Harlette leaned against the sink-side wall in the hospital bathroom, her arms folded across her chest. Her gaze was vacant as she stared down. In several places, there were splatters of blood that had flowed from Dimitriv’s head earlier. Harlette had stayed beside the man because Dimitriv refused to let go of her hand.
What on earth had that been? Harlette couldn’t calm down whenever she remembered the incident that had made her heart pound. Not because she had panicked over Dimitriv’s condition, but because he had held her hand so tightly. Harlette could feel something strange about it, as if Dimitriv didn’t want to move away from her.
Harlette’s reverie broke when the bathroom door opened. She lifted her gaze and met Serena’s eyes as Serena held out a small bag without saying a word. Harlette merely raised the corners of her lips.
With Serena’s help, Harlette changed out of the clothes contaminated by the metallic smell of blood. She truly couldn’t stand the fishy odor. Not long afterward, she emerged, and the clothes she had been wearing were already inside the bag.
“Sorry to trouble you,” Harlette said. She accepted the perfume Serena handed her.
“No problem. That’s what friends are for.”
Harlette aimed the nozzle at her neck and several spots on her new clothes. A cream-colored knit sweater with a black A-line skirt. She sniffed herself and felt relieved to smell fresh again, even without taking a shower.
“I have to visit Mr. Dimitriv before I go home.” Harlette nodded, her gaze seeming to carry a heavy burden. “Is there something else wrong?” Serena asked, sensing that something was off.
“Maybe I can tell you later.”
In the hospital’s VIP room.
Dimitriv lay in bed with bandages wrapped around his head. The throbbing pain he’d felt earlier was gone, perhaps because the anesthetic was still working. His gaze swept around the room, searching for someone who wasn’t there. Violette sat beside his bed next to Parita.
“What about Matheo?” In the end, that was the only sentence he could force from his lips.
Violette glanced at her future mother-in-law. The woman looked at her eldest son with deep pity. “You should worry about yourself, Rayne.”
“Mom, I have to make sure he’s safe with Dad.”
Parita gently clasped Dimitriv’s hand. “How’s your head, Rayne?”
“Mom!” Dimitriv shouted in frustration, then winced in pain after putting too much pressure on his head.
Dimitriv regulated his breathing and ended the unpleasant conversation. He glanced to the left, where Seara and Ryland sat on the sofa without any intention of asking how he was doing. Dimitriv had already guessed that his father was torturing Matheo in the punishment room, since the man wasn’t here.
His father had broken his promise. Dimitriv hated him for it. He was worried about his younger sibling. Matheo might be a troublemaker, but Dimitriv loved all his younger siblings without distinction.
The sound of the door sliding open reached Dimitriv’s ears. He immediately looked toward it. Two women walked in, and his family promptly decided to leave to make room for the visitors. Serena didn’t know Dimitriv’s family; she only knew the man himself because he was part of her circle of friends.
“I’m sorry for what happened to you,” Serena said.
“Thank you,” Dimitriv replied curtly, then turned his gaze toward Harlette. He noticed that the woman’s clothes had changed.
“I’m sorry,” the man murmured, his gaze gentle.
“For what?”
“It seems I should—” Serena interrupted, but Harlette immediately caught her hand as she tried to stand and leave.
“For what?” Harlette repeated. “Because you made my heart race?” she wondered silently.
“For getting blood on your clothes.”
The woman’s smile instantly widened. “It’s fine. Why are you worrying about that? What matters is that you need to focus on your condition right now.”
Harlette’s tight grip on Serena’s wrist loosened when Raiden entered the room. Everyone turned to look at him, and Serena dipped her head slightly in greeting. Raiden blinked, then gave Dimitriv a faint nod that spontaneously made his older brother sigh in relief. Apparently, Raiden had made sure their father couldn’t punish Matheo for what had happened earlier.
“I should go home,” Harlette said.
Dimitriv gave a small nod, though his eyes looked as if they didn’t want to let Harlette go at all. Raiden sat beside Dimitriv after the two women left.
Several days passed after that incident. Of course, Harlette didn’t stop checking on his condition. Still, their last exchange of glances had made it impossible for Harlette to sleep well.
“Lette, have you finished handling Aunt Mira’s dress?” Violette asked.
But her younger sister merely daydreamed at her worktable, twirling a stylus beside her head. The dress design she had made on her tablet wasn’t finished yet; it was only halfway done. Violette let out an exasperated breath. Her sister always acted like this. But whenever they were invited on vacation, she was always the first one ready to leave.
“Harlette!”
“Hm?” Harlette jolted upright. “What is it, Sis?”
“Aunt Mira’s dress?” Violette repeated the question, sounding bored.
“Oh, that. Of course it’s done. Didn’t you see it in Room One?” She leaned back. “It’s such a hassle that her weight suddenly dropped so drastically.”
One corner of Violette’s lips lifted faintly as she recalled why her mother’s acquaintance had lost so much weight, from 60 kilograms to 55. “It’s because her husband cheated on her. Marriage is such a headache.”
Violette was truly disappointed. Aunt Mira’s child was getting married soon, and they had to revise one of the dresses for an event so it would fit her body.
“A bad marriage is like that, just like….” Harlette deliberately left the sentence unfinished, but she thought of Dimitriv’s family, where his father didn’t love his mother. “But if two people love each other, then marriage feels perfect.”
Violette chuckled. “Do people who love each other even exist in marriage?”
The tension between them began to melt away.
“Our parents love each other, Sis. I’ll kill Dad if he ever cheats.” Harlette frowned at her. “What’s wrong with you? You always see marriage as something terrible. Who hurt you, sis?”
“My expectations.”
“As always, expectations can lead someone to a bad place and drain their positive energy.”
Speaking of love, the reason Violette rejected Dimitriv was that she didn’t love him. Second, she was secretly in a relationship with the man she did love. If her parents found out, they would tear her apart for betraying her engagement to Dimitriv.
But that relationship hadn’t gone smoothly, and she ended up heartbroken when the man decided to marry someone else—one day after saying he would fight for his love with Violette. They had planned to elope. What an unstable little plan, huh?
Violette still carried that pain to this day, and it made it difficult for her to breathe. She was trapped in some vague illusion. That was why Violette hated marriage: she had failed to have one with the man she adored. She also hated Dimitriv for reasons that were unbearably selfish.
“Oh, right. The letter I asked you to give Dimitriv?”
“I still have it. You know he was hit with a wine bottle by his devil of a younger brother yesterday.”
“Give it to him tonight, okay?” Violette asked sweetly, making Harlette rack her brain. “Because I’m not sure I’ll ever write another letter like that, Lette.”
“Why?”
Violette didn’t answer. She only looked at her. Harlette had no intention of prying, either. She also didn’t know what the letter said. Usually, she read them first, but she had forgotten yesterday.
Harlette picked up the phone on the table, then crossed her legs and relaxed on the sofa. She opened her friends’ group chat. Morana had just sent a photo of her activities on a film set. Madeleine sent a reminder about their meeting later that night.
They were all busy with their own lives, but they always tried to keep meeting so their friendship wouldn’t grow unfamiliar and the memory of their once-sweet bond wouldn’t fade away.
Suddenly, Harlette remembered whom she needed to message.
‘Mr. Dimitriv, I’ll come to your place later to deliver the letter.’
A minute later, Dimitriv replied. He sent a location and told Harlette to go there. The woman smiled faintly. Even without being told, Harlette understood. It was Saturday, and Dimitriv was always at his secret apartment before meeting up with the others.
Loneliness always hummed softly in his ears. The world beyond the glass walls was full of color: crowds chatting, couples teasing each other, vehicles racing to get home first. And Dimitriv was always locked in here, without a friend or anyone who could understand him.
For the first time, he had invited Harlette to this apartment. Dimitriv’s gaze still pierced through the glass, taking in the fascinating kaleidoscope of colors. His left hand was in his pocket, while his right slowly swirled his wineglass.
The doorbell Harlette pressed from outside made Dimitriv turn at once. He smiled faintly, set down his glass, and walked forward to open the door for her.
“I just found out you have an apartment here,” Harlette murmured as she headed for the sofa. It was a small lie.
“I can have one anywhere I want.” Dimitriv struck a slightly showy pose. Of course. You could practically smell his money from miles away.
Dimitriv sat beside Harlette on the long sofa. Harlette struggled to keep her heart from pounding out of her chest. She could have sat across from him, after all.
Dimitriv held out his hand.
“Ah, right. The letter.” Harlette was seized by nervousness. She took the sheet of paper from her bag. Honestly, Harlette had no idea what to do.
She might have been able to act calm despite her racing heart if she were sitting across from him. But sitting beside him like this was another matter.
Dimitriv opened the letter, skimmed it, then tossed it onto the table, where it touched the wine bottle that was now slightly less full. Harlette clenched her short skirt. Dimitriv’s behavior felt strange. Was it because he’d been hit in the head yesterday?
Had he lost his mind?
“Your sister is really annoying, Lette,” he said, slowly turning to her with an intent gaze. “She keeps asking me to end the relationship.”
“Yeah, I already know.” She knew from reading his previous letters. “But I thought that was over since you two are getting married. I thought you loved each other by now.”
Dimitriv pointed to the letter. “This time, she threatened to disappear if I didn’t end our wedding plans. She’s afraid of her grandfather, and I’m afraid of my father. We’re both complete cowards, aren’t we?”
He also explained that some time ago, Violette had come here to threaten him into ending their wedding plans. But he had refused, which had angered Violette. It had happened on the day Harlette was spying on him from the apartment across the way.
“So what are you going to do?”
“Leave it alone. No matter what happens, we’re still getting married.”
“No matter what?” Harlette murmured stiffly.
Dimitriv gave a faint nod. “No matter what.”
Harlette blinked rapidly, then cleared her throat lightly. “By the way, how’s your head?”
“Check it yourself,” the man invited.
Harlette cursed inwardly, thinking his head must truly be messed up after being hit that day. One of Dimitriv’s eyebrows rose, accompanied by a sweet, teasing smile. Harlette was captivated. Her hand moved on its own, rising to touch Dimitriv’s black comma-cut hair. Its softness brushed against her palm.
Harlette’s gaze lowered from his hair to the man’s eyes. They met each other’s gaze, their mouths equally silent. Harlette’s heart raced twice as fast, and so did the heart of the man across from her. Their eyes locked, neither of them even blinking. Dimitriv’s brown eyes refused to yield and end the stare.
Dimitriv swallowed. His resolve began to waver, and his gaze slowly dropped to Harlette’s sexy lips, coated in a seductive sweep of red lipstick. He swallowed again, his Adam’s apple bobbing. Dimitriv felt as if he were looking at something sweet and juicy in the middle of a desert.
Still unable to utter a word, Dimitriv suddenly leaned forward and kissed Harlette, pressing their lips together and leaving them that way for a long moment.
Until Harlette finally came to her senses and pushed against his chest.
“Mr. Dimitriv, what are you doing?”
“Don’t you want it too?”
“Mr. Dimitriv!” Her voice made it clear she objected.
“I’m sorry. I couldn’t hold myself back. These feelings burst out after I’d kept them hidden for so long.” Harlette still looked as if she were processing his words. “I also know what you’ve been doing all this time, Lette.”
Harlette bit her lip, looked away, then glanced back at Dimitriv. “I don’t know what you mean, Mr. Dimitriv. I think your head really is messed up after getting hit that day.”
“I’m sorry for being a coward, Lette. I love you, but I’m forced to marry your sister.”
Harlette suddenly felt overheated, even though the cold air-conditioning continued to brush against her skin. Her head felt as if smoke were pouring from it. Dimitriv’s words made her head burn, nearly sending it exploding.
“I let you do all of it from the beginning because I liked it too.”
All of Harlette’s madness—following Dimitriv everywhere, secretly photographing him, buying huge amounts of stock to become the majority shareholder in his company, planting a tracker in his car, bringing Morana and Dane, Dimitriv’s best friend, closer so they would meet more often, and countless other things.
“I never changed cars because I wanted you to always know where I was going.”
Harlette wanted to disappear on the spot. She was embarrassed, her face flushed, and she felt incapable of facing the man in front of her.
She had thought everything was safely under control, so she only needed to admire him from afar and disappear the day before their wedding. But this newly revealed truth made her feel as if she had been dragged into a world of illusion.
“I’m getting married in two weeks, Lette. I’d regret it if I didn’t tell you now.” The woman in front of him could only listen carefully. “I love you, Harlette Cyra Kartasasmita, but I’m sorry—I’m going to marry your sister.”
“This is insane,” Harlette hissed.
“I feel like a bastard, but I’m relieved at the same time. We had to know each other’s feelings, then forget each other together. Isn’t that how it should be?”
“Mr. Dimitriv, I think you’ve gone crazy.” Harlette still couldn’t believe it.
Dimitriv nodded quickly. “Yes, I admit it. I’m crazy.”
“We’re both crazy.” Harlette shot back. She bit her lip for a moment. “If you love me, why didn’t you choose me from the beginning?”
Dimitriv fell silent for a moment, still fixing her with an intense gaze. “My fate is in my father’s hands. I can’t do anything at all.”
Harlette nervously clutched at the roots of her hair.
“This is the first brave thing I’ve ever done, Lette. I’m sorry if I hurt you.”
Harlette had never imagined this day would come. She had only planned to confess her feelings anonymously, without Dimitriv knowing who was behind them. But who could have guessed that Dimitriv had feelings for her too? Especially since, after discovering Harlette’s madness, he had simply let her continue.
Anyone would be shocked by this truth.