Chapter 1 — The Man at My Sister’s Funeral
Rain had been falling since morning.
Gray clouds hung low above the cemetery, as if the sky itself mourned the death of Clara Wijaya.
I stood frozen in front of the grave with a black umbrella in my hand while the wet soil slowly swallowed my sister’s white coffin.
None of this felt real.
Three days ago, Clara had still been texting me.
“Don’t leave the house tonight, Elena.”
That was all.
No explanation.
And the next morning, the police arrived with the news that my sister had been found dead in a luxury apartment downtown.
Since then, my life had felt like an endless fall into darkness.
“Stay strong, dear…”
Some mourners gently patted my shoulder, but their voices sounded distant.
I could barely even hear my own mother crying.
My mind was too full.
Anger.
Fear.
And grief.
Then I saw him.
The man stood under the rain a few meters away from Clara’s grave.
His black suit was soaked.
His gaze was cold.
Far too calm for someone who had just lost the woman he loved.
Or maybe…
too calm for a murderer.
Adrian Mahendra.
That name had filled the news for the last three days.
Young businessman.
Heir to Mahendra Group.
And the prime suspect in Clara Wijaya’s murder.
My fists clenched so tightly my nails dug into my palms.
“What is he doing here…?” I whispered.
My mother stiffened beside me.
“Don’t make a scene,” she said quickly.
A scene?
I almost laughed.
That man was accused of killing her daughter, yet she was worried about making a scene?
Adrian began walking toward me.
His steps were calm.
His eyes locked onto mine.
With every step he took, the fire inside my chest burned hotter.
I hated him.
I hated how perfect he still looked even at my sister’s funeral.
And what I hated most—
was the fact that Clara had once loved him.
Deeply.
“My condolences.”
Adrian’s voice was low and flat when he finally stopped in front of me.
I didn’t think twice.
SLAP!
My hand struck his cheek hard.
Several people gasped.
My mother immediately grabbed my arm in panic.
“Elena!”
“I don’t care!” I shouted, glaring at Adrian with burning eyes. “You killed my sister!”
The rain poured harder.
Water streamed down my face, mixing with the tears I had been holding back.
But Adrian didn’t get angry.
He didn’t even touch his cheek.
His expression remained calm.
And somehow, that made me hate him even more.
“Say something!” I screamed. “Defend yourself! Lie to me like you lied to Clara!”
For the first time, Adrian’s expression changed.
Not anger.
Not fear.
But…
pain.
“I didn’t kill Clara.”
I laughed bitterly.
“You think I’ll believe that?”
“It doesn’t matter whether you believe me or not.”
His answer made my blood boil.
This man truly had no heart.
I shoved his chest hard.
“Get out of here!”
But Adrian stayed silent.
His gaze briefly dropped to Clara’s grave before returning to me.
Then in a low voice, he said—
“If I really were the killer…”
he paused for a moment.
“…you would’ve been dead from the very first day.”
My body froze.
There was something in the way he said it.
Something that made chills crawl down my spine.
Before I could respond, a black car suddenly stopped near the cemetery entrance.
An older man hurried out carrying a brown folder.
My father’s face instantly turned pale when he saw him.
“Mr. Wijaya.” The man handed him the folder. “The bank is giving you until next week.”
My mother looked panicked.
“What does this mean…?”
My father didn’t answer.
His trembling hands opened the folder.
And the moment I saw the large red words across the front page, my breath caught.
ASSET SEIZURE
I turned toward him in disbelief.
“Seizure…?”
Father lowered his head weakly.
“Our company is bankrupt.”
My world collapsed for the second time.
“We’re drowning in debt,” he continued quietly. “A very large debt.”
“Why are you only telling us now?!”
“I was trying to fix it myself…”
“But Clara is dead and now our house is being taken too?!” My voice cracked.
My mother began crying.
I felt suffocated.
Everything was happening too fast.
Clara’s death.
Our family debt.
And now—
total ruin.
Amid the chaos, Adrian suddenly spoke.
“I can pay all of your family’s debts.”
Everyone fell silent instantly.
I stared at him sharply.
“What?”
The rain continued pouring as Adrian stepped closer.
His face remained cold.
Unreadable.
As though he never allowed anyone to see what he was truly thinking.
“I’ll pay everything,” he repeated. “The company debt. This house. All of it.”
My chest rose and fell as I tried to control my emotions.
“You think money can fix everything?”
“No.”
“Then why?”
Adrian looked at me for a few seconds too long.
Then finally, he said—
“Because I want something in return.”
I knew it.
I should’ve walked away right then.
But somehow…
I stayed there.
I kept listening.
And maybe that was the beginning of my own destruction.
“What do you want?” I asked coldly.
Adrian’s gaze never left mine.
“Marry me.”
The world stopped.
The sound of rain disappeared.
I even forgot how to breathe.
My mother covered her mouth in shock.
My father froze.
And all I could do was stare at the man before me in disbelief.
Because the man who had just asked me to marry him…
was the same man accused of murdering my sister.
