A new day, in a new place. They had traveled a long way to reach this city. Fortunately, they didn't have much to bring—just their clothes.
One reason everything felt lighter was that Arya had handed his public minibus over to Ardi. His older brother didn't mind, since it had been inherited from their parents.
When they arrived at their destination, the little family didn't have to worry about where they would stay, because Arya had taken care of everything. Rania felt relieved when she learned that their new business would come with a place to live.
More precisely, they would be occupying a shophouse Arya had bought through an acquaintance he had met at a coffee shop not long before.
However, Rania knew it actually belonged to one of Arya's friends. Her husband had been forced to hide that fact so Rania wouldn't question the money he had used to buy the shophouse.
It would be dangerous if Rania learned about that money and its connection to Arunika.
The days passed, along with the growth of the fetus in Rania's belly and Arunika, who had begun learning to crawl. Before they knew it, four months had passed since they started living in this new city.
Everything had gone smoothly for them. The business they had started from scratch was gradually becoming profitable and slowly changing the little family's life. Its strategic location, fast service, and student-friendly prices made Arya's print shop the top choice.
Though the business was still very new, it had already managed to compete with other print shops. Arya had also hired three employees, all of them students enrolled in working-student classes.
The three students helped Arya come up with innovations for his print shop. They also brought in customers through the promotions they constantly ran. Almost every time they met other students, the three of them enthusiastically launched into another energetic promotion.
They promoted the shop not only to their fellow students, but also to professors, friends from other campuses, and anyone else they met. They did it verbally, through pamphlets and brochures, and, most importantly, on social media.
Their fierce enthusiasm wasn't without reason. They did all of it because Arya paid them based on how many jobs came in. That had been Arya's offer from the beginning. All three were students from out of town and desperately needed part-time work to ease the burden on their parents. What Arya offered met their needs—and could even exceed them.
Arya had no background in printing whatsoever, but he was willing to learn. Before committing to opening this business, he had conducted his own research by visiting many similar businesses in his old city. He had also searched for information online, which was the easiest way to find it these days.
Arya believed that everything he had now was sustenance granted by Allah for his two unborn children and, of course, for Arunika, whom he already considered his own daughter.
His gratitude knew no bounds when he learned that his wife was carrying twins. When Rania reached twenty-eight weeks of pregnancy, she underwent an ultrasound, and the results moved them both to tears.
All the preparations for welcoming the twins were complete. They were expected to be born this month. Rania waited with mixed feelings: happiness, fear, and tension. She was afraid something might happen.
Fortunately, Arya was always there to strengthen her, and Arunika never made things difficult for Rania. Diana even regularly supported her through video calls.
Rania was happy to have all of them, though she couldn't deny that there was an empty space in her heart because she couldn't be with her beloved father, mother, and older brother.
But Rania did her best to hide her sadness. She didn't want Arya to worry.
"Honey..." Rania shouted, calling for her husband, who was counting his earnings for the day.
Whenever his income was higher, Arya always gave bonuses to Rio, Beben, and Diko—the three employees who worked so enthusiastically to help him.
"Yes, honey..." Arya replied as he hurried toward the bathroom.
Rania was using the bathroom. As an ever-vigilant husband, Arya was always ready whenever his wife needed him. Whatever he was doing, he would abandon it the moment he heard Rania call for him.
"It hu--rts, honey..." Rania answered, her voice beginning to weaken. Arya immediately opened the bathroom door, his heart pounding.
To prevent anything from happening, Arya did his best to watch over Rania whenever she was in the bathroom by telling her never to lock the door.
As soon as the door opened, Arya's eyes widened. His wife was sitting weakly on the bathroom floor, cold sweat soaking her face.
"Honey... what's wrong?" he asked, hurrying over and immediately helping her to her feet.
"I'm okay, honey. My sto--mach just hurts... I couldn't stand it, so I sat on the floor."
"We're going to the hospital now," Arya said as he helped his wife toward the wheelchair he had prepared outside the bathroom.
Because Rania was carrying two babies at once, Arya had taken the initiative to prepare the wheelchair so he could move her more easily. He didn't want to take any risks that might endanger his wife.
After changing Rania out of her soaked clothes, Arya promptly took her to the hospital in the rideshare car he had ordered earlier.
He also brought all the supplies for the birth that Rania had prepared a week earlier, and their little daughter Arunika came along as well.
If someone said waiting was boring, that wasn't what Arya was feeling now.
Tension, fear, and countless other emotions churned in his heart and mind.
He never stopped praying for the safety of his wife and unborn children.
Time seemed to move unbearably slowly for Arya. His anxiety grew more chaotic, and nothing could surpass the fear gripping him now.
Not even the fear he had endured from Rama's threats all this time. This was hundreds of times worse.
He sat, stood, and paced back and forth. Nervousness had taken control of him. To make matters worse, he was here alone with little Arunika. Ardi and Diana had already been contacted, but they might not arrive until midnight.
Arunika, sitting in her little chair, merely followed Arya's movements with an innocent gaze and laughed happily as she watched him pace back and forth.
Hearing Arunika's laughter, Arya stopped and looked at his little daughter. Arunika laughed even harder, and Arya soon joined her. Her innocent antics comforted him.
Only then did Arya realize that his daughter was there, watching him. Perhaps, in Arunika's eyes, her father was playing with her now. At least, that's what Arya thought.
He immediately pulled his daughter into a warm embrace.
"Thank you, Daddy's little girl, for keeping me company here," Arya whispered into Arunika's ear. The little baby only laughed, her laughter sending warmth through Arya's heart. Arunika's presence gave him strength of its own.