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Gibran silenced Shabila by placing his hand over her mouth. "Please, don't bring that up because you don't understand why I was willing to do all of that."

"Fine, if you don't want to talk about it. Now, you have to take me home! If I get pregnant, you'll be responsible," Shabila said as she started putting on her clothes. Gibran enjoyed every moment of it, admiring her beauty.

"Do you want to stay here?" Shabila asked, as Gibran hadn't moved from his seat. He didn't even blink. "Or do you want a round two?" she teased.

If Gibran wanted that, she would gladly give him a second round. It would be a way to ease herself back into her old lifestyle.

"No, thank you," Gibran quickly put on his clothes. "Why are you just standing there like that?" He glanced at Shabila, who was only wearing a triangular piece of fabric at her lower half.

"Why can't I find my clothes? Where could they be?" Shabila scratched her non-itchy head, searching back and forth under the blanket, pillows, and even peeking under the bed, but she still couldn't find her clothes.

Gibran sighed and reluctantly opened the closet where he had hung his long-sleeved shirt. He put it on Shabila, leaving her with only a thin black t-shirt to cover herself.

"Put this on. My guess is that you were the one who approached me first, so you didn't know where you left your clothes. Whereas I entered this room fully dressed. Nothing is missing," Gibran explained.

Shabila laughed and playfully slapped Gibran's hand. "You might be right. But you still have to take responsibility if I get pregnant. Darling, let's go home!" She grabbed Gibran's hand and dragged him out of the room.

Once they were outside, Shabila indeed saw her mini dress and a pair of glasses lying helplessly on the bartender's table. She knew it was her dress, and the bartenders usually collected these clothes when she danced with men and ended up in the VIP room.

However, this time, Shabila didn't want to pick up the mini dress, afraid that Gibran would run away from her. So, for the time being, Shabila entrusted her car to the club's staff, and her driver would pick her up shortly.

"I don't want to go home, take me to Permata Hijau housing complex."

"Why? Isn't that where Bryan lives? I remember he doesn't live there."

"That's right, I'm his wife, but we're divorced."

"It's reasonable that he divorced you. Your job is like this, going to clubs, teasing other men, and waking up next to a man. If I were sober, I wouldn't..."

"Don't talk too much, and don't judge me like that."

"I'm like this because Bryan betrayed me first. Can you imagine?" Shabila changed her sitting position, now facing Gibran. "He argued with me and disappeared one night, only to return with so many purple marks on his body. As you can see, I never leave any marks on a man's body. Check your own body. Do you have any purple marks I left behind? No, I don't enjoy doing that, especially when I didn't serve my husband's desires for almost five days."

"Before I knew it, he didn't come home and erased all those disgusting traces. I'm not a child who doesn't know what marks were on Bryan's body, so I just let it go. I don't want to have any relationship with a man like that."

"Enough, I'll take you to Permata Hijau housing complex." Gibran raised one hand. "You can sit nicely, stay quiet, and let me drive the car. Keep silent; there's no need to talk about your domestic troubles because I'm not in a good state myself."

"I know, Viska doesn't want to, not..."

"Enough, or I'll leave you here!" Shabila shrugged, reluctantly following Gibran's instructions. After all, it was better to follow him than to be thrown out of the car. She couldn't imagine what people passing by would think when they saw a woman dressed randomly, wearing only a long-sleeved shirt.

Between being considered crazy or frustrated, between ending up in a mental hospital or being led by some thugs to an empty shop for execution, Shabila shuddered. So, she kept her mouth shut and obeyed Gibran until they reached her house.

"You look very beautiful today," Nicholas said as he gently touched Alesya's cheek, which looked exceptionally radiant. They were currently at a salon after buying a kebaya and a suit for their wedding.

It wasn't an extravagant wedding, just a ceremony at the Religious Affairs Office, which was valid in the eyes of their religion and spared them from sin when they consummated their marriage.

"Thank you, you look handsome too." Alesya adjusted Nicholas's tie.

"Whose future husband are you fussing over?" Nicholas pinched Alesya's cute nose.

"Don't play with my nose too much, Nik. What if it falls off? I don't have insurance for it," she pouted, making Nicholas want to kiss her. If they were alone, he would have definitely kissed those pouting lips until Alesya couldn't breathe.

Nicholas chuckled. "I might replace it with a rabbit's nose. How about that?"

"No, a rabbit's nose is stubby. This one is perfect," Alesya said while rubbing her slightly sore nose due to Nicholas's teasing.

"Alright then. Later, I'll try to get a Pinocchio nose."

"That's too long."

Nicholas gave Alesya a quick kiss on the lips. "Stop talking so much. You'll only make yourself nervous when we get there."

"To be honest, I'm really nervous, and I was just joking with you to ease my nerves," Alesya confessed as she held Nicholas's hand tightly. "Is this reality or just a dream, Nik?" Alesya asked because, as far as she remembered, she was still Bryan's legal wife yesterday.

Alesya also never imagined that her wedding day with Nicholas would actually happen.

"Of course, this is reality." Nicholas bit Alesya's index finger that was inside his grip.

"Ouch, that hurts." Alesya playfully hit Nicholas's arm.

"You said you wanted to know if this is a dream or not, so I'm proving that it's reality. So, stop overthinking it. Let's go to the hospital to get your father's and mother's blessings!" Nicholas invited Alesya to the cashier to pay for their complete outfits.

Once they arrived at the hospital, Nicholas and Alesya went to Handoko's room. Unfortunately, as of now, Handoko hadn't regained consciousness. There was only Mariana, who looked tired from waiting for her husband to wake up.

"Where are you two going dressed like that?" Mariana pointed at Nicholas and Alesya, gazing at them from head to toe. She wondered where her son and daughter-in-law were headed so early in the morning, dressed in kebayas and suits.

"We're going to the Religious Affairs Office. I told you yesterday that Alesya and I were going to get married today. We came here to ask for your blessings," Nicholas explained.

"Nicholas, what if I don't give my blessing?"

"I'll still marry Alesya. And that means I won't involve you in discussions about the path I choose in life." Nicholas didn't feel guilty at all as he candidly expressed his thoughts.

"Nicholas, don't start this. I don't like seeing you become a rebellious child like this."

As usual, the two of them engaged in a debate.

"I'm not rebelling, Mom. I just want to be a good person in my own way. I don't want to be led down a dark path like what you did to Bryan. I want to be a decent human being without disturbing or ruining others' happiness for my own." Nicholas held Mariana's hand and kissed the back of it.

"I'm taking my leave. I'm going to marry Alesya today, and please tell Bryan to take care of the divorce paperwork with Alesya. Also, confirm that he never had any physical relationship or provided financial support to her." Nicholas reiterated the promise he made to Bryan.

All of this was part of Nicholas's plan to gain control over Adhitama's assets for the sake of his children and grandchildren.

"Well, if getting married will make you happy, I bless you both. However, I apologize that I won't be able to attend your wedding because I can't leave your father. Despite his faults, I've realized that we've been through a lot together all these years. Maybe I've been too obedient to your father's wishes and lost myself. I forgot to remind him that what he did was wrong.

If only I hadn't supported him, things might not have ended up like this."

"So, you're aware now that what you and Dad have been doing all these years was a mistake. You've caused so much suffering to so many people that it's time for God to send you a wake-up call. I hope after this, Dad and you truly repent. While Alesya is willing to use her inheritance from her parents to pay off the debts and liabilities, I still demand the house and land in the village as a wedding gift. That shouldn't be difficult, right?" Nicholas proposed.

Alesya would also comply with Handoko's wishes and wanted to let go of her father's company. Moreover, if it remained in her hands, there was no guarantee that it would develop as Handoko and Bryan had planned in the future. Many employees would lose their jobs due to Alesya's incompetence. So, it was better to let it go for the greater good. Alesya didn't understand the business anyway. Besides, Nicholas had already provided everything she needed. There were no more issues to be debated. Handoko and Mariana couldn't have asked for a better son-in-law than Alesya's choice in Nicholas. Unlike Bryan, who failed as a husband in every way, Nicholas managed to win Alesya over without any tricks, without pressuring her to have a child, without threats, and without manipulation. Everything unfolded naturally, and Alesya willingly handed her life over to Nicholas out of despair when she was pushed around by people she didn't even know initially.