Ever feel like the world’s just too much? Like no matter what you do, it’s never enough? This story’s for you. No sugar-coating, just the truth.It might just hit you where it hurts.

(Pernah merasa dunia itu terlalu berat? Seperti apapun yang kamu lakukan, tetap tidak cukup?  Cerita ini untukmu. Tanpa pemanis, hanya kenyataan. Ini mungkin akan menghantammu tepat di tempat yang sakit.)

 

The Breaking Point

(Titik Patah)

The Weight of Silent Demands
(Beratnya Tuntutan yang Diam)

Lennox sat on the edge of his bed, staring blankly at the wall that seemed to reflect all the silence of the world. The room never felt big enough to contain the feelings that churned inside him. Outside, rain fell softly, almost as if it shared in his sorrow. But the sound of rain, which usually calmed him, now felt like an added burden. Every drop that fell seemed to weigh his heart down even further.
(Lennox duduk di tepi tempat tidurnya, menatap kosong ke dinding yang seakan memantulkan semua keheningan dunia. Kamar itu tak pernah terasa cukup besar untuk menampung perasaan yang terus bergejolak di dalam dirinya. Di luar, hujan turun perlahan, hampir seperti ikut merasakan kesedihan yang merayapi dirinya. Tetapi suara hujan itu, yang biasanya menenangkan, kini malah terasa seperti tambahan beban. Setiap tetes yang jatuh, semakin menambah berat hati yang sudah penuh.)

“Why does everything have to be so hard?” Lennox muttered, his eyes scanning the crumpled piece of paper in front of him. He had tried so many times to finish the art project, but it never felt right. Each stroke of the brush only reminded him of the expectations that never seemed to stop pressing down on him.
(“Kenapa semuanya harus begitu sulit?” gumam Lennox, matanya menatap selembar kertas yang kusut di depannya. Dia sudah berusaha berkali-kali untuk menyelesaikan proyek seni itu, tapi rasanya tidak pernah benar. Setiap sapuan kuas hanya mengingatkannya pada ekspektasi yang tak pernah berhenti menekannya.)

The silence in the room was deafening. It was the kind of silence that screamed at him, reminding him of all the things he hadn’t accomplished, all the dreams that never came true. It wasn’t just the silence of the room; it was the silence of everyone around him, too. No one ever said anything, but somehow, they all expected him to be perfect. They expected him to be more than he was.
(Keheningan di ruangan itu sangat memekakkan. Itu adalah jenis keheningan yang berteriak padanya, mengingatkan semua hal yang belum dia capai, semua impian yang tak pernah terwujud. Bukan hanya keheningan ruangan ini; itu juga keheningan dari orang-orang di sekitarnya. Tidak ada yang pernah berkata apa-apa, tapi entah bagaimana, mereka semua mengharapkannya untuk sempurna. Mereka mengharapkannya untuk lebih dari yang dia bisa.)

Lennox wasn’t a star athlete, nor was he the charming kid with endless friends. He wasn’t even the kind of person people noticed, except when they needed something. He was just… there. And yet, somehow, everyone thought he should be something grand. Something more.
(Lennox bukanlah seorang atlet bintang, juga bukan anak yang menawan dengan teman-teman tak terhitung. Dia bahkan bukan orang yang diperhatikan orang, kecuali ketika mereka membutuhkan sesuatu. Dia hanya… ada. Namun entah bagaimana, semua orang berpikir dia harus menjadi sesuatu yang lebih besar. Sesuatu yang lebih.)

The sound of the door creaking broke his thoughts. He knew exactly who it was before he even heard the footsteps. His mother. Her voice always carried that familiar tone of disappointment.
(Suara pintu yang berderit memecah pikirannya. Dia tahu siapa yang datang bahkan sebelum mendengar langkah kaki itu. Ibunya. Suaranya selalu membawa nada kekecewaan yang sangat familiar.)

“Lennox!” her voice rang out, sharp and demanding. “Are you still playing with those paints? Why aren’t you being serious? What are you even trying to do?”
(“Lennox!” suaranya terdengar keras, tajam, dan memaksa. “Kamu masih main dengan cat-cat itu? Kenapa nggak serius, sih? Apa sih yang kamu coba lakukan?”)

Lennox didn’t look up. He kept his eyes on the paper in front of him, hoping it would disappear. The same disappointment he had seen a thousand times before was now written all over her face. It wasn’t anger, not really. It was something worse. It was a deep, quiet disappointment that hurt more than any shout ever could.
(Lennox tidak menatapnya. Dia tetap menatap kertas di depannya, berharap kertas itu menghilang. Kekecewaan yang telah dia lihat seribu kali sebelumnya kini terlihat jelas di wajah ibunya. Itu bukan kemarahan, sebenarnya. Itu sesuatu yang lebih buruk. Itu adalah kekecewaan yang dalam dan sunyi yang lebih menyakitkan daripada teriakan apapun.)

“Why can’t you just focus on something that actually matters?” Her voice trembled, though she was trying hard to sound stern.
(“Kenapa kamu nggak bisa fokus pada sesuatu yang benar-benar penting?” Suaranya bergetar, meski dia berusaha keras terdengar tegas.)

Lennox felt his heart sink. “I’m trying, Mom,” he whispered under his breath, though he knew she couldn’t hear it. The words tasted bitter, a lie he told himself to get through the conversation. Because he wasn’t trying. He wasn’t sure what he was doing anymore.
(Lennox merasakan hatinya jatuh. “Aku mencoba, Bu,” bisiknya, meskipun dia tahu ibunya tidak bisa mendengarnya. Kata-kata itu terasa pahit, sebuah kebohongan yang dia ucapkan pada dirinya sendiri untuk melewati percakapan itu. Karena dia tidak sedang mencoba. Dia bahkan tidak yakin lagi apa yang sedang dia lakukan.)

His mother shook her head, a sigh escaping her lips. “You know, Lennox, I just want you to have a future. I want you to be somebody. Not just… this.”
(Ibunya menggelengkan kepala, sebuah desahan keluar dari bibirnya. “Kamu tahu, Lennox, aku hanya ingin kamu punya masa depan. Aku ingin kamu menjadi seseorang. Bukan hanya… ini.”)

“I never asked to be anything,” Lennox muttered, the words barely audible.
(“Aku nggak pernah minta jadi apa-apa,” gumam Lennox, kata-katanya hampir tidak terdengar.)

His mother didn’t reply. She just stood there, looking at him with eyes that seemed to pierce right through him. The silence stretched on, and with each passing second, it felt heavier.
(Ibunya tidak menjawab. Dia hanya berdiri di sana, memandanginya dengan mata yang seolah menembus dirinya. Keheningan itu berlanjut, dan dengan setiap detiknya, rasanya semakin berat.)

“I’ll… I’ll try harder,” Lennox said, even though he knew he wasn’t sure if that would be enough.
(“Aku… aku akan berusaha lebih keras,” kata Lennox, meskipun dia tahu dia tidak yakin apakah itu akan cukup.)

But his mother was already turning away. “I hope so, Lennox. I really do.”
(Tapi ibunya sudah berbalik. “Aku harap begitu, Lennox. Aku sungguh harap begitu.”)

Lennox sat in the heavy silence that followed, the pressure on his chest growing with every breath. He wasn’t sure what he was expected to be, or who he was supposed to become. The weight of it all pressed on him like a storm, and for the first time in a long while, he wondered if he would ever break free.
(Lennox duduk dalam keheningan berat yang mengikuti, tekanan di dadanya semakin besar dengan setiap tarikan napas. Dia tidak tahu apa yang diharapkan darinya, atau siapa yang seharusnya dia menjadi. Semua beban itu menekannya seperti sebuah badai, dan untuk pertama kalinya dalam waktu yang lama, dia bertanya-tanya apakah dia akan pernah bebas.)

 

The Silent Surrender
(Penyerahan yang Diam)

Lennox sat at his desk the next day, his fingers absentmindedly tapping against the surface. The rain had stopped, but the weight of the silence from yesterday still lingered. His mother’s words echoed in his mind, the same ones that seemed to follow him wherever he went. “I want you to be somebody.” But what did that even mean?
(Lennox duduk di meja belajarnya keesokan harinya, jarinya dengan tidak sengaja mengetuk permukaan meja. Hujan sudah berhenti, tetapi beratnya keheningan dari kemarin masih terasa. Kata-kata ibunya bergaung di pikirannya, yang sama yang seakan mengikuti kemanapun dia pergi. “Aku ingin kamu menjadi seseorang.” Tapi apa artinya itu sebenarnya?)

He glanced at the art supplies scattered across his desk. The canvas was blank, just like his mind. He wanted to be good, to be enough, but no matter how hard he tried, it always felt like something was missing. Something deep inside him wasn’t right. The pressure of expectation crushed him, but he wasn’t sure how to escape it.
(Dia menatap perlengkapan seni yang tersebar di mejanya. Kanvas itu kosong, seperti pikirannya. Dia ingin menjadi baik, menjadi cukup, tetapi tidak peduli seberapa keras dia mencoba, selalu ada yang terasa hilang. Sesuatu yang dalam dirinya tidak benar. Tekanan dari harapan itu menekannya, tapi dia tidak tahu bagaimana cara melepaskannya.)

The door creaked open, and Lennox tensed, knowing who it was before they even spoke. His sister, Eden, entered the room with her usual air of nonchalance, as if nothing in the world could shake her.
(Pintu berderit terbuka, dan Lennox menegang, tahu siapa yang akan masuk sebelum mereka berbicara. Kakaknya, Eden, memasuki ruangan dengan sikap biasa, seolah tak ada yang bisa menggoyahkannya di dunia ini.)

“Still not working on the project?” Eden asked, her tone casual but with a hint of judgment.
(“Masih belum mengerjakan proyek itu?” tanya Eden, suaranya santai tapi ada sedikit nada menghakimi.)

Lennox sighed, not wanting to answer. He didn’t have the energy to explain how hard it was. How every brushstroke felt like an attempt to patch up a wound that couldn’t heal.
(Lennox menghela napas, tak ingin menjawab. Dia tidak punya tenaga untuk menjelaskan betapa sulitnya. Betapa setiap sapuan kuas terasa seperti usaha untuk menambal luka yang tak bisa sembuh.)

“I don’t know what I’m supposed to be doing,” he muttered, his voice barely above a whisper.
(“Aku nggak tahu apa yang harus aku lakukan,” gumamnya, suaranya hampir tak terdengar.)

Eden raised an eyebrow, her arms crossed. “You always say that. Maybe you’re just lazy.”
(Eden mengangkat alisnya, tangannya disilangkan. “Kamu selalu bilang itu. Mungkin kamu cuma malas.”)

Lennox felt the sting of her words, but he didn’t say anything. He was used to her sharp comments, but they never stopped hurting. It was like she couldn’t see the struggle, the weight of trying to meet expectations that were impossible to meet.
(Lennox merasakan sakit dari kata-katanya, tapi dia tidak berkata apa-apa. Dia sudah terbiasa dengan komentar tajamnya, tetapi itu tak pernah berhenti menyakitkan. Seolah-olah dia tidak melihat perjuangan itu, beratnya mencoba memenuhi harapan yang tidak mungkin tercapai.)

“I’m not lazy, Eden,” he finally said, his voice steady but hollow. “I’m just… lost.”
(“Aku nggak malas, Eden,” akhirnya dia berkata, suaranya tenang tapi hampa. “Aku cuma… tersesat.”)

Eden rolled her eyes and walked over to his desk, picking up a paintbrush. “Well, you better figure it out soon. No one has time for ‘lost’.”
(Eden memutar matanya dan berjalan ke meja, mengambil sebuah kuas. “Yah, kamu harus segera menyelesaikannya. Nggak ada yang punya waktu buat jadi ‘tersesat’.”)

Lennox watched as she walked out of the room, her steps light and carefree. How could she be so confident, so sure of herself, while he felt like he was drowning in expectations?
(Lennox melihat saat dia berjalan keluar ruangan, langkahnya ringan dan tanpa beban. Bagaimana bisa dia begitu percaya diri, begitu yakin pada dirinya sendiri, sementara dia merasa seperti tenggelam dalam harapan yang tak berkesudahan?)

It was only after she left that Lennox allowed himself to collapse against the desk, his face buried in his hands. The tears came then, unexpected and hot. It wasn’t just the frustration of the moment; it was everything. The pressure, the weight of living up to the impossible. He wanted to scream, to break free from it all, but what was the point?
(Hanya setelah dia pergi, Lennox membiarkan dirinya runtuh di meja, wajahnya terkubur di tangan. Air mata itu datang, tak terduga dan panas. Itu bukan hanya kekecewaan dari saat itu; itu adalah segalanya. Tekanan, beban hidup yang harus memenuhi harapan yang tidak mungkin. Dia ingin berteriak, ingin melepaskan diri dari semua ini, tapi untuk apa?)

The door opened again, but this time, it wasn’t Eden. It was his father.
(Pintu terbuka lagi, tapi kali ini bukan Eden. Itu adalah ayahnya.)

“Still struggling with that project?” his father’s voice was calm, but it carried the weight of unspoken disappointment.
(“Masih kesulitan dengan proyek itu?” suara ayahnya tenang, tapi membawa beban kekecewaan yang tak terucapkan.)

Lennox wiped his eyes quickly, sitting up straight as if nothing had happened. “Yeah, just… trying to figure it out.”
(Lennox cepat-cepat menghapus air matanya, duduk tegak seolah tidak ada yang terjadi. “Iya, cuma… mencoba mencari jalan keluar.”)

His father didn’t sit down, just stood by the door, arms crossed. “Well, you should know by now that people don’t get far by just trying. You’ve got to work harder, Lennox. You’ve got to put in the effort if you want to be somebody.”
(Ayahnya tidak duduk, hanya berdiri di pintu, tangan disilangkan. “Yah, kamu harusnya sudah tahu, orang nggak akan jauh hanya dengan coba-coba. Kamu harus bekerja lebih keras, Lennox. Kamu harus berusaha jika kamu ingin menjadi seseorang.”)

Lennox nodded, though the words felt like a distant echo. “I know, Dad.”
(Lennox mengangguk, meskipun kata-kata itu terasa seperti gema yang jauh. “Aku tahu, Pa.”)

But inside, he was crumbling. He didn’t know how much more of this he could take.
(Namun di dalam, dia sedang hancur. Dia tidak tahu seberapa banyak lagi yang bisa dia tahan.)

 

The Silent Cry
(Tangisan yang Diam)

Lennox sat at the kitchen table, his spoon stirring absentmindedly through his cereal. The morning light streamed in through the windows, warm and inviting, but it did nothing to lift the heaviness inside him. It felt like a cloud had settled on his chest, pressing down harder with each passing day.
(Lennox duduk di meja dapur, sendoknya mengaduk-aduk sereal dengan tidak sengaja. Cahaya pagi masuk melalui jendela, hangat dan mengundang, tapi itu tak mampu mengangkat beban di dalam dirinya. Rasanya seperti awan yang mengendap di dadanya, semakin menekan seiring berjalannya waktu.)

His phone buzzed across the table, vibrating against the wood, and Lennox glanced at it. Another reminder from school about an assignment he’d barely started. His fingers hovered over the screen, but he didn’t open the message. It was pointless.
(Ponselnya berdengung di atas meja, bergetar di atas kayu, dan Lennox meliriknya. Pengingat lainnya dari sekolah tentang tugas yang hampir tak pernah dia mulai. Jarinya terhenti di atas layar, tetapi dia tidak membuka pesan itu. Itu tidak ada gunanya.)

He heard his mother’s voice in the hallway, her heels clicking against the floor. She came into the kitchen, her face as flawless as always, her smile the same practiced perfection.
(Dia mendengar suara ibunya di lorong, suara hak sepatu berderit di lantai. Dia masuk ke dapur, wajahnya selalu sempurna, senyumannya selalu penuh latihan.)

“Good morning, Lennox,” she said, her voice sweet, but there was something sharp behind it. It was the same greeting she gave every morning, as if everything was perfectly fine.
(“Selamat pagi, Lennox,” katanya, suaranya manis, tapi ada sesuatu yang tajam di baliknya. Itu adalah sapaan yang sama setiap pagi, seolah-olah semuanya baik-baik saja.)

He didn’t answer immediately, his gaze fixed on the bowl in front of him. He was tired of pretending that everything was fine. His mother didn’t see him; she never did. She saw what she wanted to see—her perfect son, the one who could handle anything. But that wasn’t him.
(Dia tidak langsung menjawab, pandangannya tertuju pada mangkuk di depannya. Dia lelah berpura-pura semuanya baik-baik saja. Ibunya tidak melihatnya; dia tak pernah melakukannya. Dia melihat apa yang ingin dia lihat—anak laki-lakinya yang sempurna, yang bisa menghadapi segala hal. Tapi itu bukan dirinya.)

“You know,” his mother began, her voice suddenly sharp, “I’ve been thinking. If you don’t start taking things seriously, Lennox, you’re going to end up just like your father.”
(“Kamu tahu,” ibunya mulai, suaranya tiba-tiba tajam, “Aku sedang berpikir. Jika kamu tidak mulai menganggap ini serius, Lennox, kamu akan berakhir seperti ayahmu.”)

The words cut through him like a knife, sharper than anything she had ever said before. Just like his father. He could already feel the weight of those words pressing against him, tightening around his throat.
(Kata-kata itu menyayatnya seperti pisau, lebih tajam dari apapun yang pernah dia katakan sebelumnya. Seperti ayahmu. Dia sudah bisa merasakan beban kata-kata itu menekan dirinya, melilit di tenggorokannya.)

He looked up, his expression unreadable. “I’m not like him,” he said quietly, his voice betraying the hurt he felt.
(Dia menatap, ekspresinya tak terbaca. “Aku nggak seperti dia,” katanya pelan, suaranya mengkhianati rasa sakit yang dia rasakan.)

But his mother didn’t seem to hear him. She was already walking away, her heels clicking against the floor once more.
(Namun ibunya tampaknya tidak mendengarnya. Dia sudah berjalan pergi, hak sepatu berderit di lantai sekali lagi.)

Lennox swallowed hard, the tears threatening to spill, but he wouldn’t let them. Not yet. He wasn’t going to break down in front of her, not after everything he had already been through.
(Lennox menelan dengan keras, air mata hampir tumpah, tetapi dia tidak akan membiarkannya. Belum saatnya. Dia tidak akan runtuh di depannya, tidak setelah semua yang sudah dia alami.)

The day dragged on like it always did, slow and suffocating. He sat in classes, nodded when he was expected to, but his mind wasn’t there. It was somewhere else—somewhere far away where the expectations didn’t matter, where he could just breathe without feeling like he was drowning.
(Hari itu berjalan lambat seperti biasa, menyesakkan. Dia duduk di kelas, mengangguk ketika diharapkan, tetapi pikirannya tidak ada di sana. Itu berada di tempat lain—di tempat yang jauh, di mana harapan tidak penting, di mana dia bisa bernapas tanpa merasa seperti tenggelam.)

By the time he got home, the weight of the day was unbearable. His shoulders were heavy, his steps slow and deliberate. He passed by his parents’ room, and for a moment, he stopped, his hand hovering over the doorknob.
(Ketika dia sampai di rumah, beban hari itu sudah tak tertahankan. Bahunya terasa berat, langkahnya lambat dan sengaja. Dia melewati kamar orangtuanya, dan untuk sesaat, dia berhenti, tangannya terhenti di atas pegangan pintu.)

He could hear them talking inside—his mother’s voice, calm and smooth, but his father’s was gruff and distant. The words they exchanged were meaningless, a routine. Lennox had learned long ago that their relationship was a performance.
(Dia bisa mendengar mereka berbicara di dalam—suara ibunya, tenang dan halus, tetapi suara ayahnya kasar dan jauh. Kata-kata yang mereka tukar tidak berarti, sebuah rutinitas. Lennox sudah lama tahu bahwa hubungan mereka adalah sebuah pertunjukan.)

It was all a show. For the world. For him. And somehow, he was expected to be the lead actor.
(Semua itu hanyalah pertunjukan. Untuk dunia. Untuknya. Dan entah bagaimana, dia diharapkan menjadi pemeran utamanya.)

The pressure was crushing him, but there was no way out. He couldn’t go back. He couldn’t escape. All he could do was endure.
(Tekanan itu menghancurkannya, tetapi tidak ada jalan keluar. Dia tidak bisa kembali. Dia tidak bisa melarikan diri. Yang bisa dia lakukan hanya bertahan.)

But in that moment, as he stood frozen outside their door, something inside him snapped. The weight of everything—his mother’s words, his father’s silence, his own suffocating thoughts—was too much. He was suffocating.
(Tapi pada saat itu, saat dia berdiri membeku di luar pintu mereka, sesuatu di dalam dirinya terputus. Berat dari segalanya—kata-kata ibunya, keheningan ayahnya, pikiran-pikirannya yang menyesakkan—terlalu banyak. Dia merasa tercekik.)

He turned away from the door, retreating to his room.
(Dia berbalik dari pintu, mundur ke kamarnya.)

 

The Breaking Point
(Titik Patah)

Lennox sat in the corner of his room, the faint glow of the desk lamp casting shadows across the walls. It was late, much later than he intended, but the thoughts wouldn’t stop. They never did. They buzzed in his head like a swarm of angry bees, relentless and loud, but all he could do was sit there, frozen.
(Lennox duduk di sudut kamarnya, cahaya redup dari lampu meja memantulkan bayangan di dinding. Sudah larut, jauh lebih larut dari yang dia rencanakan, tetapi pikirannya tidak berhenti. Mereka tak pernah berhenti. Mereka berdengung di kepalanya seperti kawanan lebah marah, tak kenal lelah dan bising, tapi yang bisa dia lakukan hanya duduk di sana, beku.)

The silence of the night was deafening, and the only sound he could hear was his own breath—slow, shallow, each inhale more desperate than the last. He didn’t know how much longer he could keep going like this.
(Kesunyian malam itu sangat memekakkan, dan satu-satunya suara yang bisa dia dengar adalah napasnya sendiri—pelan, dangkal, setiap tarikan napas terasa semakin putus asa dari yang sebelumnya. Dia tidak tahu berapa lama lagi dia bisa bertahan seperti ini.)

He glanced over at his desk, the unfinished homework sitting there, mocking him. No matter how hard he tried, nothing seemed to matter. Nothing seemed worth it.
(Dia melirik ke meja belajarnya, tugas yang belum selesai tergeletak di sana, mengejeknya. Tak peduli seberapa keras dia mencoba, tak ada yang terasa penting. Tak ada yang terasa layak.)

The pressure, the expectations—his parents, his school, the world—they all weighed on him like a mountain. And no matter how hard he tried to climb, he was always sliding back down.
(Tekanan, harapan—orangtuanya, sekolahnya, dunia—semuanya menekan dirinya seperti gunung. Dan tak peduli seberapa keras dia berusaha mendaki, dia selalu tergelincir kembali ke bawah.)

But tonight, the thought of just stopping, of stepping off the edge, seemed like a relief.
(Tapi malam ini, gagasan untuk berhenti saja, melangkah keluar dari tepi, terasa seperti sebuah kelegaan.)

He wasn’t looking for an escape. No, that wasn’t it. He wasn’t thinking about leaving, but more about the silence. The peace that might come with no longer fighting.
(Dia tidak mencari pelarian. Tidak, itu bukanlah tujuannya. Dia tidak berpikir untuk pergi, tetapi lebih tentang keheningan. Kedamaian yang mungkin datang dengan berhenti berjuang.)

He sat there, his hands trembling as they gripped the edge of the desk, the sharp bite of reality stinging him. He wanted to scream, to cry, but no sound left his mouth. Nothing ever did.
(Dia duduk di sana, tangannya gemetar saat menggenggam tepi meja, gigitan tajam kenyataan menyakitinya. Dia ingin berteriak, menangis, tetapi tidak ada suara yang keluar dari mulutnya. Tak pernah ada.)

“Why am I even here?” he muttered under his breath, the question as familiar as the pain that always seemed to follow.
(“Kenapa aku bahkan ada di sini?” gumamnya pelan, pertanyaan itu sudah seterkenal rasa sakit yang selalu mengikuti.)

His mind wandered to his father—distant, cold, unreachable—and to his mother, who had long ago stopped seeing him. They only saw what they wanted to see. The perfect son. But he wasn’t perfect. He never would be.
(Pikirannya melayang pada ayahnya—jauh, dingin, tak terjangkau—dan ibunya, yang sejak lama berhenti melihatnya. Mereka hanya melihat apa yang mereka inginkan untuk dilihat. Anak yang sempurna. Tapi dia bukan yang sempurna. Dia tak akan pernah.)

With a deep breath, Lennox stood up, his legs shaking beneath him. He didn’t know what he was doing anymore, but he couldn’t stay still. The world, his parents, the endless expectations—it was all suffocating.
(Dengan napas dalam, Lennox berdiri, kakinya gemetar di bawahnya. Dia tidak tahu apa yang sedang dia lakukan lagi, tetapi dia tidak bisa diam. Dunia, orangtuanya, harapan yang tak pernah habis—semuanya menyesakkan.)

He grabbed his jacket, pulling it on hastily, and headed for the door. The room seemed to spin for a moment, the air thick with the weight of everything he had to carry. But he couldn’t bear it any longer.
(Dia meraih jaketnya, memakainya terburu-buru, dan menuju ke pintu. Ruangan itu sejenak berputar, udara terasa berat dengan segala beban yang harus dia bawa. Tapi dia tidak bisa menahannya lebih lama.)

Outside, the world was cold and silent, and for a moment, he thought he could disappear into the night, vanish, and no one would ever know.
(Di luar, dunia terasa dingin dan sunyi, dan untuk sesaat, dia berpikir dia bisa menghilang ke dalam malam, lenyap, dan tak ada yang akan tahu.)

But the thoughts, the pressure—they followed him like shadows.
(Tapi pikiran-pikiran itu, tekanan-tekanan itu—mereka mengikutinya seperti bayangan.)

He stopped at the edge of the street, his hands gripping the metal railing, staring out into the empty road. This was the moment. The breaking point. He could feel it.
(Dia berhenti di tepi jalan, tangannya menggenggam pagar besi, menatap ke jalan yang kosong. Ini adalah saatnya. Titik patahnya. Dia bisa merasakannya.)

Then, a voice—a familiar voice—called out to him from behind.
(Kemudian, sebuah suara—suara yang familiar—memanggilnya dari belakang.)

“Lennox.”
(“Lennox.”)

It was his mother. She stood at the end of the driveway, her silhouette framed by the streetlights. Her voice was softer now, almost pleading.
(Itu ibunya. Dia berdiri di ujung jalan masuk, siluetnya dibingkai oleh lampu jalan. Suaranya sekarang lebih lembut, hampir memohon.)

“Lennox, please. Come back.”
(“Lennox, tolong. Kembali.”)

He closed his eyes for a moment, the weight of her words sinking deep into him. But in the end, he didn’t move.
(Dia menutup matanya sejenak, beban kata-katanya meresap dalam dirinya. Tapi pada akhirnya, dia tidak bergerak.)

He didn’t know what he was waiting for, but he knew that something had to change.
(Dia tidak tahu apa yang dia tunggu, tetapi dia tahu bahwa sesuatu harus berubah.)

The night stretched on, and Lennox stood there, not knowing if he would ever find what he was searching for.
(Malam itu terus berlanjut, dan Lennox berdiri di sana, tidak tahu apakah dia akan pernah menemukan apa yang dia cari.)

 

And just like that, you realize… sometimes, letting go is the only way to breathe again. It’s messy, it’s painful, but it’s real.Maybe we all just need to break before we can heal.

(Dan seperti itu, kamu menyadari… terkadang, melepaskan adalah satu-satunya cara untuk bisa bernapas lagi. Ini berantakan, ini menyakitkan, tapi ini nyata. Mungkin kita semua perlu pecah dulu sebelum bisa sembuh.)