“Did you receive the pics and the address?”
“Yes, I did…” Noorie’s voice was quiet. “So he’s in Indonesia.”
She paused, her eyes narrowing. “I’ve been hearing rumors… that he was seen in northern Malaysia, near the Thai border.”
“Rumors are convenient distractions,” the voice replied coolly. “Indonesia. All along.” Noorie stared out the window.
“What am I supposed to do with this?”
“What do you think you should do?”
“I’m not sure…” she whispered. “I owe this—” she caught her breath, “—to those people. All that money… their trust. If he really took it… he should face justice. But…”
“But?” the voice prompted gently.
“But it’s my parents. Especially my mother. If she ever finds out I’m the one who—"She stopped. The words turned bitter in her mouth.
“Then let us do it for you,” the voice said. Silence stretched.
“How?”
“I have someone there. I’ll tip her off. She’ll do the rest. You won’t need to get involved directly. They’ll think of some stories and it will not link back to you”
“How will I know it’s done?”
“Oh… you’ll know,” the voice said softly. “You’ll get a call from the Ministry. You don’t think they’ll give him a free ride home, do you?”
She sat on the bed, the same message replaying over and over in her mind. Noorie clasped her hands together tightly.
They were cold. Her chest felt hollow. Did I do the right thing? She had always believed in doing what was right, not what was easy. But this wasn’t some faceless criminal.
This was Johan. Her brother. Her mother’s golden boy. The same boy she shared meals with as a child, who used to steal her favourite kuih from the fridge and pretend he didn’t. But that boy became a man she no longer recognised.
Still… blood is blood, isn’t it? She thought of her mother—how quietly she suffered, how loyally she kept the secret. Noorie remembered the hidden envelopes, the whispers behind closed doors, the late-night trips to Johor, the lies told in love.
And now, she had pulled the thread that might unravel it all. Was this justice? Or was this betrayal? Was she holding her brother accountable? Or was she selling him out to cleanse her own conscience?
She had wanted peace. But now, the silence felt unbearable. She didn’t even know what side she stood on anymore.
Only one truth remained clear in her heart: she was alone in this decision.
Chpt 19 / 36
