# Chapter 5
It was getting late when the sound of a car engine drifted into the driveway.
Aletta, who still couldn't fall asleep, slowly pulled back the curtain in her room. Through the window, she saw a luxury car stop in front of the house.
Thom got out first.
A moment later, a woman followed from the passenger seat. Her face was already familiar to Aletta. She knew perfectly well that the woman was her father's girlfriend.
Aletta let out a quiet breath.
A sight like that was no longer surprising.
It wasn't just Thom. Bianca often came home with another man whom Aletta knew as her mother's boyfriend. Ironically, her parents never made any effort to hide those relationships from Aletta.
Sometimes, they even acted so familiar with each other in front of their daughter, as if they had forgotten that there was still a child forced to watch their marriage fall apart every day.
Aletta slowly closed the curtain again.
To her, that house had never felt like home. It was nothing more than a grand building filled with strangers who happened to be related to her by blood.
Aletta let out a long breath before walking to her desk. From inside the drawer, she took out a dark blue book whose cover had begun to wear out.
Her diary.
The only place that always listened without judgment.
Aletta opened to a blank page and gripped her pen tightly. Slowly, ink began to fill the white sheet.
"Today... I failed to be strong again."
Her hand paused for a moment, but her tears fell first, soaking the paper.
She wrote everything down.
About the test score that had disappointed her.
About Bagaskara, who kept trying to get close to her even though she always ignored him.
About Alice and her friends hurting her again until blood ran from her temple.
And about what she had just seen through the window: her father coming home with another woman, as though it were all perfectly normal.
Every word she wrote felt like a burden slowly lifting from her chest.
Because only in that diary did Aletta dare admit the one thing she had never been able to say to anyone.
"I'm tired..."
The next morning, Aletta had just finished getting ready for school when Bi Minah's voice came from outside her room.
"Miss Aletta, Mr. Thom wants you to come downstairs for a moment."
Aletta, who had been straightening her bag, immediately went still.
Her fingers slowly curled into fists.
For some reason, her chest suddenly felt tight.
She knew that sentence all too well.
Whenever Thom or Bianca called for her specifically, there was almost never anything good waiting for her. Usually, it was anger, demands, or words that tore down her self-worth all over again.
Aletta took a deep breath, trying to gather her strength.
"Hopefully this time... it won't be as bad as usual."
Even though a bad feeling continued to haunt her thoughts, she still stepped out of her room. Slowly, she descended the stairs to the living room, where Thom was waiting for her.
"What's wrong, Dad?" Aletta asked softly, her voice barely audible.
Thom, who had been busy reading the newspaper, slowly lowered it. His cold, disappointed gaze fixed on Aletta.
Without saying a word, he flung a sheet of paper onto the table.
"What's that?" he asked sharply.
Aletta lowered her head. She recognized the paper instantly.
The results of her Economics test.
"Your homeroom teacher called me this morning," Thom continued. "She said your grades keep dropping and that you need more supervision."
The man gave a hollow laugh.
"Embarrassing."
Aletta bit her lower lip.
"What kind of grade is this, Aletta? You really don't have a brain, do you?"
Her chest tightened at the words.
"I-I tried, Dad..." she said softly, holding back her trembling voice.
"Tried?" Thom cut in sarcastically. "If you had really tried, the result wouldn't look like this."
Aletta only bowed her head lower. Her fingers clasped tightly together as she tried to hold back the tears welling in her eyes.
She wanted to explain that she studied late every night, that she had done everything she could.
But she knew...
In front of Thom, no matter how hard she tried, it would always be considered not enough.
"Come here."
Thom's voice was cold, without the slightest warmth of a father.
Aletta swallowed. Even as her body began to tremble, she still stepped closer.
"Turn around."
He gave the order in a firm tone that left no room for argument.
Aletta closed her eyes for a moment before slowly turning around.
She knew what was going to happen.
This wasn't the first or second time she had stood in this position.
Thom opened the drawer of the cabinet in the corner of the room and took out the leather belt he had always used to punish her.
At the sight of it, Aletta's breathing immediately turned uneven.
Her fingers clenched hard at her sides as the fear she had spent so long burying once again filled her chest.
She wanted to run.
She wanted to scream.
But her legs felt so heavy, as if they were incapable of moving.
In that vast room, the only sound was the suffocating silence as Aletta prepared to face a punishment she had endured far too many times.
"Count to fifty, stupid girl."
Thom's voice was flat, but the anger hidden beneath it made Aletta tremble even harder.
"And don't stop until I tell you to."
Aletta closed her eyes for a moment. Her lips trembled, but she still tried to obey.
"O... one..."
Her voice was so quiet it was barely audible.
Thom stood behind her without showing the slightest pity. His face remained cold, as if the person before him wasn't his own daughter but someone who had disappointed him.
Aletta bit her lower lip.
"Two..."
Each number that left her lips felt heavier than the last. Not only because of her fear, but because she knew this punishment wasn't the first and might not be the last.
In her heart, there was only one question she had never been able to ask anyone.
"Am I really not worthy of being their daughter?"
By the time the counting ended, Aletta could no longer hold herself upright properly. Her breathing came in ragged gasps, and her entire body ached. All she could do was lower her head, trying to hold back the sob that nearly escaped her lips.
Before she had time to steady herself, Thom roughly grabbed her chin and forced her face upward.
"Listen carefully, Aletta."
His voice was low, but heavy with anger.
"I'm sick of dealing with that bitch Bianca. And now I have to be bothered by a stupid daughter whose grades keep disappointing me."
Aletta's tears fell silently.
"No matter what you do, it never seems to be enough," Thom continued coldly. "If you want to be respected, prove it with results. Stop disappointing me."
After saying that, Thom released her. Aletta lost her balance and nearly fell before catching herself against the table nearby.
She didn't answer.
Not because she had no response.
But because she had tried explaining too many times, until she finally realized that in this house, no one truly wanted to hear her voice.
"Thom, darling. We have to leave now. Our flight is at twelve," the woman called as she descended the stairs with graceful steps.
Thom glanced over.
"Yeah."
Without another word, he walked over to the woman. The two of them then headed toward the front door.
As she passed Aletta, the woman only gave her a brief glance. No greeting, no questions, as if Aletta were merely a piece of furniture that happened to be there.
Thom was no different.
He didn't even look back at his daughter before finally leaving the house.
A short while later, the sound of the car engine faded into the distance, leaving the grand house filled with silence once again.
Aletta was still standing where she was.
Her empty gaze remained fixed on the tightly closed door.
The house fell silent again.
And as usual, Aletta was left all alone.
Aletta took a deep breath before reaching for her school bag, which lay on the table.
Slowly, she walked out of the house.
Every step felt heavy. Her body still throbbed with pain, making her limp slightly as she walked. Even so, she forced herself toward the school bus stop.
To her, school was the only place that still gave her a chance to endure, even though she wasn't truly accepted there either.
Aletta never let herself miss school just because she was in pain.
Because she knew no one would ask why she hadn't come.
And no one would be waiting for her at home, either.
The school bus finally arrived at the stop. Aletta climbed aboard without saying much, then walked toward the very back row, where one seat happened to be empty. She quickly sat down by the window, hoping the morning ride would be peaceful.
A moment later, the bus began pulling away from the stop.
"Wait, sir!"
A boy's shout came from outside.
All the passengers instinctively turned toward the windows. A student was running as fast as he could after the bus, his bag swinging from his shoulder.
Bagaskara.
His usually neat hair was slightly disheveled from running. Though he was breathing hard, a mischievous smile still brightened his face.
The driver finally stopped the bus.
"Thanks, sir!" Bagaskara called as he climbed the steps. He wiped the sweat from his forehead, then chuckled. "You were going way too fast, sir. I almost got left behind."
Several students snickered at his chatter, while the driver only shook his head with a faint smile.
Once inside the bus, Bagaskara's eyes immediately swept over all the seats.
As if he were looking for someone.
And sure enough.
In the very back row, Aletta sat alone by the window. Her gaze was fixed outside, taking in the passing scenery without paying the slightest attention to the commotion inside the bus.
Bagaskara, who had been searching for her all along, immediately gave a small smile.
Without hesitation, he walked toward the back and dropped into the empty seat right beside Aletta.
Thump.
The sound made Aletta turn slightly. When she realized who was sitting beside her, she only let out a quiet breath before turning her gaze back out the window.
Meanwhile, Bagaskara casually leaned back in his seat.
"Morning, Aletta."
There was no answer.
Aletta remained silent, as if the boy beside her were nothing more than a passing breeze.
But Bagaskara didn't look disappointed in the slightest. Instead, the corners of his lips lifted again into a small smile.
To him, simply sitting beside Aletta was already a good enough beginning.