Chapter 5 : Fainted

“It’s good. I’ll go to my room now. Don’t stay up too late, okay?”

Lalita had never refused anything Aldo gave her before.

So, she was forced to take a sip to keep him from becoming suspicious.

She could only hope that the medicine the doctor had prescribed would work and lessen the effects of the poison.

But the moment she closed her bedroom door, Lalita’s body collapsed.

She cried silently, realizing that the two of them were using work as an excuse to spend time together.

She deeply regretted not fixing the CCTV in her apartment, which had somehow suddenly stopped working.

She should have been suspicious before…

But, it’s too late. Regret wouldn’t change anything.

She had to wait for the right moment.

So Lalita forced herself to take the anti-poison medication before falling asleep.

Unfortunately, when she woke up this morning, she got a stomachache. 

Her head was throbbing painfully, and cold sweat covered her body.

“Arrghhh...” she cried out.

Was this the effect of the poison?

Could the dose have been higher than she had anticipated?

She heard hurried footsteps approaching.

Aldo rushed toward her, panic written all over his face.

“Lita? What’s wrong?”

“St...omach... hurts... N...nauseous...” Lalita replied breathlessly before suddenly vomiting.

Citra, who had just woken up, screamed in panic.

“Oh my God, Sis! What’s wrong?!”

Lalita was on the verge of passing out.

Aldo immediately scooped her up into his arms, and the three of them rushed to the hospital.

As soon as they arrived, the doctor examined Lalita.

“It seems to be food poisoning, but we need to keep her under observation first,” the doctor explained after giving his initial diagnosis.

“Doctor, could you take my sister directly to a VIP room? Our parents might be arriving soon,” Citra requested.

Everything happened quickly.

Not long afterward, Hadi and Wita arrived. They looked panic.

“Lita, are you okay?”

Wita gently stroked Lalita’s hair and face.

She truly looked like a mother worried about her daughter.

No wonder neither Hadi nor Lalita had ever suspected her…

“I’m okay. Maybe I just ate something bad,” Lalita replied softly.

“You really need to be more careful... Don’t eat anything when you’re out.”

“The doctor said they’re going to observe her first. They’ve given her an IV and some medication for the diarrhea. If there’s no improvement, she’ll have to stay overnight,” Aldo explained to Hadi and Wita.

“Thank you, Aldo,” Hadi said to his future son-in-law.

“Get some rest, Lita,” Hadi told her.

Lalita merely nodded.

For a moment, she felt safe under her father’s gaze.

But apparently, she isn’t.

Her father simply left with Aldo.

Lalita tried to close her eyes.

Strangely, Wita and Citra moved closer to her—as if they were making sure she was asleep.

“What did you do to her?” Wita asked in a hushed voice.

“Nothing, Mom. She’s probably just weak. Maybe she ate something bad,” Citra replied casually.

“Remember, Citra. Don’t let her suddenly die. If she dies, you could become a suspect.”

“Yes, Mom. I’m not going to kill her. I’ll leave that to Aldo...”

“Good. Don’t get your own hands dirty.”

Hearing that, Lalita clenched her fists tightly beneath the blanket.

Fortunately, their conversation didn’t last long.

Eventually, both of them left Lalita’s room.

“Damn them,” Lalita hissed.

She slowly reached into her pants pocket and pulled out her phone.

[I agree. Let’s get married. We’ll discuss the details after I’m discharged from the hospital.]

She sent the message to Brian.

***

Brian saw Lalita’s message the next morning and called her immediately.

[Hello...]

[What happened? Which hospital are you in?]

He sounded worried.

[The same hospital as yesterday. Your family’s hospital.]

[I’m going now.]

[Okaaay.]

“What happened? Are you okay?” Brian asked as soon as he arrived at Lalita’s hospital room.

Brian looked absolutely disheveled.

He had come wearing a T-shirt and shorts, and his hair looked like he hadn’t even combed it.

“You look like a mess, hahaha...” Lalita laughed, looking quite pleased to tease him.

“How could I not rush over? Just yesterday, you told me you’d been poisoned, and now you’re in the hospital!” Brian whispered.

“I’m fine. It’s just food poisoning. I think Aldo gave me tea, but maybe he brewed it with tap water.”

Brian’s eyes widened.

“What? Are you serious?”

“It’s just my guess. Before going to bed last night, the only thing I drank was the tea he gave me.”

Brian glared at Lalita in frustration.

“Didn’t I tell you to just stay at my apartment? Look at you now! Litaaaa, why do you keep putting your life in his hands?! You only have one life! There’s no backup!”

“Ssshhh! Jeez...”

Lalita immediately pinched Brian’s arm.

“Don’t be so loud! What if someone hears us?!”

“So what?! Let them hear!”

Lalita pinched his arm again, twice as hard this time.

She glanced toward the door.

Fortunately, no one is standing outside.

“It’s not the time for them to know that I know yet, Brian,” she whispered.

Brian just let out an annoyed sigh.

He’s worried that his friend could genuinely die at any moment if they didn’t get married soon.

“Once we leave here, I’m going straight to Uncle Hadi.”

“W-What?” Lalita asked, making sure she had heard correctly.

“Once we leave here, I’m going straight to Uncle Hadi. I’m going to ask him for your hand in marriage.”

Lalita’s face immediately heated up, and her heart’s pounding.

She only hoped Brian couldn’t hear it.

“But...”

“What? I won’t hear any objections!”

Brian had been rambling the moment he entered the hospital room, but he only just realized that the room was empty.

“Where’s Uncle Hadi?” he asked.

Lalita smiled bitterly.

“Dad and everyone else went out to get breakfast.”

“Have you had breakfast yet?”

Lalita shook her head.

“Not yet...”

Brian’s eyes widened.

“How can you not have eaten after losing that much fluid? Porridge is the minimum.”

“I’m fine. You should just go nowww...”

Lalita glared at him while checking the time on her phone.

Hadi, Wita, and the two lovebirds should be returning soon.

“I want to stay here. What’s the problem?” Brian asked irritably.

“It’s not the right time for them to know about us.”

Brian’s expression hardened for a moment before eventually softening.

“Okaaay. I’ll do as my future wife asks...”