Xiou Feng's confession of who had trapped and kidnapped her gave Luna an electric shock. Ana Wang might feel bothered with her presence into Danish's life, yet with her innocent cute face, no one would believe that she could do that, hiring someone to murder her.
Luna stared at the couple who didn't notice her from afar in mixed feeling. Even until Xiou Feng vanished behind the gate, she didn't initiate to go away.
The romantic view in front of her numbed her body like it didn't allow her to move while her sad eyes glued at them, witnessing their laughter and cheerfulness. That hurt her but strangely she let herself watch each moment.
It was only when Danish opened the door for Ana and he slid into the driver seat, Luna walked away from them.
Her slow paces over the tiles resonated with the rhythm of her heartbeat, enduring the heartache caused not only by the bad news of who Ana really was but also her own jealousy toward Danish's relationship with his girlfriend. That ruined all her energy she had built for a long time. Was it the time for her to surrender?
"Miss Yang….Grandma Li wants to see you." She just bowed a slight nod to the maid as her confirmation to meet that woman.
Grandma Li was sipping her tea at her table in her study room when she showed up. Her radiant smile emitted the light of happiness inside her. She put the cup back on the table and asked Luna to take a seat opposite her. Luna flopped her hip on the chair. They had sat face to face now. But no one started the talk.
That old woman's hand nudged the box on the table toward her. Luna, who didn't have any idea what she meant, just observed the object before her eyes in wonder.
"Here is for you, a mobile phone. Learning from what happened to you last night, you will need this."
"Grandma...thank you so much. I really appreciate your care but I think…."
"You are not in the position to refuse it. I have inserted your card and saved my number in your phone book." Grandma Li's kindness mesmerized her so that for a while, quietness covered her mouth, not knowing what to say or do as a response to her attention. "Why are you just quiet? If you don't like the brand, just tell me, I can change it into another one."
"I like it. Thank you so much. I don't know how to pay you for all your kindness."
"Please don't give up on him." Luna got what her words led to. "That is the only thing I want from you. He might be cold and vicious but he is actually a good man. I believe you can be a good wife for him." For Luna, her piece of advice penetrated into her ears and head like the wind, then lingered for a moment before she could digest it. She didn't have any choice to step back.
"Grandma...may I ask you something? And I hope this won't offend you."
"Sure...you can ask anything."
"Why do you want me to be your grandson's wife while there are so many kind, beautiful and smart girls out there?" Her aura changes in an instant when that question gushed out of Luna's mouth.
"Yeah...there is a reason behind that." Luna had anticipated that as everything happens for a reason. There must be a motive behind her big decision of arranging their marriage.
Luna kept calm in her seat with her pounding heart waiting for her next sentences.
Grandma Li sighed, then inhaling and exhaling. It was as if she would say something that might leave pain on her.
"I will accept whatever the reason is." Luna convinced her.
"It is because … your father has sacrificed his life to save my husband." Luna had the desire to implore her to repeat it but she resisted it, just to ensure her hearing went wrong. With all the speculation in her mind, Luna patiently listened to her. "My husband would have died at the time, if only your father didn't push his body to the curb but it was bad that he couldn't save himself. That truck hit his body. I am sorry for telling you this." Grandma Li couldn't hide her agony. Her red eyes affirmed that.
Grandma Li's story just led her to the door of the darkest part in her world that she had tried to abandon forever. She gasped for air of comfort in her complete silence.
That moment beat her really hard, forcing her to delve into the ocean of suffering. After all her effort to swim to the surface of her woes, this old woman before her dragged her back to the bottom of the bad memory.
No tears she felt streaming down, but sometimes the serious pain was hidden inside the deepest heart that no one noticed, not even Grandma Li because in the next minute Luna faked her smile to camouflage the scars within her.
"Grandma...thank you for your honesty. I… have to go." Flanking the small box between her fingers, she stepped to her room with the void she struggled to cope with.
Now she was trapped in the house where the person the cause of her father's death used to live. And the fact that his grandson would be her husband added more insult into her injury.
Luna's devastated feeling messed her up. Leaning against the door, her body shrank to the floor. Her crying exploded. Luckily none of the people heard it.
***
"Grandma… May I request something?" After mustering up her courage, Luna voiced her words. They were ready to have their dinner when Luna muttered her will.
"Anything, dear. What is it you want?"
"Please allow me to work." After going through discussion with herself all day long, she finally came to this decision. It was not only her only way to pay for what Grandma Li had done to Xiou Feng and his sister like what she had vowed to herself but it was the only way to make a space between her and Grandma Li. The incident many years ago would still haunt her if she was too close to the old woman. Setting her boundary mattered for her.
"Why do you have to work while you will be Danish's wife soon?" irritated with Grandma Li's statement, Sandra Li who sat across from her knocked her chopstick to the table on purpose as a form of protest. "Can't you just be mindful?" Grandma's warning went to Sandra.
"Who has set the rule not to talk while eating?" She quipped her own mother. "Who said that Danish will marry this unethical woman? One more thing, I think it's a great idea that she works outside."
"Sandra...who gave you the right to speak up?" Grandma Li confronted her own daughter.
"Yeah...yeah...I haven't lost my right since her coming."
"It has nothing to do with anyone."
"So, who should take all the blame Mom?" There was nothing Luna could do to reconcile them; as a stranger in this house her voice meant nothing. Stealing a glimpse at Danish, she hoped there would be an action that man did to cease the quarrel between that mother and daughter. Yet, that man was occupied with his own thoughts or his food on the plate.
"Can't you just shut your mouth up?" Grandma Li no longer held back her anger.
"Mom…."Sandra and Danish said in unison.
"I have made up my mind. I will marry her," he said. All the people there including Sandra threw their glance at Danish incredulously.