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175

Even Liliana knew what had been given to her all this time after going through Lusi first. Alesya squeezed the photos of Aditama and his secret lover tightly.

She swore to destroy Lusi to the lowest point in her life. Here, she hated Lusi more than Handoko, who forcibly took her father's company. Because of that woman, she lost her mother forever. It's not that Alesya hated material possessions; she was never taught to live lavishly. She was truly simple. Very different from her friends, and even now, Alesya couldn't drive a car because she was comfortable with the automatic motorcycle Liliana gave her for her 19th birthday.

"Where are you from, Darling?" Nicholas tried hard to open his eyes, which felt sore from being abruptly awakened. If Alesya hadn't suddenly laid down beside him and reached for his hand to hug her, Nicholas would still be in shock.

"I just came from the bathroom, I was going to sleep again, but I couldn't because I couldn't resist leaving your embrace." Alesya lied a little to keep Nicholas from getting angry because she had broken her promise to him.

"Yes, come here!" Nicholas pulled Alesya close so she could hug him tightly. He knew that Alesya would never be able to sleep peacefully without his embrace like this.

Alesya nodded gently, forcing a smile so that Nicholas wouldn't know that she had just found evidence that confirmed all the infidelity. This time, Alesya admitted that Nicholas' advice from yesterday was right. He had advised her not to dig deeper, but she had just disobeyed it. As a result, Alesya was truly heartbroken and resented her father.

In the morning, Nicholas and Alesya held a small thanksgiving event, as they had planned the previous evening. Some food vendors were already lined up in the front yard of their house. There were vendors selling nasi uduk, satay, lontong sayur, soto, and various snacks from the market, all decorating the front yard.

Nicholas was also ready and looked sharp this morning. He opened the door to allow the neighbors who had come to enter and gather in the living room. Nicholas also asked some male neighbors to move a few sofas outside and lay out a carpet for them to sit on.

It would be better to sit together outside rather than on the limited-capacity sofas.

The neighbors who had come helped Nicholas prepare for the thanksgiving event. Once everything was ready, the food vendors entered to serve their offerings.

The neighbors were free to choose the menu they wanted to enjoy during the event.

"Alesya, where's Nicholas? Why haven't we seen Alesya yet?" asked one of the neighbors whom Nicholas had treated yesterday. "She's inside, ma'am. It seems Alesya hasn't finished getting ready. Women always have a lot of things to do, so they can't finish quickly." Nicholas explained with a slight chuckle, indicating where his wife was, even though he had left Alesya in the bathroom just now.

She was late because she said she couldn't sleep at all last night. Nicholas was a bit suspicious because Alesya's eyes were a little puffy, as if she had just finished crying. Nicholas, who was too tired, had no idea what had happened to Alesya last night, which made her late like this.

After the event was over, he would ask her what had happened and why Alesya woke up with swollen eyes like earlier.

The thanksgiving event began, with prayers and gratitude expressed for all the blessings they had received. Nicholas was truly happy at the moment, even though the event was small. It didn't diminish his gratitude for being able to marry the woman he loved so much. The same went for Alesya. Despite the sadness that had touched her heart, her marriage to Nicholas still managed to heal her wounds.

Although there were still lingering scars, at least Alesya could feel happiness, and she was thankful to her husband for proving that he could make her happy.

"I don't know if you want to be honest or continue hiding the problem that's bothering you like this," Nicholas said as he entered the room.

There, Alesya was in the midst of removing the makeup from her beautiful face.

"What do you mean?" Alesya turned to Nicholas, temporarily pausing her activity to focus on talking to him.

"We may not have known each other for long, but the feelings rooted in my heart tell me that something unpleasant happened to you, which is why you woke up not as cheerful as usual. I'm also sure something bad happened to you last night. I don't know what it is, but I can feel that you're not okay right now."

Alesya shook her head. "It's just your imagination. I really couldn't sleep, maybe because I had a lot on my mind. Nothing more."

"Do you want to lie to me?" Nicholas sat cross-legged in front of Alesya, holding her hand. "If you don't want to tell me now, just say it."

"Nik, right now I don't want to tell you anything, and when I'm ready, I'll tell you. It's better than you lying to me, Al."

Alesya nodded. "Yes, I did lie to you and tried to hide something. Everything I did was not because I don't respect you as a husband, but because I have already violated your request."

"What do you mean?" Nicholas raised an eyebrow, not understanding why Alesya meant by that. Violated? What had Alesya done that she couldn't talk about, especially since she always shared everything, even if it was unimportant.

But now, Alesya was keeping something from him, and Nicholas was sure it was very important and it was making him disappointed. Even hurt.

"Sorry, last night I tried to find out about Dad's relationship with that woman."

"Why?"

"Because I wanted to know if Dad really did that, and I hoped he didn't. Because, honestly, even though the woman confessed and mentioned her reasons, I still had a hard time believing it. That hope is not a reality. Because I had so much trust in Aditama as a man who would never betray his own wife.

But after seeing Mom's hidden belongings, I saw that the affair was true. And what disappoints me is my existence in this world, which caused Mom to be betrayed by the man she loved so much."

"What's the connection between you and Dad's affair? I swear I don't understand, Al. Don't beat around the bush. I really can't bear to see my wife cry like this." He wiped the tears that rolled down Alesya's cheeks.

Nicholas really didn't want to see his wife cry again, especially on their happy day.

"Mom got sick because she tried to keep me in her womb, so her womb had to be removed to save me. To make sure I could be born safely into this world without anything missing from my body. And ever since then, Mom couldn't serve Dad properly, and she even lost her desire to be intimate with her own husband.

And you know, if Mom hadn't fought to keep me, of course..."

Nicholas placed his index finger on Alesya's lips to stop her from continuing those painful words. "Don't talk like that, Darling. It's like you're not appreciating the sacrifices Mom made. By regretting your birth, it means all her efforts were in vain. With you regretting your existence, it means she fought and preserved you until now for nothing.

And maybe your father's betrayal is a test for Mom to become a better woman. The proof is that she raised you to become a great woman as well. Even though not many people know that, right? But I believe that everything we go through is well-arranged; it's just how we live our lives."

Is it complaining or being grateful in every situation because I believe that after the storm, there is always a rainbow to adorn the sky. Just like our lives, amidst all the pain and disappointment we experience, I'm sure there is happiness awaiting us in the future.

The proof is that in the past, we were both broken and heartbroken, and now we're brought together so we can feel happiness, even though it's not as perfect as we hoped. But at least, being with you makes me happy, and I hope you never try to violate what I say because honestly, everything I forbid or ask you to do is for your own good.

It's not because I want to control the life of an Alesya Aditama, no. I do everything wholeheartedly for your happiness. And didn't you promise me that you would entrust all decisions in your life to me?"

Nodding, "Yes, I did. Forgive me for breaking my promise to you, which ended up hurting me because of my curiosity."

"It's okay; let's take this as a lesson. Let me find out the rest, and I will handle it because here, Daddy is no longer with us, and it doesn't feel right to expose all the wrongs he did. Doctor Lusi has also faced her karma. Now, she lives alone, holding onto her love for Daddy. She has to pretend to be good in front of her father, but she still doesn't find happiness at all.

And maybe you should learn to forgive her because only God is worthy of punishing His people. Not us as humans. We, as humans, can only forgive and try to be understanding. Trust me, everything we experience and do in this world will have consequences, and it has led us here. Do you understand, Darling? What does your husband's words mean?"