Why do you always leave us behind?
Those words stabbed at Nicoleâs heart like a knife, and her tears fell onto the letter in her hand.
I only ran away because I didnât want to end up hurting Evan under the influence of my hallucinations⦠Iâ¦I really wanted to stay by his side⦠You mustnât do what I did, Evan! You have to come back! Iâm willing to look after you! Iâm really worried about you⦠Please come back!
Overwhelmed by her emotions, Nicole felt the ground spinning underneath her as she coughed up a mouthful of blood. âPfft!â
âMommy! Are you okay?â
âMommy! Mommy!â
Both Nina and Maya were on the verge of breaking down at that point. John called for a nearby doctor, and Nicole was rushed into the emergency room immediately.
As she lay on the hospital bed on her way into the ER, Nicole saw Evanâs handsome face flashing before her eyes and let out a faint smile.
Say, Evan⦠Which one of us do you think is going to die first, huh? You think you can run away from me, but youâre wrong⦠Iâll be waiting for you in the afterlife! Weâll always be together, Evan⦠Forever and everâ¦
With that thought in mind, Nicole closed her eyes as her consciousness slowly faded away.
Having no other choice, Nina whipped out her phone and gave Evan a call. âSomethingâs happened to Mommy!â
The next day, Nicole woke up and saw a blurry figure sitting next to her bed.
It took quite a while for her eyes to focus, and she frowned when she was able to clearly see the handsome face spacing out beside her.
Huh⦠Evan? I thought he left? Whatâs he doing here?
She reached out and held his hand, snapping him out of his trance. âNicole? Thank goodness, youâre finally awake!â He asked while staring at her worriedly.
Is this really you, Evan? Or are we both dead and in the afterlife right now?
Evan called for a doctor when he saw Nicole staring blankly at him.
A doctor? Do we have doctors in the afterlife?
Nicole simply watched on in silence as a few doctors came to check on her condition.
âYour wifeâs condition is now stable, Mr. Seet. Donât worry, sheâll be all better soon.â
Evan let out a sigh of relief upon hearing that. âAlright, I understand. Thank you, doctor, you may go now.â
âVery well, sir.â
The sight of the doctors leaving her ward and the warmth of the sunlight on her skin made it obvious to her that they were both alive. But⦠Whatâs Evan doing here? I thought he leftâ¦
Nicole pressed Evan for answers, but he simply told her that she just had a bad dream. He said he never was poisoned, and that he never left them with a farewell note either.
âA dream?â
Nicole grew uneasy. How could that be? Thereâs no way I dreamt that all! I was awake and alert when it all happened!
At that moment, Nina and Maya came into the ward, feeling overjoyed that their mommy had pulled through.
âIâm so glad youâre alright, Mommy! The doctor said youâll be all better in no time if you take good care of your diet!â
âIâll make you something to eat, Mommy! What would you like?â
Nicole looked at them and asked, âYour daddy was hospitalized because of his poisoning, and he wrote a note before leaving us! You were both there when it all happened, so I want you two to tell me⦠Was it really just a dream?â
Maya wasnât good at lying, so she didnât dare look Nicole in the eye. âDaddy wasnât poisonedâ¦â
She was technically telling the truth, as Evan was indeed never poisoned to begin with.
Besides, Nina had explained everything to her, so she understood what was going on.