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Once in the family room, Bryan took a deep breath, exhaling slowly. He stood in front of Alesya, pronouncing divorce upon his wife.

One task for Handoko was now completed. Now he just had to divorce Shabila, whose whereabouts were unclear.

"Bryan has divorced Alesya; you can get married whenever you want," Handoko broke the silence after Bryan pronounced the divorce to Alesya.

"And Dad prays that you will be blessed with children soon to end this. And please leave this house as soon as everything goes as I want."

An ending that deeply offended Nicholas.

"No need for that, Dad. After we get married, I'll take Alesya to live separately from all of you."

Not wanting to be belittled, Nicholas quickly corrected his father's words.

"Dad won't allow that," Handoko responded to Nicholas without looking at his son. "Until both of you leave this house, just see what will happen to Alesya."

"This is not fair. Dad, you know, Bryan is Alesya's ex-husband? Naturally, I'm not comfortable leaving my wife here!"

Handoko remained firm, and Nicholas followed suit, equally firm.

"You can take Alesya with you to the restaurant, can't you? Go in the morning and come home at night. You don't have to move out from here to avoid Bryan. Besides, they never had any relationship, so there's nothing for you to worry about here."

"Nicholas, please, I beg you this once, listen to Dad's words, if you still want to consider us as your parents," Mariana intervened.

"Parents? Haven't you abandoned me for a long time?"

Tensions were rising.

"Enough!" Mariana stopped the argument. She had been holding back, and instead of solving the problem, it was only getting worse.

"The three of you are my life, my children, and my husband is the source of my life. So please, this time, don't be selfish like this. And you, too, ," Nicholas's mother urged. "Nicholas has agreed to do what you want, so please follow what he wants!"

"I can't believe in that son of yours, An. So don't meddle anymore. I'm tired of all this."

"I'm tired too! As a mother, I don't want my children to be like this. As a mother, I want all of you to get along and receive enough love. But because of your selfishness, , everything has become like this."

"Don't blame me, you're also responsible here. If not for financing your luxurious lifestyle, I wouldn't have to struggle like this," Handoko began to scapegoat Mariana.

"Oh, really? Because of me, or because of Lusi?" Mariana immediately hit the core of the issue. "Have you forgotten, your second wife has spent more of your money than me."

"It's not your business!"

"It is my business, . What's wrong with me? I've given you two sons."

"I want a daughter."

"What daughter? How many years have you been married to Lusi and until now, you haven't had a child together. It doesn't make sense that you got married again just to have a daughter."

"Wait a minute, what's going on here?" Nicholas and Bryan asked in unison when Mariana mentioned Lusi's name as Handoko's second wife.

"She, your father married again, said he wanted to have a daughter. I had to agree because my womb had been removed after giving birth to Nicholas. But in reality, what? Until now, your father has not had a child with Lusi, whether it's just an excuse or what, I don't understand," Mariana explained with trembling lips.

Finally, she unveiled the dark curtain of her marriage to Handoko. She had endured being by his side all these years because she couldn't bear to live in poverty.

"Is that true, Mom?" Nicholas turned to Mariana, genuinely shocked to learn that all along, Dr. Lusi, their family's regular doctor, was Handoko's second wife.

Mariana nodded, wiping her tears roughly. "Yes, Lusi is your father's second wife, including..."

"That's enough, Mariana! Shut your mouth and don't try to open old wounds from the past, or I'll start revealing all your current misdeeds too. I'll..."

", are you sure you want to divorce me? If you're really going to divorce me, then I'll reveal all the secrets, including your wicked plans with your second wife." She turned the tables on the man who had been her husband for decades.

"Enough!" Handoko clutched his chest, the current argument had genuinely shocked him. He was genuinely afraid that his past case would be reopened.

Yes, Handoko couldn't bear to go to prison at his old age.

"I won't stop if you haven't stopped your marriage with Lusi either, !" Mariana pleaded, seizing the opportunity. She also started to expose her husband's past mistakes, even though she was aware that she would be dragged into the legal process afterward. But that was alright as long as she felt satisfied and trusted that Nicholas would protect her. Handoko felt weak; his body seemed to have lost its bones, his chest hurt from the immense fear that was haunting him.

He was terrified that Mariana would reveal all the wrongdoings he had committed in the past, including the dark secret of Alesya's mother's death.

"What's going on here, Mom? Tell me the truth. If you're honest with me, I promise you, I'll stand by your side and protect you no matter what," Nicholas held Mariana's hand, just like he did with Alesya, comforting the two women he loved.

Mariana shook her head; she still couldn't bring herself to expose the dark secret. She wondered if it was foolishness born out of love that had made her do such wrong things all along. Whether it was haunted by guilt or fear of the law, Mariana was beginning to contemplate revealing everything. But, seeing Handoko's condition now, she hesitated to speak.

"!" Mariana shouted, rushing over to Handoko when she saw him collapse helplessly. "Nicholas, Bryan, help your father!" Mariana panicked as her husband became unconscious.

Nicholas and Bryan hurried to help their mother take their father to the hospital because he had suffered a heart attack. Neither of them had known that their father had a heart condition.

"This is what I feared," Mariana murmured after they arrived at the hospital and Handoko was receiving treatment from the doctor.

Anita, the middle-aged woman, sat weakly in the waiting area in front of the ICU. "This is what I was afraid of when you wouldn't do what your father wanted. He was ambitious, yes, but it wasn't in line with his health. I regret opening all those secrets."

"But, Mom! You had to. Especially since it concerns the Aditama family. Alesya needs your recognition, so that her late parents can rest peacefully in the afterlife. Even if Alesya has to lose all her wealth, at least she knows what wickedness her father did to her parents. I beg you to work with me and Alesya. I promise to still consider you and Dad as my parents. I'll take care of you like a son takes care of his parents."

Mariana shook her head. "I can't do it yet. I truly regret provoking your father's anger, which led to this fatal situation."