On the way home, Katrina looked happy. Her eyes stayed fixed on Hendrik, filled with love. To Katrina, Hendrik was the man she loved most in the world—the only one whose heart, she believed, had never strayed.
Hendrik noticed the way his wife looked at him and gave her a faint smile.
He loved Katrina, but right now, he needed someone who could stay by his side and help him carry on with life. And Katrina… she could no longer be that person.
It wasn't because he was selfish… but Hendrik could not keep living in the shadow of a frail woman forever.
He loved Katrina, but he had to be realistic. Katrina did not have much time left.
Jenny, Katrina's younger sister, truly cared about her. But deep inside, she had her own hidden ambition—to feel the warmth and attention Hendrik had always given Katrina.
Inside the silence of the moving car, tension lingered in every passing second. Hendrik loved Lanny, yet he had to face the harsh reality that Katrina did not have much time left… and Jenny was always watching from nearby.
A few hours later, they arrived at Hendrik's grand house.
Hendrik quickly got out, took the wheelchair, and carefully carried Katrina in his arms.
He wheeled her through the living room, then into the bedroom, before gently laying her down on the bed.
"Darling… get some rest first, okay?" Hendrik said softly, kissing Katrina's forehead.
Katrina smiled, feeling the warmth and peace of his love.
Her eyes glistened as she whispered, "Yes, darling… I'm tired too. I couldn't sleep at all during the flight."
"Alright… sleep now. I'll stay with you for a while," Hendrik replied, pressing a kiss to her hand.
Before long, Katrina drifted off to sleep.
After Katrina fell asleep, Hendrik stepped out of the bedroom and found Jenny taking a slice of bread from the dining table.
"Mas… do you want me to make you peanut butter toast?" Jenny asked.
Hendrik shook his head and sat down across from her.
"Jen… I want to ask you something."
"What is it, Mas?" Jenny asked suspiciously.
Hendrik's gaze sharpened as he looked at Jenny, who had just glanced at an incoming message.
"What was the meaning of sending me that video?!" Hendrik snapped.
Jenny looked at him without fear.
"It didn't mean anything… it was just a warning for you, Mas."
"What do you mean?" Hendrik demanded, both angry and confused.
Jenny leaned closer and whispered into his ear.
"I know, Mas… you're secretly planning to marry Lanny."
Hendrik clenched his jaw, forcing himself to stay calm.
"I'm warning you… don't tell your sister. If she finds out, I'm afraid her condition will get worse, Jen!" Hendrik said firmly.
Jenny gave him a cold, cynical smile.
"I'm warning you too, Mas… don't do it! Otherwise, Katrina will find out!"
"You, Jen…!" Hendrik shouted, raising his hand as if he were about to slap her.
But Jenny challenged him, thrusting her cheek toward him.
"Go ahead… slap me, Mas!" she said, glaring at him as Hendrik's face turned red with buried anger.
Hendrik stared at Jenny's defiant face, his rage reaching its peak. But in the end, he restrained himself, turned around, and stormed out of the house.
Without another word, he got into his car and sped toward the office.
His emotions were a tangled mess—annoyance, frustration, and urgency. Every second felt like a crushing weight pressing against his chest.
It only took him around thirty minutes to reach the office. Hendrik immediately took the elevator and headed to his room.
There, he found Lanny preparing everything for the next day's meeting.
"You've picked up your wife already, Mas?" Lanny asked.
"Yes, I have," Hendrik answered shortly.
"How's your father, Lanny?"
"No progress yet… he's still unconscious," Lanny replied.
Hendrik looked at her seriously. "Tomorrow, we're getting married at the KUA in a simple ceremony. After that, you'll stay in my apartment… and bring your father too once he wakes up."
"Really..., honey?!" Lanny squealed happily. She hurried over, sat on his lap, and teasingly pressed a kiss to his lips.
Hendrik shuddered as if an electric current had run through his body. That kiss made him forget the tension he had just endured with Jenny. He kissed Lanny back with desire, but suddenly..
Knock… knock…
Lanny quickly fixed her hair and straightened her clothes, making sure she looked neat.
Hendrik glanced at her briefly, then said firmly, "Come in!"
The door opened, and an elegant woman dressed in refined clothes stepped into the room.
"Hello… Hendrik," she greeted, her eyes narrowing suspiciously at Lanny.
Hendrik froze in shock. The woman was his mother-in-law—Meliana, Katrina's mother.
"M-Mo'm… why are you here?" Hendrik muttered, his face turning pale.
Meliana didn't answer right away. Her eyes were fixed on Lanny, who quickly stepped aside.
Hmm… pretty and sexy… Meliana thought to herself.
Hendrik swallowed hard, his face stiffening. Just moments ago, he had been enjoying Lanny's kiss.
Meliana stared at him sharply, then asked, "Is that Lanny?"
"Yes, Ma'am… why?" Hendrik answered nervously.
"You're not cheating on Katrina, are you?!" Meliana asked, full of suspicion.
"N-no, Ma'am… we were just discussing tomorrow's meeting!" Hendrik lied quickly.
Meliana kept her eyes on him for a moment, then spoke firmly.
"I trust you, Hendrik."
Then she added, "I want to bring Katrina back to our house, so there will be people to take care of her. What do you think?"
Hendrik fell silent, his heart pounding harder and harder.
The choice before him was becoming more complicated by the second: hiding his relationship with Lanny, caring for frail Katrina, facing pressure from his mother-in-law, and dealing with Jenny, who was watching his every move.
Back at home, Katrina slowly began to wake up.
"Honey… Honey!" she called several times, but there was no answer.
Jenny entered the room soon after.
"Yes, Sis… do you need something?"
"Where is Hendrik?" Katrina asked.
Hendrik went back to the office, Sis… he had something to take care of," Jenny replied.
"Oh…" Katrina sounded disappointed that
Hendrik had left again.
A moment later, Katrina asked for help.
"Jen… I need to go to the bathroom. Can you help me, Sis?"
"Yes, Sis… wait a second, I'll get your wheelchair," Jenny said quickly.
Jenny pushed Katrina into the bathroom, helped her sit on the toilet, and supported her hand against the wall.
At that moment, Katrina's eyes fell on something hanging from the clothes hook—a pink bra that had been left behind.
She stared at it in confusion.
"Whose bra is that?" Katrina thought hard. Did she have one like that? But… the size was clearly bigger than hers.
Jenny lowered her head, not daring to meet Katrina's eyes, while the tension in the air grew unbearably thick.
That pink bra seemed to become the symbol of a secret and a conflict that was about to explode.
Katrina stared at the pink bra, her brows furrowing. Her chest suddenly tightened—not because of her illness, but because of the terrible feeling stabbing at her heart.
"Jen… whose bra is that?" she asked softly.
Jenny swallowed hard. "Maybe… one of the maids forgot it, Sis."
Katrina immediately shook her head weakly. "The maids would never come into my bathroom."
The room suddenly fell silent.
Katrina's eyes never left the bra. The size was obviously not hers.
"Don't lie to me, Jen," she whispered, her voice beginning to tremble.
Jenny panicked. "Sis, don't think too much first—"
"While I was in Singapore…" Katrina lifted her teary eyes to her younger sister. "Did Hendrik bring another woman into this house?"
"I-I don't know, Sis!" Jenny answered too quickly.
That answer only made Katrina's heart pound harder.
Her breathing turned ragged, and her hand gripped the wall tightly.
Jenny immediately rushed to support her in panic.
At that very moment, Jenny's phone vibrated.
Hendrik's name appeared on the screen.
Jenny stared at the phone…
Then looked at Katrina, whose suspicion was growing stronger by the second.