My Second Husband

The scream from the front made Aletta in the kitchen rush out, witnessing the unsettling scene.

"Blood..." Aletta murmured softly as she saw Bella lying on the floor, blood seeping out.

"Did you do it on purpose?"

Her husband's question left Aletta silent, confused about what he meant.

"SPEAK!!!" Aletta was startled as her husband suddenly raised his voice.

"Clearly say it, was it your doing? Did you intentionally make Bella miscarry so I could accept your pregnancy?"

Aletta took slow steps backward, afraid as she saw her husband approaching with intimidating eyes.

Bella Saphira, a 31-year-old woman with fair skin and beauty, was her husband's lover. After marrying him, he quickly introduced Bella and let her stay in the house given by her parents as a wedding gift.

"Not me, I didn't do it," Aletta answered fearfully, knowing that anything related to Bella would be blamed on her.

"IF NOT YOU, THEN WHO?!" His shout followed by a hard slap made Aletta shocked and fall, unable to match his strength.

Aletta winced, feeling the heat on her cheek and the pain spreading in her lower abdomen.

"Listen to me! If anything happens to Bella, don't expect to get away with it." Gerald threatened, gripping his wife's face tightly.

Aletta cried, acknowledging her mistake from the beginning. She shouldn't have forced a marriage unwanted by her husband. She should have found out if the man she loved had a lover or not; Aletta was terribly wrong.

Gerald left, carrying the still-pained Bella, leaving Aletta crying in silence while feeling the pain alone.

"Ah... Blood... Why is there blood here?!" Aletta panicked and puzzled as she saw blood coming from between her legs. The pain she felt suddenly vanished, replaced by an overwhelming sense of panic.

***

Five hours passed, Aletta remained silent, staring blankly out the window.

She had no idea what had actually happened. Suddenly, she woke up alone in a spacious hospital room.

The scent of medications, her flattened stomach, and a vague sense of pain when she moved-that's what she felt now.

Aletta could guess what happened, but she didn't know what to do.

The sound of the opening door didn't make Aletta turn at all; she stayed silent and sat in stillness.

"Darling, are you awake?" Daffa's voice, Aletta's father, was heard, making Aletta's tears fall effortlessly.

Daffa, understanding the situation, decided to remain silent and not say anything more. He chose to tightly embrace his daughter who cried silently.

Daffa already knew everything. If not for the CCTV in the living room, he wouldn't have known what really happened to his beloved daughter.

"Forgive me, dear..." Daffa whispered softly.

"Forgive me for not knowing what happened in your marriage sooner." Daffa continued, immediately causing Aletta to cry loudly, hugging her father tightly.

***

On the other side, Gerald, in the same hospital, was walking toward where Bella was being treated. For Bella's sake, he ignored calls from his in-laws and decided to care for and comfort his girlfriend who had truly lost her unborn child.

"Do you know? I got rid of that child." Bella's voice, heard as Gerald slightly opened the door, made him stop and fall silent.

"Hahaha, Gerald, just believe that it was your wife who did it, while I myself mixed the medication into the drink she made,"

Gerald was silent, shocked to hear what his girlfriend just said.

"At first, Gerald believed it was his child, so I thought of keeping it. But after thinking about it, Gerald is poor, he has nothing if not for his wife. So, I killed the child,"

Gerald became even more silent, confused by what his girlfriend had just revealed.

"Mr. Dellot didn't want to take responsibility for the child. That's why I had to tell Gerald it was his child, but in the end, I decided to just kill it, as Mr. Dellot suggested."

Hearing this, Gerald quickly opened the door and entered. His hands still gripped the food package he had ordered earlier for his girlfriend.

Bella, seeing him, immediately hung up her phone and was surprised because Gerald entered suddenly.

"How long have you been here?" Bella asked, slightly nervous.

"I heard everything," Gerald replied calmly, though his hands were clenched in anger.

"Let's break up!" Gerald finally exclaimed.

"Why?" Bella asked hesitantly.

"I'm poor," Gerald replied shortly.

After answering, Gerald immediately left his girlfriend's room.

Safe journey home, Gerald thought about what happened to Aletta. However, he treated Aletta quite harshly earlier.

Gerald wondered if his wife would forgive his negligence.

None of these questions were answered. Gerald could only pray that his wife would grant him forgiveness.

Upon reaching home, Gerald entered and called his wife's name. However, he was surprised to find a middle-aged woman in the house.

"Who are you?" Gerald asked quickly.

"I was sent by Mr. Daffa to pack Miss Aletta's belongings," the middle-aged woman replied swiftly.

"Why? Where is Aletta?" Gerald asked a bit panicked.

Mr. Daffa said he would send divorce papers, so you are asked to sign them without much talk." The woman replied without intending to answer Gerald's question.

"And if you don't want to sign them, all the capital given to your family before will be demanded as compensation." The middle-aged woman continued.

"This can't be! Aletta is pregnant with my child!" Gerald responded, unwilling to back down.

"That child is no longer there!" The middle-aged woman replied.

Gerald fell silent, shocked by what he just heard. He wondered if Aletta also took the same medicine to get rid of their child.

"Oh, one more thing, Mr. Daffa has secured CCTV footage of what you did to Miss Aletta, endangering her life. So if you don't cooperate, you'll really get into trouble."

After saying that, the middle-aged woman left with Aletta's essential belongings, while Gerald remained confused about what had actually happened.

After calming down, Gerald stood up and intended to go to the bedroom. However, something held him back.

Gerald fell silent, staring at the bloodstain staining the white floor in the living room. It was where he let his wife fall earlier without ensuring her condition.

Suddenly, Gerald remembered what the middle-aged woman said earlier, mentioning that the child was no longer there, and now Gerald understood its meaning.

He reached for his phone and tried to call his wife, but the operator informed him that his wife's phone was off.

Gerald fell silent for a moment, gently massaging his head; he truly did not expect things to end up like this.

***

Aletta calmly ate her porridge; she didn't want to make her father feel more guilty.

"Dad has informed Gerald about the divorce," Daffa suddenly said.

"Sorry for causing you trouble, Dad," Aletta replied softly.

"Dad thought you would be disappointed," Daffa added.

"Actually, from the beginning, it was Aletta's fault. Aletta shouldn't have forced herself to marry Gerald. Especially when Aletta didn't know he already had a lover." Aletta calmly replied.

"Forgive me, Dad," Daffa said, feeling extremely guilty about what happened to his daughter.

After finishing her porridge, Aletta lay back and closed her eyes. Aletta didn't want to think too much; she just wanted a peaceful and happy life.

***

A week passed, and Aletta was now at her father's house, looking at her friend who arrived with a man Aletta vaguely recognized.

"Have you changed boyfriends already?" Aletta asked, causing Celine to widen her eyes.

"Do you think I'd date him?" Celine replied irritably.

Aletta, unaware of the issue, remained silent. Why did her friend come with a man to her father's house?

"Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Killian Robert. I come with good intentions to propose to you."

Aletta, not eating or drinking at the moment, suddenly choked on her own saliva. Was there no rain or wind, yet this man came with the intention to propose?

"Uh, I think I should go home," Celine said abruptly, wanting to leave the awkward situation.

"No, ah no! Why are you suddenly leaving?!" Aletta was surprised.

"Hey! Isn't this your friend? Why don't you take him home too?!" Aletta yelled, standing and looking towards Celine's departure.

Aletta, just realizing what she said, immediately fell silent and sat back down. Quietly, Aletta looked at the man named Killian, who was smiling at her.

"Sorry, but I still have a husband," Aletta informed.

"I know that you and that bastard are in the process of divorcing," Killian confidently replied.

"Sorry, do you also need financial support from my father's company?" Aletta asked hesitantly.

Upon hearing the question, Killian quickly took out his wallet and handed her his business card.

Aletta silently stared at the offered business card, then reluctantly took it and carefully read it.

KR Holding, a company everyone admired. It was a place where everyone wanted to work due to its high salary.

Aletta felt embarrassed; this company seemed better than her father's. Then why would someone important like him propose to a prospective widow?

"We went to the same school, and I've liked you since then." As if knowing what Aletta was thinking, Killian quickly answered.

"Wait a moment," Aletta replied, suddenly feeling dizzy.

"I actually don't want to miss this opportunity; I truly can't marry anyone else but you," Killian continued, making Aletta shudder when she heard it.

The ringing phone prompted Killian to take out his phone and turn it off without answering it.

"Ah, I don't want to be disturbed at a time like this," Killian said again, as if he knew what Aletta was going to ask.

Aletta gently massaged her head; she had just been thinking of not getting married again and decided to help her father in the company. But what was this?

"Can you leave? I can't give you an answer right now," Aletta finally said.

"In that case, I'll come another time," Killian quickly replied.

Killian stood up and smiled at Aletta.

"I won't give up easily," said Killian as he extended his hand for a handshake.

Aletta hesitated to shake the large hand and smiled awkwardly.

"Take care, don't forget to eat regularly." After saying that, Killian truly left, leaving Aletta still confused.

After realizing, Aletta took her phone and called Celine, and within seconds, Celine answered the call.

"ARE YOU CRAZY!!!!" Aletta yelled, making Celine quickly move her phone away from her ear.

"Listen first," Celine replied, trying to explain.

"Come here right now!" Aletta exclaimed, then immediately hung up the phone.

On the other side, Killian, driving his car, quickly contacted his mother, who had called him earlier.

"Sorry, Mom, Killian had an important matter earlier." Killian quickly apologized.

"What important matter is visiting another woman's house?" His mother's response left Killian silent.

"Does Mom already know?" Killian asked with a thin smile.

"Don't be too reckless; Mom knows you like her, but not at a time like this. It could harm the company." Agatha, Aletta's mother, advised.

"Killian will remember that," he quickly replied.

"When will Mom come there and propose to Aletta for Killian?"

"Crazy child!" Agatha cursed, then immediately hung up the phone.

Killian chuckled to himself and refocused on his driving. He knew how his mother was; despite the cursing, she would follow what he said.

"I hope the divorce goes smoothly," Killian muttered quietly, turning his steering wheel to head to the company. He had to get back to work if he wanted to marry someone because he would never let his wife lack anything or even work to support him.

Killian had long dreamed of a beautiful married life with Aletta, the first woman who made him fall in love at first sight. A woman willing to help him, even though she was shy about doing so.

Killian would make Aletta happy, as he promised every day, and he was confident that day would come soon. If it weren't for educational demands in the past, he would never have lost Aletta to another man.

Aletta stared sharply at Celine; her friend was truly loyal to her. How could this happen? Because Celine had a strong liking for Aletta's brother.

"So, Killian, the crazy one, threatened me," Celine finally explained.

"Oh, so you knew he was crazy and still brought him to me?" Aletta replied, not pleased.

"It's not like that, Ta, he's not crazy, well, he's really crazy." In the end, Celine couldn't say anything other than admitting it.

Everyone knew how crazy Killian was from then until now. During their college days, Killian was already known for retaliating against anyone who disturbed him without fear. Even Killian's parents were called multiple times because of his actions. Eventually, he was sent abroad for further education.

And now? He always acted arbitrarily towards his employees. Even though his salary was high, it was challenging to deal with the young boss.

"I'll be fired if I don't bring him to meet you," Aletta said finally.

Aletta had been working as Killian's secretary for 3 years, but her position was not a direct secretary but an assistant secretary. So, she rarely met Killian directly.

During these 3 years of work, today was the first time she was called and would be fired if she refused to help that crazy boss.

"So, are you skipping work?" Aletta asked finally.

Of course, Aletta would understand if it was work-related. Celine was the breadwinner of her family because her parents were no longer there, and she had a younger sibling still in college.

"I was given leave; maybe the whole office is already gossiping that I'm dating that crazy guy." Celine replied a bit annoyed.

"But Ta, he really likes you," Celine informed.

"That's not the problem. You know my marriage just failed, and I'm not ready to be in a relationship again." Aletta replied.

"But why didn't you tell him about Gerald?" Celine asked softly.

"I don't want to make Dad worried," Aletta quickly answered.

"In the end, your dad would worry too, right?" Celine replied quickly.

Aletta fell silent and couldn't say anything; that was the truth.

"Tomorrow, my brother will come home after hearing what happened to me; he'll surely be very angry with Gerald." Aletta said, a little worried.

"If I were your brother, I'd be angry too," Celine replied in a soft voice.

"Do you want to have dinner at home tomorrow?" Aletta asked her friend.

"Check my schedule tomorrow; afraid of overtime." Celine replied quickly.

Aletta nodded and smiled faintly.

"By the way, news about the divorce is out and trending. Be careful if you decide to go out," Celine warned.

"I don't think I can go out. Gerald keeps contacting me. You know I'd melt if I meet him." Aletta replied in a low voice.

About Killian, please consider it; who knows, my salary might increase." Celine said half-jokingly.

Aletta, hearing this, could only smile faintly. She remembered who Killian was. However, she didn't expect him to change this much. Killian, who used to be warmer, now seemed very cold even though he spoke kindly to her.

"Ta," Celine called softly.

"Why?" Aletta quickly replied.

"Do you have any money? I need to borrow some; my younger sibling's allowance is overdue this month." Celine asked without hesitation.

"How much?" Aletta asked, taking her phone.

During her marriage, although Aletta never received money from her husband except for groceries, she always got a monthly allowance from her father and brother. They said it was a share of the profits from the company.

"I don't know who else I'd ask for help if not you," said Celine, hugging her friend.

"If it weren't for you, I'd be suffering even more," Aletta replied honestly.

She was forbidden to socialize during her marriage; all she did was play with her phone. Meanwhile, her husband was always busy with his lover at home. She was like a servant, all because of her mistake in loving the wrong man.

"Let me know when it's in," Aletta informed.

"When I get a bonus from Killian, I'll pay you back." Celine said without any guilt.

"Killian? Which one?"

A male voice suddenly sounded, making Celine and Aletta turn to look at Liandro, Aletta's brother, who had apparently arrived home.

Celine quickly released her hug on Aletta and began to move away. Celine was still embarrassed when meeting Liandro; he had rejected her three times.

"How did you know I was coming home today?" Liandro asked Celine.

"Me?" Celine stammered.

"I came not because I knew you were coming. If I knew, I wouldn't have come." Celine replied nervously.

"Unusual, usually you also ask for a hug." Liandro said, putting his coat on the sofa.

"I'm already grown up; I know I can't do that." Celine replied.

Aletta, watching, could only laugh softly. She knew very well that her friend was nervous seeing her brother. Aletta knew how much Celine liked her brother.

"Who says you can't? Come here." Liandro replied.

"Ta, I'm going home now." Celine excused herself and ran away.

Aletta, watching her friend, could only laugh. She couldn't believe she would laugh again like this.

"I'll take her home first." Liandro said, standing up and gently stroking Aletta's hair.

"Invite her to dinner; she probably hasn't eaten since she came straight from the office." Aletta replied, and Liandro nodded in response.

"Do you want me to buy you something?" Liandro asked.

"No," Aletta replied quickly.

After that, Liandro went out carrying his car keys. Aletta knew her brother was also interested in her friend, but he lacked confidence because he didn't have a stable income. Moreover, Aletta wasn't supporting just herself but also her younger sibling.

After seeing her brother off, Aletta went back into her room after telling the housekeeper to bring her brother's suitcase and belongings inside.

Aletta lay down and closed her eyes slowly. Her hand moved to gently stroke her stomach in silence. Some time ago, Aletta could still feel the twitches in her stomach; now she couldn't feel anything. It made Aletta realize that she had truly lost her prospective baby, the baby she thought would help her keep going.