Marlina sat in the living room, her eyes fixed on the television screen, though her attention was elsewhere. She couldn’t stop thinking about the incident earlier at Orena’s house. Despite trying to hide her feelings, something felt very off, constantly nagging at her mind. Her sister Lysandra, who had acted strange as soon as Merilton arrived, and Orena also behaved oddly once Lysandra and Merilton showed up.
Suddenly, Merilton sat on the sofa in the living room, next to Lysandra. They sat side by side, holding hands.
Marlina tried to act calm. Si Kelabu, the beloved cat that always kept her company, jumped into the living room with its fluffy body and thick fur. Marlina scratched the cat’s neck while her eyes remained fixed on the screen, her mind preoccupied with Merilton and Lysandra’s behaviour.
"Sis, why do you look like that? I’ve always been close to Merilton. He’s like a brother to me. You, sis, you treat me like a stepsister," Lysandra teased, planting a bold kiss on Merilton’s cheek. Merilton looked at Lysandra. Their eyes met for a moment.
"Lysandra’s right. I don’t have a sister, so think of her as the sister my mother never gave me," Merilton said, seemingly agreeing with Lysandra’s words.
"Do whatever you want. But I can see, you two don’t look like siblings at all. You look like a scandalous couple caught in the act," Marlina retorted sarcastically.
Merilton stood and walked towards Marlina.
Slap! Slap!
Marlina’s cheeks reddened as Merilton slapped her. Her vision darkened momentarily.
"Eh, Marlina. If you insult our relationship again, I’ll knock your teeth out, understand?" Merilton threatened, then gave Marlina a headbutt that left her stunned on the sofa. Marlina was shocked by Merilton’s behaviour.
"Stop being so harsh, Merilton. If nothing untoward was happening between you two, you wouldn’t be so angry and violent towards me," Marlina shouted.
Merilton turned up the volume on the television, which was already playing. He allowed the neighbours to hear the song Hati Lebur Jadi Debu by Hetty Koes Endang.
Merilton approached Marlina, grabbed her hair, and made sure their eyes locked.
He then pulled Lysandra’s hand and kissed her passionately on the lips right in front of Marlina.
"This is my sister. Nothing will separate her from me, not even you, my mother, your mother, or anyone," Merilton said, leaving a red mark on Lysandra’s exposed chest, as her blouse was unbuttoned at the top.
Merilton yanked Marlina’s hair and was about to bash her head against the living room wall.
Suddenly, the door to their house was knocked loudly.
Merilton released Marlina’s hair. He took a comb from his back pocket and began combing through her messy hair from the earlier tugging. However, her hair remained tangled and didn’t return to its usual smooth state.
Seeing this, Lysandra grabbed a dishcloth and placed it on Marlina’s head.
Merilton hurried to the door and opened it.
"Where’s Marlina? What’s all this noise, are you destroying my house? What’s going on, Marlina?" Tenuksia stormed in with a broomstick in her hand.
"Marlina’s over there," Merilton said in surprise, pointing to Marlina, who stood with the cloth over her head.
"Oh... it’s you, Marlina. Have you gone mad? Your TV has been blaring, don’t you have ears?" Tenuksia stormed towards Marlina, aiming the sharp end of the broomstick at her.
Marlina, startled, instinctively took a step to the left. The end of the broomstick hit Lysandra, who was standing behind Marlina, directly in the face. Part of the broomstick pierced Lysandra’s eye, entering her nose and mouth. Blood gushed from the injury.
However, Tenuksia didn’t notice anything was wrong, as she didn’t see Lysandra behind Marlina. Tenuksia turned back to Marlina and yanked the cloth from her head.
"Haah??" Tenuksia’s eyes widened in shock when she saw Marlina’s face. There were clear handprint marks on both of her cheeks. Marlina’s eyes were swollen and puffy, as if she had just finished crying. Tenuksia continued inspecting Marlina’s head, where there were swelling marks and her hair had been pulled out.
Merilton, who had been rushing to Lysandra, pulled the broomstick out of Lysandra and cradled her bleeding head in his arms.
Tenuksia let go of Marlina’s head and turned her attention to Merilton, who was cradling Lysandra.
"So, you’re the one who hit Marlina? What kind of husband are you, huh?" Tenuksia accused, walking towards Merilton.
"He got what he deserved," Merilton said proudly.
"Even though I hate Marlina, I never thought of physically hurting her," Tenuksia said, her steps growing closer to Merilton.
"So? You’re going to report me to the police? Don’t forget, you just stabbed Marlina’s sister with a broomstick. If you’re going to side with Marlina, you better help me take Lysandra to the hospital, or you’ll be the one in the police station," Merilton threatened, trying to intimidate Tenuksia.
"Report to the police? Do you have any proof? You hit Marlina and stabbed her sister with a broomstick when she tried to protect Marlina. Isn’t that right, Marlina?" Tenuksia said, glaring at Marlina.
"And... you have no proof because I arrived just in time while you were beating Marlina and stabbing her sister with a broomstick!" Tenuksia said fiercely, without a smile.
Merilton’s face turned pale upon hearing Tenuksia’s words. How did this woman come up with such a clever idea? Merilton’s mind was in turmoil.
Before Merilton could do anything, Tenuksia stomped on Lysandra’s right foot with all her might, making a sound like a twig snapping, or more accurately... a bone breaking.
"Lysandra, after this, your foot won’t be able to step forward toward my husband anymore," she said with a sinister smile, leaving questions in Marlina and Merilton’s minds.
"And you, Merilton, Marlina’s beloved husband... if I don’t see Marlina alive or with any signs of abuse on her body, I’ll send you to hell. I’m not done with Marlina..." Tenuksia threatened Merilton while playing with her fingers in front of his eyes.
Tenuksia left Marlina’s house after turning off the TV in the living room. Marlina was left wondering... what unresolved business did Tenuksia have with her?