The night sky was gray, with heavy clouds hanging low. In a quiet room, Laras sat in the corner, her gaze empty. Her eyes were swollen from crying too long, and her hands trembled as she clutched a shard of glass from a photo frame she had broken herself.
The photo was once a beautiful memory—yes, a picture of Laras and the man she once loved, smiling brightly at the beach. But now, that memory was like poison, slowly killing her.
"Am I not worthy of happiness?" she whispered, barely audible. "Am I really just trash that can be thrown away?"
The memory of that night returned to torment her—the night the man she trusted took something most precious from her. She still remembered the sweet promises he made, the fake smiles, and finally, the betrayal that pierced her heart so deeply.
Laras felt shattered. She tried to hold on, but every day felt like hell. The world seemed to reject her very existence, and she thought there was no longer a reason to live. One night, a dark figure approached her and whispered softly:
"Do it. It'll make you happy. You'll be free from this suffering."
She reached for one of the sharp glass shards and brought it close to her wrist. But before the shard could touch her skin, a blinding light shone through her window.
"Stop, Laras. Your life is worth more than this."
Laras froze. She looked around but saw no one. It felt like she was alone. The light grew brighter, blurring her vision. Without realizing it, the glass shard slipped from her hand and hit the floor, shattering the silence of the night.
The next day, Laras tried to distract herself by scrolling through her phone. But fate seemed to be mocking her. She saw a photo of her ex-boyfriend, Ridho, on her social media feed—of course, he was with his new girlfriend. The smile that once belonged to Laras was now directed at someone else.
Goosebumps rose on Laras's skin, her chest tightened, and her heart pounded—but not from love, from anger.
How could he be happy after destroying my life? she thought.
Tears streamed down her cheeks, and Laras threw her phone to the floor. She screamed, cried, and pounded the table in frustration.
"Why does he get to be happy? Why am I the only one who has to suffer?!"
A few days later, Laras decided to confront Ridho. Full of fury, she went to the café where Ridho usually hung out with his friends. There, she spotted him sitting casually with his girlfriend, their hands intertwined. Laras stood in front of them, ignoring the stares from everyone around.
"You!" Laras shouted with a trembling voice. "You bastard! You ruined my life, and now you're just having fun like nothing happened?!"
All eyes turned to her. Ridho sighed deeply, let go of his girlfriend's hand, and looked at Laras coldly.
"What do you want, Laras? My life has nothing to do with you anymore. It's over. Move on!"
"Move on?! You took everything from me! And now you tell me to just move on?!" Laras cried, her hands shaking.
"Laras, we're nothing now. Whatever happened, that was your own fault—being a flirty, easy girl!" Ridho snapped, laughing cruelly.
Those words hit Laras like a slap to the face. Tears fell, but she couldn't respond. Deep down, she started to believe his words. She left the café with an even more broken heart.
That night, Laras returned to her room in pieces. She sat on the floor, staring at the kitchen knife she had taken earlier. In silence, her mind was filled with dark whispers.
"You mean nothing to him..." a voice hissed—sharp and cold. Yes, it was Azazel's voice. "It's your own fault for being a flirtatious and easy woman! Your life is already over!"
Her tears fell without end. She gripped the knife tightly.
"Maybe this really is the way," she muttered.
Laras dragged the sharp blade across her wrist. As her consciousness faded, a blinding white light appeared before her eyes.
Serafim appeared before her and carried the nearly lifeless Laras to the hospital. When Laras awoke, she saw Serafim in front of her.
"Who are you?" Laras asked, confused.
"You don't need to know who I am. Why did you do all this?" Serafim asked firmly.
"Why do you care? Why should I live? Wouldn't the world be better off without me? I'm the problem!" Laras answered in despair.
Serafim, speechless for a moment, brought Laras to another room in the hospital. There, they saw children—pale, bald, and weak. But despite it all, they smiled brightly.
One little girl walked up to Laras. "Sis, why are you here? You must be sick too, right?" she asked innocently.
Laras couldn't say a word. Tears welled up again. The little girl came closer and wiped the tears off Laras's cheeks.
"Don't be sad, Sis. You'll get better. Me and my friends want to get better too, so we can play again. We believe we're superheroes sent by God to make others happy."
Those words pierced Laras's heart. She realized how much she had taken her life for granted.
Serafim, standing beside her, said, "Now do you understand, Laras? Your life means more than you think."
After leaving the hospital, Laras decided to rebuild herself. She sought professional help, learned to accept who she was, and began to forgive her past.
Serafim watched from afar, smiling with quiet satisfaction. He knew Laras still had a long journey ahead, but at least now, she had found the will to keep going.
"How did you manage to take me to the hospital?" Laras asked, still lying weakly in bed.
"Think of me as your guardian. I knew you were going to do something terrible, so I came to help you," Serafim answered reassuringly.
"Hmm… So you're not one of the dark figures that always appear in my head? Alright then," Laras said, turning her gaze away.
"What do you mean?" Serafim asked, curious.
"Forget it… If you're my protector, why did you only come when I was already so tired?" Laras asked again.
"Because your problem is your heart—and love. No matter how close I got or how many times I tried to reach you, you would always be blinded by that love. So I chose to wait. Because otherwise, it wouldn't work," Serafim replied with a gentle smile.
Laras smiled too. She understood. That answer was something she already knew deep down.
***