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She emphasized every word she spoke.

Bryan and Nicholas both fell silent. Repeating their words wouldn't change anything; their mother was genuinely concerned about their father's health.

As they all remained silent, lost in their thoughts, a woman approached cautiously, realizing that her position was very precarious.

Lusi nervously interlocked her fingers, feeling anxious. She wanted to ask about her husband's condition inside there, but seeing the tension, she decided to wait for the doctor to finish his work.

"Nik," Alesya called, poking Nicholas's arm with her finger to make him aware that Lusi, whom they had been discussing, had arrived.

"He'll be alright, don't worry," Mariana answered Lusi's unspoken question.

"May I speak with the doctor?" Nicholas approached Lusi, followed by Alesya from behind.

Lusi could only nod, allowing Nicholas to walk ahead before she followed him to the back of the ICU.

Nicholas remained stern as he waited for Lusi to sit on one of the concrete benches in the back garden. Lusi hesitated but ultimately complied for the sake of her mental well-being. She was aware of the man she was facing now.

Handoko had often described him as a rebellious, ungrateful child, yet he had always managed to provide some financial support within their home. He contributed to the kitchen expenses, bills, and even house renovations. Lusi realized that she was dealing with someone far from ordinary. Despite Handoko's frequent complaints about his youngest son, it often revolved around him.

"I'm sure you already know who I am, so I'd like to get straight to the point. Please answer my question honestly. What's your relationship with my father?" Nicholas asked.

Lusi raised her head in disbelief that Nicholas already knew about her connection to Handoko. However, she was not ready to speak. She remained silent, unable to find a way to evade the situation but too afraid to admit that she was Handoko's wife. Nicholas knew about her as Handoko's first wife, not Mariana, as most people believed. And for Handoko's reputation, Lusi was willing to hide behind her status as a second wife, not wanting to complicate matters further.

"Answer me, or I'll find out for myself!" Nicholas threatened, displeased with Lusi's attempts to hide her secrets, especially after his mother had revealed some aspects of their past.

"I believe you have no right to ask such questions. Apart from being impolite, my father is not in good health right now. If only you knew that Handoko is a weak man who requires a lot of medical attention, yet he can hide it all and pretend to be fine. If you knew, all his ambitions and selfishness were for your sake."

"I don't need wealth obtained from robbing his own friend, as you know, anything that starts from wrongdoing ends in wrongdoing. Look at how many companies he deceived; in no time, his cherished company is on the verge of ruin. His foolishness in not learning from his actions and instead seizing his friend's, Mr. Aditama's, property. I believe you're aware of this as well. As a wife, you must know the actions of your own husband, right?" Nicholas didn't sugarcoat his words, bombarding Lusi with numerous questions.

Nicholas believed that the words his mind whispered were the truth of the current situation.

Lusi swallowed hard; she hadn't expected Nicholas to be more dangerous than she had thought. She couldn't believe that, even though Handoko had mentioned that Nicholas was busy in the restaurant's kitchen, he had such a sharp mind.

Nicholas was taken aback by Lusi's revelation. It was far from what he had expected. He leaned closer to Lusi, eager to hear more about the story he had never been told.

"Are you sure you want to hear all of this?" Lusi lifted a corner of her lips, a mix of weariness and resentment in her expression, feeling unfairly accused, especially when Mariana was the one who had taken Handoko from her.

"Of course, no matter how dark the past may be, as a son, I need to know the truth about your relationship with my father. I don't want my mother to keep guessing when all of this will end," Nicholas replied firmly.

"Alright," Lusi held back her tears. "I actually married your father first, before your mother."

"What do you mean?" Nicholas was shocked, hearing the unexpected answer from Lusi. It was a far cry from what he had been told.

"Yes, I married your father first because I couldn't give him any children. That's why he married Mariana, and you two were born. When you were born, Mariana faced the consequences of her actions, and her womb had to be removed due to complications during her pregnancy."

"This can't be true," Nicholas sat down next to Lusi, staring blankly at the middle-aged woman. He couldn't believe that his mother had taken his father from him.

"B-but my mother and father just said you were here to provide my father with a place to have a daughter. Isn't that right?" Nicholas chuckled briefly because of the facts Lusi presented to him, without realizing that Lusi was actually right.

However, Mariana had a different story to tell. Both women had their own versions of the truth, and they both knew the reality, so now Nicholas was confused about who to believe—Lusi or his own mother?

Nicholas believed that Mariana had never lied, even though she had never been particularly affectionate with him.

"If you don't believe me, please go and ask the Religious Affairs Office (KUA) who married Handoko first—me or your mother. If it turns out I was your father's first wife, promise that you won't bother me anymore. Let me fulfill my role as his wife and serve Mr. Handoko."

"But I can't believe you're my father's first wife."

"I've already told you the truth. It's up to you whether to believe it or not. If it helps you believe, meet with certain parties who can confirm who became Mrs. Handoko first. And remember, I have no intention of gaining any status or inheritance here. I'm just here to clarify a long-hidden issue that no one else knew about, and I honestly approved of your father's marriage to your mother. I did it when Mariana was eight months pregnant, exactly when she was pregnant with your older brother. Which wife would press her husband to divorce when his second wife was pregnant with the child they had always desired? I admit I will never be able to have children myself, so there's nothing wrong with accepting Mariana. I don't know what Handoko told her that made Mariana say to you that I was the second wife and not her, because as far as I know, Handoko has always said that I am his wife." Lusi explained her side of the story with a mixture of sadness and frustration.

Mariana knew it, but I didn't expect that in Mariana's eyes, I was Handoko's second wife just so he could have a daughter."

"Thank you for telling me this painful fact. It's painful, indeed, but it's useful for me to understand that Handoko has been deceiving me all this time, if that's really how it is." Nicholas's shoulders slumped, resigned to all the facts Lusi had presented.

"Is there anything else you want to ask?" Now it was Lusi's turn to challenge Nicholas, giving him questions to satisfy him with all the answers provided.

"If you are indeed the first wife, then you must know about his relationship with Mr. Aditama?"

Lusi chuckled, "Of course, I know who he is and what my father did. And I was also his shield in destroying an Aditama, your father, Alesya!" Lusi now turned to Alesya, who had been silent while holding Nicholas's hand.

Not interested in getting involved in their affairs. But when Lusi glanced at her and mentioned her name, Alesya immediately raised her face and raised an eyebrow. She was confused as to why Lusi was mentioning her name, especially when they were discussing Handoko's marriage and it had nothing to do with her.

"Do you know that Handoko sent me to make your mother jealous? She thought I was Aditama's affair. So far, do you understand, Alesya? What caused your mother's death."

Alesya was startled, the confession Lusi made was like a bolt of lightning in broad daylight, striking her heart. She couldn't believe that Lusi was the cause of her mother's death.

"Your mother died of an illness, right? After she returned from the city."

Alesya nodded slowly. What Lusi said was true; her mother, Liliana, had died of an illness, and Alesya distinctly remembered picking her up at the village border when she returned from the city. Her mother had mentioned that she had to return early because she wasn't feeling well. She had also said that she had to leave some documents with her father, and Liliana mentioned that she had to entrust them to a friend of her father's, who happened to be Handoko.

Memories swirled in Alesya's mind like a malfunctioning cassette tape being forced to play. She vividly recalled that day when she had asked her mother what was wrong because she came home feeling weak, her face swollen as if she had been crying. It was not an illness like her mother had claimed that day.

Alesya believed her mother because Liliana seemed perfectly fine and cheerful in front of her father. But only today did Alesya learn that that day had been the worst in her mother's life.

"Do you know that your mother saw me with your father at a hotel?" Lusi forced a smile. "And all those scenarios were orchestrated by Handoko himself. The documents your mother brought were entrusted to Handoko, and that's where the downfall of an Aditama began. In Handoko's mind, when your mother died, his whole world collapsed because he knew how much your father loved your mother."

"So, Mommy wasn't sick in the sense of actual illness, but she was heartbroken seeing Daddy with you?" Alesya forced herself to ask Lusi, seeking clarity on everything.

Lusi nodded. "That's right, she was heartbroken seeing the man she loved being with another woman at a hotel."

"Did you do it because Daddy was under the influence of drugs, or did he do it willingly?" Alesya asked, wanting everything to be clear.

"Because I asked him to," Lusi swallowed a bitter lump in her throat. She was ready to reveal her past, now that Nicholas knew who she was.