Chapter 5 Half of the Choices Decided

This was one of the strangest moments Elzi had ever experienced in her life. She could not tell if she felt awkward, embarrassed, or what. All she knew was that everything that happened was completely beyond her expectations.

Just a few days ago, Elzi had expressed her emotions with enough force to make volcano erupt, clearly stating that she didn't want to see Ben again. Even when she watched a movie earlier, she had promised herself that she would beat up Ben if they ever crossed paths again. But look at them now. Fate was playing an incredibly mischievous game with her life. Tonight, when Elzi was almost assaulted, help came in the form of that guy?

Oh God.

Now, instead of quickly expressing her gratitude and leaving, Elzi found herself following Ben's steps into the hotel, seemingly powerless. The security guard at the entrance was clearly puzzled to see Elzi, who had claimed she was running away from an attempted assault just a while ago, now entering the hotel with a different guy. Especially since this guy looked nothing like the one who was searching for her earlier.

Elzi glanced at Ben beside her. Clearly, his immaculate appearance was what made the security unable to do anything. And as they stepped into the hotel lobby, Ben called one of the staff there, requesting a glass of water. Afterward, he led Elzi to a seat, slightly shielded from the view of passersby.

A few moments later, Elzi's trembling hands held a glass of water. As she tried to drink it, she became aware of how Ben's gaze traveled up and down her figure.

The water moistened her throat, and she took a relieved breath, not realizing that all the crying, shouting, and running she had done earlier had left her throat dry and parched.

Ben placed the now-empty glass on the table, and amidst the noise around them, there was a brief silence between them. Finally, Ben's voice reached Elzi's ears.

"So, his name is Mario?" Ben asked softly, seemingly seeking confirmation. "Your fiancé?"

Without saying a word, Elzi nodded faintly.

"So, what happened between you two?" Ben asked again, this time with a hint of confusion in his voice. "Isn't it normal for couples to have sex often? Hmm... especially when you're getting married soon." Ben's forehead creased momentarily. "Assault? Hmm..."

Elzi's shoulders tensed as she tried to take a deep breath. She sensed the teasing glint in Ben's eyes just as he continued speaking.

"Or... was he too rough? Hmm... not using the foreplay he should have?" Ben shook his head. "He really doesn't know how to seduce a woman."

Elzi was flabbergasted. She could not believe that Ben could speak so casually about such matters, especially when she was in such a distressed state.

Oh God.

Naturally, it was only human for a surge of emotions to well up within Elzi. It made her feel like she wanted to throw the empty glass on the table right at Ben's head! Elzi took a deep breath.

"Whether it's normal or not, having sex still requires mutual consent, Ben," Elzi retorted. "That's the point. Just because we're getting married or even after we're married, it doesn't mean those things can be overlooked. Having sex is a mutual desire. If one party objects, it's still considered assault!"

"Aaah..." Ben nodded while rubbing his chin. "I'll remember that very well. And I'll make sure that everything I do is a mutual desire. Well... although it's pretty obvious." Ben grinned. "I don't think there will be much 'objection' though."

Immediately, a flush of heat spread across Elzi's cheeks, making her feel exasperated. Once again, she could not believe that Ben was speaking so explicitly about it.

Oh, my goodness. I just almost got assaulted, and he's discussing this topic? Does this guy even have a brain? Empathy? Humanity? Forget it!

Elzi sighed. It didn't surprise her at all.

"Well... still," Ben continued. "I didn't think you would object to him. Hmm... he is your fiancé, after all."

Elzi shook her head firmly. "Listen, I think I need to set a few things straight with you, Ben," she said with a piercing gaze. "Maybe I'm like this, but I have my principles. I don't believe in sex before marriage."

Those words made Ben raise an eyebrow, followed by a smirk that sent shivers down Elzi's spine. It urged her to quickly continue speaking.

"Until that accident ruined everything!" Elzi snapped. "And mark my words! That all happened unconsciously! You took advantage of the situation!"

"Ehm... it was quite a situation," Ben commented.

Elzi was taken aback, gaping at Ben as if he were a seven-headed alien. Especially because he continued, grinning.

"I'm not taking advantage, Zi. I'm just a normal guy who would get turned on when he sees a girl like you lying on a bed."

Not to exaggerate, but Elzi really was not lying. Ben always managed to leave her speechless without knowing what to say.

This is crazy!

"Let me ask you something. What did you expect when I saw you like that that night?" Ben asked. "Were you expecting me to be like a monk in epic films, who doesn't even react when he sees you? The one who would cover you with layers of blankets and stand guard at the door? Putting up a sign that warns unauthorized people from entering? Is that it?" Ben shook his head. "You know, Zi? There's no guy who can be completely trusted in such matters. Every guy has the potential to do it. You just have to wait for the right moment for him to be tempted."

Elzi grimaced. This time, she could not bear to catch Ben's expression that was increasingly successful in making her nauseous.

"Don't act so innocent, especially for coming to his apartment last night. Well... it's only natural if he thought about using the bed there once or twice," Ben said.

Elzi was taken aback by Ben's words. "Are you blaming me for the misfortune that almost happened to me just now, Ben?" she asked incredulously. "Well... I'm not surprised at all. Whatever the problem is, the girl will always be blamed. It's clear that the guy is the one at fault."

"Ssst...."

Ben quickly reached for Elzi's hand, trying to calm her down to avoid drawing attention from others.

"Who said I'm blaming you?" Ben replied. "It's not like that, Zi. But just think about it. You're free to dress however you want, do whatever you want, it's your choice. But you must know that every choice has its consequences. You know what's best for you. And yes, if something happens, the wrongdoer is to blame."

Elzi squinted her eyes. Although she did not say anything, in her heart, she was cursing him.

Now he's trying to act sympathetic. Earlier, he was blaming me.

Ben let out a long sigh, seeming to realize that. Then he spoke again.

"Every crime is always a two-way street, Zi. You can't trust everyone. You can't. You can only trust yourself. So, I'm not blaming you. It's just... you shouldn't trust other people too much, even if it's your fiancé."

Elzi remained silent. Instead of responding to his words, she took a deep breath as if ignoring a certain fact – that Ben hadn't let go of her hand all this time.

"But the point here is..." Ben whispered as he let out another deep breath. "You should realize that from the beginning, you've been choosing the wrong guy to be your future husband."

"Oh, really?" Elzi asked sarcastically, accompanied by a scornful glance. "So, according to you, the one who's suitable to be my future husband is you? Is that right?"

Ben chuckled suddenly. "You can assess that yourself."

Of course, Elzi shook her head. "You know what, Ben? If I look at it, you and Mario are no different at all."

"Oh, be careful with what you say, Zi," Ben warned with a smirk on his face. "We are clearly different."

"Different?" Elzi snorted. "Yes, you are different. You touched me when I was unconscious, while he did it when I was conscious. No hard feelings, but... turns out you're a coward, and he's braver."

"Wow!"

Unconsciously, spontaneously, Ben let go of Elzi's hand. The expression on his face looked shocked with his eyes gleaming in admiration for the sarcasm she directed at him.

"You never change. You never think twice before making snide remarks about people. Ckckckc. You are truly something, Zi."

Elzi snorted and allowed Ben to continue speaking.

"But you don't need to worry that I'm offended. Of course not. But there is a reason why I said you shouldn't be engaged to that guy," Ben grinned. "The difference is... with you and him, it was forced, while with you and me, it was mutual."

"What?!" Elzi tried to hit Ben's chest, but he swiftly caught her hand. His eyes gleamed teasingly as he stared at Elzi closely, making her feel annoyed.

"You don't forget, do you?" Ben asked. "You were even hugging me tightly when we slept that night."

Elzi's mouth snapped shut. Her face was already very red. She was sure that if a pot of water were placed on her head, it would boil!

"Both of you are equally bad," Elzi declared sharply.

Ben chuckled, finding her rant amusing. "Listen to me first, Zi. I don't say that without reason, that you shouldn't be engaged to that guy."

"Okay, tell me."

Once again holding Elzi's hand, Ben gave a gentle stroke. "Why did I say that? It's because he shouldn't have taken you to his apartment last night. And see what he almost did to you, well... Don't you feel like it was planned?"

Ben's words silenced Elzi, leaving a big question mark in her mind.

Did Mario plan it?

The possibility sent shivers down Elzi's spine, and she unconsciously mumbled softly, "It can't be."

Ben's shoulders lifted briefly. "Apart from our accident, well... that was pure accident. Both of us were unconscious and unable to think. But what happened earlier? Oh my, oh my." Ben shook his head with a puzzled expression on his face. "Are you seriously going to marry a guy who can't control his desires when his mind is still sane?"

Then, Ben fell silent. It was as if he was giving Elzi time to contemplate each word he said. But instead of seeing a sad expression on Elzi's face, Ben noticed something else – a smirk.

Elzi's mouth curled into a sly grin as she cast a cynical look at him.

"Tell me, Ben," Elzi said, breaking the silence. "What's your job now?"

Ben's forehead wrinkled, finding the abrupt change of topic strange. The next question she asked made him understand.

"Are you working as a salesperson for fake products? Trained to manipulate victims' minds?"

Ben chuckled. It was no wonder when Elzi then let go of his hand, pulling away from his grasp. She pointed at his chest.

"Just because my relationship with Mario is messed up now doesn't mean I'll accept you."

Ben smirked, his eyes gleaming mischievously. "It seems my charm hasn't worked smoothly yet."

Not wanting to let Ben continue saying more weird things, Elzi raised her hand to signal him to stop talking.

"And, please, Ben. Stop saying strange things again. I haven't eaten tonight, I had to run around, and I'm not wearing shoes, and it ended up with a debate with you," Elzi said wearily. "This is way too much."

Those words successfully softened Ben's gaze. Not only that, to Elzi's surprise, Ben then took off his jacket.

"Sorry," Ben said as he shuffled, covering Elzi's body with his jacket. "I was just trying to make you relax a bit."

Relax?

Elzi snorted, but she did not refuse when the black jacket landed on her shoulders, almost engulfing her tiny figure. More than that, she even tightly grasped the jacket in front of her chest.

For a moment, Elzi opened her handbag and grabbed her phone, only to widen her eyes when she saw a series of unanswered calls from an unknown number, which surprisingly, her mind still remembered.

"You called me?"

Elzi asked because she initially thought it was Mario trying to contact her, but it was not him. It piqued her curiosity.

"Why?" Elzi inquired.

For a moment, Ben's face dropped as he looked at his hands resting on his thighs, with their fingers intertwined. Then he looked up.

"I called you just to know. Do you really not need an explanation from me? Especially after what happened?" Ben explained.

Elzi fell silent for a moment until she realized why their argument earlier felt like Ben was pushing her, even if it was hardly noticeable.

Ben sighed. "It's because... Mama wants to introduce me to someone. And if it goes well, it might not be just an introduction."

Again, Elzi remained silent until she realized something else. It was Ben's well-groomed appearance at that moment.

Oh, my goodness. It's Sunday night.

So Elzi tried to smile, which made Ben furrow his eyebrows. Especially after hearing what she said next.

"In that case, hurry and leave. Why are you still here with me?"

Ben looked surprised. "Are you really okay with this? You won't regret it? What if you suddenly get pregnant while I've already been with someone else?"

Unable to answer his question, Elzi suddenly realized how blank her mind was at that moment. She could hardly feel anything in her head.

Then, Ben let out a long breath. "Forget it," he said as he stood up and reached for Elzi's hand. "I'll take you home."

Elzi was initially considering refusing, but Ben's words made her unable to do anything.

"Your situation is chaotic, and I'm sure you want to safely get to the front door, right?"

Elzi finally nodded, resigned to following Ben to his car. She put on a straight face, ignoring the security guard's confused glances as they passed by.

The car smoothly merged with the traffic, blending in with other vehicles on the road. At some point during the journey, Ben took out his phone and sent a quick message on WhatsApp, sparking Elzi's curiosity. However, she resisted the urge to ask.

Upon arriving at Elzi's house, she was about to step out of the car when Ben insisted on escorting her all the way to the front door. Standing in front of her house, Elzi hesitated before taking a deep breath and lifting her gaze to meet Ben's dark eyes.

"Thank you for bringing me back," Elzi said softly and sincerely. "Thank you so much."

In response, Elzi felt Ben's fingers gently brushing her disheveled hair, sending warning signals to her mind.

"Don't kiss me again, Ben," Elzi pleaded, her eyes filled with sadness. "I'm already a mess tonight. Please, don't make it worse."

Ben smiled and nodded slightly before deciding to place a soft kiss on Elzi's forehead. The touch triggered an immediate reaction from Elzi. Using the last of her strength, she pushed Ben away just as the front door suddenly opened.

"Where have you been?"

Razen's voice sounded harsh and surprised as he saw Ben next to Elzi, his hand still in her hair.

Elzi was taken aback by Razen's sudden appearance and quickly ignored his question. Instead, she asked, "Why are you here, Zen? Weren't you supposed to go to Pineville?"

Razen shook his head. "I changed my mind. I didn't go."

"But I didn't see you at home all day."

Razen retorted, "I ran away."

After his casual response, Elzi realized how Razen had been staring at Ben all this time. At the guy standing next to her with his hand still in his hair. Oh no! Elzi quickly brushed Ben's hand away, just as she heard Razen's harsh voice.

"What are you doing with Elzi?!"

That question made Elzi suddenly aware of her appearance. Even though Ben's jacket covered her body, almost. The mess could not be completely hidden.

So, Elzi reached for Razen's hand. "Zen, I'm fine."

Razen paid no attention to her and instead advanced towards Ben. "You didn't answer my question!"

Not only accusing Ben with a questioning tone, but Elzi also noticed Razen grabbing Ben's shirt collar with a fiery anger in his eyes. This sight made Ben raise his hands in a defensive gesture.

"Whoa! Calm down, little boy," Ben said nonchalantly.

It was evident that calling Razen "little boy" was far from appropriate. From any angle, Razen was anything but little. He had a large and tall stature, even larger than Ben, who was already taller than Mario and Elzi. His body seemed designed to accommodate all the muscles there, as if to emphasize that he was not someone to be referred to as a "little boy."

Ben flashed a laid-back smile. "I'm just bringing Elzi back," he said. "Nothing more, nothing less."

Hearing that, Elzi wanted to interject with the truth, but she hesitated.

Liar, Zen. He kissed me!

However, instead of speaking out, she simply nodded, confirming Ben's statement.

"Yes, Zen. He just brought me back."

Elzi said that, trying to release Razen's grip on Ben's shirt collar. Of course, Razen did not comply and only tightened his hold.

Razen turned his head to Elzi with a bewildered look and asked, "Then where's Mario? Why didn't you come back with him? Why are you back with this guy? Weren't you supposed to go with him?"

At that moment, Elzi had never expected Razen to scold her, especially after coming home late and being accompanied by a stranger, instead of her fiancé.

Unable to hold back her emotions, and feeling overwhelmed by her chaotic feelings, Elzi winced.

When I'm like this, Razen scolds me?

Unsurprisingly, moments later tears welled up in Elzi's eyes, and she collapsed to the floor, sobbing uncontrollably. Ben shook his head and whispered softly, "I tried so hard to stop her from crying, and now her own brother makes her cry again."

Feeling guilty, Razen cleared his throat and gave Ben a resentful look, releasing his grip on the young man's shirt collar. He quickly reached for Elzi.

"Elzi, what's wrong? Why are you crying?" Razen asked frantically. "I'm sorry, I'm not angry. But I'm worried. Why did you come back late with another guy? And... and..." Razen furrowed his brow. "Why do you look like this, all messed up?"

Without saying a word, Elzi sobbed even harder and rushed into Razen's embrace, confusing him further. Razen had no choice but to turn to Ben for answers.

"Hey!" Razen called out. "What happened to Elzi? Why is she like this?"

Ignoring the strange title, Ben sighed deeply, scratching his temple with difficulty to answer the question. "Uh... From what I know," he said, "Mario tried to... uh... assault her."

Upon hearing this, Razen felt like witnessing a volcanic eruption right before his eyes, bringing a horror he could not put into words.

"W-what did you say?" Razen asked in shock, turning to his sister. "Is what he said true?"

Elzi tightened her hug without speaking verbally, but her nod confirmed the truth of Ben's words.

Razen's anger surged, and he had every reason to want to go straight to Mario at that moment. However, Elzi's condition made him realize the consequences of his actions.

He wiped away Elzi's tears and turned to Ben, who remained standing nonchalantly. "You saved her?"

Ben gave a bitter smile, neither denying nor confirming. But Razen took the unusual smile as a sign of a "yes."

"Thank you," Razen said with a hint of indifference. Because then, he immediately released Elzi's hand, only to kneel in front of his sister. "I'll take you to your room."

Elzi nodded and promptly rested her body on Razen's back. A moment later, Razen stood up, carrying his sister in his arms. Without saying anything further, Razen entered the house, closing the door behind them, making it seem like Ben was not even there. Elzi lifted her head, looking back at Ben as Razen continued to walk inside.

The sound of a car engine filled the air, causing Elzi to blink her eyes. With a firm belief in her mind, she thought that Ben had already gone home.

Once in her room, Razen immediately sat her down on the edge of the bed. He tidied up Elzi's disheveled hair, dampened by tears and sweat. Then, he noticed something that astonished him.

"You're not even wearing shoes?"

Elzi tried to hold back a sob, but it was not very successful. "I panicked, Zen. I threw my shoes at Mario."

With great care, Razen lifted each of Elzi's feet, cleaning the soles and removing dust and pebbles, sometimes eliciting a small wince from Elzi.

Taking a deep breath, a few moments later Elzi noticed something. Her usually talkative brother now fell silent, not saying anything further. She called out, concerned. "Zen?"

Razen lifted his face, causing Elzi to catch her breath. The expression on her brother's face was terrifying, erasing the usual playful look he often had. His voice trembled as he spoke, "I-I-I never thought he would stoop so low with you."

His hands clenched, his jaw tightened, and his face turned red, including his eyes.

"Oh my God. How could he..." Razen couldn't continue his words. Instead, he vowed, "Tomorrow, I'm going to talk to Mom and Dad. Your engagement with him must be canceled."

The seriousness in Razen's eyes rendered Elzi speechless. He seemed to be making a solemn oath.

"And as long as I'm alive, he will never marry you."

*