Lyyana began to look panicked, afraid that a villain might enter the house. She reached for anything nearby. Her slender fingers managed to grasp the kitchen knife right next to her left side. She grabbed it and aimed it towards the hand covering her eyes."Whoa! Relax, darling! It's me!" the man exclaimed as he removed his hand covering Lyyana's eyes.Lyyana turned her body to see the figure of the man standing right in front of her. "Petra!" Lyyana exclaimed, reflexively tapping Petra's arm softly as she wiped the tears that had wet her cheeks."Sorry, I didn't mean to make you cry," Petra regretted, helping Lyyana wipe her tears. "I saw you so focused on cooking earlier, and because I was feeling playful, I intended to tease you. I didn't expect you to be that scared. I'm sorry... forgive me."Lyyana lowered her head, making Petra feel even more guilty and uneasy. He only meant to surprise Lyyana; there was no intention to frighten her. "Sorry, I guess I went too far with my joke,"
"From the smell and appearance, it definitely is," Petra replied on behalf of Garret, who only nodded in agreement to Petra's words.Lyyana smiled, silently expressing her gratitude. They began to enjoy their meal with cheerful and happy faces. This breakfast felt more enjoyable because Garret kept chatting about his morning adventures. He talked about meeting farms, plantations, and people who were friendly to him and Petra."Garret is really happy, Mom! Dad, can we go out again tomorrow?" Garret requested with his mouth full."Sweetheart, finish chewing first," Lyyana cleaned up the rice that fell as Garret spoke.They truly looked like a happy little family. Lyyana and Petra seemed to genuinely cherish Garret, and Garret was happy to receive their love. He no longer needed to throw tantrums or create trouble just to get Petra's attention; now he had it all."After this, Garret will take a bath with Dad, okay?" Lyyana asked as she tidied up the dirty plates."Yes, Mom," Garret repli
"What does it mean that we failed?" Lyyana asked, standing behind Petra's chair.Robert, Olive, and Petra looked at Lyyana with indescribable expressions. "Sit down, Lyyana," Olive said weakly.With a sigh, Lyyana sat on one of the sofas from her standing position, able to gaze at Petra, Robert, and Olive simultaneously. She looked at each of their tense faces, and asked, "So what actually happened?"Robert and Petra exchanged glances upon hearing Lyyana's question, while Olive chose to remain silent, bowing her head deeply. "Did we fail?" Lyyana continued, trying to guess what might have happened."We..." Robert paused, staring intently at Lyyana."Succeeded," Petra interrupted eagerly, unable to hold back the truth any longer.Lyyana furrowed her brow, looking at Petra and Robert alternately as if seeking confirmation from Robert regarding Petra's statement
"Hahaha, I was just kidding. I already knew, you know. Oh, by the way, when are we heading home?" Robert asked, diverting Petra's attention from their earlier intense conversation."We're planning to leave tomorrow morning, how's that?" Petra replied, seeking approval from the others.Robert glanced at Olive, seeking an answer from his wife. Olive seemed to ponder for a moment, then nodded with a smile. "We agree," Robert said, nodding in agreement, indicating his approval of Petra's plan."Oh, to celebrate our success and our company's collaboration, how about we have lunch out this afternoon?" Olive suggested with a happy smile on her face.Initially, Lyyana wanted to refuse, but she couldn't bring herself to say it. Especially when she saw Olive's joyful expression and remembered their sacrifices to save her and Laura. "Lyyana, just come along, Auntie."Upon hearing Lyyana's response, Robert and Olive turned to Petra for her decision. Petra fell silent, glancing at Lyyana, who simp
"Alright.""Is there anything else I can assist you with, sir?" she offered politely.Robert and the others shook their heads simultaneously. "If you have any questions, you can press this button, and my colleague will come to assist you. Excuse me," she said, nodding her head and moving away from Robert's table.Robert then handed the phone to Olive so that she could input the food they wanted to order. Olive looked serious as she examined the menu list on her phone, and Lyyana accessed the menu there too. She discussed with Petra what he would like to eat."Anything, I'll eat whatever you think is good," Petra replied, still playing with his phone.Lyyana pouted, Petra and Garret always followed Lyyana's choices, even though Lyyana didn't know exactly what kind of food they liked. "Laura, what do you want to order?" Olive asked, looking at Laura, who was looking at the menu on
Laura looked silent, all eyes staring at her, asking for an explanation of what she had said earlier. "What's wrong, Laura?" Lyyana repeated once again, still curious about her sister's intentions in their conversation.Laura shook her head with her head bowed, "no, it's nothing. Just forget it.""Really?" Lyyana asked, making sure of her sister's answer.Laura nodded. "So, what's the decision, Laura?" Olive asked, steering the conversation back to its original topic."Laura will continue school." Lyyana and the others smiled happily to hear Laura's wise decision.Lyyana actually knew what Laura meant earlier; she just wanted to encourage her sister to express her opinion, but unfortunately, her sister was still too afraid to do so. "Well then, let us find the best school for you, Laura.""Uncle, can I ask for something?" Laura asked cautiously."Of course, go ahead. Don't hesitate."Laura glanced at Olive and Robert alternately and then said, "I want to go to school and live near my
Hearing Petra's words, Lyyana gathered the courage to approach her. She looked at Petra's serious expression as she peered into the closet behind the door of Lyyana's childhood home's main bedroom. "What's that wooden box?" Lyyana asked, following Petra's gaze."Could it be that you're the one who's been keeping it?"Lyyana shook her head. "This room was often occupied by my parents. I hardly ever come in or sleep here. So I can assure you it's not mine.""Then whose could it be?" Petra asked, looking at the wooden box, and Lyyana exchanged glances."Could it belong to my parents?""Do you want to take it?" Petra asked with a questioning look.Lyyana seemed to ponder, she really wanted to know what was inside the box, but in her heart, she didn't dare to reopen memories that had long been neatly stored in her mind. Lyyana then looked at Petra and the box alternately until she finally nodded and let Petra take the wooden box out of the closet.She gently brushed off the dust that adorn
Ever since their conversation in the park earlier this evening, Petra hasn't been able to sleep peacefully. Even at dinner last night, Petra lost focus to the point where she almost grabbed the wrong condiment and ended up with diarrhea. The questions and opinions that Lyyana expressed earlier in the evening keep spinning in her mind."Why haven't I thought about this issue before?" Petra asked herself, to no one in particular.She sat on the bed with Garret, who was already sound asleep from exhaustion after playing all day. Petra then grabbed her phone and sent a message to Benji asking for information about the accident her family experienced in the past.Impatiently awaiting Benji's response, Petra finally began investigating on her own. She started by searching for her sister-in-law's social media and gathering information and contacts from her in-laws. While conducting her search, Petra was momentarily stunned by one of the photos posted by her sister-in-law. It was a wedding ph