It had been two weeks since Arsyan had come home, leaving Aishla anxious every time his son asked about his papa. Even though Arrayyan didn't ask her directly, he asked through the housekeeper, who had returned to work.
Aishla and Anatasya had tried contacting the man's number, but it was always inactive.
Arrayyan often looked gloomy and withdrawn. Aishla refused to give up on taking her place as his mother. She would keep fighting until Arrayyan accepted her.
"Is Array home? Come on, eat something first, sweetheart. Mom just finished cooking," Aishla said to her son as he trudged toward the stairs.
The boy had just returned from school, and Aishla hurried after him before grabbing his wrist. Arrayyan turned around, his body feeling weak. His eyes looked dull.
"Let go. You're not Array's Mom."
Aishla's stepson spoke weakly. His eyes slowly closed, and his body pitched forward. Aishla quickly caught him. She gently patted Arrayyan's unconscious cheek before carrying his small body to his room.
Aishla removed the bag from Arrayyan's back and slowly laid him down. She carefully took off his uniform, shoes, and socks. Anxiety overwhelmed her. She wiped at the tears gathering in the corners of her eyes.
The woman's palm touched Arrayyan's forehead. She flinched when the searing heat felt as though it were burning her hand.
"Oh, God... How can he be this hot?!" Aishla whispered as she reached into the pocket of her gamis. She took out her phone and immediately called the man who had been making her anxious because Arrayyan kept asking about him.
"Where is Mr. Arsyan? Why isn't he answering?!" Aishla paced beside her son's bed, occasionally biting the tip of her nail as she waited for the man on the other end to pick up.
A wave of relief slipped into Aishla's heart when the man's number finally became active, but he still didn't answer her calls. In the end, Aishla gave up. She decided to send him a message and left the room.
She descended the stairs one by one. Tears streamed down her cheeks before she even realized it. Although her son had never treated her kindly, Aishla had already come to love Arrayyan. She quickly wiped away the tearstains as she drew closer to the kitchen.
"Bi, Aishla needs you to prepare some water for compresses. Array is sick," she asked the middle-aged woman who was washing her hands.
"Young master Array is sick, ma'am?!" Bi Jumi asked, looking at her master's wife as she nodded.
Bi Jumi quickly prepared a basin of water and a small towel to apply to the young master's fever. Meanwhile, Aishla searched for fever medicine in the first-aid kit, whose location the housekeeper pointed out to her.
"Bi, Aishla is going to buy medicine at the pharmacy. I'll get some porridge for Array too. Please keep applying the compress for now, okay?" Aishla said as she left the house. A driver would take her because Anatasya wouldn't let her go alone.
Seeing the young Mrs. Arkatama hurry outside, Mr. Jamal, the Arkatama family's driver, immediately opened the car door. As luck would have it, he had just finished washing the vehicle. The middle-aged man was very perceptive whenever Aishla was in a hurry. Without asking many questions, he started the engine and drove away from the residence.
"Where are you going, ma'am?" Mr. Jamal asked, glancing at the rearview mirror, which reflected the anxious face of the young woman who had replaced Mrs. Alisya.
"To the pharmacy, sir. Then I need to buy some porridge," Aishla replied. She lowered her head to hide her tear-filled eyes. The clear droplets kept forcing their way out.
Aishla didn't know why she was like this simply because she was worried about her stepson's condition. "Array is sick, sir... I want to take him to the doctor, but I don't have Mr. Arsyan's permission yet," Aishla explained between sobs.
She couldn't make a unilateral decision. After all, Arsyan was her stepson's biological father. She was only the stepmother who had replaced Alisya.
"Young master Array gets like this all the time, ma'am. Whenever Mr. Arsyan rarely comes home, young master Array always gets sick," Mr. Jamal added, trying to calm her.
Aishla closed her eyes, trying to grieve for Arrayyan's life.
A child that young had been abandoned by his biological mother. And now Arsyan rarely came home, leaving him worried. As far as Aishla knew, the Arkatama family lived far away from their relatives, so they rarely saw one another unless there was some important occasion.
When they arrived at the pharmacy, Aishla bought fever medicine. She had already told Mr. Jamal to buy porridge across the street so they could return home as quickly as possible. Just as she turned around, she collided with someone. Aishla immediately looked up. She was shocked to find her high school classmate, Arjun, standing before her—the man she had once dreamed of marrying. Once again, Aishla had to accept the reality that she was married to a lecherous widower like Arsyan.
"Aishla! S-sorry, I didn't mean to," Arjun said quickly.
He knew that Aishla was the kind of girl who kept her distance from the opposite sex. He also knew that she had never touched a man who was not her mahram.
"It's okay, don't worry about it. In that case, Aishla will go first. Assalamu'alaikum," Aishla said goodbye, unable to stay any longer.
Arjun watched the girl who had lived in the deepest corner of his heart for years walk away. He had harbored feelings for Aishla for a long time, but he hadn't dared confess them.
"Even now, my heart still belongs to you, La," Arjun murmured with a bitter smile.
At the Arkatama residence, Arrayyan kept calling for his papa after waking from his faint. Bi Jumi was overwhelmed because the boy refused to let her apply a warm compress.
Arrayyan only wanted a parent. He wanted to have both parents, like his friends did—parents who sometimes drove them to school or picked them up. As for him, Mr. Jamal always took him. His papa very rarely drove him to school. And now there was no word from the man who was crazy about his former fiancée.
"Oh, God, Array!" Aishla cried as she ran toward him.
Bi Jumi stepped back, making room for the young Mrs. Arkatama to care for the young master.
"What's wrong, sweetheart?" she asked gently, but Arrayyan fixed an intense stare on her.
"Go away! I don't need you!! Papa!!" Arrayyan shouted, thinking his papa had come home.
"Array, calm down, okay? Eat something first, then take your medicine. Papa Arsyan will be home soon, sweetheart. So listen to Mom, okay?" Aishla coaxed him, making her son freeze.
Arrayyan had just realized that his papa still hadn't returned. He turned his face away. He was used to feeling as though he had to live alone. But the presence of the girl who had now become his stepmother made Arrayyan uncomfortable.
The boy could feel the sincerity of his Mom's care. Even so, he was still unwilling to accept her, because only Alisya had the right to be Mrs. Arkatama.
Aishla took a jarik cloth from the wardrobe. All her belongings had already been moved into this room. She took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. Then she lifted Arrayyan into her arms.
Aishla smiled faintly when her son didn't struggle at all. She could see the emptiness in Arrayyan's eyes, and it broke her heart.
Arrayyan had everything, except the love of both his parents and his family. Arsyan and Anatasya were always busy handling their businesses, so Arrayyan spent most of his time alone in his room.
"Ma'am, here's the porridge," Bi Jumi said, handing over a bowl that Aishla immediately accepted.
Arrayyan opened his mouth without protest. He felt a little happy because Aishla was pampering him while he was sick. He couldn't finish the porridge, though. After only a few bites, he refused to eat any more.
Aishla wasn't angry. Instead, she felt grateful that her son was still willing to eat. Then she gave him his fever medicine, hoping his temperature would come down soon.
"Array, drink your medicine first, sweetheart."
Arrayyan nodded and opened his mouth. He hated being sick like this. He wanted to get better quickly and go back to doing whatever he wanted.
Aishla continued carrying her son. One hand stroked Arrayyan's head as he wrapped his arms around her neck.
"Why do you care about Array?" Array asked, bringing a faint smile to Aishla's face.
"Because you're my son, Array," she replied, causing his arms to tighten around her neck.
In an apartment, a disheveled man was desperately trying to find his former fiancée, whose whereabouts remained unknown.
Arsyan had even taken leave and handed all his duties over to his assistant. Finding Alisya was his top priority. He had become so consumed by it that he didn't think about his son or the heart of the girl he was supposed to protect.
Arsyan had never considered Aishla his wife. Aishla was merely a replacement bride brought in to save the Arkatama family's reputation. Beyond that, he would give the girl anything she wanted so she wouldn't interfere with his relationship with Alisya once Alisya was found.
"How long are you going to keep this up, Syan?!" someone shouted as he entered the apartment. It was Ariel, Arsyan's childhood best friend. Ariel knew everything about him, including the marriage that was in danger of falling apart and the girl who had replaced Alisya at the altar. He truly felt sorry for the girl who was now Mrs. Arkatama.
"Your wife has been calling you nonstop. She sent a message too, saying Array is sick. Your son needs you as his father, Syan! Stop thinking about Alisya, whose whereabouts are still unknown!" Ariel said, carried away by his emotions.
Whenever Arsyan needed time to calm down, he would leave his phone with someone close to him. Ariel had been with the man who had lost his mind since last night. Arsyan was so frustrated that he had even started drinking alcohol.
Realizing that his son's condition wasn't all right, Arsyan immediately snatched the phone from Ariel's hand. He was stunned by the many missed calls and a single message that brought a bitter smile to his face.
+6289535*******
No matter how busy you are, please make time for Array. He got sick because he kept worrying about his papa.
Arsyan roughly rubbed his face. Then he left the apartment, leaving Ariel shaking his head. He couldn't understand how his friend could neglect a girl as pious as Aishla.
Once inside the car, Arsyan replied to his wife's message. He hoped it would help Arrayyan feel better. After a half-hour drive, Arsyan finally reached his destination. He went straight into the residence and headed for his son's room.
Unfortunately, no one was there. He hurried to his own room instead. Faintly, Arsyan heard a melodious voice chanting sholawat. He peeked through the slightly open door.
Arsyan was stunned to see his son being carried by that girl. For a moment, he could feel Aishla's affection for his son.
The opening door startled Aishla, who froze in place as Arsyan approached. The man took Arrayyan from her arms and laid him on the bed.
Aishla's right hand rose to clutch her chest. Arsyan had accidentally touched her most precious assets. It convinced Aishla that Arsyan really was a lecherous man.
"You don't need to torture yourself. Array is a big boy now. Don't carry him like that again," he interrupted, snapping Aishla back to reality.
Feeling overheated and wanting to wash up, Arsyan unbuttoned his shirt and took it off, leaving only a plain white T-shirt. He handed the shirt to the dazed Aishla.
"Put it with the dirty clothes. I'm going to shower," Arsyan ordered his wife, who immediately took the maroon shirt.
"D-do you want something to eat, Mr. Arsyan?" she asked without daring to meet the eyes of the man who was legally her husband.
"Hmm."
Arsyan snorted as he watched the girl hurry out of the room. He knew Aishla was holding back the pain in her shoulders and waist. He cursed the girl's stupidity for even thinking of carrying Arrayyan. He himself didn't want to carry his son for very long.
"What a stupid girl," he muttered as he walked toward the bathroom.
After cleaning himself up, Arsyan headed for the dining room. But he stopped when he heard a girl's complaining voice coming from his son's room. He slowly opened the door. His eyes widened when he saw that Aishla was no longer wearing her gamis and large veil. Instead, she wore black leggings and a tank top that clung to her body.
Arsyan swallowed when he realized that his wife's curves were even more tempting than Alisya's. He quickly left. Arsyan didn't want to lose control and end up pouncing on the petite girl.
"Bi! Where's Aishla?!" he shouted, asking Bi Jumi.
Arsyan deliberately pretended to ask that way, hoping his wife would hear him and come downstairs. But she didn't. Aishla was still struggling between her heart and her mind.
"She's in young master Array's room, sir. Mrs. Anatasya told Mrs. Aishla to try on several gamis, and then you were supposed to take pictures of her," Bi Jumi explained, bringing a smirk to his handsome face.
Arsyan went back upstairs and deliberately opened his son's bedroom door with a loud bang. Unfortunately, Aishla wasn't there. The girl was in the bathroom.
A moment later, the door creaked open. Aishla was startled to see her husband sitting on the edge of the bed. She was about to back away—back into the bathroom—because she wasn't wearing her veil. Her long hair fell beautifully around her, captivating the eyes of the man watching her.
"Where are you going? You haven't zipped that up yet!" Arsyan scolded, and Aishla immediately reached for the zipper at the back of the gamis she was wearing.
Cold sweat beaded Aishla's temples as Arsyan approached. She didn't dare raise her face. Both hands gripped the gamis tightly.
Aishla flinched when a hand grasped both her shoulders and turned her so that her back faced her husband. A sweet fragrance entered the man's senses. Arsyan gathered Aishla's hair and moved it to the front of her body. Then he began pulling up the zipper while inhaling the scent at the nape of his wife's neck. Without realizing it, Arsyan wrapped an arm around her waist and rested his chin on one of Aishla's shoulders.
"Don't let anyone else enjoy your curves or your beautiful hair, Aishla," he whispered.
Aishla's eyes widened when her husband suddenly kissed the nape of her neck. The man's possessive embrace slowly loosened. Aishla immediately turned around and saw Arsyan casually walking out of their son's room.
Aishla reached up to clutch the nape of her neck. She cursed her carelessness for letting Arsyan touch her. Even though it hadn't been anything more, it still made her heart pound.
"Lecherous man!" Aishla cursed, loud enough for the pair of ears that immediately began to chuckle to hear. He couldn't believe that the girl who looked so pious had dared to curse him.