Naura put on her best smile for the cameras. The flashes forced her to keep smiling. The reporters seemed determined not to stop, even though Naura desperately wanted to curse them amid the turmoil of her emotions after the wedding ceremony. The white wedding dress and queen-like crown Naura wore made her beauty even more breathtaking.
“Could you tell us about your first meeting and what made you decide to get married so quickly?” a female reporter asked.
“As far as we know, Ms. Naura once said in an interview that you weren’t planning to get married anytime soon,” another reporter added.
“Yes, Ms. Naura, please explain how your relationship with the coal tycoon’s son ended. Is it true that your families didn’t approve of your relationship, so you chose to marry Mr. Rafa? And is it true that this marriage is nothing but a publicity stunt?” the others called out over one another.
Naura stammered. She had absolutely no preparation for the barrage of questions. And besides, why was Rafa taking so long just to go to the bathroom? Was he deliberately leaving her to struggle like this? Naura seethed.
In the middle of her confusion, Rafa suddenly appeared and wrapped an arm around her waist from behind. Naura wanted to protest his unexpected move, but the man who had officially become her husband just hours ago looked at her first, signaling that she shouldn’t act strangely in front of the reporters. Understanding, Naura turned back to the cameras and flashed another dazzling smile, putting on the mask of happiness she often used to fool everyone.
Rafa shifted his attention to the media, preparing to answer. “Sorry to have kept you waiting. First, I’d like to introduce myself. You’re probably wondering who I am and why Naura suddenly got married.” He paused, then turned his gentle gaze toward Naura and reached for her hand, clasping it in his. As if reassuring her to leave everything to him. Without realizing it, Naura squeezed Rafa’s hand tightly in return.
Rafa focused on the reporters again. “Naura and I have actually known each other since we were little. We went to the same school. Our parents were also friends. We were separated for a long time because of certain circumstances, but Allah brought us together again. I’ve been in love with Naura for a long time. So there’s absolutely no pretense involved in our marriage. I genuinely love her.”
Naura was stunned by Rafa’s blunt declaration. She stared at him, her emotions in turmoil. She had no idea how to react to everything Rafa had done today. Hmph! Just keep acting. What a sly man, Naura cursed inwardly. She still couldn’t fully trust Rafa.
“So…I decided to propose to her right away,” Rafa continued.
All the reporters who heard Rafa’s romantic statement were swept up in the moment. Some of the others even teased them.
“Wow, that’s so sweet. If I were Ms. Naura, I’d never let go of Mr. Rafa,” one of the reporters said, immediately met with laughter from her colleagues.
Rafa smiled too, while Naura rolled her eyes in annoyance before forcing a stiff smile at the cameras. So he really is a talented actor, Naura sneered inwardly.
“I heard Ms. Naura has a major project coming up this year. Does Mr. Rafa allow Ms. Naura to continue working as an actress, or…?”
Rafa smiled before answering. “I’m not going to restrict Naura’s work. As long as she remembers her responsibilities as a wife.”
“And what are your plans after getting married? Do you want to have children right away, or will you wait?”
“Wait—”
“Inshallah, as soon as possible,” Rafa cut in. The man gave the woman beside him a warning look. At the same time, his hand tightened around Naura’s waist, telling his wife to stop talking. Unwilling to back down, Naura glared at Rafa before flashing another smile at the media a split second later.
“We don’t plan to wait. Right, darling?” Rafa continued, giving Naura a warning smile.
Whether she liked it or not, Naura answered Rafa’s spontaneous question with a nod, keeping her fake smile in place for the cameras. Acting like this was exhausting for her. Even so, she was still sane enough not to destroy her reputation in front of the media. At least she was grateful that Rafa could handle the reporters’ barrage of questions.
“If you don’t mind me asking, where are you planning to honeymoon?”
“Korea.”
“France,” Naura and Rafa said at the same time. The couple exchanged another pair of warning looks.
“But you said you’d do everything I wanted, darling.” Naura felt like vomiting just having to call Rafa “darling.”
In the end, they had to get through the rest of the day by answering every question from the media. When will this end, God? Naura thought in frustration. And there was still the reception afterward.
Naura hurried along. The black dress with its V-shaped neckline exposed her smooth shoulders. She had to lift the part of the dress that trailed along the floor to avoid tripping. As for the high heels she had been wearing, she had no idea where they were anymore. As far as Naura remembered, she had carelessly thrown them aside because they made it so difficult to walk.
The woman, beautiful even with her natural makeup, ran in a panic. Her long hair was twisted into a messy bun, decorated with a few tiny flowers on the left side. Naura looked as though she were being chased. First, she glanced right and left to make sure no one saw her sneaking around like this. She had left in the middle of the party, before the event was over, without Rafa knowing anything about it.
After waiting for a while, the person she had been looking for finally appeared. A handsome, half-Indonesian man startled Naura.
“Took you long enough,” the voice said.
Naura jumped. “Oh my God, you scared me.”
Without waiting for Naura’s permission, the man pulled her into his arms.
“Baby, I’ve missed you so much,” Leon said as he hugged Naura. Leon was Naura’s boyfriend—or at least he had been until she became Rafa’s legal wife a few hours ago.
Leon tried to kiss Naura, but she kept dodging him and attempting to push him away. “Stop, Baby. This isn’t the right time, you know.”
Disappointed, Leon released her.
“What are you doing here? I told you not to meet me here. Not now—the situation isn’t right. What if someone sees us?” Naura said as quietly as possible.
“Sorry, but I miss you so much, Baby. I can’t wait anymore. I want you to leave with me right now.”
Naura shook her head in frustration, repeatedly looking in every direction to make sure it was safe. “No, please, leave right now. I promise I’ll come see you when the situation allows it. Please.” Naura pleaded.
Leon finally nodded, though reluctantly. He gazed sadly at Naura before pulling her into his arms again. No matter what, Leon truly loved Naura.
Leon was about to kiss Naura on the lips when someone suddenly yanked him away and punched him in the jaw.
“Stay away from my wife, you bastard!” Rafa glared at Leon furiously, his breath coming hard.
Naura stared at Rafa in disbelief. “Rafa, what—” She was about to approach Leon and help her fallen boyfriend, but Rafa roughly grabbed her hand.
Rafa ignored Naura even as his wife continued struggling against him. His sharp eyes fixed on Leon in warning.
“From now on, if I ever see you approaching Naura again, this won’t be the only thing I do,” Rafa continued. Then he dragged Naura away, leaving Leon behind as he struggled to get back on his feet.
“Let go of me, you bastard!” Naura roughly shook Rafa’s hand off once they were far enough away from Leon. She glared at her husband furiously.
Rafa snorted, unable to understand the behavior of a woman who hadn’t even been his wife for twenty-four hours.
“Are you even aware of what you just did? Is this your way of protesting because you don’t want this marriage?” Rafa asked sarcastically.
Naura rolled her eyes in annoyance before glaring at Rafa with open hostility. “This is only the beginning. I’ll make sure we get divorced as soon as possible. So don’t think you can control my life just because we’re husband and wife now. As far as I’m concerned, this bond is nothing more than an agreement.”
Rafa snorted and grabbed Naura when she tried to walk away. Without warning, he forcibly kissed her on the lips. Rafa didn’t care that Naura kept struggling in his arms.
He pressed Naura against the wall, trapping her so she couldn’t move. Then he pulled her hands above her head and held them there with one strong arm.
“Hmm…Raf…st-stop!” Naura cried between Rafa’s forced kisses.
Rafa ignored her pleas and continued kissing Naura until he was breathing heavily. His emotions had truly been inflamed by the way Naura callously treated the sacred vows they had just spoken. Did Naura hate him so much that she couldn’t even accept him as a husband worthy of respect?
Rafa ended the kiss and pressed his forehead to Naura’s. Both of them were breathing hard. He looked at Naura sadly, hoping she would understand even a little of what he was feeling.
“Don’t ever do this behind my back again. You know I don’t like being contradicted. The more you try to get away, the tighter I’ll hold on.” Rafa kissed Naura’s forehead afterward.
Naura looked at Rafa, searching his gentle gaze for its meaning. She didn’t know how to respond to what Rafa had just done. She still doubted his motives for marrying her. But part of her heart was secretly blooming, even as she remained uncertain.
So lost in her own thoughts, Naura simply followed when Rafa took her hand and led her back to the party.
Meanwhile, someone was taking pictures of them from another corner.
“Hello, Boss. I got a great photo today,” the mysterious man said to the person on the other end of the phone.