Not a Choice

29

...*******...

..."If only the heart could be invited to compromise when God Amor was about to release the arrow, maybe the love would not be anchored to the wrong person."...

...~Alea Putri~...

...********...

"Get me talking, Al! What do you mean say whore to Runa. Just so you know, she's a good woman who's already the mother of my son!" ata's wrath after her phone call connected with Alea.

"Heh, with just one word, you can finally be distracted and want to contact me, Ata. That's how important that woman is to you, huh?" Alea sneered across there. Makes Ata even more furious.

"What do you want now?" asked Ata in a cold tone.

"What would I want? You ask me what I want, Ta?" Alea was also emotionally stirred. The drastic change in Ata's attitude made her shake her head, "you completely forgot yourself and have no feelings at all, huh? I'm your fiancee, Ta. Did you forget? How quickly you change your attitude after discovering your past."

"Enough, Al! I'm tired of all this. Now you already know my true attitude, right? For years I have hidden the regret of leaving Runa. Sorry, I have to be honest now. From then until now there was no love for you in my heart. Everything belongs to Runa. Just Runa! So, from now on it is better to just end our relationship, so that you can be free to make your choice. Look for a man who loves you sincerely, Al. That's definitely not me."

The long speech and unilateral decision that Ata said, certainly made Alea jerked. Until the call was silent for a while.

"You're kidding me, aren't you, Ta? You're not serious, are you, the same decision you just made?" Alea's voice was already heard shaking. The sobs are getting more heartbreaking. Alea's heart was broken, broken. Suddenly banged by a bitter reality he never expected. Ata ruthlessly broke off their engagement only through a telephone connection.

"I'm serious, Al. I'm going to marry Runa. She's already the mother of my son, so I have to marry her."

Alea's chest felt an intense tightness. His breathing is heavy too. Alea had loved Ata so sincerely. Was there not the slightest bit of Ata's mercy on him? If only the heart could be invited to compromise when the God of Amor was about to release the arrow, maybe the love would not be anchored to the wrong person.

Ata, who did not want to hear Alea's whining, finally decided on the call unilaterally. He really doesn't care about that woman. All in his heart and mind was Runa. How did he get that woman back?

He also twisted his brain. Whatever he will do, the important thing is that Runa can be obtained, even if it must be by force.

"I have to go back to Surabaya and meet with the Runa family" Ata muttered to her.

There was one thing still stuck in his mind. Something he thought was very strange. He is still curious about the existence of Runa who suddenly lives with Sandy in Wonosobo. There are a lot of questions in Ata's mind. How did Runa get to Wonosobo, also about Khan who did not know about the existence of the Runa family in Surabaya.

*****

Ata decided to return to Surabaya that day. He will use train transportation to get there faster. Actually Ata wanted to use air transportation, but Ata canceled it, because the flight schedule at the nearest airport to Surabaya was very limited. You have to wait until tomorrow to wait for your next flight.

Ata booked train tickets through an online app on her phone to make it more efficient. Because Wonosobo Regency cannot be reached by direct train access, Ata also booked tickets at Purwokerto station. There is a scheduled day departure through Yogyakarta station first. Ata did not want to waste time, he was looking for the fastest alternative route to Surabaya. He wants to solve all his problems immediately.

*****

Ata who was sitting beside the steering wheel only glanced cynically at David, then turned her gaze again towards the side of the window. Staring at the twinkling garden lights they were passing by now. The sky was dark when Ata arrived in Surabaya. Makes him feel so exhausted. The energy is already weak if it should be used to argue with David. Therefore, he chose not to speak the words of his friend.

"Ta, I'm just like you, you know. Why not answer?"

Ata grunting. This is what he dislikes about David. The man was sometimes too chatty and too meddling with his personal affairs, even seemed pushy.

"Who did I say I gave up? I'll never give up chasing after Runa. My goal now is to meet his parents. I will ask them for help to persuade Runa, to accept my proposal. With Khan, I'm sure they would agree. They'd want Khan to hang out with his own father, rather than with anyone else."

"You're crazy, Ta! What about Alea? You're engaged" David said. For a moment he took a sharp look at his best friend, then focused again on the road.

"My relationship with Alea is over. I already decided on him by phone this morning."

"Huh? Breaking up on the phone? You really don't have a heart, Ata. You are fiancee between two families. Why would you killusin Alea in such a way?"

"Later I'll talk to Alea's family too. You calm down."

David shook his head. "Bas stubborn! What is your heart made of, anyway?" david spray is full of emphasis.

"Whatever you say, Vid. Anyway, anything I would do so that Runa and Khan could come back to me again" Ata casually concluded. Not at all affected by David's annoyance.

David scooped his face violently, it felt like he wanted to ruffle Ata's face now. It was as if he had just known his friend. Ata who used to be nothing like that, even though the man was notoriously selfish and stubborn. Ata used to hate hurting someone's heart. Now, just for the sake of her past love, Ata doesn't care about anything either.

"But actually I was astonished by the relationship of Runa and her family. Why didn't Khan even know he had a grandmother and a grandfather? Is it possible that their relationship isn't okay?" cetus Ata after the silence was created long enough. David had run out of words to give Ata advice. Ata herself opened their conversation.

"What do you mean?" david did not understand. His forehead frowned without looking at Ata. He remains focused on the road.

"Today I discussed Runa's parents in front of Khan. But Khan did not know his grandmother and grandfather. It's like Khan never met them."

"Is it possible for Runa to run away from her house?" David assumed.

"I don't know. But as far as I know, Runa is a submissive and devoted child to her family. Runa couldn't possibly do such a reckless thing."

Both men were silent for a moment. Thinking hard about the awkwardness that happened to Runa and her family. The distance that is too far makes them never know, how the life of Runa after they left.

...*****...

...to be continued...

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