Chapter 6

• The first day with various activities that Retno had surprised Rio quite a bit. It turns out that what his father said was true, there are no wealthy people who sit back and relax. By now, it was already one in the afternoon, and he had finished taking Retno to the boutique, salon, and finally they would head to one of the Castil-themed restaurants in Jogja. As Rio opened the car door for Retno and Retno said thank you, Retno walked away from Rio. Now, as a good driver, he would wait for Retno in the parking lot.
• Inside the restaurant, Retno was facing Handi, her ex-husband. She had to meet with Handi because they both had a business that they had agreed to manage together.
• "Mas, I can't stay long. What do you want to say?"
• "What about our business expansion plan to the Gunung Kidul area? Are we going to build a resort and restaurant?"
• "If we have enough funds, go ahead. I don't want us to have to borrow from the bank. Remember the complicated situation last time, especially since we are already divorced."
• Handi just nodded. He remembered when they got divorced and the bank installments for the construction of their restaurant were not paid off. Whether they liked it or not, Retno and Handi had to stay in touch because they didn't want to sell their business to someone else.
• "Okay. Let me take it from my savings."
• Retno just nodded and smiled. She looked at her ex-husband, who could now be called a sugar daddy. Wealthy, fairly handsome at the age of 40, unfortunately, he still hadn't remarried.
• "Ret, how are you?"
• "I'm fine. How about you, Mas?"
• "Not much different. I'm still being asked about grandchildren and daughters-in-law by my mother."
• Retno just shook her head.
• "Mas, are you still hiding the fact that you have varicocele*? even though you've had surgery."
• *Varicocele is varicose veins that occur in a man's genitals.
• Handi just nodded, causing Retno to sigh and shake her head.
• "It's better if you're honest so that your future wife won't be blamed for not getting pregnant."
• "If only you had tried harder back then, Ret. Maybe we could have saved our marriage."
• Retno just smiled bitterly in front of Handi.
• "Mas, you once told me that you couldn't accept me because I had dated around, but what about you? When the doctor diagnosed you with varicocele, you became insecure, didn't want to touch me. Even though you know I can't stop having sex, especially for more than a week."
• "Marriage is not just about sex."
• "Well, that's true, Mas. But for me, marriage and love alone are not enough without passionate sex in the marriage. Have you ever thought about how much I suffered? For almost two years, you didn't touch me, I had to use gigolos, and on top of that, my mother-in-law kept asking for grandchildren. We may not lack money, Mas, but you didn't want to try IVF. Isn't that selfish?"
• "Forgive me, Retno."
• Retno folded her hands in front of her chest and looked deeply at Handi. She saw a man who was devoted to his parents, but unfortunately, he couldn't take a stand. Something that made Retno very distressed because Handi never defended her in front of his parents or extended family when Retno became the subject of ridicule about continuing the family name.
• "I have forgiven you, Mas. If I hadn't forgiven you, I wouldn't be able to meet you like this."
• "Thank you, I realize my mistakes when I was your husband before, and if we can be together again, why don't we try?"
• "Like reading a novel where you already know how it will end, why should it be repeated? Besides, I am quite comfortable with the widow status I have now, Mas. Excuse me, Mas. I still have a lot of work to do."
• After saying all that, Retno stood up from the chair she was sitting on and immediately walked out of the restaurant. She held back her tears when facing Handi, but now as she began to walk out of the restaurant and down the stairs in front of the restaurant, her tears fell on her cheeks. Despite being considered barren, infertile, and imperfect, it was not her who had the problem, but Handi. When she already knew everything, Handi was not honest with his family. He chose to remain silent and let Retno continue to be seen as an imperfect woman in the eyes of his family.
• Rio, who saw Retno walking towards her parked car, quickly opened the door for Retno. Retno's face looked sad as she entered the back passenger seat. Different from the Retno he saw since they first met or even before entering the restaurant. Rio wondered what happened to his employer when she was inside the restaurant? He wanted to ask, but he restrained himself. He was just a driver, his job was only to take Retno to where she wanted to go, not to act familiar or show concern about why Retno was crying.
• "Rio, take me to a place where I can release my burden."
• "Sorry, Aunt, where is that place?"
• "Up to you."
• Gosh...
• Rio didn't know where to take Retno. It was also impossible to take this elegant, feminine, and once-in-a-lifetime woman to the mountains in high heels. Rio immediately drove towards the paragliding hill. A place that he thought was peaceful enough and had a beautiful view as the evening approached.