Without a second thought, Qiara swerved onto the shoulder right in front of the café. She stopped her car carelessly, not even paying attention to the clearly posted No Parking sign.
Breathing hard, her chest burning, Qiara got out of the car and strode toward the corner table.
“Dewa!” Qiara shouted, venting her anger.
The man who had been laughing sweetly suddenly choked, scared half to death when he saw Qiara standing in front of him with swollen eyes and a murderous glare. The beautiful woman beside him turned around in confusion.
“Q-Qiara?” Dewa stammered, immediately removing his arm from the woman’s shoulders.
“What... are you doing here?”
“That’s what I should be asking you!” Qiara snapped, tears spilling again from the pain burning in her chest.
“You said you had something to take care of on campus! I called you dozens of times, but you didn’t pick up. I called your aunt, too, and she said you’d left since this morning! And it turns out you’re here flirting with another girl?!”
“Qiara, wait! You’ve got it wrong, sweetheart!” Dewa panicked. He stood and tried to take Qiara’s hand, but she roughly slapped it away.
“What did I get wrong?! I saw you with my own eyes, holding her and laughing sweetly with her! How could you, Dew?! I’m dealing with a huge problem, I need you, and you’re cheating on me behind my back!” Qiara screamed hysterically, not caring that the other café patrons were beginning to stare.
“Who’s cheating on whom, Qia?” Dewa cut in quickly. He gripped both of Qiara’s shoulders and looked into his girlfriend’s eyes with an utterly convincing expression.
“Oh my God, sweetheart... this is Mimi! Mimi’s my younger cousin from Surabaya. She just arrived this afternoon!”
Qiara froze, her sobbing subsiding for a moment.
“W-what? Your cousin?”
The long-haired woman stood as well, offering a friendly, if slightly awkward, smile.
“Yes, big sis. I’m Mimi, Dewa’s cousin. I’m sorry if I gave you the wrong idea. I’ve been really clingy with Dewa since we were kids.”
“See? You heard her yourself, right?” Dewa said, gently stroking Qiara’s cheek.
“My phone died—the battery was completely drained. I didn’t mean to ignore you, Qia. You’re jealous of your own cousin? You know I only love you, right?”
Qiara stared intently at Dewa. With her heart already shattered by her dad forcing her into marriage, she could no longer think clearly. Because of how deeply she loved Dewa, she chose to believe his sweet lie without the slightest suspicion.
“I-I’m sorry, Dewa...” Qiara whispered, lowering her head guiltily.
“I’m fine with it, sweetheart. I understand,” Dewa said with a sweet smile, pulling Qiara into his arms.
“Just don’t lose your temper next time, okay?”
“Preeeeep!”
The sharp whistle startled them. A traffic officer walked toward Qiara’s car, which was parked carelessly in the middle of the road and causing a minor traffic jam.
“Good afternoon, miss. Is this your car?” the officer asked sternly.
Qiara turned around in surprise.
“Y-yes, sir. Is something wrong?”
“You parked on a road marking where stopping is prohibited and disrupted the flow of traffic. Please show me your driver’s license and registration. I have to issue you a ticket,” the officer said firmly as he pulled out his ticket book.
“Huh? A ticket, sir?” Qiara cried out in panic.
“Sir, I’m really sorry. I only stopped for a moment because something urgent came up!”
“Rules are rules, miss. Whether it’s for a moment or a long time, this is a busy road. Show me your documents,” the officer replied, leaving no room for argument.
Dewa merely kept an arm around Qiara’s shoulders, making no attempt to defend her or help pay the ticket. Qiara let out a resigned breath and rummaged through her bag for her driver’s license. It had truly been a disastrous day for Qiara: forced into marriage, scolded by Zacky, and now ticketed right in front of her own boyfriend.