After Danish made his way to his bedroom, Luna stupidly froze at her feet with the first aid kit in her hand. Her undivided attention meant nothing to him, whose heart was filled with hatred for her. She was certain she was to blame for his injury. He harmed himself as a result of his annoyance at the marriage announcement. And, not wanting to owe him anything, Luna intended to help him with his wound, but it appeared that it had been treated. Why was she so gullible? Ana must have treated his wound.
Luna trotted back to her room, unable to hide her disappointment behind her patience. As she walked down the corridor, she heard the shoes behind her rudely and quickly knocking the tiles. Suspicious, she turned around, and a slap imprinted itself on her right cheek immediately. In pain, she winced and groaned.
"This is your just reward for wrecking my son's life." Sandra Li, Danish's mother, stared at Luna, her hand still in the air. Her small face had turned bright red from the rage. "I should have taught you a lesson a long time ago." Luna could only keep her head down, one of her palms still clasped around her red slapped cheek.
Sandra did nothing wrong by defending his son. It was understandable that she would never agree to her only son marrying a poor and ugly woman like her. However, physically harming her in this way could not be justified. She chose to close her mouth instead of confronting the woman with short hair who had done her nothing but harm.
"I'm sorry," she said. Finally, Luna could only mutter an apology in response after a minute.
"If you are sorry for what has happened in this family, you must know what you must do and where you belong." She snarled, her hands clenched and her teeth gritted.
"I'm sorry, but if you think I should leave this house, I won't because I don't want to upset grandma Li, who has been so kind and attentive to me. I can't cut the pain out of her heart." Luna's firm words successfully concealed her trembling lips.
"You dare to argue with me!" She growled as she slapped Luna on the other cheek. That girl managed to keep her tears at bay with all her might. She needed to appear tough in front of this woman so that she couldn't rule her life.
"If you're done with me, please excuse me." Luna said and bowed, then swiveled and walked away. That woman behind her grumbled, unable to believe what she had just witnessed, that Luna wasn't someone she could easily intimidate.
When Luna got to her room, she washed the imprinted slap of that woman's hatred away with water and dried her sadness with a towel. She could see her audacity in dealing with everything now in the mirror. She would not let Danish Li or his mother triumph over her defeat. Instead, she had to demonstrate to them that she was capable of surviving the hardship they had imposed.
***
The Li family was preoccupied with themselves before breakfast began, as if they were in a cold war; they were waiting for Grandmother Li to join them. Luna sat in an awkward corner seat, away from the family's attention. She kept her head held high, vowing to be a strong woman while avoiding attracting the attention of others. Danish quietly concentrated on the gadget in one of his hands while the other was hidden under the table; that was the bandaged one, near Grandma's seat. His mother sat next to him, a pout on her face. Last night's incident resurfaced in Luna's mind. The pain from her palm on her face remained, but she was able to swipe it away with all the strength she had in her heart.
When Grandma Li arrived, the maids had just finished serving the food. That old lady told them to start eating their breakfast. Luna grew accustomed to the situation. She was about to scoop the soup in the center of the table with the spoon when she made a mistake. The soup splattered all over the table. It wasn't entirely her fault; Sandra nudged her hand on purpose to humiliate her. Fortunately, Grandma Li noticed her ruse; she was the one who received Grandma's reprimand.
"This must be your first time eating this delectable soup." Sandra continued to tease Luna despite Grandma Li's reprimand. Luna made a thick face in anticipation. She was no longer vulnerable to insults or quips. She was as calm as the sea while eating, not even lifting her chin.
"When did you start talking while eating?" Grandma Li was still on Luna's side, reprimanding Sandra. Sandra, who was dressed formally today in a taupe blazer and dark pants, closed her mouth. "Danish, what happened to your hand?" After breakfast, Grandma Li finally noticed Danish's bandaged hand.
"In the bathroom, my feet slipped; my palm landed on the floor, preventing my body from falling. I shattered my hand."
Grandma Lee finally accepted what he said, squinting her eyes for a few seconds before acting normally. It was a lie, but if Luna told her the truth, another problem would arise. Luna remained silent in her seat.
"I want you to get to know each other, Luna and Danish. I've purchased two movie tickets for you. Go see a movie."
"Isn't it too soon for them to be that serious, Mom? Let alone that we never sought Danish input on your plan?" Sandra Li objected, then frowned at Luna.
"What matters is not Danish opinion or agreement; everything has been decided. No one is allowed to refuse it; otherwise, he may lose everything." Grandmother warned them sternly. Sandra was not deterred.
"How could you do this to your biological grandson, Mom?" Sandra continued her protest. Danish, on the other hand, kept his mouth shut as if nothing bothered him. Luna was uninterested in finding out because this marriage was not important enough to discuss or he did not want to argue with his grandmother. Grandmother rushed to her feet and walked away in less than a minute. "It's not fair, Mom!" "How come my handsome son marries that ugly girl?" She spat those poisonous words in front of Luna's face. Then she followed Grandma Li, leaving the table once she was done puffing out her annoyance at Luna.
After Danish rushed to the top floor, there was only Luna left in the room. She was unsure whether she should accompany Danish to the movies because it was her first time seeing a film with a man. It was made worse by the fact that the man was Danish and didn't even look at her. Should she find a good reason not to go or use this opportunity to get to know Danish better?
"Why haven't you changed your clothes yet, Luna?" You've decided on Danish. By the way, wear the best outfit I have in the wardrobe for you." Luna jumped to her feet, ducked her chin in a bow, and walked upstairs.
She chose a dress at random from the wardrobe; it was a simple gray knee-high sleeveless dress. She put it on over her yellow pinafore. She combed her hair and applied light make-up to her chubby round face while looking in the mirror. Her appearance was a little different than usual. Perhaps it was because she would go with Danish or because she wore a nice dress. That didn't bother her. What she was thinking about now was how to deal with the situation with Danish by her side. She had never dated a man before. As a result, it would be her first time.
Danish had been driving away from the house when she walked out. That man was as cold as snow, always treating her as if she were a piece of garbage. Luna tried to open the door, but his snarl stopped her.
"Who told you to sit in the passenger seat? Please sit in the back!" Luna exhaled and exhaled, blowing her annoyance out with the air that came out of her nostril. She had to settle for the backseat.
They didn't talk or make any jokes on the way. They were consumed by their own thoughts. The car sped up and devoured the road. Luna was unfamiliar with this crowded city. She wondered how she would find her way back home if she got lost among the crowds on the street and in the store hallways. The car came to a sudden stop, and her head almost collided with the seatback. No complaints escaped Luna's lips.
"Get out!"
"What?" Luna had no idea what he meant when he asked her out.
"I told you to get out of my car!" Danish had run out of patience.
"Is it the cinema?" Danish's face grew colder as he looked in the rearview mirror. "All right, I'll do it." Luna casually exited the vehicle. Her gaze darted around the room, trying to figure out where she was.
Danish's car bolted before she could react, abandoning her in the middle of nowhere.
"Danish....Danish....wait...."
She tried to chase after the car, but it vanished in the next turn. She scanned all corners of the area, perplexed, but she didn't even know the name or address of this place. She tried to calm herself by squeezing her head in panic. Everyone on the street looked at her in questioning eyes.
It was the most terrifying nightmare she'd ever had. That man... how could he have abandoned her in such a strange place? Even though she had already condemned that cruel man, it was pointless. What she needed to figure out was how to contact Grandma Li. She didn't even own a phone. She discovered a telephone box while looking around. She paved the curb toward the telephone box, perplexed.
When a silver car passed in front of her, she screamed in terror.