10/07/2026
Episode 19
The living room was silent.
So silent that Lisa could hear the ticking of the wall clock.
Her father's gaze rested on Riff.
Riff sat upright, hands clasped together, waiting.
Lisa's heart pounded painfully in her chest.
Her father finally continued.
"But..."
He paused.
"I have decided not to approve this marriage."
Lisa felt the words hit her like a physical blow.
"Dad..."
Her voice broke.
Riff did not move.
For a moment, he simply stared at her father.
As though he had heard the sentence but his mind refused to accept it.
Her father lowered his eyes.
"This is not because you are a bad man."
"It is not because you don't love my daughter."
"And it is not because I doubt your character."
Riff swallowed.
"Then why, Sir?"
The question was soft.
Respectful.
And somehow that made it even harder to hear.
Her father took a deep breath.
"Because I am afraid."
Riff remained silent.
"For years, your future was uncertain."
"You have only just started this new job."
"You are still building yourself."
"And another family has come with stability, preparation, and certainty."
Lisa shook her head.
"Dad, please..."
He turned to her, pain visible in his eyes.
"Do you think this is easy for me?"
"Do you think I enjoy hurting both of you?"
Her tears began falling freely.
"Then don't."
Her father closed his eyes briefly.
"A father sometimes chooses the path that lets him sleep at night."
"Even when his daughter hates him for it."
For the first time, Riff spoke again.
"Sir..."
His voice was calm.
Too calm.
"If your concern is my ability to provide..."
"Give me a little more time."
Lisa looked at him hopefully.
"One year."
"Let me prove myself."
"Let me build the stability you're asking for."
Her father shook his head slowly.
"I've already given years."
"I cannot ask my daughter to keep waiting indefinitely."
"It's not indefinite anymore."
Riff leaned forward slightly.
"I have the job now."
"I have a salary."
"I have a plan."
"Sir, please..."
"Don't judge me by the years when I was struggling."
"Judge me by the man standing before you today."
Lisa's mother quietly wiped her eyes.
Her father looked away.
Then finally said the words that shattered the room.
"My decision is final."
Lisa stood up abruptly.
"No."
Everyone turned toward her.
"No, I can't accept that."
"I love him."
"I have loved him for six years."
"We built our future together."
Her father looked at her with heartbreaking gentleness.
"And I built your future from the day you were born."
"Forgive me for trying to protect it."
Riff slowly rose to his feet.
Lisa grabbed his hand immediately.
"Don't go."
He looked down at her trembling fingers wrapped around his.
For a second, his composure cracked.
Then he gently squeezed her hand.
"Beautiful..."
Her eyes filled with panic.
"Don't call me that if you're leaving."
The pain in her voice nearly broke him.
He turned to her father.
"Sir."
"Thank you for listening to me."
"And thank you for being honest."
Her father nodded silently.
Riff looked back at Lisa.
He wanted to say a thousand things.
He wanted to tell her they would fight.
That love would win.
That he would never let her go.
Instead, he simply whispered,
"Can I speak to you outside?"
They stood beside his car.
The afternoon sun felt cruelly bright.
Lisa was crying openly now.
"This can't be happening."
Riff stared at the ground for several seconds.
Then looked at her.
"Do you want me to keep fighting?"
"Yes!"
"Even if it means putting you between me and your parents?"
"I don't know."
"Even if it means months of arguments?"
"I don't know."
"Even if it means they may resent me?"
Lisa covered her face.
"I don't know!"
That answer hurt him more than the rejection.
Because for the first time...
He realized she wasn't choosing another man.
She was being torn apart by the people she loved.
He gently pulled her into his arms.
She clung to him desperately.
"I don't want to lose you."
His eyes closed.
"I know."
"Tell me what to do."
For several seconds, he said nothing.
Then, in the softest voice she had ever heard from him,
"I need tonight to think."
Lisa looked up in shock.
"Think about what?"
His smile was broken.
"About whether loving you means holding on..."
"...or letting you have peace."
He kissed her forehead one last time.
Then got into the car.
Lisa stood frozen as he drove away.
Neither of them knew it then...
But that drive home would become the beginning of the end.
💔 The cruelest thing about their story was this:
Both of them were willing to suffer for love.
And that was exactly why they were about to lose each other.
Episode 20 loading...
