HEART
Sabilla Princess Nugraha

Sophia could never sleep well after her encounter with the woman who bore the surname Heartfillia. Who he knew as the lover of his own son.

All Heartfillia eyes are the same. But his sharp gaze and manner of speaking reminded him of someone. Mike Heartfillia, his first love since high school.

Sophia realized that her family was never as harmonious as her neighbors and children. She behaves as a good, obedient and perfect mother. The clan's self-esteem demands him to cover up all his foul behavior during the household.

She remembered that day, a few weeks before her husband left this world.

She found a white envelope, containing a letter stating that her husband had heart disease.

Sophia was both angry and sad. Even she who always kept the tone of speech to keep it sounding smooth even snapped at her husband with tears that had flowed on both cheeks. Lucky because the wealth they have allows them to build soundproofed rooms. At least, his children won't know.

"Since when?! Why are you hiding all this from me?!"

What she vividly remembered at the time was her husband's calm voice and the cold gaze that made Adam always think that his father had never loved his mother.

"Why are you angry? Isn't this the same as you hiding your relationship with her from me?"

Even now the word still haunts his night. Sophia knew she could not be forgiven, but she was truly sorry to learn that Mike and his wife had committed suicide. And her husband still accepted her even though her gaze was never as warm as when they said the wedding vows.

Her husband loved her very much, his indifference all this time was clearly due to his mistake. He destroyed his own marriage.

Adam once insinuated the treatment of his father who sometimes missed indifference to Sophia. Like when the man chose to stay at the office rather than go home and let his mother's dinner wasted.

But that's because he doesn't know, that his father is just a victim of his mother's betrayal along with love from the past.

If Psyche was Mike's daughter, would she have known everything? The look and gesture of the woman's body...

He knows something.

"Mother daydreaming?"

The clap on her shoulder made Sophia gasp. Adam stood next to her after work that still looked neat.

"Home home? Do you need to warm up dinner?"

Adam shakes. "I've eaten with Psyche."

Sophia never again smelled alcohol from Adam's body or saw Miranda tailing behind him after Psyche came to their house.

Just as he can't resist Mike's charm, does Adam feel the same way about Psyche?

"It looks like mom's son really likes Psyche."

Adam's steps stopped before he could touch the first ladder. His head turned back, finding Sophia smiling faintly at him.

"Psyche is insubordinate and unruly" Adam said. "But when he's away from me, there's something more upsetting than all his attitude."

Sophia understands. He had experienced it, falling in love with someone sometimes can not be explained with reason. But Sophia knew her son. Adam is not easy to fall in love, Adam is not easy to trust someone. Especially lowering his head for a woman.

"You serious about him, Adam?"

Adam knew his mother never interfered in his affairs. Never forced him to get in touch with someone he chose—like the son of the higher-ups who are often betrothed.

But this time the woman seemed to be paying more attention. Either because you feel lonely and start wanting grandchildren, or because there is something interesting about Psyche.

Adam melengos, preferring a row of stairs rather than serving his mother's gaze. "I don't know" he said half in a whisper.

Sophia sighed while nodding softly. "Then rest."

Adam glanced back at him for a while before his feet passed the rows of stairs and left his faithful mother sitting on one of the sofas.

After making sure Adam was out of sight, Sophia seemed to reach for the phone located on the table. Pressing some numbers, then sticking the object to his left ear.

"Take me to that woman's place, right now."

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Psyche almost turned off her room lights when the apartment bell rang. With a nightgown that bears witness to a love statement—tak—directfrom Adam, she walks towards the door. After previously taking a cardigan to cover her exposed shoulders.

As expected, it wasn't Adam or Leon visiting.

Sophia was still able to display her smile when Psyche opened the door with a flat expression.

"Sorry to interrupt before," The woman never forgot the manners in her every utterance, "But, can we talk for a moment?"

Psyche knew tonight she might not sleep, but she felt she needed to see what Sophia was going to do.

He was sure the woman had noticed it.

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His phone rang several times as Adam came out of the bathroom in a black robe that wrapped around his body. While revealing his half-wet hair, he grabbed a square object located on top of the bed.

Somehow his heart was a little disappointed to find the name Jacob that appeared on his phone screen—not the name of someone he was thinking about right now.

"What have you done to him, Adam? He called me but kept making fun of you."

There was a picture of Miranda lying on her stomach on a table with a few bottles of alcohol that she knew contained. The woman was at the bar, Adam believes after seeing the background on the woman's body.

The man sighed. Never thought that things would get complicated like this. Miranda is still a woman. And he chose to pretend to be stupid with his feelings all along. Nothing else to be with him.

But his heart refused, despite his wits voicing that Miranda deserved his attention more.

A send?

Yes.

After sending that short message, Adam instead lost interest in immediately lying down and resting his tired body.

His steps led him downstairs, to the kitchen, picking out a glass and pouring some of his mother's wine.

By the way his mother's problem, did Adam need to take the woman for a little drink? It seemed like there was something Sophia was thinking about lately. He's become more dreamy.

It just so happened that Sophia's room was located downstairs, so Adam did not have to climb the stairs to find the tightly locked white-painted wooden door.

The knob turned slowly and miraculously this time the door was unlocked.

Adam frowned, after his steps were taken deeper, he only realized that Sophia was not there.

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"Do you really love my son?"

They sit across. Staring straight at each other with different expressions.

In Psyche's point of view, Shopia would maintain his pride as an upper class by closing his legs and sitting upright as if he would not be swayed by a storm.

And he could understand where Adam got his fight. Most of it was from his mother.

"I'm sure you came all the way here not just to ask that question, right?"

Sophia blinked, she could see Mike in Psyche. Their expressions are very similar.

"What exactly are you planning?"

Psyche smiled little. Sophia was braver than she thought.

"What do you mean, Madam?"

Sophia's face that looked very calm turned into a panic that tried to cover it up.

Psyche enjoyed it. She is currently one room with the person who caused her mother to be depressed, after her son almost made her depressed as well.

"Not to pretend anymore, Psyche." His tone sounded resolute without the manners he desperately guarded. "We all know, you're Mike Heartfillia's daughter."

Psyche's smile became wider. Finally the woman mentioned her father's name as well.

"It seems you know my father very well" Psyche tilted her head slightly and looked at Sophia with a smile that never escaped her lips.

"Psyche—"

"You don't have to explain anything to me." His smile then faded, "I understand you're only worried about your son."

Sophia gulped, "If you approach my son for any other purpose, I'm sorry, I can't keep quiet."

Psyche chuckles. Come on, who knows if Adam was the son of the woman who had destroyed his mother's household?

Can he choose to put his heart on someone? If he could, he would have chosen Leon as the man he would have loved.

It wasn't Adam who had emotions like a time bomb that could explode at any moment. It was not Adam who had such high self-esteem as skyscrapers. Nor was Adam born from the woman's womb.

But deep in his heart he also cursed his father's treatment. Perhaps her late husband would also accuse Mikd of being the destroyer of his household.

Psyche can't blame the feelings they have, but the path they take is completely unjustified.

"You're too quick to draw conclusions, ma'am." Psyche said then. Trying to regain consciousness even though the pain began to radiate into the chest. "You're afraid your son is hurt because of me? Or are you afraid that your son is hurt by sins in your past?"

Sophia turned her face. His eyes were red and his jaw was hardened.

Psyche smiled cynically, "Just calm down, I won't let Adam know about this." He turned his face. Sophia was, after all, the same woman as him. He could not curse the woman as much as he could not curse his own father.

"You don't know anything Psyche. How was our complicated relationship in the past—"

"I don't really care!" Psyche cuts quickly. The wound was now visible in both of his eyes, "If I am able to erase all those bad memories then I will erase them."

A drop of tears flowed down Sophia's cheek. "I.forgive me."

Payche nibbled his lips. She recalled how her mother cried alone in the room every night. How he himself felt the same for Adam.

Is this karma for his father's mistakes? Everything that happened seemed to be neatly patterned.

He desperately forgives the past that has taken all that is precious from his life. Then as he grew up, he was faced with something as heavy.

"I think it's enough, after all it's night." Psyche moved from the chair to walk towards the door. "Please, Madam."

Sophia closed her eyes for a moment. There was still a lot he wanted to convey, but both of them knew, it would only dig a deep wound.

He walked where Psyche stood. The moment the woman opened the door, unexpectedly someone had been standing outside.

"What are you doing here?"

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"Despite the many wounds I have received, for some reason my heart has always cried out your name."