CHAPTER 2

Talita quickly opened the door, revealing Siska Herdian standing with a warm smile. Without wasting a second, Talita immediately hugged her mother with overwhelming longing.

Talita’s eyes glistened as she gazed at the woman she missed the most—the woman who, in her past life, had died so tragically at the hands of her own husband.

"Mother... Mother... Oh, God, I missed you so much..." Talita sobbed incoherently, clutching Siska’s body so tightly as if terrified that maut would tear her mother away from her again.

Siska was stunned, bewildered by her daughter's hysterical reception. She let out a small, gentle laugh, trying to loosen the tight embrace while stroking Talita's hair affectionately.

"What is this, my love? Why are you crying this hard?" Siska asked in a soft tone. "How could you miss me this much when we just finished having dinner together two hours ago before you went up to your room because you were tired?"

Talita couldn't explain why she was acting this way; the young girl simply hugged her mother again. "I just missed you so much, Mother."

Siska chuckled. Her daughter was acting very strangely, but she continued to stroke Talita's hair while informing her of Reza's presence.

"Reza is downstairs waiting for you, darling. Let's go down."

Hearing Reza’s name, the tears on Talita’s face instantly stopped. Her sorrowful weeping transformed into a sharp intake of breath laden with deep anger and hatred.

"Reza!" Talita muttered in a cold voice.

She pulled back from the hug, staring at her mother with a gaze Siska could not comprehend. "Is that barbaric man in this house, Mother?"

Siska furrowed her brows deeply, feeling profoundly unsettled by her daughter's drastic change.

All this time, Talita had been known to be utterly infatuated with and deeply in love with Reza. Yet, the look she now witnessed in her daughter's eyes was not love, but a burning blaze of hatred.

"Yes, my love... Reza is waiting in the living room. He came to see you," Siska replied.

Without waiting for further explanation or caring about her mother's confusion, Talita turned around and hurried down the stairs with hasty steps.

Downstairs, the Herdian family living room was brightly lit.

Reza Pratama was sitting casually, chatting with Talita's father, Doni Herdian, while sipping a cup of black coffee with a sweet smile that made Talita's stomach churn instantly.

Seeing Talita arrive, Reza stood up immediately. The man greeted her with the warmest smile he always used to deceive people.

"Talita, my love. You're down? I couldn't wait any—"

Thud!

Before Reza could finish his sentence, Talita strode over swiftly and snatched a golf club belonging to her father that was leaning against the corner of the room.

Without hesitation, without warning, and without any reason understandable to anyone in the room, Talita immediately swung the golf club and beat Reza mercilessly!

"Argh! Damn it! What is the meaning of this?!" Reza screamed in pain, leaping backward to dodge the relentless blows.

Doni and Siska were naturally shocked to witness their daughter's actions toward her fiancé.

"Talita! Stop! What are you doing?!" Doni exclaimed, immediately rising from the sofa to restrain his daughter.

Siska rushed over in a panic, trying to pull Talita's arm away.

However, the surge of vengeance gave Talita's body an extraordinary burst of strength.

She shoved away both of her parents' hands and continued to shower Reza with blind, ferocious blows.

Reza, who had not expected the brutal assault at all, curled up in pain while protecting his head.

Beneath his teeth, which were grinding together to suppress immense rage, Reza fought desperately not to fight back.

He could not afford to ruin the image of a kind-hearted, loving man he had spent so long building in front of Talita's parents.

However, the relentless blows of the golf club landing on his body finally exhausted Reza's patience.

Driven mad by desperation, Reza lunged forward, roughly snatching the golf club from Talita's hands and flinging it far away until it crashed against the wall.

Reza panted heavily, his handsome face flushed crimson with fury. With a voice trembling with rage that was nearly slipping out of his control, he snapped:

"Talita! Have you completely lost your mind?!" Reza shouted right in the girl's face, the veins on his neck bulging outward.

Doni and Siska froze in place, shocked to hear such harsh snapping coming from Reza—a man who had always been known as exceedingly gentle.

Hearing that outburst, Talita did not cower in the slightest.

She lifted her chin, then let out a cynical, mocking laugh that echoed throughout the luxurious room—a laugh filled with immense contempt and utter disgust.

"Lost my mind?" Talita scoffed sharply, staring straight into Reza's eyes without a trace of fear. "No, Reza! My mind is clearer right now than it has ever been!"

The girl stepped forward, standing tall before the man who had nearly stolen her entire future.

"Listen to me very carefully, Reza Pratama!" Talita's voice rang out loudly, echoing into every corner of the room and instantly pinning the attention of her stunned parents. "Right now, this very second, I am calling off this wedding! I, Talita Herdian, am officially throwing away a piece of garbage like you, and I swear I will never pick you up again!"

The living room fell into a dead silence following Talita's sudden, definitive declaration.

Reza felt his blood boil to the roots of his hair.

The humiliating insult right in front of his prospective in-laws shattered his pride.

At that exact moment, he felt an intense urge to lunge at Talita, choke the girl's neck, and unleash all the rage burning inside him.

Yet, with the last remnants of his sanity, Reza clenched his fists tight, forcing himself to swallow that anger whole in order to preserve his good image in front of the Herdian family.

With his breathing still ragged and a smile forced to look pitiful, Reza slowly shook his head.

"Talita..." Reza spoke with a voice deliberately made to tremble with sadness, attempting to turn the situation around. "Are you sick? Or did I do something unintentionally that caused you to act so strangely?"

Reza let out a small chuckle—a mocking laugh that only served to fuel Talita's hatred to its absolute peak.

"Stop acting, you bastard!" Talita snapped without hesitation, cutting off Reza's words.

She pointed right at the man's face with a clenched, trembling finger.

"Don't you dare try to manipulate me and my parents! What I just said is the absolute truth! I am not sick, and I am not babbling!" Talita glared fiercely into Reza's face.

Then she declared without a single shred of hesitation, "You are nothing more than useless trash who doesn't deserve a single second of space in my life!"