Diandra

 "Why? Did Riana want you to hate your own mother?" asked Mayang sadly.

 

"No. I'm just annoyed that every day there's a problem in this house. Can't it be peaceful like the other houses?"

 

"You know yourself, Rey? If Riana were a daughter-in-law, she wouldn't serve her mother-in-law so badly. In fact, she made a juice for me earlier that tasted really bad and I couldn't help but scold her," Mayang explained.

 

"Of course, the juice didn't taste good. It's because she didn't use sugar, so it's not good!" Reynald stormed into his room, and slammed the door loudly, startling Riana in the kitchen. He lay down on the bed, and sent a message to Diandra.

 

[Have you arrived?] Reynald texted.

 

[Yes, have you?] Diandra replied.

 

[Yes, I have. I arrived home safely].

 

[Then, after you arrived, you messaged me? How romantic.]

 

Diandra added a love sticker to her message, which made Reynald even happier with the beautiful woman.

 

"What a nuisance! It would be better if you were my wife, then my day would be perfect," Reynald muttered.

 

"Who are you talking to?" Riana suddenly appeared.

 

"Uh, no one. Maybe you heard wrong," Reynald replied nervously.

 

"Are you pretending?" Riana didn't believe him.

 

"Yes. Why would I lie to you?" Reynald tried to convince her.

 

"Maybe. It's because my mother is always nagging me, and giving me headaches," Riana sighed.

Reynald smiled bitterly when he heard Riana's complaints. 'It's always like this; it just frustrates me,' he muttered inwardly.

 

"I'll take a shower first, then we'll have dinner together at the table. I've cooked your favorite, oyster sauce squid," Riana grabbed a towel and went into the bathroom.

 

"Okay," Reynald replied without looking at Riana, who was still busy exchanging messages with Diandra.

**

 

"Would it bother you if I still haven't given you a child?" Riana asked once they were in her room.

 

"No," Reynald replied shortly.

 

"Is it really like that?" Riana asked again.

 

"Yes," he answered flatly.

 

"But why is your answer so short?" Riana said sadly.

 

Reynald grumbled in his heart. He was fed up, but he held it in.

 

"Riana dear, it's okay if we don't have a child yet. Besides, I'm not ready yet," Reynald said with a sweet smile.

 

"Why aren't you ready? Doesn't your mother want you to?"

 

"That's my mother, not me! If I'm not ready yet, what can I do? I'm not ready for a child because little children are too demanding. You see how Leo behaves," Reynald tried to soften his tone.

 

Deep inside, he was still grumbling about Riana's excessive questions. He resented her interrupting him while he was exchanging messages with Diandra, which ruined his good mood.

 

"You sleep, I don't want you to be late, and get scolded by your mother again!" Reynald ordered.

 

"You sleep too. Tomorrow you'll be tired in the office," Riana suggested.

 

"Yes, later. I still have friends from the office who want to message me," Reynald lied.

 

"Don't stay up too late," Riana said worriedly.

 

"Yes," he replied again.

 

Riana closed her eyes beside Reynald while her husband chuckled softly as he read Diandra's messages. The man exchanged messages with her until late at night.

"Ck! It would be better if I had a child with Diandra instead of you!"

 

As usual, Riana got up early, said her morning prayers, cooked breakfast, and packed it for her husband. No matter how sleepy, and tired she was, Riana prepared everything without complaining. When she felt it was done, she took a shower, and woke up her in-laws and her husband.

 

"Rey, let's wake up! You'll be late for work," Riana shook Reynald's body gently so as not to startle him.

 

"Just a little longer!"

 

"It's already half past seven," Riana reminded him.

 

"Oh my God! I have an important meeting at seven today!" Reynald exclaimed in surprise.

 

Reynald rushed to the bathroom, quickly washed up, and brushed his teeth. Then he put on the suit that Riana had prepared the night before. Riana always prepared everything the night before to avoid scolding her husband for taking too long to iron his shirt.

 

Reynald went to the dining table for breakfast and ate quickly, almost choking. 

 

"Rey, slow down!" Mayang scolded.

 

"I have to eat quickly because I have an important meeting in half an hour," Reynald said, still eating his food.

 

"What?! Then you have to hurry or your boss will get angry. Why didn't Riana wake you up earlier?" Mayang grumbled and blamed Riana.

 

But Riana didn't know the meeting would be half an hour long. If she had known, she would have woken him earlier, as Mayang suggested.

 

"Never mind! I have to go now, I'm afraid I'll be late," Reynald said, grabbing his bag from his office.

 

"Take care, Rey," Mayang said, eating the rice on the unfinished plate.

"Rey, wait a minute!" Riana ran from the kitchen to where her husband was.

 

"What now?! I'm almost late!" Reynald grumbled, annoyed.

 

"This is lunch for later," Riana lovingly handed Reynald the packed lunch.

 

Reynald refused. He went straight to his car. "No need! I can eat at the office cafeteria."

 

Riana's face fell because she had worked hard to make lunch for her husband. But Reynald refused without considering her tiredness and her wishes.

 

"Riana, quickly clean the table!" Mayang ordered in a loud tone. "I don't like my expensive table to be dirty, lazy daughter-in-law!"