The Second Wife

"Ajeng, come here."

Ajeng, who had been pacing anxiously in a room at a well-known private hospital, stopped immediately. The phone was still pressed to her right ear.

"I can't get hold of Evan, El. Looks like he's in a meeting. Gosh, I haven't asked for permission in case something urgent comes up," Ajeng said with a worried look on her face.

"Come here, Jeng," Ella called again.

Seeing her friend lying weakly on the hospital bed, Ajeng immediately rushed over to Ella. She took Ella's outstretched hand.

"Why didn't you tell me that you were sick? Blood cancer is not a disease to be taken lightly. Why didn't you tell Evan?" Ajeng scolded with an annoyed look on her face.

Ajeng and Ella had been best friends since college and were as close as sisters. Ella's parents even considered Ajeng their own daughter.

"Marry Evan, Jeng."

Unfortunately, Ella's parents' house was quite far from the house where Ella and Evan lived. It was impossible for them to get to the hospital in a short time.

"Your parents' house is also quite far away. I want to contact Nadia too... Eh? What did you say?" Ajeng stopped talking as she tried to remember what Ella had said earlier.

"Marry Evan. I will pay for your father's surgery," Ella pleaded.

Ajeng opened and closed her mouth again. Her brain suddenly stopped working and she didn't understand what Ella was saying.

"I feel safer leaving Evan with you. I don't trust other women. Especially since our child will be born soon."

"What are you talking about?" Ajeng asked, confused.

"Take care of my baby after she is born," Ella requested.

"Don't say strange things, El. I'm sure you will recover. Evan will definitely seek the best treatment for you," Ajeng replied patiently.

Ella's illness was indeed frightening. It was natural for her friend to say strange things.

"Ajeng, I know you want a child. After being divorced by Dimas because you were diagnosed as infertile, who would want to marry you?"

Ajeng stared at Ella in disbelief. After knowing each other for so long, this was the first time Ella had said something so hurtful. It was as if Ella was mocking her for not being able to get pregnant.

"Take this opportunity, Jeng. You can serve Evan too. It's been 8 months since I couldn't serve him in bed and..."

"Come on, El. You'd better focus on your recovery and your pregnancy. Don't say strange things. I couldn't possibly hurt you by becoming your husband's second wife," Ajeng interrupted.

But Ella shook her head stubbornly. Suddenly, the woman's expression turned a little cold, stunning Ajeng.

"I will help you. Help you with all your difficulties. As long as you're willing to marry Evan. Dimas just abandoned you. Who else can help you with your family's financial situation, which is almost ruined?"

Ajeng was stunned, not expecting Ella to say something like that. Ajeng knew that she came from a middle-class family that might soon go bankrupt, unlike Ella, who was wealthy. But did Ella have to corner her like this?

"Why are you talking like that, El?" Ajeng said with a trembling voice, still too shocked by a side of Ella she had never seen before.

"Never mind. I'm sure after this, you will accept my offer to become Evan's second wife," Ella said confidently. There was no longer any weakness on the woman's face.

Ajeng was silent, not understanding Ella's change in attitude. Was it because of the illness? Did Ella feel she had to protect herself from getting hurt?

A moment later, her cell phone rang. It was her mother.

"Yes, Mom?"

[Jeng, your father... his heart condition has worsened. The doctor said that he needs to undergo a heart transplant immediately.]

"What? Where will we get the money, Mom? I only have a little savings. How about borrowing money from the supermarket?" Ajeng asked, her voice trembling.

Her hands began to shake and her heart was beating fast. The image of her father's death was already in front of her eyes.

[That's what's confusing me, Jeng. I called you to ask for help. Do you think you can get a loan there? Maybe borrow money from your workplace. Your brother has tried to get a loan, but it's not enough.]

"How much money do you need, Mom?"

Her mother was silent. Suddenly Ajeng felt anxious and her stomach felt queasy.

[The doctor said around 21 billion rupiah. Not including the cost of traveling to Singapore.]

"What? 21 billion? Where would we get that much money, Mom? Who would lend us that much money?" Ajeng's body went limp and her mind went blank.

[I'm confused too, Ajeng. Even if we sold all our assets, it still wouldn't be enough. And after that, we would become homeless because we wouldn't have a place to live. But if your father doesn't have the surgery soon, he will...]

"Wait a minute, Mom. Why is the surgery so expensive?"

[The doctor said that the surgery alone would cost around 4 billion rupiah. Not to mention that he would have to stay in the hospital for 7 to 14 days after the surgery to make sure the new heart was functioning properly. He even said that the recovery could take around 6 months or more.]

She could hear her mother sobbing. Ajeng's own eyes were already teary. Now her head was spinning. No wonder the cost was so high. Installing a new heart in a human being must be monitored every day.

[Jeng, your friend Ella, can't she help us? Didn't you say she's rich?]

"Mom, I can't do that. Ella is also currently..."

A tug on her hand drew Ajeng's attention to Ella.

"I told you from the start. I'll pay for your father's surgery. But in return, you have to become Evan's second wife," Ella said.

Ajeng forgot that she had once told Ella about her father's condition. And now, her confession had backfired on her.

[Jeng? Is that Ella? She wants to pay for your father's surgery?]

"Come on, Jeng. Just accept it. You have no other choice. Where else can you get the money? Time is running out, right? It's your father's life, you know," Ella urged.

Now, Ajeng felt completely overwhelmed. She could only cry.

[Jeng, your father's condition has worsened again! What should we do?]

"Okay!" Ajeng shouted a little. She saw Ella smiling triumphantly. Her throat felt tight. "All right, I agree."

Ella grabbed her handbag and took out her cell phone. Meanwhile, Ajeng wiped her tears with trembling hands as Ella called someone and asked them to transfer money to her mother's account as soon as possible.

Ajeng herself was surprised that Ella knew her mother's account number. It was as if the woman had been preparing for this for a long time. She looked down at her cell phone. The call from her mother had been disconnected at some point.

"Now, you have to become Evan's second wife. You can't refuse anymore," Ella said.

Ajeng couldn't say anything else. She immediately walked toward the hospital room door and opened it, only to find two people now staring at her with different expressions.

"Do you want to become Evan's second wife?"