CHAPTER 3

Doni and Siska froze upon hearing their daughter's decision, while Reza stood in the middle of the room, looking annoyed yet bewildered by Talita's attitude.

The man’s jaw tightened, and the veins at his temples throbbed violently as he suppressed a surging rage that was on the verge of exploding.

The blatant insult and physical assault he had just received from Talita completely shattered his pride as a man.

Even so, Reza’s cunning instincts quickly took over.

He realized that reckless actions would destroy the grand plan he had spent years crafting to tear down the Herdian dynasty.

To protect his position and advance his goals, he needed to put his hypocritical mask back on immediately.

Moving slowly, Reza straightened his slightly wrinkled shirt, which had been ruffled during Talita's outburst.

His lips, which had just been trembling with fury, were forced into an understanding smile.

The man stepped closer to Talita, then gently reached out to grab her arm as if nothing terrible had just happened.

"Talita, darling... calm down," Reza said with a voice deliberately made soft, radiating boundless patience. "I know you're emotional, and I'm not angry at all about your harshness just now. I understand; this is all my fault. Earlier today, I unintentionally left you alone at the boutique while we were fitting our wedding attire. It's only natural that you're disappointed and furious."

Hearing those words, Talita’s brow furrowed deeply.

Flashbacks from her past life spun rapidly through her mind.

On the day of that wedding gown fitting, Reza had indeed walked out without a word or permission, leaving her alone for hours without any news.

At the time, driven by overwhelming love and foolishness, Talita tried to brush it off and hold back her anger, assuming Reza was merely tied up with work.

She even apologized to Reza despite having done nothing wrong.

In truth, deep down inside, that moment had been one of the early warning signs of Reza’s true nature—cold, indifferent, and entirely devoid of love for her—a bitter reality she only recognized after her life had been smashed to pieces.

But in this second life, that would never happen again!

Talita yanked her arm out of Reza's grasp. She glared at him with a gaze dripping with utter disgust.

"Don't act like you're the greatest man in the world, Reza!" Talita retorted with a sharp, piercing voice. "As for what happened at the boutique, I don't care at all! Because the one thing that is clear and certain right now is this: I am calling off our wedding. Period."

Hearing the firmness in Talita’s voice, Reza’s jaw tightened once more.

His feigned patience had reached its absolute limit.

He realized that the girl standing before him could no longer be controlled with sweet, sugary words.

Running out of ways to sway Talita directly, Reza quickly shifted his strategy.

He redirected his manipulative target toward Talita’s parents.

Within seconds, his facial expression shifted drastically—from a rejected man into a pitiful figure consumed by pain and heartbreak.

With tears welling in his eyes, Reza turned to face Doni and Siska Herdian.

He clasped his hands together in a plea, wearing a deeply pitiful and sorrowful expression.

"Uncle Doni, Aunt Siska... please help me," Reza pleaded with a voice trembling with despair. "Our wedding is only days away, exactly one week from now, to be held before the prominent business associates of our great families. This is no trivial matter. Please, stop Talita from making such a reckless decision."

Reza then cast a pitiful look toward Doni and Siska. "I love Talita so much; I cannot bear the thought of losing her."

Siska Herdian, who had always known Reza as a polite and kind young man, immediately felt a pang of sympathy.

The middle-aged woman stepped closer to her daughter, wrapping her arm around Talita’s shoulders with utmost tenderness.

"Talita, darling..." Siska coaxed gently. "You might just be sulking or exhausted from the overwhelming wedding preparations. Don't make such an important decision while you're emotional. It’s better if we go back to your room, clear your head, and talk everything over calmly."

Doni Herdian, her father, stepped in closer as well. The dignified middle-aged man looked at his daughter with a gaze that was warm yet firm.

"Your mother is right, Nak," Doni added, giving Talita’s shoulder a soft pat. "Don't rush into breaking things off. I know very well how you've felt all this time; I know how deeply you love Reza. Don't let yourself regret making a decision tonight or tomorrow just because anger got the better of you."

Seeing how easily her parents were falling for Reza's masterclass performance, Talita felt a heavy chest tightness born of profound frustration.

Reza wasn't just the one who ruined her future; the cunning man had also successfully manipulated and trapped her father and mother within his web of deceit.

Yet, Talita knew full well that she couldn't simply expose Reza's vile nature by blurting out the terrifying future she had lived through.

If she spoke without concrete evidence, her parents would only assume she had lost her mind.

Talita took a deep breath, steeling her resolve from within.

She reached out and took her parents' hands, gripping them tightly, then looked alternately into her mother and father’s eyes with unwavering firmness.

"Mother... Father..." Talita spoke clearly, leaving not a shred of doubt. "Listen to me! I am not sulking. I am not playing games, and I am not exhausted. My decision is final. I am completely, consciously, and fully calling off my engagement to Reza Pratama."

Siska and Doni froze instantly. Shock and disbelief were clearly painted across both parents' faces.

They never expected their daughter to speak with such absolute certainty.

Even so, as wise parents, they could not simply force Talita to change her mind on the spot.

On the other side, watching Talita's parents lose control over their daughter's decision made Reza's blood boil to the roots of his hair.

His plans were beginning to unravel, and panic mixed with hatred gripped his chest.

Realizing the situation was slipping away from his control, Reza’s submissive mask finally tore away entirely.

The man cleared his throat loudly to command the attention of Talita’s parents.

He stepped forward, casting aside his pitiful expression, and glared at the Herdian family with a thinly veiled threat in his eyes.

"If Talita insists on being stubborn and acting on her own whim like this..." Reza said in a heavy voice, "then I will be forced to inform my family and the mafia clans closely allied with the Pratama family to take stern action against the Herdian clan!"

The living room grew intensely hot upon that blatant threat.

Doni Herdian, who had led the mighty Herdian family for decades and commanded respect in the underworld, felt his blood instantly boil.

His honor and dignity as a head of the family were being trampled upon right inside his own home by a young man he had long considered a prospective son-in-law.

Without wasting a single second, the physically robust middle-aged man lunged forward.

With lightning speed, Doni grabbed a firm handful of Reza’s shirt collar and shoved the young man with full force until he slammed hard against a support pillar in the room.

"How dare you!" Doni’s voice thundered, charged with absolute fury that shook the entire room. "...threaten a daughter of the Herdian family inside her own home?!"

Doni glared sharply into Reza’s eyes, which had widened in shock and terror.

"Talita is not just my biological child! She is the rightful heir to the blood of the Herdian family!" Doni roared with supreme authority. "Your cheap threat and your utter disrespect toward my daughter will not destroy us! It will only boomerang and destroy your own family, you bastard!"

Reza, now cornered and locked inside Doni’s powerful grip, suddenly lost all his bravado.

Cold sweat streamed down his temples. Real, palpable fear gripped his chest as he stared at the wrath of the elderly leader of the Herdian clan.

Realizing he was in an utterly weak position, Reza hastily scrambled to change his expression again.

Whimpering in pain, he put on a fake, remorseful face.

"U-Uncle... please let me go..." Reza pleaded with a voice trembling with fear. "I am so sorry... I truly regret it. I didn't mean to threaten anyone, I swear! I lost control because my heart is broken... Talita just broke things off with me for no apparent reason..."

Fake tears slowly welled up in Reza’s eyes. The man looked pleadingly toward Talita with a sorrowful expression.

"Talita... please understand," Reza whimpered in a shaky, manufactured sobbing tone. "I only love you... I cannot live a single second without you by my side..."

Hearing Reza’s cheap drama and disgusting act, Talita could no longer hold back. She lifted her chin and let out a mocking laugh that filled the room.

"Enough, Reza! Stop parading your rotten acting!" Talita scoffed sharply, staring at him with utter contempt. "Your act is truly nauseating!"

Hearing Talita’s laughter and insults, Doni’s grip on Reza’s collar slowly loosened.

Doni looked at his prospective son-in-law with intense disgust and suspicion—for the very first time, the father caught a glimpse of the monster hidden behind Reza's handsome face.

Doni pulled his hand back, then roughly brushed down his suit jacket. With a voice cold and dripping with authority, he looked straight at Reza.

"You should just go home now, Reza," Doni ordered without room for argument. "Once things have calmed down and the three of us have finished discussing Talita's decision, I will personally deliver the official verdict to the Pratama family."

Talita briefly opened her mouth to interrupt, wanting to chase the man out immediately, but Doni raised his right hand to stop his daughter from speaking.

"Enough, Talita. Let Father handle this. We will discuss everything together with a clear head," Doni said softly to his daughter.

Reza, realizing he was no longer safe and that his pride had been completely shattered, was forced to nod in resignation.

Wearing a mask of feigned heartbreak, he turned around and walked sluggishly toward the exit.

However, as he passed by Talita and intended to throw out a parting remark, the girl simply turned her face away, stood her ground, and purposely let Reza leave without deigning to look at his face for even a single second.