Telling the story of three women, one of whom is named Indri, when they get lost in a forest, they are eventually found by soldiers. That was the first time Indri met Bima who was the commander of the soldiers who found them. Love blossomed but was hindered by the harsh reality, Bima turned out to be not human, but a creature from a magical city called Uwentira.
Drap! Drap! Drap!
The sound of footsteps broke the silence. I looked at Sri and Rena's faces, which had been very frightened but now turned cheerful. The overcast instantly disappeared in the light of hope.
"There seems to be footsteps, hopefully someone will help us," Sri said softly.
I got up from my seat and gave Rena a glance.
"Take care of Sri, Ren. I'll see who comes. Hopefully it's the people who are looking for us," I called out.
"I'll go with you, Indri. It's dangerous to be alone, there are many wild animals outside," Rena tried to prevent me.
"It's okay if I'm alone. Sri needs you more, her body is very weak because of the fever and the wound on her leg," I said. I waved at them. A faint smile spread across the lips of my two best friends.
"Take care, In," Rena and Sri said. I just nodded, turned around and walked away from them.
Clear water dripped from my eyes. What had we done wrong to suffer such a tragic fate?
We were students from a university in the city of Sulawesi. We came to this dense forest because of a research activity from the university where I studied.
There were eight of us, but only three of us were separated from the group. That was because I didn't want to relieve myself carelessly.
As a result of my carelessness, Sri and Rena were finally affected. We got lost in the forest and didn't know the direction. We got separated from the group.
Tired of walking and infinitely afraid, Sri suddenly heard a very close growl. When she turned her head, about twenty meters away stood a sun bear ready to pounce. Its long, black hooves pointed in our direction. Fangs protruded from between its snout.
We ran at once, but unfortunately Sri fell and was scratched on the leg. Rena and I turned around and hit the bear with the pots and cookware and bags we were carrying. Luckily the beast gave up and ran away from us, but Sri's leg was badly injured.
With our remaining strength, we carried Sri through the dense forest. The large trees and other jungle plants made us frightened.
In our endless exhaustion, we vaguely saw a house that was quite sturdy.
We decided to stop and ask for help. Although we were skeptical, is there a house in the middle of the forest? Who lives here?
At that time Sri and Rena and myself tried to call the owner of the house, but there was no answer. It turned out that the house was unlocked and there was nothing in the house. It looked like it had been uninhabited for a very long time.
And since then we have been living in this old house to protect ourselves from wild creatures and other animals.It's already the third day, the wound on Sri's leg has caused an infection and Sri has a fever. The stock of noodles and other instant food is almost gone. For drinking water, I deliberately collected rainwater. It always rains at night.
We only rely on flashlights and cell phone lights. Even then, they were all dead*. Last night was also dark.
***
Drap! Drap! Drap!
The footsteps sounded clearer. I quickened my pace. It seemed like it wasn't just one person, but many.
My eyes lit up as I saw a group of soldiers walking toward our hut. I unconsciously ran towards them.
"Sirs, help!" I shouted.
They simultaneously stopped their steps. I almost lost my heart seeing the gazes of the men in front of me. Handsome, all very handsome. Their faces were not like those of ordinary indigenous people. Their eyes were blue, their noses were sharp and their skin was pure white. They wore army clothes but they were of a different color than the ones soldiers often wore.
They were silent as they watched me. As if staring in surprise at my presence.
"To-help, sa--me, sir," I whispered.My body trembled with embarrassment as they stared at me without blinking.
"How come you're in the forest. Are you alone?"
One of them walked up to me, his face more handsome than the others. He seemed to be the leader, judging by his different clothes.
"I--yes, sir. I got lost along with my two friends," I explained.
"Now where are your two friends?" he asked. He was getting closer and his face was getting clearer. Handsome... very handsome.
"Me... they're over there," I stammered, pointing towards the hut. I was really nervous around such a handsome young man.
"Troops! Please help this girl! Take them to base camp! Immediately!" he shouted loudly.
"Yes, Commander!" they shouted in unison.
The soldiers approached the hut following me from behind. Rena and Sri looked very surprised and happy to get unexpected help. Finally someone had come to our rescue.
They swiftly carried Sri and Rena's bodies. Because Rena was also weak. Meanwhile, I chose to follow them to the basecamp that was mentioned.
They didn't talk much. Along the way, they were silent. We walked quite far, about ten minutes we arrived.
The basecamp in question was not just a tent. But a very large building with complete equipment and weapons. Strange, isn't it? In a forest as dense as this there is a spacious building and has all the modern equipment. Also nice cars and expensive sports bikes. Just like in Hollywood movies.
I stared in amazement. So did Sri and Rena. They didn't realize that there was such a cool place in the forest.
Sri was immediately treated by a very beautiful doctor. Who exactly are these people? From the accent and way of speaking the same as us, but physically they are very far from us in general. They were all taller, blue-eyed, sharp-nosed and fair-skinned. Their hair color also tends to be blonde. More like Caucasians.
While Sri and Rena were being treated, I waited in a different place. Sitting alone with a cup of hot chocolate milk and bread with various toppings. Very tasty and super soft. It was like being in a hotel with five-star service.
Everyone here is so busy with their own activities that I'm reluctant to ask and say hello. They tend to be indifferent.
"Can I accompany you?" someone's heavy voice broke my reverie. I almost choked.
"Sorry I disturbed you, huh?" she asked kindly.
"Ti-- no, si--please, sit down," I offered nervously.
He then took a stool and sat next to me.
My chest rumbled at the sight of the young man's good looks up close. It was him, the squad leader who had helped me earlier. It turned out that he looked even more handsome in a bright place like this room.
"I'm Bima," he extended his hand.
"A--I'm Indri," I replied and welcomed his hand.
It's cold. Like an electric magnet running through my body. I felt my body shaking with nervousness.
He pulled back his hand and looked at me funny. He smiled and that smile broke my heart.
"You seem very tired. Rest for a while. Tomorrow we will take you and your two friends home," he said.
"We have many rooms and quarters that will make you feel at home. Make yourself at home," he continued.
"Thank you for helping us," I said.
She nodded and smiled again. I felt like fainting when I saw his smile. Ah, this was the first time in my life that I had met such a handsome man.
He got up from his seat and looked at my face with his sweet smile.
"Come on, I'll take you to your room, so you can sleep right away," he said and he stepped slowly. I followed behind him.
***
"Wow, it's crazy! It's crazy!" Rena exclaimed. Her eyes scanned the room. She couldn't stop marveling at the room provided for us to rest.
"What are we dreaming of, man! It feels like a vacation in our five-star hotel!" Sri said.
"Too bad there's no signal here," Rena's face suddenly became cloudy.
"Bye, let's take a picture," I said.
"Wei, you can't take a picture of the three of us, one of us will die*," Sri said.
"Ah, that's a myth," I argued.
"Come on, let's go," I urged. We approached Sri on the bed and...
"Say cheese, beans, one, two, three," we took a happy selfie. But it was....
Continued
Rena got into an entanglement with a big shot when she was drunk one night. She needed Waylen's help while he was drawn to her youthful beauty. As such, what was supposed to be a one-night stand progressed into something serious. All was well until Rena discovered that Waylen's heart belonged to another woman. When his first love returned, he stopped coming home, leaving Rena all alone for many nights. She put up with it until she received a check and farewell note one day. Contrary to how Waylen expected her to react, Rena had a smile on her face as she bid him farewell. "It was fun while it lasted, Waylen. May our paths never cross. Have a nice life." But as fate would have it, their paths crossed again. This time, Rena had another man by her side. Waylen's eyes burned with jealousy. He spat, "How the hell did you move on? I thought you loved only me!" "Keyword, loved!" Rena flipped her hair back and retorted, "There are plenty of fish in the sea, Waylen. Besides, you were the one who asked for a breakup. Now, if you want to date me, you have to wait in line." The next day, Rena received a credit alert of billions and a diamond ring. Waylen appeared again, got down on one knee, and uttered, "May I cut in line, Rena? I still want you."
The day Raina gave birth should have been the happiest of her life. Instead, it became her worst nightmare. Moments after delivering their twins, Alexander shattered her heart-divorcing her and forcing her to sign away custody of their son, Liam. With nothing but betrayal and heartbreak to her name, Raina disappeared, raising their daughter, Ava, on her own.Years later, fate comes knocking when Liam falls gravely ill. Desperate to save his son, Alexander is forced to seek out the one person he once cast aside. Alexander finds himself face to face with the woman he underestimated, pleading for a second chance-not just for himself, but for their son. But Raina is no longer the same broken woman who once loved him.No longer the woman he left behind. She has carved out a new life-one built on strength, wealth, and a long-buried legacy she expected to uncover.Raina has spent years learning to live without him.The question is... Will she risk reopening old wounds to save the son she never got to love? or has Alexander lost her forever?
"You're a creepy bastard." His eyes smolder me and his answering grin is nothing short of beautiful. Deadly. "Yet you hunger for me. Tell me, this appetite of yours, does it always tend toward 'creepy bastards'?" **** Widower and ex-boss to the Mafia, Zefiro Della Rocca, has an unhealthy fixation on the woman nextdoor. It began as a coincidence, growing into mere curiosity, and soon, it was an itch he couldn't ignore, like a quick fix of crack for an addict. He didn't know her name, but he knew every inch of her skin, how it flushed when she climaxed, her favourite novel and that every night she contemplated suicide. He didn't want to care, despising his rapt fascination of the woman. She was in love with her abusive husband. She was married, bound by a contract to the Bratva's hitman. She was off-limits. But when Zefiro wanted something, it was with an intensity that bordered on madness. He obsessed, possessed, owned. There'd be bloodshed if he touched her, but the sight of blood always did fascinate him. * When Susanna flees from her husband, she stumbles right into the arms of her devilishly handsome neighbour with a brooding glare. He couldn't stand her, but she needed him, if she was ever going to escape her husband who now wanted her dead. Better the devil you know than the angel you don't. She should have recalled that before hopping into Zefiro's car and letting him whisk her away to Italy. Maybe then, she wouldn't have started an affair with him. He was the only man who touched her right, and the crazy man took no small pains in ensuring he would be the last.
Stella Judd worked hard for her entire life, in return, she only got endless deception and oppression and died without dignity. However, she was reborn with time turning back. She vowed to never again let anyone who had bullied her get anything out of her. She got away from a very vicious family and got rich by her own hands. Nevertheless, she felt in love with a cripple. Although he was a cripple, Stella wanted to protect her husband and live in peace, but she didn't expect that her crippled husband suddenly turned into the distinguished Prime Minister! What's more, not only he was not lame anymore, but also he walked with her through life and death.
Marriage was a bed of thorns for Stella. She lived like an overworked and unhappy slave for six years in her matrimonial home. One day, her uncaring husband, Waylon said to her, "Ayla will be back soon. You have to move out tomorrow." "I want a divorce," responded Stella. She left without shedding a tear or trying to change Waylon's stone-cold heart. Days after their divorce, they met again. Stella was in the arms of another man. Waylon's blood boiled at the sight of her looking so happy. "So, you couldn't even wait a while before jumping into another man's arms?" he queried distastefully. "And who are you to question my decision? It's my life, so I call the shots. Stay out of my business!" Stella fired at him before turning to look at her new man with shiny eyes. Waylon immediately lost it.
Rachel used to think that her devotion would win Brian over one day, but she was proven wrong when his true love returned. Rachel had endured it all—from standing alone at the altar to dragging herself to the hospital for an emergency treatment. Everyone thought she was crazy to give up so much of herself for someone who didn’t return her feelings. But when Brian received news of Rachel’s terminal illness and realized she didn’t have long to live, he completely broke down. "I forbid you to die!" Rachel just smiled. She no longer needed him. "I will finally be free."