When she arrived in front of Darren's house, Aurelia didn't get out of the car right away. She stared into the large classic European-style house. One hand gripped the steering wheel so tightly her knuckles went white. She took a deep breath, making sure she was ready to face whatever risks lay ahead—whatever happened next.
It took Aurelia several minutes to prepare herself. Before the woman could get out of the car, someone gently knocked on the window.
"Excuse me, ma'am. Can I help you?"
Aurelia rolled down the window. "Is big brother Darren inside?" she asked the security guard on duty.
"He is, ma'am. Just drive right in. I was wondering who it was. I didn't realize it was you, Aurelia. It's been a long time since you've come here, and your car looks new, so I didn't recognize it," Mr. Budi explained, his name tag pinned to the right side of his shirt.
Aurelia smiled as she listened to Mr. Budi's string of explanations. "Thanks, sir. I'll head in now."
Aurelia started the engine again, and the car slowly moved into Darren's yard. The shoulder-length-haired woman was already quite familiar to the workers at Darren's house. She used to visit often, or Darren would bring her there. The house Darren currently lived in was his own private residence. He had bought it with the money he earned through his hard work at the company. His parents had a house of their own not far from their son's residence.
"I'll go in now, sir," Aurelia said, dipping her head slightly when she saw Mr. Budi standing not far away.
Aurelia let out a deep breath as she walked into Darren's home. The moment her feet crossed the threshold, the domestic helper who recognized her greeted her. Her greeting was the same as Mr. Budi's question—why had Aurelia stopped visiting so often? Aurelia merely widened her smile in response to the same question.
"Where's Darren, Mbok?" she asked without answering the woman's earlier question.
"Mr. Darren is in his room, ma'am," she replied.
"Just go straight to his room. Ms. Nora isn't here," she continued, answering the doubt in Aurelia's eyes.
The workers knew a little about their employer's problems of the heart, but they pretended not to know what was happening with their boss.
"Poor Mr. Darren. Matters of the heart are such a hassle," Mbok Nah murmured softly as she watched Aurelia climb the stairs toward her employer's room.
Aurelia didn't go in right away. She stood in front of Darren's bedroom door, preparing herself and the words she wanted to say.
"Should I go in?" One hand hovered in the air, ready to touch the door handle, but she pulled it back.
Again and again, she regulated her breathing, trying to stay calm. "It's like facing my thesis defense," she whispered softly, so quietly that only she could hear herself. She paced back and forth in front of Darren's room.
Once again, Aurelia needed time to face Darren directly. The determination and courage she'd had back home vanished in an instant. Her heart pounded violently.
With a long breath, she tried once more to open the wooden door.
"Lia?" Darren exclaimed in surprise when he opened the bedroom door and found Aurelia standing outside.
Aurelia was just as startled. The woman in a gray hoodie stood frozen, staring at Darren without blinking.
For a moment, they both stood there in silence, staring at each other. It was as if the earth itself had stopped turning.
"Have you been crying, big brother?" Aurelia asked when she came back to her senses. The man's eyes and the tip of his nose looked slightly different to her.
"Who did you come here with?" Darren asked, deflecting Aurelia's question.
"By myself. There's something I want to tell you, big brother," she replied, ignoring his earlier question—even though she was also curious about what had happened to the man standing before her.
Just yesterday, that man had seemed so strong. Why did he look so fragile now? Yet he was trying to hide that fragility. Aurelia knew Darren all too well.
Darren was stunned for a few moments after hearing Aurelia's words. Without any small talk, he immediately pulled Aurelia into the masculine-toned room.
The architect immediately embraced Aurelia, forgetting the reason he'd originally left the room. Aurelia simply stood there frozen, both hands still hanging at her sides.
Her eyes were no less shocked by what she saw. The room she knew had always been neat and clean now looked like a mess. Flower vases lay scattered across the floor, and Nora's photographs were on the floor too, their glass shattered. It wasn't just Nora's pictures—even the pictures of Darren with Nora had been smashed.
What had really happened? Had Nora discovered the truth about Darren? Had she gotten angry and left Darren just like that?
If that was true, Aurelia didn't know how she was supposed to react. Should she be happy? Or should she cry and regret coming to that house?
"I'm sorry!"
They both said the same words at once, making them look at each other. Each waited for what would come after that apology.