood at the altar and waited for another
woman. Can't you think about the suffocating feeling I'm experiencing right
now?" Xavier said, feeling a bit irritated by Anita's ability to remain
composed even though she witnessed her husband's wedding.
"Let it go; besides, it's all done," Anita said.
"Everything happened because you asked me to. If you
had refused their request or rebelled a little, I would always be by your side.
I would do anything to ensure you wouldn't be hurt like this. But foolishly,
you begged to hold my hand, causing my defenses to crumble against them,"
Xavier said with a raised tone, leaving Anita silent, observing how sternly her
husband must have been angered.
Xavier, who also realized that he had raised his voice at
Anita, could only roughly rub his face before gripping his wife's hand.
"Forgive me, I didn't mean to shout at you. I just...
you know, none of this was ever in my life plan," Xavier said, looking at
Anita with his serious gaze.
Xavier felt confused and didn't know which words could
describe his currently chaotic emotions. All of this happened a few weeks ago
when his extended family invited Xavier and Anita for dinner. Xavier had
initially been happy, thinking that his extended family was finally accepting
Anita after a year of their marriage.
Their marriage had indeed garnered a lot of controversy,
especially from Xavier's grandmother, who vehemently opposed it. Xavier had
married Anita for love, even though it faced rejection from some members of the
extended family because Anita was an ordinary girl raised in an orphanage.
Although Anita had now built a successful career as a recognized designer, it
seemed that it wasn't enough to be considered worthy of accompanying Xavier,
the heir to the Chandrawinata Group, a large family that dominated import and
export trade.
Xavier had tried hard to prove himself with his own efforts,
such as becoming the owner of a five-star hotel chain that he had built from
scratch in several major cities. However, his efforts appeared to be
insufficient to convince his parents and grandmother. Xavier vividly remembered
how they eventually accepted Anita, on the condition that she must produce the
next heir for the Chandrawinata Group. Xavier and Anita had happily accepted
this condition.
However, their dreams turned out to be too simple, because
after one year of marriage, Anita still couldn't conceive a child. This became
a significant issue, especially for Xavier's grandmother, who decided to marry
Xavier to Nadira, a woman of her own choosing.
Xavier roughly rubbed his face, recalling his love journey
with Anita. Xavier felt incredibly guilty for not being able to make his wife
happy. He thought his love for Anita was enough, but it was still far from what
he desired. Xavier's thoughts halted when he felt a gentle touch on his stern
jaw.
"Don't we often hear the saying that we can plan, but
God determines the outcome? Let's just consider this the best plan that God has
given us," Anita said, causing Xavier to stop his hand's movement and
gently kiss her palm. Anita couldn't turn away from the man who always gave her
so much love.
"I'm truly ready to accept any punishment you might
give me. I'm willing if you might torture me, no matter how severe it might be,
because it can't possibly compare to the pain you're enduring right now,"
Xavier said, making Anita laugh with amusement.
"What if I leave you?" Anita asked, immediately
making Xavier look at her with a displeased expression. "Except for that,
I can't accept it if you want to leave me," Xavier said, making Anita
laugh again.
"Even though that's the harshest punishment I could
give you. If I were just going to give you punches or kicks, it wouldn't make
your muscular body hurt, right? You can see the difference in the size of our
fists," Anita said, teasing her husband, finally making Xavier unwillingly
display his broad smile. Xavier knew that at this moment, Anita just wanted to
divert from the heavy conversation.
"Yes, even with just a slight grip, your hand would
definitely be crushed," Xavier said, then gifted a gentle kiss on the back
of Anita's hand, making her smile at him. They didn't realize that their
conversation was secretly being observed by a woman who had just entered their
midst.
Nadira, seeing how Xavier's loving gaze was directed towards
his wife and the tender words he uttered for Anita, somehow wondered whether it
was right for her to just enter their love like that and disrupt everything.
Nadira herself didn't want something like this. How could she ruin another
woman's happiness? Nadira had just been about to leave Xavier and Anita before
they noticed her presence. However, it seemed too late when a cold voice that
pierced her small back halted Nadira's steps.
"Stop right there," Xavier said, making Nadira
close her eyes tightly. Xavier then walked slowly closer. A few moments ago,
Xavier felt like someone was watching him, although he didn't pay much
attention to it. Xavier didn't care if there might be someone else listening to
their conversation. However, when Xavier saw a faint white dress behind the tree,
he knew who had been eavesdropping on their conversation. The anger that had
dissipated a few moments ago suddenly returned, squeezing at his chest. Xavier
immediately turned and looked at Nadira, who seemed to be about to leave.
Xavier quickly held Anita's hand and walked towards Nadira, who was still
facing away from him.
"It seems you really enjoy eavesdropping on other
people's conversations," Xavier said, leaving Anita silent, observing her
husband who appeared emotional again with his stiffened jaw.
"Did you hear me?" Xavier asked again, finally
making Nadira reluctantly turn to look at Anita and Xavier with her fearful
expression.
"So, after you've listened to all our conversation,
what plans do you intend to make? Are you going to report to my grandmother or
my parents?" Xavier asked with his cold tone, making Nadira immediately
shake her head. Xavier just contemplated, seeing the innocent response on
Nadira's face that she always showed to her extended family. However, Xavier
was determined that he would never be fooled by that puppy-like, pitiful
expression.
"I won't say anything to them. I was just asked by my
grandmother to call you," Nadira replied in a soft voice that made Xavier
look at her with raised eyebrows.
"Then, why didn't you just call me and instead
eavesdropped on our conversation? Don't you know proper etiquette?" Xavier
asked, making Anita immediately grip his hand. Anita seemed to feel that Xavier
was pressing too hard on his second wife.
"Let's go. It seems we've been away from the venue for
too long, especially since this is your wedding party, right?" Anita said,
making Xavier roll his eyes lazily.
"Wedding party," Xavier mumbled, belittling
himself. "I don't consider this my party. Yes, in a movie, just consider
me as an extra," Xavier replied, looking at Nadira who remained silent.
"It's better we go back. Grandma will definitely be
angrier if we don't meet her immediately," Anita said, not wanting to pay
any more attention to Nadira. Of course, there was no reason for Anita to be
friendly with her husband's second wife. While Anita agreed to all of Xavier's
extended family's plans, it didn't mean she had to be friends with another
woman in her husband's life.
"Yes, you're right. If not, maybe this woman will cause
problems for you," Xavier said, immediately pulling Anita back inside to
continue their wedding party. Even though it was just a continuation with the
meal, Xavier still didn't want his beloved grandmother to blow a minor issue
out of proportion and dump it all on Anita.
They left Nadira behind, still silent and motionless after
the sharp words Xavier had thrown at her. Xavier didn't care, because from the
beginning, he had no plans to be gentle or accept another woman into his life
when he was still wholeheartedly in love with his wife.
Xavier's steps halted again when he heard a voice that
immediately inquired about the woman he didn't care about.
"Where's Nadira?" Nenda, Xavier's grandmother,
asked, making Xavier finally turn around.
"Why is grandma asking me? Wasn't she in this room all
this time?" Xavier said, as if he had no knowledge of Nadira's
whereabouts.
"I told her to find you earlier. And also, why did you
leave your own wedding reception? I've been seeing Nadira sitting alone without
you by her side," Nenda said, making Xavier sigh deeply.
"I had to talk to Anita for a moment," Xavier
replied, making Nenda immediately cast her cold gaze in Anita's direction, a
gaze that Anita had become very accustomed to receiving from most of Xavier's
family members.
"What? You only talked to her now? Shouldn't you be
concerned about your wife, Nadira, right now?" Nenda asked, making Xavier
return his grandmother's displeased gaze.
"Isn't Anita also my wife? I can't keep hovering around
that woman, can I?" Xavier replied.
"And that woman is now your second wife. You should be
thankful that I didn't force you to divorce Anita. So, try to be fair if you
still want to maintain your first marriage, before I impose my will
again," Nenda said. After that, she immediately walked away with the help
of her cane and her personal assistant, leaving Xavier clenching his fists. Of
course, Nenda's words could not be challenged by his family because Nenda was
the eldest pillar of the Chandrawinata family, as were Xavier's parents, who
couldn't dispute their grandmother's words.
Xavier then turned to look at Anita. Of course, Xavier knew
that his grandmother's words had hurt his wife's feelings deeply, even though
Anita always said she was used to the cold treatment she received.
"I could already guess that Grandma would say that, so
now, instead of Grandma continually blaming me, you should try to think about
being fair, because you're the one who insisted on maintaining our marriage as
Grandma said, right?" Anita said.
Anita had indeed initially chosen to step aside when
Xavier's extended family urged him to marry another woman. But seeing how
Xavier pleaded with her melted her heart because Anita loved her husband deeply
and couldn't bear to leave him alone.
Anita was confident that her efforts to maintain their
marriage would bear fruit. Until her thoughts stopped when suddenly a scream
from another direction caused everyone in the room to become agitated,
including Xavier, who looked towards the corner of the room and widened his
eyes as he saw that his second wife didn't seem to be in a good state.
Chapter 1 Stop worrying about us
04/10/2023
Chapter 2 Why me
04/10/2023
Chapter 3 Can't we just ignore it
04/10/2023
Chapter 4 Grandma's plan
04/10/2023
Chapter 5 You have to stay right
04/10/2023
Chapter 6 Don't joke around
04/10/2023
Chapter 7 make me do crazy things
04/10/2023
Chapter 8 He wanted to hear more
04/10/2023
Chapter 9 She lose
04/10/2023
Chapter 10 picture of my wedding
04/10/2023
Chapter 11 Nadira's condition is not good
04/10/2023
Chapter 12 behave yourself
04/10/2023
Chapter 13 Don't be stubborn
04/10/2023
Chapter 14 anxiety disorder and has phobia
04/10/2023
Chapter 15 Ignore you like this
04/10/2023
Chapter 16 You know him
04/10/2023
Chapter 17 Don't worry
04/10/2023
Chapter 18 She caused trouble there
04/10/2023
Chapter 19 Let me rest
04/10/2023
Chapter 20 prepare a special dinner for us
04/10/2023
Chapter 21 her parents' house
05/10/2023
Chapter 22 join me for a moment
05/10/2023
Chapter 23 something unspoken behind it.
05/10/2023
Chapter 24 a message from Ditrian
05/10/2023
Chapter 25 I like this photo
05/10/2023
Chapter 26 Are you still mad at me
05/10/2023
Chapter 27 Did you two have a fight
05/10/2023
Chapter 28 I don't like their relationship.
05/10/2023
Chapter 29 I'm in pain
05/10/2023
Chapter 30 Very exhausting
05/10/2023
Chapter 31 Am I dreaming right now
05/10/2023
Chapter 32 Are you scared
05/10/2023
Chapter 33 you're not my sister
05/10/2023
Chapter 34 Nadira's problem
05/10/2023
Chapter 35 can you hear me
05/10/2023
Chapter 36 I hurt everyone around us
05/10/2023
Chapter 37 I prioritize my sister's health
05/10/2023
Chapter 38 nothing special to tell
05/10/2023
Chapter 39 let's forget it
05/10/2023
Chapter 40 pick me up now
05/10/2023
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