"Ma'am, which side is your house on? I'm already at the intersection in the complex," I said into the phone to Raisa, my customer.
"Just go straight, ma'am. It's the third house on the left, painted orange. I'll wait out front for you. What are you driving?" she replied.
"Okay. I'm in a white car, ma'am. I'll head over now," I said as I eased the vehicle forward.
A beautiful woman with shoulder-length brown hair waved in my direction.
"Ms. Dita!" she called out.
I pulled the car to a stop right in front of her home. It was a modest house with a porch that gave off a fresh, natural feel, and lovely flowers and plants decorated the grounds. The building looked brand new.
"I'm surprised you got confused, ma'am. I sent you my location earlier," she said as I stepped out of the car.
"Just a little bit, ma'am. You know how location shares can be off sometimes. I thought you were closer to my place yesterday, but it turns out it's quite a ways away," I said as I opened the trunk.
"Let me help you with that. Are you new to the city, Ms. Dita?" she asked, helping me unload the tiered cake and decorated pudding.
"Not exactly new. I've been here about two years now, but I rarely leave the house," I said.
We went inside, and she invited me to sit down. The minimalist living room was decorated with a backdrop and gold-themed accents, and a sign read HAPPY ENGAGEMENT RAISA N WISNU – the same wording I had written on the pudding and cake she had ordered.
"Rest for a bit, ma'am. Have some syrup first. You must be tired, right? And delivery was free, as promised?" she said, sitting beside me.
"Yes, it was a bit of a drive, but that's fine. Of course, free delivery as we agreed upfront," I said, taking a sip from the glass of syrup she had set out.
"Thank you so much, ma'am. I'm really happy with everything I ordered from you. It's all perfect, exactly what I wanted!" she said.
"I'm so glad you like it. So when's the event?" I asked.
"It'll be after sunset prayers."
"Where's your fiancé from, ma'am? He's very lucky to have someone as beautiful as you," I said.
I meant every word. Raisa truly was stunning – she had clear, fair skin, a straight nose, dimples, knew how to do her makeup well, and a proportionate figure. Perfect, in short. She was nothing like me.
"He's from a neighboring city. We've been dating for quite a while now, more than a year," she explained.
"Wow, I hope everything goes smoothly tonight and that you're walking down the aisle soon, ma'am."
"Amen. When my wedding comes around, I'll definitely order all the cakes and snack boxes from you. Oh, wait just a moment, ma'am. I need to get your payment, I completely forgot," she said with a smile.
Then Raisa went into another room. I sat alone on the sofa, admiring the minimalist space. It was a bit small, but the thoughtful arrangement made it feel open and comfortable. When I turned around, my eyes fixed on a photograph that made me stare in shock.
The picture showed Raisa in a black matching t-shirt, hugging a man whose face looked exactly like my husband, Chandra. Dark thoughts flashed through my mind immediately.
After making sure no one was looking, I quickly took a photo of the picture. I was certain, the man in the photo was Chandra, the man who had been my husband for three years. Wisnu Chandra Mahardika, that was his full name.
"Here you go, ma'am. Let me count this out for you," she said, bringing over the money.
"Is that your fiancé in the photo, ma'am?" I asked.
"Yes, that's him exactly. Do you know Mr. Wisnu, Ms. Dita?"
"No, I don't, ma'am. You two look so compatible and perfect together. I'm sure he feels very lucky to have you as his fiancée," I said.
I was absolutely certain it was Chandra, but I held back my emotions as best I could. I needed to find out more.
"Thank you. I'm the lucky one, actually. He's extremely wealthy, ma'am. He's the head of Adi Jaya Company and also works as a contractor. He's the one who renovated my parents' house to look like this. And when we get married, he's going to give me a house of my own," she said, her eyes sparkling.
Wow, company head? How dare Chandra lie and boast like that. The company actually belongs to my father, and he only works there because I asked my dad to give him a position. Even his contracting work was funded with my investment money.
"He sounds very impressive. How did you two meet in the first place, ma'am? To find someone like him," I asked again.
"I used to work at a café, ma'am. He would come in often. Once we got together, he said I didn't need to work anymore. In fact, he even opened a café for me, and I've been running it for six months now," she said proudly.
That's too much, Chandra. You used my money to fund your little mistress's business!
"Wow, you really are lucky, ma'am. But you two seem quite far apart in age, don't you think? Aren't you worried he might already be married?" I asked, starting to struggle with my emotions.
"Age doesn't matter as long as we both want this. As for whether he's married, I don't know for sure. He says he's single. Even if he were married, it wouldn't matter to me. The important thing is that he can give me what I want," she said.
Oh my, I thought she seemed kind, but she's just as bad as he is. I decided to end the conversation there before I lost control of my feelings.
"Sounds like you've made up your mind, ma'am. Well, I should get going now – it's getting late," I said as I headed for the door.
"Okay, thank you, ma'am. Drive safely," she said, waving as I started the car.
Everything I had seen and heard was more than enough to confirm that man was my husband, the same man who had sworn to be faithful to me. But I still needed more concrete proof.
I remembered Chandra saying he would be home late that morning because he had so much work at the office. I checked my watch, it was already five in the evening, and the engagement event was set to start after sunset prayers. I decided not to go home yet. Instead, I would watch the event from nearby.
I turned the car around and headed back toward Raisa's house. I looked for a good spot to park and watch, and finally found one just three houses away. I didn't think she or Chandra would recognize my car from there.
I waited patiently inside the vehicle. When the time came, I kept my eyes wide open so I wouldn't miss a thing. After waiting for a while, a cream-colored Pajero pulled up right in front of Raisa's house. There was no mistake, that was Chandra's car, a wedding gift from my late father.
I started recording everything in front of me. The man who had promised to love and care for me had betrayed me like this. But now I was torn, should I ruin the engagement event right here and now? Or should I play it smart and handle this carefully?