5:30 a.m. WIB. The light of dawn still filtered faintly through the gaps in the window, illuminating the room filled with silence.
After performing the Fajr prayer, Naufal slowly folded his prayer mat. His gaze fell on Akhzam, his little brother, who was fast asleep on the floor.
Gently, Naufal lifted Akhzam. He laid him on the bed and pulled the blanket up to cover his small body.
His touch was full of tenderness, as though he were afraid of waking the nightmare Akhzam might be having.
The aroma of fried rice from the kitchen reached Naufal as he walked toward it. Adelia turned when she heard approaching footsteps.
She looked exhausted, her eyes still puffy, yet she forced a faint smile. The smile felt so bitter, reflecting the heavy burden she carried. Naufal felt the same despair.
“Have you prayed?” she asked, her voice slightly hoarse as she tried to sound calm.
“Yes,” Naufal replied.
“And your little brother?”
“He did, but he went back to sleep,” Naufal answered with a small yawn. He tried to act normal, but the burden in his heart felt heavy.
Adelia let out a long sigh. She looked more tired than usual.
“You’re not going to school today, right? Mom needs to ask you a favor, son. Take care of your little brother. Mom has to go to the office. Aunt Lila’s child is sick, so she can’t come in. While I’m there, I also want to talk to my boss. Maybe there’s some extra work available.” Her voice trembled as she tried to hide her deep sadness. Her words sounded forced, as though they were covering up something.
“For what?” Naufal asked, curiosity mixed with anxiety.
Adelia wiped her face, her eyes brimming with tears. “We have to move out of here, son. Mom’s money is gone. We can’t stay here much longer.” Her voice broke between words, accompanied by sobs she struggled to hold back. Those words struck Naufal like a devastating blow. He felt the same despair, but he had to stay strong for his mother and Akhzam.
Naufal thought for a moment. Then an idea came to him—a faint hope that might save them.
“Why don’t we move to Grandpa’s house, Mom?” he asked, his voice full of hope, even though he himself doubted whether Grandpa would accept them.
“You’re Grandpa’s only daughter. Uncle Kevin and Uncle Revan wouldn’t let anyone treat you like this!”
He placed his hope in his extended family’s strength, in the protection of his high-ranking uncles.
Adelia fell silent, memories of her luxurious past clashing with the bitter reality she faced now. Recalling the luxury and protection provided by her two older brothers, Kevin Samudra (Brigadier General) and Revan Anugrah (Senior Police Commissioner), only made her sadder.
They had been her protectors, an unbreakable shield that always kept her safe. But her marriage to Fatar, the man she had once loved with all her heart, had taken all of that away.
Her overwhelming love had blinded her, leading her to leave behind her family’s luxury and protection to live a simple life with Fatar. She had believed Fatar’s promise to lead her toward divine paradise. She had never imagined that she would face such a shocking ordeal.
“Mom.” Naufal’s call broke Adelia out of her reverie. She jolted back to the bitter reality before her.
“No, son. We can’t trouble your grandfather,” Adelia replied firmly, holding back the tears threatening to fall. “I can still try to find a decent place for the three of us to live. We’ll wait for your dad’s explanation. Maybe he’s dealing with some serious problem, which is why he went so far as to sell this house without telling us. Maybe he didn’t want to worry me.” She was still trying to defend her husband, searching for an excuse to understand Fatar’s unforgivable actions.
“You can still think positively after what Dad did? Mom, Dad sold this house without your permission! He forged your signature! He spent my education savings! He drained your entire ATM account! Then he ran away and made himself unreachable! And you’re still defending him?!” Naufal exploded, his anger no longer containable. He felt betrayed and treated unfairly, but what hurt most was seeing his mother still trying to defend the father who had destroyed their lives.
“There has to be a reason... Let’s just wait until we can reach your dad’s phone. Don’t judge him so harshly!” Adelia defended her husband, her voice trembling, her resolve unshaken. She still hoped there was a reasonable explanation behind all of this. She still hoped in a love that had faded long ago.
Naufal fell silent, looking at his mother with a shattered heart. Although she looked deeply wounded, the woman before him showed not the slightest desire to think negatively about her husband. He couldn’t understand how his mother could remain so strong in the face of such cruel betrayal. All he could feel was an overwhelming despair.
“Mom’s going to shower first. I have to get to the office soon. Wake your little brother and take him to eat breakfast,” Adelia said, trying to hide her sadness behind words that sounded ordinary. She was trying to stay strong, trying to be a strong mother in front of her children.
“Okay,” Naufal replied briefly, his voice flat.
Adelia walked out of the kitchen. Naufal let out a long sigh before heading to his room. A heavy burden weighed on his shoulders. The responsibility of looking after his little brother and supporting his mother through this difficult situation felt enormous.
Akhzam was already awake. He sat on the bed, playing with his favorite toy cars, apparently unaware of how serious the problems facing his family were. Naufal gave a bitter smile at the sight of his innocent little brother, who understood nothing.
“Come on, little brother. Let’s eat,” Naufal said gently, trying to shift his thoughts away from the problems ensnaring them. “Mom made your favorite fried rice.” He held out his hand to help Akhzam climb down from the bed.
Akhzam’s small hand immediately wrapped around Naufal’s finger. They arrived in the kitchen. Naufal lifted the little boy onto a chair. His gaze accidentally fell on Adelia’s cell phone lying on the table. There was a missed call from Aunt Lila, his mother’s close friend. But there was also an incoming message. Naufal’s heart pounded as he read it:
“Have you left yet, Del? I’m still keeping an eye on Fatar and Chintya. They’re still here and haven’t noticed me.”
A photo was attached. It showed Fatar sitting intimately with a woman Naufal recognized all too well—Chintya, Adelia’s closest friend back in high school. Five months earlier, Chintya, who had suffered domestic abuse at the hands of her ex-husband, had returned with Adelia’s help.
Naufal froze. A bitter truth had been revealed before him. His family’s life had been destroyed not only by financial problems, but also by his father’s betrayal.
The chat between Adelia and Lila showed that his mother was trying to conceal her pain by pretending to go to the office in place of her friend, who couldn’t come in.
Naufal now understood that Adelia wanted to meet Fatar before her husband left the city with Chintya.
Footsteps approached. Naufal quickly set the phone back on the table and sat beside Akhzam.
Adelia came in, hurriedly slipping her phone into her bag.
“Mom’s leaving, okay? You two behave yourselves at home.”
Without waiting for an answer, Adelia left the room.
Naufal looked at Akhzam.
“After you eat, wait for your older brother at Aunt Nisa’s house, okay?”
“Where are you going?”
“I’m going to the supermarket for a little while.”
“Will you buy me chocolate?”
“Yes.”
Naufal clenched his fists.
“I can’t. I have to go after Mom,” he resolved.