Elara Nathania Wijaya is a talented surgeon at one of the best hospitals in Jakarta. However, outside the operating room, Elara chooses to hide her true identity from the public, with only a few close friends knowing who she really is. Elara once had a relationship with Darren Alvaro, an ambitious man with high aspirations in the police force. Unfortunately, their relationship ended painfully-Darren cheated on her with a woman from their high school days, simply because he thought Elara couldn't help him secure a higher position. Disappointed and hurt, Elara decided to leave Indonesia to continue her studies in America. After six years of hard work, she became recognized as one of the best surgeons. However, her older brother's call brought her back to her homeland. A few months after returning to Jakarta, fate once again brought her together with someone from her past-Rafael Xander Mahendra, a soldier and her brother's close friend. Elara had actually met him years ago in America, under extraordinary circumstances. At that time, Rafael, a captain, was severely injured by gunfire during a security operation. Elara was the one who saved his life on the operating table. Since then, Rafael had never forgotten the young doctor who saved him. However, the feelings he had kept hidden for so long were soon tested when he learned of a piece of news that would change everything.
Chapter 1 A Fateful Return
Elara Nathania Wijaya stood before the large, glossy windows of the Jakarta hospital, watching the city bustle below. The view was familiar, yet it felt so distant now. Six years in America had altered her perspective-what was once home now seemed foreign. She had returned, not because she wanted to, but because she had to. Her older brother's call had been the catalyst. Family always had a way of pulling her back, no matter how far she tfried to distance herself.
She glanced down at the surgical scrubs she still wore, the sterile blue a stark contrast to the chaotic world she was about to re-enter. Here, in this hospital, she was no longer the girl who had once struggled with self-doubt. She was a surgeon, respected for her skill, someone who could save lives with precision and expertise. But beneath the calm exterior, there was a past she couldn't erase-a past that had followed her all the way from America to this very moment.
Before she could contemplate further, her phone buzzed. It was a message from her older brother, Aidan.
"Meet me at the usual spot. We need to talk."
The message was short and to the point, as always. Aidan had always been direct, never one for pleasantries. Elara sighed and pocketed her phone, heading out of the hospital to meet him. She knew what he wanted to talk about-the same thing he'd been pushing her to confront since she returned. Her future in Jakarta.
But there was something else in the back of her mind, something she hadn't expected to encounter. A face she hadn't seen in years.
It was only when she entered the small, quiet café in the corner of the street that she saw him. Rafael Xander Mahendra.
Her heart stuttered for a moment. The tall, broad-shouldered figure standing by the counter turned, and their eyes met for the first time in six years. It was as though time had frozen, and suddenly, the world felt smaller.
Rafael. Captain Rafael Mahendra. The man who she had saved years ago in America, when he had been shot during a government operation. The man who had become a ghost in her memory-someone she thought she would never see again.
"Elara," he said, his voice deep, carrying a weight she couldn't quite place. His eyes softened as he took a step toward her, but there was something guarded in his expression.
"Elara Nathania Wijaya," he repeated, as if testing the name on his lips. "I never thought I'd see you again."
She took a deep breath, steadying herself, before offering a polite smile. "I didn't expect to see you either, Captain Mahendra."
It felt strange to call him that, even though she knew he had earned it. But the man standing before her was no longer just the soldier she had saved years ago. He was different-hardened by time, shaped by experiences she couldn't even begin to understand.
Their gazes locked, and for a fleeting moment, Elara wondered if she had made a mistake by coming back. The old wounds, the ones she thought were healed, started to sting again. And the past-everything she had tried to bury-began to resurface.
"So," Rafael continued, breaking the silence. "I guess we're both back in Jakarta for a reason."
Elara didn't respond immediately. Instead, she let his words linger in the air, heavy with meaning. There was a lot more to this reunion than either of them was willing to admit.
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