The next morning, Wulan was feeling much better, although her head still felt heavy from the bandage wrapped around her temple. She sat propped up in the hospital bed, staring at the phone Lina had lent her—her own phone was still in the cleaner's changing room.
"Sri, are you sure you want to call him now?" Lina asked worriedly as she handed over her phone. "You're still weak. Don't let your emotions make your condition worse."
"I have to, Lina. Adrian needs to know what really happened," Wulan replied firmly, even though her hand trembled slightly as she dialed the number she knew by heart.
The phone rang twice before someone finally answered.
"Hello? Who is this?" Adrian's voice came from the other end, sounding slightly puzzled by the unfamiliar number calling him.
"Adrian, it's Mom."
"Mom?! You're in Indonesia? Why are you calling from a different number?" Adrian sounded both shocked and happy. "When did you get here? Why didn't you tell me yesterday?"
Wulan let out a long breath, trying to choose her words carefully. "Adrian, listen to me first. This is important."
"What's wrong, Mom? Why do you sound so weak?"
"I arrived in Jakarta yesterday. But I deliberately disguised myself as a cleaner at the office so I could see Bella's true character for myself."
There was a brief silence on the other end of the phone. "Disguised yourself? Mom, what are you talking about? Why would you do something like that?"
"Because I wanted to know what your fiancée is really like, Adrian. And what I saw... was deeply disappointing."
"Mom, please don't start making assumptions like that. You barely know Bella," Adrian said, growing defensive.
"That's exactly why I went undercover—so I could see how she really acted without her knowing who I was," Wulan explained, her voice trembling as she held back her emotions. "Adrian, Bella insulted me, shoved me to the ground, and even accused me of stealing her car keys."
"What?! That can't be true, Mom. Bella isn't like that," Adrian immediately protested.
"Adrian, I saw it myself. I'm in the hospital because she shoved me and I hit my head," Wulan insisted, tears beginning to flow.
"The hospital?! How did it get that bad?"
"Bella shoved me, Adrian. Then she just ran away, not caring that I had passed out and was bleeding. Luckily, Lina, my coworker, found me, helped me, and brought me here."
"Mom, I... I can't believe Bella could do something like that." Adrian sounded confused, yet he stubbornly clung to his faith in Bella. "Maybe this was a misunderstanding. Bella's a good person. She's always been caring toward me."
"Adrian, I would never lie about something like this. I'm your mother—why do you believe Bella over me?" Wulan was beginning to lose her patience, and her voice rose.
"That's not what I mean, Mom. But... are you sure this wasn't a misunderstanding? Maybe Bella was upset about something else and took it out on you," Adrian said, trying to find an excuse for her.
"Adrian, she shoved me until I passed out! This isn't some simple misunderstanding!" Wulan could no longer hold back her anger. "Why are you so blind to your own fiancée's true nature?"
"Mom, please don't talk about Bella like that." Adrian was beginning to sound irritated too. "I know you must be exhausted after such a long trip. Maybe you saw it wrong, or—"
"I did not see it wrong, Adrian!" Wulan cut him off firmly. "I saw for myself how arrogant and abusive she was toward the people at the bottom of the office hierarchy. It wasn't just me—it was Lina too, and probably many others."
"Mom, come on. Bella graduated from a prestigious university, and she comes from a good family. There's no way she'd be that rude," Adrian insisted.
"A person's educational background doesn't guarantee a kind heart, Adrian." Wulan sighed wearily. "I just want you to be careful. I'm afraid you'll be fooled by her outward appearance."
"You've never really gotten to know Bella. How can you judge her so quickly?" Adrian was beginning to sound frustrated.
"That's exactly why I went undercover, Adrian! So I could see her true nature, not the sweet mask she shows you!"
"Mom, I think you're overreacting to this." Adrian let out a long sigh. "I'm sure it was just a minor misunderstanding. I'll ask Bella about it calmly later."
"Adrian, I'm serious. Please believe me just this once," Wulan pleaded, her voice full of desperation.
"I believe you, Mom, but I believe Bella too. Maybe there's something else you don't know about," Adrian replied, still not fully convinced by his mother's story.
Wulan closed her eyes, her chest tight with deep disappointment. "All right, Adrian. If you can't believe me right now, I won't force you. But remember what I'm telling you—sooner or later, you'll see for yourself who Bella really is."
"Mom..."
"Get some rest now. I need to rest too," Wulan cut him off, ending the call before her tears could truly spill in front of Lina, who sat anxiously beside her.
"Sri, are you okay?" Lina asked gently when she saw how devastated Wulan looked.
"My own son doesn't believe me, Lina," Wulan whispered, tears finally spilling down her cheeks. "He'd rather defend Bella than listen to the truth from his own mother."
"Sri..." Lina squeezed Wulan's hand tightly, trying to offer her some comfort. "Maybe Mr. Adrian just needs time. Love can make people temporarily blind."
"I'm scared, Lina." Wulan looked at the girl in front of her with tear-filled eyes. "I'm afraid that blindness will lead my son to ruin, and I won't be able to do anything to stop it."
"You can, Sri. You've already proven how brave you are," Lina said with an encouraging smile. "Sooner or later, the truth will come out. I'm sure of it."
Wulan nodded slowly and wiped away her tears. In her heart, her resolve only grew stronger—if words alone weren't enough to open Adrian's eyes, then she would have to gather real evidence by any means necessary, to save her son from the abyss of ruin already looming before him.