The door of the luxury car slammed shut. Zacky guided the girl into the courtyard of his parents’ grand home. Qiara dragged her feet in surrender, with no strength left to protest or pull away.
Qiara’s condition was truly pitiful. Her long hair hung in a messy tangle around her shoulders, her eyes were red and swollen, and her clothes were slightly wrinkled. To top it all off, the large backpack still hung crookedly from her back, making her look completely out of place against the immaculate atmosphere of her home.
Zacky gently pushed open the home’s front door.
In the living room, Qiara’s Dad and Mom were pacing back and forth, their faces filled with extraordinary worry. The moment they heard the creak of the opening door, they both turned around at once.
“Qiara!” her Mom cried out.
But her Mom suddenly stopped in her tracks. Both of her parents stared wide-eyed at Qiara from head to toe, unable to hide their shock.
“Oh my God, Qia...” her Dad exclaimed, his voice catching.
“You... why do you look like you just got back from climbing a mountain?!”
“Qia! Where have you been, sweetheart? Why are you carrying such a huge backpack this early in the morning?” her Mom added in a panic, approaching with the intention of touching her youngest daughter’s shoulder.
“Don’t touch Qia, Mom!” Qiara cut in flatly, shifting away. Her voice was hoarse, cold, and utterly empty.
Dad stepped forward, breathing hard. He looked at Zacky, then shifted his gaze to the backpack on Qiara’s back.
“You were going to run away from home, weren’t you?! You were going to run away with that shady guy?!”
Qiara said nothing. She lowered her head and hugged the straps of her backpack tightly. The tears that had dried on her cheeks had left only faint streaks behind.
“Answer me, Qiara!” her Dad barked, his temper beginning to flare.
“You’ve had the whole house worried since dawn! What were you planning to do, sneaking out through the back door?”
“That’s enough, Dad,” Zacky cut in, his calm voice carrying sharp authority. He stepped up to stand right beside Qiara.
“Don’t yell at her anymore.”
“Zacky, but this girl has gone too far!” Dad insisted.
“She has absolutely no manners!”
“She just witnessed a bitter reality,” Zacky cut him off coldly. His eyes flicked toward Qiara for a moment before returning to her father.
“The man named Dewa was caught cheating on and taking advantage of Qiara. I found her at the hospital while she was crying over that worthless man.”
The room fell silent at once. Mom covered her mouth with both hands, stunned by Zacky’s account.
“W-what? Dewa cheated?” Mom whispered in disbelief.
“Oh my God, Qia...”
Qiara gave a bitter laugh, the sound heartbreakingly painful. She lifted her head and stared intently at her Dad.
“Happy now, Dad? Are you satisfied?” Qiara demanded as tears began to fall again.
“The person Qia defended turned out to be a jerk, and now you want Qia to marry my sister Laras’s ex-husband. Congratulations, Dad. Qia’s life is completely ruined today.”
“Qia, that’s not what Dad meant—”
“Enough,” Zacky cut in firmly, ending the argument. He looked at both of Qiara’s parents.
“I’ll take care of Qiara. Please prepare everything for next week. This marriage will go ahead as planned.”
Qiara glared at Zacky with the last remnants of her anger, but Zacky simply met her gaze without the slightest hesitation. He had made up his mind, and no one in the room could argue with him anymore.