The Greatest Female Soul

Episode 1

Addara Azalea, a nineteen-year-old village girl of remarkable beauty, was affectionately known as Dara by the residents of Village S.

Dara's formal education had concluded with high school. Not because of poor grades or a lack of desire to pursue higher education.

Her decision was solely due to financial limitations and the condition of her family, which made attending university an impractical dream.

She had been offered a scholarship by a prestigious university in the city, having scored exceptionally high on the national exam. However, she declined it.

She shared her home with her younger brother, Adimas Erlangga, called Dimas, a 9th-grade student.

Dimas was the only family Dara had left. She couldn't possibly leave him alone to continue her education in the city.

Dara's mother, Nayla Adi Raharjo, had passed away two years prior due to a long-complicated illness. It happened when Dara was still in her sophomore year of high school.

As for her father, Agung Sasmito, he was still alive. Agung was the person Dara most despised.

A father who should have been her first love instead inflicted deep, lasting wounds on the very depths of her heart.

But Dara knew that the one who suffered the most had been her mother.

Dimas, however, knew nothing of paternal affection. He believed his father was deceased, just as Nayla had explained when Dimas inquired about his whereabouts.

Dara vividly remembered their previous life in the capital city, where her father was a successful merchant.

Nayla was a devoted wife and a loving mother. She had supported Agung through thick and thin, helping to build their business from scratch.

Even when Agung's business plummeted into debt, Nayla stood by him until they recovered, expanded, and opened new branches in other cities.

However, following such moments of joy, a bitter memory haunted them—one that Dara, and surely Nayla, could not forget.

It was 14 years ago when Dara was five, and Dimas was just a year old.

Agung returned from his business ventures, casually announcing his marriage to a widow with a child.

He callously evicted Nayla, Dara, and Dimas from their home of nearly seven years.

Flashback 14 years ago

"You betrayed me, Agung! How could you divorce me for another woman! Have you lost your mind? What about the pain our children will feel when they find out?" Nayla confronted him with seething anger.

SLAP!

Agung struck Nayla so hard that her head turned and his handprint marked her cheek.

"Silence! How dare you insult and accuse me! Clearly, I chose her because she's vastly different from you. She's beautiful, elegant, from a wealthy and respected family, unlike you, who has nothing. Now get out of my house with those cursed children! I don't want to deal with any of you anymore!" Agung's harsh words cut Nayla deeply.

"God, you scoundrel, Agung! You may cast me aside, but how could you be so cruel to your own children, preferring to care for another's child?" Naila rebutted, her voice rising in rage.

"Like I care! Do you have proof I used your money? Remember, the house and business are in my name. They're mine! Now leave, and don't take anything of value with you!" Agung yelled.

Dara witnessed it all, understanding the gravity of her parents' argument caused by an affair that led to their divorce and eviction.

Though she was young, her intelligence made the event crystal clear in her mind, and though her father's face faded from memory, the incident did not.

Afterward, Nayla, holding Dimas and with Dara in tow, left their home with just enough change for bus fare to a remote village at the foot of a mountain in Town Y.

They arrived at a small cottage on the mountain foothills, isolated with no other homes within 100 meters.

To reach it, they had traveled an hour on foot from the main road, navigable only by bicycle or motorcycle due to the narrow path.

In the cottage lived an elderly woman Nayla addressed as Auntie.

Her name was Auntie Wastini, but Dara called her Grandma Tini. However, Grandma Tini didn't stay with them long, passing away two years later.

Despite financial hardship and the long walk to school, Nayla ensured Dara continued her education, growing vegetables and raising chickens for food.

They caught fish from a nearby river and traded vegetables for rice.

Both Dara and Dimas, gifted intellectually, earned school scholarships.

Living in a predominantly poor village shielded them from bullying, though some wealthier children would sometimes arrogantly tease them.

Before Nayla passed, she gave Dara a photo of a young Nayla with a young man and an older couple.

"Please, forgive me for them. I regret so much, and it's too late for apologies..." Nayla's last words cut off as life left her.

After Nayla's passing, Dara assumed familial responsibilities, vowing to remain strong for Dimas despite her own fragility.

Looking at the weathered photo, she speculated it was of her mother's family, puzzled why Nayla had never mentioned them.