Chapter 1 : The Truth

“Dear, Joanna will be twenty-one tomorrow. She has also graduated from college. That means it’s the time, doesn’t it?” Ratih asked her husband, Sanjaya.

“You’re right, dear. I’ll arrange a meeting with Chandra tomorrow.”

Ratih smiled in satisfaction. At last, she would no longer have to see Joanna’s face. If Joanna could leave right this moment, Ratih would gladly help her pack her belongings. In fact, even if Joanna merely gave orders and did nothing herself, Ratih would happily serve as her maid for a day.

“Chandra will be coming tomorrow afternoon. The wedding ceremony between Chandra and Anna will take place the day after tomorrow. As for the other documents, his people will take care of everything. Still, it’s a pity that we must losing Anna.”

“What are you regretting now? We agreed to this arrangement when Anna was seven years old. If we fail to fulfill it, Chandra will throw us out onto the streets.”

“I know that, Ratih. Chandra was willing to support us on a massive scale in exchange for Anna. But haven’t you forgotten how capable she is? Several of our major businesses are thriving because she managed them and generated huge profits. Even Tommy can’t beat her.”

Sanjaya let out a deep sigh.

Anna had always been his lucky charm. Whenever he faced difficulties, Chandra had been willing to inject enormous amounts of capital into his businesses because of her. Not only that, but Anna also always made him proud wherever he went. She excelled in school, displayed remarkable business talent before she was even eighteen, and was obedient. She was simply incomparable to his two biological children.

Yet he still had to let her go.

If he didn’t, Chandra would withdraw all his investments and deal a devastating blow to the family’s finances.

“We still have Tommy and Valencia, our own children, to carry on everything. They’ll surely become even better than Anna. Besides, Anna isn’t really our daughter. It’s time for her to repay us for providing her with a home and food all these years,” Ratih said irritably.

Her husband was always defending Anna, making Tommy and Valencia believe that Sanjaya played favorites. His constant comparisons only fueled Ratih’s resentment toward Anna. Whenever Sanjaya was away from home, Ratih and her children would make Anna’s life difficult.

Crash!

A loud noise came from outside Sanjaya’s working room. The couple immediately stepped out to see what had happened.

“Hic... Dad... Mom... I don’t want to marry Uncle Chandra. I’m still too young to get married,” Anna sobbed as she sat on the floor by the door.

Joanna had overheard the entire conversation between Ratih and Sanjaya.

Ratih remained silent, showing no intention of helping Anna up.

“Come on, sweetheart. Get up first. Let’s talk about this inside,” Sanjaya said as he helped her to her feet.

He handed Anna a box of tissues. Tears and mucus covered the beautiful face that Ratih had painstakingly raised.

“Anna... hic... Anna doesn’t want to, Dad. I really don’t want to marry Uncle Chandra. He’s so old. I don’t want to,” she pleaded.

Anna knows Chandra very well. He’s one of Sanjaya’s business associates. Though elderly, Chandra was handsome for his age and spoke with gentle refinement. He often visited their home to discuss business with Sanjaya. After greeting him briefly, Anna would usually be asked to keep Alexander—Chandra’s son—company.

Never in her wildest dreams had she imagined that Chandra intended for her to become Alex’s stepmother.

Marriage meant fulfilling a wife’s duties, including sharing a bed with her husband. The thought of being touched by an older man she did not love filled Anna with revulsion.

“No, Anna. You must marry Chandra. This agreement is no longer negotiable. If we fail to honor it, we’ll all end up homeless,” Ratih said firmly.

“I don’t mind giving up all this wealth. We can earn money again. I really don’t want to marry Uncle Chandra, Mom. Please...”

Slap!

Ratih’s hand struck Anna’s cheek with tremendous force.

“You, a little trash! You want to make us homeless? How ungrateful can you be? We gave you a place to live, food to eat, and an education. And this is how you repay us?” Ratih shouted.

Anna dared not argue any further. Instead, she looked pleadingly at Sanjaya, hoping he would defend her.

She knew that in this house, only Sanjaya truly cared about her.

Ratih and her two children despised her so much.

“I’m disappointed in you, Anna,” Sanjaya said. “How could you say something like that? Your mother, your siblings, and I unwilling to living in poverty. You must marry Chandra as repayment for everything we’ve done for you.

“As you heard earlier, you are not our biological daughter. To be more precise, you are my niece—the child my sister left on our doorstep before she passed away.”

“But... but I’m useful too, Dad. I can make money. The companies I manage are successful. Are you willing to give me up?”

Tears streamed down Anna’s face once more.

Now she finally understood why Ratih and her siblings hated her so much. She was an existence that never truly belonged in this family.

No matter how much Sanjaya seemed to care for her, she was nothing more than a valuable asset and a useful worker in his eyes.

“The profits you've generated are nowhere near what Chandra is offering. If the two of you get married, Chandra has promised to support our family for the next twenty years and even give us one of his gold mines. You haven't forgotten just how wealthy he is, have you?”

Anna could no longer find the words to argue. Chandra wanted her so badly that he was willing to make an extraordinary offer. Not only had he helped the family in the past, but their future would also be completely secured—all at the cost of sacrificing Anna.

“Now go to your room. The day after tomorrow, you'll be picked up for the wedding. Prepare yourself. I don't want to see your swollen face on such a happy moment,” Sanjaya said.

Once back in her room, Anna cried endlessly, mourning her fate.

But she refused to give up.

She had a decent amount of money in her personal bank account. She was smart and had already earned her college degree. Even if she left this place, she could support herself for the next two or three years without working.

Anna immediately jumped out of bed and packed a few changes of clothes along with important documents such as her ID card, driver's license, bank books, and passport. Naturally, she couldn't leave behind her ATM cards and mobile phone.

She packed lightly so she could run more easily.

The moment she finished, she hurried toward the door.

“Damn it!” Anna cursed.

The door was locked.

Apparently, Ratih and Sanjaya had anticipated this. The only possible escape route was through the balcony.

But her room was on the second floor.

Anna forced her exhausted mind to think. Finally, she tied together every blanket and bedsheet she could find.

“Please reach the ground... Please reach the ground... Please reach the ground...”

She kept praying, hoping all her efforts would not be in vain.

“Yes! It reached!”

God had answered her prayer.

The makeshift rope of blankets and sheets barely touched the ground below.

Without hesitation, Anna climbed down from the balcony. However, the bedsheet wasn’t sturdy enough, leaving Anna pray desperately and screaming in silence.

“Whoa! That was close. Luckily, I made it down before the knots came undone. Thank goodness.”

Her heart still hadn't calmed down.

Before she could recover from the terror of nearly falling, she realized it was still the middle of the night. The house and front yard were shrouded in darkness.

Even so, she steeled herself.

Anything was better than marrying Chandra and surrendering her body to a man she did not love.

Wearing the sturdiest and lightest pair of shoes she owned, Anna ran as quietly as possible.

“Annaaaaaa! Where do you think you're going?!”

Ratih's furious voice suddenly echoed from the front porch.