The Substitute

about matchmaking.

"I'm sorry, Zar. I've been hiding this reality for years." said Aliyah.

They were sitting together after Zarima had shed all his longing for his child who had been buried all this time.

"Tell me everything Al...!"

Aliyah also began to tell the beginning of her meeting with the little boy who was brought by Hendri in the middle of the night.

"That night, Mas Hendri came to this house carrying a 1-year-old child. At that time I didn't know whose son he was and from where. He is still learning to walk. The first time I saw him, I fell in love with the boy. Mas Hendri allowed me to take care of him on one condition. I may think of him as my own son, but like Naura, Hendri's son with Maya, who was hiding his whereabouts, I must also hide the boy's whereabouts."

Aliyah wiped her tears. Sighing for a long breath, recalling the memories of his past.

"When I was going to bathe her, I found the locket, and I kept it, and from then on, I took care of Rangga like my own son. One day Rangga accident, when it was 14 years old. He's lost a lot of blood. That's when Mas Hendri told me that Rangga was your son. I was desperate when I saw Rangga's condition. Mas Hendri goes to every blood bank looking for blood that matches Rangga. Until someone offered to put an ad on the internet looking for blood donors."

Ozan then recalled a few years ago, he sneaked out of the house, and made the whole house panic looking for him. He headed to a hospital after reading an ad on the internet that a child needed the same blood type as his blood. At that time he asked the doctor to hide his identity as a donor.

Aliyah continued her story, "And a miracle happened, someone came to offer to become a donor for Rangga. At that moment I saw someone enter the doctor's room quietly. He asked the doctor to hide his identity. And when I saw him, I knew he was Ozan."

"I remember that time... Mama remember, I disappeared at night and just came back in the morning?" ask Ozan to Zarima.

"Yes, we were panicking at the time." Zarima recalled that her husband was so angry at all the security guards at his house who were not working so well that Ozan left without them knowing.

"After Rangga recovered, that's when I gave the pendant to him."

"But how did the locket get in Ameera's hands?" ask Zarima.

Rangga then remembered when they had school activities. "One day Ameera and I went to school in the open, I wanted to go rafting. I asked Ameera to keep the locket. But just then, Ameera somehow removed the piece. I told him he could only return the locket when it was in one piece."

Ozan recalled the day he had an accident, his car going into the ravine. Luckily his car got stuck in a big tree trunk, which is when a teenage girl came and saved him. He remembered how Ameera's wake had dragged her body away from the car.

"And on the same day, I was in an accident and it turned out that the person who helped me was Ameera. Somehow the piece of the locket was in my hand. Ramon gave it to me after I realized. I kept the piece of the locket for several years, until a few weeks ago, I saw Ameera crying looking at the pendant in her hand. That's when I found out that Ameera was the one who helped me in the accident. "

"You see for yourself Al, how fate has its own way of putting everything back in place. If it wasn't for that locket, I would probably still think my son Deniz was really dead."

It was finally revealed that night. Aliyah realized her mistake, she selfishly wanted to have Rangga alone.

"Deniz, come on, son, let's go back to our house. Mama will find the best doctor to cure you" said Zarima.

Rangga glanced at Aliyah. The woman can only cry. Resign if Rangga chooses to leave him.

"Sorry, Aunt... I can't go with Auntie. I still have to stay here."

Zarima cried hearing Rangga who kept calling him aunty.

"Deniz.

"Rangga, Auntie. My name is Rangga." Rangga let go of Zarima's hand which was on his shoulder, "Bang.. please bring the aunt home!!" pinta Rangga on Ozan.

"But, son.." said Zarima quietly,

"BANG!!" Rangga raised his voice calling Ozan. He turned his wheelchair and chose to go into a room.

Ozan then approached Zarima, "Come, Mah. We go home first, Deniz needs a break, Mama too..."

"But how's Deniz, Ozan...?" zarima asked, he started crying again.

"Well, Deniz might take some time to accept all this. Maybe Deniz needs time to talk to Aunt Aliyah. Let's go home first. Tomorrow we can come here again to see Deniz." said Ozan trying to calm his mother.

"Tante, sorry to interrupt, we're going home. Titip Deniz." said Ozan.

Ozan then embraces his mother, leaving the house. There was a sense of happiness as well as sadness in the middle-aged woman's heart. Happy because it turns out the youngest child is still alive, and sad because his son refuses to come with him.

Zarima tried to strengthen his heart, "Yes, Zan, Mama knows... Papa should be told about this."

"Well, can I ask you something? "

"What?"

"Why does Deniz have a locket and I don't?" ask Ozan.

Zarima was surprised to hear Ozan's question. He doubted whether to tell the truth about the locket or not. Because if the eldest child knew the history of the locket, maybe he would feel very guilty. However, he did not want to keep any more secrets.

"Mr...!" panggi Ozan, as if he was waiting for an answer from Zarima.

"Zan, let's find a place to talk first." pinta Zarima.

Ozan then looked for a cafe for them to talk to because Zarima did not want to talk about the matter at home.

"Ozan, forgive mom, it's hard to tell all this. But you need to know about this. The pendant was given by Ameera's mother to Deniz. Actually the one who was in a match with Ameera was not you, but Deniz. Ameera and Deniz were born at an adjacent time" Zarima said.

Ozan froze to hear his mother's words. His guilt grew bigger in his heart.

"So right, Mah... I've really separated Rangga and Ameera" Ozan said.

"Because we all thought Deniz died, so from then on, you replaced Deniz as Ameera's future husband. Forgive us, Ozan, for forcing you to get married."

"I have to tell you what Ameera and Deniz are, Mah. If they knew the truth, they would be sad. Do you know the feeling between Ameera and Deniz? Ameera even tried to run away and got down on her knees begging me to divorce her" Ozan said.

"It's all happened, Ozan. And have you and Ameera not accepted each other now?"

"Despite that, I'll still feel guilty, Mah... Deniz is gone because I didn't take good care of him."

"It's not your fault, son... We don't know how Hendri took Deniz away."

They dissolve in the conversation, and without feeling the day begins to dissolve. They also decided to go home soon. Not long after, they arrived home. Ameera who heard the sound of the car immediately stood up and opened the door.

"Darling, how come you haven't slept?" asked Ozan while he kissed Ameera's forehead.

"Can I sleep like this?"

"Yes, let's go in" Ozan asked.

They drove Zarima into his room, and Ameera saw Zarima so tired, and she brought him a glass of water.

"Mama, I'm sleeping here, yeah..."

"No need, son... You're on top of the same Ozan. Mama is okay." said Zarima.

Ameera looked at her paled mother-in-law's face, "But she looked pale."

Zarima smiled at Ameera, "Mama's okay, you rest, yeah..."

"Come, Yank... We go to the room, there's something I want to talk to you about." Ozan asked.

"So, is my mom really okay living alone?" Ameera asked once again trying to convince herself.

"It's okay, yank... Mama's fine."sahut Ozan.

They finally returned to their room. There's a lot Ozan wants to talk about with his wife. Zarima grabbed his phone and called Hasan.

**to be continue