Click.
The apartment's front door swung fully open, revealing Bayu. His footsteps stopped at once when his gaze landed on the living room. On the sofa, Gavin lay sprawled in a miserable state—his shirt covered in stains, his hair a tangled mess resembling a bird's nest, and the pungent scent of baby oil immediately assailing Aruna's nose.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk. What the hell have you been doing, Vin? Your hair looks like you got electrocuted." Bayu spoke in shock at the sight of his friend's disheveled appearance.
"Don't scare me like that, Bay. What are you doing at my apartment?" Gavin rose from the sofa while smoothing down his hair.
Bayu Sadewa, a businessman who owned a wholesale store and rented out boarding rooms, had been Gavin's best friend since high school. Of all Gavin's friends, Bayu was the only one who knew the password to Gavin's apartment, considering how often he came to visit.
"I was bored at the store. That's why I came here," Bayu said, dropping his weight onto the living room sofa.
"Then how did you know I was at the apartment?"
"Your secretary, obviously. I called Tian before I left. I asked whether you were working or not. He said you weren't, so I came straight here."
Gavin clicked his tongue in annoyance. He had wanted to rest before getting back to taking care of Kenzie. Besides, the little boy hadn't even had lunch yet.
"Let's hang out somewhere, Vin. We can invite Prima and Varel too. I'm so bored just sitting around like this." Bayu urged him.
"Tsk. I have to take care of my nephew."
"What? Your nephew?"
"Yeah. Aruna's at work, so it's my turn to watch Rendy's kid."
Bayu nodded in understanding. He already knew that Gavin's only family member—the older sister he had adored—had died in an accident.
"Come on, Vin. Just for a little while. Can't you?"
"I can't. Kenzie is taking a nap. What if he wakes up while I'm gone?"
"How long has your nephew been asleep?"
"Not long. He fell asleep three minutes ago."
"Tsk. He won't wake up if you're gone for a little while. Let's just hang out at the café downstairs. What do you say?"
Gavin didn't answer right away. He was still considering Bayu's invitation. It would be a shame to turn it down, and he was also incredibly bored staying home all day. But if he accepted Bayu's invitation, he felt sorry for Kenzie. What if the boy woke up crying and looking for him?
"Stop overthinking it. Just come with me. It's not far. We're only going to the café downstairs," Bayu said, growing annoyed as he watched Gavin think it over for so long.
"Fine, I'll come. But only for a little while, okay? I'm worried my nephew might wake up," Gavin replied, deciding to hang out with his friend since they were only going to the café beneath the apartment.
Gavin hurriedly changed his clothes, then carefully fixed his hair so he would look as handsome as possible. If he went out looking the way he had before, every girl would run at the sight of him looking like a traditional puppet dancer.
Before leaving with Bayu for the café, Gavin checked on Kenzie in Aruna's room. Seeing Kenzie fast asleep made Gavin breathe a sigh of relief.
"Sleep tight, buddy. Uncle Apin's going to hang out for a bit so I don't go crazy taking care of you," Gavin said, stroking Kenzie's thick hair.
3:30 p.m. WIB
Aruna hurried down the apartment corridor, her steps quick and restless. She had suddenly felt uneasy throughout the entire trip home. For some reason, anxiety had gnawed at her the whole way, especially as she thought about Kenzie, who Gavin had been watching that day.
As soon as she reached the door to her unit, she dug into her crossbody bag, pulled out her key, and hurriedly turned the doorknob.
Click.
The front door opened. But there was no warm welcome or soothing aroma of an afternoon meal. The atmosphere inside the apartment was utterly silent, empty, and ominous.
"Kenzie? Gavin?" Aruna called, sweeping her gaze around the apartment.
Silence. There was no answer at all.
Aruna stepped farther into the living room, and in that instant, her heart seemed to stop beating. Her blood suddenly rushed violently through her veins, replaced by overwhelming shock and horror.
Sitting alone on the messy shag carpet amid scattered wooden blocks was Kenzie. The poor boy was clutching his favorite koala plushie tightly. His tiny shoulders still rose and fell every so often, leaving behind small, suppressed sobs. What tore at Aruna's heart most were Kenzie's round cheeks, flushed red with clearly visible tear tracks that had dried and glistened beneath the room's lights. The one-and-a-half-year-old had been left alone without a single adult to watch over him.
"Kenzie!" A hysterical scream escaped Aruna's lips.
She ran over at lightning speed, dropped her crossbody bag onto the marble floor, and immediately swept Kenzie into her arms. Her embrace was so tight, as though she feared losing the only precious treasure her late sister had left behind.
The moment he felt his aunt's warm embrace, Kenzie's defenses collapsed. The innocent boy burst into loud sobs again. His tiny hands gripped Aruna's blouse as if he were afraid she would let go of him again. "Waaaah... Auntie... Uncle Apin's not here... Eji tatut (scared)..."
While holding Kenzie's violently trembling body close, Aruna's eyes darted around the room, searching for her husband. But there was no sign of him. Gavin's casual shoes were gone from the shoe rack. His wallet and phone, which were usually left on the table, had vanished as well. Only his car keys remained on the table.
An overwhelming rage immediately boiled in Aruna's chest and surged all the way to her head. Her hands trembled violently. Gavin—that careless, selfish bastard—had actually dared to walk out that door and leave a toddler who could barely speak alone in the apartment, all for the sake of his own pleasure.
What if there had been an electrical short? What if Kenzie had accidentally played with an outlet? Or what if the boy had tried to climb somewhere dangerous while looking for an adult? Imagining all those terrible possibilities made the air in Aruna's lungs feel as though it had been completely sucked away.
"Uncle Gavin... what a fucking bastard!" The curse slipped from Aruna's lips, her voice trembling as she held back her swelling tears of rage.
All the respect, tolerance, and patience she had maintained for the past week out of respect for her late sister's final request collapsed completely in that instant. Gavin was no longer merely a playboy who shirked responsibility. He was a selfish monster willing to endanger his own nephew's life for the sake of his ego.
Once Kenzie had calmed down somewhat, leaving only small sobs against her shoulder, Aruna quickly took her phone from her bag. Her trembling fingers immediately dialed a number she knew by heart. It wasn't Gavin's number, but Mr. Eza's—the trusted lawyer of the late Rendy.
The call rang only twice before the deep voice of a middle-aged man answered from the other end. "Hello, Ms. Aruna? Has something happened at the apartment?"
Aruna drew a deep breath and let it out coldly. Her voice sounded sharp, trembling with restrained anger, yet utterly unwavering.
"Mr. Eza. I want to report that today, Thursday, Gavin has been proven to have neglected Kenzie. He left the apartment and went somewhere, leaving Kenzie alone at home without supervision until he cried in fear."
After hearing Mr. Eza's firm response and confirmation that he was ready to act, Aruna ended the call. She slowly lowered Kenzie onto the sofa, then stood facing the apartment's front door, her eyes cold as ice and sharp as blades.
"Go ahead and have fun out there, Gavin. Because once you walk through this door again... your life is over," Aruna thought with vengeful fury, ready to unleash a storm of destruction to welcome her selfish husband home.
To be continued...