Nicky invited them to go back to his house. Along the way, Amelia chose to simply enjoy her life. Every breath she took felt like a new kind of freedom she had never truly felt before.
Amelia still remembered her argument with Nilam. She kept wondering if there was something wrong with herself. Her head was noisy, like a radio trying to catch too many frequencies at once.
"Tired?" Brenda said softly as she deliberately sat in the back seat with Amelia.
"Not really, Auntie," Amelia replied with a small smile.
"Could you move to Singapore?" Brenda asked gently.
"She can't move that quickly. She has to wait for Bima's SOP," Nicky answered, already feeling reluctant to deal with Bima when it came to work matters.
Brenda nodded in understanding. She would discuss it again later at home. Amelia returned to her quiet, thoughtful mode.
The trip from the airport to Nicky's house was not very long. He had deliberately chosen a place in a strategic area so that he would not be inconvenienced and could save time.
When they arrived at Nicky's house, Amelia smiled widely. She looked around and saw that nothing had changed. She noticed the garden decorated with white roses.
"White roses, huh?" Amelia teased.
"Usually?" Nicky stepped closer to Brenda and Amelia.
"Red roses," Amelia replied.
"You still remember the details of this house?" Brenda praised Amelia's memory.
Amelia smiled shyly and lowered her head. She often spent her holidays here, even though she never told Nilam about it.
"Yes, Auntie." Amelia stepped closer to the roses.
She touched one of the flowers, but her hand was pricked by a thorn when she held the stem. She looked at her bleeding finger and smiled, then gently sucked the blood.
"Such a beautiful flower, but it can hurt people," Amelia said while lifting her face to look at Brenda.
"It's the same with women. Women are beautiful, but they can hurt," Brenda added.
"Not all of them," Nicky said, deliberately leaving the two of them in the garden.
"What do you mean?" Brenda called out toward Nicky.
Nicky smiled sweetly and stopped walking. He knew his wife was suddenly feeling jealous. He turned to look at her.
"You're that woman," he replied with a smile.
Nicky then went inside the house. He did not actually want to make her jealous. He only wanted to state a simple truth: not all beautiful women are bad.
Amelia smiled when she saw how well they got along. If only she could find the right partner, she would probably cherish him deeply. Amelia was like a guardian angel sometimes firm, sometimes gentle.
But in her own home, Amelia was often underestimated. Insulted without reason.
Looked down on by Nilam and her two older siblings. She chose to give in so things would not turn into conflict.
"How is it at home?" Brenda approached and held Amelia's hand.
"They call it peaceful, but it doesn't feel peaceful to me. They call it a home, but it doesn't feel like a safe heaven," Amelia replied.
"Come inside." Brenda led Amelia into the house.
"I'm sorry, Auntie. I didn't bring any gifts. I came so suddenly because of an assignment from Mr. Bima," Amelia said.
They left the yard and entered the house, where they saw Gustavo and John happily playing. They were still toddlers, the twin sons of Nicky and Brenda.
Amelia was surprised to see her little cousins already walking. She smiled and watched them scribbling in their books. But she decided to clean herself first before joining them.
"Auntie, I want to take a shower first. Later I'll play with them," Amelia asked for Brenda's permission.
Amelia then left them and went straight to her room. Her eyes scanned every corner. Truly, nothing in this house had changed.
When she entered her room, Amelia felt overwhelmed with happiness. She felt a peace that could not be bought with money. She yawned and decided to take a short nap.
She slept peacefully. The mattress felt soft beneath her. Her body felt comfortable, and even her breathing became smooth without fear.
"Where is Amelia?" Nicky came while carrying a glass.
"She said she was going to take a shower," Brenda answered while watching her children play.
Nicky placed the glass on the table and sat beside Brenda. Suddenly he felt sad seeing how much thinner Amelia had become.
"What if Amelia stays here?" Brenda asked Nicky for permission so Amelia could live in their house.
"And what about Bima?" Nicky asked while looking at Brenda.
"There's Rey," Brenda replied, unaware of how much the headquarters had changed.
Nicky had forgotten to explain everything. The Jakarta headquarters had indeed changed. If Rey had not been moved to the underground world, Amelia might have been able to come here.
"Rey has been moved to the underground world. Bima did it because Rey will handle everything related to weapons being sent in and out to various regions," Nicky explained.
"But Amelia is suffering there," Brenda protested.
"Yes, I know. The house controlled by Nilam is actually Veronica's house. It was intentionally given by Amelia," Nicky said.
"Does Amelia have the house documents?"
Brenda suddenly became very worried about the property papers. She felt that Nilam would try to find them. She hoped the documents were safe.
"Don't worry. The documents are at the Red Dragon headquarters. No one, including Nilam, can get them. I've also insured them. If the headquarters ever burns down, they can be reissued," Nicky explained.
Brenda exhaled in relief. She knew Nilam could do something reckless. Ever since she learned who Nilam really was, Brenda had become worried about Amelia.
"We haven't even been married for ten years, but you're this worried about Amelia," Nicky said.
"Amelia is a good girl. She is always the victim of their oppression. Sometimes I want to kidnap Nilam and lock her underground. That's where I'd like to torture her," Brenda continued softly.
Nicky sensed something strange in Brenda's thoughts. In his heart, he admitted defeat. He raised his hands and chose not to interfere.
"When the strongest race on Earth descends, even men like us including Bima, the ruthless mafia boss end up surrendering," Nicky complained.
"As you should," Brenda teased.
Brenda smiled at Nicky's resignation. Sometimes, a woman's voice truly needed to be heard. They did not need validation, but men had to sort things out. If they were wrong, they had to explain.
That was Brenda: not stubborn, but firm and dignified.
Three hours passed before Nicky and Brenda suddenly realized they had forgotten something. They looked at each other and gasped.
"Amelia!" they shouted as they rubbed their faces.
They rushed toward Amelia's room. Nicky told Brenda to open the door first.
"Open it," Nicky urged.
Brenda opened the door and went inside. She immediately looked for Amelia. There she was, sleeping peacefully on the bed.
Nicky stepped in and looked at her. He smiled, feeling a deep sense of calm. He gently led Brenda out so they would not disturb Amelia's sleep.
"What should we cook this afternoon?" Nicky asked seriously.