PLAK!

A loud slap was delivered by a man to a woman who had just come out of the bathroom. The woman gasped in shock. Her eyes widened as she stared back at the man's hardened face. "Why did you slap me, Mas?"

The man flinched. His breathing sounded ragged. But from behind, he heard a voice he knew well. "You deserve to be slapped, even if you have to be killed! Because you are nothing more than a despicable woman!" cursed the old woman with her face red with rage. Her right hand pointed at the younger woman.

"What did I do wrong, Mom?" she asked confused.

"What did you do wrong, you say?!" The old woman hurriedly cut the distance between them, grabbing both of his shoulders and pulling him to follow her footsteps. "Look over there! What are you doing with Rian, huh?!" she cursed loudly as she pointed towards the bed where a young man was trying to cover his naked body with a blanket.

The young woman's eyes widened in disbelief. "I-it's not what you think! I... I don't know how Rian came to be in my room, Ma! Please believe me, Ma... Mas Adit!" she said pleadingly. Her hands were clasped together in front of her chest, hoping that the man she called Adit would believe her. But the man just shook his head. His face even looked angry.

"Already caught red-handed, still dare to evade you, Sarah! You despicable woman! Get out of here! Take your child with you because I'm not sure if Satria is the biological son of my son Aditya, aka my grandson. You could be pregnant with another boy, then claim to be pregnant with Aditya's child to get into our extended family!" the woman accused haughtily. Her hands were folded across her chest.

Sarah shook her head, rejecting the accusation. She even tried to put on a pleading face to make Aditya believe her. But he was reluctant to touch her. Aditya jerked her hand away. "Mas ...," she called softly when Aditya chose to turn around, leaving her in a slump. Not even defending her when her mother threw all of Sarah's clothes over her head.

***

"I, the Chief Judge, hereby declare that you two are officially divorced," said the Chief Judge as he tapped his gavel on the table in front of him.

"Alhamdulillah ...," said a grateful middle-aged woman who looked happy when she heard the verdict of the religious court. The woman immediately stood up from her seat and walked over to her son, who looked sluggish after the court's verdict on his relationship status with his ex-wife.

Meanwhile, the woman sitting next to her stood up quickly upon seeing the middle-aged woman's arrival. Then immediately swung her steps towards the exit.

"Don't forget to hand over custody of Satria to Adit!" The middle-aged woman said as she glanced away, reluctant to look at her former son-in-law for long.

Sarah, who had stopped her steps, then replied, "Sorry, honorable Mrs. Malika. I am Sarah, the mother of Satria Maulana. I will never give my son into your hands, let alone into the hands of an irresponsible father like that!" After saying that, Sarah hurried to leave the room, not caring if Malika's face was now bright red with anger.

"What an insolent ex-son-in-law you are! No wonder my son divorced you!" cursed Malika fiercely as she pointed at the ex-son-in-law who had disappeared behind the door.

"Mom... stop it, Mom! Shame... we're in this court!" Aditya admonished, holding his mother's shoulders to prevent her from running after his ex-wife and picking a fight like they had.

Malika, hearing the reprimand, then turned around, so that the two of them were now facing each other. She was immediately embarrassed, because there were still judges left who saw her shameful actions.

She smiled awkwardly, then quickly dragged her son out of there.

Meanwhile, Sarah hurriedly boarded an angkot that happened to stop in front of the religious court office. While holding back the tears and annoyance that had accumulated in her chest, the twenty-one-year-old woman hardened her face so that it looked as if she was an arrogant woman.

"Stop here, Mang!" admonished Sarah to the angkot kernet when she reached the bus stop near the tenement she was renting.

"Ready, Neng!" replied the kernet as he patted the shoulder of the speechless driver, who immediately glanced in the rearview mirror in front of him.
She immediately stopped the angkot when she saw the code given by her friend, not forgetting to turn on the left turn signal before stopping the angkot she was driving.

Sarah hurriedly handed over some money into the kernet's hand while trying to smile slightly. She got out of the angkot as soon as it stopped.

With hasty steps, Sarah drove towards the house she shared with her son. Where she was now temporarily entrusted with the landlady's mother.

"Assalamualaikum ...!" she greeted as she arrived at the door of the landlord's house.

"Wa'alaikum salam ...!" replied Marni -the owner of the rented house- from inside the room while holding Satria who seemed to be chattering happily. Even his saliva seemed to be dripping down the shabby shirt he was wearing, right on the chest until it fell onto the back of Marni's hand.

"Satria quiet, Mom?" asked Sarah politely as she walked inside, approaching the two, having previously removed the flip-flops she was wearing at the door.

"Quiet! Sholeh's son, right?" said Marni, flashing a sweet smile. She handed Satria over to his mother when she held out both hands.

Sarah immediately welcomed him, and now Satria seemed to be jumping with joy, because he could meet his mother after not seeing her for almost a day, due to the trial that his mother had to undergo.

"How did the judge rule? Are you really divorced?" asked Marni as she invited Sarah to sit down, as the woman appeared to be about to breastfeed her son, who was opening his mouth wide.

"Yes, ma'am. We're officially divorced," Sarah said softly, as Satria's eyes began to close as he sucked hard.

Marni then let out a long sigh, she really regretted Aditya's attitude that easily divorced Sarah, even though the underlying thing was very trivial.

"Then ... what's your next plan?" asked Marni softly, when she saw that Satria was now fast asleep in her mother's cradle.

Sarah slowly placed Satria on the floor mattress in the corner of the living room, which she usually used every time she was entrusted to the landlord, when her mother had to work at the bakery in the Ahmad Yani road area kilometer one. Then she took a small mosquito net to ward off any mosquitoes that might bite the baby.

Marni was still waiting for Sarah to answer her question. Meanwhile, Sarah who had just finished installing the mosquito net. Then turned to the kind, middle-aged woman. "I will look for additional work, ma'am," she said, flashing a faint smile.

"Are you sure?" asked Marni with wide eyes.

Sarah nodded briefly and firmly as she turned her body around, facing Marni fully. "I'm sure, Mom! For Satria's sake and also, so that all my debts will be paid off soon," she said with teary eyes. "But...," he looked saddened because he was sure that his time with his son would be reduced after this.

Marni hurriedly patted Sarah's left shoulder lightly, making the woman turn to her. "If you're worried about Satria... there's still Mom who will be willing to help take care of your son. After all, I already consider you as my own daughter, while Satria is like my grandson. So... don't worry, son!" she said soothingly.

The tears that had gathered at the corners of Sarah's eyes came pouring down like a waterfall. The young mother was instantly numb, which she immediately silenced by biting the back of her right hand, afraid that the sound of her sobbing would wake her son.

Marni then pulled Sarah's shoulders into her arms. The fifty-year-old woman tried to calm her down. "Cry, if it makes you feel better. Because there are times when we as women are in a vulnerable position. But rest assured, after the crying subsides, your shoulders will be as strong as coral again," she said, patting Sarah's back.

"Thank you, Mom!" said Sarah after her crying started to subside. She then unraveled their embrace, wiping away the remaining tears that still ran down her cheeks.

"You're welcome," Marni replied while flashing a faint smile.

Both of them then shared a smile.

"Assalamualaikum!" said someone from behind the wide-open door.

"Wa'alaikum salam!" Both of them said simultaneously while turning their heads towards the door where a neatly dressed man in a plaid shirt and material pants, was standing at the door, looking back at the two of them with a thin smile.

Sarah, who saw who was coming, immediately widened her eyes. "You!" she squealed strongly.