20 The next day

The bright beams of sunlight dashed through the layers of atmosphere, spreading its joy, playing with the clouds before rushing to meet its favorite playmate—the earth.

The breeze danced around the streets of Murica City, playing with the dry leaves; it came from the sea, and wanted to explore every corner of the streets of the city—its favorite hobby.

Rays of sunlight fell on Emily's skin, caressing it gently, warming her up with its rays, making her comfortable. The corner of her lips carried a gentle smile. Her eyeballs kept darting from one side to another—she was having a nice dream where she was a fairy.

Gerald was sleeping in the driver's seat. He was sprawled across the steering of his car, making him look like a baby. His brows were scrunched—he was having another nightmare. Even though he had a dreamless sleep last night, the nightmares returned in the morning.

Gerald ran and stopped near the beach. Emily wore a flowing white dress which reached her knees. She glanced at Gerald one last time before she walked towards the sea. The water reached her waist, slowly rising up to her neck the further she walked.

Gerald wanted to stop her. But something was keeping him in his place—the chains that bound him. He, too, wanted to follow her into the sea, but he couldn't break the chains. It was too tough for him.

Emily was vanishing from sight—only her head was visible above the wave. Gerald stretched his hand forward and screamed, "No, Emily. Don't leave me. Stop. Please come back."

The voice reverberated throughout the area, scaring off a few birds. With a flutter of their wings, Gerald woke up. The first thing he noticed was his outstretched hand. Pulling it back, he noticed himself sprawled across the steering.

He turned his head and his eyes fell on the rear-view mirror. From the rear-view mirror, he saw the person sitting on the back seat—it was Emily. She woke up with his scream and was looking at him. Her brows were creased and her eyes were filled with worry.

Neither made a sound. She sat there looking at him and he at her.

"Emily, are you okay?" Gerald whispered so low that Emily wouldn't have heard if she didn't read his lips.

She nodded. She opened her lips and wanted to ask whether he was okay or not, but it was useless. She knew he wasn't. He was having nightmares and it was because of her.

She opened her mouth a few times, but no words would come out of her mouth. She couldn't console him; she did not want to give him hope but all she ever wanted was for him to be happy. Even though they could not be together, he should be happy. He deserved it.

The silence returned inside the car as opposed to the outside world. The birds managed to wake the whole city up. They were running to their schools, work, gyms, and parks as usual.

Emily looked at the outside world. If it was any other day, she would have been running like them; too pity, it wasn't. She was sitting here with her ex-boyfriend, in his car, staring at him.

Why did life always throw at her those challenges that she never wished to face?

Gerald hoped Emily would return the question. He hoped she would ask him how he was. He wished to tell her that he missed her a lot. He couldn't sleep since she left him, but she averted her eyes. She did not wish to look at him, much less asking him how he was.

Disappointment filled his heart, suffocating him. He wished he could hug her.; he wished he could tell her he would solve all her problems; he wished he could hold her close to his heart and say that he would be with her through thick and thin. But, he couldn't.

He glanced at her once more. She was busy examining the corner of her nails.

Gerald clenched his jaw. Tears fought to fall, but he held them back. He did not want to waste his tears for her. If she didn't want to reciprocate his feelings, he would not force her.

Opening his seat belt, he descended from his car and stretched. The gentle breeze danced around him as he stretched. He shielded his eyes from the morning rays of the sun, falling on his body, making it shine. He realized his muscles were stiff from sitting all night in the same position.

Emily watched Gerald stretch. She stared at the scenery outside the window and released the breath she did not know she was holding. 'Gerald didn't seem to mind,' she thought. Only if she knew the truth…

Emily leaned her body slightly towards the left and rolled the window down. The faint breeze entered the car, refreshing the air.

Pulling her purse off the front passenger seat, she decided to visit Meera. Her eyes widened at the thought. She was sitting right outside Meera's ward last night. Who brought her here? No need to think much either; it must be Gerald.

She opened the door and came out of the car. She opened her mouth to shout at him, when he saw his moist cheeks. Without saying anything, she collected her phone and purse and ran towards her ward.

A man was sitting outside, his phone was plugged to the charger and he was playing on his mobile with full attention.

Emily frowned.

Aden was playing Ascend with his friends. He wondered when his boss would arrive. His waist felt numb from sitting on that bench all night. He got up and stretched a few times.

Emily pushed the door and entered.

"Hey, wait. Who are you?"

"None of your business," Emily replied as she went inside the room.

"What the hell? What do you mean by that?" The man followed her into the ward and stared at her back. He tried to move his body around and tried to take a peek at her.

Emily turned around and asked, "And, who are you to ask me that?"

"I-" Aden looked at Emily, shocked. He cleared his throat awkwardly and said, "Are you Miss Taylor, the new person who is working with Boss… I mean, Mr. Whitmore?"

Emily raised her eyebrows in reply. She did not answer immediately. She walked towards Meera and smiled at the nurse.

"How is she today, Sister?"

"She is fine."

"When will the doctor arrive?"

"He should be here in an hour."

Emily nodded.

Aden waited for her to reply. When she didn't, he assumed he was correct. He approached her again, seeing her silently looking at Meera. He stood beside her and whispered, "Miss Taylor, I'm Aden Trevor—Mr. Whitmore's secretary and confidant."

Emily nodded in acknowledgement.

"Water…" Meera's voice broke the awkward silence that hung inside the ward.