That morning, Keira Namira was already busy cleaning the house.
Although her heart was still wounded by Mrs. Anggun's words the night before, she chose to bury the hurt deep inside.
She didn't want Christ to come home from work and see his wife looking gloomy.
To her, home had to remain the most comfortable place in the world for her husband.
After mopping the living room, Keira arranged a vase of flowers on the table.
The scent of jasmine filled the room, making the house feel warmer.
Not long afterward, the sound of a car entering the driveway reached her ears.
Keira smiled.
"Christ is home early?"
But when she opened the door, her smile immediately faded.
The person standing in front of the house wasn't Christ.
It was Mrs. Anggun.
Beside her stood an elegantly dressed young woman.
Her hair was wavy, and she wore a white dress and an expensive-looking designer bag.
"Good afternoon," the woman greeted her warmly.
Keira returned her smile.
"Please, come in."
Mrs. Anggun stepped inside without waiting to be invited.
"Let me introduce you," she said flatly. "This is Vanessa Aurelia."
Keira nodded.
"Hello."
Vanessa extended her hand.
"Hi, Keira. It's nice to finally meet you."
Keira politely accepted her handshake.
Meanwhile, Mrs. Anggun sat on the sofa as though the house still belonged to her.
"Keira."
"Yes, Mrs. Anggun?"
"Make us some tea."
"Of course."
Keira immediately headed for the kitchen.
As soon as she disappeared from the living room, Mrs. Anggun turned to Vanessa.
"See for yourself."
Vanessa nodded slowly.
"Yes, Auntie."
"A woman like her doesn't deserve to be Christ's wife."
Vanessa didn't answer.
To be honest, she felt uncomfortable hearing that.
A short while later, Keira returned with hot tea and several snacks.
"Please, help yourselves."
Vanessa smiled.
"Thank you."
Mrs. Anggun merely cast the food a brief glance.
"Are there any other desserts?"
Keira shook her head.
"I'm sorry, Mrs. Anggun. This is all we have at home."
"Hmm."
That tone was enough for Keira to understand that no matter what she did, it would still be wrong.
A few minutes later, they heard a car come to a stop.
Christ was finally home.
As soon as he entered, his expression shifted slightly when he saw that his mother was in the living room.
"Mom?"
"Christ."
Mrs. Anggun smiled broadly.
"Mom came by on purpose."
Christ turned to Vanessa.
"You're here too?"
Vanessa stood up.
"Hi, Christ."
They shook hands.
Keira watched everything without saying a word.
"Vanessa just got back from Singapura," Mrs. Anggun said.
"Yeah, Mom. I already know."
"She's going to help with her family's company now."
Christ gave a brief nod.
"Good."
Mrs. Anggun smiled in satisfaction.
"Besides, the two of you have been friends for a long time."
Christ began to understand where his mother was going with this.
"Mom."
"What?"
"I'm married."
"Of course I know that."
"Then why did you bring Vanessa here?"
The room suddenly fell silent.
Vanessa looked awkward.
Mrs. Anggun, on the other hand, answered casually.
"What's wrong with inviting an old friend over?"
"Nothing."
"But don't make my wife uncomfortable."
Keira immediately looked at Christ when she heard that.
Her heart felt warm.
Mrs. Anggun let out an annoyed breath.
"You've changed, Christ."
"I haven't changed, Mom."
Christ tightly clasped Keira's hand.
"I'm just protecting my wife."
Mrs. Anggun's gaze grew even sharper.
That afternoon, they ate together.
Keira had made every effort to prepare a variety of dishes.
But once again, Mrs. Anggun looked for faults.
"The soup is too warm."
"The vegetables are overcooked."
"The rice isn't sticky enough."
Keira remained silent.
Vanessa began to feel uncomfortable.
"Auntie... I think the food is delicious."
Mrs. Anggun immediately looked at her.
"You don't need to defend her."
Christ set down his spoon.
"That's enough, Mom."
Everyone turned to look at him.
"Keira has been cooking since this morning."
"If you don't like it, you don't have to insult her like that."
Mrs. Anggun gave him a thin smile.
"So now you're yelling at your mother?"
"I just want you to respect my wife."
Silence once again filled the dining room.
Vanessa lowered her head.
She was only now realizing that everything Mrs. Anggun had told her about Keira wasn't entirely true.
Keira actually seemed incredibly patient.
That afternoon, Vanessa said her goodbyes.
Before getting into the car, she approached Keira.
"Keira."
"Yes?"
"I'm sorry if my visit made you uncomfortable."
Keira smiled gently.
"It's not your fault."
Vanessa sighed in relief.
"I hope we can be friends."
"Of course."
They smiled at each other.
From a distance, Mrs. Anggun watched the scene with displeasure.
She muttered to herself,
"Vanessa is too nice. At this rate, my plan won't work."
That night.
Keira was washing dishes when Christ approached her from behind.
"Are you tired?"
"A little."
"But it's okay."
Christ took the sponge from his wife's hand.
"I'll finish."
Keira immediately shook her head.
"You don't have to."
"We're husband and wife."
Christ began washing the dishes with a smile.
"Housework is both our responsibility."
Keira looked at her husband with tears welling in her eyes.
"What's wrong?"
"I just..."
"Just what?"
"I'm lucky to have a husband like you."
Christ let out a soft laugh.
"I should be the one saying that."
He dried his hands, then took both of Keira's hands in his.
"Listen to me."
"I know Mom often hurts you."
"But I want to ask you for one thing."
Keira nodded.
"What is it?"
"Don't ever think about leaving because of what Mom says."
Keira looked into her husband's eyes.
"As long as you still want to be with me..."
"I'll fight to protect our marriage."
Keira nodded slowly.
"I promise."
Christ smiled and pulled her into his arms.
For Keira, that embrace was enough to erase all the exhaustion she had felt that day.
But somewhere else...
At the Blanco family home.
Mrs. Anggun was sitting in her study.
Spread out before her was a folder containing several documents.
Her personal assistant stood in front of the desk.
"I've looked into it, Mrs. Anggun."
"What did you find?"
"Keira Namira really does come from a modest family. Her father is a retired teacher, and her mother runs a small business."
Mrs. Anggun smiled crookedly.
"That's all?"
"There's more."
The assistant handed her a family photograph of Keira.
Mrs. Anggun studied it for a few moments.
"Continue investigating."
"If necessary, find her family's weaknesses."
The assistant nodded.
"Yes, Mrs. Anggun."
After the door closed, Mrs. Anggun stared coldly at Keira's photograph.
"If I can't make Christ hate you..."
"...I'll make your family suffer instead."
A smile slowly spread across her face.
Without anyone realizing it, the real war had just begun. Mrs. Anggun was no longer merely hurling cruel words.
This time, she was beginning to devise a plan that could destroy Keira's life from the roots.