Married Three Breeding Widow
The Eyes of a Perpetrator
Adji looked at the youngest child of Melisa with quivering pupils. What did he just say?
"Everything Bang Abi made, Pa," said Cetta, shaking in anger. "Everything is just acting. He wants to be a hero for Kak Juwita, let Kak Juwita care about him again."
Adji turned to Abhimanyu and inevitably the scenario sounded reasonable. It makes sense that this child who is not doing this silliness.
But ... what? He got that far? Adji has been judging her as a human being and she .. has she decided to stop being human?
"Jewith." Banyu pushed Abhimanyu, who was also covered in blood, down to Juwita's feet. "Lo still wants to buy him? Still see him as a baby? This baby lusts the same lo, tau lo trauma but even make it to make him become a hero alone. Still see him like a boy? Still looking like that?"
Juwita was pensive.
And when that happened, Abhimanyu who was also pensive now laughed. She grimaced holding onto her badly injured face but still laughed as if something was funny to her.
"Dog," she said. Tried to get up, ignoring the cold on his shirt thanks to the cold water from Juwita earlier. "So that turned out. So I'm actually an antagonist now."
"...."
"Fines. I'm antagonist. Now what? I went to jail? Or say kayak Ajeng first? Whatever, Pa, whatever."
Adji came forward, raised his hand to slap Abhimanyu. From his eyes, Adji was already looking very disappointed because he believed in Abhimanyu at least about family.
But before the slap came, Juwita held him back.
"Jewith!" Banyu growled in protest.
"Sorry," muttered Juwita, "but I don't believe."
"Because I'm so sure, why don't we talk about it?" Juwita looks at Adji. "You still want to believe in your son because you know, Mom? He's got a chance. Lots of opportunities to do it."
Abhimanyu and Juwita used to be so close that it was normal for them to embrace. Not infrequently also Abhimanyu stay at home alone watching Juwita and when Yunia was born, Juwita forbid Adji stay at home too long and prefer to be taken care of by Banyu and Abhimanyu only.
There were many opportunities Abhimanyu did something because of his love, his lust, but until this moment, to be honest, there was never anything he did. He's just screaming. He just pushed Juwita against the wall, repeatedly shouting that he loved Juwita and he was very much tormented by it. He screamed because he loved Juwita but did nothing to get it.
Isn't that why Adji still believes? Because his son who lost control of the ends is still in control even though at a fairly extreme limit.
"He told people to follow me?" Juwita pointed at Abhimanyu. "Him? This kid? Mas, when Lila was born, you cried but when Nia was born, Yunia was born, you were ordinary. But he, this is the child, this is your child, he cried even when I cried because of the birth of Yunia. He cried more for me than you. Do you believe this is a real kid being a criminal?"
Adji's like being slapped. So did Abhimanyu who did not expect even at a time like this Juwita still defended him.
Banyu shook his head over that sentence. "Lo is still a young brother, Juwi. Always was. Always that kayak. Always!"
"...."
"Abhimanyu was never wrong in your eyes. He's never been bad. Anyway whatever, whatever, Juwita, you will always find a gap to make him not wrong. You don't want to accept anything as bad as Abhimanyu. You choose to love her."
It might be. Maybe the fact is Juwita is just a favoritism to his stepson.
But Juwita believes in him. The eyes of this child, when Juwita was frightened, she looked even more frightened.
That's not a proper eye for the perpetrator, is it?
*