Qiara ran aimlessly down the hospital corridor, ignoring the puzzled looks from the nurses and visitors she passed. Her sobs broke free, impossible to hold back.
Her vision was completely blurred by the tears spilling from her eyes. The tightness in her chest surged, destroying every last bit of trust and love she had once held sacred for Dewa.
How could the man she had defended with everything she had—the man who had given her the courage to defy her parents—turn out to have treated her like a joke?
“Why... why is everyone so cruel to me?” Qiara whispered between ragged breaths. She kept running toward the hospital’s main exit.
Her hurried, directionless steps kept her from noticing her surroundings. Just as she descended the steps from the outdoor lobby walkway, Qiara suddenly slammed hard into someone’s broad chest.
Thud!
“Ow!” Qiara let out a small cry. The backpack on her shoulders slipped, and her unsteady body nearly went sprawling onto the marble floor when a muscular hand swiftly grabbed her around the waist.
Qiara held her breath, trying to steady herself as she roughly wiped away her tears.
“Watch where you’re going, Qiara!” A cold, deep baritone she knew all too well echoed directly above her head.
Qiara looked up in shock. Her eyes widened as she stared at the man in front of her.
Zacky.
He stood straight in a black shirt with the sleeves neatly rolled up to his elbows, radiating the same intimidating, dominant aura as always. His sharp gaze pierced straight into Qiara’s tear-streaked, deathly pale face.
“K-Kak Zacky?!” Qiara squeaked, her voice trembling violently. Zacky slowly released his grip around her waist.
“What are you doing here?” Zacky asked coldly, narrowing his eyes at the medium-sized backpack Qiara clutched tightly.
“And why are you carrying such a big bag this early in the morning?”
Qiara quickly turned her face away, trying to hide her tears even though it was pointless.
“N-None of your business!”
“Answer my question, Qiara. Your dad has been frantically looking for you at home since this morning. Did you run away?”
“Wherever I want to go is none of your business! You have no right to control my life!”
“This concerns me because you’re going to be my wife soon!” Zacky hissed, emphasizing every word.
“Look at you now! Running around in public like a lunatic just for that useless man, aren’t you?”
“Dewa isn’t useless!” Qiara shot back stubbornly, even though saying his name felt like a knife twisting in her heart.
Zacky gave a bitter laugh, a cold sound that sent shivers down her spine.
“You still want to defend him? Do you think I don’t know what that man was doing in there?”
Qiara froze. She stared at Zacky again, utterly stunned.
“W-What do you mean?” Zacky took one step forward, closing the distance between them until his shadow covered Qiara’s body.
“I’ve had someone watch Dewa since yesterday. I know he was on the third floor with another woman. The man you’re crying over and defending with everything you have is having fun with his mistress, isn’t he?”
Zacky’s words were like a dagger stabbing Qiara right in the pit of her stomach. Her defenses crumbled completely. She lowered her head, her shoulders rising and falling as her sobs broke loose again, utterly heart-wrenching.
“Why... why did you have to know everything?” Qiara sobbed helplessly, her voice filled with deep despair.
“Why are you always there when I’m at my lowest...”
Zacky looked at the girl before him, a difficult-to-read glint in his eyes. His anger slowly faded as he saw Qiara’s undeniable vulnerability. His grip on her wrist loosened, becoming a gentle hold instead.
“Because I won’t let a bastard like him destroy you, Qiara,” Zacky said softly but firmly.
“Now, come home with me.”
“I don’t want to...” Qiara squeaked weakly, shaking her head.
“You don’t have a choice,” Zacky cut her off without room for argument. He gently pulled Qiara along by the hand, guiding her toward his luxurious black car parked not far from the lobby.