Part 5

"How is it? Is your husband there?" a woman at the other end of the call asked. When her call was answered by her cousin's younger sibling, who was assigned to check the whereabouts of her husband.

"No, Sister. But..." Fachri paused, carefully considering whether to tell or not the information he just received from the hotel receptionist. Information stating that, indeed, his cousin's husband came there last night but checked out at 2 am. More painful, the one who took the room key from the receptionist was a young girl. For his cousin's well-being, Fachri had to weigh carefully whether to tell the truth or keep it a secret until he found evidence and caught him red-handed. To avoid mistakes in conveying information.

"But what, Fachri? Is he there?" the woman asked again, breaking Fachri's contemplation about his decision. Ah, if only he were allowed to view the hotel CCTV footage, he wouldn't have to think so hard.

"No, Sister. He's not here. He said he already checked out, but he was alone. Not with another woman like you mentioned." Fachri finally decided to protect his cousin's husband. Just this once. Not for the future, as he himself would investigate this case.

"Oh... so he's not there? Thank goodness! It means he was honest, just taking a rest after returning from Surabaya. But, I don't know, I don't understand whether this is true or not. I don't get it," the woman whispered, sitting on the edge of the bed as a wave of dizziness hit her again. It always happened when she thought too much. Her head immediately ached with a nauseous feeling in her stomach.

"Sister, let it go. Don't jump to conclusions yet. Even if he lied, he can still be forgiven because he came here alone. Maybe he's facing problems at work that he doesn't want Uncle and Aunt to know."

"Hopefully what you're saying is the truth. I won't be able to forgive him if he's truly playing with fire behind our backs," the woman concluded before bidding farewell and ending her call with Fachri. This allowed Fachri to breathe a sigh of relief, as he no longer needed to come up with more excuses to complete his deception.

"Don't worry, Sister. I'll be the one to give punishment to that insensitive man if he's playing around with your marriage," Fachri muttered before leaving the four-star hotel.

From now on, Fachri promised to shadow wherever his cousin's husband went, especially if the man was in Bandung. Mayang, his cousin, mentioned that Bandung was the city that caused her husband to change. It made him quiet and kept his distance, especially after four years of marriage without having children.

Mayang and her husband had both undergone medical examinations, but no issues were found between them. However, after four years of marriage without conceiving, Mayang's husband began to play with fire. He was sure Mayang was not healthy but falsified his test results to hide his shortcomings.

Since their argument that day, Mayang noticed other signs from her husband, especially after a business trip to Bandung a few months ago. Her husband set a pattern on his phone and often brought it into the bathroom. It was unlike her husband before, where there were no boundaries between them.

And today, her husband claimed to have work in Surabaya, but his messenger said he was in Bandung. A lie? Why lie if it's just related to work? Mayang was convinced that her husband's lies were related to another woman, not work at the office.

However, Fachri mentioned not finding another woman in the hotel where Mayang's husband stayed, providing some relief for Mayang. At least, there was no concrete evidence yet indicating her husband's involvement with another woman.

***

Curious about Airin's presence in the hotel earlier that morning, Fachri quickly checked her class schedule with her departmental professors. Even though he was sure Airin didn't have morning classes, he still wanted to confirm to ease his mind. Airin, being an accomplished student, would be a significant loss if trapped in a dark path. Her future could be ruined, along with her education. Fachri didn't want that for one of his favorite students.

"No other classes. Only with me and the scientific professor after my hours. Why, Sir? Is there a problem with Airin?" asked the middle-aged man, Airin's department professor.

"Ahem..." Fachri adjusted his glasses. "No, Sir. I just want to ask for Airin's help in organizing data for new students. That's why I asked you first if she has a morning schedule. If she does, I'm afraid it might disturb her class schedule," he explained, telling a small lie to avoid suspicion of prying into Airin's activities and schedule at the campus.

"Oh, I see. I thought you had other business with Airin. In that case, let me help you get in touch with her and ask her to come here immediately." He quickly took out his phone from his pants pocket. Swiftly, his fingers danced across the phone screen to call Airin.

"Thank you for your help, Sir. If Airin answers the call, please tell her to meet me in building three. I teach there."

The middle-aged man nodded. "Certainly. I will convey that."

"Thanks again, and I'll take my leave now," said Fachri. He bowed slightly to show respect and express gratitude for the senior professor's assistance in contacting Airin.

Airin, who had just arrived at her boarding house and was about to doze off, jolted awake. Her phone, resting on the nightstand, vibrated repeatedly. Lazily and forcing herself to open both eyes after ignoring the calls a few times, Airin finally picked up.

"Does it have to be now, Sir?" Airin asked wearily when her department professor mentioned that Fachri wanted her to come to the campus urgently because he needed her help with various things.

"Yes, you should come now because Mr. Fachri has been waiting in building three."

Airin sighed. Reluctantly, she agreed to Fachri's request to come to the campus immediately. Even though her mood was very low, and she didn't want to meet anyone. She was still sleepy and tired from her activities with Zidan the previous night. But, willing or not, Airin eventually prepared to return to the campus, assisting Fachri, as her department professor had just mentioned.