"What is this letter?"
Nara's breath caught when she saw the words “religious court” on an envelope that was still tightly sealed. With trembling hands, she opened the letter and read it from beginning to end, until her tears began to fall.
"Divorce papers? This can't be! How could Evan divorce me without my knowledge? What did I do wrong?" she murmured in disbelief as she read the letter for the second time.
Nara's tears flowed even harder when she realized this wasn't a nightmare. She had no idea what fresh misfortune had befallen her that she was now clutching divorce papers filed by a man who had been married to her for less than two months.
"No! I can't just believe this! I have to get confirmation directly from Evan!" Nara thought as she immediately wiped away her tears.
The woman rose from her seat and went to look for her phone in the bedroom. Nara was still trying to think positively when her footsteps halted at the sound of knocking from outside.
"Evan? Yes, he must be home!" Nara exclaimed excitedly as she ran toward the front door.
Nara put on her best smile to welcome her husband home, hoping she could talk things through with Evan. Unfortunately, the man who had knocked on her door was not the man she had been hoping for.
"Excuse me, what is this about?" Nara took a step back. Her courage instantly faltered when several large, heavily tattooed men approached her.
"Is this the residence of Evan and Nara?"
"Yes, it is. I'm Nara, and Evan is my husband. What is this about?"
"This house is being seized! Your husband borrowed a large sum of money from the bank and failed to repay it. Starting tomorrow, you and your husband will no longer be allowed to live here!"
Like a bolt of lightning from a clear sky, all the strength in Nara's body vanished. Only moments ago, her heart had been shaken by the sudden arrival of the divorce papers, and now she was facing another situation that was just as difficult.
"This is the remaining payment you need to settle immediately, ma'am," said the bald man as he handed a sheet of paper to the woman standing before him.
Nara read the numbers written on the paper, and her mouth fell open as her breath caught again. "One hundred million?"
"That's right. It's the combined total of your husband's remaining debt and the interest!"
The corners of Nara's eyes grew wet again. She felt dizzy and suffocated by all the trials that had come crashing down on her at once that day. Now it wasn't just her hands that were trembling—her lips were too. Nara bit down hard on her lip, trying to hold back the sob that was about to burst free. But she failed.
"Please don't throw me out, sir!" Nara pleaded softly. "Evan hasn't come home for more than a month because he's working in the capital."
"I'm sorry, we're only carrying out our orders. We already have the house certificate, and if you want a clearer explanation, you should ask your husband directly," the man said, unwilling to argue. He immediately led his companions away from the house.
Nara broke down in tears. She sank down behind the door, covering her face with both hands. She had no idea what was happening with Evan, and her thoughts had already become a complete mess. The next morning, she woke up and tried to find out everything.
"Yes, I think I have to find out where Evan lives in Kota! I need to see him right away, before those loan sharks come back to this house!"
With great difficulty, Nara rummaged through her husband's wardrobe. Although her body still felt weak, she continued searching for all of Evan's personal information. She left nothing unchecked until her eyes accidentally landed on a small notebook with pen scribbles on its cover.
"Jalan Melati, Number 30A. There's no doubt about it—Evan must be there right now!" Nara exclaimed. She immediately tore off the page and put it in her wallet.
At seven o'clock the following morning, Nara hurried onto a bus heading to Kota. As she sat there, she kept nervously twisting the hem of the clothes she was wearing. She was terrified because this was the first time she had ever left her village alone. Nara had never traveled far before because she had been too focused on caring for her father, who had been ill for months.
"Kota! Kota!"
Nara jumped and immediately looked around. After the long journey, she had finally arrived at her destination. She got off the bus and began asking several people nearby for directions to her destination.
"Oh, that address is still a long way from here! You'll have to take several more forms of public transportation to get there," someone told her, prompting Nara to check her wallet.
She had only four fifty-thousand-rupiah bills left, especially since Evan had never sent her any money. Even that was the remainder of her savings, most of which had gone toward her father's hospital treatment and funeral expenses.
"I'll write down the names and numbers of the public transportation routes here. I hope you find your husband soon," the person said as they handed back the slip of paper Nara had shown them.
Nara followed the instructions the person had written on the paper. She boarded a red public minibus from the bus station, then transferred to another one. Nara wasn't afraid to search for Evan, even though she was now in a place completely unfamiliar to her.
"Jalan Melati," she read softly as she looked at the street sign in front of her.
For a moment, Nara furrowed her brow. She looked confused when she saw several cars and motorcycles parked along nearly the entire roadside. Hesitantly, Nara continued walking past the houses there, until her breath suddenly caught at the sight of a tent and words that struck her to the core.
"No! This can't be!"