Part 52

52

Is Carlos so wealthy that he can easily give away $5,000 without doing anything? Indri thought to herself.

"Don't consider this $5,000 as free money at all. Not at all. You must stay away from Chelsea as far as possible until she can't see you anymore. And I will also find a new campus for you, where you can study for free, as long as you don't appear in front of Chelsea anymore," Carlos said, producing a piece of paper.

"Please sign here as an agreement that you agree to everything I want. If you violate it, there will be penalties to pay. And if you refuse, you will know who I am and the consequences you'll face for disrupting Chelsea's life and attempting to sell her to your customers that time."

Indri's body froze, not a word coming out of her mouth. She could only silently watch Carlos, who had been offering so many tempting deals.

However, it failed to entice Indri because from her observations, she sensed that Carlos liked Chelsea, which meant Chelsea already had everything she desired. Gone were the days when she had to work tirelessly for a meager $100 to $200 a month. Since getting to know Carlos, Chelsea had changed a lot. She also seemed fresher than before. In Indri's eyes, Chelsea was now focused solely on her studies, with no other distractions.

No more tears when it came time to pay the tuition fees. No more questions about how to make ends meet because Chelsea couldn't afford food, let alone rent. Now she even arrived in a luxury car, although Carlos was the one driving her.

It was the life Indri had dreamed of, but her mother fell seriously ill and had to be fought for until she recovered. Instead of signing, Indri shook her head and pushed the paper toward Carlos.

"I'm not interested in any of this," Carlos raised both eyebrows, trying to guess what Indri wanted, besides money and a new campus.

"What do you want then? Wasn't the money more than enough?"

"I don't need money. I will stay away from Chelsea as much as I want, as long as you want to be my boyfriend or husband."

Carlos burst into laughter at this point, hearing Indri's offer. He found it amusing how boldly she suggested becoming his girlfriend or wife.

"What kind of joke are you making to me? Are we in a romantic relationship, let alone marriage? What did you eat that made you say those words to me?"

"Nothing, Sir. I just made an offer. Didn't you like girls like me?"

"I never said I was interested in you. I'm doing this only for Chelsea's safety."

"Well, what's the difference between me and Chelsea? There's none. We're both just surfing chat apps to find a sugar daddy."

"You and Chelsea are very different," Carlos leaned back in his chair, folding his arms across his chest. In his mind, when Indri was offered a sum of money earlier, he thought she'd agree right away because that was what the girl needed, according to the data sent by the people earlier.

Indri resorted to her sinful job due to economic desperation for her mother's medical expenses. It was the wrong way, but Carlos justified it as a girl who didn't have any skills. Selling herself was the easiest job at the moment, especially considering the data Carlos had received indicated that Indri had gone a long way with her boyfriend, so there was nothing she needed to fight for in her life as everything had been lost.

"You're questioning the difference between you and Chelsea? Really? Chelsea is very special and different, and just so you know, she's my wife, not my sugar baby."

"W-WHAT, a wife?" Indri's mouth fell open in disbelief upon hearing Carlos's revelation. She couldn't believe that Chelsea was already married to this wealthy man. Carlos might be quite mature, but his appearance didn't show it. He also had a considerable amount of money, and there was no reason for a girl to refuse to become his wife. Even Indri, who was previously eager to be his girlfriend, now found the prospect of being his wife enticing.

"Sir, please don't joke around. It's impossible for Chelsea..."

"It's up to you. I never ask anyone to believe every word I say, including you." Carlos pointed his pen at Indri. "You'd better accept all of this, or I will ruin your life. Don't even think about making Chelsea uncomfortable because of my confession. If she complains once about you bothering her again, I can guarantee that your mother will find out that her daughter has been selling herself.

I can't imagine a woman who is struggling to recover from cancer having to hear that her daughter has been earning money for her treatment by engaging in illicit activities with any man who offered money. I can assure you, between two choices, death or a coma."

Indri shook her head. "I accept this money."

"Smart choice." Carlos handed the pen in his hand to Indri. One issue was resolved, and now it was time to talk to Revan, and his father. He couldn't wait for the evening to arrive to expedite the resolution of this problem; he genuinely wanted Chelsea to study comfortably at that campus.

In the parking lot, Chelsea briefly saw Vano's car parked there but couldn't spot him. When she tried to call him, Vano didn't answer. So, Chelsea decided to take a taxi home by herself.

This time, she took a detour and suddenly felt the urge to visit her old house, the one she used to live in. The place where her adoptive parents showered her with abundant love. They might not have been her biological parents, but Chelsea could still feel that love, even if it was somewhat tainted because Margareth had never truly loved her.

Chelsea stopped the taxi there, gazing at her old, well-maintained two-story house from a distance. Instantly, fond memories flooded her mind like a fast-forwarded reel.

Chelsea pulled both corners of her lips into a smile as she looked at the well-maintained gazebo where she used to sit with her father. Every weekend, Tomas would make time for her. Chelsea gripped the iron fence, struggling with the emotions welling up inside her.

Now, Chelsea felt a longing for her father. To make amends for all that longing, Chelsea followed her steps toward her father's grave.

A 45-minute journey might have felt quite long, but it helped ease Chelsea's troubled mind. She was dealing with so many problems now, and one of them was learning that the man who had raised her with love and care was not her biological father.

Chelsea stopped in front of the public cemetery, where her father lay for eternity. As she approached, Chelsea's body felt weak and drained as she looked at her father's name engraved on the tombstone.

She sat there, gently stroking the tombstone as if it were her father's head, which she used to caress to calm herself. But she could no longer do that because the mound of earth now stood between them.

"Am I really not your biological child, Dad?" she asked as if Tomas were standing in front of her. "Mom told me that I'm not your child. She said I was found when my birth mother tried to kill me. Is that true?" she asked, her voice barely a whisper.

This was Chelsea's moment to release all the sadness she felt. In front of Carlos, she didn't want to show how broken and fragile her heart was right now. Only she knew that she couldn't accept the reality that she was just an adopted child.

That's what Margareth called her, "just an adopted child." "Can't you wake up first, Dad, and answer all my questions? I feel like you're not my foster parents, but my real parents. Especially you, Dad." Chelsea gripped the tombstone tightly as the pain crept in, constricting her chest.

Chelsea wished she could scream, plead for God to give her father a chance to wake up and explain the true timeline, because she swore by everything that until this moment, she couldn't believe that Tomas wasn't her biological father. Despite Margareth's indifference, Tomas had always said that if that woman hurt his heart, he would be upset.

"Can Dad hear me, or has he become deaf now?" Chelsea laughed bitterly. "I'm the stupid one who can't accept the fact that Dad is no longer here. If only I could turn back time, I'd want to leave with Dad. This wound is too painful, even though I have a husband who loves me so much. But Dad was my first love and my world.

Don't you remember, Dad, promising me that you would be the witness at my wedding, the one who would accompany me when I sat at the altar with my husband? Instead, I married without Dad being present, and..." Chelsea sobbed. "For the reception, it hasn't happened yet because my marriage has to be kept a secret. I want to avenge Mom. Am I wrong for wanting to pay back all the pain Dad suffered all these years? How much it hurt when Mom betrayed you? Even though all the destruction Dad got before he left for good was because of Mom's actions, Mom's recklessness.

It's all because of Mom, but it's Dad who got blamed and left. Is Mom even more depraved than that? So, is it reasonable that I want to seek revenge on her? I even want to make Mom follow Dad to the afterlife, to apologize and seek forgiveness for everything she did? Is this obsession wrong, Dad? To the point where I can't control myself, I can't stop myself from planning destruction for Mom, even though I know my husband will be disappointed because of my behavior. Is it wrong?"

However, I hope that my sacrifices for him all this time can be used to weigh whether to leave or stay. If that time comes, and he decides to leave and disappoint me, I swear by your name that I will never go back to him, no matter how deep my love is. Because I am not Dad, who keeps forgiving Mom even though she committed such great sins.

Such great pain that she inflicted, to the point that Dad endured both physical and emotional pain. I am unwilling and refuse to let that woman live happily. However, she must suffer just like Dad did. Would Dad be angry with me for doing this? I'm sure Dad would be angry and disappointed, but unfortunately, your daughter refuses to listen.

For this part, I will continue to seek revenge on Margareth. Even if Dad comes and begs me to stop. No, I won't do it because it's difficult for me to bring Dad on the path of recovery; that woman hurt her Child instead. Chelsea stroked her father's tombstone.

"Rest in peace, Dad. As for Mom, leave her to me. I'm sure she'll come here soon and apologize for all her actions." Chelsea wiped away her tears, relieving all the burdens she had carried for so long.

It felt somewhat satisfying to finally express what she had been feeling to her father, even though she couldn't touch her first love anymore. Just a mound of earth with a tombstone standing there. It didn't matter because Chelsea knew that beneath that ground lay her father, resting for eternity.

Chelsea gathered all the strength she had left and walked towards the rented house they used to live in. It was where her father endured his pain and challenging days.

"Chelsea, it's a coincidence that you came here." An older man called out to Chelsea and waved for her to approach.

"Mr. Sumir," Chelsea greeted with a faint smile, addressing the older man.

Chelsea remembered very well who this man was, as he always wore a sarong.

"You're getting more beautiful and fresh with each passing day. I'm sure your life is much better now without the heavy burden you used to carry."

"You may be right, Mr. Sumir," Chelsea tried her best to hide the problems she was currently facing. Indeed, the burden on her shoulders had become much lighter since she became Carlos's wife, but the burden in her heart remained the same as before.

"Oh, by the way, I have some of your belongings that were left behind because the rental house you used to live in has been taken by someone else. So I had to secure all the remaining items. Don't worry; nothing is missing."

"Really?" Chelsea asked, her eyes lighting up with a glimmer of hope.

"Indeed! Let's go with me!" Sumir invited Chelsea to enter his house. Chelsea was stunned when she saw some of her and her father's belongings. None of it belonged to her mother because she had expensive items that she wouldn't leave behind in a rented house.

Chelsea gathered the items she could carry without any assistance. "I'll have to pick up the rest later, how can I do it, Mr. Sumir? Because I didn't bring a vehicle. I'll ask my brother to pick them up here," Chelsea said, remembering Vano. Later, she would ask for his help to transport the remaining items.

"I don't mind. By the way, I also found a phone under the bed that seemed to have been deliberately hidden by your father."

"A phone?" Chelsea reached out to grab the phone. She looked at and examined the phone given to her by Sumir.

"Thank you, Mr. Sumir. Maybe this is indeed my father's. I'll try turning it on later. If it's still in good condition, I'll check if it's really his. If it's not his, I'll return it to you," Chelsea said politely before bidding farewell to Sumir.

She also thanked Sumir for his assistance all this time. For his flexibility every time she was late with her rent. Chelsea remembered very well that she hadn't paid her rent for three consecutive months. But Sumir never made an issue of it. He even gave her a one-month discount when she paid her rent.

As a father himself, Sumir certainly knew how difficult and painful it was for Chelsea to struggle alone for her father's treatment. Including managing her daily expenses and her own tuition fees.

It wasn't easy for a girl Chelsea's age to go through such days, but Sumir was sure that all the selflessness Chelsea had shown would bear sweet fruit in the future.