Chapter 005: The Bad News
Aruna was still standing in the doorway.
She slowly lowered her phone from her ear, her eyes never leaving Ardan. Her mind was finally beginning to process what had just happened. If her stepfather's phone was really in this man's possession, then something must have happened.
"Um... well..."
She scratched her reddening cheek awkwardly.
"You don't have to stand out there anymore... Please come in, Mang."
The words came out hesitantly. Caution still lingered on her face, but this time, she chose to accept the facts.
Ardan let out a relieved sigh.
"Finally..."
he muttered as he stepped through the doorway.
As he entered, Aruna found herself studying him more carefully.
They had met only once before, four years ago, at her mother's wedding to Arga.
Back then, his hair had already been long, but it was neatly kept. His mustache and beard were still thin enough that his face was easy to recognize.
Now...
His long hair was tied into a messy bun, with loose strands sticking out in every direction.
His mustache and beard had grown thick, covering almost his entire jaw and cheeks. From the front, only his eyes were clearly visible.
The jacket he wore looked faded and covered in dust. Even his ripped jeans appeared worn out, as though he'd been traveling for days without a chance to change.
No wonder she hadn't recognized him at all.
"Please, have a seat, Uncle."
Aruna gestured toward the sofa in the living room.
Ardan gave a brief nod and dropped onto the couch. His shoulders immediately sagged as some of the weight on his body seemed to lift.
"I'll be right back."
Aruna hurried into the kitchen.
A moment later, she returned carrying a glass of water and placed it on the table.
"Here, Mang."
"Thanks."
Ardan picked up the glass at once.
His throat had been dry ever since the trip.
He drained nearly half of it in one long gulp before gently setting it back down.
Silence settled between them.
Aruna sat on the sofa opposite him, both hands resting neatly on her lap, her back straight.
There was no longer a door separating them.
No more arguing over identities.
Only unanswered questions remained.
Ardan took a deep breath.
The irritation on his face gradually faded, replaced by something far more serious.
His eyes lingered on the coffee table before lifting to meet Aruna's.
"There's something I need to tell you."
His voice was much softer than before.
Aruna gave a small nod.
"Yes, Mang."
The room fell silent again.
The slow hum of the ceiling fan filled the pause between them.
Ardan inhaled once more.
As though carefully choosing the right words.
Then, little by little, he told her everything that had happened at the hospital.
About the accident.
About Arga's condition.
And...
About her mother.
The longer Ardan spoke, the more the color drained from Aruna's face.
Her eyes remained fixed on him, but the light within them slowly faded.
She didn't cry.
She didn't scream.
She simply sat there in silence.
Her fingers clasped tightly together in her lap.
Every now and then, her throat moved as if swallowing something unbearably heavy.
Ardan noticed every subtle change.
At first, he'd expected her to burst into tears.
Instead...
She barely reacted at all.
She simply sat there.
Her gaze was empty, as though her mind was struggling to catch up with everything she'd just heard.
A few moments later...
Ardan finished explaining.
Silence returned.
Only the ceiling fan continued its slow rotation.
Aruna remained seated.
Her face was calm.
Too calm.
Her usually bright eyes now looked gentle...
...yet strangely lifeless.
She didn't argue.
She didn't ask questions.
She didn't cry.
She simply lowered her head for a moment, took a slow breath, then looked up again.
"..."
Not a single word came out.
That silence felt heavier than any sob.
Slowly, Aruna lifted her face.
Her eyes were still soft, but vacant, as if her thoughts had yet to catch up with what she'd just learned.
Then, without another word, she rose from the sofa.
"Let's go to the hospital. Right now."
Her voice was flat.
Neither hurried...
...nor trembling.
Ardan, who had been about to stand as well, sat upright again.
"Can you get to the hospital by yourself?"
Aruna stopped walking.
She turned around.
"My brother told me to pick someone up," Ardan continued. "But he said you should head to the hospital first."
Aruna nodded.
"Okay."
Her reply was brief.
"I'll go by myself."
She turned and headed toward her room.
"Hold on, Run!"
Ardan's voice stopped her.
She turned back.
One eyebrow lifted slightly, waiting for an explanation.
"My brother had one more message," Ardan said, trying to remember. "He told me to call your uncle."
"My uncle?"
Aruna frowned.
"Which one?"
"No idea."
Ardan shrugged.
"But he said the one who's still giving you money."
"Mang Tatang?"
"Probably."
"What for?"
Now Aruna looked genuinely confused.
"No clue."
Ardan shook his head.
"I'm just doing what my brother asked. Do you have his number?"
"I do. One second."
Aruna pulled her phone from her pocket and began scrolling through her contacts.
The room fell quiet once more.
Only the soft tapping of her fingers against the screen could be heard.
"There."
She stopped scrolling.
"Found it."
Walking over, she held the phone out to Ardan.
"Let me see."
He pulled out his own phone.
"Here, give it to me."
Aruna handed it over. Ardan quickly typed the number into his own device.
"Done."
Once he'd saved it, Aruna headed back toward her room.
Not long afterward, she came back out.
This time, she was wearing a jacket.
In her right hand, she held a motorcycle helmet.
The moment Ardan saw it, he frowned.
"Why are you bringing a helmet?"
"Huh?"
Aruna looked at the helmet as though the question itself made no sense.
"If I don't wear one, the police might stop me. That'll just waste more time."
Her answer was completely matter-of-fact.
Ardan blinked several times.
"You're..."
He pointed at the helmet.
"...planning to ride your own motorcycle to the hospital?"
"Yeah."
Aruna nodded.
"Why?"
Ardan immediately shook his head.
"No."
His tone turned firm.
"I'll call you a ride-hailing bike."
His hand reached for his phone again.
"No need, Mang."
Aruna hurriedly refused.
"I already have my motorcycle. I can—"
"Aruna."
Ardan cut her off.
He stepped closer and lightly tapped the top of her head with the back of his fingers.
Not hard.
Just enough to make his point.
"Listen to me."
He looked her straight in the eyes.
"I'm older than you."
He lowered his hand.
"So do as I say."
Aruna fell silent.
The helmet remained in her grasp.
Ardan's eyes shifted to her fingers.
They were trembling.
Very slightly.
Almost imperceptibly.
But enough to make something tighten painfully inside his chest.
She looks calm...
...but she isn't.
She's just trying to stay strong.
Without another word, Ardan looked back down at his phone.
His thumb moved quickly as he booked a ride-hailing motorcycle.
Aruna remained where she was.
She didn't protest again.
A few minutes later, the sound of a motorcycle stopping outside the house broke the silence.
"Your ride's here."
Ardan stepped outside first to make sure the driver matched the app.
"Yep."
Once everything checked out, he turned to Aruna.
"All set. Go."
Aruna gave a small nod.
"Thank you, Mang."
She put on her helmet and climbed onto the motorcycle.
Moments later, it pulled away from the house.
Ardan remained standing on the porch.
His hands slipped into the pockets of his jacket.
His eyes followed the motorcycle until it disappeared into the distance.
"Hmm..."
He clicked his tongue softly.
"That kid's strange..."
His gaze remained fixed on the end of the road.
"She definitely looked shocked when I told her her mother had died."
He rubbed the back of his neck.
"But somehow..."
His brow furrowed.
"...it feels like her reaction was left hanging."
He tried to recall the expression on Aruna's face from a few minutes earlier.
Ardan exhaled slowly.
"Her reaction..."
He gave a small shake of his head.
"It was subtle..."
"...but obvious."
The image of Aruna sitting there in silence surfaced once again.
"She just stared blankly."
"But she was in shock."
He paused.
"Huh..."
A quiet chuckle escaped him as he realized he'd been dwelling on it.
"Why am I even thinking about this so much?"
He stroked his beard.
"It's almost like..."
The corner of his mouth twitched.
"...I wanted that kid to break down crying."
He immediately shook his head.
"Yeah, right."
His eyes drifted back to the now-empty road.
"She stayed so unbelievably composed."
The evening breeze swept gently across the porch.
Ardan stood there for several more moments.
The more he thought about it, the more something felt off.
Over the years, he'd delivered tragic news to victims' families countless times through his work.
Almost everyone reacted the same way.
They cried.
They screamed.
Or at the very least, they broke down.
But Aruna...
Didn't.
She was clearly devastated.
Yet not like someone who had just lost her mother.
It was more like...
...someone who had lost something deep inside herself.
And Ardan recognized that feeling.
For an eighteen-year-old girl...
She was remarkably resilient.
And that was exactly what unsettled him.
It was as though her emotions had become trapped somewhere beyond the reach of tears.
"Hah..."
Ardan let out a long sigh.
"Hopefully I'm just overthinking this."
He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out his motorcycle key.
He still had one more task to complete.
He had to find Uncle Tatang.
Ardan stepped off the porch and walked toward the motorcycle parked in the yard.
The engine rumbled to life.
A few seconds later, he rode away from the house.
Evening had finally given way to night.
Behind him, the house fell silent once again.
The front door—the same one that had witnessed their unusual argument—now stood firmly closed, while its young owner sped toward the hospital, with no one knowing the storm that was truly raging inside her heart.