Wisnu silently prayed in his heart that his visit this time would be received well. He had already visited Dimas at the office several times, still hoping that the man would agree to meet Reisa.

“You mean, Uncle, I have to marry Reisa?” Dimas asked reluctantly.

Wisnu’s face stiffened. He took a deep breath, trying to hold back the emotions that were about to erupt.

“If you truly love Reisa.”

“Reisa is tainted, Uncle. She carries Andra’s seed. That child is the result of rape. Why should I be the one to bear all of this?”

“I’m willing to do anything if only you’ll agree.”

With all his hope, Wisnu came to Dimas to ask him to accept Reisa. He even swallowed his pride for the sake of his daughter’s happiness.

Only Dimas remained their hope to heal Reisa and cover the disgrace. The wedding had already been prepared. The day was near, just waiting for the time to come.

“Sorry, I can’t, Uncle.”

Dimas walked away, leaving Wisnu frozen in silence. His rejection was firm. His heart was deeply wounded by what Andra had done to his fiancée.

Dimas had prepared everything so well. He had worked hard for his future with Reisa, prepared their dream wedding, even hired someone to watch over her. But everything was destroyed.

He chose to leave, abandon his homeland, and heal his broken heart. His pride had been trampled. He no longer had the face to meet her family and his closest people.

Wisnu lowered his head in defeat. Dimas’s rejection confirmed that their hope was gone.

***

Wisnu looked at Sarah with uncertainty. They were now discussing the best way out.

“We’d better just end this matter,” she suggested.

“Poor Reisa if I agree with the result of that mediation,” he refused.

Wisnu didn’t want Reisa to live with Andra while his daughter suffered endless trauma.

“Dimas’s family also has no goodwill,” Sarah urged.

“But—”

“Mas, marry Reisa and Andra after the baby is born. That’s the only way,” Sarah pleaded.

Wisnu froze, thinking hard. Finally, with a heavy heart, he nodded in agreement.

“For now, move Reisa to another house to avoid gossip. She’s suffered enough already. Don’t let more mouths insult her and deepen her trauma.”

Sarah said this while crying. Rumors spread everywhere about her niece. Some blamed Wisnu for letting Reisa get too close to Andra, causing all this.

Others said this was punishment for Wisnu’s youthful mistakes before marriage. Sarah almost confronted those spreading the slander, especially after realizing the culprit was from their own family.

“Then, who’s going to watch over Reisa?”

“Andra.”

“Why does it have to be him?” Wisnu asked angrily, his tone rising again with emotion.

“Because only he can bring things back to normal.”

“But that’s not right, Sarah. He—”

“We’ve tried everything. And what’s the result? Failure.”

They had paid psychiatrists, tried alternative treatments. All in vain. Reisa still acted like someone who had lost her memory, often dazed and crying at night.

Wisnu looked at his sister uneasily and asked, “Are you sure this will work?”

Sarah nodded, making Wisnu exhale deeply.

“Give Andra a chance.”

“Alright then. I’ll withdraw the lawsuit,” he said with great reluctance.

Wisnu went to the detention center, meeting the man who had defiled his daughter to demand responsibility. To kill the unborn child in Reisa’s womb would mean committing another sin. Thus, he chose to forgive Andra.

Andra agreed, for that was what he had wanted all along, though he never said it. Yet without thinking, he had done something that ruined everything.

Wisnu made up his mind. The only way out was for the baby to still have a father when born. That father was no one else but his biological one.

***

“Let’s go inside. It’s cold out here.”

Andra’s whisper and breath in her ear made Reisa shiver. The woman lowered her head, not daring to move.

“Reisa....”

Andra touched Reisa’s tear-stained cheek, then placed his hand on her shoulder. He wanted to pull her into his embrace but didn’t have the courage.

“Forgive me.”

Andra turned her around and guided her into the room. He had uttered thousands of apologies, but none had changed anything.

After closing the door, Andra chose to leave, leaving Reisa crying inside. He didn’t know what to do now. Being near her only deepened her wounds.

He was heading to his own room when a hand tapped his shoulder.

“Not asleep yet, Ndra?” Wisnu asked calmly.

“Not yet, Uncle,” he replied shortly.

Andra didn’t know what to say. Everything he had done hurt not only Reisa but also this strong man beside him.

“Is Reisa still crying?”

“Every time I go near her,” he admitted.

Wisnu averted his gaze. His heart ached every time he saw Andra—the man he had trusted for years to protect Reisa, only to ruin her future.

His heart hurt even more when he realized that Dimas, the man he hoped would accept Reisa as she was, rejected marrying her because she was “damaged,” even though the wedding had been planned long ago.

“Just let her be for now, Ndra. Don’t force it.”

Those words were heavy with warning, and Andra knew what he meant.

“I understand, Uncle.”

“Please don’t disturb Reisa for now. Let her calm down. This is all too hard to accept.”

The second pat on his shoulder made Andra tremble. It was a stern warning not to act recklessly.

“Yes, Uncle,” he answered briefly.

“Do you truly love my daughter?” Wisnu asked.

“Since the beginning. That’s never changed. That’s why I always watched over her. Maybe… I just loved her in the wrong way,” Andra admitted firmly.

This time, they spoke as two men who loved the same woman—Reisa.

“Is it true that Dimas—”

“Yes. I already told you everything back then. I told Reisa too, over and over. But no one believed me. Dimas isn’t as good as you think.”

Wisnu stared at him closely. That day at the detention center, Andra had told him many things about Dimas.

He revealed all his actions, even promised to provide evidence for Wisnu to believe him. He admitted he deliberately trapped Reisa so her wedding with Dimas would be canceled.

Wisnu had punched Andra in the face upon hearing this last confession, and the guards had to intervene, sending him home to avoid further trouble.

“I give you my blessing under the agreement we made. Remember that!”

Andra had signed a document in front of a lawyer. If he dared touch Reisa before the time came, Wisnu would separate them.

Andra had to win Reisa’s heart and heal her trauma. Only after the baby was born would they marry. If he failed, Wisnu would send his daughter and grandchild abroad, far from Andra forever.

“But I will never leave Reisa and my child, no matter what.”

The two men locked eyes, measuring each other’s strength. Both were equally strong, because both were fathers. True men protect their family, even at the cost of their lives.

Wisnu smiled—not out of defeat, but to see how far the man before him was willing to prove his sincerity.

“Then prove it!”

Wisnu walked away, leaving Andra at war with his own heart.

“I will protect them. I won’t let Uncle separate us!” he vowed.

Andra looked out at the wide stretch of grass before him with unease. This house would be their home until Reisa gave birth.

Andra’s tasks now were many: heal the wounds he had caused, prepare himself to be a father, win Reisa’s love back, and fulfill his promise to Wisnu—to make her happy.

A man’s promise.