Mentari in the Night Sky

The Past: Pretending

The gaze that Aunt Anastasia gave me back then was a farewell look. Looks like that day was the day Ken learned all the truth about his father's relationship with Aunt Anastasia. William also told me and Arthur about Aunt Anastasia even though he didn't tell me about my father's involvement in Aunt Lily's death. I don't know if William doesn't know yet or if he's covering up my father's crimes so that Arthur and I can keep looking at him as a 'father'.

As with the love story of my parents, the love story of Uncle Parker and Aunt Anastasia is also the same where they both love each other before Aunt Lily finally came in the life of uncle. Unlike the mother who did not get the love of the father from the beginning, Uncle Parker loved Aunt Lily and continued to pursue her until the aunt accepted her and they married. But who would have thought behind that great love, uncle also still had another love for Aunt Anastasia.

I used to think there would be no other love behind a great love but now I know someone will not be able to completely erase the love from his past. And when his past love is back, the love that was thought to have died forever but turned out to be just a dead man is back slowly.

Ken knows all the truth about Aunt Anastasia because she saw how the aunt always went in and out of her father's room. Even if it was me, I would also be suspicious about the relationship between the two, a relationship that should never have existed. William did not tell further about what happened after but seeing how the uncle did not react showed the uncle did not know anything about Ken who already knew the truth behind his mother's death. Looks like Ken solved this problem all by himself and made Aunt Anastasia leave her home.

Now I'm curious about what Uncle Parker would do so not to see Aunt Anastasia in his house.

Is uncle going to bring him back?

Is my uncle going to hide it?

And, what kind of defense would uncle give Ken?

I turned my attention to my dead cell phone, making the piano that Alvin sent me come to a halt. I let the phone stay on top of the bed and walked over to the window. I opened the window, letting the night air slowly fill the empty space in my room. Unlike the morning air that always cools me, the night air just makes me feel depressed like there is something in the night air that can choke me. For 10 minutes I let the night air strangle me until I decided to close the window.

The clock is at 23:14 p.m. The time when I should have slept asleep because of the sleeping pills I had taken but no matter how strong the effect of the medicine, for today it has no effect on me. Medicine is just a help for me to sleep but the decision to sleep remains in my hands, more precisely in my brain which until now is still working on thinking about various problems that arise simultaneously.

I decided to go downstairs, it seems like I will be relieved once I can bring out all the stifled feelings in my heart. I had to play the piano in the music room and let out all the emotions that filled my body. Mom actually dropped this off on me to always play the piano whenever I couldn't bring out the emotions inside me.

My footsteps came to a halt as soon as I saw my father's office door open and the lights inside were still on. I scanned around for a while, ascertaining whether there was anyone else or not before finally walking closer to my father's study to close the door.

"How can you hide all this? What are you gonna do when Mom and Zeta know all this?"

William's voice rang out, making my steps stop.

"Don't make me repeat my words, William."

"According to which Father would be most painful for Zeta, what is the fact that Father played a role in Aunt Lily's death or the fact that Father had another woman and child?"

"William!!!" I shouted while hitting the table.

"Alvin was the first man in Zeta's life and that man was her brother. Zeta is the woman in Alvin's life and she is his sister. Wouldn't all this hurt both of them?"

"Because I always asked you to keep Alvin away from Zeta."

"Is that all I can say? When was it you who hurt Zeta the most?"

"..."

"Ah... I haven't even talked about mom. What about mom? What will Dad do? If only no other child had been born after Alvin, I think you'd forgive me, but what is this?"

"Don't overstep the line, William," cut the father in a furious tone.

"If not me then who?"

Just as I was about to close the door to my father's study, a hand held me. I immediately looked to my right and found Arthur who was also in the darkness just like me. He pulled my hand away from the doorknob and then smiled bitterly.

"If your mother or Zeta finds out about this, I won't stay silent, William."

"The truth about Aunt Lily's death will make Zeta suffer the most. Even when he knows the truth about who Alvin really is, he won't suffer too much. But Father, he would always blame himself for the death of Aunt Lily, the death caused by his own father. She'll avenge her aunt's death by continuing with Ken, along with the men who have hurt her."

"Dad wouldn't let that happen. I'm gonna call off that match."

"Dad wouldn't be able to undo that match if Zeta knew all these truths."

"Then Dad won't let Zeta know the truth and if Zeta finds out then Dad won't hesitate to hurt Ken."

"..."

"If you love him, you shouldn't have done all this. It shouldn't."

"..."

"I'll be the heir to the Allison Family but I won't inherit any of Dad's behavior."

"William!!!"

"We love Dad sincerely but why don't you return that sincerity with a sincerity too? Why did you repay him with betrayal and pain?"

The sound of blows began to sound. Arthur immediately pulled my body away from my father's study because he knew I would definitely go straight into the room if I kept beating William. Arthur's attraction is no longer the pull of an older brother protecting his younger brother but the pull of someone who needs strength.

Arthur continued to carry my body until I returned to my room, a room I had just left a few minutes ago. She closed the door of my room and immediately sat down at the door with the face she was trying to hide using her hands.

"When do you know all this?" arthur asked for the first time after he brought me back to my room.

"Two weeks ago when mom was playing the piano" I answered honestly because I didn't want to cover anything else from her.

"Mom knows all this?" arthur replied with a small laugh.

"Not with the second child."

Arthur lifted his face and looked at me. I walked over to him and sat right in front of him until my toes touched his toes. I took her big hand and put it on my cheek.

"Mom already knew from the beginning of the marriage about all this. One thing you don't know is the birth of a second child, the birth of my sister."

"Don't call him your sister."

"Mother covered everything. Forgive Zeta for not telling me everything that happened."

Arthur pulled his hand from my cheek. He went back to dipping his face.

"Sister Arthur himself knew from when?"

"What do you mean?" he was a little surprised.

"Sister's response is not someone's first response to this truth" I continued.

"I will never lie to my little sister."

Arthur ruffled my hair and breathed heavily. He stood up and gave his hands to help me stand up. I welcomed his hand and stood up. Arthur walked straight to the window, left me, opened the window and let the night air once again enter the room. He remained silent for a long time while breathing the night air.

"I accidentally read a letter sent to William. I didn't want to believe everything in the letter and thought of it as someone who didn't like our family" Arthur said, stopping and breathing the night air once again.

"Then what makes you doubtful?"

"Mother, the piano game is a game full of anger and pain," he replied as he turned his body towards me, allowing me to see his red eyes.

"What kind of defense would you give?" continue while closing the window.

Arthur was silent for a moment in front of the window before he finally walked towards me. I will never be able to change my expression and mood as quickly as he does. Now I don't see anger, hatred, or sadness in him. Arthur patted me gently on the shoulder before finally walking out of my room.

"The night is really stifling, Zeta."

...-----...