"Khayra!"
Andi's body was forcibly pulled away from Khayra, who immediately sat up and hugged herself, trembling with pain and grief.
"How dare you commit adultery in my house!" Ratna shouted in a fit of rage.
Andi straightened his clothes. "She's the one who seduced me, darling."
Khayra stared at Andi in shock and pure hatred.
"You shameless woman!" Ratna yelled, striding toward Khayra and striking her. Khayra tried to shield her head from the blows.
"Are you blind, Auntie?" Khayra cried, shoving Ratna away from her. "He almost raped me!"
"Lies, darling. Besides, a man wouldn't be tempted unless he was seduced first," Andi said, completely twisting the truth.
"I don't care! Get out of my house right now! I will not tolerate a tramp like you! You're seducing my husband because you failed to marry Yuda?" Ratna screamed, her anger boiling over.
"I took you in, Khayra. And this is how you repay me? By trying to destroy my marriage?" she accused.
"I'll leave," Khayra said firmly. She grabbed her suitcase and bag, heading for the door. She didn't care that her hair was a mess or that her sleeve was torn from Andi's assault.
Khayra walked aimlessly, unsure how far she had gone. The streets were empty, with only the occasional passing vehicle. It was already past midnight.
Exhausted in both body and soul, she collapsed onto the curb, covering her face. She wept uncontrollably.
"Why does my life have to be this miserable?" She sobbed in agony.
After being betrayed by Yuda, forced to watch him marry her own cousin, abused by her aunt, and now this incident—on top of the devastating news that she was only a stepchild to the woman she thought was her biological mother—her heart felt crushed beyond repair.
The pain was so overwhelming that it made breathing difficult, and her body trembled violently.
When her tears finally subsided, she looked around, realizing she had no idea where to go. She had no destination.
Then one name came to mind. "Is he already asleep?" she murmured, pulling out her phone.
On the third ring, someone picked up.
"What is it, Khayr? You know what time it is, right?" asked Kaivan on the other end.
"Um… Sir—could you pick me up?" Khayra's voice was hoarse, with faint sobs in between.
"Where are you?" Kaivan asked without questioning further.
"I'll send you my location," she replied.
She hung up and shared her location with him.
Fifteen minutes later, a car stopped in front of her. The driver got out and walked toward her.
"Khayr!"
Hearing his voice, Khayra looked up to see a pair of long legs with fair skin, wearing black house slippers. She saw pajama pants and a plain white T-shirt. It was Kaivan.
"Mr. Kaivan?" She whispered, her eyes glassy. Her face was pale, and her lips had turned purple. Kaivan noticed her torn clothes and the suitcase beside her.
"They were cruel," Khayra murmured as tears slid down her cheeks.
Seeing that, Kaivan's heart clenched, and anger flared within him.
He extended his hand toward her. "Rely on me—I'll make them pay."
Khayra looked at his outstretched hand, then took it and stood up. Unable to stop herself, she threw her arms around him and cried against his chest.
Kaivan was startled by the sudden embrace but soon composed himself and returned the hug. He gently rubbed her back as she sobbed.
They stayed like that for a while before she finally pulled away. "I'm sorry—"
"Don't apologize. You've done nothing wrong. Get in the car; I'll take you to my place," Kaivan said, walking to his car and opening the passenger door. Khayra followed and got in.
"What happened?" Kaivan asked as they drove.
Khaira was silent for a moment. "Uncle Andi tried to assault me. Luckily, Aunt Ratna came in, but it ended with me being thrown out," she explained.
"What? Your uncle tried to assault you?" Kaivan said, shocked. He noticed scratches on her neck and bruises on her wrists.
"No, this can't stand. We need to go to the hospital and get a medical report. You should report him to the police," Kaivan said, clearly upset.
"That's enough. I don't want him in prison—it's too light a punishment for him. He'd just bail himself out and walk free," Khayra replied.
"Then what's your plan?" Kaivan asked.
"Right now, I don't know," she sighed. "I just want to close my eyes. I'm so tired."
"Then sleep. I'll wake you when we get there," Kaivan said softly.
Before long, they arrived in front of Kaivan's aesthetically designed two-story house, its walls made entirely of glass windows. A koi pond greeted them at the entrance.
Kaivan unbuckled his seatbelt and glanced at Khayra, who had fallen into a deep sleep. A tear clung to the corner of her eye.
"I'll make sure they pay for every tear you've shed," he murmured, gently wiping it away.
He then unfastened her seatbelt. As her head began to fall toward the car door, Kaivan quickly placed his palm between her head and the door, preventing her from hitting it.
They were so close now. Kaivan's gaze lingered on her beautiful face, then slowly shifted to her pale lips.
***