บททั้งหมดของ LOVE BEYOND THE PAIN: บทที่ 241 - บทที่ 250

"Relax. I'm just taking Caca to the restroom for a minute. You don't have to come. Stay here with Baskara," Aurelia said when Gian instinctively started to stand.Caca immediately burst into giggles."Prince Uncle, don't worry. We'll be right back. The restroom's just over there."Gian let out a quiet sigh before finally giving in."All right. Don't be too long."Aurelia took Caca's hand, and the two of them walked away with light, carefree steps.The moment they disappeared into the crowd, Gian felt as though he'd been left alone in the middle of a battlefield.Now only he and Baskara remained.Two grown men sat across from each other in heavy silence.The faint clinking of spoons against glass from nearby tables drifted through the café. Other customers laughed and chatted, but to Gian, their voices sounded distant and meaningless.The atmosphere at their table was cold.Oppressive.Almost suffocating.Baskara looked completely at ease.He leaned back comfortably in his chair, light

The campus was quieter than usual.A gentle afternoon breeze drifted through the rows of shady trees as the sun slowly sank toward the horizon.Aurelia walked at an easy pace, though she tired more quickly these days.There was a new glow about her.A happiness she could no longer hide.Halfway down the faculty hallway, she stopped when a cheerful voice called out."Lia!"She turned.Wulan, her long hair tied back in a simple ponytail, hurried toward her. A moment later, Doni caught up, balancing a stack of books in his arms.The three of them had once been inseparable in class, but Aurelia had fallen behind after taking a leave of absence to attend a short course in Sydney a few months earlier."Oh my gosh, we finally get to hang out again," Wulan said, wrapping Aurelia in a quick hug."You look... different," Doni added, raising an eyebrow. "Don't tell me I'm seeing things. You're pregnant, aren't you?"

The examination report from the clinic was still neatly folded in Aurelia's hand as they walked toward the parking lot. The smile on her face refused to fade.Gian smiled too, or at least tried to. Inside, his chest still felt tight as endless calculations kept running through his mind. Nothing was actually wrong. It was just the poisonous whispers of doubt tormenting an otherwise decent man.The drive home was filled with Aurelia's cheerful chatter. She talked about how the baby's tiny heartbeat had become the most beautiful sound she had ever heard.Gian listened, nodding from time to time. He even laughed softly now and then so Aurelia wouldn't suspect anything.But beneath his smile, a storm raged that no one else could see.As soon as the car pulled into the Mahesa family estate, they were greeted by Mrs. Lestari's glowing smile.The middle-aged woman immediately rose from the sofa and hurried toward her son and daughter-in-law.

"Do you doubt your wife?"The question left Lestari's lips calmly, yet it was enough to make Gian flinch and turn toward her. Her voice cut straight through him, as if she had deliberately touched the part of his heart he had been trying so hard to bury. He held his breath for a moment before letting it out slowly.Thank goodness it was only his mother standing behind him.If his father had been there too, he would have been done for. Everyone knew how much Mr. Mahesa adored Aurelia. Sometimes it even felt as though he loved his daughter-in-law more than his own son.Gian could not deny that there were moments when he felt pushed aside.Especially whenever he remembered how his father had kept secret the fact that he had met Aurelia in Australia. Back then, Mr. Mahesa had told no one, not even Gian, as though he wanted to shield Aurelia from the rumors that might have followed.Now Gian and his mother sat together in the backyard ga

“What’s wrong?” Aurelia asked, her voice calm but filled with curiosity.Gian froze for a split second. He quickly locked his phone and set it on the bedside table. Shaking his head, he forced a faint smile.“Nothing. I just... remembered something,” he said briefly.Before Aurelia could press him further, he changed the subject.“Remember the first time I stayed at this villa? I got completely lost because there were so many hallways.”She studied him suspiciously, but seeing him trying to lighten the mood, she let out a quiet sigh and offered a small smile. Soon they were chatting about Gian's childhood memories of the Mahesa family villa, while deep inside, Aurelia was still left with questions he hadn't answered.The next morning, dawn had barely begun to lift the thick fog blanketing Puncak. The mountain air was biting, cold enough to sting exposed skin. Yet in the villa's garden, two men were a