3. Realize

Feby gripped her drink tightly while gazing at the suffocating scene. How could she not feel jealous? The man sitting there was next to a beautiful woman. Could she even allow herself to feel jealous?

"Stop staring if it's only going to hurt you," a voice interrupted her thoughts.

Feby turned quickly toward the voice. She muttered softly and asked, "How long has Mas Ares been in this city?"

"You have no right to ask, Feb," the man said coldly. "Pak Ares will let you know when it's the right time."

Feby clicked her tongue. "You're just his lackey, don't boss me around!"

"I know my place. I hope you realize it too, Feb. You’re just his mistress."

"Shut your mouth, Angga! I'm his wife," Feby retorted, not accepting it. "Even though... the second wife."

Angga smirked. "Oh really? You can only be called a second wife if the first wife knows. Meanwhile, you? Your status is kept secret. In other words, you’re just a kept woman."

"You—"

Feby’s words were cut off when Angga moved closer, blocking her view.

"Leave! Or it’ll hurt even more later," he said, and then walked away, leaving Feby frozen. She had no intention of following his advice.

Indeed, Angga wasn’t joking. Less than five minutes later, several people joined the scene, making Feby feel more jealous, especially when she saw the young girls coming over with gifts in their hands.

Feby smiled bitterly. Deep inside, she longed for that moment. But could it ever happen in real life? It seemed impossible, because until now, no one knew who she was to Ares Dwi Pranata.

"Hey, pretty!"

"Eh, pregnant too! Still flirting!!"

Feby stopped in her tracks as she glanced to the right to identify the source of the teasing. A smile appeared as she saw two young men, about the same age as her younger brother.

"Sorry, miss. Didn't know you're pregnant. Sorry!" one of them apologized.

Feby didn’t respond with words; she just waved her hand and continued walking.

"Ki, how old do you think I am now?" Feby suddenly asked.

Her brother, who had been focused on the steering wheel, frowned. "Twenty-five. Why?"

Feby sighed in annoyance. "Don’t just look at my birth year, Ki. Well… if you look at me briefly."

Zaki shrugged. "How would I know?"

"Am I pretty because of makeup or what?"

"Tch, what is this, Kak?" Zaki laughed. "If you were ugly, Mas Ares wouldn't have fallen for you. Eh? I-I mean, not that—"

Zaki immediately realized he misspoke, repeatedly tapping his lips, regretting his words. But it was too late. All that remained was regret.

Feby, on the other hand, smiled bitterly, especially after hearing her brother's blunt words.

"I’m going to drive myself, Ki. Please stop the car at the intersection," she said.

"What?!" Zaki panicked. "Sorry, Kak Feb. I-I misspoke."

"It’s okay!"

"Don’t leave me, okay?"

Feby, already annoyed, couldn’t change her decision. She took out some money and placed it on Zaki’s lap.

"This should be enough for you to buy new clothes and take a ride on an ojek!!"

"Kak!!"

Did Feby care? The answer was no. She quickly buckled her seatbelt and drove her luxury car at high speed.

Her destination was one of the five-star hotels in the city. Going home was pointless; her mother would probably disturb her peace. That’s what Feby was thinking now.

[Thanks, Honey, for the surprise today. I thought you forgot about our anniversary. Hehe.]

The post on her social media account was quickly flooded with comments from netizens. They seemed to enjoy the photo and caption full of flowers. But it was Feby herself who was burning with jealousy at that moment.

"Marry me. I will provide everything you need," the words from six months ago echoed in her mind.

The handsome man named Ares, in a chaotic state, proposed to her with such sweet promises. Of course, she didn’t reject him, because she had been swept away by forbidden love.

Here she was now, soaking in a bathtub while reminiscing about the beautiful moments she had with her husband.

Sadly, tonight she had to face the truth that she was just a shadow of a wife. Let alone demanding her rights, even attention seemed so hard to get.

TING!

The sound of her phone ringing made Feby open her eyes, which were about to close. A smile spread across her face when she saw the message from Ares.

[Have you gone to sleep?]

Feeling mischievous, Feby decided to send a photo of herself in the bathtub, covered in bubbles, posing provocatively.

Guess what the response was? Feby couldn’t help but laugh when her phone rang uncontrollably.

"Hey!" she greeted with her sweetest smile.

["Honey, what are you doing? Who are you with? Where are you right now?"]

Instead of answering the series of questions, Feby chose to maintain her smile, making her handsome husband even more curious.

"Where do you think I am, Mas?" she cooed playfully. "I miss you. I want to go to the hotel we usually stay at. Is that wrong?"

Ares widened his eyes in shock. He was clearly surprised. Feby then furrowed her brows.

["Don't joke, Feb!"]

"I'm serious, Mas. What's wrong?"

Ares ran his hand through his hair roughly, exhaling a sharp breath. ["I'm here with Widya and the kids. We’re staying here."]

"Oh." That was all Feby said in response. "What’s the problem? No one will know that I’m here with you, like usual. Just relax. In fact… you could come over, couldn’t you?"

["Feby?"]

"Come on, Mas. I miss you. We haven’t seen each other in a month, right?"

["If I can, I will. Let’s talk later."]

Even though it wasn’t certain whether her husband would come, Feby still prepared herself as best as she could.

---

She wasn’t sure what time it was. Feby didn’t care, even though she had briefly closed her eyes earlier. What mattered now was the flat object on the nightstand.

[Open the door.]

Maybe because it was getting late, or perhaps Ares was still sleepy, the message seemed rather flat. It was unusual. Nevertheless, Feby happily walked over.

Still wearing a bright red bathrobe, she walked toward the door and eagerly awaited his arrival. Then, a few seconds later...

"YOU??"