LOVE YOU, UNCLE

Upon arriving home and changing clothes, Randy immediately approached Ghea, who was sitting on the edge of the bed. After observing his wife’s face for a moment, he decided to walk towards the dressing table to grab the medicine box, then returned to Ghea’s position.Property belongs to Nôvel(D)r/ama.Org.

From his eyes, Randy clearly saw the reddish bruise on his wife’s cheek. Moreover, there was a dried bloodstain on Ghea’s lip, a result of the slap she had received earlier.

“Let me help you with this,” Randy said softly. Taking cotton and alcohol, he gently dabbed it on Ghea’s injured lip. Once he was sure it was clean, Randy applied a special ointment to prevent any red marks from forming.

“Your cheek is red, Ghe. Does it hurt a lot?” Randy then asked, extending his hand to gently caress Ghea’s bruised cheek, trying to provide comfort and replace the pain caused by the earlier slap from Clara.

“No, Uncle,” Ghea whispered weakly. Finally responding after being silent from the moment they returned home until she decided to sit quietly on the bed. “It’s not a big deal. I’ve experienced worse pain than this,” she continued softly, then lowered her head again.

“What do you mean?” Randy reached for Ghea’s chin, gently guiding her to look at him. “Have you ever experienced violence from your parents?” Randy inquired, thinking that now might be the right moment to uncover any information Ghea might have kept hidden from him.

“More precisely from Mama Clara. My stepmother, who has willingly taken care of me, this illegitimate child,” Ghea’s voice trembled. Her eyes seemed sorrowful, indicating deep pain from what she had been enduring. While Randy refrained from interrupting, choosing to remain silent and giving his wife the opportunity to speak.

“I apologize, Uncle. But it seems I can’t hide this secret any longer. Even if you get angry, refuse, or decide to divorce after hearing this, I accept all the consequences,” Ghea warned before truly opening up.

Randy nodded. As before, he chose to let Ghea pour out her feelings first, hoping that after sharing everything burdening her heart, she could find peace and comfort.

“In reality… I am just an illegitimate child, Uncle. A child born out of an affair,” Ghea whispered softly, then bowed her head again, seemingly embarrassed to meet Randy’s gaze. “According to Mama Clara, my late biological mother was just an ordinary secretary. A secretary who lacked discretion, as she deliberately seduced and took my father away from his small family. After a long affair and secretly marrying my father, she became pregnant. When giving birth to me, she suffered severe bleeding and eventually died. So, you could say I caused my mother’s death.”

At the end of this sentence, Ghea shed tears. As if there was a pain that she couldn’t express in words. After a brief moment of tears, Ghea wiped them away, strengthening herself to continue her story.

“Initially, according to Mama Clara, after my mother’s death, I was supposed to be sent to an orphanage. But my father took even more action. Feeling guilty, he tried to find my whereabouts and eventually found me. I’m sure Mama Clara did not accept my father bringing me home at first. I don’t know what he said to Mama Clara to convince her, but I was eventually allowed to live and grow up in the Denovan family estate. I was even made an integral part of their large family.”

Randy continued to listen. Occasionally, his hands gently rubbed Ghea’s shoulders, providing his wife with encouragement not to get too lost in the sorrow that engulfed her.

“I thought that by living with my father, my life would be happy. Turns out… it was just a fantasy.”

After uttering this sentence, Ghea forced a bitter smile, probably feeling sorry for herself and the unfortunate fate she had endured.

“If Uncle wonders why I’m afraid of the dark,” Ghea continued. “Well… it’s because when I was a child, Mama Clara used to punish me in dark places. For example, if she gave me the task of cleaning the kitchen and I was late or she deemed my work inadequate, she would drag me into the warehouse. Lock me up for hours. Sometimes from noon until dinnertime. Basically, I wouldn’t be released from the warehouse until my father came home.”

Randy was slightly shocked. To hear this revelation, he had to confirm once again the story told by his wife.

“So, your dad had no idea at all that you were being abused by Mama Clara?”

Ghea nodded.

“Even up to this moment, Papa has never known that I’ve been frequently mistreated. Mama Clara always threatened to give me a harsher punishment if I ever complained. And after thinking about it, maybe there’s no need to report it to Papa. I consider everything I’ve endured as punishment for what my late mother did in the past. I’m fine, Uncle. I don’t mind, as long as Mama Clara is satisfied and willing to forgive my late mother.”

“But clearly, it’s not okay, Ghea. Mama Clara has to be taught a lesson.”

Hearing Randy’s words, Ghea immediately shook her head. Of course, she didn’t want what she had just revealed to become a source of trouble. Ghea was reluctant to provoke conflicts, especially with her stepmother. If possible, she wanted to avoid it as much as possible.

“Don’t, Uncle. There’s no need. I hope you won’t do anything,” Ghea objected, sounding as if she were pleading. “Honestly, I don’t want to get involved in a fight with Mama Clara. However she feels about us, it’s understandable given my and my late mother’s mistakes in the past. I’m okay with it, Uncle. I have no issues, as long as Mama Clara is satisfied and willing to forgive my late mother.”

“But, it’s evident that she’s not, right?”

Ghea fell silent immediately. Clearly, even up to this moment, she was still being treated unfairly.

“This can’t be ignored, Ghea. Mama Clara needs to be taught a lesson.”