Episode 12: "I Went Mad Because You Never Came Back"
Danial was arrested on Tuesday morning. An old case: witness intimidation from 2019. The witness had suddenly withdrawn their statement two weeks prior, and the police didn't waste any time.
Raina saw the news on Twitter during a filming break in Singapore.
“Danial Afif detained. Charged with threatening a witness in a murder case.”
Her hands went cold. Not from fear, but because she knew what was coming next. A call.
At 10:00 PM Singapore time, the call came. A prison number.
“Raina,” Danial’s voice was rough but exhausted. “You and Brother Zai come see me. Tomorrow. I only want to talk to the two of you.”
Raina looked at Raizan, who had arrived in Singapore that morning.
Raizan raised an eyebrow. “What does he want?”
“A confession, maybe,” Raina replied. “Will you go?”
Raizan was silent for a long time. “If you go, I go.”
Sungai Buloh Prison. The thick glass visiting room.
Danial sat on the other side. Thinner, hair disheveled, but his eyes were still sharp. He stared at Raina for a long time.
“You’re even more beautiful than in the court photos.”
Raina didn't answer. Raizan sat beside her, holding her hand under the table.
Danial gave a short laugh. “Still holding hands. Good. I never had that.”
Raizan tilted his head. “Speak plainly, Danial. You don’t have much time.”
Danial took a breath. “I want to apologize.”
Raina was shocked. Raizan was not.
“I sent that doll,” Danial said. “I told my men to burn your mother’s house. I hired people to harass you on set. It was all me.”
Raina felt like standing up, but Raizan’s grip held her steady.
“Why?” Raina asked, her voice firm.
Danial looked at Raizan. “Because he took you from me.”
Raizan frowned. “What are you talking about?”
Danial smiled cynically. “Did you forget? When we were 15, Mom died. Dad ran away. You were 25—you took all the money and left for KL. You started your business. You left me with Dad’s 200k debt.”
Raizan froze. “I told you I’d come back for you.”
“You didn't come back for five years!” Danial shouted, making the glass vibrate. “I was 20, I had to take care of a mad father who beat me every night. I had to pay loan sharks. I had to sell myself as a bodyguard for bad people just to keep from starving! You lived comfortably as a 'Mafia Uncle' in KL, then you come back and say ‘Little brother, I’ll take care of you’?”
Raina looked at Raizan. Finally, she understood why Raizan never talked about Danial.
Raizan closed his eyes. “I was afraid you’d become like Dad. I was afraid that if I was too slow, you’d die.”
Danial laughed bitterly. “Too late, Zai. I died a long time ago. The one living now is just the ghost you see.”
Raina squeezed Raizan’s hand. “Brother Zai, speak.”
Raizan looked at Danial. “I was wrong. I should have come back. I was scared. Scared of seeing you become like me.”
Danial went quiet. Then he said softly, “I didn't repair Mom’s house because I’m a good person. I did it because I felt guilty. Every night I dream of Mom asking, ‘Where is your Brother Zai? Where is your little brother?’”
Raina’s throat felt tight. “So why did you harass me?”
Danial looked at her. “Because you have what I don’t. Someone to guard you. You were afraid, yet you told the truth in front of a hundred people. I was jealous. I wanted you to feel what I felt 10 years ago.”
Raina nodded. “So, are you satisfied now?”
Danial smiled—a sad smile. “No. Because after I messed with you, Brother Zai protected you even more. I lost again.”
Raizan stood up. “Enough. You want to apologize, do it. But don't do it again.”
Danial looked at him. “What if I get out?”
Raizan answered calmly. “If you get out, you come to our house. For Eid. You’ll eat the fried rice I cook. It’ll be a total failure, but you’ll eat it.”
Danial was stunned. “Are you... are you serious?”
Raizan looked at Raina. “You said this Eid we’d go back home together. I’m holding onto that promise.”
Raina held Raizan’s hand. “I agree. But on one condition.”
“What?” Danial asked.
“You don't touch Brother Zai. If you touch him, I’ll fight you back,” Raina said. “This time, I have a voice.”
Danial stared at her for a long time. Then he laughed. “You really are dangerous, Raina. Even more dangerous than him.”
Episode 13: "The Call Rings Again"
One year later.
The old house in the village was now a light blue wooden home with a small porch and solar lights. Raina had won the Best New Actress award. Danial was working honestly at the production house—as an "Advisor" who ensured no one was bullied on set. Raizan had closed all his dark businesses.
That night, after roasting lemang, they sat on the porch.
Raizan made pulled tea. Danial was grilling chicken. Raina was editing a script.
Suddenly, Raizan’s phone vibrated. An unsaved number with a +66 code (Thailand).
Raizan frowned and answered. “Hello.”
Silence for three seconds. Then, a raspy woman’s voice.
“Raizan... are you still alive?”
Raizan’s face went pale. “Who is this?”
The woman laughed—a sound that made Raina’s skin crawl. “Me. Maya. You thought I was dead, didn't you?”
Raizan walked away from the porch. “What do you want?”
“I want to see you,” Maya said. “And I want to see that 'extra' girl you're guarding like a child.”
Raizan looked at Raina. “Don't come to Malaysia,” he said lowly. “If you come, you aren't going back.”
Maya laughed again. “You always threaten people, Zai. Are you afraid now?”
Line dead.
Bangkok. A cheap hotel in Sukhumvit.
Maya gave them an address. 11:45 PM, they arrived at a dark coffee shop.
Maya sat in the corner. 35 years old, short hair, a long scar on her neck.
“So you’re the one who made him soft?” Maya asked Raina.
Raina didn't answer. She stood behind Raizan.
Raizan pulled out a chair. “What do you want, Maya?”
Maya put photos on the table—Raina on set, Raizan hugging her at the airport.
“I want 5 million USD,” Maya said. “Or I sell these to the media. I'll tell them the Mafia Uncle is back and he has a new girl.”
Danial cursed. “Are you crazy? He’s out of the game!”
Maya laughed. “The world doesn't care if he’s out or not. The world wants a story.”
Raizan looked at the photos, then pushed them back.
“Take them,” he said. “Sell them. I don't care. I used to be afraid of people knowing who I am. Now I don't care. Because the person who matters already knows.”
Maya was stunned. Raizan took Raina’s hand. “We’re leaving.”
“Raizan! If you leave like this, I'll find her!”
Raizan stopped and turned. “If you touch her, I'll find you. And this time, I won't be playing.”
Maya went silent. She knew those eyes.
Episode 14: "London, The Ring, and The Unanswered Question"
London was raining. As usual.
Raina stood outside a studio in Shoreditch, filming an indie British film. A black car pulled up. Raizan stepped out.
“Brother Zai? You said you were coming next week.”
Raizan smiled. “Early flight. I missed your fried rice.”
That night, at a small cafe, Raina asked, “If I say I want to stay here for two years, what would you do?”
“I’d find a job here. Become security at your studio,” Raizan said seriously. “I don't care what I am, as long as I know you’re safe, eating, and sleeping.”
Back at the hotel, on the 18th-floor balcony, Raizan took out a small box.
A simple ring with an 'R.' And another plain band.
“Raina, I’m not good at this. I don’t know how to be a normal boyfriend. But I know that since you entered my life, I don’t want to wake up alone anymore.”
He opened the box. “Raina, will you marry me?”
Raina didn't answer immediately. She took the plain ring and put it on her ring finger, next to the R ring.
“I’m not answering yet,” she said softly. “Because if I say yes now, people will think I said it out of fear of losing you. I want to say yes when I’m certain I’m choosing you. Not out of fear.”
Raizan smiled. “Okay. I’ll wait. Forever.”
Epilogue: "Yes"
Raina returned to KL two days before Eid. Raizan was waiting at the arrivals gate. He always knew.
“Yes,” Raina said that night at the village house. “I was afraid before. But now I know, I am who I am because of you. Yes, I want to marry you.”
They married two weeks after Eid at the village house. Simple white clothes. No reporters. No live streams. Just Danial recording a blurry video on his phone.
When the Imam said “Sah” (it is official), Raizan quickly wiped his eyes.
“Brother Zai,” Raina whispered. “Are you crying?”
“Dust. Eid dust,” he lied.
A year later. Raina was five months pregnant.
They sat on the porch. Danial brought over some cakes. “What are we naming my niece/nephew?”
“If it’s a girl,” Raina said, “We’ll call her Fatimah.”
Raizan nodded, eyes misty. “My mother’s name.”
That night, Raizan taught Raina to ride his old motorcycle.
Raina screamed, “Slow down, Brother Zai!”
Raizan laughed. “This is slow!”
They rode around the village. No bodyguards. No worries. Just the wind, the smell of rain, and hands that never let go.
[The End]
There were no more threats. No more black boxes.
Just fried rice with extra eggs, pulled tea at 2:00 AM, and the question “Are you okay?” answered with “I’m okay because I have you.”
Raizan Afif was no longer the Mafia Uncle. He was Brother Zai. Husband. Father.
Raina was no longer an extra. She was Mrs. Afif. Actress. Mother.
And Danial? He was the brother who finally learned to say “I’m sorry” and “I love you.”
The crazy family finally found their peace.
"Thank you for reading my story! I'd love to hear your thoughts on the ending. Should there be a spin-off for Danial?"
