Chapter 5 The Mask Peeling Away on Inherited Land
That afternoon, the sky above the village was no longer silver-orange. Instead, it had turned a deep gray that blanketed the entire yard of Mr. Sutarjo’s teakwood house. The cold mountain wind blew hard, beating against the mango leaves until they rustled loudly, as if announcing that the real storm had just set foot in the courtyard.
Riana stood straight beside the travel van whose engine had just been turned off. The vehicle door slammed shut with a heavy bang that echoed through the village’s silence. She gripped the faux-leather work bag hanging from her right shoulder so tightly that her knuckles turned white.
Her sharp eyes, which usually reflected the wisdom of an eldest child, now blazed with fury that had burned away every last shred of her patience.
Dino stood frozen in the front doorway. His hand still clutched the handle of the ornately carved wooden door. The obedient smile he had been wearing for his wife vanished, and his face turned deathly pale the instant he saw Riana. Behind Dino, Melaa, dressed in an expensive gown with sunglasses perched on top of her head, frowned in irritation.
“Sis... Riana?” Dino whispered, his voice trembling as his throat suddenly felt as dry as a desert.
Riana didn’t answer. She didn’t extend a hand to greet him, nor did she offer the customary greeting of an older sister who had just arrived from the city. Her firm footsteps pounded across the wet yard, crossed the three concrete steps, and stopped exactly two paces in front of Dino. The cold aura she brought with her made the damp afternoon air suddenly feel frozen.
“Why are you so shocked to see me home, Dino?” Riana’s voice was perfectly calm, yet so sharp it could cut through steel. “Or are you afraid I’ll interfere with your plans to buy expensive clothes and transfer the title of this house into someone else’s name?”
Dino flinched. “Sis... what are you talking about? Who told you—”
“Who told me?” Riana cut in as she stepped forward, making Dino instinctively retreat half a step. She then shifted her gaze to Melaa, who stood with her hands on her hips behind Dino. “I don’t need anyone to tell me that my once-honest, devoted little brother has turned into a worthless lapdog with no self-respect!”
“Riana!” Melaa shrieked, outraged. Her piercing voice split the afternoon air. “Watch your mouth! You come all the way from the city and instead of showing some manners, you start insulting your own husband in his own house!”
“His house?” Riana let out a shrill laugh, cold and utterly humorless, making the hair on the back of Dino’s neck stand up. She looked Melaa up and down, from the top of her hair to the tips of her high heels. “Since when did the house Dad built with decades of sweat become your house, Melaa? You’ve only been part of this family for eight months, freeloading off us, but you already act like a queen who owns every inch of this village!”
“Mas Dino!” Melaa roughly squeezed Dino’s arm, her eyes widening as she demanded his defense. “Look at your sister! She comes home and immediately insults me! Are you really going to stand there while your wife gets trampled like this?!”
Caught between the two women, Dino wiped his face, damp with cold sweat. “Riana, please... don’t make a scene in front of the house. The neighbors are watching. Melaa is your sister-in-law. You should talk to her nicely.”
SMACK!
A hard slap landed squarely on Dino’s right cheek. The sound of Riana’s palm striking her brother’s face rang out, echoing between the old wooden pillars of the house. Dino jerked back and clutched his cheek, which instantly felt hot and burning. His eyes widened in disbelief as he stared at his eldest sister.
“That slap was for your rotten brain, Dino!” Riana shouted, breathing hard as she pointed straight at his face. “You want me to talk nicely?! You want me to respect this con artist?! While you... you let this woman bruise Mom’s cheek with her own hand?!”
Dino froze. Riana’s words slammed into his consciousness like a sledgehammer. “Sis... it was... it was just a misunderstanding...”
“A misunderstanding?” Riana reached into the pocket of her tunic, quickly pulled out her smartphone, and thrust the screen just a few inches from Dino’s eyes. “Look at this! Look at this picture with your own eyes! That’s Mom Atun’s cheek! The cheek of the woman who gave birth to you! There are five bluish-silver finger marks on it! You call this a misunderstanding, Dino?! Ask that dead conscience of yours whether Mom has ever hit anyone in her entire life!”
Dino stared at the screen of Riana’s phone. Clearly visible there was Mom Atun’s face, bowed in resignation, with a darkening bruise on her left cheek. Dino’s chest heaved violently.