At last, Lastri and her two children, Yasmin and Farhan, left the house. They moved into a small rented house with the rent money Yasmin’s father had given them.
As soon as she stepped inside, Lastri could only let out a long sigh. The house was far smaller than the one they had lived in all this time. The living room was cramped, and the furniture was extremely modest.
Yasmin and Farhan stood near the door, looking around. Neither of them seemed comfortable. They were used to living in a large house with spacious bedrooms and more complete amenities.
Farhan finally looked at his mother, disappointment written all over his face.
“Mom, why would Dad do this to us and make us move?” he asked.
Lastri fell silent for a moment. She knew that question would come eventually, but hearing it still made her heart ache.
“I don’t know either, Farhan. Maybe Dad really doesn’t want us living in that house anymore.”
“But what did we do wrong, Mom?” Yasmin chimed in. She had been quiet until then.
Lastri looked at both of her children. She tried to remain calm, even though she was still hurt by her husband’s decision.
“For now, we’ll stay here. I’ll do my best to make sure you’re comfortable.”
Farhan slowly shook his head.
“I don’t like this house, Mom. I want to go home.”
Lastri immediately pulled her son into her arms. She rubbed Farhan’s back, holding back her tears.
“I know. I never expected everything to turn out like this either.”
Yasmin simply stood beside them. Her gaze was fixed on the door of the rented house they had just moved into.
For the first time, she realized that their lives had truly changed.
And she had no idea how long they would have to stay in that little house.
“I hate Dad, Mom,” Farhan said, his voice trembling.
Lastri immediately looked at her son. Then she crouched in front of him and held both his shoulders.
“Don’t say that, sweetheart. No matter what, he’s still your biological father.”
“But Dad was the one who made us leave the house.”
Lastri fell silent. She didn’t want to defend her husband, but neither did she want to make Farhan hate his father even more.
“You’re allowed to be disappointed in Dad, Farhan, but don’t hate him. Maybe Dad is angry and dealing with a lot of problems right now. We don’t know what’s going through his mind.”
Farhan only gave a small nod. However, he still looked upset.
That night, the rented house felt quiet and desolate. Farhan, who was usually very talkative, barely said a word. After dinner, he went into the bedroom and lay down beside Yasmin.
A few hours later, Lastri, who was tidying up their belongings, heard Farhan’s voice from the bedroom.
“Mom...”
Lastri hurried inside.
She saw Farhan curled up on the bed. The boy’s face looked pale, and his body felt hot to the touch.
“Oh my God, Farhan. You have a fever.”
Lastri quickly got a thermometer and checked his temperature. Afterward, she placed a damp cloth on Farhan’s forehead.
Farhan slowly opened his eyes.
“Mom...”
“Yes, sweetheart. I’m right here.”
“I want Dad.”
Lastri’s heart immediately grew heavy.
“Do you miss Dad, Farhan?” she asked softly.
Farhan nodded. Tears began to roll down his cheeks.
“I want to sleep with Dad. Whenever I’m sick, Dad stays with me.”
Lastri fell silent.
She knew very well how close Farhan was to his father. Farhan was his father’s favorite child. He was always looking for his dad, asking to be carried, or simply sitting on his lap.
“I want Dad to come, Mom.”
Lastri stroked her son’s hair.
“I know, sweetheart.”
“Dad still loves me, right?”
That question left Lastri struggling to answer.
She looked at her son’s flushed face, then hugged him tightly.
“He does. Dad still loves you.”
“Then why did Dad make us move?”
Lastri held her breath. She didn’t know how to explain everything to such a young child.
“That’s enough. Get some rest for now. Tomorrow, we’ll go see Dad.”
Farhan gripped his mother’s hand tightly.
After finishing the cold compress, Lastri let Farhan rest and went back to her chores. Once she was done, she returned to the bedroom. But for some reason, she sensed that something was wrong with Farhan. She checked his temperature again—and was shocked to find that instead of going down, it had risen even higher.
“Yasmin, Yas, come on, we need to take Farhan to the hospital!” Lastri called out in panic.