Dali walked out of the cafe with shaky steps. For some reason, hearing all of that woman's cruel words made all of her nerves instantly shut down, unable to work anymore. Her whole body felt weak until she could only sit down not far from the car park.
"Hwek!"
Dali felt nauseous again. In fact, this morning he only ate a few mouthfuls of food because he had no appetite. Now, he had to swallow a bitter stone as his body felt weak while his meager stomach contents were begging to be squeezed out.
Dali could only nauseate himself because the cafe patrons who saw him instead of helping looked disgusted. Dali's bones were all gone. Dali was so tired. Only a female employee wearing a hijab dared to approach Dali with compassion. Even then, she was still not able to hide her disgust, which was also somewhat forced to help Dali in order to maintain the comfort of the visitors.
"Astaghfirullah. What's wrong?" the woman asked as she held Dali's arm.
Dali was unable to answer because his whole body felt weak. He could only surrender as he let all the liquid and leftover food come out of his mouth. This made the employee even more worried so she massaged Dali's nape.
"Kak Rena, please get some eucalyptus oil from the first aid kit," the woman asked one of her standing friends.
The woman referred to as Rena rushed in to get the oil. After that, the kind woman helped warm Dali up with the telon oil.
"Sis, let me take you to the doctor. You don't look too well," offered the kind woman.
Dali was touched. When the pain hit her due to Intan's evil words that called her an old maid, stupid, had no experience of love, and a usurper of people's happiness, it turned out that it was a stranger who helped her. Not her family or even Edward, whom she had begun to think of as her lover.
All of this was just illusion and nonsense. As it turned out, the man was not her lover and they were still two people trapped in a ridiculous arranged marriage from both parents. Ah, those selfish parents.
They set Dali and Edward up just like that without asking whether Edward had a girlfriend or not. If this is the case, isn't Dali being cruel to Edward's real lover?
Foolishly, she even began to fall for the young man who had his own life long ago. Dali could no longer hold back the pain that sliced her heart. She burst into tears while the staff tried their best to comfort her.
"Sis, don't cry. Let's take you to the hospital," the woman comforted her repeatedly.
Dali was unable to stop his tears. He tried his best to stop his crying so as not to make the employee panic. Until her tears began to stop even though her chest was tight, Dali was able to stop her own crying.
"No need, sis. I can go to the hospital myself," Dali said in a weak voice.
After saying that, Dali began to force himself to get up. He didn't care if his body felt unsteady. He was only thinking of how he could get out of the way of this kind person he didn't know. However, before he had gone far, Dali almost collapsed again. Fortunately, he was able to lean on the car body.
"Sis, I'm really not strong. Please let me drive you. I already have a driving license," the woman said frantically.
Dali, who had already felt how physically and mentally weak he was this time, decided to give up. She was really grateful that there were still good people around her who were willing to help selflessly. So, she let the woman take over the car and the keys after asking her coworker for permission.
***
It was getting late in the afternoon. It was probably almost 2 p.m., but still, Dali still went home with a slightly unsteady body. Never mind going back to the office as planned. He even had to be hospitalized for a few hours because of his weakness. In fact, he should have been hospitalized. However, Dali refused on the grounds that he would rest at home.
In fact, instead of resting, he would go on a long journey to leave the reality that broke his heart.
Already, Dali couldn't bear to see Edward anymore. He didn't want to sink further into the false love Edward gave him.
"Come on, Dali, you have to be strong," she consoled herself.
She clenched her fists as she grabbed all the clothes and basic supplies she would need. Of course, that included her money and ATM. You see, even though Dali was married, Dali rarely asked Edward for money, considering he was much younger than her and she was already well off.
Yes, that doesn't mean Edward doesn't provide for her. Dali just didn't necessarily want to accept it. In return, all the basic needs and groceries were provided by Edward. So, whether or not there was an Edward in her life, Dali could still live alone. Just like before when he was single and lived in his own apartment to avoid his mother.
And sure enough, the best move in her life had always been to avoid pressure from her mother. Including the pressure that forced her into this contract marriage. Yes, no problem. Dali was still able to hold out for 3 months until their contract marriage ended.
Dali smiled. After all his luggage was ready, Dali tried to tear the paper from the diary. She wrote a not-so-long message to Edward. Even though they were separated, at the very least, she had to convince Edward that their separation was a good separation where Dali did not blame Edward for secretly playing behind her back.
In fact, she should feel guilty for destroying Edward's true happiness. But stupidly, why is Dali still crying like a fool? Didn't he have the right to cry like this again?
It was enough that he hurt himself all morning with heartache and made his body unsteady. Dali still had to continue living. Perhaps it was okay to be away from the people he knew. In fact, it might even be better to calm his feelings. Yes, that's it. Dali didn't need to see his mother anymore, the person who caused this disaster to begin. Then, Dali would live a quiet and simple life.
"Okay, Dali. Enough tears for today. Let's go on a new journey," the woman said to herself after wiping away the tears.
She picked up the bag and suitcase she had prepared. Tidied up her slightly rumpled clothes, picked up the car keys lying on the nightstand, and set off for a new life. She was too excited to come to a new hope to realize that there was a small thing left behind that was quite fatal.