Chapter 3 Three

No matter how hard Ika tried to thwart the DNA test between her son and Al Fatih, Dania's mind was made up. She had to accept Sarifa's challenge to prove everything. Even now, Liam was on his way to Bayangkara Hospital after Dania informed him of the plan to conduct the DNA test.

"You really don't want to hear what your mother-in-law says, Dania? How could you believe what that strange woman said instead of your own mother-in-law?" Ika continued to pepper Dania with questions. She hoped that Dania would feel guilty and cancel her plans.

But with a clever smile, Dania replied, "Of course I trust you more than that woman. I deliberately agreed to her challenge so that when she saw the results of the DNA test, she would be ashamed that her baby wasn't Liam's."

Hearing Dania's confession, Ika forced a smile. Her forehead was furrowed, as if she was thinking hard to find a way out.

Meanwhile, Dania was struggling more and more with her own thoughts. The strange behavior of her mother-in-law, who looked very worried when Dania agreed to take a DNA test, made her even more certain that there was something wrong that her mother-in-law was hiding.

"How are you, dear?" Upon arriving at Bayangkara Hospital, Liam rushed into the lab where Dania was waiting for him. The handsome, burly man immediately approached his wife, who was being crushed by Arkam and Hani, the parents of the late Ulya Basman - Dania's mother.

"I'm scared," Dania said softly. "This is the hospital where my father was pronounced dead. Coming to this hospital will only make me think of him." Dania said.

Liam patted his wife's head and smiled. "I'm going to the lab first to drop off the samples. You wait here for a while." The man turned to Sarifa, who also looked at him with a look as if she was holding back a wound.

Liam motioned for the woman to take her son to the lab. "You trust me, right? I promise you the results of this DNA test won't disappoint you, honey." Liam told Dania before walking away with Sarifa in tow.

"If the DNA test results prove that Al Fatih is not Liam's son, you must promise to stay away from my family!" Dania snapped as Sarifa walked past her.

The dull, black-faced woman turned her head toward Dania as her ears heard the beautiful woman's clear words addressed to her. "I promise, Mrs. Dania." She said solemnly. "However, if the results of the DNA test prove that Al Fatih is indeed Liam's son, then I ask you to stop preventing me from obtaining my rights as a wife."

Dania nodded briefly in agreement. It was a nightmare she had never imagined, that in this pregnant state Dania would be visited by a strange woman claiming to be her husband's wife.

Without anyone's knowledge, Dania had secretly taken hair samples from Liam and Al Fatih and stored them in a bag. Dania was determined to take her own DNA test at another hospital without anyone knowing! Dania felt very uneasy in her heart and this was the only way to calm her down.

***

It's been two weeks since Liam and Al Fatih had their DNA tests done. Today they were all back at Bayangkara Hospital to see the results of the test, as the hospital had announced that the results would be released today.

However, unlike their first arrival, which was attended only by close family members, their second arrival at Bayangkara Hospital was filled with journalists who wanted to cover the story. Don't know where they got the information about Liam's domestic affairs as one of Tsurayya's mayoral candidates.

The hospital was overwhelmed to block them. As a result, the journalists were allowed to enter on the condition that they not make a scene. After all, they had to respect the sick patients.

"How are the test results, Mr. Liam?" A reporter asked politely.

"Our honorable family never speaks without evidence! So please take a look at the results yourself and share them with the public!" Liam said as he handed the paper with Liam and Al Fatih's DNA test results to a journalist standing in front of him.

Suddenly, the reporters scrambled to take pictures of the paper. "The result is no match!" One of the reporters said as he read the paper with the test results.

"Yes, it's not a match!" said another.

Ika and Liam smiled with satisfaction, but Sarifa and Asy'ari were shocked when they heard the reporters' confessions after reading Liam and Al Fatih's DNA test results.

"No way!" Sarifa denied as she shook her head several times in disbelief. She turned to Asy'ari with a pained expression. "By God, Mr. Asy'ari, I never committed adultery. I only had a sex with Liam. Liam is my husband. You performed our marriage yourself."

"How can you swear like that when the DNA test results are 99% accurate!" A journalist interrupted her. Now Sarifa's face was not spared by the camera.

As if sensing his mother's sadness, Al Fatih, who had been sleeping, immediately woke up and cried loudly. Seeing this, Sarifa felt even worse. She knew her baby was hungry, but she couldn't give him milk because his milk wasn't coming out normally. Sarifa often went hungry because she didn't have money to buy food, so her breasts couldn't produce milk properly.

"Liam." Sarifa called softly, wanting to complain to the man she called her husband. "Why do you have the heart to slander me like this? Your child is starving, needs milk, but my milk won't come out. Don't you feel sorry for us?"

Sarifa's words made Ika very angry. "You despicable beggar! You'll see, Sarifa! I'll sue you for slander and spreading false news!" Ika lashed out mercilessly, even though she knew that the little boy Sarifa was carrying still desperately needed his mother.

***

"Excuse me." Dania greeted one of the nurses sitting on the administrative bench at Husada Hospital.

"Mrs. Dania?" The nurse was immediately surprised to see the daughter of the famous Basman family standing before her. "Would you like to take the results?" She asked in a soft voice.

It was not for nothing that she acted that way. It was because Dania had told all the nurses involved in this test to keep it a secret from everyone.

Dania nodded her head with a smile. "Yes." She said. Then the nurse reached into her own bag and took out a piece of paper from inside the batik-patterned bag.

"Here, Mrs. Dania." She said, politely handing the paper to Dania. "This test result is 99.99% accurate!"

Dania thanked her. Then she hurried to sit down in one of the chairs, while Arkam, Hani and Nailah, her late father's younger sibling, followed Dania. Dania touched her own breast, very worried about the results. Was it the same as the test results from Bayangkara Hospital, or was it different?

"In the name of God." Dania said as she slowly exhaled to calm herself. Instantly, Dania's body jerked, her tiny lips parted, and her eyes bulged. Completely silent after reading the contents. "The results match!" She said in a choked voice, so shocked by the new facts she saw.