As usual, the Samudra family had breakfast together before heading off to their respective activities. "Mom, Dad, I've decided to continue my studies in Malang," Gaby said, instantly turning the atmosphere tense. Since her first visit to Malang with her family, Gaby had fallen in love with the city. Plus, many of her high school friends were also planning to study there."Why not in Surabaya? We have many renowned and top-notch universities here. Papa doesn't want his daughter to be far away," Cakra responded, his gaze sharp and directed at Gaby."Yes, dear, Mama also doesn't want you to be far from us," Amanda added, reaching for her daughter's hand to encourage her to accept her father's suggestion to continue her studies in Surabaya."But Dad?" Gaby's face immediately turned gloomy upon realizing that her wish was being rejected by her parents. She put down her spoon and fork with frustration, her shoulders slumped as she fought back tears."Sweety, your Dad and I are right. We're
Today was the day for the three women that Brian cherished the most to go shopping. They didn't just buy one set of clothes but dozens, especially Gaby. In addition to clothes, she also bought shoes, bags, and multiple watches with different designs."Let's spend your dad's money," Amanda said, showing a rarely-used black card."Let's do it!" Gaby replied, raising her right hand as if she were flexing her muscles. Ricky was with Wulan, who watched over them while the three of them shopped to their hearts' content. Nadine paid with the card Brian had given her. She didn't want to burden her mother-in-law, even though Amanda had offered multiple times. Nadine declined, citing Brian's financial support as the reason, which left Amanda with no choice but to accept.Buzz, buzz. Nadine's phone rang, and she smiled when she saw Brian's name on the screen. "Good afternoon, what's up, Brian?" Nadine greeted as she answered the call."Good afternoon. You're out shopping with Gaby and Mama, righ
"You can do it later; for now, just rest. Oh, wait, stay here for a moment," Brian said before entering the bathroom to fill a basin with warm water. Brian took off his jacket and rolled up his shirt sleeves to his elbows. He grabbed Nadine's legs and placed them in the warm water while massaging her feet one by one."Sorry for troubling you," Nadine said with tears in her eyes. She couldn't believe Brian was doing all of this for her."Don't say sorry; it's me who should be thankful. You've gone through so much to carry our child. I know it hasn't been easy," Brian said as he continued massaging Nadine's feet.Nadine gently stroked Brian's hair, and Brian, sitting at the foot of the bed, playfully raised an eyebrow. Nadine chuckled and lightly tugged Brian's hair, prompting a mock groan from him."It hurts, honey. I wouldn't mind if you did that when you visit the baby, though – that would be fun," Brian protested with a laugh."Baby, are you missing Papa?" Nadine asked while caressi
The loud cries of a baby shattered the silence of the white-walled room, coinciding with the slowing blinking of the red light.Expressions of relief filled the people in the waiting room. Brian paced back and forth in front of the door, waiting for it to open. However, it had been 15 minutes since the baby's cries, and there was still no news from the doctor. Brian tried to banish the fleeting negative thoughts from his mind.Klik... The door opened, and a nurse called for Brian to enter. Everyone exchanged worried glances, fearing that something might have happened to Nadine or the baby.Brian took a deep breath and glanced at Cakra and Amanda alternately before following the nurse into the operating room.Inside the room, Brian was separated by a frosted glass window as a nurse handed him the red baby who had been cradled in her arms. This was an extraordinary first-time experience for Brian.Brian hesitated when the nurse tried to take the baby back, his thoughts suddenly filled w
Gaby was deeply immersed in her studies to become a medical student. Cakra even bought her a personal car for university, although initially, Gaby refused because she was embarrassed. However, due to her busy class schedule, which often clashed with Ricky's school schedule, she eventually accepted it.Daniel and Sandra frequently visited Ricky and Anna at their home. They couldn't wait for their own baby, who was still in Sandra's womb. Unlike Nadine during her pregnancy, Sandra looked healthy and could carry out her normal activities without any morning sickness.***Elsewhere, Dave was leading a peaceful life. He opened a café and restaurant in a nearby big city, close to the campus. He even attended religious study sessions once a week for his spiritual well-being. He didn't care about other people's judgments, despite the neck and wrist tattoos that couldn't be concealed. Furthermore, the scar running down his cheek made him stand out as a handsome mixed-race man, drawing attentio
"Ahem... What are you two doing coming out of Ricky's room? Wasn't Ricky supposed to sleep with you?" Amanda's voice startled Brian and Nadine as they quietly walked out of Ricky's room. They froze and simultaneously turned to face Amanda, who was giving them a suspicious look with a forced smile."Oh, come on, Mama. Like you've never been young before!" Brian exclaimed, then casually wrapped his arm around Nadine's shoulder. There was no point in denying it, and it wasn't like Amanda wouldn't understand what a married couple did when they were alone in a room.A blush spread across Nadine's face as she looked down, elbowing Brian's stomach to keep him from saying more. "Is there something going on here, with everyone gathered like this?" Cakra asked with a furrowed brow as he approached them. Earlier, Cakra had been surprised not to find Amanda in their room, so he had gone looking for her.Everyone fell silent except for Brian, who just smiled at Cakra while his hand remained on Nad
"Mam... Mam..." Anna crawled and her gaze turned towards the door leading outside. With great effort, she tried to stand up by holding onto something. After she managed to stand up, she let go and clapped her hands while laughing. But then, she lost her balance and fell back on her bottom, crying loudly just as Brian entered the house."Cup.. Cup.. Cup. Did Daddy's beautiful girl fall down? Who's being naughty?" Brian scooped up Anna after putting down his work bag. Anna immediately stopped crying and playfully patted Brian's face while laughing, displaying her four little white teeth."Welcome home, my dear," Nadine said as she tried to reach for Baby Anna. However, Anna firmly held onto Brian's tie when Nadine tried to take her from Brian's arms."Is Daddy's princess still missing me?" Brian teased before planting a loving kiss on Anna's chubby cheek."Don't make Mama jealous, little one," Nadine retorted when Anna resisted being handed over to her. Brian just smiled before giving N
For the past two days, Nadine had noticed something different about Brian. He was quieter and spent more time on his phone when they were together, as if he had his own world. The loving gaze in Brian's eyes seemed to have changed, and he appeared to be avoiding eye contact with her.Nadine's heart suddenly felt heavy, sensing pain in her chest. She tried to recall if she had done something wrong to make Brian angry. Even this morning, Brian was still distant. There were no teasing, compliments, or kisses, which were part of their daily routine before he went to work. What hurt even more was that for the past two nights, Brian had been sleeping with his back turned to her.Nadine stood in front of the mirror, scrutinizing herself. She realized that since she had become a homemaker, she rarely took the time to groom herself. She usually wore simple dresses and her hair, once shiny, now lacked its former luster. Her body had also gained some weight after giving birth to Anna."Am I no l
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