Renata's body was still shaking after receiving the call from the strange man. Her heart was even still beating fast due to feelings of fear and anxiety. Renata could not hold back her feelings of fear.
What should I do? Renata thought with a pale face.
Several times Renata tried to calm herself down, breathing in and out slowly, but she still couldn't get rid of her worries. That frantic feeling might not disappear anytime soon.
Renata closed the door to her room, then walked down the stairs, intending to return to the lounge, where Aleta was. With trembling legs, she tried to act as if nothing had happened.
Aleta who was relaxing found Renata appearing after going upstairs suddenly. Renata's condition, however, could be clearly seen from the expression on her face.
Renata may have been trying to hide her worries, but Aleta could see that her face looked deathly pale.
"Is everything okay?" she asked with a furrowed brow. The woman seemed worried about Renata's suddenly changed condition. "Are you sick?" she asked again.
Renata was still trying to cover up her feelings. She then answered Aleta's question with a stiff smile. "Just a little dizzy, Auntie. But Renata is okay," the girl explained leaving a rather awkward impression.
"That's not okay. You'd better rest then. Don't push yourself!" she retorted with a worried look. "Go back to your room. Auntie will tell the maid to make something and bring the medicine to your room."
After Aleta said that, Renata finally nodded slowly. Renata thought, maybe it was better for her to withdraw for a while. It wouldn't be good if the people around her got suspicious. She didn't want Melvin or Aleta to know that she got a call from a strange man who wanted to blackmail her. The woman finally accepted Aleta's suggestion to return to the room.
"Renata go upstairs first, Auntie," the woman said. Then, she left the lounge and went back to her room.
As she walked up the stairs, Renata could still feel that her body had not stopped shaking yet. It was because the feeling of urgency had not disappeared completely.
After closing the door to her room, Renata chose to sit on the bed. There, she again tried to calm herself down. The feeling of fear continued to haunt her. She didn't know how long she would feel that way. In the end, Renata could not stem the tears.
"Shit. Shit ...."
The only thing the girl could do was swear in a low voice. The problem was, only she could overcome. She was even too afraid to tell the people around her. The reason was, if Melvin and Aleta found out about the blackmail, she would only dig her own grave.
Almost twenty minutes after returning to his room, someone from outside was heard knocking on the door.
"Excuse me." It was the voice of one of the servants at Melvin's house.
Renata quickly wiped her tears, then cleaned her face so that it wouldn't be too obvious that she was actually crying.
"Come in!" said the girl with a slightly trembling voice.
"Excuse me Miss, I've brought some medicine and porridge for you to eat," said the maid who had round eyes.
"Just put it on the table!" ordered Renata.
After the maid put the drugs and porridge on the table, she was finally about to leave Renata's room. It's just that, before the servant closed the door, Renata could faintly hear a voice from downstairs. The voice seemed to come from Melvin who had just returned from the hospital after accompanying Danas to check her pregnancy.
Renata got out of bed without touching the porridge or the medicine. Although she was feeling frantic, she couldn't stop herself from being curious about the voice she had heard earlier.
"What's going on? Why does it sound so excited?" The woman wondered.
Renata walked towards the railing. Then, the woman looked down, where Aleta was. From above, Renata could see the figures of Melvin and Danas standing near Aleta.
Ah, there they are, thought Renata while throwing a flat expression.
The sight that Renata saw really made the girl's heart feel like it was pierced by a needle. It felt like there was a nagging feeling that she wanted to get rid of immediately. Seeing Aleta smiling happily by welcoming her grandchildren really made her sick.
"So how did it go?" Aleta asked her son.
"Everything is good. This is the photo from the USG," Melvin replied. The man then handed over a piece of photo paper that showed a picture of his son.
Aleta took the photo paper. On receiving it, the old woman was thrilled. The fact that she would soon have a grandchild gave her the upper hand. The old lady then showed a beaming face.
Melvin and Aleta often quarreled, especially when there were differences of opinion. However, it was a common occurrence for the two of them. Even if they were hostile towards each other, after calming down, they could reconcile again, as if nothing had happened.
Melvin was so happy to see his mother happy. They were overwhelmed with the joy of welcoming a new member to their family.
Danas, who was also there, showed a faint smile. Despite all the treatment directed at her, Danas was still happy that the baby she was carrying was warmly welcomed by both her husband and her in-laws.
The beautiful scene looked like a painting of a perfect family. The serene atmosphere. The sound of joyful laughter. Then, the expressions that showed acceptance.
Even though both Melvin and Aleta rejected Danas, they were still able to show such expressions. Expressions that show boundless happiness. It was as if they had forgotten their hatred towards Danas. There was nothing else they could think of other than the child the woman was carrying.
Meanwhile, Renata who saw the dramatic scene felt so upset. She saw a scene that was so painful to the eyes. Her eyes felt stabbed because she saw the appearance of the ideal family. And of course, among all the things that hurt her, she was most hurt because she found that in that happy family, she didn't exist.
Renata clenched her fists tightly, then bit her lips. A feeling of anger came up and gnawed at her heart.
She thought, I'm currently facing a big problem, while they look so happy. Why is it that nothing I do goes smoothly?
Lately, all of Renata's efforts seem to be fruitless. Even if she manages to get her lover's mother on her side, it doesn't mean Melvin will divorce Danas anytime soon. Her attempts to abort Danas' child always ended in failure.
One by one, his frustrations piled up to form a very heavy burden. Moreover, she had just received a call from a strange man asking for a large amount of money.
Renata felt herself completely helpless.
"It's not fair," she muttered as she watched Melvin and the others looking so happy. "Why just me, Amaira, is this karma from you?"
Not long after that, Renata's tears fell again. Her feelings of anger, upset, anxiety, and fear were all mixed up. She didn't know what would happen in the future. Her desire to be with Melvin still did not get a bright spot.
Because she was fed up with seeing the happy family scene downstairs, Renata finally decided to leave the place, then went back into her room.
When she returned to the room, Melvin, who was still busy chatting with Aleta, could hear the sound of the door slamming quite loudly. Melvin's attention was suddenly diverted.
Renata? thought the man while glancing upstairs. He finally realized that she was nowhere to be seen.
" Anyway, where's Renata?" Melvin asked his mother.
The happy face adorned with a bright smile slowly changed. This time, Aleta changed her expression, showing anxiety.
"She said she had a headache. She told her to go rest in her room," Aleta explained.
Melvin then nodded. "I see."
"I told the waiter to give her some medicine and make her some porridge. You don't need to worry," Aleta continued. She patted her son lightly on the back.
Melvin glanced upstairs once more. Maybe it's just me, he thought to the sound of the door slamming that he had heard.
Then, Melvin continued to talk about his experience at the hospital. He reported what the doctor had said about Danas' pregnancy.
The anxiety about Renata that had approached Aleta seemed to have never existed. She had forgotten and continued talking about her future grandchild. She couldn't wait to welcome the tiny creature.