Part 04

12:00 AM

Thania pushed open the door to her bedroom, surprised to find the lights still on.

That's strange. Why are the lights still on? she wondered.

Stepping inside, she scanned the room, but there was no sign of Gibran. At first, she assumed he might be in the bathroom, but the bathroom door was open, and the room was empty. That meant he wasn't home yet.

It's already midnight. Why isn't Gibran home yet? she murmured to herself.

Trying not to overthink, she decided to take a shower. Maybe by the time she finished, he would be back.

But she was wrong. When she stepped out, drying her hair with a towel, the room was still empty. Gibran had yet to return.

Sighing, she sat on the sofa, deciding to wait a little longer.

12:30 AM

Half past midnight. Still no sign of Gibran.

Thania's anxiety grew with every passing minute. She couldn't shake off the worry creeping into her mind. What if something had happened to him? Was he okay?

No, stop it. Don't think negatively, she told herself.

Restless, she paced back and forth across the room, constantly checking the clock on her phone.

1:00 AM

Her eyelids were growing heavier. She stifled a yawn, her exhaustion catching up with her. Just as she was about to give in to sleep, the sound of the door unlocking jolted her awake.

Thania turned around quickly, relief flooding her chest as she saw Gibran stepping inside.

Finally! She hurried over to him.

"Gibran, you're home!"

But he didn't respond. Instead, he walked right past her, his movements sluggish and unsteady.

Thania frowned, following closely behind him. "Gibran, where have you been? Do you know what time it is? I've been worried sick!"

The man let out a heavy sigh, his expression weary. He was too tired to answer endless questions.

"There was something urgent I had to take care of," he muttered.

He barely made it to the bed, almost colliding with the wardrobe before finally collapsing onto the mattress, still fully dressed.

Thania sighed. She bent down, removing his shoes and socks, then carefully slipped off his suit jacket. That was when she caught the faint but unmistakable scent of alcohol on him.

Her heart clenched. Did he go drinking?

She didn't ask any more questions. Instead, she went to get a small basin of warm water and a towel. Sitting beside him, she gently wiped his face and hands.

"Thania."

She flinched at the sudden voice.

Turning her head, she saw Dania standing at the door.

"Yes? What's wrong?" she asked, putting the towel down.

"Can you clean my room? And while you're at it, do the laundry in the basket next to the wardrobe."

Thania nodded, wiping her damp hands on a cloth. "I'll do it after I finish—"

"Thania, the fruits in the fridge are gone!" Rose suddenly interrupted, appearing behind Dania. "I need to make juice. Go to the supermarket and buy some more."

Thania blinked. "Mom..."

Rose crossed her arms. "What?"

Dania chimed in, "Her room is a mess, so I asked her to clean it."

"Fine, just don't take too long," Rose said before walking away.

Thania exhaled, picking up the towel again. She finished wiping Gibran's hands, then quietly left the room to tend to her tasks.

After finishing the chores, she grabbed her bag and headed downstairs. Just as she reached the bottom, she saw her family finishing their dinner.

"Thania! Where are you going?" Daniel, her father, called.

"I'm going to the supermarket to buy some fruit."

"Alone?"

"Yes, Dad."

Daniel turned his gaze to Gibran, who was now sitting at the table. "Gibran, take Thania to the supermarket."

Gibran barely looked up. "I have somewhere to be."

"Then go together."

"It's in the opposite direction."

"I'll take her!" Givan suddenly volunteered.

"No need! I can go by myself," Thania insisted.

Daniel ignored her. "Givan, take her."

"Got it!"

Thania sighed as she followed Givan to his car. She felt guilty for troubling him on his day off.

"Givan, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to take up your time."

Givan chuckled. "Don't worry about it. I had nothing planned today anyway. We're family."

"Yeah, but still… today was your chance to rest."

"Honestly, I should be the one apologizing—for my family and for Gibran's attitude."

Thania shook her head. "They're not bad people. They just need time. And Gibran… he just doesn't want to talk to me."

"He's always been like that—cold on the outside, but deep down, he's actually warm."

Thania smiled faintly. "I hope so."

"If you ever need anything, just call me."

"Thanks, Givan."

He glanced at her briefly and smiled.

After returning from the supermarket, Thania noticed that Gibran was gone again. She asked one of the housekeepers, and they told her he had left early in the morning.

Now, it was night, and he still wasn't back.

Sitting on the couch, she pulled a small diary from her bag. She flipped it open and began writing, letting her emotions spill onto the pages.

Dear Diary,

Tonight, the moon is nowhere to be seen. Hidden behind a veil of dark clouds, it's as if the sky has stolen its light.

I feel sad. Not just because I can't see it, but because I don't know how it feels right now. I don't know if it's okay, or if it's struggling behind those clouds.

Do you know why I love looking at the moon? Because I can stare at it for as long as I want. It never leaves.

The peaceful glow of the moon always soothes my heart. Even if it only appears at night, I'm grateful. Grateful that I get to admire it, even from afar.

I just hope… I can always be its loyal admirer.

~Good night, my moon.

Thania closed the diary, slipping it back into her bag before curling up on the couch. Within moments, she drifted into a deep sleep.