Alone in the room of the trusted Grisham family home, Leonel pondered deeply, especially after Chris's lengthy and painful words. Although Chris often said those things, reminding him of the reality he faced, Leonel usually didn't pay much attention. But this time, Chris's words struck a chord in his heart. They made him reflect, lost in his thoughts, accompanied only by the clock ticking on the Grisham family's living room wall.
"Why can't he provide some comfort? Even just a little, at least tell me that I've been doing well all this time. He knows that I still constantly think about Chloe. I can still work well. Mountain has risen again. Why are his words so hurtful?" Leonel mumbled to himself, bewildered. "No wonder he's called the reluctant lawyer. God must have given him a tongue as sharp as a newly sharpened knife. He's so skilled at hurting people with his words." Leonel muttered softly, his lips curling in annoyance at Chris, who had retreated to his room.
Once again, he fell into silence, staring at the room's white ceiling dominated by its color. "Should I go to Beverly Hills? Should I meet Chloe? And what will I say then? Chloe will surely laugh at me for still hoping for her."
He leaned his head slightly against the sofa cushion behind him as he spoke. It was soft enough for relaxation. Leonel reached for his phone and looked at his mother's post. His brow furrowed when he saw the location where his parents and his ex-wife were, a mall he was unfamiliar with. The man then searched for the address of the mall.
"Does Chloe live near this mall now? I have no idea about her whereabouts, let alone her house. Should I ask my parents?" Still with the illuminated phone screen. "My mother and father would never agree if I visited Chloe. They care more about Chloe than they do about me. I'm sure they prioritize Chloe's privacy over my feelings." In his heart, Leonel wondered if his parents were close to Darren.
He looked at the photo showing his parents' closeness with Chloe and Darren. Everyone in the picture seemed to be smiling. "Maybe Mama and Papa would prefer Chloe to marry Darren rather than me, who betrayed her in the past."
The owner of Mountain let out a long sigh, then slowly closed his eyes. His desire to take a warm bath before sleep remained a mere daydream. Now, he closed his eyes, still in his work clothes, with a sticky feeling on his body due to sweat.
He no longer cared; he just wanted to sleep. Even Chris's advice for the former husband of Chloe to inform his mother if he intended to stay there was ignored.
Sleep.
That was the one thing Leonel wanted to do right at that moment. He tried to forget all the fatigue caused by his regrets about Chloe. Then, a name that had become a haunting presence suddenly came to his mind—Ester.
The woman named Ester Gisela was like a poison in his life, a tremendous regret forever knowing her. Leonel decided not to sleep; his eyes widened again, staring blankly at the room's ceiling where he now found himself.
"Ester. Ester. Ester. Why did you enter my life and create all this chaos?" Leonel sighed softly. "Damn, it was me who brought you into my life. My love for you truly ruined everything." Leonel massaged the bridge of his nose once again.
"Even though you are now reaping the consequences of your actions, I still can't forgive you."
The judge sentenced Ester to five years in prison a year ago and a seven hundred-million-dollar fine. Ester's life began to crumble from that moment. Known as a beautiful model with a high income, it turned out that her life wasn't as fulfilling as it seemed.
In pursuit of her obsession, Ester dared to do terrible things that eventually harmed her. Now, she was utterly broken. Her career in the modeling world came to an end. All the agencies she had worked with chose to terminate their contracts with her. Not only that, Ester was also required to pay a fine for contract termination.
Although it wasn't her who canceled the contracts, Ester still had to pay the penalty because it all started with her mistakes. The agencies and clients felt significant losses as many people harassed and labeled them negatively for using Ester as their model.
The agencies and clients agreed that Ester was becoming too dangerous and could threaten anyone, including clients who trusted her. They decided to cancel contracts and avoid any involvement with Ester. As a result, Ester had to face the consequences alone.
Not only did she end up in prison and deplete all her savings to pay the fine, but her loyal assistant, Sofi, also left her. Sofi, who had always been there for her, was no longer around.
It was challenging for Sofi, considering their past closeness. But upon reflection, could their relationship even be categorized as friendship? Considering Ester's more often harsh and rude behavior?
"You don't need to visit me anymore," Ester once said. Her face showed no friendliness. She glanced at her assistant sitting in front of her. At that time, it was Sofi's usual visit.
Ester could accept Sofi's presence now, especially since Sofi didn't leave Ester alone. But Ester lived a life full of pride and high ambitions. She often received treatment that made her arrogant and didn't subside even a bit.
"There's something I want to discuss, Miss." Sofi lowered her head, her hands intertwined. "This is a letter from Rio too."
Ester furrowed her brow but quickly took the white envelope that Sofi had just handed over. It was a letter that came from Rio. She carefully read it, paying attention to Rio's wishes and apologies.
Rio couldn't work with Ester anymore due to his financial situation. Ester understood that.
"Have you been paying him a fair salary?"
Sofi seemed at a loss for words.
"Sofi?" Ester asked again.
"I'm sorry, Miss. Here are the details of all your financials that I've been handling."
Ester immediately snatched the other paper that Sofi had given her. Her eyes scanned the numbers, and she let out an annoyed sigh. "Damn!"
"As for Rio, he said there's no need to give him his last salary, and it's not a big deal, Mbak. I discussed it fairly with Rio."
"Are you crazy?!" Ester's eyes narrowed in disapproval. "That's like saying I'm bankrupt!!!"
Even though that was the reality, Sofi remained silent, trying to find the right words because she couldn't stay by Ester's side for too long.
"I'm also..." Sofi lifted her gaze, looking at Ester with pity and a hint of fear. But she couldn't back down. Her determination was set to express her wishes today. "I also choose to resign, Mbak."
"You must be joking!" Ester retorted. "I trusted you to manage my finances! How can you resign? Just because you're visiting, Ester doesn't mean you're resigning! Do you understand what I mean?" Ester became fiery, and her words shook her.
"I understand, Miss. But I need another job."
"Whatever!" She stood up. "Do whatever you want! I don't care." Ester chose to return to her cell, leaving Sofi alone. She did it on purpose because she was confident that the next day or the following week, Sofi would return as usual.
Sofi reluctantly left Ester, who was now in prison, to continue her life. Five years is not short, and even when Ester is released, there's no guarantee that she will be the same as before. Her career has ended, and she must find another job to make money.
That's why Sofi finally looked for another job. Seeing Ester abandon her so quickly, Sofi took a long breath.
"Forgive me, Miss Ester. I need work."
Now, Ester was truly alone.
Living in a cramped, dark, dirty, and suffocating prison, her days were filled with useless regrets.
Just like Leonel, the burden of regret engulfed her life, making her sleep restless, food tasteless, and even breathing suffocating.
Destroyed.
Although he often said it was a feeling that attacked his heart, he realized he was now at the point of destruction.
One word could represent Ester's current life. Living in a horrid prison cell with people she didn't like, she often received unpleasant treatment.
For the past year, she often became the target of her roommates' bullying. A room? Can the place she occupied now be called a room? Let's consider it as such.
She was used to living in a soft bed filled with the scent of her favorite room freshener. There was Sofi, who was always faithful to fulfill her every wish.
There was no one she could confide in or share her grievances with. Her life was truly shattered, and her world turned upside down. The once arrogant Ester, often flaunting luxurious items and going to lovely places, could now only languish behind bars with people from different backgrounds, whom Ester deemed dangerous in her own eyes.
The women's prison for Ester was nothing more than a collection of people with fierce expressions and a terrifying background.
It was not uncommon for Ester to go hungry when other inmates claimed her food ration. She also often performed rough tasks such as cleaning toilets, scrubbing bathroom floors, and washing other people's clothes. She did many things she had never done before.
Torture, suffering, and longing to escape from that place. However, Ester could do nothing after the gavel struck her. She had to accept the punishment decided by the judge and wait another four years to breathe the free air. Holding back all her grievances and prison pain, Ester became a quiet figure.
Only her uncle cared for her, occasionally checking on her and bringing delicious food. Ester herself never expected that her paternal uncle would be the one who still cared for her. He also sometimes reported on how the business that Ester should have handled for a long time was going.
At first, Ester brushed it off, but she felt a sense of responsibility as time passed.
"You have to think about your parents' legacy. Maybe now you're starting to realize who's by your side. You can see who left you and who stayed with you." Her uncle handed her a box of home-cooked meals, hoping Ester would like them.
When her nephew reached the peak of success, it wasn't that he didn't want to disturb her. But he feared being seen as an outsider who was disturbing or even considered a parasite. Ridwan continued to work in Ester's father's company, developing and running it smoothly for many years.
Rio's food was delicious, but Ester didn't eat much because it tasted terrible. She never told her uncle that she often received mistreatment from other inmates, of course, because she was threatened. But every time her uncle came, Ester would sob, and when her uncle asked, she would only say that she wanted to go home soon.
"File an appeal. I won't accept being treated like this," Ester said.
"What do you want to appeal? How much more money do you want to spend? What you've lost is Mountain, Leonel, and Grisham. They have a lot of money, and even though you did have a relationship with Leonel, did that man ever come here?"
Those words left Ester speechless.
"Keep quiet, Ester. Consider that he has left you," her uncle said.
For some reason, those words made her burst into tears. It started softly, but it grew more robust over time.
"Wait a little longer, Ester. A year has passed, and you will come out of here sooner or later." That was the comforting sentence her uncle could say, as Ester always cried whenever he visited.
Wait another four years?
Just one year, she want to end her life. Life in prison was like hell for her. Fortunately, her uncle was there, the only person who cared for her. Leonel, who used to be there for her, never visited her.
Even without appealing, Ester had already lost. So, her uncle hoped she would be patient. While thinking about how to grow what her father left behind, he couldn't afford it anymore.
That night, just like Leonel felt, she drowned in endless regret. The difference was that Leonel could still live in a nice place and enjoy good food. Meanwhile, Ester could only eat the same food daily, making the position uncomfortable.
"I want to go home. I want to sleep on my soft bed, soak in warm water, wear nice clothes, and sleep peacefully. I'm tired and sick here; I don't want to stay here for too long. I could die if I have to keep going like this."
"Behave well, Ester. You can get a sentence reduction."
Even though they both regretted it, Ester's and Leonel's regret were different.
While Leonel regretted and hoped he could turn back time to avoid making the same mistake, Ester was different. Ester did regret all her wrongs, but she had no intention of changing her attitude. If time could be rewound, she would seek another way to get what she wanted without ending up in prison like this.
Sitting in the corner of the cell near the door, Ester looked at her roommates, who were already fast asleep. Meanwhile, she remained awake, without a place to lie in that room.
Truly unfortunate. It felt like falling and being crushed by the stairs; that's how Ester thought. The room was so cold, with a growling stomach, her increasingly emaciated body shivering in the corner of the room, her hands hugging her knees.
However, all the punishments Ester received didn't make her feel guilty towards Chloe. Her life had now become the opposite, experiencing the bitterness of an extraordinary life, but it didn't make her a better person. She still blamed Chloe and hoped that Chloe's life would be ruined someday. She even planned to seek revenge on Leonel's ex-wife once she was released from prison.
Truly ironic.
Instead of remorse and reflecting on all her crimes to become a better person, Ester harbored evil intentions and felt no guilt towards those who suffered from her crimes.
Her regret only went as far as wanting to become a better person in all aspects so she wouldn't end up behind those iron bars.
Ester was beautiful and seductive, but that's all she had. Only a beautiful face that she could imagine; her heart was not as attractive as her face. The arrogance that had always accompanied her was now faced with reality. She could no longer be arrogant; what was there to be complacent about? Her life was already completely shattered.
All she could hope for was that she wouldn't die before the torment of life in prison ended and that she could get her revenge on Chloe and Leonel.
"Wait for me, Chloe. Just wait," Ester promised in her heart.