Maria's Secret
They found her the next morning—Maria, standing silently at a bus station three districts away, her uniform stained, her eyes swollen.
She didn't resist when the guards took her in.
In the mansion's study, Calvin sat across from her while Fini stood in the corner, her face pale, her body trembling.
> "Why, Maria? You were family," Fini whispered. "You were there when I gave birth. You held Akihiro."
Maria didn't lift her head.
> "Because I owed her. I owed Liora."
Calvin's jaw tightened.
> "Explain."
Maria looked at Fini with watery eyes.
> "Years ago… when I lost my son, I was on the streets. No money. No food. Liora found me. She gave me work in her aunt's house. She helped me rebuild. I promised her—if she ever needed anything, I'd repay her."
> "Even if it meant hurting my children?" Fini's voice cracked.
Maria's tears fell, but her voice remained steady.
> "I never touched Lilith. I just… opened the gate."
---
Fini's Guilt
After Maria was taken into custody, Fini sat alone in the garden, where the flowers had begun to wither under the heat.
She clutched Akihiro's baby blanket to her chest, even though he was already home and healthy.
Arora approached, sitting beside her silently.
> "Everything falls apart around me, Ro…" Fini whispered. "Maybe I bring bad luck. Maybe I'm the poison."
> "No," Arora said firmly. "You're not. You're the only reason any of us are still standing."
Fini finally broke down into sobs—and Arora held her, both of them bathed in the soft evening light.
---
Lilith's Return
Later that night, a miracle happened.
A car pulled up to the mansion's gate.
Inside, a stranger stepped out, holding a small figure in their arms.
> "Lilith!" Fini screamed.
She ran barefoot to the gate, tears falling freely.
Lilith was safe. Clean. Unharmed.
The man simply said:
> "I found her outside my daughter's school. Alone. Crying. She had this."
He handed over a note.
"This is only the beginning."
Calvin was silent, but his eyes were burning.
---
The Diary
The next morning, Calvin decided to search Maria's old quarters one last time.
That's when he found it—a diary, hidden beneath the floorboard.
Its pages were old, but filled with detailed handwriting.
> "Liora says they don't deserve each other."
"She cries over him every night—says she'll destroy their perfect world."
"She told me about the plan. I must obey. I owe her."
"But I fear there is someone else watching us."
The last entry chilled him:
> "He's back. And he's asking about Fini. I must protect her. But I fear… he loved her once."
---
The Final Enemy Appears
That night, Calvin received an anonymous message.
> "You can lock your doors, Calvin Sahputra. But some ghosts don't need keys."
Attached was a photo—grainy, dark, but unmistakable.
A man standing near Fini's old café in Tokyo.
Shiro Yamanaka.
Not smiling.
Not walking with her.
Watching.
And behind him… another face. Older. Weathered. Hidden behind a cap.
Fini looked at the photo and gasped.
> "It can't be."
> "Who is he?" Calvin asked.
Fini's hands shook.
> "His name is… Adrian Yusof."
> "Who?"
> "My ex-fiancé. The man I was supposed to marry… before I ever met you."
---
Meanwhile…
Arora, now living in the mansion, tucked Lilith and Akihiro into bed every night. She had taken a quiet vow—to protect them, no matter what.
> "I won't let your mother suffer again," she whispered, brushing their hair.
"Not this time."
But outside, in the dark… a shadow lingered behind the trees.
Watching.
Waiting.