Just as the Maghrib call to prayer began, Nayara arrived home, where she lived with her husband. She saw that her car, which her husband had been using, was already parked in the garage.
"Come in for a bit, Bang!" Nayara invited Hasan to stop by her house.
"You go on in, Nay. I’m heading to the mosque, so get inside quickly. It’s not good for Andra to be outside at dusk," Hasan ordered.
Nayara obeyed and went straight inside. Hasan immediately revved his motorcycle and rode away from Nayara’s home.
"Didn’t you say earlier that you were already on your way home, Ara? Why are you only getting here now?" Rudi demanded.
"I stopped to talk with Mom, Mas," Nayara replied curtly.
"I’m not forbidding you from being close to Mrs. Ratih, but you need to keep your distance from Hasan. You’re a married woman," Rudi snapped.
Nayara’s eyes widened. She never expected Rudi to say something like that. All this time, Rudi had known that Hasan and his family meant a great deal to her, that they weren’t merely casual acquaintances.
"You’re so naive, Mas. You want to keep me away from Bang Hasan’s family without ever looking at what you’ve been doing behind my back," Nayara said sarcastically.
"What are you talking about, Ara?" Rudi objected, unwilling to be contradicted by his wife.
"Don’t use my car tomorrow. I need it myself. My company car is being used by my subordinate to look for new clients, so I’ll be using my car to take Andra to daycare and go to the office," Nayara said, ignoring Rudi’s question.
"So you’re telling me to ride my motorcycle again?" Rudi acted as though he didn’t understand what his wife meant.
"Yes. It’s the vehicle you own, Mas. From now on, we’ll each use our own vehicles." Nayara’s voice was cold.
"I’m a supervisor, Ara. That’s a fairly prestigious position at the company. Using a car raises my status, especially since I’m about to be promoted to department head," Rudi retorted arrogantly.
"Ask the company for a benefit like the one I get," Nayara shot back.
"What’s gotten into you, Ra? You come home late, then pick a fight the second you walk through the door," Rudi complained.
"Ask yourself, Mas. Have you done something wrong or not? Is there anything you’re hiding from me?" Nayara said sarcastically. "Please give me my car’s registration. I’m taking Andra in earlier tomorrow, and after that I’m meeting a client," Nayara continued, holding out her hand.
"I need to use it too, Ara!" Rudi flew into a rage.
"Get a grip, Mas. I bought that car long before I married you. You should be grateful that for two years of marriage, I let you enjoy my property. But you’re still so ungrateful," Nayara taunted.
Rudi’s face turned crimson. His pride as a husband had been humiliated by his own wife. "Watch your mouth, Ara. I’m still your husband. If you keep acting like this, don’t blame me if I end up fooling around behind your back."
"I’ve always obeyed you, always treated you like a king, and you still betrayed me, Mas." Nayara snatched the bag Rudi was holding, took out his wallet, and pulled out the registration for her car.
Nayara walked away from Rudi, carrying the child who was still in her arms to the child’s bedroom, which Andra usually shared with his caregiver. After making sure her son was safe, Nayara prepared to wash up and rest.
Today had been an exhausting day for Nayara. Several times, she had to leave the office to meet with high-profile clients who would only deal with her directly, without an intermediary. On top of that, she had to follow her husband and catch him getting a hotel room with his affair partner. She was exhausted not only physically, but emotionally as well.
It was difficult for Nayara to accept reality, let alone trust what she had just seen. She had never once suspected Rudi during their two years of marriage, and she had no idea when the affair had begun. After two years of marriage to Nayara, they should have been in the warmest, happiest stage of their relationship, still like newlyweds even though they already had a child. Instead, Nayara was faced with this bitter reality barely two years into their marriage.