For three days straight, Chaca had been confined to the hospital, yet her mother hadn't once made an appearance to visit, which elicited a bittersweet smile from her. Throughout her hospital stay, it was only her father who showed up to see her and bring her meals, along with Hanna and Nayla who were ever present, keeping Chaca company and lifting her spirits.
"Um, Cha, I'm kinda curious about something but, um," Hanna hesitated mid-sentence, unsure of how to proceed with her inquiry.
"Just spit it out, Han, relax," Chaca said while peeling an orange.
"She is really your birth mom, right Cha?" Hanna asked softly, causing Chaca to chuckle.
"I'm 100% her biological child, Hanna. No need to be so tense about asking," Chaca replied.
"But how can your mother be so cold towards you? It seems so cruel," Nayla chimed in this time, prompting Chaca to exhale softly.
"Yeah, I'm my mom's biological kid, but I'm not my dad's," Chaca finally revealed, disclosing the story she had held close to her chest, a tale that weighed heavily on her heart. Now, she decided to share it with her two friends.
"Wha—" Nayla and Hanna were taken aback in unison.
"When Leona was three years old, mom took her to an amusement park, and that's when mom was assaulted by someone, resulting in her becoming pregnant. She suffered severe trauma from that violation, and then I was born. Mom grew to loathe her life even more, but dad always remained patient and accepted my mom, even when she rejected my existence. Dad was always there with open arms, bestowing upon me the genuine love he had," Chaca recounted, her revelation unwittingly bringing tears to Hanna and Nayla's eyes.
"Dad continued to stand by mom because of his deep love for her, and by the time I was about two years old, mom had started to recover from her depression. Yet again, she would take her anger out on me, her biological child. That's why I was always treated differently from Leona; despite us both being my mom's biological children, Leona had a clear status, and I was just the illegitimate one," Chaca said, laughing bitterly.
"Chaca," Nayla and Hanna immediately wrapped their arms around Chaca tightly. They never suspected that the always upbeat and tough Chaca had such a dark side. Sometimes a person has to pretend to be happy to cover up the pain they carry.
"Hey, why the tears, haha," Chaca laughed, though her own tears also began to fall.
"We're friends, Cha, forever. Whatever you feel, we'll always be here for you," Hanna promised sincerely, and Nayla nodded in agreement.
"Oh man, you guys make me miss Jenar. How's her honeymoon going?" Chaca shifted the conversation to prevent the mood from sinking again.
"Hey, why don't we do a video call?" suggested Hanna.
"NO!" Nayla and Chaca exclaimed in unison.
"Jeez, you two are so in sync," Hanna pouted.
"If we call her, we'll be interrupting the creation of Jenar vs. Arya Junior," joked Chaca, laughing.
"Oh right, Han, how did you end up at the restaurant when Chaca had her accident?" Nayla asked, genuinely curious about what led to Hanna and Arlan getting together.
"Ah, that's because, um," Hanna's cheeks turned pink at the memory of the romantic moments from the previous night at the restaurant before she could answer Nayla's question.
"He was on a date with Mr. Assistant," Chaca interjected casually, "Looks like someone is no longer single," she added.
"Really, Han?" Nayla asked excitedly, which Hanna confirmed with a bashful nod.
"Aw, look at you breaking the long-distance barrier, haha," Chaca said, elated, with Nayla joining in the cheer.
"When Jenar gets back, what do you say about the four of us going out to eat?" Nayla proposed.
"That sounds good, but when exactly is Jenar coming back?" Hanna pondered.
"Your boyfriend is Jenar's male assistant; why don't you just ask him?" Chaca said impatiently.
"Oh, why didn't I think of that?" Hanna laughed at her own oversight.
"Because you're slow, LOLA," Nayla teased.
"It's okay, at least I'm not SINGLE," Hanna shot back, emphasizing SINGLE, which made Nayla and Chaca click their tongues in mock disdain.
"Damn you, just because you're not single anymore, you think you can tease us," Nayla retorted, flinging orange peels at Hanna.
"Hahaha," Hanna could only laugh at Nayla's irritation.
Chaca felt incredibly happy now that she had three friends who were a constant presence in her life. Previously, Chaca seldom had friends, mainly because those who approached her did so only because she was Faris's child, leading Chaca to lose interest in friends who would only flatter her.
But Jenar's arrival was different for Chaca; her genuine, unpretentious nature, along with Hanna and Nayla, made Chaca feel fortunate and less alone.
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