[6]

Accompanied by a cup of chamomile tea, Helena decided to enjoy the afternoon on the balcony of her room. Nothing had changed since her last visit.

"What else does Miss need?" A servant shifted her position slightly, just to make sure her master was getting the best service possible. Working at the Edison family residence was a stroke of luck for the servant. Apart from the fact that the salary she received was more than enough, the Edison family was not a family that did not value others. In fact, they were very concerned about the welfare of the workers in the house.

Especially the owner of this large house, Miss Helena, whose return had surprised many of the servants here.

"Nothing," Helena said at once. "Has my father ever been here?" Helena glanced at the nearby servant. "I just saw you."

"Mr. Hanry came to visit two weeks ago, and I'm Gina. I've only been working here for six months, ma'am. I was told by Mrs. Berta that Miss Helena was back and I should be ready to serve."

Helena smiled slightly. "Thank you, but you'd better leave me alone. When Wilna arrives, tell her to meet me here."

Gina swallowed nervously, wanting to ask more questions but not having the courage. According to Gina, Helena seemed cold and didn't want to be disturbed. Contrary to what she had heard about the owner of this house; warm, storytelling, jovial and always friendly to whoever was around. "Yes, Miss."

Soon Gina left her alone. That was better for Helena. She needed to be alone after her return yesterday. She was reminded of her days with the Tan family. What she had originally thought of as her own form of respect for the middle-aged woman who was considered her mother, was becoming more and more oppressive to Helena.

"Helena! What are you doing?"

Mirna's voice rang out loud. Helena, who was changing the sofa cover in the living room, jumped in surprise. "I'm in the living room, Mom." She stumbled over to her mother-in-law. "Is something wrong?"

"What did you say?" Mirna's eyes bulged. "What do you think you're doing?" she pointed to the dining table Helena had set up. Many delicious dishes were served there. That day Mirna had invited some friends for lunch. And the one who was most worried was Helena.

Mirna wanted everything to be clean and tidy. Almost all the displays in the living room and along the hallway were dust-free. And most of the family photos were of Arslan and his family. The photos of Arslan and Helena occupied only one corner of the room, which was not too visible for many people.

Helena could not protest because Mirna asked her to do this and that. Including cooking quite a lot of dishes and tiring.

"I prepared all the menus you wanted." Helena smiled slightly. "Have you tried them?"

"Do you think my friends can swallow such food?" Mirna looked displeased. "Fish soup? A stir-fry without meat? You're too much of a daughter-in-law, Helena!"

Helena blinked in surprise. "But it was all Mama's wish. I couldn't have misunderstood."

Mirna was not to be outdone. "Still, you should be able to put yourself in a position where my friends judge our family by the dishes. If that's the case, we'll be looked down upon by them."

Helena didn't believe her mother-in-law. In her opinion, the dish looked sumptuous and not inferior to what she often ate at home. The fish she had chosen was of the highest quality. It was cooked with rich spices and appetizing aromas. It will not be inferior to the dishes served at banquets in general.

"Prepare a dish of the best meat. I don't want to embarrass the Tan family. I shouldn't have trusted you to choose the menu."

"But, Mom, if we buy the meat and cook it now, we won't have time. Besides, there's only a little money left in the shopping budget, so it won't be enough to buy meat." Helena reasoned. That was the reality.

"What did you say?" Mirna narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "I don't want to hear this complaint, Helena. Oh my God! Why do I have a son-in-law who can't handle money? How could this disaster happen to me? It's a pity that my son works so hard to earn money, only to have it wasted by his wife".

Helena clenched her fists.

"You are useless!" Mirna left the kitchen quickly. She grumbled, not caring that her words hurt Helena. Later that night, Helena complained to Arslan about Mirna's behavior. But what did she get?

Arslan scolded her instead. He said, "When there is a banquet, you should know what to serve. Are you so stupid that you don't understand such a trivial thing?"

The memory made Helena smile a little. "How stupid of me. How did it take so long?" She took a sip of the untouched tea, trying to savor what was before her, but for some reason, tears suddenly began to form at the corners of her eyes. They slowly fell without Helena's prompting, returning the teacup she was supposed to be savoring back to the tray.

Helena crossed her legs on the sofa. She hid her head between her legs and cried bitterly. Her shoulders were shaking so much that she didn't want to say anything. She felt so deceived and hurt by the reality before her eyes; her husband had betrayed her, and to make matters worse, he had brought his mistress home with him.

With no one to defend her. As if Helena was just a nuisance and no longer needed in the house. If there was no Helena, Tan's family life might still be like it was three years ago. The year when Helena met Arslan.

Helena didn't realize how long she had been crying, she still felt unsatisfied with shedding tears. The constriction in her heart was still entrenched and could not be removed easily. Although Wilna's words are true, it's not that easy. One thing Helena definitely feels is this pain because the heartbreak is too great. Because she believed in the love that Arslan often told her.

"How can Arslan be so heartless towards me? What exactly is my fault?" asked Helena, sobbing.

At the same time, there was a knock at the door of Helena's room. Helena immediately wiped away the traces of her tears, even though she didn't think it would have much effect. "Who?"

"Me. Wilna," said the woman Helena had been waiting for.

"Come in." Helena tidied up her appearance a bit. But... she felt her whole vision blur. Her head was dizzy. One thing remained; Helena heard Wilna screaming desperately, calling her name. Then everything went completely dark.