That night, Aurelina sat alone in her room.
Her laptop was on, but her fingers didn't move.
On the screen, an article by "R" remained open—the man who had now completely filled her thoughts.
Outside, the wind blew gently.
But inside her chest, a storm had just begun.
---
The mysterious letter.
The strange looks from Kak Rey.
The sentences in the article that felt too similar to the pain she'd been quietly carrying for years.
All of it led her to one conclusion:
This wasn't a coincidence.
And that night, for the first time since she was a child, Aurelina wanted to talk about her father.
---
Her mother was ironing clothes in the living room. Her face looked as calm as always.
But Aurelina knew—behind that calmness was a wall no one had ever been able to break.
> "Ma," she said softly.
Her mother turned. "Hm?"
> "Can I ask you something?"
Her mother gave a small smile. "You sound serious today."
Aurelina took a deep breath.
> "Why have you never told me about Dad?"
Her mother fell silent.
The iron, which had been moving slowly just moments ago, now froze midair.
Her expression shifted.
Something flickered there—between surprise and pain.
---
> "Ma… I'm not asking for the whole story.
But I want to know… why didn't you ever tell me who he was?"
Her mother sighed and placed the iron aside.
> "Because that story ended a long time ago, Aurel," she replied gently.
> "But for me, it hasn't ended yet."
Her mother stared at her daughter for a long time, as if seeing someone from the past.
Aurelina continued, her voice trembling:
> "I'm tired of guessing.
At school, I lied and told my friends my dad worked overseas.
But the truth is… I don't even know who he is.
I don't know his face.
I don't know why he left you."
---
Silence.
A few seconds felt like an eternity.
Then, her mother stood up and walked to her room.
Aurelina thought she was going to avoid the question, like always.
But five minutes later, the woman returned.
In her hands was a small wooden box.
She sat beside Aurelina and opened the box carefully.
Inside were some old photographs, yellowing letters, and… a small necklace with engraved initials:
> "R.D."
---
> "His name was Rey," her mother whispered.
"Rey Darmawan."
Aurelina held her breath. Her heart pounded wildly.
> "He was… the first person I ever loved.
But also the first to make me feel like I wasn't enough."
Her mother's voice trembled, but she kept talking.
---
> "We dated back in high school.
I came from a well-off family, he was the son of a motorcycle taxi driver.
My family didn't approve.
But he was kind. Hardworking. Had big dreams."
> "He promised to become someone worthy of me."
> "So he left. Went away.
Didn't say goodbye to anyone."
Tears began to fall from her mother's eyes.
> "I waited. For a long time.
But he never came back."
---
Aurelina clutched the little necklace tightly.
> "Do you know what happened to him?"
Her mother shook her head.
> "After you were born, I stopped searching.
Not because I hated him…
But because I was afraid."
> "Afraid he had already found happiness.
Afraid I'd just be a shadow from the past he didn't want to face."
---
Aurelina stared at her mother for a long moment.
There were wounds she'd never noticed.
A love that had never fully healed.
A story that had never been given the chance to grow.
And for the first time, Aurelina felt…
maybe she knew who Kak Rey really was.
---
That night, she returned to her room.
She took out the mysterious letter and placed the small necklace beside it.
> "R.D."
"To you, who once waited for someone you never knew…"
Those two things came together like a key and a lock.
And her heart began to cry—
not because of loss,
but because she finally knew…
who she had been searching for all this time.