"Get me out of here!" Julie screamed at the top of her lungs.Her voice echoed through the wide hallway of the mental asylum. Her throat hurt from shouting, but she didn’t stop. She had been doing this since morning, maybe even before that. She had lost count of time."I don’t belong here!" she cried, her face flushed and wet with tears. Her fists slammed against the small open space of the iron door window, again and again.Her eyes were swollen now, her hair a tangled mess. Her usually polished face was stripped of makeup and dignity. She looked like a mess and not just outside.She was breaking."I’m not one of them!" she yelled, her voice hoarse now. "I’m not mad! I’m not crazy!"She didn’t know how she ended up here. Just three days ago, she was at the police station. She remembered sitting calmly, waiting to be questioned. Then men in uniforms showed up.She thought they were from the police. But something felt off.Before she could ask questions, they blindfolded her and dragge
"Grandfather, why are you here again?" Denovon asked with a deep frown as his grandfather walked into the hospital room. It had been three days since the accident, and people hadn’t stopped coming to check on him. He was already growing tired of the constant attention."Why won’t I be here again?" Grandfather Gregory responded, brushing off Denovon’s mood as he settled into the chair beside the hospital bed. "Your parents are here too," he added with a light smirk.Almost immediately, Denovon’s parents, Sophia and Richard, stepped inside."How are you doing today, son?" Sophia asked softly, her eyes filled with concern."I'm doing well," Denovon replied, though his face showed signs of weariness. His headache was slowly creeping back again."Hope you're recovering steadily?" Richard added, standing with his hands in his pockets. Denovon gave a small nod in return."Why are you alone? Where is Emily?" Sophia asked, looking around the room and not seeing her daughter-in-law anywhere."I
“Stop crying,” Denovon said, his voice weak but firm as he reached out his hand toward her.Emily remained squatted beside the hospital bed, her shoulders trembling as quiet sobs racked through her body. Her heart was drowning in guilt and shame. She had prepared herself for the worst—that he would wake up angry, cold, and distant. She had braced herself to be pushed away, blamed, or ignored.But here he was… telling her to stop crying.“I’m not dead yet, am I?” Denovon gave a soft sigh, watching her through tired eyes. “You’re acting like you lost me already.”Emily’s sobs softened, but the tears wouldn’t stop. “I’m sorry…” she whispered, her voice cracking. “I’m so sorry for what I said that day. I didn’t mean it… I wasn’t thinking straight. I wasn’t emotionally stable but… I never wanted you to get hurt.”“Shhhh,” Denovon cut in gently, his fingers brushing over her trembling hand. “I said it’s okay.”He looked pale, weak… but his eyes were calm, understanding. Not cold. Not accusi
Denovon’s eyes slowly opened as he frowned, looking around the room. His head throbbed, and his body felt like he had been hit by a truck.Well, he had been hit by one.He groaned in pain as he tried to sit up, his muscles protesting.“You’re awake!”“Denovon!”“Thank goodness.”“You’re finally awake.”Voices filled the room, all talking at once. Familiar voices. Voices full of relief.Denovon blinked, his throat dry. He could feel he was in the hospital. The sheets. The machines. The soft beeping beside him. It all made sense.“How do you feel?” his mom, Sophia, asked with worry in her voice.“Let the doctor check on him,” Richard, his father, said, pulling Sophia gently aside so the doctor could come closer.The doctor moved quickly but carefully, checking his vitals and asking him questions.“Can you hear me?”“Do you feel pain here?”“Can you move your fingers?”Denovon didn’t speak. He only nodded whenever the doctor asked something. He kept his face calm, showing no emotions.Th
"Honestly, Emily, you are messing up your life," Val said with a disappointed face.They were sitting quietly somewhere in the hospital, away from the others. The sun had come up, but the day didn’t feel bright. It was a new day, yet Denovon hadn’t woken up. The night had dragged on slowly, heavy with silence and fear. They had all taken turns staying in the room with Denovon, watching, waiting, praying. But Val had noticed something—Emily’s strange behavior. Her quietness. The way she sat with guilt on her face like a heavy mask. So Val had called her out, asked her to step aside and talk.Emily had told her the truth. What had happened between her and Denovon before the accident. The fight. The words. Her regrets.Val couldn’t keep calm after hearing it."And honestly again, if I knew you would still be holding up to your past like this, I wouldn't have allowed you to get involved with Denovon," Val said with a strong voice. "You can't be this damaged and be damaging someone else’s
The hospital corridor was too quiet. It was the kind of silence that made your heart beat louder. Emily sat still on the cold, tiled floor. Her arms wrapped around herself as she stared at the doors of the emergency room. Her hands were shaking badly, and her chest felt tight like she couldn’t breathe.People were walking by. Nurses. Doctors. Visitors. She didn’t see them. She didn’t hear anything. Her mind was stuck on one thing.Denovon got involved in an accident.That was what Amelia had said.“Emily,” Val called gently, kneeling beside her and trying to help her up.But Emily didn’t move.“Let her sit,” Grandfather Gregory said from where he stood, though his voice was calm, his eyes were filled with fear. He looked older than usual, like he had aged years in just a few minutes.Emily tried to speak. “How… how…”The words got stuck in her throat.“How did it happen?” she finally asked, though her voice was barely a whisper.Leo, who stood nearby with his fists clenched, answered