CHAPTER 24

I stood before the white door and found myself lost in thought, furrowing my brow. I drew my eyes to my left hand and slowly opened and closed it. With a deep breath, I mustered the courage to grasp the doorknob, turning it gently. As the door creaked open, a veil of white smoke escaped, clouding my vision. Overwhelmed, I could only shake my head and retreated to the white room, leaving the unknown behind me for a bit longer.

Out of nowhere, I felt two arms wrap around me from behind, making me scream from surprise. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw its burnt scent skin. I tried to get free, trembling with fear, feeling a deep fright deep down in my heart.

"Enough, please!" I begged as tears streamed down my face.

Then I jolted out, opened my eyes, and again woke up from my slumber.

"Doctor, are you okay? What just happened?" Ma'am Yolly jumped up and hurried over, worry etched across her face.

I tried to look around and realized that I was inside a room. A few meters away, there was a large black wooden table. I saw the chief of police standing up and staring at me. Then I realized I was inside the chief's office. I sat down on a long sofa. I exhaled deeply, my heartbeat slowing as the realization dawned—it was just a bad dream.

"I'm okay now," I lied, forcing a smile at Ma'am Yolly. "Sorry about that. I just haven't slept much lately."

I eased my feet onto the tiled floor, looking around for my flats. Slipping them on, I then repositioned myself comfortably on the sofa. I ran my fingers through my hair, gently untangling the strands.

I spoke again. "Where's Marco? Can we continue?" However, my heart quickened its pace again. I was unable to stay calm. Amidst the turmoil swirling in my thoughts, I struggled to regain my composure.

Have you ever heard of 'Hyper familiarity Syndrome'? It's this intriguing condition where you feel confident you recognize someone's face, even if it's your first time laying eyes on them. It leaves me pondering: am I going through this myself right now? Everything felt normal to me at this moment, but was what I saw merely a trick of my imagination?

"Let's just wait here, Doc Ara," Ma'am Yolly said, hugging me and rubbing my arm. "They'll call us in soon. Are you feeling better? Try to relax; police surround us."

I bit my lip and nodded. My pulse quickened at the thought of seeing Marco again, a strange mix of anticipation and dread coursing through me.

A few minutes passed, and the police officers asked us to return to the room. As I slowly began my pace, Marco was still there, sitting. I could see his back, with both hands handcuffed. Two police officers beside him turned their gaze towards me. Ma'am Yolly walked in first and whispered to Marco.

Why do I feel so heavy? Why do I feel like I don't want to continue? But I couldn't back out now; I had orchestrated this meeting and needed to see it through. I took a deep breath, closing my eyes briefly. I needed to collect my thoughts and summon the courage to go on.

I saw Marco's face again for the second time. Our eyes met, and at that moment, I felt utterly lost. Silently, his name echoed through my thoughts.

Hector

Could I be overreacting? Disbelief clouded my mind, making it hard to focus, as if I were trying to see through a dense fog. There sat Marco, his likeness to Hector striking, stirring a whirlpool of emotions within me. Their features echo each other closely; despite Marco's face's stubbles, those intense eyes are mirror images, leaving me in a storm of wonder and confusion.

His brows knitted together in a way that tugged at my heart, the familiar expression striking a chord deep within me. As his lower eyelids puffed, a wave of nostalgia forced my eyes shut—I had missed this deeply. Suddenly, I realized why his son's eyes had felt so hauntingly familiar. It was like looking into a reflection of Hector himself, even though he had no siblings.

We all have similarities in this world, but if you were to give them a "rating," it would be one hundred percent. It's like finding a needle in a haystack—one in a million or even a billion. I closed my eyes in disbelief. Perhaps I let my emotions get the best of me. That's why I'm thinking about it now. I sat down and tried to ignore my chaotic thoughts.

Marco spoke to me, his voice surprisingly calm. "Where's my wife? I need to talk to her. I swear, I don't want to hurt anyone."

How does it happen? Why does his voice stir a sense of recognition within me? Am I slipping into a hallucination? I closed my eyes for the third time. Suddenly, I remembered the "glitch theory" I had watched on YouTube. Could there be any truth to this? At this moment, it felt as though I was living it.

In my thoughts, I'm asking, Did I reach my breaking point? My 'mental states' are perfect. Despite suffering for seven years due to Hector's loss, I passed my mental evaluation. The hospital, recognizing my mental fitness, welcomed me with open arms. And once again, I felt a sense of longing in his voice.

"They were fine. Maya mentioned you were sick. Is that true?" I pressed, needing to stick to the plan.

"My head's been killing me lately," Hector admitted, rubbing his palms together. "I don't know what's wrong."

Suddenly, a sharp pain went through my heart. Even his mannerisms, which were so eerily similar, hit me deeply. My hands shook uncontrollably, and tears blurred my vision as I struggled to keep my composure. Overwhelmed by emotion, I felt like I was on the verge of breaking down despite the people around me. My thoughts raced chaotically. Unable to stay, I bolted from the police station, needing to escape.

"Doc. Ara! Why? What's the problem?" I heard Ma'am Yolly's voice calling me, but I ignored her.

When I dashed into my car, rain was already pouring down outside. I started the engine swiftly, allowing it to carry me wherever my heart desired.

I stopped at a junction and noticed that the traffic lights went red. Around me, a hush settled, broken only by the whisper of falling rain. Everything stood still, leaving me alone in a bubble of inaudibility. Then, out of nowhere, I felt a tidal wave of sadness washed over me, intermingled with bittersweet memories. I closed my eyes, and without warning, an image of Marco appeared in my thoughts. Confusion swirled in my mind. Why now? Why did thoughts of him suddenly consume me?

I sighed, trying to redirect my thoughts, desperate for a distraction. "Breathe, Clara, just breathe," I told myself, trying to take deep breaths in and out. But the weight in my chest only grew heavier, pressing down on me until I felt I might collapse under it. Defeated, I rested my forehead against the steering wheel, allowing the tears to flow freely.

A tap on the window startled me from my thoughts. Peering through the rain-spattered glass, I noticed a traffic officer clad in a bright yellow raincoat urgently signaling. The loud horns from the cars behind me further disrupted my reverie.

I turned the steering wheel and restarted the car. As I did, a familiar place I used to visit often resurfaced in my thoughts—the Columbarium.

***

I reached the Columbarium under a relentless downpour of rain. As I navigated through the hallway, my footsteps broke the persistent silence. With no one else in sight, I found a moment of tranquility.

Upon arriving at Hector's tombstone, I observed that the box holding his school ID and ring had disappeared. However, I did not wonder or worry. Too many thoughts crowded my head to focus on just one. I ran my fingers over the polished stone and found his name engraved.

"You're gone now, Hector, right?" I pondered as I fought back tears once more.

It's been ages since I was last here. Coming back, it feels like I'm peeking into a part of my life I thought I had closed the book on. I don't want to dwell on these memories. Instead, I'd pour out my feelings and let the stillness around me take them away. Every memory echoes louder in this silence, returning me to how things once were.

I stumbled out of the building, my mind foggy and disconnected from reality. Rain pounded down, soaking me to the skin as I wandered. The downpour was so heavy that it reduced visibility to almost nothing.

I spotted a concrete bench and sat down. My eyes drifted unfocused, lost in a sea of old memories that pulled me under—the times Hector and I sat together, his head leaning on my shoulder, as we laughed away the entire day.

I looked up at the sky, catching every raindrop with my face. I believed I'd left my troubles behind, but life seemed to have other plans. I've left my past behind, so why does it return? The pain returns as if it was laughing at me. Sorrow triumphs once more, transforming from an adversary into a benevolent companion. As my tears mix with the rain, it feels like the sky is trying to comfort me. Alone in the rain, I felt an odd companionship, as if the storm understood my sorrow.