The clock showed 2:00 AM. The light from the desk lamp still faithfully illuminated Naufal's face, which looked tired and listless. Around him, files of drug case reports lay scattered on his desk, silent witnesses to the long overtime he had just completed. Naufal's eyes felt heavy, sleepiness attacked him fiercely, assaulting every cell in his body. He yawned deeply, rubbing his sore and dry eyes.
His cell phone lay quietly on the table, its dark screen reflecting the dim light from the lamp. Naufal reached for it with a slow movement, his stiff fingers pressing the power button. The screen lit up, displaying a series of unread notifications. Several missed calls, text messages, and one WhatsApp message from his mother. The names Sinta and Clara were also on the incoming call list. Three other unknown numbers completed the list.
He opened the message from his mother first. Guilt pierced his heart like thousands of needles stabbing him. He knew his mother must be worried because he didn't answer her call. Quickly, Naufal typed a reply:
"Just finished with work, Ma. Sorry, I didn't answer the phone earlier. There was a case that had to be resolved immediately."
He hesitated to call back. The clock already showed two in the morning, his mother must have been fast asleep. It was better to reply with a text message, adding a little explanation so his mother would understand.
Next, he opened the message from Sinta. His mind immediately wandered to Sinta's anger, his girlfriend. The photo of him with Clara that Sinta sent was still the source of the problem between them. Naufal sighed deeply. He guessed the message from Sinta would contain anger or disappointment. He prepared to face the emotional storm that might come, considering his stressful job and minimal rest time.
However, what he read next made a faint smile spread across his lips. The message from Sinta was far from what he imagined:
"Honey, don't forget to eat, okay? You'll get sick. Get enough rest, too."
Those simple words were able to melt the tension that had been hanging in his heart. Sinta's concern for his health made him feel warm and comfortable. Naufal smiled, his fingers moving quickly to type a reply:
"Thank you, Honey."
He intended to call Sinta, wanting to hear her voice directly. He wanted to tell her how tired he was working today, and how much Sinta's short message meant to him. However, before he had a chance to press the phone button, his cell phone rang. Clara's name was displayed on the screen.
Naufal took a deep breath before answering the call. He felt something was wrong.
"Hello?" Naufal greeted cautiously.
"Naufal?" Clara's voice sounded a little tired and anxious.
"Yes, Clara. What's wrong?" Naufal asked, his heart pounding fast. "Did something happen to Raisa?"
"She's whining again. She was fast asleep earlier. I didn't really want to bother you, I know your job. But maybe she remembers her mother," Clara replied, her voice trembling.
Without hesitation, Naufal made a decision. "I'm coming there," Naufal said firmly.
"Okay," Clara replied briefly, sounding relieved.
Naufal put his cell phone away. He grabbed the jacket hanging on the back of the chair and put it on hastily. He walked out of the room, leaving his messy desk behind. In another room, Aipda Dimas and Bripda Wisnu were seen sleeping soundly on the sofa, looking tired after a long pursuit of the operation target. At another table, Razak was still staring at the monitor screen, completing the files in front of him.
"Sir," he greeted Naufal.
"Rest for a while, continue later," Naufal replied with a concerned tone.
"Just a little bit more, Sir," Razak replied, his eyes still focused on the screen.
"Okay, I'll go out first," Naufal said goodbye.
"Yes, Dan," Razak replied briefly, without taking his eyes off the screen.
Naufal walked towards the parking lot. He hurried onto his motorbike and started it. At a moderate speed, he cut through the quiet and cold city streets, heading towards Clara's house. The doctor's house was not too far from his office, only about a 10-minute drive. Not long after, Naufal arrived in front of Clara's yard, which looked calm and dark. Only the porch light was on, providing a little lighting.
The door was opened by Clara, her face looking pale and tired. She wore a headscarf to cover her messy hair.
"I called you but you didn't answer," Clara said, her voice slightly trembling.
"I left immediately after receiving your call," Naufal said, smiling gently, trying to calm Clara.
"I wanted to say you didn't have to come. Raisa is already asleep," Clara explained, a regretful tone in her voice.
"Oh..." Naufal replied.
"Sit down. I'll make you a drink. Let's go inside," Clara invited, trying to hide her fatigue.
"Outside is fine. It's not good to go into a woman's house at this hour. I already told the security in front of the gate that I wanted to see my fussy sister at Doctor Clara's house," Naufal refused, smiling slightly. He didn't want any misunderstandings.
"Sister? What do you mean?" Clara asked, puzzled.
Naufal took a deep breath, preparing to reveal the secret he had been keeping tightly. "Raisa... is Papa's child with Aunt Chintya. I didn't really want to reveal this problem. But you must be wondering why I didn't just take Raisa home to my house."
Naufal was silent for a moment, looking at Clara with a hopeful look. He hoped Clara could understand his situation. "My Papa... he had an affair with Mama's best friend, who is none other than Raisa's Mama."
"What?" Clara couldn't hide her surprise. Her eyes widened, her mouth opened slightly.
"He... ran away with the money from the sale of our house and my education savings. After that, he married that woman. I only found out about Raisa's existence a few days ago," Naufal continued, his voice trembling with emotion.
Clara was silent, shocked by Naufal's confession. She had never known about this before. She couldn't imagine how heavy the burden Naufal had to bear.
Naufal continued, "I... I still can't accept everything." He looked at Clara with a wounded look. "How they have scratched a very painful wound on Mama. But Raisa is not guilty. She is also a victim. But bringing Raisa before Mama... What should I call her? Should I lie to Mama so she will accept Raisa?"
Clara pondered, she could understand what Naufal was feeling that night. She could feel the pain of being betrayed, the pain of loss, and the pain of seeing loved ones suffer.
"In that case... Let Raisa stay with me," Clara finally said, breaking the silence. "Maybe because she lives in Siska's house near her mother's house... Makes Raisa always miss her mother every time she sees that house. Bu Chintya... That name reminds me of my late Mama's name. Mama died when I was 3 years old... Mama was one of the victims of a plane crash. I don't know where her body is. So sad, Papa kept all of Mama's photos in the warehouse..."
Naufal looked at Clara with a grateful look. He didn't expect Clara to offer this much help.
"Sorry for bothering you," Naufal said, feeling guilty.
Clara smiled sincerely. "It's okay. From today, let Raisa be a part of my life. We have the same mother's name. Oh yeah, are all of Raisa's important documents still at her mother's house?"
"Still in the rented house. Siska will clean everything," Naufal replied.
"Then tomorrow I'll ask Siska," Clara said.
"Okay..." Naufal stood up. "I'm going home."
"Your motorbike?" Clara asked.
"I'll pick it up tomorrow while seeing Raisa. Once again, thank you for taking Raisa in," Naufal said sincerely.
Clara smiled. "I like you," Clara said suddenly.
"What?" Naufal was surprised to hear Clara's words.
"I mean, I like the way you take responsibility for your sister's life," Clara explained, her face slightly flushed.
"Take care of Raisa, okay?" Naufal said, changing the subject.
"Yes, commander," Clara saluted with a wide smile.
Naufal started his motorbike.
"Be careful..." Clara said, her voice soft.
"Good night."
Naufal closed his helmet visor, waving his hand before leaving the place.
Clara smiled, looking at Naufal's back as he moved further away.
"Safe journey home, my Officer..." she whispered softly, her heart warming.