“Vio, where is Frans? Why hasn't he come to see you? Your pregnancy is getting further along. You two should start planning the wedding soon.”

Efelin spoke one morning as she watched her daughter prepare breakfast.

Several months had passed.

Without Viona realizing it, her belly had grown considerably. Although she still had no idea who the father of her unborn child was, she took good care of her pregnancy.

Whenever her mother asked about Frans, Viona always gave the same excuse.

He was busy working on a new business in another city.

That was the only explanation she had ever given.

“Call him now and tell him to come home soon. Let me talk to him myself!” Efelin insisted.

“Your baby might be born before you even get married!”

“I'll call him later. You don't have to worry, Mom. We've already made plans for the wedding.”

Viona smiled, hiding another lie behind her sweet expression.

She had no idea how much longer she could keep the truth from her mother.

How long could she pretend that she was still with Frans?

“All right, then. I'll wait for the exact wedding date. Don't let your baby arrive before the wedding.”

“I understand, Mom.”

Efelin smiled in satisfaction.

“I need to go out. There are a few things I have to buy. Do you want to come with me?”

“No, Mom. I'll stay home.”

“All right.”

The middle-aged woman left the house and headed toward the main road. She stopped a passing public minibus and climbed inside.

But as the vehicle moved through the city, Efelin suddenly caught sight of two familiar figures.

Her eyes widened.

Frans.

And Fera.

They were walking side by side, holding hands.

Then they entered a bridal boutique.

Efelin frowned.

Wasn't Frans supposed to be out of town?

Her eyes narrowed.

Or has that man been lying to my daughter?

“Stop here, please!”

Efelin immediately asked the driver to stop.

The moment the minibus pulled over, she paid the fare and hurried after them.

She had to find out what was really going on.

---

Inside the bridal boutique, Fera stood in front of a large mirror.

She was wearing a beautiful white, sleeveless wedding gown.

“Darling, what do you think of this one?”

She turned toward Frans with a sweet smile.

Frans looked at her from head to toe.

Before he could answer, a familiar voice suddenly interrupted them.

“Frans, when did you come back from out of town?”

The couple turned around.

Efelin stood there, staring at them.

Frans frowned.

“Out of town?”

He looked genuinely confused.

“I haven't been out of town, Auntie.”

“For the past few months, I've been busy preparing for my wedding with Fera.”

Efelin's face stiffened.

“Preparing for your wedding?”

She looked at him in disbelief.

“But Viona told me you were away for work.”

Her voice became increasingly worried.

“Viona is pregnant, Frans. Why haven't you been paying attention to her?”

Fera stepped forward.

“Auntie, I think there's been a misunderstanding.”

She gave Efelin a sympathetic look.

“Frans has never gone out of town.”

Then she paused.

“And about Viona…”

Fera glanced at Frans before looking back at Efelin.

“Didn't she tell you?”

Efelin's eyebrows knitted together.

“You… why are you interfering?”

Then her eyes moved between the two of them.

“Wait. Why are you here with Frans?”

Her expression became suspicious.

“Fera, you're Viona's best friend. What are you two doing here?”

She glanced at the wedding gown Fera was wearing.

“Are you helping Viona choose her wedding dress?”

Fera stared at her for a moment.

Then she laughed.

“This?”

She touched the fabric of the gown.

“This is my wedding dress.”

Efelin froze.

“I'll be marrying Frans.”

“What?”

Efelin's face went pale.

“But Viona is pregnant! She's supposed to marry Frans soon!”

Her voice trembled with anger.

“Are you two betraying my daughter?”

“Who betrayed whom, Auntie?”

Frans's jaw tightened.

“Don't you know what Viona did to me?”

His eyes darkened as memories of that night resurfaced.

“She was the one who betrayed me.”

His voice was filled with bitterness.

“She even got pregnant with another man's child!”

Efelin stared at him in shock.

“What are you talking about?”

Frans clenched his fists.

“Viona cheated on me.”

He looked away, his expression hardening.

“That's why I ended our relationship.”

Then he glanced at Efelin.

“And honestly, I don't know why I still call you Auntie.”

His words were filled with resentment.

“What does that mean, Frans?”

Efelin's eyes widened.

She refused to believe him so easily.

Fera stepped closer.

“Auntie, perhaps Viona was too ashamed to tell you herself.”

She lowered her voice, pretending to feel sorry for Efelin.

“The baby she's carrying isn't Frans's.”

Efelin's breathing became uneven.

“She cheated on him. That's why Frans broke up with her.”

Fera gently intertwined her fingers with Frans's.

“And we're getting married soon.”

She looked directly at Efelin.

“So I hope you and Viona won't bother Frans anymore.”

Her expression became sorrowful.

“Viona has already destroyed the trust Frans had in her.”

“What?”

Efelin felt as though the ground beneath her had disappeared.

“This can't be true.”

She shook her head.

“There must be some kind of misunderstanding.”

“That's the truth.”

Frans pulled Fera closer.

“If you don't believe me, ask Viona yourself.”

Without another word, he took Fera's hand and walked away.

He was tired of everything—and everyone—connected to Viona.

His former girlfriend.

The woman he believed had betrayed him.

Efelin remained frozen in place.

Her entire body felt weak.

She still couldn't completely believe what she had just heard.

But what if Frans was telling the truth?

Then…

Whose child was Viona carrying?

“Oh, God…”

Efelin stumbled toward a long bench in the waiting area and sat down.

Her hands trembled.

“How could this happen?”

She lowered her head, trying to process everything.

“Dear God…”

---

Meanwhile, Viona was lying comfortably on her bed, scrolling through social media.

Recently, she had become strangely interested in the entertainment industry.

She spent hours reading celebrity gossip, following actors, and searching for information about upcoming auditions.

She had even collected several casting announcements for movies and advertisements.

After giving birth, she planned to audition.

She had already made up her mind.

A notification suddenly appeared at the top of her screen.

A message from an unknown number.

Viona frowned.

She didn't recognize the number.

Curiosity got the better of her, and she opened the message.

Hi, Vio. How are you? I hope you and your baby are doing well.

Oh, by the way, here's your wedding invitation.

Viona's eyebrows drew together.

Wedding invitation?

A few seconds later, another message arrived.

It contained a link.

Viona hesitated for a moment before opening it.

Her eyes widened.

The page displayed a wedding invitation.

Frans & Fera.

Their wedding was scheduled for the twenty-ninth of this month.

Only two weeks away.

Viona stared at the screen in disbelief.

Frans is marrying Fera?

Why had he decided to marry her so quickly?

She had been with Frans for years.

Years.

Yet he had never once seriously talked about marriage.

And now…

He was getting married to Fera after only a few months.

Viona's vision blurred.

She didn't even realize when tears began streaming down her cheeks.

Her chest tightened painfully.

She took several deep breaths, trying to calm herself.

She had to let him go.

She had to accept that everything was over.

But it was easier said than done.

This news had shattered something inside her.

“Vio!”

A loud knock suddenly came from outside.

“Vio, open the door!”

Viona blinked.

She quickly wiped the tears from her cheeks before getting up and opening the door.

“Mom? Why are you home so early?”

She glanced behind Efelin.

“Where's the shopping?”

Her mother had returned empty-handed.

Efelin stepped inside.

“I met Frans.”

Viona froze.

“Why did you tell me he was out of town?”

Her mother's voice was filled with questions.

“What's really going on between the two of you?”

“Ah… that…”

Viona swallowed.

“Maybe Frans came home without telling me.”

She forced a smile.

“You know how it is in those movies, Mom. Sometimes couples surprise each other by suddenly coming home.”

Efelin stared at her.

“Stop making excuses, Vio.”

Her voice became firm.

“Tell me what happened between you and Frans.”

Viona lowered her eyes.

“Why is he marrying Fera?”

Viona's heart pounded.

“Mom…”

She looked up in shock.

“You already know?”

“What else are you hiding from me?”

Efelin's voice trembled.

“Tell me the truth!”

Her eyes moved toward Viona's swollen belly.

“Whose child is that?”

Viona's lips parted.

“Who actually betrayed whom?”

Efelin's voice broke.

“You or Frans?”

“Mom, I…”

Viona's eyes filled with tears.

“I… I can explain.”

And finally, she told her mother everything.

She told her about that night.

About drinking with Fera.

About the missing pieces of her memory.

About the mysterious man in the photograph.

And about waking up without knowing what had happened to her.

She told her mother everything she had kept hidden for months.

Efelin didn't interrupt even once.

She simply listened.

Every detail.

Every painful memory.

Every question that still had no answer.

Viona's tears continued to fall as she spoke.

Even now, she still had no idea who the man was.

She didn't know who had been with her that night.

And she certainly didn't know how she had become pregnant.

“Oh, my poor child…”

Efelin pulled her daughter into a tight embrace.

Whatever had happened, Viona was still her daughter.

Her only child.

And Efelin couldn't forgive herself for not realizing how much she had been suffering.

“You don't have to worry anymore.”

She gently stroked Viona's long hair.

“You'll be okay.”

“If we have to, we'll leave this place.”

Efelin tightened her arms around her daughter.

“Even if your baby is born without a father, I'll make sure they never grow up without love.”

Two days later, Efelin had packed everything.

She was determined to take Viona away from the city.

She couldn't stand the thought of her daughter being subjected to endless gossip from the neighbors.

Almost everyone in the neighborhood had already assumed the worst about Viona.

Some even called her a prostitute because no one knew who the father of her baby was.

They knew Frans had left her.

They knew he was marrying Fera.

Viona's reputation had been destroyed.

Efelin didn't want her daughter to suffer under the weight of people's cruel words.

So she decided to take Viona somewhere far away.

Somewhere no one knew their story.

They would start over.

“Mom, I'm fine.”

Viona watched her mother close the suitcase.

“You don't have to leave.”

She gently placed her hand over Efelin's.

“Didn't you always say you love this house?”

Viona looked around.

“You said this house holds so many memories of Dad.”

Efelin paused.

She knew exactly what Viona meant.

They had lived in this house for decades.

After Viona's father died, Efelin had treated the house as one of the most precious things her husband had left behind.

It wasn't just a building.

It was a piece of her life.

“This is for your future and my grandchild's future.”

Efelin closed the suitcase firmly.

“Don't worry about anything else.”

She stood up.

“Come on.”

“But where are we going?”

Viona still looked uncertain.

“To your great-grandmother's village.”

Efelin grabbed the suitcase.

She had already rented a car with a driver to take them there.

“Come on, Vio. What are you waiting for?”

Efelin looked back.

Viona was still standing there.

“All right.”

With heavy steps, Viona followed her mother.

---

The journey went smoothly.

Soon, the city disappeared behind them.

Viona lowered the car window and breathed in the fresh countryside air.

The scenery had completely changed.

Large trees lined both sides of the increasingly narrow road.

The road was barely wide enough for one car.

Soon, the vehicle entered a dense teak forest.

The village they were heading toward lay somewhere beyond it.

Viona gazed outside.

Something about the forest felt strangely familiar.

Then—

“Ah!”

She suddenly grabbed her head.

Pain shot through her temples.

Several fragmented images flashed through her mind.

A dark forest.

Cold air.

The roaring sound of a waterfall.

An ancient castle.

Tiny fireflies floating in the darkness.

And then…

A figure.

Someone was holding her.

Viona tried to see the person's face.

But it was impossible.

The image was too blurred.

“Vio?”

Efelin immediately panicked.

“What happened?”

She placed the back of her hand against her daughter's forehead.

Viona winced.

Her head was spinning.

Her vision blurred.

“I…”

Before she could finish, her body lost its strength.

She collapsed into her mother's arms.

“Vio! Wake up!”

Efelin frantically patted her daughter's cheeks.

“Vio, open your eyes!”

Her skin felt unusually hot.

“Sir, do you have any bottled water?”

Efelin turned toward the driver.

“Yes, Ma'am.”

The driver handed her a bottle with his left hand while keeping his right hand firmly on the steering wheel.

“Should we stop for a while?”

Efelin looked at her unconscious daughter.

“No.”

Her voice was firm.

“Keep driving.”

The car continued deeper into the forest.

Neither Efelin nor Viona realized that the place they were heading toward was not simply a village.

It was the place where Viona's forgotten memories had begun.

And somewhere beyond those trees…

Someone was waiting for her.cheeks.