“Pack your things right now, Tari! I don’t want to stay here any longer,” Gala urged, and Mentari could only nod.
Mentari packed every single one of her belongings. She looked around the room that had been her bedroom for more than a decade and that she now had to leave behind.
She also made sure to bring Boma, her beloved cat, with her.
When Gala and Mentari left the room, they found three people whom Mentari considered family standing in the living room.
“Dad, Tari’s leaving!” Mentari held out her hand, intending to shake her father’s hand.
But Mentari had to swallow her disappointment because it seemed her father no longer wanted to touch her.
“Go ahead and leave without making another scene! And one more thing: I, Marwan, am cutting ties with you starting today. I refuse to have a daughter like you. You do nothing but bring shame.”
Mentari’s chest felt unbearably tight as she heard her father cut ties with her.
Even though Mentari knew that a blood relationship could never truly be erased, it still hurt to hear the only biological family she had left say that he wanted to sever their relationship.
Mentari smiled bitterly. “Tari’s leaving now, Dad. But there’s one thing you need to know: in this world, there’s no such thing as an ex-father or an ex-daughter.”
Gala didn’t say a single word. He kept watching the happy expressions on Fania’s face and her mother’s.
The Lord never sleeps, so sooner or later, all of you will face the consequences of treating someone as kind and sincere as Mentari so cruelly, Gala thought.
Without waiting any longer, Gala gently took Mentari’s hand and led her out of the house where Mentari had grown up.
Through her streaming tears, Mentari stared at the home where she had lived all this time, her heart breaking with unbearable pain.
Gala could only let out a rough sigh when Mentari stopped in the middle of the yard.
“Tari!” Gala gripped Mentari’s shoulders, making the girl who was now officially his wife turn to face him.
“You’ve cried enough for one day. Now, let’s go home to my rented place. You don’t mind staying there for now, do you?”
Mentari roughly wiped away her tears. Now she had Gala in her life.
“Tari doesn’t care where we stay, bro,” she replied, forcing a smile despite her heart being shattered into pieces.
Gala smiled too. From now on, he had to work even harder because he also had to support Mentari. Thinking about it, there was some truth to what his father-in-law had said earlier—it was impossible to feed Mentari with love alone.
Gala wheeled his Scoopy out through the gate of Mentari’s house and then continued riding his beloved motorcycle toward his rented place after making sure his wife was sitting comfortably.
It took Gala forty minutes to get back to his little rented place.
“We’re here. Come on, sweetheart, let’s go inside!”
Mentari obediently nodded as she looked over her husband’s rented place for a moment. She had visited several times before, and now she would be living there with Gala.
“Oh… Gala’s home. And he brought a girl with him this time. Who is this pretty girl, Gala?”
An older woman who lived next door immediately called out to Gala when she saw him return with a girl.
She was Mrs. Santi, Gala’s kindest neighbor.
“She’s Mentari, Ma’am. Gala’s wife,” Gala answered honestly.
Gala and Mentari couldn’t hide their marital status just to avoid slander over living under the same roof before they were married.
Mrs. Santi’s expression changed to shock when Gala said that Mentari was his wife.
“When did you get married, Gala? Why didn’t you tell me? I could’ve attended as your parent’s representative.” Mrs. Santi stepped closer and gently caressed her neighbor’s beautiful wife’s face.
Mrs. Santi really was the kind of neighbor anyone would be lucky to have. Other people might gossip about a sudden marriage, but she asked about it politely without crossing the line or prying too deeply into someone else’s affairs.
Most neighbors these days, however, loved spreading things that might not even be true. They liked meddling in other people’s business even though they weren’t necessarily capable of handling their own problems.
“This afternoon, Ma’am. Gala only had the marriage solemnization—no reception or party. You know Gala’s still poor,” Gala joked, making Mrs. Santi slowly shake her head.
Gala really was a humorous person who could easily lighten the mood.
“You. Take your wife inside! She looks exhausted.” At Mrs. Santi’s command, Gala nodded.
“Welcome to our little rented place, Mentari!”