With faltering steps and an unbearably sorrowful expression, Qiara walked into her luxurious home. Her eyes were swollen, her voice was gone, and she felt as though every ounce of her strength had been drained away. Today had been a relentless nightmare, beginning with Dad's unilateral decision, Zacky’s anger at the office, the traffic ticket incident, and finally the mystery weighing heavily on her chest.
In the living room, her parents were still sitting there waiting. The moment Dad saw the front door open and Qiara appear, he immediately got to his feet.
“Qia! Where have you been at this hour?” Dad asked in a deep, stern voice.
“Why has your phone been so hard to reach?”
Qiara paused for a moment, but she didn’t turn toward her parents even slightly. Her gaze remained fixed on the floor, cold and expressionless. Deep disappointment and hurt had wrapped tightly around her heart.
“Qia, your mom and I were worried,” Mom chimed in, her voice trembling as she walked toward her youngest daughter.
“You came from Zacky’s office, didn’t you? What did you say to him, Qia?”
Qiara remained silent. Not a single word left her lips. She had truly chosen to stop speaking. Her trust in her parents had collapsed in an instant when they sacrificed her by forcing her to marry her own sister’s former husband.
“Qiara! I’m talking to you! Don’t be such a rebellious daughter!” Dad shouted, feeling ignored.
Qiara squeezed her eyes shut, holding back the tightness in her chest. Without saying a word in response, she hurried toward the stairs, ignoring Dad’s loud calls echoing throughout the house.
BAM!
Qiara slammed her bedroom door shut, then locked it securely from the inside. She tossed her bag carelessly onto the floor before collapsing onto the bed. The sobs she had been holding back all this time finally broke free in the darkness of her room.
In a state this shattered, there was only one person she could place her hope in. Dewa.
With trembling hands, Qiara picked up her phone. She dialed Dewa’s number and pressed the flat device to her ear. In her heart, she prayed that the man she loved so deeply would be willing to listen to everything troubling her.
The call was answered on the second ring.
“Hello, Qia? Are you home already, sweetheart?” Dewa’s relaxed voice came through the phone.
“Dewa...” Qiara whispered through a soft sob.
“Whoa, Qia? Why are you crying again? Are you still thinking about Mimi from earlier? I already told you, she’s just my younger cousin, sweetheart. You don’t have to be jealous anymore.”
“It’s not... it’s not about that, Dew...” Qiara protested as she roughly wiped away her tears.
“There’s something much worse than that. I... I don’t know what to do anymore, Dewa...”
“Worse? What’s really going on? Tell me, Qia. Don’t leave me confused,” he asked, his tone turning slightly more serious.
Qiara shifted into a sitting position, hugging both knees tightly on the bed.
“Dad... Dad and Mom are going to force me to get married, Dew.”
The line suddenly fell silent for several seconds.
“...What? A forced marriage? You’re kidding, right, Qia? Who has forced marriages nowadays?” Dewa chuckled softly, assuming his girlfriend was joking.
“I’m not kidding, Dewa! This is serious!” Qiara screamed, cutting him off, her voice trembling violently.
“Dad told me to break up with you! I have to get married next week!”
“Wait, wait... what do you mean?!” Dewa began to panic, his voice rising over the phone.
“Who are they setting you up with? What guy would dare marry you when he knows you’re my girlfriend?!”
Qiara swallowed, her chest feeling as though it had been struck by an enormous boulder as she prepared to say that name.