Pretending 2

Andre was frantically searching for Selvia, moving from place to place, deeply worried that something might have happened to his lover.

"If anything happens to you, Selvi, just wait, Diandra," Andre said, his voice tinged with irritation.

"Ugh, Sel, where are you, my love?"

Meanwhile, Selvia was enjoying the morning atmosphere at the beach. The breeze against her face felt so soothing. But her mind was restless and uneasy, weighed down by a sense of guilt. She should have understood that Diandra was suspicious, but instead, she had intentionally blamed Diandra.

"I'm sorry, Di. Please forgive me for falling in love with your husband," Selvia said, her eyes closed.

She stretched out her arms and yelled, "Please, love me."

Selvia's body felt unsteady when a man hugged her from behind. She turned around, and it was Andre, holding her. She grasped his hand.

"Don't leave, my love," Andre whispered.

"Mas, I..."

"Enough, don't be upset anymore. Diandra regrets being angry with you. She was so disappointed earlier when she thought you were leaving."

"Mas, have I been too harsh on Diandra? She wasn’t really at fault, but I blamed her."

"It's okay, my love. This can be a lesson for Diandra so she won’t suspect you again."

"Do you really think so, Mas? Do you really believe in what I’ve done?"

"Yes, my love. Trust me, and know that you are the only one in my heart and thoughts."

"Mas..." Selvia kissed Andre slowly on the lips.

They shared a passionate kiss. No one knew who they were.

"We have to go back," Andre said.

"But I still want to stay with you, Mas," Selvia replied, resisting.

"Don't, my love. If we stay too long, it might raise suspicions. It's better if we return to the villa."

"I want to go back to Jakarta, Mas. I regret coming on this trip with you and Diandra."

"On the contrary, I'm very happy, my love. It means I can be close to you, the woman I love."

"Thank you, my dear Mas, who always loves me. I love you too, Mas."

They returned to the villa, holding hands. As they neared the villa, they released their hands and kissed again. If they didn’t kiss now, they knew there would be no other chance.

"Diandra," Andre called as he entered the villa.

"Mas, did you find Selvia?" Diandra asked anxiously.

Selvia appeared behind Andre. Diandra immediately hugged her, relieved that Selvia had returned, feeling guilty in her heart.

"I'm sorry, Sel," Diandra said sincerely.

"Don’t worry, Di. I should be the one apologizing. I was wrong," Selvia responded.

Diandra shook her head. "I’m the one who was wrong, Sel."

"I was wrong, Di, not you."

Diandra and Selvia both said the same thing, feeling guilty, but in different contexts. Selvia apologized for taking Diandra’s husband, while Diandra felt guilty for accusing Selvia of being with another man.

"Enough, both of you. Stop blaming each other. Just live in peace and respect each other’s personal matters," Andre interrupted, annoyed by both women.

Selvia and Diandra laughed and hugged each other, with Selvia winking at Andre.

They continued their sightseeing around the beautiful island of Bali. While Diandra was busy with her children, Andre and Selvia exchanged flirtatious glances.

That night, Andre put Richie and Keira to bed, reading them a story until they fell asleep. Diandra came to see Selvia, who was sitting alone by the pool, deep in thought. Selvia was struggling with her restless feelings, uncomfortable with having to pretend to be Diandra’s friend when, in reality, she was the one destroying her friend’s marriage.

"Sel, here’s some tea for you," Diandra said, handing her a cup of tea.

Selvia smiled. "Thank you, Di."

"What are you doing here alone at night?"

"I’ve just got a lot on my mind, Di."

"What’s going on?"

Selvia sighed deeply. It was hard for her to open up about her problems to Diandra.

"Go ahead, Sel. Tell me."

"I’m in love with the wrong man, Di."

"Wrong how?"

"I’m in love with a married man, and I feel guilty towards his wife."

Diandra fell silent. She had been in the position of being betrayed before, but now her best friend was the one acting as the other woman.

"Leave that man. You deserve someone better than a married man."

"But I love him so much, and he loves me too."

"If you truly love each other, you shouldn't be cheating behind his wife’s back."

Selvia remained silent. If only Diandra knew that the man she was talking about was her own husband, how would she react?

"You’ve been in her shoes, right, Sel? You’ve been betrayed by Yulius, and even though you got back at him, you understand the pain of a wife who’s been hurt. My advice is to leave that bastard, or you’ll end up being the one at fault, even if you claim it’s because you love each other," Diandra said firmly.

"He once told me he didn’t love his wife and said I’m the only one who can satisfy him."

"Ugh, all men say that when they don’t get what they want. Do you remember when I told you Mas Andre cheated?"

Selvia nodded. Of course, she remembered, and they had even fought over it because she was jealous that Andre had cheated on her with someone else.

"Mas Andre used to badmouth me too, but in the end, he returned to his wife. If that bastard really loves you, tell him to divorce his wife. If he refuses, it means you’ll only be his mistress. Do you want to stay a mistress forever? Don’t you want a peaceful marriage without the guilt of destroying someone else’s?"

Selvia shook her head slowly. "I don’t want that, Di. I want a happy, complete family too."

Diandra smiled. "That’s why you should leave him. You’re young, beautiful, smart—there are plenty of men out there. Be happy without ruining someone else’s happiness. We, as women, should support each other, not be enemies."

"Haha, you’re so passionate, Di. You sound like you’re the wife of the man I love," Selvia joked, though she was actually scared of Diandra.

"Well, you’re just trying to be a punching bag, which makes me mad."

Selvia laughed at Diandra’s words. "Don’t get mad, or you’ll grow old too soon."

"I swear, Sel. But I need to confess too."

"Please don’t tell me you’re still suspicious that Mas Andre is cheating again. I don’t think he is."

"This time, I’m 100 percent sure."

"What do you mean?"

Diandra explained that Andre had mentioned another woman’s name during their intimate moment. She cried in Selvia’s arms. Selvia felt sorry for Diandra, especially knowing that Andre had mentioned another woman’s name while being with his wife.

"Who’s the name?" Selvia asked cautiously.

"SEL."

"Sel? Do you mean Sel from prison?"

"No, not like that, Sel. Mas Andre said the name 'Sel' and then stopped."

"So 'SEL' could be a first name, middle name, or last name."

"Yes."

"Could be Selvia, Selin, Sela, Seli, Selma—there are so many names starting with 'SEL,' Di. It’s confusing, but you shouldn’t suspect me."

"No way, Sel. How could I suspect you? You’re my best friend. You’d never ruin my marriage."

"Exactly. I would never ruin your marriage. I’m already in love with another man."

Diandra and Selvia laughed together. But beneath Selvia’s laughter was a deep fear, one that she kept hidden, not wanting Diandra to suspect her. She knew she had to avoid Diandra and not get involved with her friend again. It was better to focus on Andre and stop pretending to be Diandra’s friend.