"Your sister is back. So you know what you have to do, Radella."
Her mother's words on the other end of the line left her speechless. She digested the words of the woman who had given birth to her about the return of Jessica - the sister who had left on her wedding day to Dominic - the man who was now her husband.
Her dream was coming true. She must prepare herself to lose Dominic forever. For there is a woman who deserves this man far more than she does. Jessica, the woman who was to marry Dominic, had returned and her mother had asked her to back out.
"Radella, did you hear what Mama said? Don't tell me you don't want to give Dominic to your brother?"
"Mum... What did you say? It's not like that. It's just that I..."
"Remember, Radella. You're just a spare bride. So there's no need to feel like a victim. You should understand a child's duty to its parents!"
"Yes, Mum. I understand and I totally get it. But it's not as simple as Mum and Dad and Jessica think. Dominic and I have..."
"Shut up and don't tell Mum. Now you go home and see your sister. Tell Dominic to come with his parents. Got it!"
"Got it, Mum."
Radella could no longer hold back her tears. For the first time in her life, she cried. In the past, when she let her lover go sailing, she was not so sad. But when the woman who gave birth to her reminded her of her position as a child, she felt for the first time that the world was unfair to her.
"At last, what I had feared came true. She came back after I fell in love with Dominic. Why is the world so unjust to me? Why is God so cruel to me? Why!"
Radella continued to cry in the office cubicle where she was now. Luckily, Damon immediately followed Dominic's instructions to put himself in a separate room from the female employees in the office to prevent anything untoward from happening, so that she could cry without being seen by others. But…
"Radella, what happened to you?"
"Damon. I-I-"
Radella cried so hard that her husband's boss and best friend took the initiative to approach her and calm her down with a hug. Letting her cry, just to release the weight in her heart from her mother's words.
"Are you feeling better, Radella? What actually happened? Did Dominic scold you?" Damon asked with emphasis at the mention of his best friend's name.
"It's not about Dominic. It's about"
"Radella, do you want me to call your husband? I don't want you to..."
"Don't! Let him work in peace. I don't want to disturb him. He's got too much on his mind and I don't want to add to it. Please don't do this, Damon," he told Dominic's best friend.
"Then tell me what's going on? If it wasn't Dominic who made you cry, then who was it?" Damon asked curiously.
"My mum..." she replied quietly.
"But why? Wasn't your relationship good? What really happened?" Damon asked curiously.
"Did Dominic never tell you why he married me, Damon?" She asked with a withering look.
"He just said that he called off the wedding with his fiancée because she ran away on their wedding day for reasons he didn't know. Then her fiancé's parents told her to marry their other daughter to cover up the shame of both families. That's all she told me. What does that have to do with you?" Damon asked. "Wait a minute. Don't tell me..."
"Yes, Damon. The girl in question is me. I became a surrogate bride to cover the shame of my family and the shame of both families. I sacrificed myself and betrayed my sacred promise to the lover who was still waiting for me," Radella revealed to Damon's surprise.
"This is crazy! Absolutely mad! How could you sacrifice your happiness for someone else? How could you be so stupid, Radella? And why are you crying now? Shouldn't you be happy? After all, Dominic seems to have fallen in love with you," she asked, holding back her anger at what had happened to one of her best employees.
"Jessica - my sister and also Dominic's fiancée - is back. She has come home after a long absence. Mum asked me to hand Dominic over to my sister," Radella said, covering her face with her hands and crying again for her mother. her mother.
"Crazy!!! They've all gone mad! Don't you realize they've ruined my future and my life, Radella?" Damon growled angrily.
"What do I do now, Damon? Can I give Dominic to Jessica? I already love this man," Radella said again.
"Radella..."
"I'm ruined. And they didn't realize they were destroying their own daughter for the sake of family pride and dignity. Oh God, why is my fate so bad? Why did I have to be born into a family that never really loved me? How long will I be the shadow of my older sister, of whom they are so proud? Radella half shouted.
"Radella, control yourself. Everyone can hear you crying. Do you want them to bully you even more when they find out all these secrets?" Damon said, trying to calm her down.
Radella didn't care. She continued to cry until Damon was confused. Unbeknownst to Radella, Damon sent a message for Dominic to come to the office immediately, even though he realized that the man had just left town after taking Radella to the office.
The long-distance relationship between Dominic and Radella made him realize that the woman before him was a victim of his brother's selfishness as well as his biological parents. It never occurred to him that the young woman, who was known to be a jovial person, even if her appearance made her seem lame, was actually carrying a lot of wounds.
Damon asked his secretary to prepare a glass of chamomile tea. He knew it would calm Radella's mind for a while. At least until Dominic arrived and took Radella away to sort out their family problems before it was too late.
"I'm asking you to keep your mouth and eyes shut about what's happening to Radella right now, Reina. That is, if you still want to work here as a secretary," Damon threatened the young woman who was his secretary.
"You can trust me, Mr Damon. Rest assured, Radella's secret is safe in my hands," she replied confidently.
"That's good. Keep it up if you want to survive," Damon said as he approached a much calmer Radella.
"Are you feeling better, Radella? Or do you want to go home and rest in the apartment? At least you can think clearly and make up your mind about the crazy request of the woman who gave birth to you," Damon says with a hint of annoyance.
"How can I have peace of mind when the traces of our romance from last night are still in the apartment? You know, Damon... even Dominic and I wanted to have a baby as soon as possible. But apparently our dreams and hopes have to end here. I'm going crazy, Damon," Radella said, making Damon and Reina's hearts ache.
"Radella, you must stay strong. Don't let them win just because of this crazy wish. You must fight back and defend your marriage to Dominic. You..."
Brak!
"Radella, what has happened to you? Why are you crying?
Damon! Did those crazy women do something to my wife again?"
"Dominic?"
"You!!!"