There was pain. At first, it was everywhere, heavy and unbearable and she struggled to return to consciousness. But when she finally managed to open her eyes, she was greeted by a magnificent dark blue skyline outside a rectangular window. It was breaking dawn.Slowly she turned her head and found herself in a strange and alien surrounding. The room was sparse but clean, and the lights had been switched off, with only blue and yellowish hues of the peeking sunlight illuminating the room. The place smelled strange too. There was a metallic tang from stainless steel in the open air and bleach wafting from the bed where she lay.She did not remember closing her eyes. Her last conscious thought was of the nurse delivering Anson’s news.Anson! I need to find him!She sat up, pushing back a light blue crocheted blanket and gingerly touched her neck only to feel a tug at her wrist.Oh.Looking down, she found a tiny IV tube poking

Amber sat in a plastic chair next to the hospital bed where her brother laid. He was awake but remained in a catatonic state, staring emotionlessly at the white ceiling boards above them. Her heart shattered into a million pieces at the sight of him. His face was bruised black and blue, lips cut and stitched and his body mummified in bandages. “Anson? Anson, can you hear me?” Amber called out softly in a quivering voice, gently cradling her brother’s left hand. It was the only body part that was left unscathed. “He’s lucky to be alive,” an elderly cleaner with a friendly smile said as she mopped the floor in Anson’s room. “I heard from the nurses that he would have died had it not been for the kind gentleman who saved him. What was his name again? Ah, that Williams guy from the tech company! Very famous.” She was a chatty lady, but Amber found no solace in her words. In fact, they felt like a double-edged sword, reminding her of her unending debt towards Fabi

Amber sucked in her breath, her eyes never leaving Fabian’s piercing black ones. I think I’ve fallen in love with you. The words echoed through her mind like the humming of a sweet melody and it brought a subtle smile to her face. “Is this some kind of joke?” she whispered, still standing in the cocoon of his arms. She wondered if she was dreaming. Fabian chuckled a little and brushed off a strand of hair that had fallen over her eyes, ignoring the curious looks from people who walked past them. “No, I’m serious, “ he replied, his voice soft and full of emotion. “You got me on your first day of La Fire. I just didn’t realize it,” he said simply before swooping in for yet another kiss. She should have stopped him, but she didn’t. She should have run, but she couldn’t. Her heart was already his the day she surrendered her body to him. There would never be anyone else. As the kiss deepened, Amber’s lips quivered and someh

Amber wished the day would never end. She had spent the afternoon with Fabian, strolling down the streets, sampling on freebies and admiring window displays before retiring with Fabian to his residence. Come evening, Fabian suggested for them to order pizza and watch a movie in his living room; something they had never done before together. “What do you want to watch?” he asked as they unboxed their dinner. The aromatic smell of Neopolitan pizza filled the room as the sun dipped below the horizon, illuminating the room in hues of warm orange shades. A side of buffalo wings laid on a pristine white plate on the carpeted floor along with two glasses of sparkling wine. Amber bit her lips, it had been years since she sat down to watch a movie with anyone. She couldn’t even remember the last movie she watched. She shook her head and smiled sheepishly as she helped herself to a pizza slice. Steam rose from it as she pulled the pizza from the pizza box and c

It was nearly midnight when Amber finally left the hospital. And as the glass door of the hospital entrance slid to a close behind her, she pulled out her phone to make a call. There was no need for secrecy anymore. She could make the call freely now without any fear of Fabian finding out. The cat was after all already out of the bag. “Amber…” the recipient answered her call almost immediately. It was Liam Smith and the very sound of his voice made her blood curl. “I have what you want.” She could practically hear him gloat over the phone. “Come to me, I’m at home.” He sent her his location, he didn’t have to. She had already googled up his place beforehand and found it to be surprisingly near the hospital. It would take her less than twenty minutes on foot to reach his place. She ended the call and looked up at the sky. It was a cloudless night and above her, the stars twinkled to a silent song as the moon continued to cast its pale h