I hug you with tears

The hustle and bustle of an urban city like Jakarta has become commonplace. In a house that would be more appropriate to call a palace, stands a sturdy, multi-story building showing its splendor. That night, a young couple stood in front of a large window overlooking the street.

Their gaze was blank, silently staring at the passing vehicles.

The man, dressed in navy blue and with a tie tied neatly around his neck, expressed his heart to the woman standing next to him: "One year seems to go by really fast, doesn't it?"

The woman next to him responded with a chuckle first while watching the face of the man beside her, then she replied with a teasing word: "Spending time with me is so much fun, isn't it?" she said while giving a flirtatious look.

The man known by his full name, Theo Albern, was a young man who served as CEO. He chuckled as he shook his head lightly, then said with a heart-stopping sentence, "You are very sure of yourself, Miss. Even after a year, I've never been more impressed with you."

Livy took a deep breath. With tears flowing, she looked back at the street with a deep sense of sadness. "Do I have to reveal the honesty of my heart?" Livy thought with an empty face, "Theo ... why can't you feel my attention for a year with you? Is it not romantic enough for you?" Livy's inner turmoil sank her feelings into deep sadness towards Theo, the handsome young man who had stolen all her attention and feelings. "I'm self-conscious, Theo; I'm just a contracted wife on white paper." Livy's heart said it for the last time.

"Haha..." Theo laughed without cause. "You don't need to avoid your heart; you have fallen in love with me," Theo said, making Livy's face redden without being able to say anything back to Theo's sarcasm.

Livy took a deep breath and then slowly exhaled. Her inner strength had returned to her body, and she said clearly and flatly, "Livy Gabriella is a simple-looking girl, but don't forget, if Livy has a charming beauty on her face, it's her capital to get a man who is much more elegant than Theo Albern."

Those words sounded ridiculous in Theo's ears. He turned his head completely to the woman who so confidently said her sentence just now. "I like the way you talk."

Instead, the compliment sounded like an expletive to Livy, whose cheeks were starting to turn red. "You're patronizing me. I'm not some trash you can just throw away after this," she said, taking a deep breath. Livy felt the oxygen around her dwindle with irritation.

"Hey," Theo called softly as he moved Livy's body to face him perfectly. Afterward, he laughed at his wife's nervous expression and teased, "You ... aren't you really in love with me?"

Livy froze, her heart pounding. I don't know what Theo's question was based on. Something that Livy couldn't interpret as a joke or not.

"I told you no!" Livy snapped nervously.

Theo chose to remain silent; his eyes refocused on the highway. In his silence, Theo replayed the events of one year ago, when he first met Livy and they made an agreement that would end today.

Flashback on.

Gossip about Theo's same-sex tendencies had frustrated Theo's parents. Previously, Theo had never brought a female friend to the house or even introduced a woman to his parents.

Theo must have felt upset by this situation, but it was difficult for him to resist the negative gossip. As a result, Theo's parents' patience had reached its limit.

"Theo! Ask me honestly, is the rumor that you like boys true?" Mrs. Albern asked her son enthusiastically.

"No, Mam, I'm normal," Theo replied in a flat voice, but he didn't give an excuse to fend off the rumors, and it wasn't easy for Mrs. Albern to simply believe the excuses he was hiding.

"Don't delay your wedding! Don't let negative rumors spread and have a big impact; you have to wake up!" screeched Mrs. Albern, showing an angry facial expression, while Theo ignored her with an indifferent shrug of his shoulders. "For all they know, I'm just waiting for my first love to return," Theo mused.

This time, Mr. Albern was the one who spoke up. He pounded on the dining table until it made a loud noise.

"Theo!" snapped Mr. Mr. Albern snapped, "Don't mess with me; our big company could be ruined if the news gets out."

"Oh, or maybe it's true, you're a same-sex lover, huh?" accused Zayn, Theo's older brother, as he laughed out loud, teasing his brother with satisfaction.

Theo's face turned red. Every day, he was tired of hearing people at home complain about him not being interested in having a girlfriend. It was not that no one wanted to; in fact, thousands of beautiful women in this city really wanted to be part of the Albern family, plus Theo's good looks seemed to bewitch the women in the city to submit to the handsome man.

However, Theo himself was the one who wanted him not to have a lover.

In a fit of rage, Theo stood up from his chair. Leaving the dining room without a care in the world for his mom and dad, who kept calling out, "Theo, where are you going?"

Theo drove his luxury car through the city streets this afternoon.

***

CIIITTTT.

No matter how hard Theo tried to brake his white luxury car, he couldn't avoid the fact that his car had just hit a pedestrian.

Theo glared, catching his breath in shock. The man in the white shirt quickly got out of the car. Theo Albern was a good and responsible man who did not want to run away from the victim he had just accidentally hit.

"Miss, are you alright?" asked Theo, crouching down to help the girl he hit.

The girl looked up with her mouth busy grimacing.

Theo was stunned when her eyes met the owner of the bright eyes. They were beautiful and shady, making him momentarily forget the world and bewitching him to only focus on marveling at God's creation. The owner of the long, back-length hair had a beautiful face. Her eyes were beautiful; the one Theo had just hit was a beautiful girl with an innocent face.

"Since when is there a man this handsome?" The girl's praise only reached her throat, unable to be spoken. He could only stop admiring the man's charms when one of his organs throbbed: "My leg is bleeding, sir."

Theo's reverie was broken. He immediately took the girl to the hospital, realizing his responsibility.

"What's your name?"

In the end, Theo was curious about the name of the girl who had slightly managed to steal his attention. Theo didn't like this girl. His heart just seemed to tell the truth, if this girl was naturally beautiful without makeup. Also, Theo was trapped in those bright eyes for some reason.

"My name is Livy. Livy Gabriella."

There was silence.

"Stupid! Why should you be nervous just because you're in the same car as a handsome guy?" Livy's mind pressed her not to act carelessly again. Then, even so, the fact is that Livy's eyes can't stop stealing glances at the man sitting in the driver's seat.

So handsome and bewitching that she was mesmerized. Everything was perfectly wrapped in a neat shirt: a handsome face, a firm jaw, thick eyebrows, and a proportional body.

No one else made a sound throughout the trip. Despite his good looks, the stranger was very cold toward Livy. The girl did not dare to say a word; she was afraid that the man was uncomfortable with ordinary girls like her.

"Stop here, sir."

Theo stopped the car. He glanced at the girl briefly, then his gaze circulated outside the car window. His brow furrowed when he didn't see any luxurious buildings or residences around where the car had stopped. Naturally, his disbelief rose to the point of asking, "Are you kidding?"

The innocent girl shook her head quickly. "No, my house is not here. But I have to go through that narrow alley," she said.

Theo was still confused until the girl again explained something that made Theo begin to understand, "Ah, I'm just a poor girl. My house is simple and in the countryside. Maybe not like your house, which is very luxurious," the girl said, and then moved to get out of the car. "Before that, thank you for taking me to the doctor. You are a good and responsible man."

Livy has now turned around. She continued to shuffle, completely leaving the luxury car behind, down the narrow streets until she reached her own house.

"This is your house?"

It wasn't Livy's voice. It was a man's voice. Looking back, she was even more surprised to see the handsome man who had just escorted her now standing in front of her.

"Sir, are you following me?" Livy asked, glaring.

Casually, the man responded with a small nod. Still no smile. Just a completely cold, expressionless face. "I just wanted to drive the person I just hit to his house. Consider it a sign of my responsibility."

Livy blinked. "She's this nice?" she thought to herself. Then Livy didn't know any other way but to offer her guest a cup of tea.

"Here, please drink."

Theo nodded as he took a sip of the tea, just out of appreciation. His senses were suddenly filled with curiosity. "You live alone?" he said, finding no one in this old house.

I could see Livy pulling at the corners of her lips. Her lips made an arch of a smile, but her eyes could not hide the sadness; the bright eyes turned sad.

With her head bowed, the girl said softly, "Yes, I'm an orphan. My parents died when I was little."

Theo was slightly touched just by hearing that single sentence. She could feel the deep sadness of the girl, whom she now believed was trying to be strong. "I really don't think this beautiful and simple girl is a widow." Theo's heart went out to her.

An idea suddenly popped into Theo's head. I don't know where it came from, but Theo's instincts were strong enough to come up with this idea. Without thinking, he offered a deal that was likely to benefit both parties. "Want to get pretend married to me?" Theo offered, making the girl in front of him shocked. "Just one year, no intercourse, and I'll give you a lot of money."

Livy froze in her seat. For a minute, she couldn't digest the words that came out of the man in the shirt. "Wait, is this a dream?" she thought to herself as her palm moved to slap herself.

PLAK.

The loud sound was the result of Livy's palm meeting her cheek.

"I understand if you're surprised. But I need a decision as soon as possible. Five hundred million. Your life is guaranteed. You live with me like a stranger. Yes or no?"

Livy did not expect that with the offer that she initially thought was a little crazy, her poor life would now be turned upside down one hundred and eighty degrees. Livy eventually became a respected member of the Albern family. One year under the same roof with Theo, the prince she's been dreaming of Truly the man of Livy's dreams, he was very kind when they were married. It's not uncommon for interactions to occur between them.

But there is one thing that is very unfortunate, and Livy always asks herself every time, "Why did I give my whole heart to Theo so easily? Is it just because of the man's kindness that I misinterpreted?" Her mind was torn apart, full of questions. "It's cheating because he doesn't love me at all."

Tired of the inner battle, Livy ended it all. She asked boldly about something she knew would only hurt herself: "Are you still waiting for your first love?"

Theo gasped. His eyebrows drew together as he looked at Livy seriously. Before that, Theo had pulled out a small stool for her to sit on while Livy was still standing.

"You know, the answer is still and will always be the same. I'm madly in love with her."

The sentence was said in a flat tone. Like it didn't matter if anyone else heard it. But to the two young couples, they were words with deep meaning.

Livy struggled to breathe in the oxygen around her, which felt depleted. Livy couldn't bring herself to look Theo in the eye because that would hurt him even more. "Why do you make me fall in love, but you are like a cactus? The more you hug you, the more I will hurt." Livy thought with growing anger. "I want to slap you or kiss you all at once. It's crazy, just like you," she mused.

Livy knew Theo well. He was open about his first love. Livy thought hearing that story would make her less upset, but she was wrong, because when she heard it, she felt even more upset.

"Instead of talking about this, you'd better put a tie around my neck for the last time," Theo said, changing the topic of their conversation.

Before Livy could object, Theo quickly grabbed her slender waist and sat her on his thigh. They sat intimately on a round chair with no handles. Very romantic in front of the big window.

"Damn, he really knows how to drive me crazy." Livy's mind tried to be neutral. Her mind chimes back in, "I don't want to lose by showing my nerves in front of Theo."

Theo was not to be outdone. He is increasingly challenged by Livy, who is many times more beautiful when seen up close. His arms hugged her waist tighter and tighter until their bodies were pressed together. The roar of their breaths clashed quietly. Livy looked up to stare at Theo, who was slightly taller than her. Livy painstakingly began to move to put the tie around the neck of her husband, who was now looking up slightly, but Theo's gaze could not escape Livy's eyes; it was locked.

When Livy pulls the knot too tight, their faces collide. Their lips come together for a split second before Livy finally pulls her face away. Something unexpected happened. I don't know what possessed him, but Theo suddenly brought his face back to Livy's.

For the first time, Theo kissed his wife's lips. Livy was shocked. She glared with bated breath.

Theo, who had never touched her before, suddenly kissed her very gently. Livy's breath rushed into her face. "Consider it a memento from me, Mrs. Gabriella."

Livy was still frozen in her seat. Her arms were still draped around Theo's neck, where he'd made the tie. Even the tie she was going to make had not yet taken shape. As if not satisfied with that, Theo pulled Livy's tight waist to get closer to her body. He whispered softly, "Don't miss me, okay?"

"Why?" asked Livy nervously. This felt like a different Theo. The words, the gaze, the gestures

There was no answer. Theo leaned toward Livy and pressed his forehead against hers. Theo stares into Livy's bright brown eyes as they are about to part. Their breaths collided again. Livy's heart was beating like crazy.

And then the next, most unexpected thing happens. Theo goes further, doing whatever he wants. But Livy was reluctant to refuse; her mind kept saying, "I have fallen in love with Theo. Let Theo do whatever he wants. Let this last meeting of theirs turn sweet, even if only for a moment. I want Theo to remember the moment, even once. For this last time only. I don't care anymore!" That inner emotional outburst led Livy to realize a wish.

"But that doesn't mean you'll be happy afterward, right?" Livy was at war with logic. But the sense of love and desire made her logic instantly lose its luster.

"Livy, you're so beautiful," Theo said. A sentence Livy heard for the first time from the husband she had to leave today.