Honestly

"Nicholas, we need to have a serious talk!" Edward got up and approached the position where Nicholas was sitting. Edward chose to stay after finishing an impromptu meeting in Nicholas's study with several division heads. There was something that he thought had to be done right away.

Nicholas, who was still busy signing some important documents, only responded briefly to Edward's words. "Just to the point. You know I'm not the type of person who likes to beat around the bush." Nicholas spoke without averting his eyes.

"It's about Kimberly. You were going too far. Why did you have to yell at him to throw him away like that," whispered Edward. His eyes showed that he didn't like it. "I did the right thing, Ed. If he spilled a drink, it ruined all the important documents on the table. If it was another employee, I might fire him right away." Nicholas spoke casually. There wasn't the slightest hint of guilt on his face.

Edward snorted in annoyance. He had thought there was something wrong with this one friend. Nicholas was the toughest person ever, but this was the first time in his life that a man had been rude to a woman. Of course, Edward was surprised when Kimberly became the target of his anger this morning. What's going on with that guy?

"You've gone too far, Nicholas!" said Edward. "Even if it is damaged by water, the document can easily be reprinted as many times as you want. However, the woman's heart you hurt won't necessarily heal easily after what you did earlier."

Nicholas stopped his activities. Open one of the drawers on the side of the table. He then took something out of there and handed it to Edward.

"You'll see for yourself."

Edward took what Nicholas had given him. His eyebrows knit together when he checked the photos showing Kimberly's intimacy with other men. He could finally conclude what made Nicholas so angry with Kimberly.

"Jesus, even my handsome face was also photographed by your messenger. If I knew it would be immortalized like this, I should have dressed as handsomely as possible that afternoon. Here my pose is ugly."

Right after the man finished his sentence, Nicholas deliberately threw the pen in his hand at Edward. "Foolish bastard!" Nicholas pouted.

"You're crazy, Nicholas." debate Edward did not want to lose. "Besides, how can you tell people to follow your lover!" Edward shook his head.

"You know yourself, Ed. I'm not a sharing guy. I've even warned her repeatedly not to have anything to do with other men. But the truth?" Nicholas stopped his speech. He took a deep breath. "You conclude yourself. I'm lazy to discuss this now," he continued later.

Edward laughed mockingly.

"Are you stupid or what? Or are you a psychic? Do you know where that man is related to her? How do you know if it turns out to be only a sibling relationship."

Hearing those words, it was Nicholas's turn to chuckle. "I've met this guy a few times, and there's no way it's her brother, Ed."

"Yes, why don't you ask Kimberly directly for an explanation?"

"What for?" asked Nicholas.

"What are you saying? So you don't assume and draw your conclusions." Edward was made even more annoyed by his best friend's behavior.

"Come on, Ed, stop this discussion. I don't want to talk about it now." This time Nicholas begged a little. It was useless talking to Edward. The man was always good at answering.

Edward nodded in agreement. "Fine, I'll go. Besides, talking to you for a long time, I can become stupid," the man sneered. "Ah yes, one more thing before I go. Don't let me hear you're sorry after this. If that happens, I'll be the first to make laugh of you." the next second, Edward got up from his seat. Give Nicholas time to think for a moment. Either way, after this, he woke up from his mistake.

***

More than thirty minutes, Marco waited anxiously in front of the emergency room. Seeing Kimberly suddenly fainting made her panic. What happened to his best friend? Is he sick? So depressed? What burden is the woman carrying? All the questions filled all the places in Marco's mind. A pale face, puffy eyes, you could say Kimberly's situation was very chaotic right now.

"Did all of this have something to do with Nicholas? If I find out that Nicholas caused all this, don't expect him to get away from me!"

Marco took a deep breath, his eyes not even taking his eyes off the ER door and almost losing his temper and thinking of barging in. Finally, the doctor he was waiting for came out and approached.

"How are things, doc?" Marco asked. He couldn't hide his anxiety.

"Is the lady inside your sister?"

Marco chose to nod. "Yes, doc. How are things?"

"His condition is unstable. His blood pressure is shallow. Besides, sorry if I'm being presumptuous, did you know that your sister is suffering from an illness right now?" asked the doctor carefully.

Marco's brow furrowed deeply. Trying to digest the meaning of the question the doctor just asked. "Doctor, what do you mean?"

The doctor took a deep breath before finally explaining again. "Earlier, when I examined Miss Kimberly, my colleague accidentally saw her. She then admitted that she had examined your sister before. She said that your sister currently has early-stage ovarian cancer."

Marco gasped in surprise. The doctor's statement just now made him almost breathless. His heart felt like it was being squeezed when he heard that Kimberly was currently suffering from cancer. Sometimes the woman hid this fact alone.

"Ms. Kimberly should have immediately operated so that the cancer cells would not spread quickly," the doctor continued.

Marco let out a frustrated sigh. When Arthur's condition has not fully improved, their family must face new problems that are no less worrying.

"Then what should I do? Is the disease still curable?" Marco asked hopefully. Of course, he didn't want anything wrong to happen to Kimberly.

The doctor looked at him thoughtfully. "Persuade your sister to carry out the operation immediately. If it is late, it can be fatal and can even threaten her life." The doctor then invited Marco to come in to visit Kimberly immediately. In the all-white room, Marco saw Kimberly lying weakly. As he approached, her eyes were still tightly closed. The man then decided to sit right next to her. He grabbed Kimberly's hand and held it tightly. Marco waited by Kimberly's side for a long time until the woman started to wake up. She blinked several times until her consciousness was fully collected.

At that moment, she forced herself to get up from his sleeping position. Of course, Marco immediately stopped and asked Kimberly to lie down again.

"You're not fully recovered yet, Kimmy. You'd better rest here for a while," Marco asked.

Kimberly sighed softly. "I'm fine. There's no need to overdo it."

"Why did you keep this a secret from me?" Marco asked suddenly. The man's gaze turned sad. "What do you mean? I don't understand." Don't know how many times Marco took his breath away. He acted as if something was stuck in his chest cavity.

Meanwhile, Kimberly looked confused. The man beside her never answered the question she asked. "Come on, Marco. Don't make me curious like this," Kimberly urged.

"You're sick. Since when?" Marco's question suddenly made Kimberly silent. She was pretty confused about where to start telling about the disease he recently had. Kimberly didn't want people to pity her.

Seeing the woman looking down with a sad face in front of him, Marco put his hands on Kimberly's face. Locking her eyes to focus on him. "Answer my question, Kimberly Aurora Rayder." Kimberly finally returned Marco's gaze.

"I only found out a few weeks ago."

"Then what's the reason you didn't get treatment right away? What are you thinking, Kimberly? Don't say that you don't have money," said the man. Of course, the cost is not a valid reason, considering that Kimberly is the only granddaughter of a wealthy tycoon like Arthur Sanjaya. In the world of construction and shipping, which doesn't know the old man?

Meanwhile, Kimberly was silent again. She chose not to answer Marco's question right away until he finally pressed on again. "How long are you going to be quiet, Kimberly? You don't feel sorry for grandpa if---"

"It's not like that!" cut Kimberly quickly.

"It's not the cost that's the problem. I'm just hesitant to have surgery." Kimberly continued.

Marco took another deep breath. Talking to Kimberly always requires extra patience. "Then what's the problem? Don't be complicated like this, Kimmya. Please hurry up for treatment. I don't want anything bad to happen to you!" Marco spoke in a tone full of emphasis. This doesn't sound like a request but rather a command.

"I'm afraid..." right after those words were spoken, and a tear ran down Kimberly's cheek.

"What have you got to be afraid of? I'm here."

Marco wiped the tears on Kimberly's cheeks gently. Then grabbed her wrist and gripped it tightly. It indicates that he would never leave Kimberly. Kimmyani took a deep breath. She was bracing herself to tell Marco everything.

When she felt she was ready, she finally spoke. "I'm afraid because doctors assume that after the operation and is declared cured, there is a possibility that it will be difficult to have children in the future."

Marco gasped. He was pretty surprised to hear the fact that came out of Kimberly's lips.

"That's just an assumption, and the doctor could be wrong." Marco tried to be wise.

"But if that's true, how? Who in this world would want to marry a woman who can't bear children? That's why I'd rather die than live---"

"Shh ..." Marco put his index finger on Kimberly's lips. "Stop it, and you're not like the Kimberly I know. If there isn't a man who wants to accept you, there's still me, Kimberly. I will marry you, take care of you, even take care of you all my life."

Kimberly shook her head many times. "You know I don't like being pitied."

"I don't feel sorry for you. I have loved you from the start, and that will never change. So stop thinking that no one will accept you in the future." the next second, Marco grabbed Kimberly's body and hugged her tightly.

"I will marry you."

***

Nicholas entered his apartment unit in a very chaotic state. All the way home, the man couldn't stop thinking about all the things Edward had said about Kimberly. What if it turns out that the man who was with Kimberly had nothing to do with it? But why should it be so intimate?

Nicholas closed his eyes dramatically. His head suddenly felt dizzy because all day long thinking about the problems between him and Kimberly.

Should I listen to Kimberly's explanation first?

Besides, I was too late this morning. I shouldn't have yelled at him like that.

Nicholas opened his eyes, taking several deep breaths to relieve the tightness in his chest.

I have to meet her. Yes, I have to talk to her.

A moment later, slightly hesitant, Nicholas pointed his feet towards Kimberly's room. He knocked on the door several times, but there was no answer or even a response. Nicholas thought maybe she was still mad at him. So Nicholas took the initiative to call.

"Kimberly ... open the door. We have to talk." Nicholas waited a long time, but the bedroom door never opened. Feeling exhausted, Nicholas turned his hand around the door handle and found it unlocked.

Entering the room, Nicholas did not find Kimberly's whereabouts. Looking into the bathroom, the woman wasn't there either. Not only that, the woman's belongings weren't even there anymore. Feeling something was up, Nicholas sat on one side of the bed.

His Netra was busy looking in all directions until there was an urge to open the nightstand drawer beside him. Sure enough, Nicholas found their engagement ring just placed. Beside him was a piece of paper that Nicholas believed Kimberly had written for him. Nicholas quickly grabbed the paper and read it carefully.

Hi, I don't know where to start. What is certain, thank you for your kindness all this time, willingness to take care, and even give all the best for me. Sorry for everything I did to make you angry. I didn't mean to betray you. I should have told you all about who I am from the start.

But, I think now it's all for nothing. I felt God destined us to be together. I don't deserve to be with you.

Again, I am sorry. For that, I return the engagement ring from you. Maybe after this, we will never meet again. Thank you for the beautiful days that you have given so far.

I always love you,

Kimberly Aurora.