Lina stared at the rather magnificent building before her, decorated with fresh flowers and an elegant white tent. On the beautifully decorated stage, a group of wedding guests sat in neat rows, the atmosphere filled with joy and hope. Music and laughter echoed from inside, but Lina stood frozen in front of the building, her eyes vacant and her heart pounding.
"Mr. Kardi, this is the address Bayu gave me," Lina said, her voice trembling as she showed him her phone. "But why does this feel so strange? Why is there a wedding?"
Mr. Kardi looked at her worriedly, as if he could sense Lina's unease. "Lina, something doesn't seem right. If you weren't invited, why did you come here?"
Lina gripped her phone tightly, trying to calm herself. But suspicion and anxiety suddenly welled up, making her heart beat even faster. What was really going on? Why had Bayu sent her here?
Hesitantly, Lina stepped inside the building, followed by Mr. Kardi, who also seemed uneasy. They passed several wedding guests who were busy chatting and taking pictures, and Lina felt her heart pounding harder and harder, as if she were realizing something extremely important—something she didn't want to face.
Suddenly, she saw a woman on the wedding dais wearing a white wedding dress that shimmered beneath the lights. The woman's face was familiar.
Lina fell silent, her lips pressed tightly together. The sight before her felt like a nightmare. She stood rigidly, unable to move, feeling as though the entire world were spinning. Bayu, her husband, the man she had loved and trusted all this time, now appeared to be sitting beside that woman.
Lina stood frozen in the middle of the crowd, her body stiff, as if the entire world around her had stopped turning. Her eyes remained fixed on Bayu, her husband, who sat calmly beside a woman wearing a shimmering white wedding dress. The woman's face was unmistakable—and Lina felt as though something inside her had cracked when she saw her. The woman was Bayu's ex-wife.
Meanwhile, Mr. Kardi, standing beside Lina, was just as shocked as she was. He looked at Lina anxiously, as if he could feel how completely shattered her heart was. "Lina… what's… what's happening?" Mr. Kardi asked softly, uncertain whether he should say anything more.
Lina didn't answer. She only stared blankly at Bayu. A cold sensation crept through her entire body, and her heart pounded faster than ever. When Bayu approached, Lina could feel herself trembling. Tears nearly filled her eyes, but she tried to hold them back. She had to speak. She had to know what was happening.
"Honey Bayu." Lina began in a trembling voice, trying to remain calm. "What are you doing? Why wasn't I told about this?" Her questions poured out like an unstoppable river, filled with confusion, heartbreak, and a devastating sense of betrayal.
Bayu looked at Lina as though everything were perfectly normal, as if there were nothing strange about the situation. "Lina," he replied casually, "I'm going to marry my ex-wife. I know this is difficult for you, but I've already made my decision. You have to give me permission. Otherwise, I'll divorce you."
Lina was utterly stunned by her husband's words, as if she couldn't believe what she had just heard. "Divorce me? What do you mean, Honey Bayu? I'm pregnant with your child, and you want to divorce me just like that?" Her voice began to crack, and her tears started falling uncontrollably.
There wasn't a trace of hesitation on Bayu's face. "Lina, this isn't about you or me. It's about her and me. You have to understand. I can't go through with this if you can't give me permission." Bayu didn't care about Lina's feelings at all.
Lina tried to hold back her emotions, but her heart hurt terribly. She turned toward her mother-in-law, who had suddenly appeared beside Bayu—the same mother-in-law who had never liked her. "You have to agree to your husband marrying again. If you don't, I'll make Bayu divorce you this instant."
"Mrs., don't do this. Have some pity on Lina—she's heavily pregnant. You're a woman too. You should understand what Lina is going through," Mr. Kardi interrupted. He couldn't stand seeing Lina treated so unfairly.
"Don't interfere in our family affairs!" Bayu's mother snapped angrily.
Mr. Kardi wanted to leave, but he cared about Lina, so he stayed there even though he needed to deliver the vegetables he had brought to a customer.
"Mr. Bayu, are you ready?" the wedding officiant asked.
"Yes, sir. I'm ready," Bayu replied firmly.
"All right. Before the marriage solemnization, let's clarify everything first. You must give an honest answer so this ceremony can proceed smoothly," the wedding officiant said.
Bayu nodded confidently because he had been assured that his wife would agree after their earlier conversation, despite the physical intimidation and threats that had ultimately forced Lina to resign herself to giving her blessing to her husband's second marriage.
"I ask that the first wife be brought forward as well, as proof that she has agreed to your marriage," the wedding officiant requested of Bayu.
"She's here, sir. That's my first wife," Bayu said, pointing at Lina, who was sitting beside his mother. He showed not the slightest bit of pity.
Everyone present, including the wedding officiant, craned their necks to look, feeling sorry and pitying Lina's disheveled condition. Some even patted their chests in dismay. How could he really abandon his heavily pregnant wife to marry someone else? But what could they say? It was a private family matter, and the neighbors couldn't interfere too deeply.
"Mrs. Lina, forgive me for asking, but please answer my question truthfully. Do you agree to your husband's marriage without any coercion from anyone?" the wedding officiant asked Lina.
Lina fell silent, looking nervous and confused. Agreeing would go against everything in her heart if she weren't remembering her husband's threat concerning the child she carried.
"Don't try anything. Hurry up and say you agree," Lina's mother-in-law whispered threateningly.
"Y-yes, sir. I give my blessing to my husband's marriage to Diana," Lina answered nervously.
But the wedding officiant was no fool. Since the responsibility would fall on him, he asked again, repeating the question three times. If her answer remained the same, the marriage solemnization could continue.
Lina's answer remained the same all three times, though she looked visibly nervous. Finally, after conferring with the witnesses, the wedding officiant whispered to them and decided to proceed with the marriage solemnization. Bayu shook the officiant's hand, while Diana sat primly beside him.
"I accept the marriage of Diana, daughter of Samsul, with a dowry consisting of a set of prayer garments, paid in cash and halal," the wedding officiant recited.
"I accept the marriage of Diana, daughter of Samsul, with the aforementioned dowry paid in cash," Bayu repeated.
"What do the witnesses say?"
"Valid!"
"Valid!"
"Valid!"
The witnesses shouted their answers one after another, thereby witnessing the sacred bond.
After the marriage solemnization ended, the ceremony continued with the wedding reception. The wedding guests took turns congratulating the happy couple before enjoying the food that had been prepared. Lina was different. Like a stranger, she sat alone in a corner, lost in thought as she gazed sorrowfully at her husband's second marriage. By chance, Lina saw her stepdaughter, whom she had raised since childhood. Lina missed her terribly, even though her stepdaughter already considered Dilla her biological daughter.
"Dilla!" Lina called to her stepdaughter.
Several guests who heard Lina's voice turned to look at her. Dilla didn't like it.
"Honey, look at your tacky wife trying to get attention through Dilla. I don't like it. Throw her out—she's just being a nuisance," Diana said irritably.
"Come here, sweetheart. It's Mommy," Lina said, trying to remind her daughter of who she was. But heartbreakingly, instead of coming closer, Dilla hid behind Diana.
Provoked by Diana, and especially after seeing Dilla's reaction and realizing that she didn't want Lina, Bayu grew angry. He came down from the wedding dais and approached Lina.
"Your business here is finished. Go home now. Here's your fare!"
"Honey!"