PHB 51
“Sir, are you really going to stop by here? Don’t you want to go home right away?”
Lucas nodded. In the passenger seat, he seemed to double-check the wristwatch wrapped around his wrist.
“Yeah, right now. While I have the time. Besides, if I calculate it, the timing is just right.”
“Alright, I’ll drop you off and keep you company.”
Making sure all his work was done without any loose ends, Lucas decided to head home early. Once he reached Jakarta, he asked Felix to take him to meet someone important.
Usually, they’d meet at a café or restaurant, but this time Lucas chose to meet directly at the apartment.
Fortunately, when he arrived, the person Lucas was looking for was waiting. As soon as he reached his destination, he immediately engaged in a one-on-one conversation.
“Why are you suddenly stopping by my apartment this late?”
Devina promptly welcomed Lucas and Felix to enter. While she spoke in the living room, Felix chose to wait in the sitting area.
“It’s only seven, Devina. Still early. Besides, I can’t postpone it until tomorrow. It’s really important.”
Devina chuckled softly. Curious, she wondered what was so important that Lucas had gone out of his way to meet her right after returning from a trip abroad.
“So, what’s this important thing you want to discuss? Oh, but speaking of important matters, I also want to talk to you about something.”
Lucas raised an eyebrow. He was the one who wanted to share something important. Why was Devina chiming in now? They weren’t a couple, were they? No, they weren’t. Definitely not.
“Well, you go ahead and talk first until you’re done. Once you’re finished, then I’ll tell you the purpose of my visit tonight.”
Devina nodded. She took a deep breath while studying Lucas’s face. Perhaps she was also thinking about what words would be right to express after this.
“Devina… let’s talk. I wasn’t asked to just watch you zone out, was I? Don’t waste time. I have a concert after this.”
Devina laughed and rolled her eyes. Annoyed because Lucas seemed incredibly impatient. After all, what was so difficult about waiting a few minutes?
“This is about our engagement and wedding plans.”
Lucas once again furrowed his brow in confusion, but then, after a brief moment, he leaned forward in his seat to get closer to Devina. The look of curiosity was clearly etched on the handsome man’s face.
“I came here to talk about our engagement and wedding plans too.”
“Well, what a coincidence. That’s what I wanted to discuss with you, Luc.”
“Okay, you go first then. Let me hear it.”
“You go first, Luc.”
“Alright, Devina, it’s your turn. If we keep going back and forth, it’ll take all night!”
Devina cleared her throat softly. She seemed to gather her thoughts, then spoke again with a serious expression.
“After careful consideration, I’ve come to a significant conclusion and decision. It’s best for both of us-”
“To cancel the wedding?” Lucas confidently interrupted, and his statement was met with a shake of Devina’s head.
“Cancel the wedding? Why would I do that?”
“Then what? What is it? We both know we’re not in love from the beginning. You said it yourself, if we could avoid getting married, it’d be better not to marry me. So, what’s the reason now?”
Devina shook her head again, leaving Lucas puzzled. What did Devina really want?
Lucas couldn’t forget how many times Devina had admitted she didn’t want to marry him because she wanted to live independently. So, what was the new reason?
“No, Luc, not that. After thinking it through, it might be better if we accelerate our wedding plans. Instead of two or three months from now, how about next month?”
“What?!”
Lucas exclaimed loudly. He was utterly shocked by Devina’s unexpected plan, which did not align with his expectations.
He had gone through the trouble of coming to her apartment to ask for her help and support in canceling the wedding. However, instead of offering support, she came up with an illogical plan to move the wedding date up to next month. This was insane! Moreover, what about Deasy? Lucas couldn’t just leave her in the lurch. He had promised to take responsibility and marry the woman who was carrying his child.
“Are you out of your mind, Devina? Are you sure you want to marry me? Next month? We don’t even love each other. How are we supposed to get married?”
Devina nodded repeatedly. There was no hint of doubt on her face. It seemed like she was genuinely serious about rushing into marriage with Lucas. But why? Why the sudden change of heart?
“I’m not crazy, Luc. I’m perfectly sane and healthy. I think there’s no harm in trying this marriage. It seems like we’ll succeed in the future.”
“No!” Lucas flatly refused. “You can’t just marry on a whim. Do you think this is a game? I don’t want this, Devina. I came here to ask you to cancel the wedding.”
Lucas’s decision was firm. He had never been interested in marrying Devina from the start. Now, with his growing closeness to Deasy, especially since she was carrying his child, there was no reason not to be responsible and marry her.
“But I don’t want to,” Devina also refused. She insisted that Lucas proceed with their wedding plans. “I’ve thought this through, Luc. After careful consideration, I believe it’s better to marry you than someone else. The privileges are more guaranteed. Besides, if we get married, our offspring will undoubtedly be good-looking and have excellent genes.”
Lucas’s shoulders slumped. For the sake of anyone who could help, please help Lucas get out of this complicated situation. If things continued like this, he might actually go crazy.
Earlier in the afternoon, his father had insisted on rejecting his request to cancel the wedding. Now? It was Devina who was acting against him. What kind of conspiracy was this, anyway?
“Devina…” Lucas called out gently, trying to control his breath and find a way to win Devina over while conveying what he wanted to say next. “Please, listen to me first,” Lucas pleaded with a deeply pleading expression on his face.
“Okay, what do you want to say?”
Lucas took a deep breath once more, staring earnestly at Devina, urging her to meet his gaze, which now looked like that of a persecuted person.
“For whatever reason, I can’t marry you.”
“Why, Luc? Am I not enough? I know you don’t love me. I don’t love you either. But don’t worry, love can grow over time. If we get used to meeting and being together, love will naturally develop between us. It’s simple, isn’t it?”
Lucas sighed heavily. Devina just wouldn’t stop talking. How could he explain that she needed to be quiet for a moment?
“That’s not the issue.”
“Then what is it? What’s stopping you from marrying me? Am I not pretty enough? Not sexy enough? Not smart enough? Not wealthy enough? What is it?”
“Could you just be quiet for a moment?”
For the last time, Lucas took a deep breath, trying to release the tension that had filled his chest. Then, slowly, he conveyed his intentions to Devina.
“I can’t marry you because I already have someone else.”
“What?!”
“Yes, I have a girlfriend whom I love, and I can’t leave her.”
Devina sighed and shook her head, not accepting what Lucas had just told her. She couldn’t believe he was throwing her away just because he had another woman.
“But you’re engaged to me, Luc. You can’t just cancel it like that.”
“Why can’t I?” Lucas asked in return. “As long as you help me, we can cancel the engagement and wedding plans immediately. The key is in your hands.”
“I don’t want to!” Devina refused outright. “I simply don’t want to cancel our wedding plans.”
Lucas sighed again. He was getting a headache trying to convince Devina to cooperate. Why was she being so difficult now? Just the other day, she seemed perfectly fine with working together.
“I beg you, Devina. Seriously, I can’t marry you.”
“I don’t want to, Luc. No matter what, I won’t back out of this plan. You should just break up with your girlfriend.”
“Seriously?!” Lucas frowned. He had gone to great lengths to ask for her help, and now he was being told to leave Deasy. How could he do that?
“And the problem is, my girlfriend is pregnant, Devina. How can I just ask her to step aside? Can you imagine me leaving her like that?”
Devina was taken aback. The news Lucas had just delivered shocked her into silence.
No wonder Lucas was so insistent on asking her to cancel the wedding. It turned out he had impregnated another woman. What a playboy!
“You’re crazy, Luc! How could you impregnate another woman when you’re already engaged to me?”
So, Lucas found himself in a dilemma. It seemed that in the eyes of women, men were always wrong. Now, Lucas was being treated like some kind of womanizer because he had impregnated another woman while being engaged.
“Come on, Devina. I know I’m in the wrong. I admit that. But that’s not the main issue. What’s most important now is that my girlfriend is pregnant, and I can’t just shirk my responsibility like that. That’s why-”
“You came here tonight to talk to me about this? Because you want to marry that woman?”
Lucas nodded repeatedly, confirming Devina’s guess.
“I beg you, Devina. Seriously, I can’t marry you.”
“I don’t want to, Luc. No matter what, I won’t back out of this plan. You should just break up with your girlfriend.”
“Enough!” Lucas snapped. He had gone through so much trouble to ask for her help, and now he was being told to leave Deasy. How could he do that?
“And the problem is, my girlfriend is pregnant, Devina. How can I just ask her to step aside? Can you imagine me leaving her like that?”
Devina was shocked. She needed some time to digest what Lucas had just told her. From his face, it was evident that he was pleading earnestly, hoping Devina would assist him with what he had asked for.
“For whatever reason, Devina, I’m begging you. I won’t forget your help in this. I can’t just leave her by marrying you. It’s not fair to my future child.”Belonging to NôvelDrama.Org.
Devina felt uneasy. As a woman, she knew what Lucas’s girlfriend would go through if he left her to marry another woman while she was pregnant.
“I’ll think about it for a moment.”
Lucas thought Devina would immediately agree to his proposal to cancel the wedding, but she wanted some time to think it over.
“Can’t it be done tonight?”
“Be patient, Luc. I need to figure out how to explain this to my dad and your dad. I have to find the right excuse to cancel our wedding plans.”
Lucas then reached for Devina’s wrist. Looking into her face, Lucas pleaded once more.
“I need your help, Devina. The fate of my future wife and child depends on you.”
“Yes, Luc, I know. But I can’t promise that everything will work out. At the very least, try talking to your dad again to cancel our engagement. I’ll pray it works out.”
***