The Golden Mending

CHAPTER 6 - The Dinner Table War

The drive home felt like a journey through a dream I couldn't wake up from. Every streetlight I passed seemed to mock me, flashing like a warning sign. Liar. Liar. Liar.

When I walked through the front door, the house was eerily quiet. The smell of burnt toast and baby powder hung heavy in the air. I found Roy and Putri in the dining room, sitting in the very chairs where we used to share our dreams. Now, they looked like two conspirators interrupted by a ghost.

"Where have you been, Lala?" Roy asked, his voice low and dangerous. He didn't even look up from his plate. "Putri was worried. She said you left without a word."

I walked to the table, my footsteps echoing on the hardwood floor. I didn't take off my coat. I didn't sit down. I just stood there, looking at them. "I was at Permata Medika, Roy. Settling some... unfinished business."

Roy’s fork clattered against his plate. His face went pale, then a deep, angry red. "I told you to stay away from there! Why can't you just listen for once?"

"I listened for seven years, Roy," I replied, my voice as calm as a frozen lake. "I listened to your promises. I listened to your excuses. But today, I listened to the truth. And the truth says Putri was never admitted for childbirth."

Putri gasped, clutching the baby tighter to her chest. She looked at Roy, her eyes wide with fake terror. "Roy, she’s scaring me. She’s... she’s obsessed. She’s trying to take Intan away from me!"

"Is that so, Putri?" I leaned in, my shadow falling over her. "Then tell me, why does Dr. Herman’s name appear on your medical bills? Since when do oncologists deliver babies?"

The silence that followed was suffocating. Roy stood up, his chair screeching back. "That’s enough, Lala! You’re overstepping. Putri is sick, yes, but that doesn't change the fact that Intan is my daughter. She stays. Putri stays. If you can’t accept that, then maybe you’re the one who doesn't belong here."

He walked out of the room, leaving me alone with the woman who had stolen my life.

Putri stood up, her face twisting into a cruel smirk. The "helpless mother" act was gone. "He’ll always choose me, Lala. Do you know why? Because I gave him what you couldn't. A legacy. Even if the truth comes out, he’ll protect me to protect her."

She leaned in, whispering in my ear. "You’re fighting a losing battle. A wife with no child is just a temporary resident. And your lease is up."

I watched her walk away, her laughter ringing in my ears. My heart was breaking, but my mind was sharper than ever. Roy thought he was protecting a legacy. Putri thought she was protected by a child.

But I knew something they didn't. I still had the ultrasound photo in my pocket. And I was going to find out exactly whose blood was running through that baby’s veins.