A middle-aged man stood in the doorway, his body slightly stooped. His hair had gone silver at the temples, his face was drawn and pale, and his steps no longer carried the steadiness they once had. But his eyes — eyes that had always looked at Arsy with nothing but love — were now filled with confusion.
Rahman Shahira. Arsy's father.
He'd been hearing the argument from inside. At first, he'd assumed it was a minor misunderstanding. But Radit's last declaration — that he wanted to cancel the wedding — had carried through the walls with a clarity that was impossible to ignore.
"What's going on out here?" His voice was weak but firm.
Every pair of eyes in the yard — including the neighbors who'd been pretending not to listen — turned to him. Arsy froze.
"Dad…" The word barely made it past her lips.
Rahman descended the porch steps. His gaze moved from Arsy to Radit, then to Nadira standing half-hidden behind Radit's shoulder. Nadira's face was white with panic. Radit's expression hadn't changed — the same indifferent mask as before.
Rahman stopped directly in front of Radit.
"What did you just say, Radit?" Quiet, but loaded with pressure. "Did I hear you say you want to cancel the wedding?"
Radit didn't answer right away. He glanced toward Arsy, then back at Rahman.
"Yes, sir," he said finally. "I want to cancel my wedding to Arsy."
Rahman's throat seized. Hearing the words spoken directly to his face was something else entirely.
"Radit, do you realize what you're saying?" His voice rose. "Marriage isn't a game. The wedding is days away. The invitations have been sent. The entire extended family knows."
Radit let out a breath — the kind a man releases when someone is lecturing him about something he's already stopped caring about.
"I know exactly what I'm saying, sir."
Rahman shook his head slowly, struggling to absorb what he was hearing.
"Why?"
Arsy watched her father through flooded eyes. Everything inside her screamed to stop this — to shield this man who should have been shielded by her, not destroyed because of her. But Radit opened his mouth again.
"I don't want this marriage anymore, sir."
Rahman went silent for several seconds.
"You… you can't be serious." His voice dropped to almost nothing. "Radit, please tell me this isn't real."
Radit shook his head.
"I'm not joking, sir."
"You are my daughter's fiance." Rahman's voice had begun to crack. "My child. You came to this house. You proposed properly. You promised to take care of her and marry her."
Radit's eyes flicked briefly to Nadira, then back to Rahman.
"Forgive me, sir. I never loved Arsy."
Arsy's hand flew to her mouth. A soundless sob tore through her. Rahman turned to stone.
"What…?" Barely a whisper.
"I accepted this marriage because my parents asked me to," Radit continued without hesitation. "Not because I loved Arsy."
The color drained further from Rahman's face.
"Then what now?" he managed.
"I'm in love with someone else." Radit didn't blink. "And that someone is Nadira."
The name struck Rahman's chest like a sledgehammer. He took an involuntary step backward. His chest constricted. His breathing turned shallow and rapid. He looked at Nadira — the young woman who had visited his home countless times, whom he had always welcomed warmly, believing she was his daughter's closest friend.
"You?" he murmured, unable to process it.
Nadira's head dropped. She broke down the moment her eyes met Rahman's.
"I'm sorry, Uncle…"
Rahman swallowed. His throat was dry as paper. The world tilted around him. He turned to Arsy. His daughter stood there shaking, her face drenched in tears, her shoulders heaving as she fought to contain her sobs. Her eyes were vacant — the eyes of someone who had held on to pain for so long that she had finally run out of strength.
And all of it was being witnessed by their neighbors. Rahman felt his chest being crushed from the inside.
"Arsy…" he called out, barely above a breath.
She turned. Their eyes met. In his daughter's gaze, Rahman saw something he had never seen before.
Destruction.
And in that instant, pain erupted through his chest without warning.
"Ah—"
His hand shot to the left side of his chest. His breath hitched. His vision went dark at the edges.
"Dad?" Arsy's voice pitched with alarm.
Rahman tried to stand straight, but his knees betrayed him. The pain intensified, radiating down his arm and into his jaw.
"Dad, what's wrong?" She was nearly shouting now.
Rahman staggered.
"Mr. Rahman!" one of the neighbors cried, rushing toward him.
But Rahman had already collapsed to the ground.
"DAD!"
Arsy sprinted to his side. She dropped to her knees and gathered his motionless body into her arms.
"Dad, wake up — please wake up…" Her composure shattered completely. "Don't do this to me, Dad — please…"
Her hands shook as she gripped his shoulders. The yard erupted around them. Neighbors shouted in panic. Someone yelled to call an ambulance. Another ran inside to grab eucalyptus oil. Radit stood rooted to the spot, watching.
The chaos hadn't fully settled when Rahman lay unconscious on the rain-soaked ground. Arsy remained on her knees beside him, both hands clutching the man who had been her entire world since childhood.
"Dad… can you hear me?" Her voice was raw, wrecked. Her chest heaved unevenly. "Please don't do this… please…"
But Rahman didn't respond. His eyes stayed shut. His face had gone gray, his lips edging toward blue. Panic spread through Arsy like a slow-burning fire — quiet at first, then consuming. Her fingers fumbled for a pulse at his wrist. All she found was cold, steadily deepening cold.
"Where the hell is the ambulance?" someone screamed from the crowd.
"They've been called! They said they're on their way!"
Arsy had stopped hearing any of it. The world had narrowed to just two people — herself and her father lying broken on the wet earth. Then, in the middle of the chaos, one thought cut through everything else.
Radit.
Chest heaving, Arsy lifted her head. Her tear-blurred eyes found him immediately — still standing a few feet away, arms crossed over his chest, expression blank, as if none of this was his concern. And beside him stood Nadira. The friend who had once shared every joy and heartbreak with her.
Something inside Arsy's chest cracked open.
She rose to her feet in one rough motion, leaving her father in the care of the neighbors who had gathered around him. Her steps were unsteady, but rage held her upright.
***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***
Updated 106 Episodes
Download
Like this story? Download the app to keep your reading history.
Comments