Alma left her office. She had her own fashion store, albeit a small business. It was all thanks to her hard work over the years. She now wanted to see Davin.
Alma was set to marry Davin in a week. The two had been dating for a year. Alma was a young and talented fashion designer, naive but strong.
Davin loved Alma deeply, so much so that he planned to throw a grand wedding party that would be praised by the entire town to prove his love for Alma.
A few days before the wedding, Alma visited Davin's office with a cake and accidentally overheard her fiancé talking to a woman on the phone.
Alma could hear it clearly from behind the door.
Davin's voice from inside sounded loving but pierced her heart.
"Sofia, my dear... trust me."
Alma froze. Her heart was pounding wildly, and a bad feeling began to haunt her.
Davin's voice could be heard again, saying, "Marrying Alma is just a formality. My heart still belongs only to you."
Alma's breath caught in her throat. She approached slowly, as if afraid of shattering the illusion she had believed in all this time.
After a long sigh, Davin continued speaking on the phone, his voice cold and calculating. "You know, dear? This marriage is the culmination of my plan for revenge. Vanya, my sister, will not rest until Alma feels the same pain."
Alma's world collapsed instantly. Those words hit her like a storm that destroyed everything.
Then Alma thought to herself, in a voice that was almost inaudible, full of pain.
"Revenge? Who is Sofia? So... all this time I've just been a pawn in her game?"
After that, Davin's voice ended the conversation.
"All right, we'll talk later, Sofia. I'll accompany you to the hospital tonight."
Alma couldn't take it anymore after hearing Davin's entire conversation on the phone, so she immediately burst into her future husband's office.
CRASH
"Mr. Davin!"
Alma and Davin were in Davin's large office. A tense and cold atmosphere enveloped the room.
Alma immediately spoke, her voice trembling but full of courage.
"Mas Davin, I want to talk about... about what I just heard."
Davin was taken aback, not expecting Alma to suddenly appear, as it was not yet time for her to know his plan. The handsome man stared at Alma with a cold, expressionless gaze.
"What did you hear? I don't understand what you mean." Davin sighed deeply.
Alma didn't wait long. She immediately questioned Davin after taking a deep breath.
"I heard your conversation with the woman on the phone earlier and you called her Sofia. Who is she?"
"Then about this marriage... about Vanya... and about revenge, what did all your talk mean, Mr. Davin?!"
Hearing all of Alma's curious questions, Davin tried to find an excuse. He remained calm, but his eyes flashed with anger. "You misunderstood, Alma. It's just... business."
Tears began to flow down Alma's cheeks. "What kind of business involves revenge and a fake marriage? Tell me, Davin! Is it true that you only want to marry me to hurt me?"
This time Davin stood up and walked over to the window, turning his back on Alma. His attitude changed so drastically that even Alma was confused.
Davin said flatly, "You don't need to know anything. It's none of your business."
Alma became furious, she couldn't believe her future husband's words. Alma replied in a desperate tone.
"None of my business? This is about my life, Davin! About my future! I have the right to know the truth!"
Then Davin turned and stared at Alma with a sharp gaze. "Fine, if you insist. Yes, it's true. I want to marry you to avenge Vanya's death. You will feel the same pain she felt before."
Alma was stunned, then she began to sob.
"Why? Why do I have to bear all this? What did I do wrong?"
Davin growled angrily, the burly man walked closer and grabbed Alma's arm roughly.
"Well... maybe you're not guilty. But your sister... she's the one who's guilty. He's the one who caused my sister's death."
Alma tried to break free from Davin's grip.
"It's impossible, my brother is innocent! It must have been an accident! You can't punish me for something I didn't do!"
Hearing Alma's protest, Davin grabbed her arm even tighter.
"You will marry me, Alma. Or... I'll stop paying for your father's medical treatment. Think carefully, your father's life is in my hands, and you need money for his heart surgery, don't you?"
Alma fell silent, her tears flowing even more freely. The beautiful girl felt trapped in a terrible situation. She had to choose between her own happiness and her father's life.
Finally, Alma replied in a soft, pained voice.
"You... you're cruel, Davin. I can't believe you could do this to me."
Alma couldn't understand how Davin could be so devoid of humanity.
Davin shrugged his shoulders as he released his grip and walked away.
"I did what I had to do. The choice is yours, Alma. Marry me, or let your father go untreated."
Alma and Davin were still in Davin's office. The atmosphere was tense and cold.
Alma roughly wiped the tears that continued to fall down her smooth cheeks, then with a soft but courageous voice she said. "Mas Davin, I still don't understand. What did my brother do wrong? Why are you blaming him for Vanya's death?"
Davin's eyes immediately flashed with anger and his jaw tightened. "Don't mention my sister's name! You have no right to mention her name!"
Alma was shocked by Davin's reaction, but she tried to remain calm.
"But sir, I have the right to know. My brother is currently working out of town, I never thought he would do something cruel to any woman."
"You haven't sent any news for a long time, I thought he was very busy with his work."
Alma felt she knew her brother very well. Irvan was a brother who cared for and protected her. So Alma couldn't understand what was really going on between Vanya and Irvan.
During her relationship with Davin, Alma had never met Vanya. According to Davin, his sister was studying abroad.
Davin walked back towards Alma with an intimidating gaze.
"Your brother couldn't do something cruel? That's what you said. Irvan is a murderer! He took the life of my precious sister!"
Alma took a step back, afraid of Davin's anger. "It was an accident, Davin. My brother didn't mean to do it."
Davin's face darkened, and the temperature in the room seemed to drop. Davin then grabbed Alma's shoulder roughly.
"Shut up! Don't defend that murderer! You're just like him!"
Alma struggled, trying to break free from Davin's grip. "Let me go, Davin! You're hurting me!"
Alma trembled with fear, feeling that Davin had become a stranger to her. During their year-long relationship, Davin had never once yelled at her or treated her roughly, but now his attitude had changed drastically.
But Davin seemed not to hear or care about Alma's pleas. Instead, he gripped the shoulders of his future wife, whom he usually treated gently, even more tightly.
"This wedding will go ahead as planned. In a week, you will be my wife."
Alma stared at Davin with hatred in her eyes.
"I will never marry you after finding out all this!"
Suddenly, Davin released his grip roughly and laughed cynically.
"You think you have a choice? If you refuse, I will stop all of your father's medical expenses. He will soon be beyond treatment, Alma. Do you want that to happen?"
Alma fell silent, tears streaming down her face. She felt broken and helpless. Alma knew Davin was not joking with his threat. Meanwhile, her father's surgery required a large amount of money.
Alma said in a soft and pained voice.
"You... you're a monster, Davin."
Davin smiled coldly, unmoved by the words of the woman he once loved. After all, their relationship had started out based on love. But after Davin found out that Irvan was responsible for Vanya's death, he began to harbor thoughts of revenge against Alma.
Davin approached and whispered in Alma's ear.
"I did what I had to do to avenge my sister's death. You and your family will pay for all of this."
The cake in Alma's hand fell to the floor at that moment, shattering into pieces like her heart at that moment. Tears flowed freely, wetting her cheeks.
Alma thought to herself in despair and pain.
"The love I've felt all this time... was it all just a lie? That gaze... that smile... was it all fake?"
With trembling steps, Alma turned and ran away from Davin's office. She left behind all the dreams and hopes she had woven together all this time, shattered into pieces behind her