Aurora quickly entered her room to clean herself up and change her clothes. Afterward, she performed the Dhuhr prayer. Aurora sat on the edge of the bed with mixed feelings, embarrassment dominating her emotions because, unintentionally, she had shared all her personal problems with a stranger she had just met."Stupid, Ra," she muttered to herself, hitting her forehead with her right hand."Yesterday, he must have seen your innocent body too," Aurora continued to mutter, her complaints seemingly never-ending. She felt like she had no face to meet the man again.Aurora's eyes widened when she saw her phone on the nightstand, charging."Oh God, I forgot to inform Gracia," she exclaimed. She quickly picked up her phone and turned it on. Dozens of messages and missed call notifications filled her screen. And there was one caller ID that immediately confused her: "My Mommy." She checked the series of messages from Gracia and Arabella.Gracia:"Hurry home, Aurora. Mom and Dad have been wai
"But you're the one who said you wanted to be my girlfriend, right?" Dave began teasing Aurora when he saw her blushing. He laughed and ruffled her hair, finding her reaction adorable. He was reminded of his sister, Daveina, whom he hadn't seen in two years. She must have grown even more beautiful by now."You're so off! I was just joking back then," Aurora replied, turning to look out the window on her left, hiding her increasingly reddening face.Dave laughed again, seeing Aurora's shy behavior. He hadn't expected the girl he initially thought was aggressive to have such a childish side. The car they were riding in stopped right in front of a minimalist house with blue and silver accents. Aurora let out a sigh of relief because it seemed her parents weren't at home."Aren't you going to invite me in? I'm quite thirsty," Dave said with a smile. Aurora looked at Dave with a puzzled expression, while Dave tried to stifle his laughter at her amusing reaction."Never mind, I'll drop by a
"Arabella, keep an eye on your sister. If she's caught with a guy, report it to me," Hendrik said, causing Aurora to clench her lips in annoyance. However, she chose to remain silent to avoid accidentally revealing anything about Dave. If that happened, her career would be ruined."Got it, Dad!" Arabella replied with a laugh, her eyes flicking to Aurora, who seemed frustrated.Two days was a short amount of time for them to be together, so that evening they made the most of their time together before Hendrik and Maria had to return to Jakarta the next afternoon. At 10 o'clock in the evening, Aurora intended to say goodbye and return home, but Maria insisted, and now Aurora was in bed with Maria while Hendrik was sleeping in Azka's baby room.Tick...tock... The ticking of the wall clock seemed to mock Aurora, who was still wide awake. She heard her own heavy sighs, staring at the abstract pattern on the ceiling in frustration. She lightly tapped her head to dispel her brain, which refu
Arabella closed her eyes when a store employee took out the lingerie from the basket. The sound of the cash register rang as it scanned the price tag of the items. Arabella quickly went to Baby Azka and Hendrik, who were playing in front of the store. She fled from the gazes of all the people queuing at the cashier, especially escaping the stares of Maria and Aurora. In contrast, Andra, casually took items from Aurora and Maria's baskets and paid for them all at once. Aurora initially objected because she felt embarrassed that her underwear was being paid for by her brother-in-law.After shopping, they relaxed for a moment on benches lining the street while sipping cold drinks. As if conspiring together, the scorching sun seemed to burn their skin, and Baby Azka started to get fussy because of the heat."Hendrik, let's find some food. If possible, something nearby," Hendrik suggested."Yes, Dad, there's a nice, familiar eatery nearby that I go to with Arabella," Andra replied, unlocki
"Papa, have you visited Mom Mila's grave?" Aurora asked, attempting to change the subject of Andra's inquiry."Yes, we've already visited, Ra. Every time we come here, your mom and I always go there. You were the one who didn't join us last time," Maria replied while gazing at Aurora's suddenly awkward demeanor. Maria was becoming more suspicious of Aurora's unusual behavior and was convinced that her daughter was hiding something from her."Oh, by the way, Reynald will be returning from Germany in two months. It works out well because you'll be on your semester break when you go back to Jakarta. You can get to know each other then. Reynald's parents are planning to propose to you, and next year, after Reynald graduates, you can get married," Hendrik added, which immediately made Aurora's lips seal tightly.Aurora glanced out the window without commenting on her father's words. Maria looked at Hendrik sharply from behind the rearview mirror and signaled him not to continue his speech.
Aurora blushed instantly as she realized the skimpy outfit she was wearing. How could she meet a man she barely knew in such attire?"Don't tease me, or are you willing to be dragged to the marriage registry office right now?" Dave teased, admiring Aurora's sexy body and flawless skin exposed before him."Sorry, wait a moment," Aurora immediately cut off the conversation and rushed back inside the house.Out on the terrace, Dave sat uncomfortably, feeling out of place. He was surprised by the unexpected urge that had led him here, especially after their confrontation earlier. He remembered the kind of attraction he had felt when he was with Nadine, but now he was intrigued by this unique girl who had disrupted his peace of mind.Back inside, Aurora returned and sat beside Dave, carrying a cold drink and a bowl of snacks. The atmosphere was strange, with both of them sitting in silence. Occasionally, Dave would steal glances at the girl beside him, who seemed uneasy."So... Why did you
Aurora quickly packed her books and pens into her bag after her professor ended the class. She intended to meet her two friends at the library, a place that Aurora found annoying but was a favorite spot for her two friends. As she walked through the classroom corridor, her steps were halted by the presence of Kenzi, the most famous student in her faculty. He was not only handsome but also renowned as a notorious playboy."Ra, you have plans tonight, don't you? Let's go watch a movie," Kenzi invited without any preamble, wearing a unreadable grin."Sorry, I'm busy," Aurora replied curtly with a cold stare and attempted to walk past Kenzi. But after only a few steps, a large hand roughly grabbed her arm, pushing her against the wall, and then caged her in. Aurora couldn't move, and she stared at the man in front of her with a hostile glare."What are you doing? There are plenty of female students lining up to be your date. Why bother me?" Aurora said, returning Kenzi's sharp gaze, while
A faint smile appeared on Dave's face as he followed Aurora towards the back of the cafe. He was briefly puzzled by a question that crossed his mind but was quickly enchanted by the beautiful and natural scenery of the cafe. The cafe's interior was designed to resemble the great outdoors, complete with the sound of flowing water from an artificial river and a few pairs of live pigeons with their cages perched on top of trees that surrounded the cafe.Now they were sitting in one of the gazebos and had ordered food and the cafe's signature drinks. The initial awkwardness had started to fade as they engaged in warm conversation about various topics, sharing stories about their experiences and even discussing Aurora's arranged marriage to Reynald. For some reason, Dave felt a twinge of displeasure when he heard about it. However, their conversation came to a halt when Aurora inquired about Dave's personal life, something Dave had intentionally buried deep inside. Dave didn't want to reop
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