The alarm rang breaking the silence in the room and Natalie rose from the bed. Despite the fact it was six in the morning everything looked dark and the house was eerily quiet. Natalie got down from the bed and went looking around to find Jinyoung. She switched on lights but it appeared as there has been a power cut. Everything was dark despite the fact it was already morning. The air felt chilly like the climate before a thunderstorm. She felt goosebumps in her body as chilly wind ran through her thin pajamas. 

“Jinyoung?” she called but only her voice echoed in the empty house. She couldn’t remember when she bought the red colored swing in the living room. But it wasn’t that important at the moment. The silence was becoming intolerable as she stood motionless in the living room. She ran to the main door and stepped outside. She wanted to hear any sound as it was too quiet. But she found her alone. Everything looked dark like light has been out. There was nothing in front of her. She looked back to get back inside but the door wasn’t there anymore. She was all alone in darkness. She tried to scream but the voice didn’t come out. She started to run but no matter how fast she ran, she couldn’t escape the darkness. She felt she was trembling like someone was shaking her and she opened her eyes. 

“It’s just a nightmare. You are alright,”

Jinyoung scooped her up from bed and hugged her tightly. Her face was buried in his chest and her heart was pounding in her chest. Her breathing got steady as she realized it was nightmare. Jinyoung kept caressing her back while muttering comfort words to her. After a while as she calmed down Jinyoung laid her back on the bed and covered her with the blanket. 

Natalie wanted to ask him to stay but her pride wasn’t going to allow her to ask him. Hence she was grateful when he laid a blanket on the floor next to her bed. 

The morning came peacefully unlike anything from her dream last night. The smell of frying egg and bacon reached her watering . After spending nearly four days in bed she was finally ready to get back to reality. She checked her phone for updates from Zara and replied to urgent emails. She knew with the due date coming closer, she can’t take leave from work. But she wasn’t feeling like going to work. 

Her phone blinked with a message. 

“Hey are you alright? Youngjae told me he went for a meeting at your company and your PA told him, that you are on sick leave" 

She smiled seeing how good Tuan with his timing. She wondered if he would come to her dropping everything like he used to do when they were young. 

“Hey came down with a fever. All good now. Thanx for checking." 

They drew apart when he went away and she knew both of them have changed since then. Her phone light up with Mark’s name and she picked up the call. 

“Hey babe…” his raspy voice came through the phone. 

“I heard about Yugyeom. I’m so sorry” 

A sudden pain ran across her heart as she was reminded of her nephew. She felt guilty for not checking up on him. 

“I couldn’t even check up on him Mark,” she whispered slowly. “I want to see him but don’t want to meet Tina alone.” 

“What about Jinyoung? Is he busy?” 

“Oh… yeah. I can’t  bother him always.” It was the truth anyway. She has to learn to live alone and she didn’t want to bother him knowing he will be leaving in two days. She was also annoyed that he still haven’t told her about leaving on Friday.

“I’m free. I can come with you” Mark offered.

“No Markie. I’ll manage.”

“No I want to Lia. I want to see you. I’ll pick you in an hour.” 

As Mark wasn’t  going to take a no for an answer Natalie finally agreed to go to hospital with him.

The ride to the hospital was quiet as Natalie didn’t want to talk much. She didn’t know what to talk since there were lot of things going on in her life.

 Yugyeom looked pale and his eyes looked empty but Natalie was glad to find him conscious. She hugged him tightly as he avoided her eyes.

“Thank you Gyeom-ah and I’m sorry.” She placed a kiss on top of his head.

“I’m sorry aunt Lia,” the boy said while sobbing and Natalie tightened her grip around him. 

“No, no. It’s us who should be saying sorry to you. If we were here, you wouldn’t feel like you are alone in this” she continued to shower him with kisses. 

“Gyeom-ah, promise me you will call me if it gets harder again. I promise you, I will protect you,”

Mark watched them silently from a side not wanting to interrupt them and after a while when both of them calmed down he placed the donut and choco milk on Yugyeom’s bed. Mark had never met Yugyeom but he knew about him from Natalie. He patted Yugyeom’s  back and walked out leaving them alone. 

Natalie came out after another half an hour or so to find Mark sitting in a bench outside. Though they have been drifted apart from each other most of their adult life, she could sense he was feeling down for some reason. She sat next to him quietly. 

“Why aren’t you going to work if you are well?” Mark posed a question he had in his mind.

“Something happened Mark. I don’t know whether I’m ready to walk into that building again”

“Is it something to do with Jaebeom?” Mark turned his head towards her. 

“No, of course not. It’s something personal,” she said reluctantly as she didn’t  want to reveal it to Mark yet. 

Mark nodded his understanding her reluctance. “If you aren’t busy wanna go to our comfort place?” 

She smiled softly as she remembered their comfort place from their teenager years. A hill in the outskirts of town where one could look down upon the town. They used to go there and sit for hours while talking about everything. 

“Mark it’s a place teenagers go to date,” she said with a chuckle and Mark turned to her with his mouth half open with shock. 

“Well, we didn’t  go there to date and who says it’s only for teenagers. We went there before it was a teenagers dating spot" Mark said with a pout making Natalie laugh. 

How he managed to