The Golden Mending

CHAPTER 5 - The Silent Truth

The hospital hallway smelled of antiseptic and forgotten prayers.

I stood in front of the reception desk at Permata Medika, my hands trembling inside my coat pockets. I felt like an intruder, a woman chasing shadows in a place meant for healing. But my heart wasn't sick—it was starving for the truth.

"Can I help you, Ma'am?" the receptionist asked, her voice mechanical.

"I'm here to settle an outstanding balance for Putri Rahayu," I said, my voice steadier than I felt. I handed over a copy of the bill I’d found in Roy’s office. "And I believe there was a follow-up appointment with Dr. Herman?"

The receptionist tapped away at her keyboard. Click. Click. Click. Each sound felt like a hammer against my chest. "Putri Rahayu... yes. But Dr. Herman is an oncologist, Ma'am. Are you sure? Our maternity ward is on the fourth floor."

"I’m sure," I replied.

The woman frowned, peering at her screen. "That's strange. The records show Ms. Putri was treated here six months ago for a biopsy. There’s no record of a delivery in our system under that name."

My blood turned to ice. No record of a delivery.

"Are you certain?" I whispered. "She has a baby. A one-month-old girl."

"I'm sorry, Ma'am. Unless she used a different name, she wasn't admitted here for childbirth. However, I see a payment made by a Mr. Roy... for a private room in the surgical wing."

I thanked her and walked away, my legs feeling like lead. I found a plastic chair in a corner of the waiting room and sat down, clutching my bag. If Putri didn't give birth here, then whose baby was Intan? And why was Roy paying for a cancer specialist?

Suddenly, my phone vibrated. A message from Roy.

“Where are you? Putri says you left the house without saying a word. She’s upset, Lala. Come home. Now.”

I looked at the screen, a bitter laugh escaping my lips. Upset. Putri was afraid. She knew I was pulling at the thread that would unravel her entire tapestry of lies.

I didn't reply. Instead, I stood up and walked toward the Oncology department. I needed to see Dr. Herman. I needed to know what kind of game they were playing with my life, my marriage, and that innocent child.

As I turned the corner, I saw a familiar figure standing by the pharmacy. It was Roy. But he wasn't alone. He was talking to a man in a white lab coat, and he looked terrified.

I ducked behind a pillar, my heart racing. I realized then that Roy wasn't just a victim of Putri's manipulation. He was a partner in her secret.

The man I had loved for seven years was a stranger. And the house we shared wasn't a home—it was a crime scene.