"Yes, my grandson," Cakra affirmed, reassuring the two surprised women in front of him."Mama!" Ricky called out, running towards Nadine and then reaching for both Nadine's and Cakra's hands in turn, planting kisses on them."Smart boy, Grandpa brought lots of toys. Ricky will surely love them," Cakra scooped up Ricky, cradling him in his arms. He kissed Ricky's forehead while showing him the toys. Ricky immediately showed excitement, struggling to get down and approach the many toys with his eyes gleaming."Thank you, Grandpa," Ricky said, holding onto a box of transformer toys. Cakra gently stroked Ricky's hair, his eyes slightly watery. In his heart, he promised to unite the toddler's parents."What's going on here? Why so many bags? Who did all this shopping?" Henry asked, walking out of the house due to the commotion."You consider me a friend, right? How could you not tell me you have a grandchild? Your grandchild is mine too!" Cakra exclaimed as he hugged Henry."Well, what can
"Please come in!" Cakra ordered as he heard a few knocks on his office door."May I talk to you for a moment, sir?" Nadine asked politely but without expression. This time, she gathered her courage to inquire directly about Marco. Cakra was still sorting through the files that Marco had just delivered, placing them neatly into his drawer."Go ahead, Nadine," Cakra replied while sitting in his large chair and casually adjusting his tie. He smiled at Nadine's anger, knowing that she must have met with Marco."Have you met Marco?" Cakra continued, which instantly froze Nadine. She couldn't believe that the person she respected and looked up to would do this to her."You probably think I'm a villain too, don't you?" Cakra sighed heavily and then stood up, approaching Nadine who was still frozen."Sit down! It seems we'll need a bit more time to talk," Cakra said with an unusual expression, his cold gaze turning into a warm smile. Now, Nadine sat on the sofa next to Cakra."Wherever Brian
Nadine was amazed as she entered the building adorned with luxurious and elegant decorations. Her eyes were greeted by a lush green scenery, accompanied by the vibrant colors of live flowers that filled nearly every corner of the building. For Nadine, this was her first experience attending a garden party-themed event, and everything seemed perfect. Every detail was carefully planned, and Nadine was certain that professional hands were responsible for creating such a serene and comfortable atmosphere.With a smile, Nadine greeted Dave, who had extended his hand to her. She looped her arm through Dave's with a slight feeling of awkwardness. Dave nodded while looking at Nadine with love. Tonight, Nadine was accompanying Dave at his friend's engagement event. She looked graceful in a black dress with silver accents, while Dave wore a matching suit jacket. They walked following Dave's steps, approaching a couple dressed in matching white outfits who were engaged in conversations with othe
The loud sound of a crashing stretcher colliding with the tiles shattered the long corridor of the hospital, as if stealing Nadine's entire world. Her heart couldn't function normally anymore, with only one plea in her mind: Brian's safety. The medical team in full attire stood ready beside the operating table as a nurse brought in Brian. The operating room doors slowly closed, and the blinking red lights signaled that the surgery was in progress. Amanda and Gaby's sobs continued as they clung to Cakra. Nadine knelt in front of the operating room, her silent tears falling. Her heart was a constant prayer for Brian's safety."Dear, it's better for us to pray a lot for Brian's safety," Cakra said, holding Nadine's shoulder and guiding her to stand after calming Amanda and Gaby, who couldn't stop crying."Forgive me, Uncle, it's all Nadine's fault. Because of her, Brian is like this," Nadine replied, her eyes swollen from crying for too long."You must not blame fate, dear. All of this h
Henry couldn't believe the convoluted path his only daughter had taken. If Nadine had admitted from the start that Brian was the father of her unborn child, Henry would have demanded accountability. Especially because Brian was his close friend Cakra's son.***"Oh God, grant this humble servant a chance to redeem all my sins alongside Brian. I believe You have prepared the best path for me. You are the giver of grace and the acceptor of repentance. Please accept my prayer, O Lord, Amen." Nadine's prayer was offered in a long prostration, accompanied by tears.The next day, after the dawn prayer, Nadine rushed to the hospital with Henry, Athalia, and their son Ricky. After receiving information from the hospital's receptionist, they quickly headed to the room where Brian was being treated, filled with haste and anxiety."Good morning," Nadine greeted just outside the door of the VVIP-1 golden pavilion room where Brian was being cared for."Good morning, Nadine," a voice replied from t
The only sound in the room, adorned in shades of white and cream, seemed to murder time itself. Outside, the sun timidly greeted the world from behind drifting clouds that seemed to mirror its own uncertain feelings. Suddenly, Nadine's heart fluttered as she gazed at the handsome man before her, who remained faithfully silent. The man who had managed to fill her entire heart. Nadine longed for his cold gaze, his mischievousness, and of course, his smile that always managed to make her heart race whenever they met.Repeatedly, Nadine's heavy sighs accompanied the silence. The beautiful memories with Brian were never forgotten by her. Yet, memories with Dave also felt suffocating. For almost three years, she had been friends with Dave. He had filled her days with Ricky, even never asking about Ricky's true parentage. He cared for Ricky with all his heart. Nadine regretted not being able to reciprocate Dave's genuine love. She looked at Brian again, still sleeping in his silence. Nadine
"I'm sorry," Brian whispered softly with a gentle smile, wiping away Nadine's falling tears. Nadine only nodded and kissed Brian's hand."Do you want a drink or something? Let me get it for you." Nadine offered something to Brian with sparkling eyes. She was overjoyed that Brian had finally regained consciousness after nearly two days of being unconscious. Brian held onto Nadine's hand tightly as she stood up."Stay here, I miss you," Brian's words suddenly warmed Nadine's heart. She smiled and sat back down, gazing at Brian. In silence, for who knows how long, they conveyed their feelings through their gaze. Only their eyes spoke, explaining everything. Earlier, when Nadine was speaking, Brian could actually hear her. He was conscious, but it was as if his body had conspired with silence, immobilizing him. He could only listen, motionless, to the heartbreaking story of the woman he loved. Brian had never imagined that their separation had brought prolonged suffering to Nadine. He reg
Brian stretched his large body under the thick blanket like a cocoon. The familiar scent of the room he had missed for the past week surrounded him, and he savored the comfort."Arrghhh!" The pain in his right abdomen still lingered as he moved, and in his haste, Brian sat up abruptly. The pain shot through his body, and he had to lie back down to ease the discomfort that spread throughout.Klek... In the dimness of Brian's room, Gaby entered with cautious steps, not wanting to disturb the rest of her beloved brother."You're awake, Kak!" Gaby exclaimed, surprised that Brian was already awake."Is Brian up? I thought you were still sleeping!" Gaby continued, heading towards the light switch and turning it on. Brian smiled, carefully adjusting his body to lean against the back of the bed."Yeah, I want to go to the bathroom, but when I woke up, my stomach was hurting so bad. Since you're here, can you help me to the bathroom?" Brian asked gently. Gaby approached Brian and pulled back t
After the birth of the twins, the life of Aryan and Laura's small family became even more colorful. There was no happiness that could replace it, but behind all that, Aryan became the subject of jokes among relatives and family members due to the fainting incident while accompanying Laura during her recent surgery."Seriously, you're so funny for fainting next to your wife during her surgery. Luckily, Laura didn't go into shock; it could have been fatal," Andre said with laughter as they had just returned home from the hospital."Let it go, Dad, there's no need to talk about it again," Aryan replied with irritation as he guided Laura into the bedroom, while the twins remained calm in the arms of Liana and Della.Laura rested for a while, trying to ease the pain from the incision in her abdomen following the cesarean section surgery, which still greatly affected her movements. Aryan wiped the sweat from Laura's forehead with a tissue and gently kissed her.
Seven months later…Laura and Aryan were now in the final trimester of her pregnancy. It wouldn't be long before she would give birth to their twin babies, a boy and a girl, according to the ultrasound results. Laura's pregnancy had been progressing smoothly, even though she had experienced morning sickness for two months.She managed to meet all of Dr. Rahma's recommended nutritional requirements. Despite occasional morning sickness and vomiting in the morning, Laura's appetite had increased with her advancing pregnancy. It wasn't surprising that her weight had increased by 30 kg. Dr. Rahma estimated that each baby weighed around 3 kg, so Laura was advised to follow a diet while waiting for the delivery.For the past two months, Laura and Aryan had moved to a ground-floor room, using the living room as their bedroom because Laura wasn't allowed to go up and down the stairs. When Aryan was at the office, Liana, his mother, would be on standby, and Bi Ana an
Aryan's overprotective attitude made Laura both happy and annoyed. She was ecstatic because she felt deeply loved, but at the same time, she was frustrated by Aryan's constant restrictions. Like tonight, Aryan didn't allow her to do anything except go to the bathroom. He prepared a glass of water for her medication along with the prenatal milk they had bought at the mini-market. And, of course, he always accompanied her to the bathroom every time."Thank you, Honey, for all the happiness you've given me. I promise to be the best husband and father for you and our children," Aryan whispered while hugging Laura from behind. He nuzzled his face into the curve of Laura's neck, his right hand gently caressing her still-flat stomach."You're welcome, and thank you for all your love," Laura replied while stroking the back of Aryan's hand, which was wrapped around her belly. Laura couldn't believe that after all the pain she had endured, God had given her a perfect husband and
Slowly, Laura's eyelids opened for the second time, and now it was the peaceful face of Aryan that greeted her. Laura gazed at the handsome man's face in front of her for quite some time. He was the source of her love and greatest strength up to this point. Not satisfied with admiring her husband's handsome face, a sudden sense of curiosity began to disturb her. She glanced at the wall clock, which had stopped at exactly 4 in the early morning. Without much thought, she pulled open the drawer next to her bed, carefully retrieved a pregnancy test from inside it, and entered the bathroom without making a sound that could wake Aryan.Laura's heart pounded loudly as she looked at the pregnancy test that she had dipped into a small container containing her urine. She lifted the test stick slowly with trembling hands, and there it was... two red lines she had been waiting for appeared. It was crystal clear. For a moment, her body felt boneless, and she sat down on the bathroom floo
Laura's proposal seminar went smoothly with an A grade, which made her more enthusiastic as she entered the final semester of her college. She only needed to complete the data from her research that she had already conducted. Anton, as her thesis advisor, was now more flexible with all of his supervised students, even though he had a busy schedule as a professor and head of the university's research center. Everything was scheduled, from the day, time, and location of the advisory sessions. If he had any sudden commitments, he would reschedule them at another time, ensuring that all his students for the year progressed smoothly, including leading up to their thesis defense in two weeks."Look at that belly, just like a balloon, Ara," Laura pointed out as she walked with Arabella towards the faculty cafeteria after their last thesis advisory session before the upcoming defense in two weeks."Yeah, it's like a balloon. It can expand and deflate," Arabella replied, pantin
Laura completed her makeup exams without any issues. Everything went according to the schedule set by their respective course instructors. And semester 6 ended with a GPA (Grade Point Average) of 3.6, alongside Arabella, her close friend and now her sister-in-law.Laura spent her semester break learning to cook with her mother-in-law, Liana. They experimented with various recipes from both Indonesia and other countries. Aryan no longer worked late into the night at the office, and if there were urgent tasks, he entrusted them to his personal assistant, Jefri. On Sundays, he spent quality time with his family at home or went out with Laura. Trying out new recipes was something Aryan looked forward to every day because his wife's cooking experiments never disappointed.Finally, the plan to cook together with Laura's friends could be realized. Arabella, along with Andra and Baby Azka, arrived early, followed by Aurora and Laura's younger siblings, who joined in to make th
One week after the surgery, Laura had already started to resume her usual activities. During that week, Aryan had been constantly by Laura's side, handling all his office matters while Andra and Jefri took care of them. Even if there were documents requiring his signature, Jefri would bring them home, allowing Aryan to stay close to Laura and attend to her. Aryan could still manage to check on Jefri's work and reply to emails from his colleagues at home.He did all of this solely for Laura's recovery. Laura often urged him to go to the office, but Aryan refused to budge. He wanted to focus on taking care of Laura until she was completely healed. Arabella and Aurora, as their best friends, always provided their support. Additionally, Nancy and Ricard came to the house to deliver Laura's favorite dishes, prepared by her mother, Della. Many of their classmates also visited Laura at home."Look, Honey, two weeks at home, and my body is getting all soft. How can I resist yo
The long-awaited day finally arrived, the day when Laura was to undergo surgery to remove the cyst in her abdomen. All the preparations for the surgery were in place, and there were only 30 minutes left before Laura would be taken into the operating room. Feelings of relief and worry dominated everyone's thoughts, but they all had to hide those emotions behind smiles to show support for Laura."Aryan, where's Mom?" Laura asked anxiously, looking at the clock on the white-walled room. In five minutes, she would be moved to the operating table, but Aryan had not been seen since he left briefly to go to the bathroom.Liana was nervous, but before she could answer Laura's question, two male and female nurses entered to take Laura to the operating room. Everyone held back their tears as Laura smiled at them, trying to show that she was strong and brave. As the nurses pushed the wheelchair carrying Laura toward the door, Aryan suddenly appeared with a smile. Laura returned h
Aryan could only gently pat Laura's trembling shoulder. He was confused about how to calm his wife. Since returning from the hospital the previous night, Laura had been silent in her room. Aryan had been shocked by the results of Dr. Rahma's explanation that Laura had been diagnosed with an ovarian cyst. This was the reason for Laura's recent abdominal and hip pain, as well as her occasional fever and nighttime vomiting. What pained Aryan even more was that he had been unaware of Laura's illness. Regret. That was the feeling weighing heavily on Aryan's chest now. He felt like he wanted to pound his own chest in frustration. His heart shattered as he looked at Laura's sad state, a promise to never make her cry that he had now broken."I'll get you breakfast first," Aryan said softly as he kissed the top of Laura's head before leaving the room.Aryan walked to the dining room with a heavy heart. Instead of finding his parents there, he saw Ana, their maid, covering the d