Chapter 4.

After her meeting with Ibra, Hana went straight home. So did Ibra. Both drove back separately. Hana wanted to see if Ranti would ride with her husband again in the afternoon or if she would take a taxi home.

After cleaning up and changing into something lighter, Hana sat on the porch waiting for her husband to return.

At exactly five in the evening, Prane’s car pulled into the driveway. Hana could clearly see who sat in the passenger seat.

The shameless woman returns.

She was furious, but she kept her composure. A faint, mocking smile touched her lips. Ranti got out of the car.

Seeing Hana on the porch staring at her with sharp eyes, Ranti smirked. A smug curl at the corner of her lips.

“I rode with Prane again. On the way home. Got a problem with that?”

Her words carried no guilt. Ranti knew Hana would be upset, and she enjoyed it. The more annoyed Hana became, the more motivated Ranti felt to do things that would anger and hurt her.

“Doesn’t seem like Ibra can provide for you well enough, can he? That you have to scavenge for rides like this.”

Hana’s mockery landed. Ranti’s face flushed red.

“What? Am I wrong? What kind of husband is Ibra? The type who’s stingy with his own wife? The ones you read about in novels or see on TV? Sure, his income might be big, but what good is it if his wife has to beg for rides from other men? Or maybe you don’t have a husband at all? How pitiful.”

Hana’s sneer was sharp. Ranti’s hands clenched at her sides. She was livid.

“Sweetheart.”

Prane shook his head slightly, signaling Hana to stop humiliating Ranti.

“Why? Am I wrong?” Hana turned to look at her husband. He looked uncomfortable.

“If my car ran out of gas, I’d choose to call a taxi rather than ride with someone else’s husband. I’d be embarrassed to trouble someone else. I have too much pride for that. I wouldn’t want people thinking my husband doesn’t take care of me. Don’t you agree?”

Hana spoke to Prane while wrapping her arms around his waist, acting affectionate. She did it deliberately to provoke Ranti. Truth be told, after what she had witnessed in her husband’s office, touching him made her skin crawl.

Prane smiled awkwardly. He neither nodded nor shook his head.

Without another word, Ranti hurried away from Prane’s house, her face burning with anger.

Useless woman. She walked all that way just to ride with someone else’s husband. Pathetic.

Hana muttered the words softly under her breath.

“Sweetheart, what did you say?” Prane asked, having caught some of it.

“Nothing. I was just humming.” Hana lied.

“Oh, I thought you said something.”

Prane moved to hug her, but Hana pretended to look down at her sandals. She didn’t want his arms around her. The thought made her stomach turn.

“I thought the strap broke, but it’s fine.”

She made up the excuse, and Prane glanced down at her sandals too. How could she claim they were broken when she had just bought them yesterday? They were still brand new.

“Go inside. The sun is almost down.”

She shooed Prane away.

“Alright, I’ll take a shower first. Did you prepare my clothes, sweetheart?”

As usual, he called her sweetheart. The word made her sick.

“Yes. I’ll get them ready.”

Prane climbed upstairs to their bedroom to shower.

You should do more than shower. Maybe soak in some flower water. Wash off whatever stench that woman left on you.

Hana whispered to herself as she watched her husband’s figure disappear into the room.

Across the neighborhood, Ranti walked home fuming. She cursed Hana under her breath for having such a venomous tongue.

When she reached her house, she was surprised to see her husband’s car already parked in the garage, the door left open. She hurried inside.

“Ibra, you’re home?”

She called out loudly, as if searching for him in the wilderness rather than her own house.

“Here.”

Ibra answered from the kitchen, holding a bottle of mineral water.

“What happened to your car? Why is it in the garage? Did it break down?” he asked casually.

“No, nothing like that. I just didn’t feel like driving today.”

“Then how did you get to the office? Taxi? Why didn’t you call me? I could have picked you up.”

Ranti laughed nervously.

“I didn’t know you were home. I thought you weren’t coming back until tonight, so I didn’t want to bother you.”

She lied smoothly. Ibra just nodded, pretending to believe her excuse.

“If you took a taxi, why are you sweating? Was the air conditioning not working?”

He noticed the sweat on her forehead, her neck.

“Ah, yes. I wanted to complain to the driver, but he was an old man. I felt bad. So I just sat there even though it was so hot.”

One lie led to another, covering the previous ones. That was how it worked. Ranti was confident Ibra would never ask Prane or Hana about it. He wasn’t the type to make a big deal out of small things.

“I’m thirsty. Can I have some of that water?”

She reached for the bottle in Ibra’s hand, her voice turning sweet.

“Now you want to drink from me? You wouldn’t share a moment ago. Why?”

He sounded offended.

“No, it’s not like that. You just got home, so I thought—”

She didn’t finish. Instead, she walked toward the back of the kitchen to get water from the refrigerator. Ibra followed her.

“You’re accusing me of doing something wrong while I was away, aren’t you? Is that what this is about?”

His voice carried an edge.

“That’s not what I meant, but—”

“Never mind. Just say it. You think I was unfaithful while I was out. One night away, and you won’t even share a drink with your husband because you’re disgusted.”

Ibra’s anger flared. Ranti felt caught off guard. That wasn’t what she meant at all.

She had been exchanging saliva with Prane in his office earlier. Sharing a bottle of water with Ibra now felt wrong. She couldn’t explain it in words.

“That’s not—I’m not accusing you or saying I’m disgusted. I just—”

Ibra didn’t want to hear her excuses. He turned and walked away.

“Ibra.”

She called softly, but he ignored her, pretending not to hear.

He continued toward the porch, pulling his phone from his pocket.

[Ranti came home with Prane.]

The message was from Hana. He had silenced his phone, but he felt the vibration. He stepped out to the porch to check who had messaged him.

[Thank you.]

He replied and slipped the phone back into his pocket.

That night at Hana’s house, she avoided being near her husband. It made Prane wonder. But when it was time to sleep, she could no longer keep her distance. If she avoided him too much, Prane might realize she knew about his affair. And if he found out, he could make it difficult for her to file for divorce.

“Han, are you upset with me?”

Prane turned his body to face her, reaching out to stroke her hair. Hana quickly hid under the blanket, covering herself completely.

“Han, talk to me. Tell me what I did wrong. Is it because I let Ranti ride with me? She’s your cousin. It’s not like you have to worry about her.”

“Even if she’s my cousin, that doesn’t mean anything. And you let her ride with you on the way home too?”

Her voice was sharp.

“It would have been rude to refuse. We work in the same building.”

He gave his excuse.

“Whatever.”

She turned her back to him, her irritation clear. Now he was openly defending Ranti in front of her.

Prane lay there, unsure what to do next.

---