That night felt unbearably long to Nadya.
After the lights were turned off, all she could do was lie there in silence. Her head still felt heavy from the drink Mahendra had given her earlier.
Yet in that state, her thoughts wandered into the past.
Back to the life she had always wanted to leave behind too, just as her sister had said.
Not because she hated her mother.
Nor because she was ashamed of her family.
Nadya was simply tired of living in poverty.
Since childhood, she and Nayra had grown up with Mom, without a father.
Their father had left when they were still little.
There had been no word from him.
No certainty.
Nadya had never truly known what kind of life her father had lived after abandoning them.
All she knew from Mom was that the man had left while carrying a whole host of problems with him.
Debt.
And not just a little.
Back when Mom was pregnant with them, their father had borrowed a large sum of money from someone he claimed was an old friend.
The money was supposed to be used for business and the family's needs.
But after getting the loan, the man had simply left.
Leaving Mom alone while she was pregnant.
Leaving behind two babies who had not even had the chance to know what their father looked like.
As a result, Mom had to shoulder everything on her own.
The house.
Food.
Education.
Debt she had never even incurred.
Nadya still remembered what their life had once been like.
Their tiny house was so leaky that whenever it rained, Mom had to place several buckets on the floor to catch the water dripping through the roof.
When they had no money, they ate whatever they could.
Rice with salt.
Crackers.
Sometimes nothing but cold fried snacks left over from the day's sales.
Yet Mom always tried to smile in front of her two daughters.
“As long as you're full, that's all that matters.”
That was what Mom said whenever there was only a little food left on the table.
Nadya knew.
Mom was actually hungry.
But the woman always gave the best portions to her children.
From a young age, Nadya learned to help out too.
She washed dishes.
Swept.
Cooked.
Helped Mom make cakes and fried snacks to sell.
Meanwhile, Nayra focused more on pursuing opportunities that could help the family through the entertainment industry and social media.
Nadya had never been jealous.
At least, not back then.
She was actually proud when her sister began earning money.
Their life gradually improved.
Nayra even managed to buy several things for the house.
Mom no longer had to worry so often about whether they would have food the next day. Although her attitude had changed a little, she increasingly put Nayra first, believing that Nayra was her golden child.
But one problem continued to follow them.
Their father's debt.
Several years ago, a man came to their house.
He brought documents with him.
He said their father still had an outstanding obligation.
The amount nearly made Mom collapse.
Two billion.
Nadya still remembered how her mother's face had gone pale.
“How am I supposed to pay that much money?” Mom's voice trembled.
“And why was the debt so huge? What was it even for?” Even her mother knew nothing about it.
The man only explained that their father had once borrowed money using Mom's name, making her a jointly responsible party.
Mom denied it.
She said she had never benefited from that money.
But documents were documents.
And Mom's name was right there.
From that day on, their lives were once again haunted by fear.
Nadya had even heard Mom crying alone in the kitchen.
“Where are you, Dad...?”
That was the first time Nadya truly hated the father she had barely even known.
Not because he had left.
But because he had left behind so many problems for the people he abandoned.
Nadya opened her eyes. The ceiling came back into view. She was still in the bridal suite.
Tears had already streamed down her cheeks.
She hurriedly wiped them away.
“Enough...”
Nadya drew a breath.
She couldn't cry.
Wasn't tonight supposed to be the beginning of her new life?
Mahendra had promised her a better life.
College expenses.
A place to live.
A life far from their tiny house.
Maybe after this, she could help Mom.
Maybe someday she could pay off her father's debt.
Nadya closed her eyes again.
But suddenly, a phone began to ring.
The man beside her stopped moving.
Nadya opened her eyes.
In the dim room, she saw Mahendra pick up his phone.
“Yeah?”
His tone changed.
Nadya couldn't make out the conversation clearly.
Only a few fragments.
“Now?”
“I'll step out for a bit.”
Then the man stood up.
Nadya stared at him in confusion.
“Mr. Mahendra?”
The man turned toward her.
“There's something I need to take care of first.”
“But...”
“You wait here.”
After saying that, he left the room. The door was left wide open. Mahendra might have forgotten to close it.
Nadya was alone again.
She didn't know that a secret lay behind Mahendra's departure that night.
A phone call from another woman.
A woman who had been waiting for him outside.