Very early that morning, Aishla woke up and headed straight for the kitchen. She sighed when she saw the pile of dirty dishes that hadn't been washed. Without a second thought, she immediately started cleaning them.
Doing housework like this was part of her usual routine. For a moment, she felt confused because there wasn't a single housekeeper in this residence. Not even one. As far as she knew, rich people like her in-laws and her husband were bound to have several domestic workers.
Aishla let out a small laugh. Was she really allowed to consider Arsyan Ayandra Arkatama her husband?
They had only gotten married to save the Arkatama family's reputation. And Arsyan's love was meant only for his former fiancée—Alisya.
Aishla quickly pushed away the pain that had settled in her heart. She had to face reality: her presence in the Arkatama family truly wasn't wanted. All she needed to do was play the role of a good wife and a good mother to her stepson.
After finishing all the work inside the residence, Aishla unlocked the front door and stepped outside. She stretched out both arms and breathed in the fresh morning air.
A smile spread across her face when she saw all the plants in the yard. Her attention shifted to the dry leaves scattered everywhere. Aishla searched for the palm-fiber broom. After finding it near the water tap, she began sweeping.
It was only five in the morning, and Aishla had already finished everything. She sat down on the terrace, thinking about what food she would cook. She didn't know Arsyan or Arrayyan's favorite dishes.
“Bismillah. Come on, Aishla, you can do this! Your status has changed now. You have a husband and a child. All you have to do is cook. Let's see what's in the fridge,” Aishla said, encouraging herself.
Even though, deep down, she still hadn't accepted this reality.
Marrying a lecherous widower with one child like Arsyan had never been her wish. But fate had brought them together. Aishla would prepare herself in case Arsyan ever acted lecherously toward the girl who had become his legal wife.
The delicious aroma of cooking woke the other three residents of the house. They were curious because the housekeeper hadn't returned from her hometown yet. So who had cooked the food?
“Papa, who's cooking? Has Bibi come back from her hometown? Or is it Grandma? But Grandma can't cook, right, Papa?” Arrayyan asked, bringing his father out of his thoughts.
The man's thoughts turned to the young woman he had just married the day before. He immediately picked Arrayyan up and strode toward the kitchen to make sure.
Arsyan stopped when he saw a young woman busying herself with the kitchen utensils. For a moment, he realized that Alisya was completely different from the girl standing before him. Alisya did have a maternal nature, but she had no talent for cooking.
“Oh my goodness, Aishla! What are you doing?!” Mrs. Arkatama's excited shout startled the father and son, who immediately looked toward the source of the voice. The woman was stunned to see that her house had been cleaned. There wasn't a speck of dust on the cabinets or vases, and the floor was gleaming.
Aishla turned around, still holding the spatula. She was startled to see her husband and son standing opposite Anatasya. “A-Aishla's cooking, Ma'am.”
After Anatasya left, Arrayyan asked to be put down from his father's arms. The boy walked toward the girl who had taken the place of the woman he had called “Mama.”
Arsyan merely watched. He was curious about what his son was going to do. Then the sound of something being deliberately dropped made Aishla jump. She stared in shock as the vegetable soup she had cooked spilled onto the floor, followed by the bowl shattering. She immediately turned off the stove and hurried over to the frozen Arrayyan.
“Are your feet okay, Array?” Aishla asked as she wiped the small amount of soup that had splashed onto his feet. She was afraid he had been hurt because the soup was still quite hot.
Arrayyan stepped backward.
“DON'T TOUCH ME!!!” he screamed before running away, leaving Aishla standing there. Slowly, the girl got to her feet and accidentally met the eyes of her husband, who was moving to follow Arrayyan.
“Does my presence really not matter at all?” Aishla murmured, staring miserably at Arsyan's retreating back.
Without realizing it, tears slipped down her cheeks. In all her life, Aishla had never seen such obvious hatred directed at her. And now, it was clear that both the man and her stepson hated her.
“Aishla, wear one of my abayas for now, okay? It's still new. I haven't worn it yet,” Anatasya said, breaking through the girl's thoughts as she secretly wiped the corner of her eye.
“Y-Yes, Ma'am. That's okay. In that case, Aishla will take a shower first, Ma'am,” Aishla replied as she took the abaya and hijab from her mother-in-law's hands.
Anatasya smiled to herself. She was happy to have a daughter-in-law as ideal as Aishla. When Aishla reached the bedroom, she sat down and waited for her husband, who was cleaning himself up. A few minutes later, Arsyan came out shirtless.
“M-Mr. Arsyan, what would you like to wear?” Aishla asked, trying to hide her nervousness.
Arsyan didn't answer. He stared intently at her lowered face. He smiled coldly, convinced that the girl was trying to become the kind of wife who served her husband well.
“Move! I can do it myself!!” he snapped, making Aishla instinctively step away from the wardrobe.
Not wanting to waste the opportunity, Aishla grabbed her change of clothes and ran to the bathroom. She didn't realize that a pair of eyes was watching her cheeks flush red.
A little boy stared at the feet that had just been touched by the girl who had become his stepmother. In the kitchen, he had deliberately pushed the bowl of vegetable soup until it fell to the floor. He had thought the girl would get angry. But the opposite had happened. Aishla had looked incredibly worried. Unfortunately, Arrayyan didn't accept her as his mother. Only Alisya deserved to be Mrs. Arkatama.
“Where did Mama Lisya go? Array misses Mama,” he whispered, hugging the robot toy Alisya had given him long ago.
A young woman stopped in front of a bedroom door that wasn't fully closed. Anatasya had asked her to fetch her stepson so they could have breakfast together. Instead, she found Arrayyan crying over the woman who had failed to become his mother.
Aishla closed her eyes for a moment. She couldn't be weak or give up. One way or another, Arrayyan needed a mother in his life.
“Array, come have breakfast, sweetheart. Grandma's been waiting for you,” Aishla coaxed after knocking on the door.
A furious glare met Aishla as she stood in the doorway. She swallowed when Arrayyan grabbed a sofa cushion and threw it at her.
“GO AWAY! YOU'RE EVIL!! YOU STOLE MAMA ALISYA'S PLACE AS ARRAY'S MOM!!!” Arrayyan screamed. The boy unleashed all his anger and disappointment on the person who had taken Alisya's place.
“Calm down, Array, sweetheart,” Aishla pleaded as she stepped closer. “Listen to my explanation, okay?” she continued, lowering herself to Arrayyan's level as he clenched his fists tightly.
“I did marry Mr. Arsyan, but I won't steal or take Alisya's place in your hearts. I only want to be your mother. That's all. And if Ms. Alisya comes back, I won't stop Mr. Arsyan from marrying her.”
Aishla's chest felt tight. What wife would willingly let her husband marry another woman?
Aishla had no choice. She only wanted to win Arrayyan's heart. She could see how desperately Arrayyan longed for a mother's affection. She didn't know why Arsyan and his former wife had separated. All she knew was that Arrayyan's biological mother was still alive.
“LIAR!!!” Arrayyan shouted before running out of the room.
He left Aishla kneeling on the floor. The girl didn't realize that a pair of eyes had been watching her the entire time and had heard everything they said. Arsyan, the man in his thirties, smiled faintly before leaving his hiding place.