.

Knock knock knock.

A gentle tapping came at the office door as Anindya Maheswari sat upright in her executive chair. Her eyes traced every line of figures and text in the towering stack of documents on her desk.

"Come in," she called without looking up from the file in her hand.

Rosita, her assistant, stepped inside carrying a thick brown envelope. "Sorry to interrupt, Ms. Anin. A package arrived for you, but there's no sender name," she reported, extending the envelope.

Anindya frowned, but her hand reached out to accept it. Her slender fingers peeled back the seal with practiced calm. But that calm shattered in an instant.

The contents of the envelope knocked the air from her lungs. Several color photographs spilled across her desk.

Raditya. Her husband. With a woman cradling a visibly pregnant belly.

Anindya's heart hammered so hard she thought it might rupture. Her hands trembled violently as she turned the photos over, one by one.

In every shot, Raditya looked so warm, so attentive. His smile wide, his eyes sparkling with affection. The kind of tenderness she had always believed was reserved for her alone.

Ting!

Before she could process another thought, a notification chimed on her phone. She opened it to find a text from an unknown number.

"If you want to see for yourself, come to Graha Medika Hospital. Now."

Anindya sat frozen for several seconds. The world stopped spinning. The color drained from her face, but her eyes slowly sharpened into something dangerous.

"What's on my schedule after this?" she asked, her gaze still fixed on the phone screen.

"Nothing, ma'am. The rest of your day is clear," her assistant answered quietly.

"Good. Have the car ready. I'm leaving now."

*

Minutes later, Anindya's black sedan rolled to a stop in the Graha Medika Hospital parking lot. She stepped out with a heart that felt like it weighed a thousand pounds. Part of her still hoped this was just some stranger's idea of a cruel joke.

Her eyes swept every corner of the hospital's grand lobby until, finally, her gaze locked onto a single point.

Raditya. Her husband. The man she had stood beside, loved, and fought for over twenty years — walking slowly, hand in hand with a woman whose belly was enormous with child. On his other side, a little boy of about five clung to his hand, tilting his face up now and then to beg for attention.

Anindya's heart broke. As if every struggle, every tear, every promise they had ever made to each other had never existed at all.

*

Twenty years earlier...

"Anindya remembered that day with perfect clarity. The day they decided to get married. They had nothing. No wealth, certainly no mansion. Just a cramped rented room and the conviction that love could conquer anything."

"Sweetheart, thank you for fighting alongside me," Raditya had said, his voice heavy with exhaustion as he kneaded her aching shoulders after a long day of work. "You must be so tired."

"Anindya had smiled, shaking her head gently." Why are you thanking me? We're in this together.""

""It's my fault. I still can't give you the life you deserve,"Raditya continued, his voice cracking."

"Don't talk like that," Anindya whispered, cupping his cheek. "We weren't born into money. But I believe that someday we'll make it."

"Raditya gazed at her for a long time." You really are the most wonderful woman,"he said, his eyes glistening with tears."

"But the words that came next" words Anindya didn't realize would tear open a wound that would never heal "changed everything."

"Our business still hasn't taken off. Life is still so hard. Rather than making a child suffer along with us, what if we wait? Let's focus on building our future first."

"Anindya went quiet. Something sharp pierced her heart. But out of blind love and trust, she nodded."

"All right. If that's what's best for us."

Back to the present.

After twenty years, all that hard work had paid off. Their company now stood as a towering success, their names respected everywhere, their wealth overflowing. The dream that once seemed impossible had become reality.

But it turned out that success was also what destroyed everything.

Anindya stared at the devastating scene before her, her eyes brimming with tears.

"Why..." her voice trembled, barely audible. "After everything we fought for... what I got wasn't happiness. It was betrayal."

She clenched her fists so tight her nails dug into her palms.

*

Anindya stumbled out of the hospital. Tears still streamed down her face, and every few steps she wiped them away with the back of her hand. She climbed into her car and took several deep breaths to steady herself. Once she felt marginally more composed, she started driving — not back to the company, not to the grand house she shared with Raditya. She drove to her best friend Zaskia's home.

"Anin?!" Zaskia shot up from the long sofa, alarmed by her friend's ashen, wrecked face. "What happened?! What's wrong?!" She pulled Anindya into a tight embrace.

Tears fell again, soaking Anindya's cheeks as she handed over the stack of photos, now slightly crumpled from her death grip.

Zaskia took them, and her face instantly turned crimson with fury.

"Raditya!" she snarled through clenched teeth. "That son of a bitch!"

Anindya said nothing. Her shoulders shook harder with silent sobs.

"Unbelievable!" Zaskia hissed, her eyes blazing. She looked at Anindya, then drew a long breath as though suddenly remembering something enormous. "There's something you need to know, Anin. Something I've been hiding because I was afraid it would destroy you."

Anindya lifted her tear-soaked face. "What...?"

"Five years ago..." Zaskia began slowly. "I saw Raditya with a woman. The same woman in these photos."

Anindya went rigid. Her body turned to ice. She could not believe what she was hearing.

"I confronted him. Threatened to tell you. But he swore he'd end things with her. And I thought he actually changed, because you two seemed fine after that."

Anindya's sobs grew heavier. The tears came faster now.

"I'm so sorry. I had no idea they were still together — let alone that they had two children." Zaskia reached for her friend and held her tightly. She was crying too, drowning in guilt for having kept such a terrible secret.

"No wonder," Anindya whispered, as if a dark truth had finally clicked into place. "It's been so long since his parents stopped asking about grandchildren. Turns out, they already had them."

Zaskia gripped her friend's hand. "So what are you going to do? If you divorce him now, won't that just play right into their hands? That other woman gets to enjoy everything you built from nothing — all the wealth you sweated and bled for!"

The room fell silent. The only sound was Anindya's breathing, gradually steadying. Slowly but unmistakably, the expression on her face transformed. The tears stopped. In their place, a thin smile spread across her lips — cold as ice.

She squeezed Zaskia's hand back, this time with a grip that was strong and resolute. "I won't let that happen," she said. Her voice was calm. Too calm. The kind of calm that made the hair on the back of Zaskia's neck stand on end.

"What are you going to do? Don't do anything reckless!"

Anindya released the embrace and stood tall. The aura of a ruthless, battle-hardened CEO radiated from her once again — stronger than ever before.

Zaskia swallowed hard, watching the dramatic shift in her friend.

"They forgot one thing. If I could make Raditya successful, I can just as easily destroy him."

.

Anindya left Zaskia's house feeling marginally better. But she didn't go home. Instead, she steered her car toward an office building in the city center — the firm of Haryo Wibowo, the renowned attorney who had long served as her legal consultant.

Throughout the drive, her mind churned with questions. Who had sent those photos of Raditya and his mistress? Who had texted her about Raditya's whereabouts at the hospital? Friend or foe? There was no sender name on the photos. She tried calling the number from the text message, but it was already disconnected.

*

When she arrived at Haryo Wibowo's law firm, the staff ushered her in immediately — everyone in the office knew Anindya was one of Mr. Haryo's most important clients. She sat down across from him without waiting to be invited.

"Ms. Anindya?" Haryo looked surprised by her unannounced visit. "What brings you here? You could have simply called if something was urgent."

"I want to file for divorce from my husband, Raditya," Anindya replied without preamble. "He's been having an affair behind my back. I want him out of the house without a single cent to his name. Is that possible?"

Haryo listened carefully, his hand jotting down key points in his notebook.

"First, may I ask — do you and Mr. Raditya have a prenuptial agreement governing the division of assets in the event of a divorce?" he asked once she had finished.

Anindya shook her head slowly. A bitter smile crossed her lips. "No. When we got married, we were dirt poor. We had nothing. I trusted him completely — I never imagined a day like this would come. To me, love and trust were enough. Who would have thought he'd do something this cruel?"

The attorney exhaled heavily, then shook his head.

"In that case, I'm sorry, but I have to be honest with you. Without a prenuptial agreement, all assets acquired during the marriage are automatically classified as community property under the law. That means they must be split equally — fifty-fifty. You can't simply cut him out, even if he's the one who cheated. Moreover, in the eyes of both the public and the court, Mr. Raditya is considered to have contributed to building the business."

"So there's no other way at all?" Anindya's eyes narrowed with fierce determination.

"There is one option, but it's a drastic and risky move," Haryo replied. "If you truly don't want him to enjoy the fruits of your labor, the only way is to transfer all assets into your personal name, or..."

"Or what?" Anindya stared at the lawyer, her patience razor-thin.

Haryo leaned forward until his face hovered above the desk, their eyes locked. "You drive the company and its assets into bankruptcy before the property division process begins. But this would require meticulous strategy and precise timing."

Anindya's eyes went wide, her lips parting slightly. Drive her own company into bankruptcy? Her mind raced through every possibility the attorney had laid out. But before she could respond, her phone rang, the tone cutting through the silence of the room.

She pulled the phone from her bag. The name on the screen sent a stab of pain through her chest. Raditya.

With eyes blazing behind a mask of composure, she answered the call.

"Hello?"

"Sweetheart? Where are you? It's getting late — why aren't you home yet?" Raditya's voice came through soft and full of concern. "I cooked your favorite dish and set the table for you. You must be exhausted after working all day, right?"

Anindya's chest tightened as her memory hurtled back through the years. For twenty years, Raditya had never shown a single suspicious sign. He had been the perfect husband. Always attentive, preparing everything she needed without being asked, a shoulder to lean on when she was tired, supportive of every decision she made. She had believed she was the luckiest woman alive.

But now, those sweet words felt like poison. Behind all that kindness, the man who had stood beside her all these years had been hiding a secret massive enough to destroy everything.

"I'll be home soon," Anindya answered. Her voice was flat, stripped of the warmth it usually carried.

On the other end, Raditya furrowed his brow. Something was different about his wife's voice. "Sweetheart? Are you okay? You sound strange. Tell me where you are — I'll come pick you up."

"I'm fine. See you at home."

Without waiting for another word, Anindya hung up. That wasn't like her. Normally she ended their calls with tender words or terms of endearment.

On his end, Raditya stood holding his phone, sensing that something was off — but unable to put his finger on what.

Anindya slipped the phone back into her bag and turned to face Haryo again. The attorney's final word echoed in her mind on an endless loop. BANKRUPT. If there was no other way, then that was the path she would take.

"I understand your explanation," she said, straightening in her chair. "Thank you for your time. I'll think it over and contact you again soon."

"Of course. I'll be waiting for your call anytime. And if you need any legal assistance at all, don't hesitate to reach out."

Anindya nodded and rose from her seat. Raditya... if I could build that company into an empire, tearing it down is nothing, she thought.

After Anindya left the room and her footsteps faded down the hall, a man in a black suit and dark sunglasses perched on his sharp nose emerged from a side door and settled into the chair she had just vacated.

Haryo stood briefly and dipped his head in a respectful bow. "You were right — she came, just as you predicted. Rest assured, I will do everything in my power to help her."

*

Anindya killed the engine as she pulled up to the grand house that had silently witnessed the arc of her life with Raditya. She sat still for a moment, drawing a long breath to compose herself, then stepped inside.

The moment she opened the front door, her eyes caught the scene in the living room. Raditya stood with his back to her, speaking into his phone in a voice so low it was nearly a whisper.

"...relax, everything's fine. She doesn't suspect a thing. I'll send the money tomorrow, same as always..."

The instant he heard the click of approaching heels, Raditya fumbled to end the call and shoved the phone into his pocket with clumsy haste. He turned, and a broad smile spread across his face as though nothing had happened.

"Sweetheart! You're home?" He strode quickly to greet her. "Come on, let's eat. I reheated everything for you."

Anindya simply stared at him in silence.

For the first time in her life, everything that once seemed perfectly ordinary now screamed with suspicion. The way Raditya jammed the phone into his pocket. The smile that once looked genuine now felt like a mask. The gaze that once brimmed with love now seemed to conceal a web of lies.

Every gesture, every word that left his mouth, even the way he walked — all of it now looked like a masterful performance by a seasoned actor.

How was I so blind? she thought, walking slowly toward him.

Her eyes stared straight into his. And in the depths of her heart, she spoke: You think you've been so clever hiding everything? Just wait. Now it's my turn to play. And I will make sure this game ends in your total defeat.

.

"Sweetheart..." Raditya called again. The flat stare his wife was giving him was deeply unsettling — nothing like her usual warmth.

"You tired?" he asked gently, trying to break the tension. He patiently took the bag from Anindya's hand and guided her by the shoulders to the plush sofa in the living room.

He doesn't feel an ounce of guilt after what he's done, Anindya thought bitterly.

Her eyes remained fixed on her husband's face, utterly devoid of expression.

"The man I sacrificed everything for turns out to be nothing but a bastard."

"Sweetheart... what's wrong?" Raditya was visibly confused now, growing restless. She had been staring at him in complete silence, and something in that stare made the hair on the back of his neck stand up. His wife was different tonight — something he had never seen before.

"Nothing," Anindya answered curtly. Her voice was flat. Impossibly flat. "I'm just a little tired."

"Well then, come here and rest for a bit," Raditya said, hurrying to the dining room. He returned moments later with a glass of water and offered it to Anindya, who was still watching him in silence.

She took the glass but didn't drink. Her fingers tightened around it.

"Was I too good to him? Did he think that no matter what he did, I'd never get angry or leave? Or now that the company is running smoothly, does he think his position is secure?"

"But Raditya... you made a terrible mistake. I was the one who stood by you through every hardship when we were starting out. I was the one who broke my back alongside you. And now, someone else wants to waltz in and enjoy the rewards without ever having suffered a single day? Do they really think I'll just sit here and take it?"

"I was the one who walked with you from zero. I built the networks, forged the connections, poured everything I had into making us succeed" for our happiness alone. But it turns out none of that meant anything to you. So... don't blame me for taking it all back.

Anindya gazed at Raditya, who was smiling at her. She raised the glass slowly to her lips and sipped. He had no idea that behind her calm exterior, the fire of vengeance was already burning — ready to consume everything.

"Sweetheart... what is it?"

Raditya waved his hand gently in front of Anindya's face. She seemed to be staring into some vast, unreachable distance, her gaze hollow, as though her soul had drifted somewhere else entirely.

"What are you really thinking about? If something's bothering you, tell me! We'll face it together." How sweet the words sounded coming from his mouth.

"Ah... it's nothing," Anindya said quietly. "Actually — I'm completely exhausted today. I want to sleep in peace tonight. You take the guest room."

Without waiting for a response or the slightest protest, she stood and walked out of the room with decisive steps, ignoring Raditya calling after her to eat dinner first.

Raditya watched his wife disappear, his mind in turmoil. What was going on with Anindya? Why had she turned cold as ice overnight? An uneasy premonition crept through his gut, but he had no idea what to do about it.

Meanwhile, in the master bedroom...

Anindya shut the door and turned the lock, then leaned her back against it.

"A man who cheats is garbage... disgusting," she muttered. "I will never let him touch me again."

The next day, lunchtime.

Anindya sat alone in an upscale restaurant. For years, she had always been frugal — choosing to bring a packed lunch from home rather than spend money at a place this extravagant. She had done all of it so they could build their wealth together. All because the man she loved had promised never to let her down, and she had willingly sacrificed every small pleasure for their shared future.

But not anymore.

She would no longer hold herself back. She would buy what she liked, eat what she craved. Better to spend the money she had worked so hard for on herself than to watch it lavished on a homewrecker.

Her phone rang — a call from her husband. No doubt he was scrambling at the office. There was supposed to be a client meeting right about now. But she didn't care. From this moment forward, she would not work herself to the bone for him. She was going to take her time and enjoy making herself happy.

But just as she was about to savor the dish a waiter had set before her...

A woman who looked significantly younger sat down across from her, one hand bracing her enormously pregnant belly. Anindya knew exactly who she was. Sofia. Raditya's mistress. That face was seared into her memory from the photographs and from the hospital the day before.

Anindya set down her fork and knife, leaned back in her chair, crossed her arms over her chest, and fixed the woman with a stare as cold as arctic wind.

Her eyes scanned Sofia from head to toe. The clothes the woman wore were clearly expensive. So were the jewelry glinting at her neck and on her fingers.

And where had all of that come from? From the sweat of Anindya's brow, of course — from her sleepless nights, her strategic brilliance, every tender she had won for the company. And now this woman, who had never lifted a finger, was casually enjoying the spoils? Did she deserve any of it?

You look so happy right now. But you've forgotten — things gained by stealing can never be enjoyed forever. Wait for that day to come, and you won't be able to show your face to anyone, she thought.

Sofia sat directly across from Anindya without so much as asking permission, as if deliberately flaunting her pregnant belly.

"Hello, Mrs. Wicaksono," Sofia greeted her with a sweet smile.

Anindya didn't answer. Gave no response whatsoever beyond a flat, penetrating stare that seemed to bore straight into the woman's soul.

"You don't seem to recognize me," Sofia continued, trying to maintain her friendly facade despite the rising discomfort. "I'm actually a great admirer of yours. A brilliant businesswoman whose name is known across the country. I saw you once at a gala."

Anindya remained silent. Her unblinking eyes stared straight ahead, making the air between them thick with tension.

"How dare she!* Sofia seethed internally. *I went through all this effort to doll myself up, and she won't even acknowledge me! There's no way she doesn't know who I am!"

Humiliated, Sofia finally chose to retreat. Her face flushed red with barely contained rage as she snatched up her designer handbag.

"Ah, I'm sorry... it seems my presence is quite unwelcome. I'll be going now," she said, rising quickly and walking away from the table.

Anindya watched the woman's retreating back with the same frozen, expressionless face.

"She's still so young. Pretty face, seems educated too,* Anindya observed silently. *So why would she choose to be someone's mistress?"