CARYYING THEIR FORBIDDEN SEED

The shattering of glass echoed loudly through the living room of the Jatmiko residence.

A flower vase thrown by Evelyn slammed into the floor, smashing into pieces. Water and flower petals scattered across the carpet.

Yet, that was not enough to calm her temper.

Evelyn grabbed a sofa cushion beside her and tossed it aside without care. Her hand then snatched a magazine lying on the table, hurling it in another direction.

Her face was flushed; her breathing, ragged. Her long hair, usually neatly styled, was now dishevelled after she had repeatedly run her fingers through it in frustration.

"I won't do it!"

Evelyn stood in the middle of the room, her hands clenched into fists.

"Why does it have to be me?! Why must I be the one you sacrifice, huh?" she snapped, her voice trembling with rage.

Miranda, sitting on the sofa, could only let out a long sigh. Meanwhile, Jatmiko stood a few steps away from his daughter, striving to maintain his composure.

"Evelyn, calm down first," Jatmiko said in a heavy tone. "We can discuss this reasonably."

"Reasonably how, Dad?" Evelyn glared sharply at her father. "You two just told me I have to marry Rama!"

"This decision was not made lightly."

"That's precisely the problem!" Evelyn pointed at herself. "You're making decisions about my life without even asking whether I want to or not!"

Jatmiko fell silent.

Evelyn paced back and forth restlessly. She still could not accept the reality that her parents wanted to arrange her marriage with Rama.

Rama.

That name alone was enough to make her head throb.

A man from a prominent family whom she had only known through news reports and formal family gatherings. Cold, distant, and completely removed from the type of man she ever wished to marry.

Moreover, Evelyn was currently at the peak of her career.

As a rising model, her face had begun gracing various magazine covers and high-profile brand campaigns. Work offers rolled in almost every week.

To her, getting married now was equivalent to gambling away everything she had built over the years.

"Right now, I'm rising to the top as one of the country's leading models," Evelyn said, emphasizing every word. "Yet you have the heart to destroy the career I've spent years building."

"Who said marriage will destroy your career?" Jatmiko asked.

"Everyone knows that once I'm married, my life will change!"

"Evelyn..."

"I don't want to get married yet!"

Evelyn's voice rose once more.

Miranda finally stood up from her seat. She approached her daughter and tried to take her arm.

"Darling, listen to Mum first."

Evelyn instantly snatched her arm away.

"I don't want to hear anything!"

"At least calm yourself down."

"How can I be calm when you're forcing me into marriage?"

Miranda let out a soft sigh.

She knew her daughter was headstrong. However, Miranda was also aware that another reason pressed their family to act so hastily with this arranged marriage.

Jatmiko had been trying to explain everything from the beginning, but none of his words could break through Evelyn's storm of emotion.

Meanwhile, Evelyn picked up yet another object from the table.

"If you keep pushing me, I'll leave this house!"

"Evelyn!"

This time, Jatmiko snapped.

Evelyn's hand froze in mid-air.

The room fell instantly silent.

Jatmiko stared at his daughter with a stern gaze.

"Stop acting like a child."

"I am angry, Dad!" Evelyn shot back. "Because my life is at stake here!"

Jatmiko closed his eyes for a brief moment.

There was no point in continuing this argument.

Miranda, who had been observing the two, suddenly had a thought.

Her expression slowly shifted.

She turned to her husband.

"My dear..."

Jatmiko looked at her.

"What is it?"

Miranda took a breath before uttering something that made even herself feel uneasy.

"If Evelyn doesn't want to marry Rama..."

Jatmiko frowned.

Miranda continued in a low voice.

"...let Almira take her place."

Silence.

Instantly, the room fell dead quiet.

Evelyn, who was previously brimming with rage, slowly lowered her hand. Even Jatmiko seemed to freeze on the spot.

Their eyes met.

"What do you mean?" Jatmiko asked, bewildered.

Miranda looked at her husband calmly.

"Let Almira take her place."

That name hung in the air.

Almira.

Their second daughter.

The child who had always yielded far more often than Evelyn.

Jatmiko remained silent for a long time.

Meanwhile, the corners of Evelyn's lips slowly curled upward.

"Almira?"

For the first time since the quarrel began, the anger on Evelyn's face began to fade.

"That's actually a good point..." she muttered.

However, before they could discuss it any further, the sound of footsteps came from the direction of the doorway.

Someone had just arrived.

Almira.

The girl had just returned home and intended to see her parents. Her hand was still clutching her bag strap as she pushed open the living room door.

Yet, her steps came to an abrupt halt.

She had accidentally overheard their conversation.

"Let Almira take her place."

That sentence echoed repeatedly in her head.

Almira's eyes widened.

Her body went rigid.

Colour slowly drained from her face.

Her grip on the bag slackened.

*CLATTER!*

The bag slipped from her grasp and hit the floor.

Several items inside spilled out across the tiles.

The noise made Miranda, Jatmiko, and Evelyn turn simultaneously.

"Almira?"

Miranda looked startled.

Almira did not answer.

Her gaze shifted from her mother to her father, before coming to a rest on Evelyn.

There was confusion mixed with utter disbelief in her eyes.

"Mum..." Her voice sounded faint. "What did you just say?"

Miranda stayed silent.

Almira took a step forward, slowly.

"Almira taking Evelyn's place?"

No one answered right away.

And their silence served as the most painful answer of all.

Almira let out a quiet laugh, though it sounded hollow.

"So... just because Evelyn doesn't want to marry Rama, I'm the one who has to marry him now?"

"Erm..." Miranda tried to step closer.

Almira took a step back.

"Why?"

That simple question returned the room to silence.

"Why is it always me who has to yield?"

Her eyes began to glisten with unshed tears.

"I may not be a famous model like Evelyn. I don't have a grand career either. But that doesn't mean my life can just be swapped around to fix someone else's problems."

"Almira, that's not what Mum meant," Miranda said softly.

"Then what did you mean, Mum?"

Almira looked at her mother.

"If Evelyn refuses, I take her place. Just like that?"

Jatmiko finally stepped forward.

"Almira, listen to your father first."

However, Almira shook her head.

"Do you agree too, Dad?"

Jatmiko remained silent.

Almira quickly wiped the corner of her eyes, trying to stop her tears from falling.

On the other side, Evelyn actually began to look relieved.

She was no longer concerned about her sister's feelings.

To her, as long as the marriage did not fall onto her shoulders, everything was settled.

"You only need to marry him formally," Evelyn chimed in suddenly. "Your life will be fine after that."

Almira turned to look at her.

"Formally?"

Their eyes locked.

"What if I say no?"

Evelyn had no reply.

For the first time, the very same question she had just hurled at their parents came right back to her.

Almira took a deep breath.

She did not know that from that very second, her life was slowly being steered towards a marriage she had never wanted.

A marriage to Rama.

And what she knew even less...

was that this marriage would eventually drag her into a forbidden relationship between two men who held a massive secret from everyone.