Sorry.

Walking into the building with steady steps, Grace stopped to survey her surroundings. Unlike the usual busy atmosphere that she was used to, the place was rather empty, leaving her stunned.

'What the hell happened? Did something happen?' she thought, walking through the deserted hallway.

"Hello!" She called out, hoping to attract anyone still in the vicinity. 

To her dissatisfaction, she could only hear her silky voice echoing through the hallway, creating a spooky atmosphere.

"Mmmh?" She hummed, forming a thoughtful expression. 

"Guess I'll have to check every corner of the building then," she murmured, moving toward the east.

The hospital was large, making it hard for unfamiliar individuals to navigate through it easily. To Grace, who took the place as her home, it was child's play.

The hospital was situated in a large city, having tight security, assuring the safety of the hospital. So she didn't suspect anything bad; her only thought was a break that she didn't get informed about or missed due to Liam's charade.

Navigating through the building for some more minutes, she couldn't find anything. Closing her eyes, she decided to head for Liam's room since she didn't have a phone with her to call anyone.

Moving in the direction of Liam's room, she hummed different tunes that came to mind, to make the eerie surroundings lively.

Stomp, stomp

Hearing the sound of footsteps from her blind spot, she turned immediately, surveying the surroundings for any individual.

"Anyone?!" She called out, eyeing the location the sound came from.

She was only met with an eerie silence, creating the fear she dreaded so much.

Turning back, she moved at a faster pace, almost running. 'I have to find Liam.'

"Grace!" A masculine voice called out from behind, sending shivers down Grace's spine.

Stopping in her tracks, she took in deep breaths, turning slowly to see the newcomer.

"Doctor Fred?!" She called out, seeing the man's face.

"It seems you can't even recognize my voice, Grace," Fred said, scrutinizing Grace from head to toe.

"No!" She exclaimed. "I was scared about the situation, so…"

"I understand," he said, cutting her off. 

"Ohh! I appreciate it. Where is Liam?" She said, looking around.

"You haven't changed, Grace. Despite the situations, Liam has always been the first thing in your kind heart," he said, smiling.

"Sorry!" She said as her cheeks took a red shade. "So what happened, doctor," she asked, not wanting to anger Fred.

'I can still find Liam's position with this information,' she thought in relief.

"Too bad, I couldn't find him," Fred said in dejection, moving closer to grace. He could tell that Liam and Grace had separated long ago, making her anxious about his current location.

He had an infatuation with Grace ever since she joined the hospital; always watching her every move and reaction to things.

"W-what do you mean?!" Grace asked, her voice filled with fear of the unknown.

"Don't panic," he said, a few feet away from her. "Calm down," placing an arm on her shoulder.

"I thou…"

"Don't say anything, just follow me," he said calmly, aiming for her hands.

Reacting immediately, she hit his hand off, warily moving backward. "What was that?!" She asked, glaring at him.

"Don't be scared, I'm here to help you, Grace… to find Liam," he said, echoing his last words.

"No! No! You don't have any idea about his location! Right?!" She yelled, moving further away from Fred.

"I won't hurt you, I just want to help," he whispered, walking forward in slow steps.

Wary of Fred's plans, Grace kept on moving further away. "Don't get any closer, if not…"

"What?!" Fred yelled, his face taking a dark shade. "Tell me, Grace, what would you do?"

"I-i…" she stammered, frightened by his sudden change.

"Hahahaha! Nothing, you can't do anything, Grace. You are just a weak female who found herself in the wrong society," he laughed, a lecherous expression on his face.

Discarding all facades, he rushed toward Grace at full speed. "I finally got you!" 

Not wasting time, Grace took off, aiming for the building exit. Grace was not as physically fit compared to Fred. Though she did yoga to keep herself fit, she didn't bother going further, making her attempt futile.

"Come on! Don't bother running!" Fred laughed out loud, as he caught Grace's hand in a tight grip.

"Forget about that little boy, I can give you everything you dream of," he whispered, clutching her hands.

"Please…! Don't do this," Grace pleaded, tears rolling from her eyes.

"Shut up bitch!" He yelled, punching her face. 

He continued hitting her interchanging between slaps and blows, causing bruises all over her perfect face.

"I'm going to accomplish my dreams in the bastard's room!" He yelled, dragging her by the hair.

"P-please," she pleaded, her voice shaky. "Don't do this… you are not like this."

"Fuck you!" He yelled, dragging her to Liam's room. "What do you know! I tried hard to gain your attention but you only saw that bastard!"

Ignoring her pleas, he dragged her off, appearing in front of a room, the number '111' boldly written on its door.

Opening the door, he aimed her at the bed. "Ahhhh!!" She cried out in pain, clutching her stomach.

'I'll rather die than let him get what he wants,' Grace thought, as tears rolled from her eyes. 'I'm sorry Liam, even given a second chance I couldn't make everything right.'

*Hmmm? You can* echo an autonomous voice, playfully.

"Who are you?!" Grace exclaimed, looking for the voice.

*Stop acting like a scaredy cat and look around* echoed the voice, ordering her to survey her environment.

Subconsciously following the voice order, she surveyed her environment, observing how Fred stood like a cartoon; as if time was paused, everything around her stood still.

"W-what…"

*Nothing much, just listen to me* replied the voice, cutting her off.

After some minutes, Glory's face was all red, shame written on her face.

"W-why would I do that?!" She yelled in an infuriated tone. 

*Come on! I don't have time for jokes, are you doing or not?* 

"Pervert!!!" She yelled, picking up a random object and aiming it in a random direction.

*See this* the voice said, a screen appearing before her.

*For Liam, this is a test. For you it's real* said the voice, showing her a series of footage.

"..."

*The main idea was for him to meet you in this condition, probably dead if I didn't stop you* the voice said, displaying an image of Liam moving toward his room.

"T-that…" she stammered, viewing the image of Liam moving toward her location.

*I could have just let you die, then cleared everything… but it won't help, instead it'll cause more trouble for him* said the voice solemnly.

"..."

*If you fulfill the task I gave you… your love will leave here happy, which would make you happy* said the voice.

*Your choice. Leave him broken or help him grow*

"I-I will help him grow… I accept your offer!"

*Good girl*

___________

'I would have made a good detective,' he thought, giggling softly.

Arriving at the location, what he saw left him breathless; awakening something that he never thought existed in him.