She had to leave this place immediately—from the air that felt like it was freezing her heart, from the false promises now scattering into dust.
Indriyani's legs moved stiffly as she passed through the long corridor, walking past tightly closed, intricately carved doors, as if every step were an admission of absolute defeat. The exit was already in sight.
That magnificent gate, once the symbol of her last hope, now felt like a prison gate she had only just escaped.
"Stupid girl," she whispered to herself, her voice hoarse. "You came all the way here, swallowing all your pride, just to let yourself be trampled? What for? What was all this for, Indri?"
Her chest felt tight, and her breathing came in ragged gasps. The tears that had briefly dried on her cheeks now threatened to spill again, harder than before.
But she held them back. No. She couldn't cry here. She couldn't give anyone the satisfaction—especially the cruel man behind these magnificent walls—that she was truly broken.
She walked through the garden. The expensive exotic flowers, the ornate fountain spraying clear water, the shady trees—all of it looked faint and blurred through her burning eyes. Indriyani saw none of the beauty.
All she saw was the luxury built on her father's sweat, on the suffering of little people like her.
And now that luxury had swallowed her whole, only to spit her back out as useless trash.
Dad, she thought, trying to find strength. Dad, forgive me. I failed. I couldn't save you.
The guilt struck her, piercing deeper than Mr. Wahyu's knife. She had tried. She had knelt.
She had offered her life. But none of it had meant anything. In the eyes of these rich people, her father's life was worthless.
Her steps slowed as she approached the main gate. The towering wrought-iron gate, which had once seemed threatening, now felt like the boundary between two worlds.
The cruel world inside, and the world that was... who knew what outside. Was there hope out there? Was there really such a thing as a miracle?
"A miracle?" she scoffed bitterly, a soundless laugh escaping her trembling lips.
"Where is that miracle? All there is is cruelty. Just business. Just... you know, Indri, just greed."
Her steps slowed as she approached the main gate. The wrought-iron gate towered above her, cold and unwelcoming—the final boundary of the place she wanted to leave as quickly as possible.
Just as she was about to reach the gate, a luxurious black car slowly drove out from inside. It stopped for a moment, waiting for the automatic gate to open all the way.
Indriyani lowered her head and stepped slightly to the side so the car could pass once the gate finished opening. She didn't want anyone to see her.
A soft click sounded.
The passenger-side window lowered a few inches. Just enough for a hand to slip out, tap ash from a cigarette onto the ground, and then withdraw again.
Such an ordinary little gesture... but it was enough to make Indriyani look inside the car through the gap in the window.
And suddenly, her chest tightened.
That face.
That person.
Akbar Riswanto.
And Indriyani's already shattered world collapsed all over again, breaking into pieces and turning to dust that could never be put back together.
"No," she whispered, her voice catching. "It can't be."
Akbar Riswanto was sitting inside the car. The man she loved. The man who had promised to marry her.
The man who had taken everything from her, and now, right in front of her, was taking everything away again.
Akbar.
The man smiled—the smile that had once always made Indriyani's heart race, but now felt like poison.
Beside him sat a woman. Her blond, curly hair fell beautifully over her shoulders. Her skin was flawlessly pale, her makeup heavy, and her lips a vivid red.
The woman laughed brightly, the sound stabbing Indriyani's eardrums and tearing apart every last shred of her hope.
"Akbar?" Indriyani tried to call out, but no sound came. Her tongue felt numb, as if frozen. Her body was rooted to the spot, her feet planted in the ground, unable to move.
Akbar didn't see her. His eyes were fixed only on the woman beside him. He leaned closer, wrapping an arm around the woman's waist. His smile grew wider, filled with a passion Indriyani had never seen him direct at her.
"No... it can't be," Indriyani murmured, slowly shaking her head. The tears she'd fought so desperately to hold back now seeped out, wetting her cheeks.
"This is a lie. This is a dream. This can't be you, Akbar."
But it was him. It was unmistakably him. The figure she knew, the laugh she had memorized. And the blond woman now returned Akbar's embrace with equal affection.
Akbar pulled the woman closer. Their faces drew near. Indriyani felt her heart stop beating.
Her breath caught in her throat. She knew what was about to happen. Yes... Akbar's lips touched the woman's lips. A kiss. Passionate. Shameless. Careless of the world around them.
In the front seat of that luxury car, in front of his house's gate, in front of Indriyani, who now stood there frozen and utterly shattered.
"How could you?" Indriyani asked herself, her voice no more than a whisper of wind.
"How could you do this, Akbar? After all those promises? After all your sweet words?"
The image was like a knife. It stabbed into the pit of her stomach, then twisted, tearing apart every organ, every nerve, every sweet memory she had ever had of that man.
"You said I was the only one," she whispered, tears streaming down and soaking her trembling lips.
"You said you loved me. You said we'd get married. You said... you said I was your future."
All those words now felt like the cruelest lies she had ever heard. Every touch from Akbar, every kiss he'd once given her, now felt like a black stain on her soul. She felt dirty. She felt stupid.
"Who is that woman?" Indriyani groaned softly, her head spinning as the world around her revolved.
"Who is she, Akbar? Why are you kissing her? Why don't you care about me? What am I to you?"
She wanted to scream. She wanted to rush to the car, open the door, and slap Akbar's arrogant face.
She wanted to yank the blond woman's hair and drive her away. But she couldn't. Her legs were weak. Her body wouldn't move. All she could do was stand there and watch the sight that had destroyed her soul.
The scene continued. Akbar and the woman were lost in their kiss, as if there were no one else in the world.
The woman's soft laughter sounded faintly after their lips parted for a moment, then their mouths met again.
My father's dying, Indriyani thought, the pain now mingling with a cold fury. My father is fighting for his life.
I begged for help. I sacrificed everything. And you... you're here, having fun with another woman?
The anger burned through every cell in her body. This was no longer the weak anger that had been too afraid to fight back when she faced Mr. Wahyu. This was a bitter, piercing anger born from the deepest betrayal.
"You're a liar," she whispered, clenching her fists until her nails dug into her palms. "You're a fraud. You're a bastard. I hate you, Akbar Riswanto. I hate you!"
They kissed shamelessly, and the kiss grew deeper. It lasted longer and longer. The car window, which had been slightly open before, was now faintly fogged, as if hiding the scene inside from the eyes of the world. But Indriyani had already seen it. She had seen everything.
Her tongue felt numb. She couldn't speak. She couldn't move. All she could do was stand frozen, the scene feeling like a knife twisting in the pit of her stomach.