Marrying a Rich Bum

PAST TIMES

Bima walked up to Mariana, grabbed the woman's arm and carried her inside.

Mariana wanted to complain, but fear wrapped her very tightly when she saw the face of Bima who was so angry. A murderous gaze, the first one he had seen since he met Bima.

"B-Bima.." whine Mariana softly. But as if Bima had not heard him at all, the man continued to carry Mariana, half dragging her, into the room.

"B-Bima, sick. What's the matter with you?" Mariana's tears trickled, as she was knocked and tripped on the steps due to the pull of Bima's hand.

Bima threw Mariana's body to the side as soon as they entered the room. Mariana held onto the sofa by her side, her tears flowing even more profusely.

Bima slammed the door violently, locked it, then pulled Mariana's body closer to her. Looking at Mariana's tears, Bima's heart trembled, popping a balloon of emotion that wrapped her mind strongly.

Bima pulled Mariana's body into her arms, clutching her tightly, as if she had just discovered Mariana who had disappeared in the earthquake pile.

"Mom... What's wrong?" Mariana ventured to ask, feeling the close embrace of Bima who seemed afraid to separate from her.

"Never leave me."

"Who would want to leave you?" Mariana raised both her hands, stroking Bima's back patiently. "You think where I'll go when I get away from you" he continued.

Bima clenched Mariana tighter, until the woman had trouble breathing.

"I'm jealous, Mariana. I'm jealous. And I have trouble controlling my emotions" whispered Bima softly in Mariana's ear.

"Jealous?" mariana asked confusedly.

Bima nodded. "Never talk about the merits of another man in front of me, please."

"Oh!" Mariana. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to compare it with you, Bima. After all, I would never allow myself to fall in love with a man other than you. I promise." Mariana again stroked Bima's back patiently.

"I've had a bad past with my emotions." Bima whispered back.

"You want to share with me?"

"You're going to go."

"No. I promise."

"You're gonna be scared."

"Not as long as I'm with you."

"I'm the devil."

"I'd rather marry an angel-hearted demon like you, than marry a demon-hearted human!" hiss Mariana.

Bima took off her embrace, staring inside Mariana.

"I'm really bad." Bima shook her head.

"I'm ready to hear the worst."

"You can't imagine the worst." Bima looked down, back to shake.

Mariana clasped Bima's arm, taking her to the bed.

"Listen, Bima. Your demons, are you worse than Galang?"

Bima took a deep breath.

"I'm sure not."

"I'm worse."

"Are you fucking a woman with ten of your other friends?"

"I fucked a woman, yeah. And she's pregnant."

"Anybody can do that, Bima. But if you do it yourself, you're still human."

Bima silence.

"You're no worse than Galang."

Bima shook her head. "I killed my son."

"Where's his mother?"

Bima is back to shake.

"You killed his mother?" ask Mariana. Although his heart was currently beating very fast, but he ventured to keep asking, hoping that Bima would never intentionally take a human life.

Bima shook her head. Mariana breathed a sigh of relief.

"You're still human."

Bima is back to shake.

"What makes you think that?"

Bima ventured to look up, looking into Mariana's eyes.

"The woman's back, and it's gonna ruin our relationship."

Mariana gasped, but immediately changed her expression to ordinary.

"We're gonna survive, aren't we?" ask Mariana calmly. "We'll get through it easier because you've been honest with me. I'll trust you beyond everything."

Bima shook her head again, but this time she looked into Mariana's eyes fixedly.

"The woman became terrible by performing an ancient ritual."

"ancient rituals?" Mariana tilted her head.

"Yes. He tied me up by eating my son's heart."

Mariana stared in horror, but her head shook incomprehensibly.

"You know I live in a small village with elders who still hold high tribal customs. The ancient rituals are still very thick there and real can be done."

"Name Sarah. I don't know if my son was born near death, or if he killed him. Clearly, in the condition of my son dying, Sarah took him to the forest to meet an old shaman to perform a body binding ritual. She needs my son's heart in place of my blood because I can't be found. I went to town and started my business."

"What happened to you two, after the ritual?" ask Mariana.

Bima took a breath back, her gaze slightly decreased.

"Sarah, it won't die as long as my blood is still flowing inside me and her."

Mariana frowned. "That's not what I mean. I don't have the ambition to kill any woman who wants to snatch my husband, you know? I'm not a forest wolf who's willing to fight and kill just to get my partner."

Bima should have smiled, but her feelings were not too good to hear the cuteness in Mariana's tone of voice. Mariana sighed, knowing her joke had failed.

"I mean, what happened to you two, after the ritual was performed?"

"We are bound," Bima replied briefly.

"Bound up what do you mean? I don't understand."

"Every time we do it, he can feel it. And that makes him angry."

"Doing...you mean...?"

Bima nodded, looking fixedly at Mariana's eyes. "We are bound in lust. He chose to lock my nafs, rather than any other part of my body. I have not been interested in women for a long time. That's why I was surprised when I wanted you so much and my body reacted to you."

"How can?" ask Mariana.

"Love."

Mariana blushed.

"Don't be shy like that, Mariana. It's rousing my wild side."

Mariana smiled, shaking her head. "If we did, would that woman hurt you?"

Bima shook her head. "He won't hurt us. She can't hurt me because our bodies are bound, and can't hurt you because you're pregnant."

Mariana frowned again.

"Sarah takes care of pregnant women. Actually, he loved that boy very much. But because I abandoned them and he was driven out of his parents' house, living on the street eating potluck, my son was born disabled."

Mariana gasp.

"That's what made him take revenge on me. But don't worry. He won't hurt a pregnant woman. So as long as the baby in your womb is healthy, you're safe."

"What about after this child is born?"

"He won't hurt an innocent baby."

"But your son?"

"That's why I'm telling you whether my son was born dying, or he was dying, I don't know. But my guess is my son can't be saved, other than born disabled."

Mariana took a deep breath, exhaling it slowly.

"Do you hate me now?" tanya Bima flat.

Mariana shook her head. "It wasn't entirely your fault. Your only fault is that you're not responsible to that woman, and your son."

Bima nodded.

"Are you going to accept me?"

"My feelings haven't changed."

"Thank you, Mariana." Bima grabbed Mariana's face, cupped her with both hands, then put her lips closer to Mariana's lips.

"Don't." Mariana backwards.

"Why?" ask Bima disappointed.

"I don't want to torture him."

Bima shook her head. "Will my past stories affect our relationship?" bima asked sadly.

Mariana shook her head. "I just don't want to hurt him. I can't imagine what it's like to feel a burning lust while she's alone and we're having fun."

Bima shook her head. "It's not the rules of the game, honey," he said, holding back a smile.

"But you said...."

"Yes. He really felt it. But not to torture himself. He could feel me sleeping with another woman, only to find me and terrorize me. To ruin my relationship."

"But what is he looking for?"

"Why don't I belong to someone else."

"Did he want you back?"

Bima once again shook her head. "No. He doesn't want to go back to a bastard like me. He just punished me, let me live alone forever, just like him."

"Did she not want to get married?"

"After the incident, he had lost faith in men."

Mariana let out a long sigh, her head lowered.

"Do you still think I'm not the bad guy?"

Mariana shook her head. "It wasn't your fault."

"It's my fault, Mariana."

"How many times did you do it?"

"I'm sixteen years old. But he's been twenty years."

"What?!" Mariana looked shocked. Bima smiled faintly.