“Why did you come into my room?” Isvara asked, eyeing Erwin warily.
Isvara had just been about to clean herself up when Erwin startled her by roughly pushing open her bedroom door. The man's menacing stare frightened her.
“Why bother asking? Soon, you'll be my wife. There shouldn't be any distance between us, should there?” Erwin replied as he stepped forward.
Isvara backed away one step at a time, trying to stay out of Erwin's reach. Her body trembled with fear. She wanted to scream for help, but she knew no one would come to her aid.
Erwin had been able to come upstairs to her room because her father and stepmother had sent him. The woman felt trapped. She was so terrified that she started crying.
“I am not your wife yet! Get out right now!” Isvara pointed toward the door, ordering the frightening-looking man to leave.
But Erwin only smiled and continued toward her. Isvara kept retreating, feeling around for anything behind her. She had been stupid not to lock her bedroom door. She never imagined that this perverted man would dare enter her private space.
“Stop backing away, Isvara. Soon we'll be legally married. If I do anything to you, that's perfectly fine.” Erwin said it with a quiet laugh.
“I'll scream so all the neighbors will know what you're doing. Besides, my father is still downstairs,” Isvara said, tears streaming down her face in fear.
Erwin burst out laughing. “You think your father cares about you? He and your stepmother are the ones who sent me here. So I already have their permission.”
“You're already a widow. They don't care what happens to either of us.” Erwin stepped closer and began stroking Isvara's face.
Isvara swatted his hand away, but Erwin was still much stronger than she was. His behavior made her feel sick at the thought of being married off to him.
“Enjoy it! Wouldn't it be wonderful if we spent tonight having some fun?”
Isvara grabbed a flower vase and held it up threateningly, warning Erwin not to do anything reckless.
“Stop whatever you're about to do! Otherwise, I'll kill you!”
Erwin looked at the object pointed at him and laughed uproariously. Without warning, he snatched the vase away, filling the room with a loud crash.
“Crash!”
Isvara squeezed her eyes shut and covered both ears. Before her shock had even faded, Erwin grabbed her arm again.
“Scream all you want. Your father or anyone else in this house doesn't care. Who do you think you are? You're nothing but a tool they use to make money and build their wealth.”
“You've lost your memory, haven't you? Your mother, who loved you dearly, is gone. So no one will care about you. Or are you hoping your ex-husband will show up as some late-arriving hero?”
“Keep dreaming, Isvara. I won't stop. I'll make you mine tonight.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Isvara struck Erwin hard across the cheek. That enraged the tall man, and he ruthlessly tightened his hands around her throat.
Isvara pounded on both of Erwin's hands, trying to make him let go. But he only squeezed harder, making it difficult for her to breathe. She could barely speak.
“So you're stubborn too, huh?” Erwin seemed to enjoy watching Isvara suffer, as if she were a new toy for him to play with.
Isvara gave up. She didn't care if she died. It was better than giving her body to a bastard she didn't love.
‘Oh God, if tonight is the last time I ever breathe, then somehow, please let Ezra know. He's the only one who cares about me. Please, hear my prayer!’
Isvara prayed silently with her eyes closed and both hands clenched tightly. She was tired of being her family's shield. Whenever trouble arose, not a single person came to help her.
With her eyes shut, Isvara remembered every word of encouragement and comfort Ezra had given her. All she could do was sob quietly through the pain in her neck and throat. She had already resigned herself to whatever fate awaited her that night.
She didn't think about what tomorrow would bring. She didn't even dare imagine it. She was terrified that her life would end that night.
Then, somehow finding the courage, she raised her right leg and kicked Erwin in his most vulnerable spot. The man immediately released her throat in pain.
He groaned and sank to the floor, clutching his most vital parts. Isvara, meanwhile, ran out of the house. Fortunately, everyone who had been in the family room earlier had already left.
Without putting on any shoes, Isvara ran as fast as she could. She didn't want her life to end in the arms of the bastard her parents had chosen for her.
Erwin got to his feet and started chasing after Isvara's fleeing figure. He wasn't about to let the woman go so easily.
Meanwhile, on the road home, Ezra suddenly began to cry as he remembered everything Isvara had said. Especially when he had accidentally noticed the wounds on several parts of her body.
His heart ached terribly. During the three years they'd been together, he had never seen Isvara's vulnerable side. But today, when they'd met at that restaurant, he had been shocked by the suffering his ex-wife had endured.
“I'm such an idiot!” Ezra cursed hoarsely.
His assistant, who was driving, was startled when he heard his boss muttering.
“Sir, did you say something?” Bayu asked, even though he had heard him clearly.
Ezra didn't answer right away. He held tightly to the bracelet Isvara had left behind and stared at it with overwhelming longing. Tears continued to seep into his eyes, which were usually narrowed into a sharp gaze.
“Turn around, Bayu! We're going to Isvara's house. I have a feeling she's not okay.”
“Yes, Sir!” Bayu turned the wheel toward his former boss's ex-wife's house. In the ominous atmosphere, accompanied by a light drizzle, the journey seemed almost eerie.
Bayu remained silent the entire way, watching his boss's tense face in the rearview mirror of the luxury car. Several minutes passed. When they were nearly at Isvara's house, heavy traffic made Ezra increasingly impatient.
He immediately jumped out of the car without warning as blaring horns filled the air with noise. Ezra ran, occasionally dodging pedestrians crowding the sidewalk.
Isvara was doing the same, still running with all her strength through the passing crowd. She fought down her fear that Erwin might catch up with her.
The two of them were trying to find each other amid their unsettled thoughts, as if their souls had become one that night. They wanted to meet and let their egos dissolve. But what about fate?
Would the universe bless their reunion tonight?