She scrolled further down a forum post. One user, DreamWalker99 , had written: Sometimes, the 'parents' in your dream aren't your mother and father. They are your past and your heritage. They aren't trying to marry you to a person; they are trying to marry you to your roots.
The golden veil in her memory didn't feel like a weight anymore; it felt like a bridge.
The heavy scent of jasmine incense filled the room as Maya stared at the flickering screen of her laptop. She had spent the last hour spiraling down a digital rabbit hole, her search bar still echoing her anxiety: Arti Mimpi Dijodohkan Orang Tua —The meaning of dreaming about an arranged marriage.
"Hey, Dad?" she said when the line picked up. "I had a strange dream. I think I just miss home."
Maya paused. She looked at her drawing board, covered in sleek, glass-and-steel blueprints—modern, cold, and entirely detached from the colorful, chaotic warmth of her childhood home in the village.