The knock at the front door made Naira flinch. Her fingers immediately moved faster as she searched through her husband's private drawer.
Cold sweat dampened her temples. Her breathing felt heavy as the scent of teak and the lingering smell of Bagas's cigars filled the study. The ticking wall clock above the bookshelf sounded louder and louder, as if keeping pace with her pounding heart.
Bagas was out of town. This was her only chance. The evidence of the fund flow she'd found last night wasn't enough to expose her husband's lies. She needed proof that couldn't be denied.
"Mom? Are you in there?"
The knock came again, followed by Kirana's voice from the other side of the door.
Naira closed her eyes for a moment, forcing herself to calm down. She quickly pushed the open drawer shut, then answered, "Come in, Na. The door's unlocked."
The doorknob turned slowly. Kirana stepped inside in her still-neat white-and-gray school uniform, a black backpack slung over her right shoulder. The seventeen-year-old girl had inherited the Kusuma family's sharp eyes. After only a few steps inside, her gaze immediately stopped on the slightly messy desk.
"What are you doing at Dad's desk so early in the morning?" Kirana asked, staring at the desk, which was still somewhat disorganized.
"I'm looking for the company's tax documents. Your father asked for the year-end summary," Naira replied calmly, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear.
Kirana approached the desk and placed a form in front of her mother. "I need your signature to enter the provincial programming olympiad. The registration and lodging costs are five hundred thousand rupiah. Payment is due this afternoon."
Naira immediately reached for a pen. "I'll transfer the money to the committee's account while I'm at it." She signed the form, then handed it back to Kirana.
"Did Dad really leave for Surabaya today?" Kirana suddenly asked.
The pen in Naira's hand stopped moving. "Yes. He said he had to meet a major distributor this morning."
Kirana folded her arms across her chest. "Last night, I checked Dad's car's toll-card travel history through the family app. The last record showed the car entering a toll gate south of Jakarta. Not toward the airport, and not toward Surabaya either."
Naira looked at her eldest daughter. Kirana really was too observant. She had been used to noticing details since she was little. The moment something didn't make sense, she was sure to catch it.
"Maybe your father stopped somewhere else before leaving," Naira said as calmly as she could. She handed the form back to her. "Just focus on your olympiad. I'll handle your father's affairs."
Kirana accepted the form, but the look in her eyes didn't change. "You don't have to keep covering for Dad in front of us. I'm old enough now, Mom. I know you often cry alone in the kitchen in the middle of the night. Ratih has noticed too that Dad has hardly had dinner at home this past month."
Naira's chest tightened. She forced a faint smile. "I'm fine. Now go. Swara and Ratih are probably already waiting in the garage. I feel bad making the driver wait too long."
Kirana stared at her mother for several seconds, then slowly nodded. "Don't forget to eat breakfast, Mom." After that, she turned and left the study.
As soon as the door closed, Naira sank against the back of her chair. It felt as though the room was closing in on her again. All three of her daughters were beginning to realize that something was wrong in this house. She didn't have much time left.
Her work phone suddenly vibrated. Mr. Hadi's name appeared on the screen.
"Good morning, Ms. Naira," Mr. Hadi greeted her as soon as the call connected. The faint sound of a power saw came from the other end.
"Good morning, Mr. Hadi. Is there a problem at the warehouse?"
"It's about the bills, ma'am. There are several bills for varnish and hinges still waiting for Mr. Bagas's approval. The suppliers have been demanding payment since yesterday afternoon. Sir's phone has been dead since dawn. Has he already left for Jepara?"
Naira immediately gripped the arm of her chair.
"Jepara?"
"Yes, ma'am. Yesterday afternoon, he said he was leaving today for the Jepara factory for three days."
A bitter smile appeared on Naira's lips. He had told Kirana he was going to Surabaya. He had told Mr. Hadi he was going to Jepara. Who knew how many lies that man had prepared to hide where he really was?
"How much are the bills, Mr. Hadi?"
"Thirty-five million rupiah, ma'am. The factory's petty cash isn't enough."
"Leave the documents on my desk. I'll arrange the disbursement from the reserve account today."
"All right, ma'am. Thank you."
The call ended. Naira placed her phone on the desk, then turned back to the row of Bagas's drawers.
The top and middle drawers contained nothing but stationery and household bills. Her gaze stopped on the bottom drawer, which was the largest.
Naira crouched down and pulled the handle.
It was stuck.
Bagas rarely locked this drawer. Perhaps he was too certain that his wife would never dare touch his personal belongings. Naira drew a deep breath, then yanked the drawer with all her strength.
Crack.
The drawer opened slightly.
The smell of dust and old paper immediately wafted out. Inside was nothing but a stack of blueprints for furniture that had failed to enter production. Naira moved them aside one by one while feeling along the bottom of the drawer.
Her fingers suddenly brushed against something smooth.
She quickly shifted the remaining rolls of paper. A thick brown envelope was tucked neatly into the back corner. There wasn't a speck of dust on it. That meant it had only recently been placed there.
Naira's heart began pounding again. With slightly trembling hands, she pulled out the envelope and opened it.
The first document she took out was a reservation confirmation for a five-star hotel in the Sudirman area.
Her eyes swept over every detail.
Presidential Suite. Three nights.
The dates matched exactly when Bagas had claimed he needed to stay at the factory because the wood-cutting machine had broken down. The cost of a single night was even equal to a foreman's monthly salary.
Naira's jaw tightened. She reached for the next document.
A receipt from a renowned jewelry store.
A fifteen-gram white-gold necklace with a diamond pendant.
Price: thirty million rupiah.
Paid for with a platinum credit card in the name of Bagas Dirgantara.
Naira crushed the receipt in her fist until it was wrinkled. Their company was short on money. The employees' salaries were nearly late. Every time Naira asked Bagas for the children's school expenses, he always said the company was struggling. He had even refused to pay Swara's violin competition registration fee.
And yet, in secret, he had spent thirty million rupiah on a diamond necklace.
There was one more item inside the envelope.
Naira pulled it out slowly.
A wedding invitation.
The ivory-white paper was decorated with raised jasmine-flower engravings around the edges. A faint jasmine perfume still clung to the invitation.
Naira's hands began to tremble as she opened it.
Two names were printed in large gold letters.
Bagas Dirgantara.
Beneath it was another name.
Larasati Wening.
Naira felt as though her chest were being crushed. Her eyes burned, but she bit her lip hard. She refused to cry. Not in this room. Not because of that man.
As she opened the invitation, a small slip of paper came loose and fell to the floor.
Naira picked it up.
It turned out to be a copy of the receipt from the printing shop.
Her eyes immediately fixed on the name of the customer.
LARASATI WENING.
Status: Paid in full.
Delivery instructions:
Send one physical sample to the Dirgantara family home.
Naira froze.
Bagas was good at lying, but he wasn't careless enough to leave evidence like this in the house.
Which meant...
Laras had done it deliberately.
She was the one who ordered the invitations. She was the one who arranged for the sample to be sent to this house. She had even deliberately slipped it into Bagas's drawer, as if she wanted to make sure Naira found it.
That woman was challenging her.
Naira crushed the receipt until it was wrinkled. Her anger now felt much colder.
Bagas wasn't just a traitor. He was also being played by a woman more cunning than he was.
A woman who had not only stolen her husband, but was also draining the company's money. Money that should have secured the future of her three daughters.
Naira drew a deep breath, then looked at the invitation again. Her eyes searched for the date of the event.
The wedding...
Had taken place two months ago.
Her gaze shifted to the very bottom of the invitation, where the names of the family members giving their blessing were usually listed.
Naira's eyes widened. Her breath seemed to stop as she read the sentence at the bottom of the invitation. The pain that struck her chest was even deeper than when she saw Bagas's name printed as the groom.
Her hands trembled as she read the final line.
"With the blessing of my beloved mother, Hartini Dirgantara."