PROLOGUE "GREAT LOVE"

The surroundings turned pure white, and Ara quickly felt a kind of happiness she had never experienced before in her entire life. The feeling was so light and effortless as if there was no reason for her to ever feel sad.

"Am I in heaven?" she wondered, as she continued to survey the surroundings.

At that moment, Ara noticed a figure that seemed familiar to her. Her blue and round eyes sparkled as she tried to recognize the man who was now approaching her. And as if emerging from a white mist, he appeared. Ara's vision of the man became clearer.

"D-Daniel?" she whispered, accompanied by a rapid surge of indescribable joy in her heart.

Daniel's lips curved into a beautiful smile, highlighting his inherent handsomeness, one of the many captivating qualities that had captured her heart before.

"Ara, my love," he said, extending his hand towards her.

A rush of warmth flooded Ara's eyes, overwhelmed by the intense joy she felt at that moment. Perhaps this was the reward for all the hardships she had endured. Finally, she and Daniel were together again after such a long time. The only man she knew had never left her heart, not even once.

It felt like a scene from a movie as Ara ran toward Daniel. Then, she embraced him tightly, and he reciprocated with the same intensity.

"I missed you so much, Daniel," she said through tears, as he released her from their embrace.

Ara looked up at Daniel and met his intense gaze with her own. "You never left my heart, not even once, Daniel, because I've always loved you," she confessed truthfully, causing her tears to flow once again.

Daniel embraced her once more, holding her tightly. Then, he released her and cupped her face in his hands for the second time.

"I am happy that we have met again," he said, while her tears continued to fall.

A meaningful and tender smile graced Daniel's lips once more. "We can meet again at some other time and in different ways, but it will only end up with one thing—I will still fall in love with you, endlessly," he whispered, lowering his head to passionately kiss her lips.

And in that moment, Ara surrendered completely to the overflow of emotions in her heart. She fervently responded to the passionate kiss from the only man who had never been replaced by anyone else in her heart, not even Timothy.

Because just like the promise she made to Daniel before he left this world before he took his last breath, no man could ever make her forget someone like him. Even if the time came for her to get married, Daniel would remain in her heart and mind.

And just as she had given her love to Daniel before, she held onto that promise. And throughout a long time, she continued to love him, without asking for anything in return. Because she knew that the time would come when they would be together again.

But as they always said, God plans things in a better way. And she had proven that now, in this very moment. Because here she was, embraced and passionately kissed by the man she considered her great love.

"Are you ready to meet Him?" Daniel asked, his eyes sparkling with anticipation, after releasing her lips.

She nodded, while the man gently wiped away her tears. "We will never be apart again, right?" she said with a smile.

Daniel gently held her hands and kissed them tenderly before shaking his head. "No, do you remember the promise I made to you before? The next time we meet, it will be forever, it will be eternity. This is that promise, Ara. I'm so sorry you had to wait. But don't you know, true love, doesn't rush, because true love can wait, it never runs out of time, it's full of hope and second chances."

Ara was moved to tears once again by everything she heard. "I love you, you are worth the wait," she replied.

"I love you so much, too," he whispered, gently squeezing her hand that he still held. "Shall we go?" Daniel asked her once again.

Ara nodded with a smile, gazing up at the handsome face of the man. "Always," she answered, while her heart overflowed with a happiness that she couldn't put into words.

*****

"CLEAR!" shouted the doctor from inside the ICU, as they desperately tried to revive Ara's twin sister. They repeated the process several times before the man finally shook his head, looking at the other staff members in the hospital who were with him inside the ICU.

Bella suddenly felt a chill run through her as she broke free from her mother's tight embrace, who was sobbing uncontrollably at that moment. It was as if she was no longer in control of her own body as she entered the open doors of the ICU. And then, she heard the words spoken directly from the doctor's mouth. Words she didn't want to hear, but they became a painful reality. Words that brought tears streaming down her face.

"Time of death, 8:15 AM," he declared, confirming the permanent departure of her sister from this world.

*****

A melancholic smile formed on Bella's face as she pushed open the door to her sister Ara's room. The funeral for her twin sister, who passed away from Dengue fever, was scheduled for the next day. But her heart still felt heavy, knowing that Ara was gone and she would never see her again.

Bella sat at the edge of Ara's bed and quietly directed her gaze toward it. Then, without any warning, her tears began to flow, cascading down her cheeks.

It felt like half of her being was with Ara, who had departed from this world.

It felt like half of her was lying inside that coffin, alongside Ara, who was now at rest.

She covered her mouth to stifle the sound of her sobs.

"Oh Ara, why did you leave us?" she whispered, and eventually, she let go of all the pent-up frustrations she had been harboring in her chest over the past few days.

Bella remained in that position for a few moments, allowing herself to grieve.

She cried and cried, no longer concerned about how loud her sobs were. All she wanted in those moments was to release the heaviness in her chest as if it had been burdened with sacks of rice.

Before long, she felt a peculiar and comforting sensation enveloping her entirely.

She knew what it was.

She knew who it was.

"A-Ara..." she whispered, tears streaming down her face even more.

She knew her sister was embracing her.

And she knew that wherever Ara maybe now, she was happy.