Chapter 3 Forced to Marry

"Yes, Aunt, it's okay. I am getting married," said Bara, making his aunt fall silent in disappointment for a moment.

They went to the church, and the bride was already there.

Burhan Wiratama walked forward, took Bara's hand, and led him to stand before the Pastor-right beside the bride, whose face was still covered by her veil. The Pastor immediately began the blessing ceremony.

The ceremony proceeded smoothly, and once it was over, they all went straight to Bara's father's hotel, The NaiLuo Hotel, built so luxuriously by Mr. Delano Mikhail as a gift for the fifth anniversary of his marriage to his beloved wife, Nai Xin Luo.

Bara's wedding reception was held at four in the afternoon. The large crowd made Bara visibly tense, but he tried to calm his pounding heart. He forced himself to act naturally as he slowly accepted the fact that he was now the husband of a beautiful woman named Morissa, who sat beside him.

After the extravagant reception ended, Burhan Wiratama-drunk and ranting-became uncontrollable. Aunt Nay finally decided they should stay at the hotel, and their room was not far from Bara's bridal suite.

Bara helped escort his uncle to his room on the third floor, and the two were seen going upstairs together.

After dropping off his uncle and aunt, Bara and Morissa went to their room. The moment the door closed, Morissa immediately stripped off her clothes in front of Bara and began touching him, even though he was still fully dressed in his black tuxedo.

Her aggressiveness shocked Bara.

How could a respectable woman act like this?! he wondered in disbelief.

"Sorry, Morissa. I want to go downstairs for a moment. I think I left my phone on the table," Bara said, grasping for an excuse.

"What?! Oh... whatever."

Bara hurried out of the room and went downstairs to get some fresh air in the front garden.

Meanwhile, an increasingly impatient Morissa sent a message to Burhan Wiratama:

"Come here, I'm left alone."

– MORISSA

Burhan, who had just awakened from thirst, immediately saw the message.

Glancing at his wife, Nayzilla, who was sleeping soundly, Burhan quietly slipped out of his room and walked toward the bridal suite of Bara and the woman he had paid.

When he opened the door and peeked inside, he confirmed that Bara was not there, even though it was already one in the morning.

He entered, closed the door slowly, and walked straight toward Morissa, who was lying on the bed, waiting for the middle-aged man who had paid her handsomely.

Without hesitation, Burhan stripped off his clothes and had intercourse with the woman who was now legally his nephew's wife.

Meanwhile, Bara-sleepiness finally creeping in-returned upstairs. He assumed his wife had already fallen asleep and thought he would be safe from her dangerous seduction, which contrasted sharply with her calm appearance.

As he approached his room, he faintly heard moans and gasps. He thought they came from another room.

But when Bara opened the door, the sounds grew unmistakably clear.

His eyes widened. His heart froze.

There, in plain sight, his wife Morissa was on top of Uncle Burhan-riding him relentlessly.

Bara's blood boiled instantly. Not out of anger toward Morissa-no. But because of the unbearable pain caused by his uncle's betrayal of Aunt Nay.

Questions exploded in Bara's mind.

Why would his uncle betray his aunt?

Why would Uncle Burhan have an affair with a married woman-one who was said to be the daughter of his best friend?

What exactly had Uncle Burhan been planning for his life?

If Bara confronted him now, how would Aunt Nay feel?

What if she went insane and killed herself?

What if the company collapsed due to the scandal-when his uncle was the one managing it all this time?

Dozens of questions surfaced in his mind, forcing Bara to hold himself back with all his strength so he wouldn't make a sound.

Bara rushed out of the place and took a taxi home. Throughout the ride, his thoughts were in chaos. As he replayed everything in his mind, Bara suddenly understood that his uncle had intended to trap him and ruin his life.

Or... was there another motive behind all of this?

I don't care if Uncle Burhan ruins my life! I don't care if he treats me like a tool or a puppet! I don't care if he wants to take all of my parents' inheritance-he can have it! But why... why did he have the heart to destroy Aunt Nay's life so cruelly?! Bara screamed inside his mind. His jaw tightened, and his fists clenched.

When he arrived home, the guards at the gate were startled to see their young master looking so unlike his usual self, but none dared to question him.

Bara went upstairs to his room. He packed his clothes and the belongings left by his parents that he had kept neatly all this time. Then he went downstairs, carrying two suitcases in his strong arms.

The usually obedient and gentle Bara had transformed entirely. Determination burned in his eyes, his jaw tightened, his posture straightened, and his body looked stronger. Yes-Bara had finally regained the courage buried deep within him since the day he watched his parents die before his eyes.

He left in the taxi that had waited for him. He had decided to leave home and seek the truth about his life. What had really been happening all this time?

Bara got out of the taxi and walked toward his parents' grave-a place that resembled a palace. It was his aunt who had ordered her people to build such a magnificent resting place, intending it to one day become a refuge for anyone lost or stranded at night. She had done it to honor her adoptive brother's kindness, for he had always been generous and loved helping others.

When Bara arrived, the clock had struck four in the morning. Unable to contain his anger and frustration any longer, he screamed out everything that had suffocated his heart.

"AHHH!!!"

"AAAHHH!!!"

After releasing his anguish, Bara walked inside and approached his parents' graves.

"Dad... Mom... I miss you-Bara really, really misses you," he whispered weakly, touching the tombstones of his parents standing side by side.

Bara sat quietly between their graves for a long time. When his eyelids began to droop and sleep crept in, he faintly heard the sound of someone crying.

He opened his eyes. He almost fell back asleep, but the sound came again.

Bara blinked several times and gently tapped his head, trying to pull himself out of what he thought was a hallucination.

...