I. INTRODUCTION: THE PARASITIC LOVE

There is a silent epidemic in modern relationships that is rarely discussed until it is too late: Financial Abuse. We often hear about physical violence or emotional manipulation, but financial exploitation—where one partner uses the other as a personal bank account—is a precursor to some of the most violent crimes in history.

It starts slowly. A request for lunch money. A plea for help with a “sick mother.” A loan for a new business venture. But when the giver finally says “No,” the taker often reacts with a rage that is disproportionate and deadly. Today, we delve into the heartbreaking stories of two women—both nurses, both intelligent, both financially independent—who fell in love with men who saw them not as partners, but as resources.

Ernie Yunati and Gabriela “Gaby” Melani were women of substance. They saved lives for a living. They educated the next generation. They were pillars of their families. Yet, they shared a fatal flaw: they loved men who were incapable of loving them back without a price tag. When the money stopped, their lives ended. This is their story.

II. THE LECTURER AND THE SERGEANT (The Case of Ernie Yunati)

The Rise of Ernie Yunati Ernie Yunati (37) was not born into privilege. Hailing from Jambi, Indonesia, she understood the value of every Rupiah. After finishing high school, her family could not afford to send her to university. But Ernie refused to accept poverty as her destiny. She took on menial jobs that many women would shy away from. She cleaned air conditioners, scrubbed floors, and worked long hours in administrative roles, saving every penny with a singular goal: to become a nurse.

Her resilience paid off. She enrolled in a nursing school, often being the oldest student in her class, but also the most determined. By 2014, she had earned her degree and began working in a hospital. But Ernie didn’t stop there. She pursued higher education, eventually qualifying as a lecturer. By 2017, she had ascended to the position of Head of the Undergraduate Nursing Study Program at the prestigious Setih Setio Institute of Administration and Health in Muara Bungo. She was respected, financially stable, and a role model for her students. She bought her own house, her own car (a Honda Jazz), and invested in gold jewelry—a traditional form of savings in her culture.

The Fatal Meeting (2020) In 2020, Ernie met Waldi Aldiat (25). Waldi was a man in uniform, a Second Sergeant in the National Police (Propam Polres Tebo). To many, he seemed like a catch. He was young, fit, and held a position of authority. Despite the significant age gap—Ernie was 12 years his senior—they began a relationship. For Ernie, who had spent her youth working and studying, Waldi represented the romance she had missed out on. She fell hard. But the dynamic was skewed from the start.

The “Sugar Mommy” Trap Waldi, despite being employed as a police officer, lived a lifestyle his salary could not support. He loved to treat his friends, buy expensive gadgets, and maintain an image of affluence. Ernie became the financier of this lifestyle. Whenever they went out, Ernie paid. When Waldi wanted a new watch or phone, he would “request” it from Ernie as a gift. Ernie, generous and in love, complied. She enjoyed spoiling him, perhaps believing that her financial support was a way to secure his affection.

However, red flags began to emerge. Waldi refused to post photos of Ernie on his social media. He hid her from his colleagues. When they went on dates, he chose secluded spots or towns far away where no one would recognize them. He wanted to maintain the image of a “single bachelor” to keep his options open with other women. Ernie was his secret—a profitable secret.

The Breakup and the Relentless Pursuit In 2022, Ernie discovered the truth: Waldi was seeing other women. Devastated, she ended the relationship. But Waldi wouldn’t let go. Not because he loved her, but because he had lost his “cash cow.” Without Ernie’s funding, his lifestyle collapsed. He could no longer treat his friends or buy luxury items. He began a campaign of relentless “love bombing.” He showed up at her workplace, waited outside her house, and begged for forgiveness. He swore he had changed. He played on her empathy, claiming he was lost without her. In September 2025 (as per the narrative timeline), Ernie, perhaps lonely or believing in his redemption, took him back.

The Escalation of Theft The reconciliation was a sham. Waldi’s behavior worsened. Ernie started noticing that cash was missing from her wallet after Waldi visited. Small amounts at first, then larger sums. Pieces of her gold jewelry began to vanish. Since Waldi was the only person with access to her home, the culprit was obvious. Ernie tried to hint at marriage, hoping to legitimize their relationship and perhaps stabilize his behavior. Waldi dismissed her proposals cold-heartedly. He didn’t want a wife; he wanted an ATM.

The Night of the Crime (October 31, 2025) On the fateful night of October 31, Waldi visited Ernie’s home in Muara Bungo. He arrived with intentions of intimacy, but Ernie was different that night. She was tired of the lies. She confronted him directly. “Are you the one stealing my money and jewelry?” Waldi, perhaps arrogant in his power over her, admitted it. “Yes, I took them. I needed the money.” The admission shattered whatever trust remained. Waldi then attempted to initiate sex, treating her as if she were property he could use despite his theft. Ernie refused. She pushed him away. The argument exploded. Ernie, usually soft-spoken, unleashed years of suppressed anger. She hit him where it hurt the most—his ego. “You are nothing but a playboy!” she screamed. “You think you are handsome? You are not! I only liked you because of your uniform!” “You are poor! You rely on my money for everything! You are a beggar in a uniform!“

The Lethal Rage Those words—”Poor,” “Beggar,” “Not Handsome”—pierced Waldi’s narcissistic armor. He snapped. He didn’t see the woman who had fed him and clothed him; he saw an enemy who had humiliated him. He grabbed a kitchen knife from the counter. He attacked Ernie in her own bedroom. He stabbed her repeatedly, silencing the voice that dared to speak the truth about him. Ernie fought back, but she was no match for a trained police officer fueled by rage. She collapsed on her bed, bleeding out. Waldi did not call for help. He did not panic.

The Calculated Clean-Up What happened next reveals the true psychopathy of the killer. With Ernie lifeless on the bed, Waldi went to the bathroom. He took a shower to wash her blood off his body. He found a mop and bucket. He meticulously cleaned the floor, wiping away footprints and blood spatters. He wiped down the door handles, the table, the knife—any surface he might have touched. He was using his police training not to solve a crime, but to cover one up.

The Final Theft Before leaving, he decided to loot the house one last time. He took her iPhone, knowing it contained evidence of their chats. He found her stash of cash—Php 14,000 (converted)—and took it. He took the remaining gold jewelry she was wearing or had stored. He grabbed the keys to her beloved Honda Jazz. He rode Ernie’s motorcycle to his boarding house, 30 minutes away, to drop it off. Then, calculatingly, he booked a ride-hailing app to return to Ernie’s house to retrieve the Honda Jazz, ensuring he secured all her valuable assets.

The “Lunch Treat” and Discovery The next morning, November 1, 2025, Waldi reported for duty at the police station. He was cheerful. He acted as if nothing had happened. Using the cash he stole from the woman he murdered hours earlier, he treated his colleagues to lunch. He laughed and ate with them, the perfect picture of a generous friend. Meanwhile, Ernie’s body lay decomposing in her locked house.

Two days later, Ernie’s colleagues at the Institute became worried. She had missed lectures, which was unlike her. A fellow lecturer went to her house. She knocked, but there was no answer. Then, she smelled it—the unmistakable, sickly-sweet odor of death. She forced the door open and found Ernie. Police arrived. At first, it looked like a robbery gone wrong. But neighbors provided a crucial clue: “We didn’t hear the dog bark.” Ernie’s dog was fierce with strangers but docile with Waldi. Police tracked Ernie’s stolen iPhone. The GPS led them straight to a boarding house. When they raided the room, they found Waldi. They found the gold. They found the cash. Confronted with the evidence, the arrogant sergeant crumbled. He confessed. He is now facing charges of Premeditated Murder, which carries the Death Penalty in Indonesia.

III. THE PANDEMIC NURSE AND THE SECRET FAMILY (The Case of Gaby Melani)

The Dreamer from West Java Gabriela “Gaby” Melani (23) was the pride of her family. Born into a modest household in West Java, her parents couldn’t afford expensive tuition. But Gaby wanted to save lives. She wanted to be a nurse. She applied for scholarships, studying late into the night. She won a scholarship that covered her tuition but required her to work in the university library to pay for her living expenses. Her parents, inspired by her dedication, borrowed money from relatives to support her. Gaby graduated with honors. She passed her board exams and secured a job at the Kiwalok District Health Center. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020, Gaby was on the front lines. She worked grueling shifts, risking her health to care for patients in an overwhelmed system.

The Anime Romance In the midst of her busy life, Gaby found an escape in Anime. Through an online community, she met Rezky Fauzan (28), a freelance photographer. Rezky was charming, artistic, and shared her passion for Japanese animation. They met in person, and Rezky took beautiful photos of Gaby in a flower garden. To Gaby, it felt like a fairytale. Rezky seemed sensitive and understanding of her stressful job. They became a couple. But Rezky was a man of many secrets.

The Pandemic Lie When the pandemic lockdowns began, Rezky told Gaby he had lost all his photography gigs. He claimed to be destitute. “I can’t buy food,” he would text her. “My mother is sick, she needs medicine,” he would cry over the phone. “I am sick, I think I have COVID,” he would lie. Gaby, with her nurse’s heart, could not stand to see him suffer. Despite her own family’s financial struggles, she began sending him money. At first, it was small amounts. Then, it became half her salary. Eventually, she was sending him almost everything she earned, leaving barely enough for herself to eat. She believed she was supporting a good man through a hard time.

The Secret Reality The truth was far darker. Rezky was not sick. His mother was fine. He was living in a boarding house with another woman. He had impregnated this woman, and she had given birth to his child. Rezky was using Gaby’s money not for medicine, but to buy diapers, baby formula, and food for his secret family. He was effectively maintaining a household using the salary of his unsuspecting girlfriend. This deception went on for over a year.

The Surprise Visit (September 12, 2021) By September 2021, restrictions had eased. Gaby finally got a break from the hospital. She decided to surprise Rezky at his boarding house, excited to see him after months of separation. She arrived at his door with a smile. But when the door opened, her world collapsed. There was Rezky. And there, in the room, was another woman nursing a newborn baby. The realization hit Gaby like a physical blow. The money. The “sickness.” The lies. It was all for them. Gaby, usually gentle, was consumed by a righteous fury. She slapped Rezky across the face. She stormed out, but Rezky followed her, begging for a chance to explain. Gaby gave him an ultimatum: “I don’t want your explanations. I want my money back. Php 70,000 (converted). All of it.” “If you don’t pay me back by tomorrow, I will go to the police. I will expose you as a fraud and a thief. You will go to jail.“

The Lethal Meeting (September 15, 2021) Rezky was terrified. He had no money. He had spent it all. He knew Gaby was serious. If she went to the police, his life was over. He begged for a meeting to “discuss the payment.” Gaby agreed to meet him at her boarding house on September 15, thinking it was a safe, neutral ground. Rezky arrived. He fell to his knees, crying, admitting he was “milking” her. He tried to play the victim again, but Gaby was done. “Pay me, or go to jail,” she insisted. Rezky claimed that Gaby, in her anger, grabbed a knife from her table to threaten him. Whether this is true or a killer’s fabrication is debated, but what happened next is clear. Rezky overpowered her. He wrestled the knife away. Instead of tossing it aside and leaving, he used it. He saw Gaby not as his girlfriend, but as the only witness to his fraud. He stabbed her in the chest. He silenced the debt by silencing the creditor.

The Arrest and Verdict Rezky fled the scene, leaving Gaby to die on the floor of her room. A tenant heard the commotion and saw him running away. They found Gaby, but it was too late. Police launched a manhunt. Based on the tenant’s description, Rezky was arrested the next day. In court, he tried to plead “Self-Defense,” claiming Gaby attacked him first. The prosecution dismantled this defense. They showed the pattern of financial abuse, the motive (the debt), and the disparity in force. However, the court did not give him the death penalty or life imprisonment. In 2022, Rezky Fauzan was sentenced to 14 years in prison. For Gaby’s parents, who had sacrificed so much to see their daughter become a nurse, this felt like a slap in the face. Their daughter was gone forever; her killer would be free in his 40s.

IV. CONCLUSION: THE RED FLAGS OF FINANCIAL PARASITES

The stories of Ernie Yunati and Gaby Melani are tragic reminders that abuse isn’t always a bruise on the face; sometimes, it’s a hole in the bank account. Both women were targeted because they were capable, generous, and empathetic. Their partners used “love” as a weapon to extract resources. Waldi used his status and sulking to manipulate Ernie. Rezky used pity and fabricated crises to manipulate Gaby.

The Warning Signs Were There:

Isolation: Waldi hid Ernie from the world.

Financial Secrecy: Neither man was transparent about their own finances while demanding access to the women’s.

The “Crisis” Mode: Rezky constantly had an emergency that only money could fix.

Entitlement: Waldi believed he deserved Ernie’s money simply because he existed in her life.

When the women threatened the flow of money (the “supply”), the parasites reacted with lethal violence. It wasn’t a crime of passion; it was a crime of resource protection. Waldi wanted to keep the assets (car, gold) without the “burden” of the woman. Rezky wanted to erase the debt without paying it.

Let these stories serve as a grim warning. In a relationship, generosity should be mutual. When you find yourself funding a partner’s lifestyle while they hide you, lie to you, or drain your future, you are not in a relationship. You are in a robbery. And as Ernie and Gaby’s stories show, the cost of demanding your money back can sometimes be your life.