Trial Marriage Husband : I Am CEO's Plaything

That night, Lisa fell into a deep sleep with a panting breath. She was dreaming about something. It felt really strange yet so real. It was as if the dream was not just a dream but pieces of memory from her past.

She had a dream when she was with her former college boyfriend— Aditya Satyadibrata. Yes, the man who took all of her savings and ran away after having an affair with another woman. The first man Lisa loved but threw her into the dark.

In that dream, Lisa and Aditya lived together in an unused house belonging to Aditya's family. They both decided to live together before they finally got married. While waiting, they looked for work but they got accepted in different places.

One time, Lisa just came home from her first office at Petersson Communication. When she returned to the house, Lisa was shocked and furious to find her first lover making out with another woman in their bed.

How heartbroken she was to know the man she loved so much was having an affair with another woman. Seeing Aditya in the same bed with someone else felt like an insult aimed at her.

From that moment on, she regretted giving all her savings to Aditya. The man tricked her saying that they were going to invest for the future after they got married. But that day would never come, until she became pregnant, and twice, with the children of a white man. Then her life changed, until she moved to another heart, namely with her childhood friend.

When she woke up from the nightmare that felt so real, Lisa was still not sure whether she was afraid or angry because of the dream. Her whole body suddenly trembled. She wiped her forehead, which was sweaty and hot. Then she slowly turned her head towards the clock and saw that it was 9 PM.

Lisa turned on the light in her room and got out of bed to get a glass of warm water. she gulped the warm water until her feelings returned to good and stable. She realized that the dream she had just now was not a mere dream, but an incident that had actually happened in her life.

Aditya had been away without a word for a long time, until Lisa tried her hardest to find the man who took away all her savings one time. It's not that she wanted to get back into the lap of the jerk, but she still wanted to get her savings that were taken away. 

Just remembering it made her teeth chatter from holding back emotions. Her mind began to feel uneasy again. She reached for the cellphone on the nightstand then read the incoming notification.

There was a missed call from Rangga. The man must've called her while she was fast asleep. There was a hint of guilt in her face for not picking up her lover's call.

Without much thought, Lisa made a call back hoping that she'd hear the man's crisp voice and relieved the discomfort that was stuck in her heart.

"Rangga sorry... Are you still busy?" Lisa asked softly. She was gripping the cell phone with her sweaty, shaking palms.

"Yes, hehe. I'm busy missing you," Rangga replied with his usual cheerful and caring tone. "Why are you still awake? You're pregnant, it's not good for your health."

"I slept earlier and just woke up." Lisa's voice sounded like someone who'd just lost a family.

"Hey, why do you suddenly wake up? What nightmare do you have?"

"I... I don't understand. I'm not really comfortable right now," Lisa replied plainly. 

"Ah, just relax. It's just a dream. Don't think too much about it. By the way, I have to go back to work. Sorry I can't come home so early. Take care, and if you need help, just ask Mrs. Sumiyati," Rangga said, sounding a little worried.

"Alright, have fun with your work!" 

Then the call was closed.

Rangga often skipped work for no other reason than to spend time with Lisa. Whether it was accompanying her to an obstetrician, to visit her mother, the point was that this man always sacrificed his work time for Lisa. In her heart, Lisa understood that Rangga was the president of a company, so there was no way that man would not be busy. In the end, Lisa felt guilty for making the man sacrifice his job to spoil her.

After the call was closed, Lisa was upset again. Her mind that was once bright now became misty again. 

At first, she never thought that she would tell Rangga about her past with Aditya. For her, her bitter story with Aditya was a taint from the past and she didn't need to tell Rangga about it. 

But since the two of them were lovers, Lisa shared her story with Rangga a little. But being betrayed by a bastard like Aditya made her very embarrassed.

Shortly after she put her cell phone back on the nightstand, it rang again. Lisa picked it up and answered, "Yeah?"

"Lis, do you have something to tell me?" His voice sounded anxious across the phone.

"Huh, no. Why are you suddenly asking?" Lisa's heart immediately felt like it was racing. How could that man know her current feelings!?

"Oh, I see. Okay then,  go back to sleeping again."

Without waiting for a reply from Lisa, the man hung up on the call. Lisa then put down her cellphone carelessly and laid back while staring at the ceiling with a blank look.

***

Tonight, for the first time, Rangga didn't come home from work. The man sat trying to digest those vile words that the mysterious man spewed against Lisa. Where did that man come from? Who was he? What's his relationship with Lisa? These questions have been floating in Rangga's mind lately, making it difficult for the man with black curly hair to focus on his work.

The words felt so real and suspicious. It even rang in his ears that he couldn't think clearly, that's why Rangga decided not to go home and meet Lisa. The man decided to stay at the office until the next morning.

In the following weeks, Lisa and Rangga rarely met at home. Every morning, the man with black curly hair went to the office and came home from the office very late, almost early morning before it was time for Lisa to wake up. Even in the morning, Rangga did not have the opportunity to meet face to face and greet Lisa.

Today, Lisa woke up earlier than usual. She got out of bed and hurried down to the dining room.

"Mrs. Sumiyati, where is Rangga?" Lisa asked anxiously.

"Mr. Rangga just left. If you need help, I'm ready," Mrs. Sumiyati said softly as usual.

Hearing her words made her feel like she was hit by a big rock. Her heart felt shaken, nervous. Lately, her new lover was acting very cold and seemed like he was avoiding her. After only a few days without meeting Rangga, her heart felt empty.

Lisa then pulled a chair on the dining table and sat down. She looked sadly at the glass filled with water. 

"Rangga, why are you leaving me alone?"