Hilman cleared his throat briefly to relieve the sudden lump in his throat. "Leave Satria, yes, Sar," he said. He then walked towards Marni with firm footsteps without listening to Sarah's reply.

Sarah immediately stepped towards Satria who was busy moving her legs and hands with her lips rounded playfully. "I'll take care of it, too! Wong is my own son, Mr. Doctor," she grumbled to herself.

Marni was a little nervous when he disappeared standing in front of her, flashing a faint smile. The man's hand then stretched forward, asking Marni to shake it. Clumsily and a little hesitantly, the middle-aged woman agreed to do so.

"Assalamualaikum warahmatullahi wa barakatuhu ...! My name is Hilman Aksa Prayoga, twenty-nine years old, single parent status because my late wife passed away due to a brain tumor or in medical language Gliobastoma, I have a five-year-old only daughter, named Marissa Putri Prayoga. Now she attends Kasih Bunda Kindergarten, kindergarten class A. My job is a pediatrician at Mutiara Hati Community Health Center. I have been working here since one year ago, but next month I will be transferred to a large hospital or RSUD in the city center," Hilman explained with one breath, although his heart was now racing.

"Wa'alaikum salam," agreed Marni and Sarah. Although they were still confused as to why the doctor in front of them was introducing himself.

"May I continue to introduce myself, ma'am?" Hilman asked for permission while releasing their handshake.

"Si-please," Marni said a little nervously as Hilman's sharp gaze at her made the middle-aged woman a little afraid.

"I was looking for a candidate for a wife and also a birth mother for my daughter. It just so happens that it's all in Sarah -your daughter-. Honestly, I fell in love with your daughter from the first time we met in front of the SBHBB hotel this morning at six o'clock. Especially when she thought I was an online motorcycle taxi rider," said Hilman again with a dreamy look ahead with a smile etched on his lips, without seeing that Sarah's face was now as pale as cotton. Marni's face, meanwhile, now turned bright red with anger. Just as the middle-aged woman locked eyes with the woman she liked. "Can I approach your daughter?" Hilman looked straight back at Marni with a hopeful gaze, who now turned her attention to the man as well.

"May I speak to my daughter first, Doctor?!" Marni asked permission in return.

"Oh... i-yes, please, ma'am," Hilman said a little clumsily. "Just leave Satria here, it's fine!"

Marni then nodded, then looked back at Sarah who immediately nodded briefly, understanding that her foster mother was asking for a one-on-one talk. The young mother hurriedly walked over to her foster mother who immediately tugged on her left wrist, leading the woman out of the room, through the back door which was directly connected to the back yard of the health center.

"Why, Mom?" asked Sarah with some confusion.

"Where were you last night? You don't work at that hotel! Then why were you there? What were you doing there? You didn't do anything wrong, did you?" Marni asked in a whispered voice so that people who happened to be passing by wouldn't hear what they were talking about.

Sarah was choked up. She had difficulty swallowing her saliva. Her face turned deathly pale with a racing heart. The woman felt embarrassed if she had to tell her foster mother about what happened last night. She lowered her head with her mouth tightly shut.

"Why are you silent?!" asked Marni again with a bit of a fuss as well as a bad feeling. "Don't tell me that...," her voice choked as she shook her head vigorously, trying to reject the thought that had just entered her head. She immediately put her hands on both of Sarah's shoulders, then began to shake her violently until the young woman was shaken back and forth. But she still chose to remain silent. "don't tell me you're a whore!"

Sarah immediately raised her face with eyes blurred from the tears gathering in her eyes, staring back at Marni's face which was bright red with anger.

"Tell me!" urged Marni a little louder, also shaking Sarah's shoulders again.

"I-I met Adit last night. He forced me into the car, then...," Sarah began to sob, as the tears began to fall one by one. "Then ... he forced his will on me repeatedly in the hotel room he rented," she said while wiping the tears on both cheeks in turn, after Marni released her hand on both of the woman's shoulders with her eyes wide open, as well as her mouth wide open due to being too shocked by the narrative that Sarah conveyed.

"It wasn't until this morning that I was able to escape, after he finally went into the bathroom after spending the whole night with me!" Her sobs sounded strong, and she even bit the back of her right hand to keep her voice from making people come closer. But her shaking shoulders were proof of the pain she had endured from her ex-husband.

Marni's tears even fell, the middle-aged woman felt very sad and also hurt and angry, even she condemned Aditya's actions towards Sarah. "Did ... he spill his seed inside?" she asked cautiously while wiping away the tears that were pouring down with the back of her hand.

The weak nod Sarah gave made Marni sob too. The two of them now hugged each other tightly, in order to release the emotions that were both running through their hearts.

"What are you going to do now?" asked Marni as she broke their embrace. But both her hands rested on Sarah's shoulders.

"I want to leave here, Mom. I'm afraid that Adit will act up again! Don't you know how he behaved during my marriage," said Sarah while wiping away her tears.

"Yes, Mother but-," Marni's words were cut off, as Hilman stood at the door with Satria in his arms crying.

Sarah hurriedly walked towards the two of them, then grabbed Satria who immediately grumbled in his typical baby voice. "My son is looking for me, isn't he?" she asked with a smile, although her puffy eyes were clearly visible, her nose even looked red.

Marni soon followed suit, now standing behind Sarah as she stared at Hilman who seemed to be intensely watching his adopted daughter. Her lips slightly curled into a smile, then she cleared her throat. Only then did she take a deep breath before asking the man. "Are you serious about Sarah?"