1 BRIDE'S ROOM (prologue)

Mina excitedly went towards the cottage nearest to the beach.

"It was the accommodation, set for the bride," as her coordinator said.

The cottage was like a bamboo hut with a small room suitable for two people. At that moment, she would occupy that room alone, spend the night alone inside the room until morning, and people would just come to prepare her for her wedding.

Before the wedding day, a gift was typical and expected, but she wasn't expecting that kind of gift for her wedding, specially someone she had never expected anymore.

She thought it was just simply the sound of the sea waves as they kissed the shore or the whistles of the air as they swept the leaves of the coconut trees. She thought it was just those trees creaking as the air disturb them and the sounds of her steps on the water that seemed like a moan.

However, her anticipation was wrong. She realized that, the moment she burst the door open. Inside the cottage, inside what's supposed to be the bride's accommodation, which was supposed to be herself, was a view of the person she used to love and probably she still missed. It was her ex-boyfriend.

Nevertheless, it wasn't just him, and he wasn't just standing or sitting there waiting for her. He was with someone else—her about to be sister-in-law.

They were both naked, and the sounds of her surroundings that she thought were just nature were actually them.

When she thought that the sea waves sounded like a kiss, it was actually them kissing.

When she thought that the leaves and the trees produced that scratching and creaking sound, it was actually their bed that went disturbed with their movements.

When she thought that was the sound of her steps on the water that sounded like moaning. It was actually them, moaning and groaning in pleasure.

It wasn't nature, it was them, and it was so much of a surprise for her. After she thought that she was recovering from all the pain this man had brought her, there he went again, stubbing an imaginary sword on her heart, refreshing the pain he had brought her, reminding her that she hadn't actually moved on the way she thought.

And it was the night before her wedding day. The day where she was supposed to be happy and the day that she was about to realize that she was not meant for that guy and God had provided her with someone better.

Although, all she had to do was to move on from him.

Nonetheless, how could she, after this, after seeing him again, in the worst possible way — in bed and making love with her future sister-in-law?

"What the h*ll?" She blurted out, startled and surprise as her hand covered her mouth partly but not her widened eyes.

Mina's voice had also startled her sister-in-law and Royce, her ex.

Her sister-in-law abruptly pulled the blanket towards her to cover her naked body. However, not Royce, he stood up facing Mina bare and naked. He was smirking, smiling slyly. It felt like those eyes were saying something she knew she hated to hear.

"How rude of you, Mina, to barge in? You didn't even knock!" her sister in law, exclaimed angrily at her.

Mina was lost for a moment, as she wasn't expecting everything. She knew inside her that she wasn't wrong. She knew that she wasn't supposed to knock because she wasn't expecting someone to have some lude time inside that room. It was supposed to be her accommodation. It was supposed to be her room.

She wanted to scream those words but, she lost her voice that hadn't been able to say or do anything but got rooted to her spot.

"Go out!" Her sis-in-law yelled again, and her face looked angrier this time.

Mina flinched with her squealing voice, and she was lost since her throat was blocked with confoundment. There was nothing else she had to do at that moment but to go out and close the door.

Her hands and fist clenched in annoyance as she was waiting by the balcony and waiting for the both of them to dress up and go outside. She felt so bullied at that moment, and she hadn't been able to hold back her tears.

It simply freely flowed to her cheeks as all the pain came back, refreshing all the most agonizing memories of her life.

It took a while, and Mina knew they weren't just dressing up after that event. They probably had finished what they were doing yet. She wanted to go away from there, leave that cottage, but the elders told her as part of the traditional practice that a bride should stay inside her room until the wedding ceremony.

A bride who goes out the night before the wedding is not worthy of trust. It was said that she might be someone who would probably cheat in the future, someone who won't be faithful to their relationship.

She never deemed herself to be seen that way by her husband, her husband's family, and most of all, to her father. She couldn't imagine what he would do with her if she would mess up and ruin their dignity again.

She was lucky enough to meet her husband. She even was unworthy of him. He was but a gift by God to help her create a new life. He was her hero, the knight in shining armor of her distressing life. The one more worthy of being called the love of her life.

Very different person compared to Royce.

Yes, she should not think of Royce. But seeing him the way she just saw him that moment. As if the world stopped again and didn't know where it should rotate again, clockwise or counterclockwise?

Waiting on the porch alone, she couldn't help but bring back all the memories they had together. Anyway, it wasn't just all painful memories but they were full of happiness and love too.