Chapter 6 A Crazy Husband!

"Has lunch arrived, Sis?" Putri asked, looking around.

"Yeah, it came earlier. I already finished eating, Put."

Faiz had been quiet, peeling and slicing the pear he brought. Occasionally, he would smile whenever Putri looked over at him.

"Good thing Faiz is here! If not, who knows what would've happened. Rama really doesn't have any sense of responsibility," Putri grumbled, frustrated.

"Maybe there's a bad signal where he is, Put," I replied, defending my husband.

"Kisaran is a big town, Nai," Faiz interjected, still holding the knife and pear. "Where exactly does your husband work that it has such bad reception?"

I glared at Faiz, irritated. He set down a plate of fruit beside me. Putri had been sneaking glances at my ex this whole time. Faiz didn't say anything more, sitting back in the chair by the window with his phone.

"I told Faiz I liked him, Sis," Putri confessed, whispering slightly.

I just rolled my eyes, spearing a slice of pear with a fork. "Oh."

"He said to just take it as it comes. What does that even mean? Does he like me? If I were with someone like Faiz, I'd marry him straightaway! Why bother dating when you can just be a rich man's wife?"

I glanced at Faiz. Remembering how he always brought up our past when we talked, I wondered about his real intentions with Putri.

"You wouldn't mind, right, if Faiz became your brother-in-law?"

"Whatever," I replied.

Putri stepped out as her phone rang. Faiz came closer, sitting in the chair beside my bed.

"Are you feeling better, Nai?"

"Are you just playing with Putri, Iz?" I asked angrily.

Faiz just gave a light smile, adjusting the blanket over me-a caring gesture that warmed my heart.

"Don't I deserve a thank you for handling what your husband should have done these last two days?" Faiz asked, calm.

I froze. "Sorry," I said, lowering my gaze. "Thank you, Iz."

"Just joking." Faiz chuckled, gently patting my head.

The way he acted, smiled, and looked at me was still the same as before. It made me question his seriousness with Putri.

"I'm serious about what I said earlier, Iz. Putri is my sister. She'll feel hurt if she finds out that you-"

"What? Am I making it obvious that I still love you, Nai?"

I was silent for a moment, caught off guard. He smiled at first, but his smile faded as I scoffed and looked away.

"Love? Are you sure?" I taunted, giving him a sharp look.

Faiz frowned, confused. "Nai?"

"Sometimes men don't know the difference between love and lust. They say they love someone until that person is finally theirs. Once they've gotten what they want, the feelings fade."

Faiz fell silent as I refuted his feelings. It wasn't about him. It was my disappointment with what Rama had done to me. He'd been so sweet, professing his love, so I gave up my single life to marry him, thinking his love was genuine.

For Mira's sake. But after marriage, everything changed. My husband wasn't even there when I gave birth-he missed my moment of struggle and joy welcoming our child.

"This is about Rama, isn't it?" Faiz accused, angry. "Don't compare me to your husband! He's the one who disappeared and stopped caring, so why are you taking it out on me?"

I adjusted my blanket in silence. Only one more day of rest in the hospital, and I needed to gather strength to face the mess my marriage had become.

"Love or relationship, I'm not serious about any of it anymore. It's all just empty words. And really, why should it matter to you what I think about your feelings, Iz? There's nothing between us anymore."

Without a word, Faiz left. Putri saw him as he passed her, but he ignored her.

"What's wrong with Faiz, Sis?"

"I don't know," I replied. "Put, if you're serious about him, make sure he's not carrying feelings for someone else. Marriage is forever, not a game. Don't end up regretting and suffering!"

"Someone else? You mean you?" Putri asked casually. "Whatever. He's rich, and that's what matters."

I sighed, closing my eyes, letting the drowsiness of the afternoon take over. I ignored it as Putri went outside, likely to chase after my ex.

I looked at the calendar on the wall. It had been three days since I returned home, taking care of a newborn and little Mira. Thankfully, my delivery was natural, so I wasn't limited by a C-section wound.

"Still no word from Rama?"

I turned to see my mother coming into the house. She went straight to her grandchild in the crib. I'd been holding my phone, looking at my chat window with Rama.

"The last time was yesterday. He sent a chat asking how I was, Mom."

"Your in-laws haven't visited yet?"

"No."

My husband and in-laws had turned indifferent toward me. Was it because the baby's gender wasn't what they'd wanted?

I didn't want to wait anymore.

The next day, I went to Rama's office for information. I'd left the baby with my mother with a supply of pumped milk. I couldn't wait any longer to find out where my husband was.

"Excuse me," I asked one of the employees at Rama's office.

"Yes, ma'am?"

"Rama Nugraha, my husband, from the technical department-how long will he be on assignment in Kisaran?"

"Huh?"

I looked toward a man with a thick mustache. I'd seen him before as Rama's superior when he attended my wedding.

"Miss Naina, right? What brings you here?"

"Mr. Rusli, I'm looking for Rama. I wanted to ask how long his assignment will be."

"All the technicians assigned to Kisaran returned about two days ago, Miss. Rama checked in and picked up his additional travel allowance at the office."

I forced a smile, trying to hide the shame of realizing my husband was hiding something from me.

"Oh. Thanks, sir."

I hurried out of the office, waiting for a motorcycle taxi to take me home. Maybe my mother-in-law knew where her son was.

Honk!!!

The sound of a car horn caught my attention as the window rolled down.

"Nai! Get in!" Faiz called from the driver's seat.

"No," I said firmly. "I'm going to-"

"I know where Rama is."

Without hesitation, I got in the car, sitting next to Faiz. I trusted that he wasn't lying since he'd always kept me informed about my husband.

"I need to go home. The baby needs me."

"There's no need, Nai. There's not much time. I've already taken care of everything. I sent a babysitter to help your mom."

Faiz gave me a serious look as the traffic light turned red. "You deserve to know who your husband really is, Nai. The man you chose over me."

My heart raced, feeling a bad premonition. After about thirty minutes of battling traffic, we arrived at a row of small houses not far from the showroom where Faiz worked. Faiz parked and guided me out of the car.

"Whose house is this, Iz?"

Faiz didn't answer, urging me to follow him quickly. When we reached the door, I froze. A woman in a white kebaya stood next to a tall, handsome man who was unmistakably familiar. The pair were about to exchange wedding vows.

"Rama!" I exclaimed instantly.

Despite the stabbing pain and my weak knees, I forced myself to stay strong, demanding an explanation as to why he'd abandoned me when I gave birth-and how he could plan to marry another woman without my knowledge.