Story: Starry Night

Danial and I arrived at Janda Baik at sunset. The sky was getting dimmer by the minute as the bright orange sun set in, disappearing in the horizon. The air was fresh, with a gentle breeze and a whiff of jasmine from the garden permeating my nose. The scene was bewitching, there was a stream where the water flowed gently and the sound of rustling leaves marking the start of night. With the wind blowing my hair softly, I was truly at peace, with a man that provided me with excellent company in this wonderfully picturesque moment.

“This is all I need,” I said to myself. Out here by the hilly forest, with the clear night sky, the full moon, and sparkling stars bearing witness to my contentment. I felt truly happy.

Danial held my cold hands and brought them to his lips to kiss. He wrapped his arms around my waist and I could feel the warmth from his body making me feel comfortable.

“Marry me,” he said in jest, then chuckled for a moment.

I kept quiet, taking in the views and the silence that captivated my once worn-out soul. My mind, tired of the constant naysayers around me, and my heart, still reeling from the shatter and betrayal it once had to endure, began to feel rejuvenated. My dreams became wild and vivid.

“Yes!” I jumped and answered his so-called proposal.

We laughed together and our gaze met. His lips touched mine and we embraced each other in a passionate kiss.

“I’m not the person you think I am,” he said to me in a whisper.

“Who are you then? Please do tell.”

“By next week, I will lose my inheritance from my family and I plan to move far away from them. I no longer want to associate myself with the Khalid dynasty.”

This was a lot to take in on our first date. I wondered why he confided in me so simply, making the choice to trust a stranger.

“Eh?” I said, bewildered.

“I bought this piece of land from my earnings while I was working in London. Whatever was bequeathed to me, I gave it back. This land is the only wealth I have.”

His demeanour changed and I sensed some anxiety within him.

“Money, truly, is the root of all evil,” he proclaimed.

If the gossips lingering around the mouths of people in town were true, Tan Sri Khalid left his ex- wife, Danial’s mother, and their children estranged, to marry a conniving woman half his age. From the glamorous photos in magazines, he had never felt more like a man, revelling in the exuberance of a much younger woman.

Danial picked up a stone and threw it into the river.

“I vow to never be like my father. My mother was left heartbroken. I was planning to move to Italy and bring my mother along, so that she can live the rest of her days away from prying eyes, and finally enjoy the peace she deserves.”

He paused for a moment and looked at me with his soft, fixed gaze.

“Until I met you.”

This was happening too fast for me to comprehend. I had never been one who would throw caution to the wind. There must be more to the story.

“My stepmother is fighting for the inheritance my mother deserves. She mustn’t get a single cent. She was the cause of my father’s death, whether she pulled the trigger or not.”

Danial grasped my hands firmly. He looked serious and all of a sudden, his soft gaze turned fierce. “I was about to give up. But you rekindled my spirits. I need you, Alicia.”

I didn’t know what to say. My mouth gaped slightly. I naturally held his hand as an automated reflex. I was left perplexed.