My Hired Husband

"Oh my!"

Dinda was stunned as she covered her mouth with one hand, seeing a small flat object that showed two red lines on her hand. The woman was so shocked that she could not utter a single word from her mouth.

Slowly, her eyes glazed over as if she could no longer contain it.

"I-I'm... pregnant???"

Yes! At first she really did not expect that the symptoms she had been experiencing lately were not ordinary symptoms. The dizziness and fatigue that had been attacking her was a sign that something was sitting inside her stomach.

Dinda was silent for a moment, then looked at herself in the bathroom mirror.

"Am I pregnant with your child, Kevin?"

The woman was silent for a long time, remembering all the sweet things she did with her boyfriend. Yes! So sweet that she forgot herself and got carried away in the river of romance that made her what she is today.

Dinda couldn't do this on her own, she couldn't keep quiet until it was too late. Then with one motion she stood up straight and faced the mirror again.

"I have to tell Kevin! He has to know that I'm pregnant with his child."

Knock...knock...knock!

The sound of the door knocking was heard all the way into the bathroom, startling her and even breaking her reverie. Dinda quickly blinked her eyes and tried to control herself, not forgetting to wipe away the puddle of tears that was about to fall.

"Dinda? Are you awake? It's already noon, Honey. You're not going to work?"

There was a baritone voice from behind the door, a voice that could make Dinda feel sad and guilt suddenly appear.

"I-yeah, Papa! I'll be downstairs in a minute... I just finished taking a shower," she shouted from inside the bathroom.

"Okay, Papa wait downstairs! Let's have breakfast together."

Dinda fell silent again and took a deep breath, closing her eyes as she rested her hands on the sink in front of her.

"Relax, Dinda! You just have to tell Kevin to take responsibility and everything will be fine," she muttered confidently.

***

"Ah! It's been half an hour but Dinda hasn't come down yet, is she alright?" muttered Anggoro who had not stopped looking at the clock and alternately looked at the stairs of his house which still did not reveal the figure of his only daughter.

How could I not? This morning had been uncharacteristic, with Dinda always arriving at the dining room before him. Anggoro's anxiety continued to grow as he checked upstairs where his daughter's room was located.

"Her voice did sound a little hoarse earlier," he muttered again, wondering, "Should I check again?"

Before the middle-aged man could get up from his seat, his movements were abruptly halted as someone came down the stairs and greeted him.

"Morning, Papa! Sorry I overslept, so-"

"Are you okay?"

"Hmm?" Dinda furrowed her brow in surprise.

But Anggoro, with a slight stammer, asked again, "Papa is a little worried, are you not feeling well?"

"Ah! I'm fine, Pa. I just woke up late."

Anggoro remained silent as he continued to scrutinise his son's face, which looked slightly different.

"Are you sure? With your pale face?"

Dinda gasped! Had she forgotten to put on lipstick? Ah no! Was the lipstick she used not enough to make her face look as pale as her father said?

"Damn! Is it because my stomach is a bit queasy!" she wondered.

The woman tried to pull herself together and quickly took her seat while trying to look radiant.

"Really? I'm fine, Pah. Maybe it's because I dressed up in such a hurry," she explained, trying to remain calm.

"Okay then, but if you're not feeling well, don't push yourself... just call in sick and get plenty of rest."

Dinda nodded quickly and replied, "Yes, Captaint!" She put her hand to her forehead as if saluting.

Anggoro chuckled as he shook his head and said, "Okay, let's have breakfast first!"

Dinda just smiled as she exhaled a sigh of relief, "Fyuh... thank goodness! Papa doesn't suspect anything," she muttered to herself.

How could I not? The few minutes she spent were as tense as an interview at a well-known company, but this time it was much bigger than she imagined because if Dinda said the wrong thing... her father might find out the truth.

The two then continued to eat breakfast together until they finished and left for the office together using Anggoro's private car.

However, who would have thought that in the middle of the journey the nausea in Dinda's stomach would suddenly strike again? The woman now turned her head towards the window trying to hide and endure the nausea, but unfortunately the road this morning actually looked crowded until there was a traffic jam.

"Ouch! Traffic jam again... traffic jam again," grumbled Narno, the Anggoro family's personal driver.

Anggoro, who was sitting next to the driver, was also furious and chuckled, "Is there no other way, sir? We have to get to the office soon because I have a meeting."

Narno was silent for a moment, trying to remember if there was an alternative road nearby but this time he looked confused and finally replied, "I don't think there is, sir."

The situation had turned precarious! Especially with Dinda sitting in the back seat and enduring the growing nausea. Yes! In addition to enduring the nausea, Dinda had to behave as usual in front of the two men in front of her even though it felt so difficult.

"Oh my... what did I dream last night!? I feel like dying!" she thought.

After being stuck in traffic for a few minutes, they finally got out of the unpleasant situation and arrived at Anggoro's large company that had been established for decades.

Dinda who came down in a hurry, made her father wonder as he furrowed his brow, "What's wrong with you again, Dinda?"

"A-ah! I think I went in first, Pa. I'm going to the toilet first, bye!"

With limping steps, the woman walked quickly away from Anggoro, who was still standing beside his car, shaking his head at his daughter's behaviour without feeling the slightest suspicion.

***

Hoek!

Hoek!

Don't know how many times Dinda kept vomiting the food she had just eaten at home, her stomach really couldn't compromise anymore until the woman felt weak and leaned against the wall of the toilet which fortunately had no one else in it.

Breathing heavily Dinda closed her eyes feeling the discomfort in her stomach.

"What should I do? Do I have to be absent from the office! Papa will get suspicious," she muttered feeling confused.

Her eyes suddenly rounded and she quickly got up from the wall and took out her mobile phone from her bag.

"I have to meet Kevin and tell him I'm pregnant!" she muttered again with her fingers busy searching for her boyfriend's contact number.

However, after a few seconds, the phone didn't connect, and the only sound she heard was a train horn.