“With Big Brother Zacky…” Qiara whispered softly.
“Zacky?!” Dewa cried, utterly shocked.
“You mean… Zacky, Laras’s former husband?! Your own brother-in-law?!”
“Yes, Dew… Big Brother Zacky,” Qiara sobbed harder.
“Laras left a will before she died. She asked Big Brother Zacky to marry me. And Dad… Dad just agreed without even thinking about my feelings!”
“Crazy! This is absolutely crazy!” Dewa cursed from the other end of the call, his voice filled with shock and disbelief.
“How could your own brother-in-law want to marry you?! He’s the CEO—he has everything. Why would he target you?!”
“I went to Zacky’s office earlier, Dew! I yelled at him and tore up Laras’s will right in front of his face! But he just yelled at me and said this marriage was still going to happen!” Qiara rambled between ragged breaths.
“Oh, my God, Qiara…” Dewa fell silent for a moment, roughly rubbing his face on the other end of the call.
“So what are you going to do now? You’re not going along with this, right, Qia?”
“Of course I’m not, Dewa! I’m only in love with you! I want to marry you, not a cold man like Big Brother Zacky!” Qiara declared firmly.
“Help me, Dew… take me away from this house. Let’s run away, okay?”
On the other end of the call, Dewa suddenly fell silent. Silence settled between them again, leaving only Qiara’s sobs filling the room.
Dewa’s mind went blank. Qiara’s request to run away was not something trivial he could agree to in a matter of seconds. Running away with the daughter of a prominent family—especially with someone as powerful as Zacky involved—would only bring him serious trouble.
“Qia… are you serious about running away?” Dewa’s voice sounded hesitant and strained.
“This isn’t a small matter, sweetheart. What if your dad finds out, or your brother-in-law gets even angrier? What then?”
“I don’t care, Dew!” Qiara screamed, breathing hard as she hugged the phone tightly to her ear.
“I’m not going to marry Big Brother Zacky! I only want you! If you really love me, you’ll take me away tonight or tomorrow morning! Please, Dew… you’re my only hope.”
“But, Qia—”
“You love me, don’t you?!” Qiara cut him off, demanding reassurance.
“You want to build a future with me, right? Please answer me, Dewa!”
Dewa let out a long sigh on the other end of the call. Pressured by Qiara’s constant crying and emotional pleas, the man finally gave in.
“All right… all right, sweetheart. We’ll go,” Dewa said at last, agreeing even though a note of tightly concealed doubt lingered in his voice.
“Calm down first, okay? I’ll pick you up tomorrow morning at the end of the alley by your house. Don’t bring too much so it won’t look suspicious.”
Qiara’s sobs gradually subsided, replaced by an overwhelming sense of relief.
“You really mean it, right, Dew? You’re not lying, are you?”
“Yes, sweetheart. How could I let you marry someone else? All right, now get some rest and prepare yourself for tomorrow.”
“Thank you so much, Dewa. I love you so much.”
The next morning, the sun had just appeared on the eastern horizon. Qiara had been awake since before dawn. Moving as quietly as possible so she wouldn’t make a sound, she packed several changes of clothes, important documents, and enough cash into a medium-sized backpack.
Her heart pounded. This was the biggest decision of her life: running away from home to protect her love for Dewa and avoid a forced marriage to Zacky.
“I hope I’m making the right decision. There’s no way I’m marrying him!”