The living room, which usually felt warm, suddenly felt unfamiliar to Yasmin. The girl stood beside her mother, staring at her father, who had just entered the house. She had been waiting for Dad to come home, but instead of making her happy, his return shattered her heart. He had come home with three strangers accompanying him.
A beautiful young woman stood on his right. She was younger than Yasmin's mother. Behind her stood two girls and a boy.
Yasmin frowned. Who were they?
Dad didn't look the least bit awkward. Calmly, he pointed to the woman beside him.
"Let me introduce you. This is Mona."
Yasmin remained silent.
"She's my second wife," Dad continued.
"I'm Mona, your father's wife," Mona said with a smile.
Those words instantly froze the atmosphere in the living room. Anton, the village chief, had gone out of town for work, but instead of coming home with the souvenirs he'd promised his daughter Yasmin, he had brought home his second wife. Yasmin turned to her mother. Lastri stood rigidly. Her face, which had looked normal just moments ago, had gone pale.
"What?" Yasmin's voice was barely audible.
Her father simply continued in a relaxed tone. "She's your second mother, Yasmin. From now on, Mona will be living with us."
Yasmin's eyes widened. "Living... here?"
"Yes."
Dad nodded as if they were discussing something completely ordinary.
"She can keep you company at home. If you need help, she'll be here."
Yasmin couldn't say a word. Then her father turned to Lastri.
"From now on, you also have to consider Mona part of the family."
Lastri didn't answer. Yasmin looked at her mother. Her hand slowly closed around her mother's. She could feel how cold her mother's hand was.
"Mom..." she whispered.
But Lastri remained silent. Her eyes were fixed solely on Mona. There were so many questions in her gaze, but not a single one left her lips. Her father seemed completely unaware of the tension filling the room. Instead, he turned to introduce the three people who had come with him.
"As for them, they're your siblings."
Yasmin looked at them one by one.
"This is Rian. Your older brother."
The boy gave a small nod.
"This is Raina, your younger sister."
A little girl gave Yasmin a faint smile.
"And this is Rayya. She's the same age as you."
"Nice to meet you, Yasmin." Rayya extended her hand, but Yasmin didn't take it.
Yasmin stared at Rayya for a long moment. Her sibling? Since when?
All this time, Yasmin had thought her family was perfectly fine. Her parents did argue over little things, but she had never once imagined that her father had been hiding another family.
"Starting today, they'll be living here too," Dad said.
Yasmin held back her tears because she didn't want to look sad in front of her mother.
Since when? How could his child be older than me? Yasmin thought as she stared at Rian.
Yasmin was even more confused. How could her father act so casually after announcing that he had a wife and three other children? She looked at the man she had always admired so much. For the first time, Yasmin felt that he was a complete stranger. Beside her, Lastri's body began to tremble.
"Mom..."
Lastri suddenly let go of Yasmin's hand. Without saying a word, she turned and hurried toward the bedroom.
"Mom!"
Yasmin was about to chase after her, but her father got there first.
"Lastri."
The bedroom door closed.
Yasmin stopped a few steps away. She didn't know what to do. But curiosity made her walk toward the slightly open bedroom door. From outside, she could hear her parents' voices.
"Lastri, why did you come into the bedroom?"
Dad's voice sounded calm. Lastri answered in a trembling voice.
"When did this happen?"