STUCK WITH MY - EX
Explanation

Cantika wanted to confirm what she had just heard. Holding Ares' shoulder. “You sick?” his eyes looked very worried. “Ares, stop toying with me.”

“I'm not playing you. Look at that paper.try reading there, saying I have the disease is not it?”

Cantika wanted to ask him further, but the glass door was typed first. So focused on the paper that he did not realize that he had reached the basement. Ares drops Cantika's car glass and talks to the man. “I Ares Fernandez.”

“Mr Lincoln is waiting for you, Sir. Let me inter.”

Ares nodded with his cold face. “Byok get out first, I'll explain the rest later.”

“Can't now?”

“We have to make money first, Cantika,” Ares said with a chuckle. No annoying face. There, he looks very sad in Cantika's eyes.

So, she stepped out of the car and followed Ares.

“I'm Kent, Mr. Lincoln's aide. Nice to meet you, Mr. Ares.”

Ares shook that hand before. “This is my assistant, her name is Cantika.”

“Happy to meet you, Miss Cantika.”

Cantika forced a smile, even though in reality she was really worried about Ares. Forced to step up following Ares who was talking to the aide.To be honest, Cantika's mind raged. His eyes could not be separated from Ares' wide back, was that man really going to die?

“Cantika, are you okay?”

“I should have asked you that,” muttered Cantika while looking down. He took his breath in.

“I'm fine, trust me. I'll tell you what happened to me. Okay?”

Cantika only forced her smile as Ares tried to calm her down. Ares himself felt anxious, he wanted to explain immediately. However, this time is not the right time because he has entered one of the rooms in a Japanese restaurant. There were already two people waiting there, an old man and his daughter.

“Lord Ares Fernandez, long time no see with you. You were a dozen years old.”

“Yes, nice to meet you again, Mr. Lincoln. This is Cantika, my secretary who will come to discuss our business.”

“Oh gosh. We're going into business? I thought we were gonna talk about the relationship between you and my daughter Debby.” The words Mr. Lincoln said made his daughter who was beside him smile in shame.

“Hai, Ares.” Debby Lincoln is the name of a woman who is the same age as Ares. “During not meeting.”

“Yes, nice to see you again.”

Mr. Lincoln sat down and chuckled. “You will try together?”

When Ares's answer was just a smile, it made Mr. Lincoln laugh. “Just kidding, but I really hope you're interested in Debby.”

Even Debby chimed in with the phrase, “I can be anything you like, Ares. I'll try my best for you.”

“Stop teasing her, Nak.” Mr. Lincoln gave instructions.

Cantika? He just looked at Ares with pity. And it was misinterpreted by Ares, he looked at Cantika with raised eyebrows. “Why?” his smile is so sweet.

“No.” Focus on the guest in front of him.

“We haven't ordered any food, don't know what you want.” Mr. Lincoln said.

And during that dinner, Mr. Lincoln and his daughter were always trying to steer the conversation in the direction of Ares and Debby's relationship. Yang Cantika heard, it turns out they were friends in business school as well.

“Isn't it a good thing if you're together?” Mr. Lincoln spoke again. “And we are two big companies, it would be great if do it is not?” then when getting a thin smile from Ares, Mr. Lincoln immediately said, “We are just joking, but would be happy if you were expecting it too.”

Cantika had not had a conversation since Mr. Lincoln did not offend about business. Feeling that he was not too needed, Cantika felt it was okay if he went to the bathroom to release the tightness in his chest.

“I want to go to the bathroom first, excuse me for a minute,” said Cantika fare well from there.

Ares stared worriedly. Ah, she shouldn't have told you this sooner and made Cantika's mind go awry now.

***

Inside the bathroom, Cantika pondered. “What Ares is feeling now is not comparable to what I feel, he is struggling with his life. Am I a bad woman for having done this to her?” her tears are dripping. Not because of love, but because Cantika felt compassion for Ares. He knew how good the man was, and Cantika himself admired him first.

It's just, now Ares sucks and leaves without clarity. That's why Cantika always tries to push Ares away from him. When he remembered his sweet time with Ares, when the man came to pick him up on a big motorbike, to find him chicks, then to eat bread and milk, even when he was sick, he was always there.

“Hiks...” Cantika feels guilty because she has viewed Ares as the most evil man in the world. “Hiks... Hiks..”.

In the bathroom, Cantika was crying alone. Reluctant to go back to the place to eat, she could not stop her crying.

“Cantika... are you okay?” it's Ares! Why did she go into the girls' bathroom? Is he crazy?

“Let's talk, I'll explain everything.”

Not yet Cantika replied, first heard the sentence, “You should not enter the ladies bathroom!”

“Sorry, my wife is pregnant and she's inside, she's a little sensitive. I can't leave him,” Ares replied to the woman's sentence.

Cantika chuckled inside there, how could she remain rancid while dying?

“Oh gosh, really?” heard by Cantika that the woman came to him and said, “Get out of this toilet room and meet your husband. You can be locked up in there and something happens with your baby.”

Because Cantika refused to make any inconvenience, eating her out of the room with a puffy face.

“Yeah, may your marriage be okay,” said the woman went into another room.

Cantika followed Ares alone, and was a little surprised when Ares stepped into the backyard of this restaurant. “Mr Lincoln? Did you leave him?”

“She's gone home because her son has to go to a beauty clinic.”

“Then? How about business?”

“We decided to meet again later without Debby. Mr. Lincoln realized that he could not focus if there was his son there,” said Ares sitting on one of the park benches there.

Because this restaurant was on the roof of the building, so the view they saw now was city light. Ares sighed deeply and smiled, his gaze fixed on the beauty of the city. Cantika sat beside him, making Ares feel happy.

“I'm a bitch huh?”

“I'm glad you noticed,” muttered Cantika.

“Sorry, I can't help myself when I'm next to the woman I care about. I became a fool, sometimes I feel IQ is useless, I am an idiot when it comes to love.”

Cantika fell silent, playing her fingernail. He took a deep breath and asked, “Doctor said how long?”

“Hmm?”

“You die when he says?” cantika asked with glassy eyes, even the tears had gone down. Because the doctor's examination was done a few years ago, right at the time Ares left him. That means the cancer is getting worse not because it's been a long time. “Do you even use fake hair, Ares?”

“No, Cantika.” Ares chuckles. “I'm healthy now.”

“You healed?”

Ares looked at the sky. “When we went to school, my Daddy invited me and Athena to go to America. To see the business school we are going to take. I didn't tell you because I wanted to surprise you, because in America I ordered sapphires that you really like. I was going home when you had the piano race, and I was sure you would win it, and then I would give you the prize.”

Cantika was shocked, even Ares remembered when he had a piano race. But on that day, Cantika cried because her mother was dead and Ares was not there.

“But before that happened, I fainted while being discussed with Daddy's colleagues. Athena took me to the hospital, along with Daddy. And that's where I was told I was cancer.”

Now Cantika can't turn her face away from Ares.

“I'm afraid, Cantika. I know you love me so much, I'm afraid you're gonna cry about my departure. So, I decided to stay in America and not be in touch with anyone anymore. I severed our relationship unilaterally and caused heartache.” Ares also said why his other brother could not be contacted. As Athena loses her phone and laptop, she goes into the dormitory to relieve her grief over Ares. “Athena is crying because of my condition. And all that time, I was just at home with Oma and Mommy. Even my youngest brother was so cold to the point of crying. You remember Alden?”

Cantika chuckled and nodded, her tears still coming down.

“One first month, I cried and was reluctant to seek treatment because I knew I would eventually die.” Ares bit his lower lip. “But Mommy forced me in the second month because she suspected I was not like a cancer patient. Even Oma grabbed my hair because I did not fall out, there was no gelaja any.”

“Then?”

“I just got word that I don't have cancer. The doctor who examined me at that time was a doctor with Alzheimer's who should have retired. And he misdiagnosed me.”

Cantika's mouth was open in disbelief.

“I was going to go straight back to Indonesia and explain everything to all of you, especially to you. But Daddy's company arrived down, he was tricked. The turn of Daddy who was sick because he felt like a failure. That's where I teamed up with Uncle Sebastian and Uncle Luke to wake up Fernandez Inc. I'm sorry.” Her tears were dripping, feeling stupid and also regretful.

“After I was diagnosed it, all I did was write revealing my heart.” Ares chuckles. “After knowing what happened to me was a mistake, Oma even published a sad note of mine. I'll give it to you later.”

Ares just dared to look at Cantika who had just stared at him. In Cantika's mind, he recalled a news story that Fernandez INC would finish its heyday. But the news was disputed by CEOs Sebastian and Luke.

It turned out, Ares who struggled to enforce everything again.

But Cantika's gaze was misunderstood by Ares. Which makes Ares immediately take his phone. “I'm not lying.” Shaking his head. “See, I'll call Oma now.”

Ares did so, and pressed the loudspeaker so that it could be heard by Cantika. “Oma?”

“Ohh my dear grandson. Your voice sounds like you're nervous. Don't you want to put it again in the form of poetry? Your note is very in demand, son.”

“Oma, I got cancer.”

“Ares.” Oma's voice arrived flat. “Before you go to the doctor, make sure first the doctor is healthy.”

Then Ares's eyes looked at Cantika as if saying he was not lying.

“Oma, already yes?”

“When did you come here? you're in California, aren't you?”

“Oma, later Ares call again yes.”

“Son, your tone of voice sounds different? Are you holding back on urination? Don't be like that, Ares. How many times Oma said, holding BAB is not good.”

“Okay, Bye, Oma.” Turn off the call. Ares was not given a chance to speak by Oma.

Then silently Ares stared at Cantika. “Sorry because I'm too stupid. I should have explained it to you back then, but I was focused on work and thought you would come back to accept me whenever I came back.”

Cantika took her breath in. “Ares you are great,” he said. “Parents should take precedence. I'm fine now. Thanks for the explanation.”

Ares knows, it's not a good time to force his feelings.

So, that night they just stared at such a beautiful sight. With her eyes both filled with tears. Wishing God's hand to be kind to Ares, so that he could find Cantika again.

“Ah yes, this is the sapphire I made for you.” Take out a small necklace from his pocket. “It may be too late, but I want to tell you.” the position is corrected by facing Cantika. Ares smiled. “Congratulations on his victory. Your beautiful fingers chant an enchanting melody. Cantika, here's a gift for you.”

Sweet.

****