Chris was fast asleep on the sofa when his cell phone rang. He opened his eyes in annoyance that his sleep had been disturbed. The man then reached out and grabbed his cell phone. But his attitude immediately changed when he saw the name on the screen. Chris sat up straight before picking up the phone.
"What's wrong?" Chris asked straightforwardly.
"Young Master Chris, you must return to the main house immediately." The Hartanto family butler firmly said. "Big Master just woke up from a coma."
Chris' body turned stiff when he heard that. The butler started explaining something on the phone, but Chris couldn't process his words. His mind was still busy figuring out how he could stay in America.
Even after the butler hung up the phone, Chris still hadn't said a word. The man sat back on the sofa with a dreamy gaze. Chris knew that the feud within the Hartanto family had become increasingly heated in recent times.
He could ignore the ridiculous conflict or leave all his work to his assistant manager. But Chris had to go home when his grandfather summoned him. The old man had the greatest authority in the Hartanto Family.
Chris sighed and turned his gaze to the window. A gleam of sunlight was seeping in through the blinds. He could see the road was still empty of vehicles from his sofa. Most of the people here hadn't even woken up at this early hour.
The man didn't want to leave Merry alone, but he had no other choice. Chris took out a cigarette before starting to light it and inhale the smoke. After finishing three sticks, he turned his gaze towards the bedroom's door. His decision to go home was unanimous, so it would be better if he left without saying goodbye. But his heart felt unsettled as he thought about how Merry would react.
He thought about it for a moment before getting up from the sofa. The man headed for Merry's bedroom, then gently pushed the door open. Merry's bed was large enough to fit several people and was decorated with cute and adorable dolls. The young woman was still fast asleep while hugging one of her favorite dolls.
Merry looked so innocent that Chris couldn't help himself. The man stood by the bed, then reached out carefully and rubbed her cheek. But the woman seemed to be in a deep sleep that she didn't realize Chris's prank.
The man took a deep breath for a moment before leaning towards Merry. Just as Chris landed a light kiss on the girl's forehead, Merry opened her eyes.
"Hmm ...?" Merry muttered while still half conscious.
Chris was so shocked that he walked away as fast as lightning. He really was stupid! Didn't he decide to go without saying anything to Merry?! If the young woman found out that Chris was going to leave, Merry would have used all kinds of means to prevent him from leaving! And Chris knew he would lose.
"Brother Chris ...?" Merry narrowed her eyes, trying to identify the blurry face in front of her. Her sleepy brain concluded that she must be dreaming. If not, why would Chris sneak into her room while she was sleeping?
Chris realized that Merry was still half conscious and immediately took the opportunity. He stroked Merry's head in a soothing motion while whispering, "Ssh, go back to sleep."
Merry innocently believed those words. She turned and closed her eyes again. In just an instant, the sound of Merry's regular breathing filled the room again.
Chris sighed heavily and stared at the young woman's sleeping face. He tried to stamp Merry's face in his memory since he didn't know when he'd be able to see her again. In the end, Chris turned and left the room with heavy steps.
He packed his things as quickly as possible, then wrote a message for Merry. He hastily wrote all sorts of advice, showing how great Chris' concern for Merry was. After leaving the message on the table, Chris hurried back to Surabaya. The man did not know how long his grandfather would remain conscious. His heart was constantly feeling restless, as if he was racing against time.
*****
When Merry opened her eyes in the morning, she sat up and rubbed her eyes. She felt that she had a dream about Chris last night, but she couldn't remember what it was. Merry got out of bed and stumbled into the living room.
"Brother Chris, can you believe that I dreamed of you ... huh?" Merry was chattering happily as usual, but her words were interrupted when she looked at the empty sofa.
Merry looked around the room, but she saw no sign of Chris. She frowned and started heading towards another room.
"Brother Chris? Where are you?" Merry repeatedly called while exploring the whole apartment.
When she couldn't find Chris, Merry's not fully functioning brain made a ridiculous conclusion. She went back to her room and got into bed, then closed her eyes. Maybe she just dreamed that she couldn't find Chris when she woke up!
The man was always there to greet her whenever Merry woke up in the morning. Chris also never forgot to buy her breakfast before she went to campus. Merry couldn't imagine life without Chris at her side.
But only seconds after Merry closed her eyes, she realized her stupidity. Merry sat on the bed and shouted loudly, "Brother Chris! Where are you?!"
Her voice echoed through the empty apartment, without anyone returning her call. Merry jumped out of bed and ran out of the room in panic. She began searching her apartment more closely, looking for answers to this strange situation.
Merry finally discovered that Chris's blue suitcase had disappeared from her wardrobe, along with all the man's clothes. She stood in front of her cupboard fighting the tears that threatened to spill out. Maybe Chris just came back to his own apartment, like he told her last night. Merry tried to convince herself that that was the case, but deep down, he already knew what the real answer was.
Her suspicions crystallized into conviction when Merry found the message Chris left on the living room table. She read the message with teary eyes. When she arrived at the end of the message, tears had fallen over the paper.
"…liar." Merry said in a choked voice. "Brother Chris, you are a liar ...!"
She fell to the floor and started sobbing. Her chest tightened as Merry realized that Chris wouldn't be there to greet her or buy her breakfast. Her tears flowed even more profusely when Merry remembered how Chris nagged her and confiscated her cellphone so she would study.
"Brother Chris ...!" Merry pounded the floor with her fists to express her annoyance. But that action only made her hands hurt. "You are a liar! You big liar! You said that you wouldn't leave me! So what…?!"
'Why did you leave without saying anything to me?'
Merry's scream echoed through her apartment, unable to reach the person she was looking for. The woman rubbed her eyes roughly before leaping to her feet. Merry patted her cheeks with a look full of determination. She would wait for Chris to come back, and when he came back… Merry would make him regret leaving her!
Even though Merry had promised like that in her heart, reality turned out to be different.. A month had passed, and yet Chris didn't come back to see her.
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