Part 71

71

"There's no reason for me to leave you, Darling." Carlos pinched Chelsea's chin. "All the perfection of a woman is in you, so there's no reason for me to waste the perfection of a wife like you. Moreover..." Carlos knelt in front of Chelsea and pressed his ear to her belly. "Soon, we'll be parents. How perfect is this happiness for me."

"Of course. Because you're a good man, patient, and you know how to treat a wife."

"I'm like this because my wife is an amazing person. So we complement each other, making us a perfectly perfect couple." Chelsea couldn't find words to respond to all of Carlos' sweet words, she could only wipe away the tears that flowed at the corners of her eyes. Carlos responded with a tight hug.

"Today feels so heavy, my Love. It's as if something will be missing from my life, I don't know what, but it feels like my chest is so tight, and I'm afraid of losing something," Carlos expressed what had been bothering him since he started packing early this morning.

He didn't know why, but today, despite Vano's happy day, was a very scary day for him.

"Of course, you feel that way, Dad. Because soon, Vano will belong to someone else, and he will live with Celine. And then, it will be just the two of us here. After that, we can freely do whatever we want in this house.

I've also made up my mind to tell Mom that she has to move out of this house and temporarily stay in the simple house that I arranged for her. She won't be alone; I'll hire two house assistants for her. I'm doing all of this for our comfort because I don't want her to be a shadow in our married life. Even though you've never acknowledged her, the fact that she's your ex-girlfriend makes me uncomfortable."

"Of course. Your every wish is my command, my lady," Carlos extended his hand, guiding Chelsea out of their room. They walked side by side, descending the stairs to attend Vano and Celine's wedding, which was being held at the girl's house. Their own reception would take place a week later.

As Carlos and Chelsea descended the stairs, Vano followed from behind. Equally handsome as Carlos, Vano looked dapper in his silver suit. If they walked side by side, no one would believe that Vano was Carlos Wijaya's son.

They looked more like siblings, almost like twins. Surrounded by two handsome men, it naturally brought a smile to Chelsea's lips.

Vano's long-awaited happy day had finally arrived, which meant that his wedding reception and Carlos's ceremony would follow shortly after. Carlos didn't want to overshadow his son. The happiness was clearly visible to Margareth, who would also attend Vano and Celine's wedding. Although her heart grumbled with deep-seated resentment, she didn't want to show it and chose to immerse herself in the joy.

Carlos didn't make any distinctions in this regard. Margareth sat with Chelsea in the back seat, while Carlos drove, and Vano sat beside him, looking nervous as the wedding approached. In the back of their car, several extended family members accompanied the groom.

"You don't need to be nervous like that. Just imagine, today you and Celine will be king and queen for a day. Let that nervousness dissipate so you can smoothly marry your love," Carlos reassured Vano.

Vano nodded. "Thank you, Dad, Ma, for your support, allowing me to have this wedding. Without your blessing and approval, this wouldn't have been possible at all."

Chelsea and Carlos both smiled at Vano, a testament to their love and affection for the young man. Meanwhile, Margareth remained silent, folding her hands in front of her chest, strongly disliking the scene before her.

After nearly an hour of travel, Carlos's car was elegantly parked in front of a luxurious house adorned with numerous tents and exquisite decorations. Vano grew even more nervous as he prepared to exit the car.

"Wait a moment, Daddy needs to take this call first." Carlos released his seatbelt but didn't open the door for them all when he received a call from his trusted emissary, who was tasked with finding out about Chelsea and Margareth's past.

Although Vano's event was important, Carlos still considered Chelsea's affairs his top priority.

"What important discussion is this that it's taking precedence over Vano's event?" Chelsea protested as soon as she saw Carlos cancel his plan to exit the car.

"There's a small issue that Daddy needs to resolve. It's very important, and..."

"In that case, Vano and I will go inside first with the others. You can catch up later, alright? Besides, when we get there, the wedding won't start immediately. We'll wait for you. It's better to have some small talk first rather than keeping them waiting for too long and feeling uncomfortable inside the car with the other family members waiting."

"You're right, dear. As a mother, you also have the right to manage this wedding. Please, you and Vano go inside with the others first. I'll catch up."

Chelsea nodded and exited the car, followed by Vano and the rest. Margareth also followed but didn't move far from the car. She was curious about what had made Carlos hesitant to continue.

"Quickly tell me why you're urging me to contact you right away. Is the issue between Margareth and Chelsea in the past that complicated?"

"Exactly, sir," replied a man on the other end of the call. "Even more so than you imagine."

"What do you mean?" Carlos raised his eyebrows. He was starting to grow impatient, wondering what his emissary had discovered.

"Mr. Rudi didn't die of illness; he was murdered by Margareth's mother in order to obtain the divorce papers she had long desired."

"Oh my..."

Carlos was stunned by the man's revelation.

"Before Mr. Rudi was rushed to the hospital, that tragic incident occurred. Margareth's mother didn't administer the medication properly. She gave it in an excessive dose and covered Mr. Rudi's face with a pillow, causing him to suffocate. What's even more surprising is that all this time, Margareth has been working with a man named Kevin, selling her body, and her most recent transaction was last night with a partner named Indri."

"How long has she been doing this?" Carlos clenched his hand tightly. "I can't believe Margareth could be so wicked, both as a mother and a woman who sells herself."

"It's been quite a while, sir. Specifically, since Mr. Rudi's bankruptcy. Since then, Margareth has been getting income from that."

"Before that? When she and I were still in a relationship? She was already..."

"Yes, sir. She was already engaged in such activities."

"Oh, God... Margareth. So she's the one who killed Rudi, and all this time, she wasn't a good mother but a woman of the night who changed partners?" Carlos summarized the main points of the report provided by his emissary.

Margareth heard all of this clearly from where she stood. She stepped back, looking for an opportunity to escape from Carlos, without him knowing. She hurriedly ran to Celine's house, looking for Chelsea.

She knew there would be no more chances for her after this. She was sure Carlos would not only kick her out but possibly even imprison her once he found out who was truly behind Rudi's death.

"Chelsea, you have to come with me right now!" Margareth urged Chelsea after obtaining a car key from one of Vano's family members. She said there was an urgent situation that couldn't be delayed.

Margareth continued to drag Chelsea away, leaving Vano still in conversation with his future in-laws.

"Where are we going?" Chelsea asked, trying to stop Margareth's steps. She felt her stomach cramping from being pulled along like this. The wedding guests looked on, puzzled by their behavior, but no one suspected what Margareth was doing to cause Chelsea pain.

"Your husband has been taken away by three men, one of whom was the one who contacted him earlier. It looks like someone is planning to harm him. You should come with me to help chase after him while he's not too far away."

"Is that true?" Chelsea quickened her pace. "But I need to ask Vano for help."

"Don't disturb Vano's happiness; let him continue his wedding. We can help Carlos in our own way. I've already reported it to the police."

Without any suspicion, Chelsea followed Margareth's steps because she could see the panic on the woman's face. She had no idea that this panic stemmed from Margareth's fear upon discovering that all her secrets had been uncovered by Carlos through his emissary.

"Are you sure Daddy's in danger?"

"When have I ever lied when it comes to Carlos? Or would you rather wait here while I save him alone? To be honest, I still love him very much, so I'm afraid something bad might happen to him."

"But that's Daddy's car." Chelsea pointed to her husband's car, not far from where they were now.

"He's not in there; he's already been taken by an unknown person. The person was dressed all in black and forcibly dragged your father away. Let's go after them!" Margareth forced Chelsea into the car and pushed her inside.

Chelsea winced as the cramps in her stomach intensified due to Margareth's rough treatment.

"Stop, Mother. That's Daddy!" Chelsea shouted as soon as she saw Carlos getting out of his car. Unfortunately, Margareth had successfully driven her away in another car. "Stop this car or you'll regret it for the rest of your life!" Chelsea protested, now realizing that Margareth had been deceiving her.

"I don't care about your threats because soon we'll all die together," Margareth laughed, as if she were on an extreme thrill ride.

She drove the car recklessly, ignoring the traffic and other vehicles on the road.

Unwilling to accept this, Chelsea took control of the car's steering wheel. However, Margareth did not allow it and struck and kicked Chelsea. She didn't care about what would happen to her own daughter. She thought that since they were already wet, it would be better to become a killer as well.

Chelsea couldn't physically overpower Margareth due to the blows and kicks landing on her stomach and chest several times. She tried to curl her body to protect her unborn child.

"You can hurt me, but never, ever touch my future child!" Chelsea retorted, still trying to stop the car that Margareth was driving at high speed.

"Don't worry; I won't hurt my future grandchild. Instead, I'll take both of you to meet your grandfather. Of course, Rudi misses both of you, just as I do. If the three of us join Rudi, he will be very happy to reunite with his extended family soon. Isn't that what you want?" Margareth asked as she pressed the gas pedal, paying no attention to the truck in front of her.

"Ibu has gone mad!" Chelsea tried to open the car door, ignoring Margareth's continued blows. Once the car door opened, Chelsea jumped out of the car just before it collided with an oncoming truck. She tumbled to the ground, embracing her stomach, disregarding the impact on the asphalt.

Luckily, there were no vehicles behind them that could have taken Chelsea's life. However, before she lost consciousness, she felt excruciating pain in her head and abdomen.

"Please take my life, Lord, but spare my child," Chelsea prayed.

About ten years ago, on the same day and at the same time, Carlos had embraced a woman he loved dearly for the last time. As he hugged his late wife tightly, he never imagined that the night before he received news of her accident, he had embraced her so tightly.

Kissing her forehead as he felt something unpleasant suddenly creeping into his heart. It was the same feeling he had experienced when he hugged Chelsea earlier that morning. Carlos felt like something was going to be taken from his life, but he didn't understand what it was.

Chelsea had mentioned that Vano would soon be getting married, meaning he would be living far away from them. That's what Carlos had felt earlier that morning. However, instead of Vano's departure, he received news of Chelsea's accident. Carlos's world had crumbled for the second time, and he had to embrace his wife, covered in blood and unconscious. He only had one request for God: don't take Chelsea away; he had just found happiness with his wife.