Irwan sat in front of his two in-laws. Even though many questions popped up in his head, he didn't dare to start a conversation. Irwan was just silent as he put on a straight face to hide his confusion.
"We can't be here too long. So ask what you want to know!" said Lina as if she knew what was on her daughter-in-law's mind.
A few minutes ago, Lina asked Irwan to leave the room. He didn't want his daughter's sleep to be disturbed by the conversation they were having. Now, Lina and Agus were in the dining room, with Irwan sitting in front of them.
"How did you know that I was Ridwan Lung?" asked Irwan.
"We have known since Grandpa Joya intends to match you up with one of our daughters. Even though you are the granddaughter of a good friend, we cannot just let our daughter go without knowing the background and character of the man he is going to marry," Agus replied.
Irwan was astonished. "Then why didn't you say anything?"
"Because you never asked," Agus replied.
Irwan's mouth opened slightly. He was dumbfounded by his father-in-law's answer.
Agus smiled wisely.
"The problem between you and your father's family is none of our business. So, we have no right to interfere? We just need to make sure our daughter marries a good man. Fine. But we are really disappointed in you," Agus replied.
Irwan raised his eyebrows. Did not understand the meaning of the words of his father-in-law.
He took a deep breath. He stared at Irwan closely.
"Regarding Windy and Leo's relationship. We married Windy to you in the hope that she would not disturb her sister's husband. But you didn't take good care of your wife. You just let their relationship continue," Agus said in a deep voice.
Irwan lowered his head. Not trying to refute the words of his father-in-law. " Sorry!" he said.
" Long before you came, we already knew that Windy was targeting her sister's husband. There was nothing we could do but forbid Joya and her husband to stay at home too often. However, we didn't expect Windy to approach Leo until he got to his workplace," said Agus.
"Joya is too innocent. She really trusts her husband. She never suspects Leo or Windy. But we don't, seeing Leo's attitude that is too close to his brother-in-law makes us suspicious," he continued.
Agus's gaze wandered, remembering when he saw Leo often pick Windy up and down from work without his wife's knowledge.
"We thought that their relationship would stop when Windy was married. However, their relationship only grew. We had warned Windy and Leo many times, but they didn't want to listen. That was until Windy asked to change partners," Agus said in a trembling voice. There was sadness in his face.
" We know Windy's request sounds crazy. But we think it's the right solution to end their affair. We don't want Windy to be touched without a marriage bond and we also don't want Joya to stay with an evil man like Leo."
Agus rubbed his face in exasperation. "That's why we agreed to their request. Changing husbands and changing wives, even though it's hard for us because we still have to accept Leo as a son-in-law again."
Agus and Lina shed tears.
Irwan was stunned by the fact he had just heard. He didn't expect that there was such a big reason behind his marriage exchange. Irwan could only remain silent as he looked at his wife's parents with emotion.
"We made a tough decision by hurting Joya. But we did it to save her life. To save her future," said Agus.
Irwan looked closely at the faces of his two father-in-laws. He could see the affection in their faces.
"Then... why did mom kick Joya out that night?" Irwan asked his mother-in-law. He deeply remembered Lina driving away her daughter cruelly.
Lina smiled bitterly. " Mama had to kick him out, because that was the best way to keep Joya away from Leo and Windy. As parents, our hearts hurt to see Joya's sadness when she attended her sister's reception. And we also can't imagine how devastated Joya would be if she had to live in the same house with them. For that, we made him leave. And we are grateful when you accompanied him and brought him to this house," said Lina, smiling warmly.
"To be honest, we were afraid that you would take him to the Lung family's house, Joya's wounds have not healed yet. We don't want Joya to get new wounds there," he continued.
Irwan was stunned to hear the story of his father-in-law. It turned out that everything that happened was already in their calculations.
" A week ago, we came here to pick up Joya. We were afraid that you would abandon her and she is still sad because of Leo. We have prepared a cafe. We also planned to transfer the management of the cafe to her. But it turns out, Joya is already working elsewhere. We are relieved to see that she has one. activities, at least he doesn't keep thinking about Leo," said Agus.
"But we were disappointed when we saw that you left her alone at home. You even let Joya go home from work alone. We were worried, Joya was cowardly. But we were relieved after hearing the sound of your car at that time," said Lina.
Hearing the words of his two in-laws, Irwan began to feel jealous of his wife. Joya has parents who love her so much that they know her character and habits well. Irwan has no doubts about their affection for his wife. Lina took her son-in-law's hand.
"Irwan, our daughter Joya is very good. Since childhood, she never complained or demanded anything from us. We love her very much. So we hope you don't waste Joya.
"You are a bad husband and a useless son-in-law when you become Windy's husband. But now, we hope that you can be responsible for Joya. Be a good husband for her. We will not hesitate to take Joya if you hurt her," said Agus.
"Irwan won't hurt Joya," Irwan said quickly. "Never. Irwan promised," he continued.
Irwan was surprised by the promise that just came out of his mouth. I don't know why he said it, but hearing that Joya's parents would take Joya away from him made Irwan's heart uncomfortable.
"Joya, Irwan's wife. She will guard and protect Irwan with all her heart. Irwan promised," said Irwan, confirming his promise.
Lina and Agus looked at each other, they looked relieved.
"We believe. But we will keep an eye on you," said Lina.
Irwan exhaled lightly. He was relieved to hear his mother-in-law's words. Heard that Joya will be taken away. Causing a sense of unwillingness in his heart.
"You may not remember, Irwan. However, we have known you since childhood. We also know your father. He was a good man. He used to leave you to us," said Agus.
Irwan raised his eyebrows. Doubt the words of his father-in-law. He had absolutely no recollection of meeting Lina and Agus before.
Lina fiddled with her phone as if looking for something. Then, he gave his cell phone to Irwan. "You used to be an annoying child. Every time your father left you at home, you always made Joya cry." said Lina.
Irwan stared at the photo his mother-in-law had given him. The photo shows her as a child fighting over a toy robot with a girl with a butterfly clasp who looks younger than her.
"This daughter?" asked Irwan while frowning.
"She's Joya," answered Lina. "You always fight over toys every time you meet. And you always don't want to give in to him. Mama remembers, Mama used to have to exchange your toys for Joya's pencils and drawing books," said Lina, smiling warmly.
Irwan tries to remember about Joya. However, he couldn't remember at all.
Lina swiped her phone screen. " Here is a photo when you made her fall off her bicycle. Joya was still too young to ride a bicycle, but you forced her. " A photo of a girl crying because of injuries to her elbows and forehead can be seen. "This is a photo when you were injured saving Joya from being bitten by a neighbor's dog. Maybe the wound still has a mark," said Lina while looking at her daughter-in-law's hand. He smiled when he found a bite mark on Irwan's hand.
"So we've known each other a long time?" asked Irwan while touching the scar on his hand.
Lina nodded. "Even though you often make Joya cry, she doesn't stop following you everywhere and you always take care of her. Mama remembers when your father's family took you away. Joya got sick for a week because she missed you," Lina said with a dreamy look.
Irwan smiled seeing a photo of himself who was injured being hugged by a crying girl.
"You and Joya have been close since childhood. So, it's not surprising if you get along quickly," said Agus. "Now, Joya is your wife, your responsibility. We left her with you. But remember, we won't hesitate to take her if you hurt her," said Agus, raising his finger.
"Irwan will look after and protect Joya well," said Irwan without hesitation.
Agus nodded. "Now, we have to go home. We don't want Windy to know, we've been visiting for too long. He could trouble Joya," said Agus as he got up. "Papa has prepared grilled coconut water for Joya. Give it when she wakes up. We also brought food for her in the fridge, warm it up before eating," he continued.
"Okay daddy!" Irwan said.
Lina got up, she hugged her son-in-law. " Thank you for taking good care of Joya. We entrust our daughter to you."
Irwan tensed. He rarely gets hugs as warm as that, He was just silent.
"Don't hesitate to contact us if you need anything. However, we hope you will keep all our conversations a secret from Joya. Let him treat his wounds first," said Agus, patting Irwan's back.
Irwan nodded. "Fine mom, dad!" he said.
Lina and Agus met Joya in her room. They said goodbye without waking him up. Lina and Agus took turns kissing Joya's forehead, then left their daughter's house.
As the car drove away, Lina looked at her husband. " Pa! Don't we need to tell about the real reason for the match? Regarding the debt?"
"" For what mom? Whatever the reason, Irwan is already Joya's husband and our son-in-law. Uncle Brimantara's problem is not our business. don't say anything, unless Irwan himself asks," said Agus.
"Okay, daddy!" said Lina. Their car went farther and farther from Joya's house.