3. The Beginning of Marriage

I still felt like I was trapped in a nightmare when I finally sat in front of the marriage officiant. There was no wedding party. No reception. Just a simple ceremony in my living room, witnessed by my family and Bin’s. Everything happened so fast, and I wasn’t ready at all.

“With that dowry, do you, Ayu Renjana, accept to marry Arbinata Moon ... ?”

His full name sounded foreign to my ears. Arbinata Moon? That’s Bin’s real name? I only found out today, after all these years just calling him “Bin,” which I thought was a typical nickname for some school delinquent.

Turns out he had a name that strange. And I had no idea Bin was in a different league, both academically and in terms of family background.

I glanced at Bin sitting beside me. His face was blank, showing no emotion whatsoever. Like he didn’t care about anything happening around him. I didn’t know what was going through his head, but I knew one thing: I didn’t want to be here. I didn’t want to marry him.

“I do,” I answered softly, half-heartedly. I had no other choice. I couldn’t go against my parents’ decision, and even worse, I hadn’t been able to defend myself in front of them earlier.

After that, everything moved so quickly. The marriage certificate was signed, and before I could even process it, I was officially the wife of Arbinata Moon.

**

I was sitting on the couch in the house that was now mine and Bin’s. This house was given to us by Bin’s family, supposedly for us to live in together after the wedding.

The house was huge, far from what I imagined for someone like Bin. I thought he’d be living in some cramped, dirty space, but I was dead wrong.

Only today did I find out that Bin’s father was a high-ranking official. A rich man with influence in this city. It all felt even weirder. How could a son of someone so important turn into a school delinquent? And rumor had it he even had a gang, just like Jeni.

Bin hadn’t said much since we got here. He just gave me a blank look and went straight upstairs once we arrived. I just sat there in silence, unsure of what to do.

“You’re not gonna say anything?” I asked quietly, even though I knew Bin was no longer around. The question was more for myself.

I still didn’t understand how my life had turned upside down like this. A high-achieving student, a scholarship recipient, now trapped in a marriage I never wanted, especially not with someone I couldn’t stand.

I thought maybe, just maybe, things would change after we got married. Or at least there would be some kind of adjustment between me and Bin. But I couldn’t have been more wrong. Living with Bin was like hell.

We never stopped fighting, from morning till night. Like cats and dogs that just couldn’t get along.

“Bin, are you serious? It’s been three days and the trash is still here. I’ve cleaned the kitchen, the bedroom, even the bathroom. And you just keep making more mess!” I snapped, pointing at the pile of dirty laundry scattered across the living room.

Bin, lying on the couch with his phone in hand, just glanced at me with a blank face. “Relax, Yu. I’ll take it out tomorrow.”

Tomorrow? I’d heard that line so many times, but Bin’s version of “tomorrow” never seemed to arrive.

“You can’t be serious, Bin! I can’t live in a filthy house like this!” I was starting to lose it, fed up with Bin’s messy habits and complete lack of concern for keeping the house clean.

Bin just shrugged. “Then just take it out yourself. I’m tired after school, normal to want a bit of rest, right?”

I could feel my blood boiling. Bin was seriously impossible! Always indifferent, never caring about what I did to make this house livable. I’d cleaned nearly every corner, and he just added to the mess with his stuff everywhere.

“What do you think I am, a robot or something, taking care of the whole house on my own?” I glared at him, but Bin only let out a long sigh, like I was the one being unreasonable.

“Besides, why are you stressing so much? The house is big, sure, but you don’t have to clean it every single day,” he said casually.

I couldn’t take it anymore. I felt like I was the only one trying to make this relationship work, while Bin didn’t care one bit. I was exhausted, arguing about the same things again and again, but nothing ever changed.

In the end, I could only sulk as I headed to my room. Yeah, my room. Bin and I still slept separately. That was the one saving grace for me, because if we had to share a bed, I had no idea how I’d get any sleep with us fighting like this all the time.

Living with Bin was a true test of patience. Every day, there was something new to piss me off. And the most annoying thing? He always asked me to cook him instant noodles.

“Yu, make me some noodles. I’m starving,” he’d shout from the living room while watching TV. He could’ve easily gotten up, gone to the kitchen, and cooked them himself. But laziness seemed to be his middle name.

I shot him a dirty look from the kitchen. “You can cook your own noodles, Bin. It’s not that hard.”

“Yeah, but I’m tired, just got back from riding around with the guys,” he answered like that was a good enough excuse to boss me around.

“I’m not your maid, Bin,” I said firmly, trying to keep my emotions in check. It wasn’t fair, he got to sit around doing nothing while I handled the house, the cooking, everything.

He looked at me with a sharp glare. “If you don’t wanna do it, then just leave. Walk out of here right now.”

That threat made my heart pound. I never imagined he’d say something like that. Kick me out? For a second, I seriously considered running away, going back to my parents’ house.

But then I thought, if I went home, they’d be incredibly worried. Their only daughter, being treated unfairly like this? My mom would definitely go to Bin’s father again, and the whole thing would spiral into another never-ending mess.

So, with a heavy heart, I just lowered my head and followed his order. I made him instant noodles, even though it made me feel like my dignity was being ripped apart. Not because I couldn’t cook, but because I felt like I had no self-worth anymore. This was my home too, but Bin treated me like I was just a guest.

While I waited for the noodles to cook, I could only space out, thinking about how I could survive this situation. I knew if I left, things would only get messier. So, for now, I decided to just play along, at least until I figured out a way out of this.