I Am Not A Poor Daddy

3

"Who is Rich Daddy, Dinda? I am your only father!" Sebastian's voice trembled, trying to hold back his burning anger. But the words came out louder than he intended.

 Dinda frowned, looking at her father with a scared look. She took a few steps back, slowly releasing her grip on Sebastian. 

 “No, Dad! Rich Daddy is good. He often gives me toys!” Dinda shouted, her voice getting higher.

 Hearing those words made Sebastian's chest feel tight as if something was strangling him. How could Sara bring another man into their daughter's life and make Dinda believe that there was another father figure who replaced him?

 Sebastian knelt in front of Dinda, trying to calm his anger and speak more softly. 

  "Dinda, only me is your father. No one else. Whoever the man your mother brought here is, he is not your father." 

 However, his words did not reach Dinda. His eyes began to fill with tears, and he began to tremble in fear. 

 "Why is you angry? I don't like you angry!" Suddenly Dinda pushed Sebastian with her small hand, and without warning, she threw the Barbie doll that Sebastian had given her earlier to the floor. The doll fell hard and slid to the corner of the room. 

 Sebastian was surprised by Dinda's reaction. He had never seen his daughter this upset before. Dinda then ran to her room, leaving Sebastian still kneeling on the floor. The bedroom door closed with a loud sound, cutting off their conversation. 

 Sebastian stared at the Barbie doll lying on the floor, and the pain and betrayal hit him even harder. Not only had Sara destroyed this family, but she had manipulated Dinda into accepting another man as a father figure. A man who had probably been in their lives for a long time without Sebastian realizing it. 

 He had to divorce Sara. Their relationship was too messy. But, with debt still weighing him down, how could he afford a lawyer to get custody of Dinda? The thought made him even more anxious.

 In the morning, Sebastian woke up with a heavy head. The restless sleep made his body tired, but he forced himself to get up and prepare breakfast for Dinda. In the kitchen, he fried eggs with a blank expression, while his thoughts continued to wander.

 Suddenly, the sound of the door opening broke the silence. Sara entered the house with heavy steps, assisted by a strange man who looked neat in a suit. Sebastian's eyes narrowed, studying the man.

 "Who is he?" Sebastian thought, but he didn't say it directly.

 Dinda, who was sitting at the dining table, turned and smiled at her mother.

 "Horay, Mom is home?"

 Sara smiled thinly at Dinda, but then her eyes shifted to Sebastian. Her facial expression was flat. The man beside her stared at Sebastian for a moment before speaking.

 "Mr. Sebastian, my name is Rendy. I am the lawyer representing your wife," the man said, holding out his hand. "We have prepared a divorce agreement. I think you might want to read it first before signing."

 Sebastian stared at the man's hand in shock, not immediately responding. His head was throbbing, his brain trying to process the situation. How could Sara have found a lawyer and even prepared a divorce agreement in such a short time? He wasn't ready.

 "Sara..." Sebastian finally spoke, looking at his wife who was now sitting in a chair with a calm but cold face.

  "I think this is best for both of us. You already know this relationship won't work. We're only making things worse if we continue." 

 "I didn't expect you to prepare everything this quickly." 

 Sara didn't react to his sarcasm. "Sebastian, this isn't about who moves fast or slow. This is about resolving something that we clearly can't fix." 

 Rendy, who had been silently observing, handed over the stack of papers in his hand. 

 "Mr. Sebastian, you can check the points in this agreement. If there's anything you want to discuss, I'm here to explain it." 

 Sebastian gripped the papers tightly, his fingers trembling. He knew what to do, but the circumstances were against him. His debts were piling up, and he didn't have the money to hire a lawyer who could fight for Dinda's custody. 

 "I think this is fair enough, Sebastian. I don't want to make things difficult. I'm ready to share half of what we have. Half of our assets, for the both of us." 

 Sebastian frowned, sensing something was wrong. 

 "Half of what?" he asked suspiciously.

 Sara looked at him with eyes that seemed full of kindness, but Sebastian knew better than to believe that look.

 “Half of our assets. Including the debts we have, our joint responsibility. We have to share fairly, right?”

 Sebastian was silent for a moment. Behind those sweet words, there was a bitter reality that made his blood boil. The huge debt they shared was mostly due to Sara’s extravagant habits. She was the one who spent the money on a luxurious lifestyle and endless travel, while Sebastian tried hard to cover daily needs and build a future for Dinda. Now, Sara wanted to share it, as if it was a generous thing.

 “So, you want me to bear half of your debt?” he asked in a tone that was starting to lose its patience.

 Sara shrugged lightly.

 “Not just my debt. This is our debt, Sebastian. I won’t leave you without a share, I’m being nice enough to offer half.”

 Sebastian laughed bitterly.

 “Okay? Are you serious?”

 Before he could continue, his eyes fell back on one part of the agreement—about the house. The house was the only thing that still meant something to him. The place where Dinda grew up, the land was a gift from his father before he got married, and the house was built with his hard work. However, in this document, the house was completely given to Sara. 

 “And the house? Do you think I’ll just give it up?” Sebastian banged the table, his eyes staring at Sara. “The land was a gift from my father before we got married, and I built the house. This is my house!” 

 Rendy, the lawyer, remained calm. He looked at Sebastian with a faint smile, as if he had prepared his answer for a long time. 

 “I understand how you feel, Mr. Sebastian. However, legally, because the land was given as a pre-nuptial gift to your wife, the house is not part of your personal assets. The house belongs to your wife.” 

 Sebastian froze, his mouth half open, not believing what he had just heard. 

 “What did you say?” 

 Rendy nodded slowly, his smile growing wider. 

 “This is not your house.”