Chapter 29

Only a few inches from Panji's lips touching Anara's lips, Neo realized that he blinked then immediately pulled Anara's hand out of Panji's embrace.

"Don't be crazy, Anara!" Neo snapped.

"Hey! You're the crazy one, Neo! Why did you stop us?" Panji asked furiously.

"He doesn't deserve you!" argued Neo.

"Are you jealous?" teased Panji with a grin on his face.

"I really don't deserve you and him! I'm too despicable and dirty! My body is covered with the hijab but my lips have been touched by other irresponsible men!" Anara's harsh satire made Neo speechless.

With a wound in her heart, Anara left the two men who were growing up at her age. Neo, who was still frozen at hearing Anara's words, then pushed Panji's body, causing the young man's body to stagger backwards.

"Unlucky!" Panji shouted.

Anara quickened her steps toward the house, while Neo followed to speak to Anara.

"Anara, wait!" Neo held Anara's hand when she was about to open the door of the house.

Anara didn't stop her steps, she just kept walking away from Neo. Feeling guilty, Neo quickens his pace and holds Anara's hand.

"Anara, wait! Don't go in yet, we need to talk." Neo asked.

"I don't think we have anything else to talk about, young master! I know my limits. I'm just a maid in this house. According to your request this afternoon, after the cooperation contract agreement ends, I will immediately leave this house. Young master can find a replacement for me who can take good care of Young Miss, and of course she must also be a good woman unlike me who is cheap!" Anara really left Neo who didn't want to say anything more.

Neo's heart really hurt to hear Anara calling him back as Young Master, which means that Anara is certain to keep her distance from him again.

Two weeks passed, the tension between Neo and Anara was increasingly felt. Anara, who often avoids meeting Neo, and Neo's cold demeanor seem to be a gulf between the two of them.

Especially now that Neo has started to get busy with opening a new business that he is engaged in with his friends and other friends. A rare encounter between Neo and Anara, makes the distance between the two of them increasingly tenuous and farther away. Today Anara will return to the village, to return home and celebrate Eid with Grandma Azizah and her twin brothers Alif and Alfi.

"Are you sure you want to go alone, Anara?" asked Mrs. Sonya.

"Yes, Mom! I can go alone, besides, there are still plenty of public transportation during the day." Anara replied smiling happily.

"Well that's that then! Then you be careful on the road, Anara." Mrs. Sonya said.

"Yes, Mom! Thank You." said Anara.

"Souvenirs for Grandma and your twin sister didn't forget? Nothing to miss, right?" asked Mrs. Sonya reminding.

"There isn't any! I've put everything in this box. Anara patted the cardboard she was carrying.

After talking about many things with Mrs. Sonya, Anara finally left because the taxi that Mama Sonya ordered had come to pick her up.

Anara left feeling happy because she was going to return to the village and celebrate Eid with her family. One thing that made it difficult for Anara to leave the luxurious house was her baby, Belia.

That's the reason Anara survived because she was entertained in that luxurious house, the presence of a young baby could make Anara smile. Because for almost two weeks, Anara has felt sad and hurt by Neo's attitude and words the other day.

"Why do I suddenly feel sad like this? Did something happen to Belia?" Neo asked himself in the midst of his busy work at the office.

Neo rubbed his chest slowly which felt uncomfortable, as if something was missing inside him, causing his soul to be restless and restless.

"If something happens to Belia, Mom Sonya will definitely contact me. After all, there is Anara who always looks after and takes care of Belia very well. But why do I feel like this, it hurts so bad." Neo said with anguish in his heart.

Meanwhile in a different place, Anara had just gotten out of a taxi to get on the bus heading to the village. The taxi driver helped transport the goods that Anara was carrying, even though it wasn't much, it was quite heavy.

"Thank you sir!" said Anara when she was sitting on the bus.

The taxi driver immediately left and got off the bus, because a moment later the bus left the city terminal heading towards the village. The journey took almost six hours, causing Anara to fall asleep on the bus.

"Neo! Waiting for you in the meeting room!" greeted Nathan who was ready for the meeting this time.

"Okay!" replied Neo lazily.

"Hey Neo! Why is his face crooked like that?" asked Florencia as she walked hand in hand with Neo and Nathan towards the meeting room.

"What is the problem? Please tell us!" Nathan tapped Neo's shoulder gently.

"I don't know, suddenly I don't feel good like this. Where is the pounding chest again! am i k did you have a heart attack?" Neo's voice made Nathan hit his head.

"If you say do not carelessly!" Nathan said.

"You know the mouth can not be conditioned at all!" said Florencia who was clinging to the arms of her two best friends.

In the meeting room Neo looks troubled, his body is in a meeting but his soul is wandering somewhere. Neo's mind has always been on when he was with Anara and his baby niece, Belia.

"Ah, why me? Why do the shadows of Anara and Belia keep dancing in my eyes. What's wrong with them? Should I just call home so I won't be curious and disturb my mind at this time." muttered Neo.

After the meeting, Neo immediately went to his room. Without delay Neo immediately took out his cell phone which was in his trouser pocket. When Neo was contacting Anara on her home phone, no one answered Neo's phone.

"No one answered my phone. Where are Anara and Mbok Ijah?" said Neo increasingly anxious.

Nathan and Florencia came over to Neo. Since before the meeting, Nathan and Florencia had seen Neo as if he had a lot on his mind and was not feeling well.

"Are you still thinking about Belia?" Nathan asked.

"Yes! I tried to contact Anara on the home phone, but no one answered the phone. I don't know where Anara and Mbok Ijah are, that's why they don't pick up my calls." Neo's answer was getting more and more upset.

"Break time is coming soon, if you want to go home. Just go home first so you don't have to think about it! You've been staring at me the whole time we were meeting." Nathan said.

"What do you say, Nathan! You've been stupefied ever since." quipped Florencia.

Neo glanced at his two best friends Nathan and Florencia. Then after thinking and making a decision, Neo immediately grabbed the car keys and left his room.

"I'm back, Than!" Neo shouted from outside Nathan's room, there was Florencia too.

"Careful, bro!" said Nathan and Florencia almost at the same time.

"Okay!" Neo replied hurrying away.

While on the way from work to home, Neo keeps making phone calls but still no one picks up. Neo is getting irritated and agitated by this time.

"Where are Anara and Mbok Ijah? I didn't pick up the phone either!" muttered Neo annoyed.

After traveling for thirty minutes, Neo finally arrived at his house. Neo hastily got out of his car and ran towards the house. When he entered the house, the atmosphere seemed quiet.

"Anara! Anara…! Anara, where are you?" shouted Neo from the first floor of his house.

This is the first time Neo has called Anara again, after almost two weeks, those sexy red lips have not mentioned Anara's name since the incident the night after the Tarawih prayer a few days ago.

"Anara…!" Neo opened the door to Anara's room, looking neat and empty.

Neo ventured into Anara's room, even though he knew the risk was that Anara would be angry with him, but Neo didn't care. Neo glanced around Anara's room.

"Anara…! Are you in there?" Neo pressed the bathroom door handle until it opened.

Neo looked into the bathroom, but didn't find Anara in the bathroom either. Neo scanned around, when his eyes were fixated on the prayer tool that Anara usually kept on a chair, nothing suddenly surprised Neo.

"Did Anara leave this house?" muttered Neo suddenly limp.

Drap…

Drap…

Drap…

There was the sound of footsteps approaching Anara's room, Neo, who was bowed limply, immediately raised his head and smiled faintly.

"Anara?" Neo's eyes stared at the figure of a middle-aged woman who was standing holding a baby in her arms.

"Brother Neo?" Mbok Ijah was surprised to find the young master in Anara's room.

"Where's Anara, Mbok? Why is Mbok carrying you, Belia?" asked Neo, staring in surprise at the middle-aged woman who was none other than his nanny since he was a baby.

"Anara has returned to the village, Brother!" answered Mbok Ijah calmly.

"Back to the village? When?" asked Neo in disbelief.

"This morning after Brother Neo went to work." Answer Mbok Ijah.

"Why didn't you tell me?" asked Neo.

"Does Brother Neo not know that Anara is returning to the village? She has received permission from the lord and madam for Eid in the village with his family." Answer Mbok Ijah.

Neo was just frozen in silence. Anara left without saying goodbye to him, even this time Anara returned to the village without being accompanied by Neo. Anara really went alone without Neo, and this was the first time Anara went without Neo.

"Brother Neo want to have lunch now? Let Mbok prepare!" continued Mbok Ijah.

"No need, mother! Just let me take care of Belia. Can you have lunch first?" said Neo, taking the baby Belia from Mbok Ijah's hands.

Mbok Ijah left Anara's room leaving Neo still staring blankly in Anara's room, with the baby Belia in his arms.

"Anara… I know you're still angry. I was wrong to make you act cold like that to me. I'm sorry, Anara! Wait for me!" muttered Neo softly.

The feeling of emptiness is now felt in the dal am heart Neo. Even though his relationship with Anara for the past two weeks was not going well, when he found out that Anara had left his house, Neo felt very sad.

The feeling of loss made Neo involuntarily shed tears. His ego, which is too high, makes him ashamed to admit his mistakes to Anara, moreover, Neo also lets his problem with Anara drag on so much that he doesn't speak, making Anara also think about staying away from him.

If it's like that, both Anara and Neo both feel hurt over the loss of someone they care about. They both feel empty, but pride conquers all.