Princess: Nuance Of Love Book 1

by Evida Suntoyo

  "I know....I know.....It doesn't matter. Being married, it's only natural that you're not a virgin anymore. Do you love him?" Soraya asked.

  "I do, Mama. I do love him, very much. He was the one who stayed by my side through all the difficult times, you know with the drugging and all." She said trying to convince Soraya without giving out too much information, "And I'm sure that he loves me too."

  "Mita. To prove to you how much I regret what I had done to you, I will support your decision to be with him. But you must know, I don't trust him. I don't think that he will be loyal to you. A man who has loved another woman for three years, then suddenly fell in love with you and forgot about her, can easily do the same thing to you. Or you don't know, maybe he hasn't forgotten about her, and is seeing her behind your back. I've made up my mind. I am going to live here in Jothar until I can be 100% sure that you're going to be alright."

  "Well, that's the first time. Usually, you never worry about me that much."

  "Because, I was always confident that you would be responsible and decent girl. Now I have pushed you into the arms of that unreliable man, so I have to make sure that he doesn't hurt my baby."

  "Good afternoon beautiful ladies....." A familiar voice greeted them from behind.

  "Ananda Hafiz, I worried you weren't going to show up. Mita, I don't think I need to introduce you to your brother-in-law."

  Chapter Twenty Six

  "No, that won't be necessary," Paramita replied.

  "Auntie Soraya, maybe you don't know this. Mita and I go way back, we've known each other before she was even engaged to my brother." Hafiz explained.

  "Oh really? I didn't know that. Tell me about it."

  "We studied together in university, Mama."

  "Is that so?"

  The waiter interrupted them to take the order. "My daughter and I will have a Tuna Salad, "What will you have Hafiz?" Madam Soraya turned to him.

  "Please get me a Lasagna and orange juice."

  "Since when did you eat lasagna?" Paramita asked him.

  "Since a certain young woman called me a fish in a pond a few years ago for, not trying it." He replied looking at her with a gentle look.

  Soraya coughed to get their attention. "Mita, I have asked your brother-in-law here today, so he can help me explain about his brother's relationship with Dewi. I have spoken to her, oh well you know, I met with her the other night. She wanted to talk to me about her relationship with your husband, she even arranged for me to meet with Hafiz to confirm her story. According to her, your husband never officially broke up with her. He only apologized to her for going ahead with marrying you. Don't you see? That means he left the door opened for when he wants to go back to her."

  Paramita didn't say anything. She thought about her mother's word.

  "Mita, my brother is a very faithful man. He's not like....He's not like me. I think all his life he only ever had two or three girlfriends, and he broke up with them for reasons other than another woman if you understand what I'm saying."

  "I do. That's the more reason to feel certain that he wouldn't cheat on me, right?"

  "Mita, you heard it yourself from your mother. Dewi said that he hasn't broken up with her. He can be planning to get back with her." He paused when the waiter delivered to food. "Thank you," He said to the young man.

  "You're such a loyal brother aren't you? I've never heard Abang talk bad about you or judge you behind your back. And now you're saying these things to me, his wife?" She said sharply.

  "Mita, don't be so mean to Hafiz. He only wants to help you." Soraya mediated.

  "Mama, did you know that I used to have a crush on this Raden Hafiz? When I was studying in University. But he never looked twice at me. The moment he knew that I was going to marry his brother, he actually confessed to me."

  "What?" Soraya asked shocked. "Hafiz is that true?"

  "Auntie Soraya, I made a mistake, I never realized what and how much I felt for Mita until I knew I was going to lose her. But that's not the problem now. The reason, that I'm saying these things, is because I don't want to see Mita get hurt again, the way I hurt her before in the past. I realize that Mita has moved on from me and that I missed my chance, but if she was to be with anyone else. I want to make sure that she'll get the love she deserves, and not someone who has his heart someplace else."

  "Hafiz, my happiness has nothing to do with you. Right now, I'm married, a newlywed, and I don't need to listen to your ill wishes to me."

  "Are you sure you're in love with him or is he replacing me?"

  "How can you think that, I mean look at the two of you, he's white and your lightly tanned, your eyes are black and slanted, and his are almond-shaped and honey colored, your hair is straight and his is...."

  "I get it...I get it...."

  "Young man, I don't think your attempt to steal your brother's wife is honorable!" Soraya said to him.

  "Auntie, I'm not doing any such thing. Like I said before, all I want is to see Mita happy. It's okay if she doesn't end up with me. She's a very dear friend and I don't want to see her get hurt."

  "I appreciate what you are trying to do for my daughter, but now since I know your feelings for her, I don't think it would be proper for us to take account your word. Granted, your argument does make sense, and I as Mita's mother do worry about her situation and I wouldn't want her to suffer in the future. But we would solve this problem ourselves."

  "Auntie..."

  "That's enough.....Let's finish our meal and let's not talk about this anymore."

  Paramita was surprised to see Ali and Raden Hamza walking in through the door of the restaurant. She saw the waiter greeting them, she couldn't make out what they were talking about, but she saw them both walking towards their table. She could see that Ali was angry and unhappy that Hafiz was having lunch with her and her mother.

  "Good afternoon, Bunda Soraya, what a surprise meeting you here. My father and I had come out of a meeting nearby, we wanted to have a cup of coffee."

  "Madam Soraya, it's good to finally meet you again." Raden Hamza greeted her.

  "Raden Hamza, how long has it been? A little more than twenty years was it?"

  "Madam, it is a pleasure to see you again, of course we are family now since our children are married," Raden Hamza said to her.

  "Raden Hamza, this is something that I'd like to discuss with you. And fortunately Ali and Mita are here." She said on purposely not using honorifics to address her son in law.

  "Please, why don't we speak of a cup of coffee?" He replied. "Is it necessary for Hafiz to join us?"

  "Yes, he should stay." She replied.

  Ali had an uneasy feeling from the moment Captain Bagas called him to report that Hafiz was there at the restaurant with his wife and mother in law. He was rushing out of the Sultan´s Palace to head to the restaurant when he passed by his father in the hall. Raden Hamza calmed him down and came with him to avoid an unwanted incident between his two sons. Ali pulled a chair and sat beside Paramita, he took her hand in his and held it on his lap. Madam Soraya glanced at them.

  "And how is Raden Nabilla?" Soraya said making small talk.

  "My wife is fine, she is happy with her new daughter in law. And she's busy helping with the preparation for tomorrow."

  "Ah, now I feel bad for, not taking part in it. But then again, I don't think the queen will be very happy to see me. Imagine that I have to help my daughter's wedding as a guest." She said while fixing her hair. "Speaking of the wedding, I was telling Mita, that I was not exactly happy with the choice of husband that her father had married her too."

  "Madam, are you not satisfied with my son Ali as your son in law?" Raden Hamza asked. "What is it about Ali that doesn't go well with Madam Soraya?"

  Ali held Paramita's hand tighter, causing her to winch.

  "Raden Hamza, I want to tell you that when I heard from the Sultan that he intended to marry Mita to Ali, I was very happy. I have known how he was since he was a boy, and I have onl
y good impressions of him. In fact, it was me who insisted for Mita to go ahead and obey her father's wishes" She paused, "But that was before I knew that Ali had already promised marriage to another woman. Something that I found out only recently. In fact, if I remembered right, even my daughter at one time mentioned that her future husband was in love with another woman."

  "Madam, I assure you that my son is an honorable man, he would not do anything irresponsible to his wife."

  "Raden, the Sultan is an honorable man and never really did anything irresponsible or he was always ready to take responsibility for his actions. He is very responsible, to his wives, and even to his ex-concubine and all his children. Do you understand my point? He is a responsible husband to a hand full of women. I don't want my daughter to live that kind of life." She pointed out.

  "Bunda, I promise you that I will be faithful to Mita and will never disappoint her," Ali said to her.

  "Wasn't that the same promise that you made to Dewi Chandrawati? Because that was what she told me last night. And now you're married to my daughter and Dewi's crying in disappointment." Soraya said emotionally. "Who's to say that my daughter wouldn't have the same fate? Also, according to Dewi, you never ended your relationship with her, you only avoided her, apologizing because you plan to go ahead with the marriage. Why is that? Are you hoping that she will keep a torch burning for you, so you can go back to her after you have Mita under control?"

  "Bunda, That´s not true, I have ended it with her, and I never crossed my mind to go back to her, I......."

  "Raden Ali, I might not be the best mother in the world, but I will never allow anyone to play with my daughter's feelings." She paused for a while, "I'm going to talk bluntly if anyone might think I'm vulgar, I am apologizing up front. Ali, Mita is a beautiful and attractive young woman. I'm sure a woman like my daughter can easily awake desire and passion in men. Now that you have had your way with her, how long till you get bored and want to return to the one who owns your heart?"

  "Bunda, I'm sorry for what Dewi is going through and all the pain I caused her, that's why I apologized to her. The feelings I had for Dewi could not be compared to what I feel for Mita. Dewi was my girlfriend for three years, but I never felt for her what I feel for my wife. I don't need to return to anyone, because the person who owns my heart is already by my side. Dewi doesn't mean anything to me anymore, she's merely a part of my past now."

  "I hope you're sincere. But either way, Mita has admitted her feelings for you, so I suppose there's nothing I can do to make her come to her senses. But I'll be keeping my eye on you!" She warned him. "As for you Hafiz, in front of your father and brother I want to say that I hope you would forget my daughter, you had your chance and you blew it. Respect her as your sister in law. Your attempt to show affection can easily create conflict between Ali and Mita. If you're serious about, not wanting to see Mita get hurt, think about that!"

  "Hafiz, you know even if I wasn't with Bang Ali, I will never be with you, ever!" Paramita said, holding back her sadness she added, "She bled for one month and had several complications, I was by her side the whole time, not knowing if she would survive or not. Although she finally did, but the doctors had to remove her womb to save her life. You never once bothered to come and visit her. She actually wanted to keep the baby, but because you and her parents refused it, she had no other choice but to abort it."

  "Ananda, what happened? An abortion? Who is this woman you are talking about? What does she have to do with my son?"

  "Mita, we should go now," Ali said while standing from his chair, "We should let Hafiz and father talk. And you have another appointment."

  "Mama, we're leaving now, we'll talk again later."

  "Bye, darling. Take care." Soraya said while kissing her cheeks.

  * * *

  They left the hotel in Ali's car. Captain Bagas stayed behind to wait for Raden Hamza. "Why was Hafiz there?" Ali asked her.

  "Your goddess arranged for him and my mother to talk about your relationship with her." She answered sarcastically.

  "My goddess? I only believe in one God!" He answered with the same tone.

  "Don't play dumb! You know who I'm referring to." She said. "Maybe this marriage was a bad idea, after all."

  Ali suddenly stopped the car causing Paramita to be thrown forward and pressed against her seatbelt. "Don't ever say that. In our marriage, there's only you and me. Not your parents, not mine, and certainly not any bitter exes or former crushes. They can do whatever they want and say whatever they want to say, but the two of us belong together. And our success depends on us. I love you and you love me, and that's all that matters."

  "I think that's the main question that everybody is asking, why and how?"

  "Why and how, what?"

  "Why do you love me? How is it possible that you fell in love with me in such a short time? Everybody close to you sees you as this super loyal faithful boyfriend who never turns his head to other women. Okay, so you admit you married me for you ambitions, what happens after you've successfully become Minister?" She paused and sighed, "Never mind, I think that what my mother and Hafiz are saying is valid, and their worries are also valid. Fortunately, I'm not as weak and fragile as they think I am."

  "Why wouldn't it be possible?"

  "Huh?"

  "Even if I did marry you for the title and position. Why is it impossible that I really fell in love with you? And why would it be impossible for me to cheat on Dewi with you?"

  "Come again!"

  "Why do people think that it's impossible for me to fall in love with you despite I was still dating Dewi at the time?"

  "I don't know......maybe it's because you've never done it before, I mean if you were like your brother, people wouldn't be so surprised."

  "That's because I haven't met you yet. That's why I never cheated. Who's to say that even though I had married Dewi and had kids with her, that at the moment I see you I wouldn't want to send everything to hell, abandon my wife and kids to be with you. Because that's the way I felt after visiting you at the palace that night. I mean I left my house attracted to you and feeling guilty towards my girlfriend, but I left the Sultan's Palace determined to make you mine."

  "Oh, come on, you don't have to use that cheap tricks to sugar coat me, I remember when I came to your office, you wanted to persuade me to refuse the marriage."

  "Did I? What did I say? How did I say it?"

  "You said......um.....what did you say? Well, you started to talk about your relationship with Dewi, and after that about me not wanting to get married, and...What else?"

  "I didn't say anything else, you started talking without even listening to me." He paused and looked at her, "You should know by now that I don't sugar coat."

  He started the car again and began to drive.

  "They say that if a man had cheated once, there's a good chance that he might do it again." She continued to interrogate him.

  "You know....."

  "Wait, wait a minute," she said while shaking her hands cutting his words. "Before you say anything, promise me one thing, one thing only..."

  "What is it?"

  "If ever in the future, you fall for anybody else. Just straight up tell me, don't cheat, don't lie, and don't sneak around behind my back. Promise me that you'll be honest and tell me. And I promise that I'll walk away from your life, and let you go without making it difficult for you."

  "And you can do that? Let me go just like that?" He looked at her in disbelief.

  "It'll be difficult, and I'd be sad and heartbroken if I ever lose you, but life goes on, and it's better if we separate in a civilized and friendly manner and end up with a bitter grudge, especially if we have children between us." she replied carefully.

  "Fine! I promise although I have no intentions of ever falling for anybody else. But I want the same from you if you ever fall for somebody else, will you promise to tell about it?" he asked turning his head to her.

  "I promise."

 
; "Good........., that way I can find him and kill him for trying steal my wife." Ali stepped on the gas pedal without a warning.

  "Hey, not fair...." Paramita grabbed the dashboard to sustain herself.

  "I'm serious. I will do it! As long as I live you're mine."

  "And you're not?"

  "I never said that, you and everybody else assume that I would find another woman or go back to Dewi. Your mother seems to think that I only want to get you into my bed, my brother thinks that I'm with you because people tell me to, you think that I'm not serious about you for who knows why. I keep telling you and everyone else that I'm helplessly in love with you and that you're the one and only for me. But no one believes me they think I'm going to leave you because I'm an honest and faithful man who never cheats on his woman. What is wrong with you people?" He slammed his fist on the steering wheel.

  "I'm crazy about you," Paramita said not knowing what else to say. "That's why I feel I should reserve part of my heart for you, just in case you'll tear it apart."

  "Don't, you don't need to reserve anything for me because I've surrendered everything to you."

  "It's not that easy for me." She whispered.

  Chapter Twenty Seven

  "Hmm....so it was Jonathan Tan? And he even went so far as to locate your mother in France and called her to make her fly back here."

  "That's what Mama told me, Ayahnda." She replied.

  "Mita, do you know how Bunda Soraya got acquainted with my step uncle?" Ali asked.

  "No, unfortunately I don't know, but that wouldn't be too hard to find out. They are both high profile people from the entertainment industry, I'm sure there will be some news or gossip in the tabloids." She said.

  "You know who would have access to that? Rahmat." Ali said, "His sister works at Jothar Post."

  "I'll call him later to ask his help." Paramita volunteered.

  "Don't worry about it, I'll call him myself and talk to him about it," Ali replied to her.