“No, Mom. Sofia doesn’t want to get married. How can you decide everything when Sofia doesn’t know about it and doesn’t agree at all?” Sofia protested when she woke up. The doctor who had examined her condition had just left.
“Hey! You stupid girl! I don’t need your consent for anything, you hear me? You’re marrying that man two days from now!” Sarah snapped. Her eyes bulged as if they were about to pop out of their sockets.
“But, Mom—”
“No buts. You have to! Otherwise, I’ll torture your father and siblings even worse than before. Do you understand?”
Sarah then walked away. She picked up her small bag from the sofa where she had slept earlier, then went outside, leaving Sofia in a flood of tears. She was furious, but she couldn’t vent the mass of anger building in her chest. Yes, it was all because she was too afraid for her family’s safety—her father and her two younger siblings.
After Sarah left, Sofia continued sobbing. She was terribly sad and disappointed, mixed with fear. How could she marry someone she didn’t know at all? What if this was just a scheme by her stepmother to sell her off and pay off a mountain of debt? And then… what if the man she married was evil and hurt her later?
“No!” Sofia cried out instinctively, then covered her face with both hands as she continued to weep.
“No to what?” Suddenly, a distinctive male voice came from the direction of the door. She had no idea how long he had been standing there. Still sobbing, Sofia looked at him in confusion.
“Who is this guy…? Did he come to the wrong room or something?” she wondered.
She quickly wiped away her tears and asked the man as he walked closer to her.
“Excuse me, who are you?” she asked. Her voice sounded polite. Even if he had come to the wrong room, she had no intention of scolding him.
“Me?” The man, who was none other than Naro, asked the question back. Calmly, he sat in the chair beside Sofia’s bed. “I’m the one paying for this room and all your medical treatment,” he continued. His eyes betrayed his dislike of Sofia.
“Y-you…” The girl stammered. She realized that the man sitting beside her was the one who had hit her… and the one she was going to marry.
“Yes. I’m the one who accidentally hit you,” he replied, still in a curt tone. Naro crossed one leg over the other.
“You horrible man! Look at what you’ve done to my legs. I’ll never forgive you. Remember that!” Sofia berated him. She was angry because this man had reduced her to this state.
“Hmph! Who needs your forgiveness? Turns out the daughter is just as bad as the mother.” Naro spoke the last sentence quietly.
“What did you say?”
“I said the daughter and mother are equally rotten. You probably planned all of this before it happened, didn’t you? Do you think I’ll fall for that innocent face of yours, huh? Don’t expect me to treat you well after we’re married. Understand?”
“You bastard! I didn’t plan anything. I don’t want to marry you either!”
“Hah! Pretending you don’t want to. You did this on purpose for the money, didn’t you?”
“Shut up! Keep your mouth shut! I’m not like my stepmother. Let me make this clear one more time: I had no ulterior motive where you’re concerned. I don’t want to marry you either. You can tell my stepmother that.”
“Your stepmother?” Naro frowned, then smiled cruelly. “What a pity, miss. Turns out your situation isn’t any better than mine,” he said with a bitter laugh. “I already refused her request. But that cunning stepmother of yours wanted to take advantage of the situation. She threatened me and my parents, saying she would make this public,” Naro explained.
Sofia was stunned. “Oh my God, Mom…” she whispered, covering her mouth with both hands.
“So what are we going to do now?” Sofia truly had no idea what to do.
“We? Not we. You, more precisely. I already went and agreed to it. Now get ready to live in hell with me.”
Naro finally let all his anger spill out. He hadn’t intended to take his anger out on Sofia, but instead he only backed the girl further into a corner. He knew Sofia had nothing to do with Sarah. But seeing Sofia’s innocent face suddenly made him want to lash out.
The young man stood. With his long strides, he headed outside and disappeared behind the door. The sound of the door and its frame being slammed was unavoidable. Sofia jumped at the shock.
All the wedding preparations had been completed perfectly. Forty-eight hours had passed in what felt like no time at all for Sofia and Naro. Neither of them wanted this marriage, but they had no choice except to get through this morning in silence, their faces somber. Sofia was even asked to smile by the makeup team so it would be easier to apply color to her lips.
“I know you must be sad because you’re not in the best condition, but do you realize why the wedding is still happening? It proves your future husband really loves you and accepts you exactly as you are. You’re so lucky to have a fiancé who loves you that much. If it were me, I’d be absolutely thrilled, miss. That’s why you have to look your very best today. Okay! Smile,” the makeup artist babbled. She had been talking nonstop and coaxing Sofia to smile from the moment she started.
Sofia glanced at her and gave a bitter smile through the mirror’s reflection, then thought to herself,
“Such a know-it-all. He loves me, she says? Hmph! You have no idea how terrifying he is, miss.”
“There we go, all done. Now we just have to wait for the signal from outside, and then I’ll take you out there,” the woman continued with a bright smile. Her responsibility for doing this woman’s makeup was finally over.
At least, that was probably what she thought.
A short while later, Sarah appeared behind the door of the dressing room. With a gesture of her hand, she ordered them to bring Sofia out front. The woman who had done her makeup immediately began gently pushing Sofia and her wheelchair. The fact that only a few days had passed since her surgery didn’t mean she had suddenly recovered. She would have to depend on the wheelchair until the bones in her legs knitted back together. Fortunately, the casts supporting her legs were hidden beneath the batik fabric she wore.
Several people in attendance turned toward Sofia as she passed. The guests, who consisted only of the immediate family members from both sides, smiled at her. That included Mr. Hermawan, Sofia’s father, who sat in the guardian’s chair facing Naro.
Naro? Yes, the groom was already dressed in matching attire and sitting in his place. However… his gaze was blank, and his face completely expressionless.
“All right. Since the bride has joined us, we’d better begin the marriage ceremony right away,” said an adult man acting as the marriage officiant. “Are you ready, Naro?” he continued, seeing that Naro had been silent the entire time.
Instead of answering, the man being addressed didn’t respond at all. Fortunately, Edwin, who was sitting beside him, gently patted his son’s shoulder.
“He’s probably nervous, sir. Please be understanding,” Edwin said, trying to ease the tension. Naro, finally coming to his senses, only glanced briefly at his father.
“Oh, yes, yes. I understand. It’s all right, Naro. Relax. Take a deep breath, then let it out. Don’t tense up.”
Naro nodded in understanding and let out a long breath, though his expression remained flat. Sofia, sitting among the women, was nervous too, nervously squeezing her fingers.
The marriage officiant began to prepare. He picked up the microphone and cleared his throat softly to check whether it was working.
“All right. Let’s begin. Bismillah…”
“Waaait!” A woman’s unmistakably high voice suddenly echoed throughout the building. Everyone there turned toward the source of the voice at once, except Naro. He remained rooted to the spot. “Don’t start anything until you explain everything, Naro,” she continued loudly. Naro, who hadn’t responded before, suddenly turned and stared at Naiva in utter shock.