Kidnapping the General's Daughter

CHAPTER 8: THE FUGITIVE

Barra reach his phone and dial his mother number, but there was no answer.

Finally, he dialed Sigit. "Sigit! It's me, Bara!"

"Bara?" Sigit's voice was a whisper. "Wait, Mas. Let me go to the back first."

Bara tensed up. "What is it, Git?"

"Mas... two police officers came looking for you and Alma at Grandpa's house earlier. They said you kidnapped her."

Bara's blood seemed to stop flowing. He was officially a kidnapper. A fugitive.

"And Grandpa?"

"He's safe, Mas. Grandpa thought the police were looking for his bird thief. I told them you'd already gone back to Jakarta by bus."

Bara hung up the phone. His face was pale with tension. "The police have already come looking for us at Grandpa's house!"

Alma turned white. "What should I do, Bar?"

"Contact your Mom. Tell her you're fine, and that you're not with my family. Please, Al... protect my Mom and Grandpa."

Alma called her mother on the balcony while sobbing. Not long after, she came back in and threw herself into Bara's arms. "I'm so sorry..." she cried. "Mom said Papa is still being stubborn."

Bara pulled Alma by the shoulders, looking at her seriously. "Do you know the man your father is forcing you to marry?"

Alma looked down, then nodded slowly.

"Then contact him. Persuade him to reject the arrangement. We need time, Al."

Alma shook her head hoarsely. "He won't do it, Bar."

"Why not? Have you even tried?"

"I have. But he won't budge. Because... he's still in love with me."

Bara was stunned. "Still in love? So... he's your ex boyfriend?"

Alma nodded slowly. Bara felt his head spinning. "When did you break up with him?"

"Five months ago."

Bara recoiled, stepping back. "Five months ago? That was when you were already getting close to me."

"I broke up with him because I love you, Bar."

Bara rubbed his face harshly. It turned out the man was the son of her father's friend, a young officer who graduated from the Military Academy. A General's son too.

"Why didn't you tell me from the start? Why did you have to lie?" Bara asked, his voice filled with hurt.

"Because if I told you, you would have stayed away. We would never have been together."

Bara turned his face away, silenced by a mixture of emotions. Finally, he let out a long breath. "I need to rest, Al. We'll talk about this later."

He stood up, leaving Alma's room. His mind was completely drained. It turned out he wasn't just facing a General, but also an ex-lover who held power.

***

The soundproof walls of the hotel room suddenly felt suffocating. Bara sat at the desk, staring at his reflection in the mirror.

"Five months ago..." Bara whispered hoarsely to his reflection.

His heart ached. Not just because Alma had finally been honest about her ex, but because he knew who he had to face. A young officer, an academy graduate, a General's son. Bara looked down at his trembling palms. He was just an ordinary student used to holding a pen, not hands trained for confrontation with powerful men in uniform. He felt so small.