As promised, Darwin took Veronica out for a stroll today. At exactly 10 o’clock, he led Veronica out of the hotel. Since their hotel was located in Kuala Lumpur, he decided to take her to the Batu Caves in the Selangor region.
After driving for about 30 minutes, they arrived at a limestone hill with a temple and a giant statue of the deity Murugan at its entrance. Darwin also guided Veronica to explore the caves there, even climbing hundreds of steps to reach the temple’s summit.
“Darwin, this is crazy. I’m so tired from climbing all those stairs,” Veronica complained when they finally reached the temple’s peak. She was panting, clearly exhausted from the effort.
Darwin burst into laughter. There was a mix of amusement and sympathy as he looked at Veronica, who had been grumbling about being tired all along.
“You’re already complaining at this point? You’re really something.”
“Seriously? Can we change the destination? This is more exhausting than enjoyable.”
Darwin laughed again. He felt a bit amused and decided to change their plans, taking Veronica to Kuala Gandah to see and feed the adorable elephants there.
Thankfully, when they arrived at this place, Veronica didn’t protest. She actually enjoyed feeding the elephants there. Around 3 o’clock in the afternoon, Veronica asked Darwin to take her to the next place.
“Where are you taking me this time, Win?” she asked while they were on the road.
“You’ll find out soon enough.”
“You’re acting all mysterious,” Veronica replied with a smirk.
They embarked on another journey, this time for about an hour, and finally arrived at Genting Highlands. Situated on the border between Pahang and Selangor, this location was well-known for the Awana Skyway Gondola ride. Riding this gondola allowed them to see the famous peak of Mount Ulu Kali.
“Are you going to take me on the gondola?” Veronica asked hesitantly.
“Yeah, why? Are you scared?” Darwin prodded as they both walked toward the station to queue for the ride.
“To be honest, I’ve never been on something like this, Win.”
“Really?” Darwin asked, incredulous.
“I swear, I’ve never ridden anything like this in my life.”
“Riding the gondola is actually fun, Ve. You’ll experience the sensation for yourself.”
“But I’m scared,” Veronica whispered.
“Just relax. I’ll be there with you.”
For a moment, Veronica reassured herself, weighing whether she really needed to take this ride. Doubts crept into her mind. However, because Darwin kept reassuring her, she mustered the courage to give it a try.
Once inside the gondola, everything seemed normal at first. However, as the box-shaped cabin traversed the heights, Veronica couldn’t hide her unease.
Seeing this, Darwin reached out and took Veronica’s wrist, holding her hand in his. He reassured her that she would be fine.
“No need to be scared. You’ll be safe with me.”
Veronica nodded. Pushing aside her fear, she tried to enjoy the view. Even her previous mix of fear and worry slowly faded away. It was replaced with amusement, as Darwin had been chattering nonstop during the gondola ride. She had no idea what he was talking about.
Even at such a height, they managed to capture a few moments by taking photos together. The 20 minutes on the cable felt like no time at all and ended unexpectedly.
“How was it?” Darwin asked when they got off the gondola.
“Not bad. I think I could do it again next time.”
“If you want a really good experience, you should try the best gondola rides in Australia, Switzerland, or Italy. In my opinion, those are the best ones out there.”
“Who would I try them with? I don’t dare to go on my own,” Veronica asked innocently.
“Of course, with me. Why would you go with Sean? That wouldn’t be right!”
Veronica laughed. She kept walking, simply following her husband wherever he took her next.
As time passed, the sunset began to appear. If one looked at the time, it was already six o’clock in the evening. Now, Darwin was taking Veronica to their last destination, Bukit Bintang, where he chose to spend the rest of the evening with his wife.
Bukit Bintang wasn’t a hill where they could see stars; it was an urban area in Kuala Lumpur, bustling and filled with people.
Walking along the busy streets, Darwin engaged Veronica in conversation. Since it was already dinner time, Darwin decided to stop by a restaurant before heading back to the hotel.
“Today was so much fun,” Veronica said. From her expression, her happiness was evident. “Thanks for taking me around. Even though this is all just for show, I don’t care.”
Darwin nodded, smiling in response. “You’re welcome. I’m glad if you enjoyed it.”
“Next time, before we part ways, maybe we really should go on a vacation again,” Veronica suggested. “Honestly, I really enjoy traveling like this. Unfortunately, I don’t have a partner to go with. Back in college, I used to go with Deasy. But since we started working, we haven’t had time for vacations together.”
“Hasn’t Sean ever gone on vacation with you? Or at least gone out for leisure?”
Veronica shook her head.
“Not a chance. I’m already grateful if we can meet every day.”
Unbeknownst to her, Darwin smiled with satisfaction. This meant he was the first man to take Veronica on a vacation like this.
“Why are you smiling to yourself?” Veronica teased when she noticed her husband smiling without reason.
“It’s nothing. Next time, we could go to Europe. That would make the vacation more exciting.”
“Sure,” Veronica agreed enthusiastically. Rather than declining, she actually liked Darwin’s suggestion. “If necessary, we could visit multiple countries at once.”
As they discussed their vacation plans, Darwin and Veronica continued with their dinner. Once they were done, they chose to walk back to the hotel, as the restaurant wasn’t too far from where they were staying.
“Oh my, the streets are so crowded,” Veronica complained as they left the restaurant.
Coinciding with a festival and a big celebration, the streets of Bukit Bintang were indeed bustling and filled with visitors. Worried about being separated, Darwin unexpectedly reached out and held Veronica’s wrist, then proceeded to hold her hand.
“A tight grip so you won’t get lost or kidnapped,” Darwin teased playfully.
“Am I a child?” Veronica retorted.
“Your behavior is even more childlike, Ve.”
Veronica pouted in annoyance. Nonetheless, she enjoyed it when Darwin continued to hold her hand as they walked towards the hotel. Occasionally, she smiled, not necessarily because she was happy, but because she was surprised that the man who used to be so cruel was gradually showing his kind side.