“Hebe, I’m much better now,” Ella assured her friend and stood up from her seat, “I’ll just go to the wash room, okay?”

“Be back soon,” Hebe reminded, “I’ll just go and check the cafeteria for some snacks and then go straight and get a cab. I’ll just contact once I’ve done so.”

“Thanks,” With that, Ella exited the room and made way for herself to go to the wash room that was just a few doors away from the clinic.

!@#$%^&*

Outside the emergency room, the red light from the sides of the door just turned off. A doctor made his way out the emergency room and looked at the family with a sad look on his face.

Charlene’s dad stood up from his seat and shook hands with the doctor, “How was the operation?”

The doctor didn’t reply. Instead, he just tapped the shoulder’s of Charlene’s dad and bowed down as if something just went wrong, “We’re sorry, sir.”

“What do you mean sorry?” Charlene’s mom rose up from her seat as she shed a lot more tears than lately, covering the dried up tears.

“We couldn’t save her,” The doctor apologized and looked remorseful for the Choi’s current state. Yes, the Choi’s are known. In fact, the Choi’s made their shares for Show Chwan Hospital that’s why they’re widely known.

“You need to save her, please,” Charlene’s mom pleaded, down on her knees, tugging on the pants of the doctor.

“Charmaine,” Chun’s mom called out and pulled Charlene’s mom from the floor, “Don’t be like that!” She encouraged her, pulling her best friend in a hug.

Chun just sat there, glued to his seat with his dad tapping his back, “Everything will be alright.”

Chun cupped his face with his left hand as his right hand furiously ran a hand through his hair. He gulped for a couple of times, trying to take in what the doctor had just said. He was mentally prepared, the strongest of the group to face the news of the doctor.

He just watched his parents-in-law and her mother, grieving in pain, while they shook the doctor violently just to beg for Charlene’s wakening once again.

Finally, he stood up from his seat and backed off Charmaine, Charlene’s mother from the doctor’s reach.

“We’re really sorry,” The doctor continued and left the group behind as he opened the door and motioned for them to come by and take a look at Charlene’s corpse.

“I’m so sorry,” Chun murmured, “I really regret the fact of accepting the proposal of marrying you. When in fact, I know that I don’t love you, because my heart only belongs to one.” He caressed her cheeks lovingly and stared on her eyes shot wide, “Now, I know how you both feel. I know now how it feels to lose someone I love, even as a friend. I know now how it feels to just be abandoned.”

“Charlene,” Charmaine murmured, kneeling down on her knees as she took in Charlene’s hands on hers.

“I should’ve tried or even learned to love you, even before I accepted the marriage,” He grieved in pain even more, reflecting all of his wrong doings to himself, “But it’s just too late to work everything out now. Now, that Ella wouldn’t have any means to bother me ever again and you’ve left me, Charlene,” Slowly, he looked up the ceiling and prayed, “But I hope you’d rest in peace.”

Unknowingly for everyone, he left the room quietly and walked all alone out the room with himself. By the time he did so, he watched a familiar figure standing in front of him, walking a few steps forward to her destination.

!@#$%^&*

“Ella…” He whispered out her name, assuming that she was the girl standing just in front of him, with her back facing him.

She spun herself around and bowed her head down, gluing her view to the marble tiled floor of the hospital, “Why are you here?”

“You know what happened?” Chun asked her. Although he knew completely that she didn’t have anything to do with him or even knew the latest news about what’s happening in his life.

“I don’t know anything about you anymore, Chun,” Ella replied, forced herself to tilt up her face and smile sweetly at him. But then, once she tilted her head up, she met his eyes that she assumes were full of so much sadness and regret.

“I know,” He smirked a little and heaved out a sigh, “But…” He stopped his sentence midway.

“But what is it?” She encouraged him to say his unfinished sentence.

“Could I hug you?” Out of the blue, he asked her, which sent her not knowing what to currently feel about his sudden question and how to respond, “But wait, what happened to your leg?”

“You have a wife,” She reasoned out with him, just because she didn’t want to feel anything anymore. She was currently on the path of trying to forget about him, so why waste your time trying to comfort someone who you’re willing to forget already, right? “About your second question…” She stopped, trying to think of something less worrying, but then she just ended up saying the truth and making the conversation longer, because she was still trying to avoid him hugging her, “I slipped on shattered pieces of glass.”

“Please,” He pleaded, almost down on his knees, his eyes, obviously swollen from all the crying sessions he’s had for the past few days.

“Only this time, okay?” She pitied him; she pitied him that out of pity, she just made him do whatever he wanted to do with her, as of now.

“You’re the only one who can make me feel calm as of the moment,” He stretched out his arms only to meet her waist and pull her unto him, “I promise you that after this, you won’t have anything to do with me anymore.”

“Really?” She encircled her arms around his waist and rested her chin on his right shoulder, tip toeing a little as she continuously tapped his back to try and comfort him through this devastating state of his.

“Really…” His voice, almost inaudible as if he didn’t want to assure her, replied, “Are you okay now?” He paused, “I mean your leg.”

She nodded and asked worriedly, “What really happened?”

“Charlene’s dead,” He, senseless, replied to her question, alongside, hugging her tighter.

“I’m so sorry, I should’ve not asked,” She apologized and tried to break free from the hug, only to be hugged tighter, almost squished by his strong and firm arms actually.

She heaved out a sigh, trying to catch her breath from his deadly hug. “Chun, Chun,” Ella successfully broke free from the hug now as she massaged her heaving chest.

“Sorry,” He apologized and stretched out his right arm on her wrist to hold it still, “Stay still,” He pleaded and right away leaned forward unto her just to give her a kiss on the cheek.

Ella lightly pushed him off away from her and pursed her lips, “We can’t stay this way forever,” She reminded him, shaking her head, “It just doesn’t seem so right.”

“I know, I know, I know,” He smiled sweetly at her and spun himself around with his back facing her now. Slowly, he stepped a few steps forward, leaving her behind with his right hand waving bye at her.

She just smiled, because she knew that he’ll recover sooner or later and withdraw himself from his pessimistic side and start being optimistic once again.

Just as she thought that he was out of sight, he hurried back to her once again, “Ella…”

She just looked at him, waiting patiently for what he’s about to say.

“Is there, by any chance, a way for us to return back to how we used to be?” He asked, sending her to laugh out loud, “I’m serious,” Then, she stopped laughing.

“I don’t how to patch things up with you and I couldn’t afford someone staring at me while I cry,” She giggled a little and patted his shoulders, “I’m just kidding.”

“So, is that a yes?” He asked her.

“I can’t assume that I’m agreeing with this deal, Chun,” She heaved out a sigh as she unconsciously began shaking, “Maybe you need to clear things up first with your parents and parents-in-law. It isn’t so good to find someone who just recently has his wife die go chasing for another right after.”

He his lips, pursed his lips and scrunched his nose, trying to take in whatever she just had to say, “Is he really your boyfriend?”

“Who are you referring to?” She asked, unsure.

“Don’t play dumb with me,” He was getting uneasy, “The man at the bar,” He raised hi voice.

“Why do you need to raise your voice?” She furiously retaliated, “He’s just a childhood friend.”

“Would you kiss a childhood friend in front of an ex?” He asked, bewildered.

“Chun!” Someone called out, but this time, it wasn’t Ella.

“Mom,” He spun himself around and met her middle-aged mother; pulling him towards where he just left off after her took a little look at Ella who was wearing a tidy yellow slacks, a sling bag over it and a pair of boots.

“The despicable and juvenile step mother,” Ella thought, glaring at Chun’s mother.

Chun just stood there, shifting his gaze back and forth to Ella and his step mother, for he knew that they weren’t in good terms, since God knows when.

Without the farewell, he left her and once he was out of sight, she looked at her wrist watch and called Hebe.

!@#$%^&*

Yup! She is just Chun’s step mother. I forgot to tell you guys.