Don't Say Love (BOOK 2)
Chapter 17

The rain drops the earth quietly.  The shady trees around the cemetery began to refract wet droplets for anyone walking underneath.  Just like a funeral today is left alone.  It feels cold and quiet.

Ratih's funeral was not accompanied by sobs.  None of the three people present let out their cries.  Only two women and a man delivered the body to join the earth.

Jullian stared at the ground that started burying the coffin with a sad look.  Although he had not known the figure for long, Jullian knew that Arnetta's mother was a loving figure.  It was the woman who first learned of his relationship with Arnetta. Who would have thought that behind his fragile figure, Ratih could be determined to end his own life.

Practice poison vertical.  That's the explanation he got from the hospital.  Although the handling is as much as possible, but his weak condition makes him not have enough hope to live.

For a moment Jullian's gaze moved towards the woman in a black dress who was sitting on a wheelchair.  The woman's gaze was empty leading to the navel where her mother was resting.  Yesterday, after Jullian slapped her Arnetta fell unconscious.  The woman was unconscious for a long time so Ratih's funeral had to be delayed for two days.  Jullian, however, had to respect that Arnetta had the right to usher in the departure of his mother.

Until this moment the woman did not speak.  Arnetta returned to being a silent figure like a statue.  An enlarged eye bag is enough to give evidence that Arnetta cried all night.

After this Jullian did not dare to imagine what would happen to Arnetta.  He should have thrown the woman away.  Jullian shouldn't have cared about Arnetta passing out at the hospital.  He could have ordered security guards to drag the woman into the street.  But, strangely Jullian instead took care of him and waited for him when Arnetta was unconscious.  In fact, Maria is now assigned to care for Arnetta who does not want to move her limbs at all.  If the woman was willing to react when she was near Arif, now Arnetta seems to close herself to everyone.

Arnetta's alive, but like dead.  Unlike the undead, the woman seemed to wait for God to take her life.  There was no radiance of life in both of his eyes. All was dim as his life slowly shattered into pieces.

"We better get home.  The rain is getting worse."

Jullian looked up at the sky.  The vast expanse above it did indeed display a dense dark cloud.  It will soon rain very hard.  Of course, that many drops of water would hurt him.

"Alright, but ..."

The man walked towards Maria who from the beginning pushed the wheelchair that Arnetta was sitting in.  He took over Mary's duties and pushed the seat slowly.

"Let me push it."

Mary was silent for a moment.  He still had not let go of one of his hands that was holding the wheel chair's push handle.  However, Jullian cast a deep gaze at his workers who had nurtured him since childhood.  He himself was familiar with the reaction of the middle-aged woman.  Anyone who saw his attitude who used to hate Arnetta would definitely be suspicious.  He could have pushed the wheelchair into the street and left Arnetta hit by a passing vehicle.  Although he once wanted to kill the woman, but this second Jullian did not or may not have wanted it.  He felt it inappropriate to take advantage of the condition of the woman who was helpless.

"Then, Auntie's in the car first."

Maria left Jullian with Arnetta. At first he is suspicious of Jullian, but he knows this time the man will never have the heart to hurt the fragile Arnetta.  Maybe there's something that Jullian will talk to Arnetta about.

After seeing Maria walking quite a distance in front of him, Jullian pushed the wheelchair slowly.  The cold wind that hit his face felt and enjoyed it with wisdom. He knew, though, that he was reluctant to speak, but Arnetta could not possibly be unaware of his presence.

"I really hate you.  I hate our memories that have passed.  I want to destroy you."

The woman kept silent about what Jullian said.  His eyes were straight ahead with emptiness.  His fingers did not respond to that.

"Right now I know you're fragile. For that I won't torture you again.  You just have to pay off the rest of your debt by being a waitress. I don't want to touch you anymore."

Jullian knew his decision was like a blow to his attempt to avenge Arnetta. He should have regretted and felt in vain, but strangely he felt relieved.  He better see Arnetta as his servant.  Jullian knew after seeing how devastated Arnetta was at the departure of her mother, no longer at the woman he felt disgusted.  But, Jullian must have felt disgusted at himself.

"Well, I've been disgusted by you, but I don't want to throw you out on the street or kill you.  That's it." obviously at the end.

However, the man did not know that when the sentence was triggered, a single tear just fell down the woman's eyes.  Deep. His residence, Arnetta felt low.  His broken heart was getting even more evenly distributed with the ground.  He had nothing to feel a taste.  His heart only showed deep pain until his bones ached.

Jullian was already disgusted, worse than the man who made him a napkin slave.  That means, it means nothing anymore.

When Jullian got to the front of the car, the man ordered the driver who had been carrying Arnetta's body from the car to the wheelchair to stay away.  The man easily lifts the frail body into the car.  When he was already sitting next to Arnetta in the passenger seat, alismya linked up.  The woman's face was wet as if she had cried. Jullian could not distinguish between the two eyes, because since yesterday Arnetta's eyes did look red.

"His face is wet." he murmured.

"Maybe the rain has started to pour" said Maria who sat next to the driver's seat.  In his heart he felt relieved to see Jullian's attitude that had begun to change these few days. The man no longer cursed the poor woman.  He felt sorry to see the endless misfortune he was experiencing. Arnetta's road to happiness still seems to be very long.

After Jullian's car left the cemetery, another young woman with sunglasses and a black umbrella covering her from the rain came to Ratih's grave.  His jaw tightened when he saw the name engraved on the gravestone.  He really did not think that his words were not comparable to his love for Arnetta.

Why does everyone love that damn woman?

For years he tried to convince Ratih to leave Arnetta, but never his boss.  In fact, the woman was willing to die in order to save her child's self-esteem.

Huh!

Arnetta doesn't have it.  The woman who is already responsible for the burden she carries must suffer.  Especially, the woman who had already destroyed. Marriage life.

"I don't think my love is enough to replace your fucking son, Mom.  I hate to say that you're coming with me and Dad, we're happy now.  I don't need Amara as my mother.  I just want you to be my mom.  But, you'd rather die than forget your son."

Although the words that came out of her mouth sounded cynical, but the woman could not shed tears.  How much he loved Ratih like his own mother.  Decades he tried to replace the position of Arnetta diatih diatih. Now, the woman he wanted to complete his life had fused with the land.  There was nothing else he could do but one thing.  After that, the woman will live quietly.

"Everybody has to suffer, especially Arnetta. You don't deserve to live quietly. My name isn't Lusi if you don't get crushed in my hands!"