Chapter 1 “Fog on Mountain Road”
“Not every accident happens because of a mistake. Some happen because fate is bringing two worlds together.”
The sky over Jakarta began to turn orange as the sun slowly sank behind rows of skyscrapers. The evening light reflected off the glass walls of office buildings, creating a dazzling golden shimmer.
In the distance, traffic in the capital remained heavy. Car horns blared back and forth, mingling with the roar of engines that never truly stopped.
Amid the city bustle stood a magnificent modern-classical house in an exclusive neighborhood.
The Wijaya Kusumawardhani family home.
Tall white marble pillars rose solidly, supporting the elegant three-story building. Large crystal lights hung grandly from the foyer ceiling, casting warm light that reflected off the polished marble floor.
The spacious grounds were decorated with a perfectly maintained European-style garden. Rows of white roses bloomed along the path leading to the main door. A fountain pool in the center of the garden sent water cascading endlessly, creating a soothing trickle.
From the outside...
The house looked like a symbol of perfection.
A dream home.
A place where a happy family was supposed to live.
And yet...
For Tania Geisha Kusumawardhani...
That house had never felt like home.
Behind its breathtaking luxury were walls steeped in silence.
There was no laughter.
No warmth.
Only routines, rules, and expectations constantly being placed upon her.
The family dining room looked utterly elegant.
The long polished teak dining table was covered with a variety of perfectly arranged dishes. Warm cream soup, wagyu steak, fresh salad, and assorted desserts were laid out neatly, like a feast at a five-star hotel.
Yet no one truly enjoyed the food.
The atmosphere was utterly silent.
Only the occasional clink of spoons and forks broke the quiet.
Tania sat with her back straight.
The cream-colored knitted dress she wore made her look elegant yet simple. Her long, wavy black hair fell neatly past her shoulders. Her gray-blue eyes looked dim with exhaustion, while the small beauty mark beneath her left eye further emphasized her gentle beauty.
Though her face was nearly flawless...
Her eyes could not hide her loneliness.
Across from her sat Adrian Wijaya Kusumawardhani.
The middle-aged man, known as one of Indonesia’s most influential businessmen, still looked dignified in his dark gray suit.
Yet ever since dinner had begun...
His gaze had never truly turned toward his daughter.
His eyes were far more occupied with the tablet in his left hand.
Every so often, he tapped the screen, read business reports, then went back to enjoying his dinner without a word.
To his left sat Diana Kusumawardhani.
The beautiful, elegant middle-aged woman enjoyed a cup of warm jasmine tea with graceful movements. Her emerald-green satin dress made her look refined.
Yet, like her husband...
She, too, chose to remain silent.
The long silence was finally broken by Adrian.
Without looking away from his tablet, he said flatly, “The Mahendra family is coming next weekend. Make sure you don’t have any other plans.”
The fork in Tania’s hand immediately stopped moving.
She slowly raised her face.
Her gaze shifted from her plate to her father.
The hesitation in her eyes was unmistakable.
She drew a long breath before finally finding the courage to speak.
“Dad...” Tania’s voice was faint. Her fingers clasped one another beneath the table as she tried to suppress her nervousness. “Does the engagement really have to go forward?”
The room fell silent again.
So silent that the sound of the wall clock could be heard clearly.
Drip...
Drip...
Drip...
Adrian finally set his tablet on the table with deliberate slowness.
He raised his face.
His gaze was sharp.
And so cold.
There was not the slightest hint of a father’s tenderness in it.
“This isn’t a request,” Adrian replied firmly, staring straight at his daughter. His jaw tightened. “It’s a family decision.”
The words sounded like a verdict.
They left no room for discussion.
Tania lowered her head for a moment.
Her fingers curled into tighter fists beneath the table until her knuckles turned white.
She tried to control her emotions.
But this time, she didn’t want to stay silent.
Slowly, she raised her face again.
Her eyes began to glisten with tears.
“But I’ve never loved him,” Tania replied softly. Her lips trembled as she held back the tightness in her chest. “Why should I marry someone who can’t even make me happy?”
Diana slowly placed her teacup on its saucer.
The soft sound of porcelain touching porcelain broke the silence.
She looked at her daughter with a calm expression.
Almost devoid of emotion.
“Love can come after marriage,” Diana said gently, as though discussing something perfectly ordinary. “Many couples live happily even though they didn’t love each other at first.”
Tania smiled bitterly.
A smile more like a wound.
She shook her head slowly.
“What if it never comes?” Tania asked faintly, her gaze moving between her father and mother. “What if I spend the rest of my life with someone I can never love... is that what you and Dad want?”
There was no answer.
Adrian merely leaned back in his chair.
His gaze dropped to the tablet again.
As though the conversation were over.
Diana, meanwhile, let out a quiet breath.
Her eyes avoided her daughter’s gaze.
Silence filled the dining room once more.
And once again...
Tania felt alone.
The vibration of a phone on the table broke the mood.
Buzz...
Buzz...
The phone screen lit up.
“Farel Mahendra Calling...”
The name made Tania’s chest feel even tighter.
She stared at the screen for a long time.
As though hoping the call would disappear on its own.
But...
The ringtone kept sounding.
Slowly, she picked up her phone.
“Excuse me,” Tania said quietly as she rose from her chair. She gave her parents a slight nod before walking toward the balcony overlooking the backyard.
The night air welcomed her.
A gentle breeze stirred the leaves and carried the scent of jasmine from the garden.
Tania exhaled deeply.
Only then did she answer the call.
“Hello.” Tania’s voice was soft.
A man’s voice came from the other end.
Gentle.
Friendly.
Yet somehow...
It always sounded oppressive.
“Tania, are you home?” Farel asked.
“Yes,” Tania answered briefly.
“I’m coming over,” Farel said without preamble.
Tania immediately closed her eyes for a moment.
She really didn’t want to see anyone.
Especially Farel.
“Don’t,” Tania replied softly.
Silence followed for several seconds.
Then...
Farel’s tone changed.
Sharper.
Colder.
“What do you mean, don’t?” Farel cut in quickly, his voice rising. “I’m your future husband.”
Tania squeezed her eyes shut tighter.
Her fingers gripped the balcony railing.
“I want to be alone,” Tania replied, trying to remain calm.
A short laugh came from the other end.
But there was nothing warm about it.
If anything, it made the hair on the back of her neck stand up.
“Alone?” Farel repeated sarcastically. “Since when does my future wife need time alone without my permission?”
The words cut deep.
Tania slowly opened her eyes.
She stared at the night sky, which was beginning to fill with stars.
Her chest felt increasingly constricted.
“Farel...” Tania’s voice was faint, beginning to sound exhausted. She rubbed her left temple, which had begun to throb. “I’m tired.”
A harsh exhale sounded over the phone.
Then...
Farel’s voice exploded.
“You’re not the only one who’s tired!” Farel shouted. “I’ve tried to be the best for you! I’m always there whenever you need me! I give you everything you want! What more could you ask for?”
Tania bit her lower lip.
Her eyes began to burn.
“But...” Tania whispered, her voice trembling. “...I never asked for any of it.”
Silence.
Several seconds passed.
There was no sound.
Only their breathing could be heard through the phone connection.
Then...
Farel’s voice came again.
This time, it was very soft.
But somehow, far more terrifying.
“Don’t make me angry, Tania,” Farel murmured in a low voice. Each word was spoken slowly, as though deliberately applying pressure. “You know... I hate being ignored more than anything.”
Tania closed her eyes.
Her heart began to beat faster.
She knew that tone.
The tone that always appeared whenever Farel lost his patience.
The tone that made her feel as though she were being held captive.
She drew a long breath.
Trying to remain calm.
“I just need time to think,” Tania said softly.
“Think about what?” Farel asked quickly.
Tania fell silent.
Apparently, he took her silence as an answer.
“Don’t ever think about calling off our engagement,” Farel continued coldly. “Because that will never happen.”
Tania bit her lip harder.
Tears began to pool in her eyes.
But she held them back, refusing to let them fall.
“Good night, Farel,” Tania whispered.
Before Farel could answer...
She pressed the red button.
“Click.”
The call disconnected.
Tania slowly lowered her phone.
She stared at her reflection on the screen, which had gone black.
That beautiful face looked exhausted.
Completely exhausted.
Behind the glass balcony doors...
She could see that both her parents had gone back to enjoying dinner as though nothing had happened.
No one came to her.
No one asked if she was all right.
Tania merely smiled bitterly.
The smile slowly faded along with the evening light disappearing from Jakarta’s sky.
The glass balcony door slowly slid shut.
Tania wiped the corner of her eye before stepping back inside the house.
Her face was calm again.
At least...
That was what she tried to show.
She walked toward the dining room.
Adrian was still busy staring at his tablet.
Diana had returned to enjoying her warm tea.
No one asked about the phone conversation.
No one noticed that Tania’s eyes were slightly red.
Or perhaps...
They had simply chosen not to care.
Tania stopped beside the dining table.
She drew a slow breath, trying to gather her strength.
“Dad... Mom...” Tania spoke softly as she clutched her small purse. Her gaze moved between her parents. “I’m going out for a while.”
Adrian didn’t even raise his head.
His finger was still busy scrolling across the tablet screen.
“Whatever,” Adrian replied shortly, without expression.
Diana merely glanced at her.
“Don’t come home too late,” Diana said flatly as she lifted her teacup. Her tone sounded more like a formality than a mother’s concern.
Tania nodded slowly.
“Yes, Mom,” she answered faintly.
There was no more conversation.
No warning to be careful.
No hug.
No one tried to stop her.
As though her departure were merely an unimportant part of the routine.
Tania turned around.
Her footsteps echoed softly through the spacious hallway.
Family photographs in gold frames hung along the walls.
Birthday pictures.
Pictures from overseas vacations.
Pictures of company awards.
In every photo...
They looked happy.
But Tania knew...
Those smiles lasted only as long as the camera was taking pictures.
The moment the flash went out...
Silence took over again.
She stopped for a moment in front of a family photograph taken several years earlier.
Slowly, her fingers touched the frame.
Her gaze settled on her own smiling face in the picture.
A smile that now felt unfamiliar.
“When did I stop feeling happy...?” Tania whispered. A bitter smile spread across her lips before she pulled her hand away.
Without saying anything else...
She walked out of the house.
The Jakarta night air felt cooler than usual.
The garden lights glowed softly, casting golden reflections on the fountain that still danced in the middle of the grounds.
Tania’s black sedan was waiting in front of the garage.
A security guard opened the automatic gate.
“Would you like a driver to accompany you, miss?” the guard asked politely, bowing slightly.
Tania slowly shook her head.
“No, thank you, sir,” Tania replied gently, accompanied by a faint smile. “I want to drive myself.”
“All right, miss. Be careful on the road,” the guard replied respectfully.
“Thank you,” Tania said softly.
The car engine started smoothly.
The headlights illuminated the road leading out of the house.
Slowly...
The black sedan glided away from Jakarta’s exclusive neighborhood.
Without any definite destination.
But after several kilometers...
Tania finally turned the wheel toward the highway leading to the mountain region.
The only place that could always calm her thoughts.
The family villa.
The place she had escaped to since childhood whenever the world felt too loud.
The journey lasted quite a while.
The high-rises slowly disappeared in the rearview mirror.
The city lights became a string of tiny lights in the distance.
The roads began to empty.
Soft instrumental music played through the car speakers.
Every so often, Tania hummed quietly along.
Trying to drive away the tightness filling her chest.
But...
The memory of her conversation with Farel kept replaying in her head.
“Since when does my future wife need time alone without my permission?”
“Don’t make me angry...”
“That will never happen.”
The words continued to echo.
Making her fingers unconsciously tighten around the steering wheel.
“Why does everyone else have to decide everything...?” Tania murmured, her eyes fixed straight ahead. “Isn’t this my life?”
No one answered.
Only the sound of the car engine kept her company.
An hour later...
The highway turned into a mountain road.
Pine trees towered on both sides of the road.
Their branches swayed gently in the night wind.
The air grew colder.
A thin fog began to descend.
As time passed...
It grew thicker.
The headlights could penetrate only a few yards ahead.
Tania slowed the car.
Her gaze grew more alert.
She turned off the music.
Now, all she could hear was the car engine, the tires scraping against the asphalt, and the wind occasionally buffeting the windows.
For some reason...
She began to feel uneasy.
As though something were waiting for her beyond the fog.
Suddenly...
Her phone, resting in the storage compartment, began to vibrate.
Buzz...
Buzz...
The screen lit up.
“Farel Mahendra Calling...”
Tania glanced at it.
Then she turned her attention back to the road.
Without hesitation...
She let the call ring until it stopped on its own.
A few seconds later...
Her phone vibrated again.
It wasn’t a call.
A message had come in.
When the car paused at a bend warning light, Tania glanced at the screen.
The message consisted of a single sentence.
“If you still leave tonight, don’t blame me if everything changes tomorrow.”
Tania’s breath caught.
She read the message again.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
Its meaning remained the same.
A threat.
Not concern.
Not worry.
A threat wrapped in cold words.
Tania turned off the phone screen.
Then she put it back.
“What do you really want, Farel...?” Tania murmured softly. Her lips trembled faintly. “Why does love have to feel like being trapped?”
Before she realized it...
Drops of rain began to fall.
At first, only one or two.
Then they grew heavier.
The wipers moved slowly.
Swish...
Swish...
Swish...
Wiping away the droplets that kept covering the windshield.
The fog grew thicker.
The rain fell harder.
The mountain road looked almost deserted.
There were no other vehicles.
No human voices.
Only nature slowly growing more silent.
In the distance...
Something suddenly appeared.
At first, it was only a vague shadow.
Tania frowned.
She leaned forward slightly.
“Hmm...?” Tania murmured softly, narrowing her eyes.
The shadow slowly became clearer.
Someone.
A man.
Standing right in the middle of the road.
He was tall.
He wore a long black coat that hung to his knees.
Both his arms hung calmly at his sides.
He did not move at all.
Fog swirled slowly around him.
As though the man were part of the night.
The distance between them grew smaller.
Yet...
The man remained still.
He made no attempt to move aside.
He did not raise his hands.
He showed no sign of panic.
Tania’s heart began to race.
Her eyes widened.
“Who... is that?” Tania asked spontaneously. Her voice was barely a whisper from shock.
The headlights illuminated the figure.
But his face was still hidden by the fog.
All that could be seen was the silhouette of a tall body in a long black coat.
For some reason...
Tania felt...
That the man was staring straight at her.
A gaze she could not see.
But could feel.
Cold.
Silent.
And...
Strange.
A shiver suddenly ran through her body.
“Hey... move!” Tania shouted in panic as she honked repeatedly.
Honk!
Honk!
Honk!
The horn echoed through the pine forest.
But...
The man did not move an inch.
He remained standing.
Silent.
As though waiting for something.
Or...
Someone.
Only a few yards remained between them.
Tania’s eyes flew wide.
Her breath caught.
“Oh my God!” Tania cried in panic.
Reflexively...
Her foot slammed on the brake pedal with all its strength.
“Screeeeeech—!”
The sound of tires scraping against the road was deafening.
The car lost traction on the slick asphalt.
The rear of the car began to slide.
The steering wheel spun wildly.
“No... no...!” Tania screamed hysterically, turning the wheel with both trembling hands. Her face was pale. Her breathing came fast.
The car spun.
Once.
Twice.
The headlights spun with her vision.
Pine trees flashed past in a blur.
The world seemed to lose all sense of direction.
“Craaaash!!”
A violent impact shook the night.
The car slammed into the road barrier before finally stopping against the trunk of a large pine tree.
The airbags deployed instantly.
The sound of shattering glass filled the air.
Shards of glass flew everywhere.
Then...
Everything fell silent.
There was no sound.
Only the patter of rain falling softly.
And the quiet hum of the car engine still running.
Thin smoke drifted from the crumpled hood.
Inside the car...
Tania’s head drooped.
Her breathing sounded labored.
Her left temple had split open from the impact.
Warm blood slowly trickled down her cheek.
Several seconds passed.
Her eyelids began to twitch.
With the last of her strength...
She opened her eyes little by little.
Her vision swam.
Everything spun.
She tried to raise her hand.
But her body felt impossibly heavy.
“Help...” Tania whispered very softly. Her lips trembled weakly.
There was no answer.
Only fog.
Fog slowly moving beyond the cracked windshield.
Then...
The fog seemed to part beneath a gust of wind.
A man emerged from the white of the night.
The man in a black coat.
He now stood right in front of the car.
For the first time...
His face began to come into view.
His skin was pale.
His black hair was neatly arranged.
His features were handsome, calm, and nearly expressionless.
But what made Tania’s breath stop...
Was his eyes.
Blue.
So clear.
So deep.
That gaze was not the gaze of a stranger.
Nor was it the gaze of someone seeing her for the first time.
It was filled with an indescribable sadness.
And a longing that felt profoundly deep.
The man slowly approached the car.
The rain passed through his body...
Yet strangely...
The long black coat he wore did not appear wet at all.
He slowly raised his hand.
He placed his palm against the cracked windshield.
His gaze never left Tania’s eyes.
Gentle.
Warm.
As though he had been waiting for this meeting...
For an unimaginably long time.
Tania’s consciousness began to fade.
Before everything turned dark...
She managed to hear a man’s voice, so soft...
Almost like a whisper carried by the wind.
“Finally... I’ve found you,” the man whispered with a faint smile concealing a thousand secrets.
Then...
Darkness swallowed everything once more.