She exhales and inhales her breath like she is nervous to call her longtime boyfriend, Andre Diy.

She hasn't met him in three weeks. What she about to tell him is something would really break Andre's heart.

She has been with Andre for over sixteen years but in those sixteen years, she had upside and downside with him.

Mostly, downside, because she has been unhappy with him for many years but she decided to stay on with him because she was afraid to let that safety net go. She is afraid that she would be lonely and no one wants to be with her.

When the new year of 2020 came, her thoughts were all over the place because she made a promised to her self that this 2020 year is the year where she finally let go of Andre, of their 16 years of relationship.

She didn't feel that she grew so much in the relationship. Like a bonsai tree, it has become stagnant.

She just needs to find the courage and strength in order to let Andre go.

She is with her family. She just lost her grandma from her dad side. So she is away from her hometown and living city, Jakarta to be with her family in these rough times.

She went to East Java, Wonosobo to buried her grandma but her thoughts and her heart are all over the place.

In her hotel room, she talked to her aunt, spilling teas on how she felt towards Andre. Her aunt warned her that in a marriage everything would be the same and different at the same time. Her aunt questioned her, does she wants a husband like Andre, who is passive and doesn't really care about what she thinks? Will she be happy with a normal and boring life that Andre is leading? Will she be satisfied with it?

Throughout that interrogation and questions with her aunt, it made her think. She questioned her safety net with Andre. She questioned every single moment that she spent with him for the past sixteen years.

After a while, short thoughts later, she finally decided. She wants to let Andre go.

She actually wants to say this when she was in Jakarta with Andre, where they spent new years together. Where their love life wasn't really great anymore. It got boring and fester. But she didn't find the courage to say to Andre about it until today.

She texted Andre on her Whatsapp. "Hey babe, I want to talk to you about us."

Andre, on the other hand, has it suspicious about this text. "What do you want to talk about? Us breaking up?"

In her heart, she was like, "Damn he knows me too well." but she replied to him, "Well... it's best that we talk on the phone. I'll call you."

After a few minutes of still going back and forth of her decision, she finally called him, nervously.

"Hello.."

Andre: "Hey, what's up?"

"Hey.. umm.. nothing... It's just that lately I felt distant with you... Umm... I want us to break up."

There's a silence in on the other side of the phone.

But Andre clearly answer. "Ok."

To her shock, that Andre didn't fight back or at least say something other than OK, she quickly replied, "That's it??! After sixteen years with you, you just say OK?!"

Andre replied, "What else do you want me to say?"

She replied, "I don't know.. say that you love me and you still want me.... say that you wanted me to be with you... and not going anywhere... Ughh... Anyways, yeah, I'm breaking up with you."

Andre replied, "May I ask why then?"

She replied, "Well, I feel that we are not growing. I feel that we are stagnant and just hanging there. I feel bored as well. Our love life wasn't great and I've been thinking about this back and forth but now I finally decided. I want us to break up. But I would like to meet you again for one last time and you're also getting your stuff out from my apartment."

Andre quickly replied, "I see.. ok then...when?"

"After I come back from Wonosobo, ok? This Saturday."

Andre quickly replied, "Ok." and then he hangs up the phone.

She releases her deep breath knowing that she just ended her sixteen years of relationship, of her safety net and comfort zones. She knew that she's moving forward with her life this time in the right direction.

After the phone call, her next step would be announcing her recent break up to her family. She chooses to break up with Andre during her grandma funeral event because she knew that she would have a support system from her family.

Selah.

The next morning at the hotel, she woke up with her heart aching because she just can't believe that she ended her long term relationship with Andre but she knew she has to move forward. She knew that today is the day where she tells everyone about what happened with her and Andre.

She went downstairs to have breakfast at the Breakfast Cafe and there she met her dad.

"Hi, Dad. Good morning!"

Her dad is sipping his coffee and smoking as usual.

"Hello... morning...how are you today?"

"Well... I've broken up with Andre."

"Whoa.. really? I'm happy for you. He wasn't the one for you, you know. I always didn't like him. But are you sure? Are you sure that you ended up with Andre for good this time? Because you always back and forth with him."

She was shocked when she hears that from her dad to her surprise her family didn't like Andre and after sixteen years she just know this.

"Yes, I'm sure. This time is for good."

"Why?" her dad asked.

"Because I feel stagnant and I didn't grow as much as I want to in life."

"Oh ok... Does Mom know?" Her dad asked her.

"No, not yet... I haven't tell anyone except you."

"Oh okay.. she must be very happy about this news. You should tell her." Her dad said while finishing his breakfast.

She was stunned. Didn't believe everything that her dad is saying but deep in her heart she knew that this meant that she take the right decision.

She took her breakfast while her dad finishes his cigarette and left her to her thoughts.

Inside her mind, she was thinking "Umm.. this is going to be a long day..."

Selah.

She went and attend her grandma funeral and it was hard on her and on her family. Plus the heartbreak that she felt after the break up it wasn't easy.

She played Lewis Capaldi, 'Before You Go' and 'When Party is Over' many times on her Spotify while laying down and disconnected from her family.

Even though she was surrounded by her family, she still feels lonely.

It's like her half self is apart and broken but she knew she made the right decision.

After the funeral is finished, inside the car, her dad was like, "Tell your mom what happened."

Mom was like "What's up?"

"I broke up with Andre."

Her mum quickly replied, "Good."

She was shocked by her mum reply and question her self, "What is going on between Andre and my family??"

But to her surprise, her mum added: "I never liked the guy anyway."

And she can only reply, "Oh Ok mum.."

She was expecting an extravagant reply from her mum, like comforting her or something but she didn't get any.

Well, maybe that's how her family function especially in this grieving times, that's what she's thinking inside her head.

Back in the hotel, she just chooses to lie down on her bed and played Lewis Capaldi on repeat. One by one her family came down to visit her on her room and she had to announce the break up with her family.

It's hard for her but she knows that she makes the right decision.

January past by, she did meet with Andre and say her goodbyes. They kissed and hugs for the last times and that was it. It was a beautiful breakup because she finally got closure with Andre. They cried together and tells stories. Andre cried and asked her questions of why but he also knew that this time is the end of their story and it's time to move on. So he let her go.

After a while, she then went on with her life of watching Netflix and eating in front of the TV, pretty standard, boring, and lonely.

Then February 20th, 2020 came.

She opened her Instagram and got one DM request from a guy named Ivan Dimitri. "Hmm.." she thought. Very interesting. Because she's been feeling lonely for some time now, having this DM from strangers is like a hallelujah for her.

Ivan: "Hello."

She didn't reply for about three hours because she was busy at that time taking care of her boss flight ticket for a refund but after much thought, she finally replied to him.

"Helo."

He then replied, "Hey, nice to meet you here. Am Ivan Dimitri by name."

"Hi, Ivan, nice to meet you too. How do you find me?"

"Suggestion list."

She thought it's a bit weird to find her on an Instagram suggestion list but she just replied, "Ah, I see."

He quickly replied, "Oh yes, so tell me what's your name?"

"My name is Anya, but you can call me A."

"So tell me, Anya, where are you from? Am Russian but I live in the States. Georgia to be precise."

"Ahh I see, I'm from Indonesia. Have you ever been to Indonesia?"

"I have not been there but I would love to."

"If you come here, just let me know, I'll take you around :)" - She was just being nice to him.

"If you don't mind, could you tell me more about Indonesia?"

She then replied, "Sure... do you know Bali? Bali is part of Indonesia. I live in Jakarta, which is the capital city of Indonesia. Very crowded here for traffic-wise but the people are nice."

He quickly replied, "Wow, that's good to know. Are you married?"

She laughs.

"Nope. I'm single. :) I just recently broke up with my ex of sixteen years. :) Are you married?"

He replied, "Wow, you dated him for 16 years?! Nope, am not."

She replied, "Yeah, it's a long story... haha"

"Everybody has stories to tell.. I also have past experiences..."

She replied this in a quick way, "Well.. tell me about yours :) I dated my ex since I was in Junior High, we still best friends :) He was the only one like I never dated anyone else but him but I'm moving on."

He replied, "I have been in a serious relationship for over 7 years with my ex. It's really sad how things turned out. Still like a dream to me."

She replied with encouragement, "Aww... I see it's really hard moving on but we have to try right? :) What happened if I may ask?"

"I lost her in a moto accident a year ago... Ever since then I have not been in any relationship, I just concentrate more at work."

She thought this is such a sad story, "Oh no, I'm so sorry :("

He then continues, "Never the less, I have tried to move on and also have an open mindset towards life."

By this time, she felt she finally comfortable to tell her stories to him.

"That's good :) For me, it's because we have been together for so long it has become a habit and we always fight and I need someone who can lead me and made me better but he didn't lead me and made me better so I found my self being in the driver's seat all the time without him taking the leadership for me... and also, we have reached to the point of I can't give him what he wanted and he can't give me what I wanted anymore, that's why we broke up... but we are still best friends."

He then replied, "I see, so, tell me what exactly do you want from a man?"

This question makes her think for a while, "Hmm... I need him to support me, lead me, understand me, a good lover, a gentleman, and just be there for me when I need him the most :). How about you? What do you want from a girl?"

He replied, "I really want somebody that understands me, loves me, and trust me. To me, it's trust, love, and understanding that matters in any relationship."

She was confused about what to reply to him because this stranger talking to her in her DM gotten really deep with her, without her thinking, she just then replied, "Same."

He then continues, "And that's what I look out for in a woman."

She then double-tapped the chat bubble so she could like the chat.

Their conversation is getting interesting where she could share things with him and so does he. After a short while, their conversation continues.

"What do you do for work?" She asked.

"I'm a self-employed business manager...... I deal with all aspect of loans and investments." He replied.

"I see... that's really cool :)"

He then continues, "The nature of my job takes me to a different part of the globe because I have got to attend and represent in different conferences and summit."

She replied, "It's awesome to travel the world for work. :)"

He then asked, "So tell me what do you do...."

She was hungry by this time and because the ticket refund was in the mall, she decided to order some food. She sat down in one of the pizzeria cafes in that mall and order some pasta to dine in and some pizza to take home.

She then replied to him, "My work is a hospitality tour manager for the artist. I work in an entertainment company :) I'm also a PA to my boss. He's the owner of the company. I got to travel with celebrities. :)"

He then replied, "I see... You're having fun while working. That's cool, I love that too."

"Yeah... it's my dream job :D, May I ask how old are you?"

Her food is finally ready but this time he didn't reply straight away. She begins to wonder maybe she was too upfront in asking him about age. Especially for caucasian. But after a while, he replied, "I will be 43 this year..."

She was shocked and think this is too old for her but she still continues to text him, "Whoa cool... I'll be 31 this year....:)"

He then replied, "Wow that's nice... You really seem to be an interesting person. If you don't mind, can I have your digits so I can call or even chat you up on WhatsApp."

She thought Wow ok... this would be really interesting, without hesitation, she gave him her phone number and asked about his phone number.

"What's yours?"

He then quickly replied, "Would chat you up on WhatsApp."

"Ok.... See you there..."

She finished her food and she was excited to get his Whatsapp.

She went home from the mall and looking up to her phone, but nothing yet from him. So she kept waiting and waiting until 10.30 PM. While waiting for his text, she kept wondering who is this person, what does he want, and why he chooses her?

"Ping" Her phone vibrates.

"It's him." She smiles and opens up her phone.

They texted each other until midnight. She laughs and smiles continuously. She thought that he was a nice person and she can connect with him.

The night went on and she went to bed happy and fulfilled because for the first time ever she didn't feel alone.

She begins her day with a cup of tea and biscuits. It's still 7 AM in the morning. She thought to her self, "The last two days were interesting. This stranger came up out of nowhere on my Instagram and I can connect with him quickly and on a deeper level. I'm curious about where this leads me."

"Ping." Her phone rings.

She quickly grabs her phone to see who is it from and it is him. Ivan Dimitri. She felt excitement in her chest and she is smiling when she read the text.

"Hey Baby" - Ivan wrote.

She thought, "Whoa... he calls me Baby already... this should be interesting."

Without thinking a lot and it still feels weird to her she just replied a short, "Hello."

And Ivan then replied, "How are you doing today?"

She thought that Ivan was nice and thoughtful by asking how her day is...

She replied, "Good. I just woke up."

"Good morning to you baby... How was your night?"

She smiles in reading his text and she felt a warmth in her heart when Ivan asked that question.

"Umm... my night was good. How was your night?" - She replied.

Ivan quickly replied, "I've been busy... working... but overall good."

She begins to compare her past relationship with this new one. She thought, "Wow... Andre never calls me Baby...and he never asked how I'm doing... what am I doing for the past sixteen years with him and to compare that to Ivan whom I just met online for the last two days and it's like a huge difference."

"Ping." Another notification on her phone.

Ivan writes, "What's your plan for today?"

Waking up from her comparing thoughts she begins to write, "Not much... I have a meeting with my boss today at 3 PM so I should be preparing my self for that."

Ivan replied, "I see... I hope you have a good day."

She then replied, "Thank you."

She closes her phone and sipping her tea. She thought to her self, "this guy is interesting... I'm wondering where this would lead me... the thoughts that he found her on suggestion list on Instagram is really weird, suspicious, and funny."

Because of these thoughts, it leads her into a Google search to find out more about Ivan. To her surprise, she can't find any. His profile on Instagram shows that he is a wealthy and businessman.

A very important person who does bitcoin, cryptocurrency, investments, loves to read, has gone to Africa several times, went on a private jet, and all that jazz. Which makes it interesting for her. But her heart is saying everything on his online profile are sounded too good to be true.

She then texts her best friend, Mark. Mark lives in Australia and they haven't seen each other in five years but they stayed close to each other. Mark, it's like a brother to her. She needed his opinion about Ivan. So she texted him.

"Babes, I got this guy, Ivan Dimitri from Instagram DM that WhatsApp me and call me. He seemed nice. But I can't find him on Google Search. What do you think?"

After a while, due to time differences, Mark didn't reply but then he finally replied after 2 hours of her text saying, "Okay, send me photos and details. Send me his Instagram and I will tell you, babes. I'm the number one stalker, hahaha..."

She laughs. Mark always managed to make her laughed. She then replies, "https://instagram.com/ivan_dimitri?igsshid=102w1ipcglslf - that's his username. He likes to call me. (Sending Mark, Ivan's recent picture) , This is his recent pic. He said he's 43 years old. He's from Georgia."

After a while, Mark then replied, "Babes, he doesn't seem real. His Instagram is all about expensive posts. So that's fake to me. The only WAY to double-check is a video call. Not normal call. Video call. If you're interested. Just be upfront. Say, I need to have a video call of you in order for us to continue to talk. If he says no, or too early to do that. He's fake. And block him."

Then she said, "Ok, will do. Thanks babes :)"

Mark then added, "Babes. He's fake. I double looked. He's fake and I'm the best stalker hahaha..."

She laughs.

"But as I said, to be safe, do a video call. Cause I might be wrong. But I know I'm right. Hahahaha. I'm not God. I can be wrong. Hahaha. "

She then asked Mark, "How is he fake?"

Mark replied, "The things he posts are about materialistic stuff and showing off. Number one rule of a fake person."

She added, "He said that he's a Christian and also like Hillsong Worship. What else that makes you think he's fake?"

Mark replied," Nah, he's fake. Doesn't come across as Hillsong. He hasn't posted anything since July 2019. Babes, he's fake. He uses that page to catch innocent girls. Just be careful and his followers are fake. Screenshot your messages if you don't mind. If it's uncomfortable for you to send then don't send."

She shares her conversation with Ivan to Mark that basically saying how he falls in love with her and how he knows her deeply even though it's been two days, etc. All that jazz.

Mark replied, "Babes, block him and tell him to go fuck himself. Tell him to do a video call with you. Trust me, he is going to say he is busy or not now. And then you can say Bye, thanks to you Mr Fake....hahaha"

She laughs.

Mark then added, "Tell him also to take a photo of him with four fingers next to his face. How did he contacted you?"

She replied, "Instagram DM. He said he found me on the suggestion list."

Mark then replied, "Yeah... that happens. Do a video call, and if I'm wrong, then I'm a shit stalker. Hahaha."

She replied, "Hahaha.. okay then... Thanks for the advice, babes! Love you..."

Mark quickly replied, "Of course... anytime! "

She begins to think about her conversation with Mark. "Wow... all this time... he is fake?! I mean, yeah, he was too early in saying things like "I love you so much that you don't know how much it hurts... I love you more than you love your self... or things like I could never find someone better than you, Baby... You are my world." I mean.... it is flattering but is it true tho? How can someone who we just met for two days and been calling with each other says things like that or have deep feelings like that? This is so weird. I wonder why this is happening to me. I mean after Bill the Scammer, the work scammer, the things that I almost get hypnotized just over a bike thing... then this happens? I mean... Bill the Scammer was also interesting because he wants to marry me and he said that he was from the UK but his accent is Nigerian. When Bill contacted me, I was still with Andre, so he was my safety net. Because when Bill contacted me, it was on loudspeaker and Andre heard it. Andre was like 'Nope.... he's a scammer.' So then, he saved me from him. Bill asked questions like, do you live by your self? How your parents are like, what do you do for work, etc which is quite scary? Bill also contacted me via Instagram but I can tell immediately that his profile is fake. So I didn't go for it. This time, with Ivan... this is something different. There's this gut feeling in my heart that he found me for a reason. That he loves me for a reason. That we met for a reason and a purpose. But what is it?"